Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a rainy day. Truly, water was pouring down heavily like waterfalls and you could hear thunder rumbling from the distance every now and then. It made everything kinda gloomy, or that was what Lucy thought when she was looking out from one the guild house’s windows.

”Is it never going to end?” she sighed as Mirajane stepped beside her to bring some tea. ”I swear, it's like Gray ditched Juvia on a date or something.”

”I really hope that is not the case”, Mirajane chuckled. ”The rain will stop soon I’m sure of it. How are things going with Natsu?” she asked curiously yet also just a little bit mischievously, making Lucy blush.

”W-well...” she stuttered and tried to act like there was no certain Fire Dragon Slayer sleeping on the couch, head on her lap. ”Fine, I guess?”

”Still clingy?”

”Yes... But I'm getting used to it.”

”That's good”, Mirajane smiled. ”Don't worry. The season won't last forever, only a couple of weeks. Just make sure to use protection”, she smirked making Lucy blush fiercely this time.

”I-it's not like we're doing something like that...” she said quickly.

”Oh?” Mirajane asked tilting her head just a bit. This was a surprise.

”No! Of course not! He's just clingy, that's all!”

”Really? Then I guess the season won't affect him that much”, Mirajane hummed. ”He's a lucky one. I guess then Gajeel won't be that bad either with Levy. Maybe it's because of their age? But then Laxus...” she muttered and she looked towards the table where she knew the Thunder Legion usually sat. Lucy followed her gaze and immediately she felt chills run down her spine.

Laxus was sitting there and she could almost feel how anger and frustration was slowly building up inside of him. Tiny sparks were emitted from the blond hair and his eyes were tightly shut like he was just listening to his old headphones, but they could see he was clenching his jaw.

He was looking absolutely terrifying. He was ignoring everything and everyone and all mages in Fairy Tail had decided it would be the best if they wouldn’t approach the Lightning Dragon Slayer without a really good reason.

”He is... Really scary...” Lucy almost whispered while shivering. ”Is it because of the mating season?”

”Most likely”, Mirajane nodded. She was more worried than frightened because of Laxus, but she understood why so many were scared of him now. ”Laxus is older than Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy. It seems like it hits him harder.”

”But I'm so glad it won't affect Wendy yet”, Lucy said. ”And thankfully it only happens once in every ten years. Laxus just had bad luck, being older than others.”

She glanced over Laxus again, now slightly curious.

”So why is he like that? Doesn't he have a mate?” she asked looking back at Mirajane.

”He has”, Mirajane said with a smile. ”He's waiting. It's been already a week since the season started and his mate hasn't yet came back so it’s making him frustrated. But he will wait.”

”So... You and him are not...?” Lucy carefully asked, making Mirajane chuckle.

”No, we are not a thing”, she said. “I guess you all thought that was true?”

“I guess… Is it Cana then?”

”No.”

”Lisanna?” Lucy suggested, though it seemed very unlikely.

”Never”, Mirajane laughed. ”You'll see soon, they should arrive at any minute now.”

”They? So... You mean it's someone from the Thunder Legion?” Lucy gasped and Mira nodded. ”It's Freed! I knew it!” the blond girl giggled excitedly.

”We all knew they would happen eventually”, Mirajane smiled. ”I'm sure Laxus would have left to find him a long time ago, but he doesn't know where he is on a mission currently. So now he's just waiting for him to come back. He's been here every day, from early morning until late at night. He would stay here even through nights if he could.”

”But are you sure about it?” Lucy asked, tousling her fingers through the pink hair as Natsu muttered something in his sleep. ”I mean, he could be waiting for someone else...”

”I'll show you”, Mirajane said giving her a smirk, heading back to the bar.

Lucy followed how Mirajane took drinks on her tray and left to serve. She stopped near Laxus, who didn't care what was happening around. The white haired mage spoke happily with Levy and Gajeel for a moment, peeked towards Laxus and suddenly said ”Freed” a little louder so Laxus would definitely hear it.

Lucy flinched when Laxus’s eyes shot open and immediately he turned his head towards guild doors, his orange eyes full of enthusiasm. Then there was confusion as he kept searching but not finding his mate. Lucy did feel a bit bad when she saw how disappointed Laxus was but it only lasted a second as that all turned to anger and he glared towards Mirajane who just smiled happily.

Lucy couldn't help but giggle even if she could hear clearly how Laxus was growling when he realised Mirajane was messing with him. That was just too funny. Maybe a little bit childish joke, but still funny.

I t was clear as a day. Laxus really was head over heels for Freed. But that was good, since everyone knew that Freed had it just as bad for Laxus.

Chapter Text

Mirajane kept serving beer and other drinks while chattering with her guildmates. It was actually a rather peaceful and quiet day, just like other days since the season started. Natsu and Gajeel only wanted to snuggle with their mates and Gray was on a mission with Juvia, Erza and Wendy. Cana of course was drinking and asking someone to join her, but it was so usual you hardly noticed it anymore.

So when Laxus suddenly stood up with his chair clattering almost everyone noticed it it immediately. Mirajane chuckled when looking at Laxus’ face. It seemed like Freed was approaching the guild house. Yet something made Mirajane frown a bit. It seemed like Laxus was… Maybe a bit worried?

”Laxus, is something wrong?” she asked kindly from the Lightning Dragon Slayer.

He said nothing and just kept standing there watching the doors incessantly. For a minute everyone in the guild were quiet and they only heard how someone was shifting on their seat or lifting their drinks.

”Why is he not with them?” Laxus growled suddenly and his eyes narrowed.

Mirajane was about to ask him what he meant when the doors already opened. Bickslow and Evergreen came inside the big guild hall, soaking wet.

”This is the worst possible time to walk outside”, Evergreen complained taking her glasses off for a moment so she could dry them with her handkerchief.

”Without Freed's runes it would have been even worse”, Bickslow grinned, not that much bothered by the rain. ”Laxus! Baby, how's it hanging?” he greeted their boss, completely oblivious how everyone looked so tensed up.

”Where's Freed?” Laxus growled cutting short the needless chitchat.

”Man, you're as lovely as a snapping turtle poked with a sharp stick today, aren't you?” Bickslow laughed.

”Snap! Snap!” his Tiki dolls chanted hovering over Laxus.

”Just answer”, Laxus ordered.

”He went home, wanted to change his clothes”, Bickslow said and was almost shoved out of the way by the blond man. ”Did something happen?” asked confused when Laxus disappeared from the guild. ”Is Freed in trouble?”

”Trouble? Poor Freed!” his dolls sighed.

”Well, in a way you could say so”, Mirajane smiled.

They sat down and Mirajane told them all that had happened in the past week while they had been on a mission.

”So... Laxus has a massive boner for Freed?” Bickslow said with a wide grin.

”Ooooh!” the dolls giggled while twirling around.

”And now he's going to find him and -” the seith mage chuckled, but Mirajane quickly interrupted him:

”Bickslow, please!”

”What? It's a beautiful love story about a gay dragon and a gay demon! How can that not be interesting?”

Evergreen smiled thinking how happy Freed was going to be. That green haired rune mage had been following Laxus for years! But he never mustered enough courage to ask him out on a date. She did understand why, though. Freed was simply afraid Laxus would start hating him and their existing relationship would crumble.

Date...

”Bicks”, Evergreen said, suddenly terrified.

”Baby?” Bickslow said tilting his head, his dolls following his lead.

”Date... Laxus is on his way to find Freed and Freed is...” Evergreen stuttered and she was slightly trembling.

First Bickslow was confused, but then it dawned upon him.

”Oh... Fuck...” he gasped with fear in his voice.

”What's the matter?” Lucy asked joining in the conversation, pushing Natsu off her lap so she could come closer.

”Well we... We kinda... Ever and I happened to meet Rufus Lore. You remember, that memory mage with the ridiculous feather hat?”

”Freed has been feeling so down lately, we set him up on a blind date with Rufus and he's meeting him today”, Evergreen sighed.

“Why did you do that?” Mirajane asked.

“Because it seemed like they might have a lot in common. They like books, they’re smart, they’re strong… We thought it might be a good idea.”

”Now that you mention it, they do seem like a perfect couple”, Lucy mused.

”I'm not sure Laxus will see it that way”, Mirajane said looking worried.

”And Laxus being like he is right now...”, Bickslow gulped. ”He's going to murder that masked memory clown!”

”Clown! Dead clown!” the totems squeaked, trembling behind their master.

”Hell! With a storm out there right now, he's going to destroy the whole city!” Evergreen shouted. “We have to do something before that happens!

Chapter Text

Freed opened the front door to the house where he, Bickslow and Evergreen were living together. There were three floors. Bedrooms on the second floor with one smaller bathroom and on the first floor the kitchen, living room and a bigger bathroom. Third floor was actually just a small attic room where Bicslow lived. It wasn't a big house, but it was enough for them. It was their home. There was one big downside though.

Laxus didn't live there.

Freed sighed and took off his boots and his coat. His lovely, beautiful red coat that was now muddy, soaking wet and almost completely ripped apart. And that was all thanks to Bickslow. Oh well, water under the bridge, Bickslow was genuinely sorry and promised to pay for its restoration. Freed was never one to hold a grudge against his friends.

The green haired mage just put his coat on a hanger to wait and went to the bathroom. He stripped out of his muddy clothes and put them into the laundry basket. It was Evergreen's turn to do laundry today, but Freed knew not to hold his breath. She didn't do any housework if she only could avoid them in any way, like staying at the Strauss siblings house most of the time. Freed sighed and stepped into the shower.

Ah, the smell of lavender in his shampoo was enticing and the sweet smell of honey on his body wash was just delightful after a long week on a mission.

After the shower he wrapped a bathrobe around him and used a little bit of his magic so his long hair would dry faster and settle down. He tied his hair from the bottom, lightning bolt cowlicks sprang up proudly on the sides of his head and Freed smiled with a nod of approval. He opened a closet in his room and found new clothes to wear. Underwear of course and a simple undershirt. His usual pants and a white silk shirt and a scarf.

Freed sighed sadly when he picked up another coat from his closet. It was nice, sure. But it wasn't his old, comfortable and reliable red coat. This one was deep purple, long and with high collar and with small golden coloured buttons.

He put it on and buttoned it up. So now he was ready to go out. He wasn't actually thrilled about the whole idea of a blind date. But Bickslow and Evergreen were so excited for him so... It wouldn't kill him to actually meet this person. To at least tell him face to face that his heart was already reserved for someone else.

Someone who would never love him the way Freed loved him... Freed knew this very well and he never expected Laxus to return his feelings. No, he was happy to just stay by his side, see how happy Laxus was with his family and friends, see his Thunder God as much as possible.

He stepped out of the house and locked the door. Then he drew some runes in the air and disappeared.

Only about five minutes later Laxus arrived at the front door. He could smell Freed with his sensitive sense of smell, the lavender shampoo and the honey body wash. Damn, where the hell did Freed go? And why?

Laxus gritted his teeth and a few little sparks of lightning crackled around him in the air. Freed was always somewhere near to be found but this was the one fucking time he decided to go somewhere without telling anyone? And using his teleportation magic to prevent soaking, so Laxus couldn't even follow the scent! What was he supposed to do? Walk around Magnolia just hoping that he'd find Freed's scent?

Laxus growled silently, narrowing his eyes. So... Why exactly would Freed go out when the weather was as bad as it is? And right after returning from a mission that took so long? The rune mage wouldn't do something like that without a good reason... So was he meeting someone? Maybe...

”Fuck!” Laxus shouted furiously when even thinking about the possibility of Freed going on a date with another man.

He turned around, returning back to the street and some of the lightbulbs in nearest lamp posts exploded. He would not let his man meet with some weak unknown douchebag! Freed was his mate and only his to be loved! He would make sure Freed would understand that for the rest of his life and couldn't ever be satisfied by anyone else.

Chapter Text

Freed teleported right in front of the coffee house where he was supposed to have his blind date and he let out a small sigh. Little bell jingled when the door opened and he stepped inside. So, how was he supposed to find his date if he didn't even know what he looked like?

”Mr. Justine”, a soft voice said suddenly almost startling Freed.

He turned to look at the man who spoke. Long blond hair, big red brimmed hat with feathers and most noticeable, red mask covering half of the man's face.

”Rufus Lore”, Freed said with a polite nod. He remembered the man from the Grand Magic Games. He couldn’t say he had liked his performance there, but he had to admit that man was strong.

Rufus stood up and went around the table, standing right in front of Freed.

”It is my pleasure to finally meet you and talk with you face to face”, he said with a smile, offering his hand.

”The pleasure is all mine”, Freed assured taking the hand. ”So you are my date?”

”Yes, isn't that pleasant? I have been waiting for a chance to properly introduce myself to you in person”, Rufus chuckled. ”Please, do sit down”, he said offering a chair.

Freed raised an eyebrow, but he said nothing and just sat down. Rufus took the chair from the other side of the table where he had been waiting until now. Freed decided he did not like how Rufus treated him, there was absolutely no need to offer him a chair.

”So, do you mind telling me what you would like to do on this date?” the blond mage proposed. ”Theatre? Sightseeing? Delicious dinner in the evening...?” Rufus said with a little smirk on his face. Freed sighed and rolled his eyes.

”I'm really sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Lore -”, he started.

”Please, call me Rufus.”

”Rufus... As I was saying, I don't think this dating could work out”, Freed apologised. ”I came here today simply to not have you stood up, that would have been rude. And I agreed to this blind date only to cheer up Evergreen and Bickslow, since they were so worried about me.”

”I guessed that much”, Rufus smiled which surprised Freed.

”You did?”

”Yes. I have seen you before couple of times, Freed. And every time you were with that Lightning Dragon Slayer”, Rufus explained and poured some tea for Freed from the teapot he already had ordered with cups. ”One with the big scar on his face, always looking grumpy and annoyed about everything, not at all sophisticated -”

”Please do not talk about him like that”, Freed grunted now irritated. Rufus didn't even know Laxus and talked like he could possibly read him like an open book. Laxus was not that simple of a person. Certainly someone like this obviously egocentric memory mage would never understand that.

”I'm sorry if I acted improperly”, Rufus apologised quickly, but his smile never faded from his lips. That arrogant, self centric smile that made Freed want to leave as soon as possible. ”I really am sorry, Freed”, Rufus assured. ”I do not want to be your enemy and I can see that Laxus Dreyar is someone you hold in great esteem. And I have to admit, he is someone I do not want to encounter in a battle.”

”You would never survive it”, Freed stated without hesitation.

”I would lie if I said otherwise”, Rufus agreed. ”He is strong.”

”And not stupid, keep that in your mind.”

”Memorized”, Rufus vowed with smile.

”Good”, Freed said and was finally starting to relax a little bit. He took his teacup since Rufus already had poured him some tea and it would be impolite to waste it.

”Could you tell me something about yourself?” Rufus asked with curiosity.

”Myself?”

”Anything you want, I'm not going to force you to tell me anything but I would be interested to hear something”, Rufus smiled.

Freed sighed. He should have known that Rufus wouldn't give up so easily. He was that kind of a man.

”I don't know what I could possibly tell”, the green haired mage said. ”There is not much to tell.”

”Of course there is”, Rufus said. ”I can see that you have passion when you start something and you are a wise man. It takes a lot to actually be able to use rune magic the way you do, I believe.”

Freed knew this was something Rufus would say to probably anyone who he was dating, but... He was slightly flattered. He just needed to remember that Rufus was a sweet talker and Freed shouldn't let himself get fooled by it.

”Thank you”, he said. ”Actually it does take a lot to use rune magic. Not that much of magic, but knowledge. You must know exactly what you want and even one tiny mistake can be fatal. It all depends on what you want. And rules are absolute”, he said with small smile.

”And you follow rules no matter what”, Rufus hummed. ”That is what I have heard.”

”That is correct”, Freed stated.

”So it occurs with date rules too, of course?”

”Wait what?” Freed said surprised his gaze snapped back to Rufus from his teacup.

”Date rules”, Rufus smirked and leaned his chin against his hand. ”Never heard of them?”

”No...” Freed said slowly. How could he have? He never went on dates! This was totally new information and he wasn't sure he liked it even though he didn't know what the rules were. Did such rules even exist?

Chapter Text

So... According to Rufus, there were some sort of date rules. But what were they? Freed had never heard of them before. Well he never dated before so how could he know something like that? And of course, were there really some actual rules or was Rufus just making them up? To prevent him from leaving? Why would Rufus even want to date him that badly?

”Freed?” Rufus said and Freed snapped back from his thoughts.

”Yes?” he asked.

”So you don't know the date rules?” Rufus smirked and Freed was not feeling comfortable. Like always when he didn't know something he should.

”No I do not”, he had to confess, still feeling sceptical if he should trust Rufus.

”Then I better fill you up with that knowledge”, Rufus hummed with a nod. ”You have done good job this far. Showing up in time is the first rule.”

”Obviously”, Freed sneered. ”Even I understand that.”

”Second rule is to be polite to your date. You are never nothing less than polite”, Rufus smiled. ”That is one of your beautiful traits.”

“You don’t actually know me yet well enough so you could say that so confidently.”

“I stay behind my words”, Rufus chuckled.

”Well, you are such a sweet talker yourself”, Freed laughed dryly.

”Why thank you”, the blond mage smiled obviously not caring of the hint of sarcasm in Freed's voice. ”Third rule is about sharing expenses. Usually the one who asks out the other is the one paying and people also often assume that men should pay everything. But since this is a blind date and we're both males, sharing is more practical.”

”I agree”, Freed nodded.

”But I would be honoured if I could take care of the payment”, Rufus offered. ”As a gift.”

”I normally wouldn't even consider accepting something like that but if you insist”, Freed allowed.

”Good. Fourth rule: Gifts”, Rufus grinned insidiously.

”There is a rule for gifts?” Freed asked surprised. Wait... Did Rufus just...

”Sure there is”, Rufus said. ”Since we decided we would share on this date it's just fair that I can have a gift from you as well”, he smiled.

”You set me up”, Freed muttered now annoyed. ”You took advantage of me not knowing the rules.”

”I would never ask something vulgar, no need to be worried”, Rufus assured.

”So what do you want then?”

”Another date. Nothing more.”

”I'm not going to change my mind”, the rune mage said determined and crossed his arms over his chest. ”I told you, I already have someone I love deeply. Another date would not change that fact.”

”Maybe not”, Rufus said leaning back. ”But who knows? Has Laxus ever shown any interest in you romantically?”

”No.”

”Asked you out?”

”No.”

”Shown any signs at all that you are more than just a dear friend to him?” Rufus tormented ruthlessly and Freed was starting to feel uneasy again.

”How is any of this your business if I may ask?” he snarled.

”I'm trying to help you, my dear Freed”, Rufus assured twirling strands of blond hair around his fingers. ”If you keep this up you will only hurt yourself.”

”Then be it that way”, Freed decided shutting his turquoise eyes. ”I have devoted myself to Laxus years ago and I know he will never love me the way I love him but it doesn't matter. As long as Laxus is happy, I'm happy too.”

“You will see that thinking like that… It just won’t work”, Rufus said and this time his voice sounded softer and his dark green eyes even looked worried when looking at Freed. “Yes, you can devote yourself to someone for the rest of your life but to think that you can just keep loving them while they don’t love you? No, you’re only hurting yourself. And how do you think Laxus would feel like if he ever finds out?”

“I’m not planning to let him know.”

“The more we try to deny love, the more it will only hurt. Some day Laxus will see it himself how you’re torturing yourself and he is the reason why you’re doing that.”

“You sound like you have some experience on this?” Freed said and he felt a bit curious.

“I won’t lie, I too suffered for a long time when loving someone who I knew wouldn’t love me back more than just as a friend”, Rufus nodded. “Until I finally decided to let go of those feelings.”

“I’m not too sure if just deciding to let go will help. But if you’re feeling better, I guess it was the right decision for you. But I won’t do that”, Freed said with a frown. “I won’t change my mind in this and you or anyone else won’t make that happen.”

He groaned pinching the bridge of his nose.

”But a rule is a rule”, he muttered looking at Rufus. ”And I don't break rules so say when you want to have our second date.”

Rufus was just about to suggest something, when suddenly he looked out of the window. Freed followed his gaze and was surprised to see a familiar character running towards the coffee house. Freed stood up when Bickslow crashed in and the little bell almost got ripped off from its place above the door.

”Bicks, what is the matter?” Freed asked worried. ”Didn't you go to the guild with Evergreen?”

”I did, I did”, Bickslow panted and lifted his helmet wiping water off his face. ”Man, I'm glad I got here in time!”

”What? Why?”

”No time to explain baby, just leave this place at once!” Bickslow cried out, making other customers stare at them.

”Leave! Leave!” his dolls chanted.

”Bicks, calm down”, Freed said putting his hand on his friends shoulder. ”Did something bad happen at the guild? Is everyone alright?” he asked as Rufus stood up too and came closer.

”Can I offer my help in any way?” he asked.

”Oh yes, you can”, Bickslow snorted. ”Leave this city as fast as you can.”

”Bickslow! That's just rude”, Freed scolded. He didn’t really care if Rufus left or not, but just telling him to leave like that...

”If he values his life he should run and run fast”, Bickslow stated.

”What?” Rufus asked confused. Bickslow was the one who asked him to go on a blind date with Freed, so why the sudden change of mind?

”It's a little bit complicated story but you really, really should leave. Like, right now”, Bickslow recommended quickly. ”Laxus might appear here any minute!”

”Laxus?” Freed asked puzzled and was even more confused and concerned. ”What Laxus has to do with this? Is he okay?”

”You guys are really driving me crazy here! I already told you that you should -”

Bickslow slammed his mouth shut. They all could feel it. How the air tingled and sparked slightly. Freed could feel how his hair almost stood up because of the static electricity in the air and same happened to Rufus. The customers inside the coffee house started to get really nervous.

”Oh fuck”, Bickslow yelped. ”He's almost here.”

”Boom!” the tiki dolls shrieked.

Chapter Text

After a while of just wandering around Laxus finally found Freed's scent. He went to a coffee shop when it was such a nasty weather outside? And right after coming back from a mission without even coming to the guild house first?

Laxus narrowed his eyes slightly. He could also smell Bickslow. What was he doing here with Freed? Last time he saw the seith mage he was at the guild and not that much time had yet passed since then.

Laxus growled low while standing on a roof and couldn't care less of the rain. He knew Freed wasn't dating Bickslow for sure. And he could smell Bickslow's scent from the street so fresh he must have arrived here only minutes ago.

There was a third scent that he found a lot more suspicious and it made Laxus feel rage building up inside, causing more lightning to strike down from the dark clouds. Whose scent was it? It smelled somewhat familiar from somewhere but he was not sure why. Kinda like books, feathers and some shitty shampoo and a snobbish perfume.

Inside the coffee house everyone had frozen to their spot, scared of what was going to happen next. Suddenly the lazy rain had turned more stormy and they heard thunders rumbling.

”Bicks”, Freed whispered finally, trying his best so they wouldn’t worry other customers more. ”Why is Laxus acting like this?”

”So you noticed he’s angry?” Bickslow said trying to make light of the situation and failing miserably.

”Be as short with the explanation as you possibly can”, Freed said frowning at the blue haired man.

”Okay, okay... I guess I have to but you asked it, baby”, Bickslow said. ”Here's the deal: Dragon Slayers have a mating season going on right now, has been for a week already and it will continue at least another week.”

”Mating...” Freed slowly said while blinking and Rufus was now listening amused. ”S-so... What? Laxus is roaming around the city trying to find his mate?” Freed asked when he finally wrapped his head around this new information. ”Because...”

”Because he's horny as hell”, Bickslow snickered. ”That's why.”

”Oh”, Rufus said suddenly realizing something. ”So that's why Sting and Rogue were so... Well... It's not like we didn't know how they felt about each other but let’s say we were still surprised”, he chuckled. “I can’t wait to be the one to explain this to them and see their faces.”

”There is nothing funny about this situation, Rufus”, Freed snapped.

At least not to him. Laxus was looking for his mate, the one with who he would share the rest of his life with! Of course he only wanted Laxus' happiness, but it did not make it any easier to accept this. It was just too sudden, yes! If only there had been more time, even some hints that something like this would happen it would be a lot more easier to accept the fact that now Laxus would be out of his reach forever.

It hurt. It hurt so much. Freed had never really believed – but that didn’t stop him from hoping – that they would some day end up becoming more than just good friends. Even if they were just friends they would be close and spend time together. It was only natural that after finding his mate Laxus would want to spend as much time with them as he could. It broke Freed’s heart when he even imagined how they might become more distant after this…

It was selfish of him to think like that, but not unnatural. He wasn’t perfect. No one was and even he couldn’t stop thinking how he wished everything would stay just the way it had been, even if it might mean his best friend would not find his partner for life. It was a nasty, cruel and heartless wish which would only benefit Freed and no one else, but it was what his aching heart wanted.

But he would never tell it to anyone. His feelings were never meant to be shown anyway. He would bury his feelings towards his best friend deep inside his heart and never show anything else than his everlasting loyalty and support. And whoever Laxus' mate might be he would support and help her too in any way possible. No matter how much his heart might hurt.

”What should we do?” he asked now calm again. ”Is he dangerous to anyone?”

”Could be”, Bickslow shrugged. ”But I guess only for those who are threat to him or his mate. Or you know, date his mate”, he grinned and gave just a small quick look towards Rufus.

”Should we try to somehow capture him so he won't cause any damage?” Freed pondered and Bickslow sighed rolling his eyes. Seriously? This guy should be a freaking genius and yet he could still be this dumb?

Rufus suddenly glanced at Bickslow with a surprised look in his eyes and the seith mage nodded.

”I see…” the blond haired man muttered. Yes, he was disappointed and yet he was also a little bit glad for the rune mage. All those years of devoting himself to Laxus were not in vain.

”Freed, we really must get out of here”, Bickslow said. ”To the guild house or somewhere else safe. And Rufus should return back to Sabertooth.”

”I can see that would be the best solution”, Rufus nodded. Guess he had to give up on the second date with Freed. He really didn’t want to go against Laxus, he had seen how powerful the man could be and he did not want to get grilled by lightning.

”Freed, could you use your runes and hide our scents?” Bickslow suggested. ”So we can use the backdoor and Laxus won't notice us?”

”Sure, but why would -” Freed started but Bickslow interrupted:

”Baby just do it, trust me on this”, he said and the serious tone in his voice made Freed go silent. Finally, he just nodded and unsheathed his sword.

He drew the runes in the air and for a moment purple letters surrounded them before they disappeared.

”It is done”, he said.

”Good, now let's get out”, Bickslow said.

”Get out!” his dolls demanded.

Laxus was still waiting on the roof watching the coffee house. Freed, Bickslow and that third person were still inside. Was Bickslow explaining his situation to Freed? He would definitely kick Bickslow's ass if he was trying to convince Freed to not meet him. He would find his rune mage and talk to him no matter what. He wanted to hug Freed, snuggle with him, sink his nose in his green hair and inhale that overwhelmingly delicious scent until he would forget everything else existed in this world. He would not force Freed into anything but... He sure did hope his captain wouldn't refuse him.

Laxus sniffed the air and his orange eyes widened in stunned realization. He couldn't sense their scent anymore!

Street stones shattered when the angry Dragon Slayer landed heavily on the road and lightning scorched everything around him. Freed used his magic to hide their scent. Was it because of Bickslow or that perfume using dumbass? The hell with it, he would just punch them both senseless and that's that.

Laxus walked past the coffee house glaring inside through the windows but he didn't see Freed or the others, only some terrified customers. They must have used the backdoor to get out. Laxus growled and with one shattering flash he was back on the roofs.

In some strange way Laxus was also feeling excitement when hunting his mate like this. It was quite arousing and a wide hungry grin revealed sharp fangs.

Chapter Text

Freed, Bickslow and Rufus dashed through the streets of Magnolia, mostly staying in the narrow alleys and in the shadows. Suddenly Freed stopped causing Bickslow to almost run over him.

”What now, baby?” the seith mage asked quickly and scanned the roofs expecting to see Laxus' huge figure staring at them.

”The air”, Freed said. ”The storm is not over but lightning has stopped almost completely.”

”Maybe we lost him?”

”Lost him! Lost him!” his dolls chanted with joy.

”You should know Laxus is not someone you can lose simply by running around the alleys”, Freed reminded sharply. ”No matter if he can smell us or not.”

”Dragon Slayers have also sensitive hearing”, Rufus pointed out. ”If he is somewhere near us he can hear our steps.”

”If I should guess... I think he is prowling”, Freed said with frown. ”If he is really determined to find us.”

”He is”, Bickslow assured.

”Then he is stalking us like a cat stalks its prey”, Freed said. ”Just waiting for the right moment to strike and keep himself hidden until then.”

”He's more like a pissed off tiger or something. Tiger with lightning magic and all”, Bickslow muttered shivering.

”In any case, he is after us and I do believe he is not that far. He might be just a few corners behind us or even waiting for us somewhere ahead. So what we need to do now is form some kind of a plan. When he finds us how do we stop him? Where should we go?”

”Maybe you could stop him with one of your traps?” Bickslow suggested.

”I don't have enough time to write runes for a trap that could hold him”, Freed said shaking his head. It would take a lot of time to create such a trap. ”So that won't work. And I figure we shouldn't attack him directly. We all would just end up in the guild's infirmary.”

”I'm pretty sure not all of us...” Rufus chuckled quietly.

”There is one thing I do not understand at all”, Freed muttered. ”Why exactly is he after us?”

”Geez, what a mystery”, Bickslow snorted and Rufus laughed. Freed just got even more confused because of their behaviour and it annoyed him. ”Are you actually that dense or are you just pulling our legs?”

”Bicks, you are really starting to get on my nerves”, Freed warned.

”Fine, baby. I'll explain this to you as simply as possible so use that super brain of yours and try to follow, okay?”

”Okay? Okay?” his dolls said and Freed nodded.

”You're his mate!” Bickslow almost shouted right into Freed’s ear.

Silence surrounded them as Freed stared at his old friend with confusion, disbelief and astonishment on his face all at the same time. Not even remembering to scold Bicks low about making his ears ring by yelling or that he might reveal their location to Laxus.

”W-what?” he finally blurted and he still couldn't believe what he had just heard. Bickslow was joking, right? There was no way that could be true?

”Finally starting to put some pieces together, eh? Laxus is looking for you. And he's not going to be pleased when he finds out you were on a date with Rufus.”

”B-but... It's not like we... It was just a blind date”, Freed stuttered and he still couldn't believe what was going on. Laxus... He was Laxus' mate?! “I didn’t go there because I particularly wanted to go, I went there because you asked me to do so.”

“Brutal”, Rufus sighed, but he understood.

”Like he could care less”, Bickslow said with a smirk. ”Our boss don't wanna share you. Sorry Rufus, we didn't know the situation here when we suggested the blind date”, he said looking at the blond mage.

”No need to apologize”, Rufus assured. ”But if we keep on just standing here, Laxus is sure to find us.”

”Yeah, that's right”, Bickslow said. ”Freed, what do you wanna do?”

”Huh?” Freed asked blinking his eyes. ”I... I don't know?” He was more than delighted to hear he was Laxus' mate, it was like a dream come true for him! But... ”He's not acting normal, right?” Freed asked.

”Well, not according to Master and others. He has just been waiting for you this whole week and hasn’t even been talking with others.”

”Just growling! Rawr!” the tiki dolls said.

”So it might be that this is not what Laxus actually wants”, Freed said slowly. ”He is not thinking rationally.”

”Freed, the fuck you're saying?” Bickslow whined. ”Isn't this exactly what you've always wanted?”

”Of course”, Freed said without hesitation. ”It's everything that I could even dare to dream. But when this... Mating season is over maybe Laxus will regret it?” he sighed. It was harsh and cruel but still true. How could they possibly know how Laxus would react after the season? ”Even if this is what I have wanted more than anything in the world it is not fair to Laxus.”

”No baby! No! You're starting to overthink this!” Bickslow yelled while grabbing his old friend and gave him a good shake. “Stop doing that! Away with those useless thoughts!”

”Stop! Bad Freed!” the dolls scolded circling around them.

”Bickslow!” Freed said and shoved his hands off. ”You know I'm right. When he is back to his senses -”

”Shut up! You're his mate! He's been waiting for you this whole week and you know he’s not exactly the most patient man, right?” Bickslow reminded. ”If he really wanted someone else do you honestly think he would have waited all this time?” he asked now serious.

Freed couldn't say anything to that and just opened and closed his mouth.

”Thought so”, Bickslow said grinning. ”So don’t get analysis paralysis, okay?”

”How do you even know what that means?” Freed asked.

”'Cause you're my friend, duh. And overthinking is one of your favourite hobbies.”

Freed sighed but now he chuckled slightly amused.

”I guess you're right”, he granted. “I might sometimes tend to do that.”

”Of course I'm right so just accept it and let’s get this ship sailing”, Bickslow cackled.

”So what is the plan now? Should I just go and talk with Laxus?” Freed asked.

”Ehh... Not sure”, Bickslow said what made Freed concerned. ”Well, we don't know what Laxus might do. I mean we don't believe he would hurt you or something but he's now kind of unpredictable. In more dragonlike way.”

”Like he is in some sort of a bestial mode now?” Rufus asked.

”Oh yeah, totally forgot that you’re here too. I don't know, maybe? Master just told me to find you guys and try to take you somewhere safe.”

”Maybe we should head to the guild house then?” Freed suggested. ”It is not that far from here and Master and the others are there so maybe Laxus will refrain from causing any ruckus?”

”I should probably head to the train station”, Rufus said.

”It's more than likely that Laxus already knows you and Freed met in the coffee house”, Bickslow said. ”Don't know if he can guess why you two met there, but if he finds you first but Freed is not with you and he has some kind of an idea what was going on...”

”It might get problematic”, Rufus muttered. ”To the Fairy Tail guild house then?”

”Yeah”, Bickslow said and they started moving again.

Chapter Text

At the Fairy Tail guild house Makarov was already waiting for Freed, Bickslow and Rufus to appear or that they would at least send a note they had found another place where to stay. He could only hope Bickslow would find them before Laxus…

His brows furrowed in worried manner. Naturally he didn’t want to believe his grandson would cause anything bad, but right now they couldn’t tell what might happen. Laxus simply wasn’t acting normal and he was afraid if he might even assault Freed. It was unlikely, but not impossible and Makarov did not want that to happen no matter what.

He looked at the doors when he heard them open and saw a trio completely soaked by rain to step in.

”You’re all safe, that's good” the old man said with a smile and stood up on the bar counter where he had been sitting.

”Master, it is good to see you are doing well”, Freed smiled. Maybe their old Master was not how he used to be but no matter what he was still their Master and it always somehow felt more safe when he was around, regardless what was happening.

”You too my boy. Luckily Bickslow managed to find you before Laxus did.”

“I’m so glad you’re okay!” Evergreen shouted as she ran to hug Freed tightly. “You should’ve seen Laxus! And when we realized what was going on I thought something horrible might happen to you because of what we did.”

“It’s okay, Ever”, Freed assured, calming her down. “Everything will be fine, I’m sure of it. I know you only meant well.”

“Rufus, welcome to the Fairy Tail guild house”, Makarov said looking at the memory mage.

”It is my pleasure to have a chance to visit, Master Makarov”, Rufus said politely bowing his head.

”I'm sorry you had to get involved in this but who could’ve guessed things would turn out like they did”, Makarov sighed scratching his white beard. ”Now we just have to do our best to avoid chaos.”

”I see there’s not many of us in right now”, Freed noticed. He could only see Mirajane, Cana, Natsu, Lucy, Gajeel and Levy in the guild hall with them.

”I sent the others home”, Makarov explained and sat on the table. ”It's better this way. We hope Laxus won't do anything stupid like attack us but if he does they can stop him.”

”Should I use my runes?” Freed volunteered.

”No. You better stay sharp just in case.”

”Are we going to do this as long as the season continues? I don’t believe we can avoid Laxus that long.”

”And he will most likely grow angrier and fast, because now he knows Freed is in Magnolia and we won't let him get near his lovely mate”, Bickslow said wiggling his eyebrows. ”He can't ravish him.”

”Bickslow”, Freed said and he could feel how his cheeks were starting to burn red. ”Laxus would not do something like that.”

”Who knows, he's a horny dragon right now”, the seith mage cackled. ”He wants to grab you and drag you into his lair and -”

”Could you please stop!”

”Can't wait another ten years when Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy will act like him too”, Bickslow laughed loudly. ”Man, that's going to be chaotic!”

Purple runes appeared around Bickslow trapping him inside and muffling his voice. Freed sighed and rubbed his temples irritated.

”You're going to stay there for a while”, he decided.

”Rather practical magic”, Rufus complimented. He turned to look at Makarov. ”Is there any way I can slip to the train station without Laxus seeing me?”

”We'll figure something out”, Makarov promised.

”Master”, Gajeel said coming closer. ”We can smell Sparky. He's coming closer.”

”So he figured out where we went”, Freed sighed. ”Let's just hope this won't get messy.”

”Right now we have absolutely no idea how things might turn out”, Makarov shrugged. ”Let's just hope for the best and prepare for the worst.”

Chapter Text

Laxus stared at the big building in front of him. If he knew his mate at all – and he did know him well – this was the place where he would go. Freed would come up with a plan and part of that plan would be finding a place that was safe. Runes still prevent him from tracking down Freed, Bickslow and that douchebag, but he was sure they were here.

The blond Dragon Slayer stepped in front of the doors and grabbed the round door handle and he swung the doors open and looked around. Not that many of his guild mates were present but he didn't care about that.

Laxus frowned when seeing that memory mage from Sabertooth here. So he was the mysterious third scent he hated so much?

Laxus stopped when his gaze met with turquoise eyes. Freed. It felt like years since he saw him last time. Freed smiled him back, but he was also looking quite worried and nervous. Why? Was he scared of him? He needed to assure his mate that he would never hurt him. Nobody would hurt Freed as long as he was around.

”Laxus”, Makarov said and Laxus' gaze snapped to his grandfather, emitting little sparkles on his skin. He was not in a mood to get distracted by others, he only wanted to be with Freed. ”There's no need to feel cautious. We are your family and we won't hurt you or Freed.”

”I know that”, Laxus snarled. ”I'm not stupid. But I'm not interested of speaking with you guys one bit right now, nor fighting you or whatever. And I'm not going to hurt Freed if that's what you're worried about, I haven't lost my mind.”

”I'm glad you're this calm”, Makarov said and he meant what he said. ”We have no reason to fight against each other.”

”But why is that snob here?” Laxus grunted pointing at Rufus who flinched.

”He's just visiting. He had some business in Magnolia and decided to drop by”, Makarov lied casually.

”He was with Freed at the coffee house”, Laxus said and his eyes darkened with anger as he recalled it.

”Laxus”, Freed said now and he got the Thunder God’s full attention to himself right away. ”It was nothing serious. It wasn't something you should feel threatened about.”

”I know you wouldn't lie to me, Freed”, Laxus said and his voice was softer now, almost like purring. ”You'd never do that. Why did you two meet at the coffee house?”

Silence landed on the guild hall. Everyone looked careful as they waited what Freed would say. One wrong word and the Lightning Dragon Slayer might start rampaging and then they would have to stop him. None of them were exactly thrilled to do so, as it was a well known fact that Laxus was one of the strongest wizards in Fiore.

”You're right, I would never lie to you”, the rune mage finally spoke. ”It was a blind date”, he confessed, hearing a few gasps.

Sparking filled the hall immediately. It didn't actually hurt anyone, but it tingled and was scary as hell when the little lightning bolts were dancing all around them. Laxus' burning orange eyes didn't leave Freed's eyes even for a second but Freed refused to be scared of him. Laxus was still hot-headed but he wasn't anything like he used to be once and he would listen before judging.

”Blind date?” Laxus growled.

”Bickslow and Evergreen arranged it”, Freed explained, keeping his voice calm. ”But they didn't know that you... I mean... We had no idea about this whole situation”, he huffed and now he was slightly blushing. Laxus couldn't help but think that Freed looked so damn adorable his cheeks flushed like that. ”And same goes with Rufus. He didn’t know.”

”Would you want to go on the second date with him?” Laxus asked.

“Absolutely not. I told him that I only arrived there so I could politely turn him down”, Freed said.

”That is correct”, Rufus nodded.

”Shut up you dandy little shit”, Laxus grunted glaring at Rufus. ”I'm talking to my mate. You were not going to meet that dumbass again?” he asked looking back at Freed.

”No”, Freed assured. ”Well we did talk about it, but I'm sure we can settle things so the second date is not going to happen.” He had agreed to it only because of the gift rule, but he was pretty sure Rufus wouldn't push his luck with Laxus.

”Good. Now I don't have to kill him. But I will sure as hell kick his ass if he won't run away from here right now. That is a warning.”

”And it is noted, right Rufus?” Makarov said and he was really relieved that everything went so smoothly.

”Then I better start leaving”, Rufus agreed. ”Well, no matter what it was a pleasure to meet you, Freed”, he smiled and was reaching out his hand for a shake.

That was a mistake.

With just one thundering lightning bolt Laxus was next to Rufus in a second and his large fist blasted the long haired mage across the bar breaking tables and chairs. Everyone was startled at first but they stood up fast and they positioned themselves between Laxus and Rufus.

”Laxus!” Freed yelled. ”He was not going to cause any trouble!”

”I already gave him a fair warning”, Laxus growled and suddenly he grabbed his arms around Freed. ”I won't let him touch you. You're mine”, he said and was finally able to sink his face in the green hair. ”Undo the runes.”

Freed froze to his spot, nodded and let the runes vanish and Laxus inhaled his scent. Freed smelled so good. It soothed his anger and the electricity faded from the air. Even the storm clouds slowly calmed down and now it was just raining outside.

Freed turned his head and looked at his Thunder God. He still didn’t know if he really understood what was happening. Many times he had been thinking what it would feel like to have Laxus hold him like this… He thought it was just a foolish dream that would never happen, but here they were now.

It felt amazing.

”What about if you two go home?” Evergreen finally suggested when seeing how Laxus was calming down. They were all relieved because of that. ”We'll take care of Rufus, it seems like he will live”, she chuckled looking at Rufus who was now standing up with Lucy and Levy helping him. The man was wincing and it was obvious he had broken bones. ”We will patch him up and help him back to his home to rest.”

”You better”, Laxus growled. ”If he's still here in this town after two hours, I'm going to seriously hurt him.”

”Calm down”, Freed said patting the big arms around him. ”You don't need to hurt anyone.”

”Keep him in control, Freed”, Makarov chuckled. ”I knew it was the right decision to ask you to keep an eye on him.”

”Master”, Freed said with smile. He remembered that day well, it was one of his most treasured memories.

”Let's go, Freed”, Laxus murmured tugging Freed along with him towards the doors. ”I'm tired of staying here.”

Freed nodded and stepped outside with Laxus. His head was spinning and he didn't even notice the rain that was once again soaking them wet. He just didn't care. Nothing could bring him down when his Dragon Slayer was walking next to him, holding his hand as if he was scared that Freed would run away or disappear or something. Freed felt himself so precious and his heart almost burst because of all the love he felt towards Laxus.

”Don't go anywhere without telling me first”, Laxus said suddenly. ”It felt awful when I went to your house and couldn't find you. And I couldn't follow your scent 'cause you used teleportation.”

”I'm sorry, it wasn’t my intention to worry you”, Freed said with a small smile. ”I was going to quickly get that date over with so I could go to the guild house and... Well, see you again.”

”Still, I want you to tell me if you need to go somewhere”, Laxus said.

”I will, Laxus.”

”Good.”

Chapter Text

”Where's your red coat?” Laxus suddenly asked looking at the purple long coat the swordsman was wearing.

They were still walking outside on a street and the man had been wondering it awhile why Freed wasn’t wearing his usual coat, the one he liked so much.

”It needs repairing”, Freed explained. ”I had to take this since it is cold out here.”

”I like your old coat better.”

”I agree with that”, Freed smiled.

He loved his red coat mostly because Laxus had bought it for him when he had been looking it at a store three years ago. He had wanted it but didn't have enough jewels so Laxus had just handed the money for the cashier. Freed chuckled to himself when he remembered how he had felt so proud wearing his coat since it was like a gift from Laxus. Well, he still did feel proud and his coat was one of his most treasured items.

”But as I said it needs repairing so I have to use this one”, he stated and straightened the right sleeve cuff.

”Where did you buy that?” Laxus asked still observing all the tiny features of the purple coat.

”I didn't. It was a gift”, Freed explained. That made Laxus suddenly flinch.

”A gift? From who?” he asked while narrowing his eyes.

”Huh? If I remember correctly this was from Lucy and Natsu”, Freed recalled and wiped wet green hair from his face. ”I usually only use my red coat and don’t own other coats, so this was the only one available now that I can't use it.” He had no need to buy other coats when he had one that was perfect.

”Take it off”, Laxus snarled.

”What?” Freed asked blinking his yes at the sudden command.

”Take it off”, Laxus repeated.

”But it's freezing out here!”

”Don't care. Take it off”, Laxus said stubbornly.

Freed sighed and unbuttoned his coat and took it off. Laxus snatched it from his hands and slammed it in a nearest garbage can.

”You know, it was a perfectly fine coat”, Freed said. ”If I can't keep it then I could have donated it somewhere.”

”Who cares”, Laxus grumbled. ”Now it's donated to rats to make nests out of.”

”Fine”, Freed gave up rolling his eyes. Guess there were no point talking about this to the Dragon Slayer right now.

Suddenly his shoulders felt a lot heavier and he looked down. Laxus' coat! He was wearing Laxus' big, dark coat! Ooh, it felt so warm and fluffy...

”I don't want you to catch a cold”, Laxus murmured touching Freed's cheek with his finger. ”So you have to bear with that coat now.”

”Oh, it's... It's fine”, Freed assured with a bright smile. ”It's warm.” And it smelled like Laxus.

They kept walking side by side, listening how the rain pattered around them. There was no need to talk. They could spend hours together, Freed reading and Laxus watching a lacrimavision or something and the re was no need to talk at all. Freed liked it. He loved Ever green and Bicks low like they were his siblings but sometimes they were just too noisy. And Laxus liked silence as well so they could be with each other but they didn't have to talk and they felt completely comfortable with that.

Suddenly Laxus stopped and Freed did the same now puzzled.

”What is the matter?” he asked.

”My house is this way”, Laxus said nodding towards the other street. Freed hadn't even noticed how close Laxus' house was already.

”Oh... Yes, of course. You need your coat back”, the Rune Mage realized.

”No. I'm asking if you need to go fetch something from your house before we go to my place.”

”Y-your place?”

”Yeah, if that's okay?”

”W-well, if you are sure...”

”I'm sure. So do you need anything?”

”I don't know, I guess not.”

”Then let's keep going”, Laxus decided and grabbed Freed's hand and the green haired man felt his cheeks heat up again. He was going to Laxus' place! It wasn't his first time there but they rarely went there. Laxus almost always came over to their house if he wanted company.

Finally they got to the house. It wasn't big and the neighbourhood was peaceful. Freed always liked being here. Their neighbourhood was much more noisy. It wasn't a bad neighbourhood, just lively.

Freed hung Laxus' coat up to dry when they got inside.

”You have been cleaning”, he said surprised when he took off his boots and looked around.

”Just wiped off some dust and got rid of the trash and bottles and so on”, Laxus shrugged. They had had a tiny party here just a couple of weeks ago with the Thunder Legion. Freed had of course offered to clean up the next day but then they had to leave for a mission suddenly.

Freed chuckled.

”I was so sure there would still be a mess after two weeks”, he said.

”I can surprise sometimes.”

After what all had happened today, Freed could hardly argue with that.

The k itchen and living room were the same big space and only a bar counter was separating them. Laxus didn't have much furniture or decorations but those he had were stylish. There were also one bookshelf that was mostly filled with some random mementos and pictures.

Freed smiled when watching the photos. There was a photo from the day when he joined the team. He was around thirteen at that time and he had just joined Fairy Tail. Bickslow was already Laxus' friend and he remembered how he used to be so jealous since Bickslow could casually talk to Laxus, make jokes and accompany him. It took almost a month before Freed could even say hello to the older teenager he wanted to get to know better so badly. He didn't know why back then but it dawned upon him when he was perhaps fifteen or sixteen. It was confusing at first but he accepted the fact quickly.

He had fallen for Laxus and hard at first sight.

It was all thanks to Bicks low who enjoyed teasing him that he had gotten closer to the boy with a scar. When he mustered enough courage to actually talk to Laxus and Bickslow, the seith mage immediately noticed how fun it was to torment that small green haired boy with his pranks. And then suddenly Makarov suggested Freed should keep an eye on his grandson for him, balance the tiny group and make sure Laxus and Bicks low wouldn't cause too much trouble so they became a team of three.

Evergreen appeared in the guild one year later. Somehow she just fit right in to their team. At first Freed was extremely jealous – but hiding it – when he thought maybe Laxus wanted to date her. He was surprised when Bickslow actually asked from Laxus straightforward if the Lightning Mage was interested in Evergreen in a romantic way. Laxus just laughed and what he said had made Freed's heart sank.

”I don't think it's a good idea to date your teammates”, Laxus had stated. That was when Freed decided not to tell a thing about his feelings for him. So he could stay near him and help him, do his best so Laxus would some day be the strongest mage in all Fiore.

Freed snapped out of his thoughts when suddenly a towel was dropped on his head and Laxus started to dry his hair.

”You don't have to do that”, Freed assured feeling amused.

”I know”, Laxus said. ”But I want to do it.”

”If you insist”, Freed hummed with smile. As if he really had anything against it.

”You also need to change your clothes”, Laxus said. ”I'll lend you some clothes, you can take a hot shower too if you want.”

Freed couldn't do more than just blink. Laxus was being so... tender and caring. It felt a little odd, but he liked it. It had to be because of the mating season.

”You should change too, you know”, he said.

”I will, don't worry”, Laxus assured and put down the towel. ”I'll go find you some clothes, you go take a shower.”

Freed stepped into the bathroom and couldn't stop smiling. He knew he was acting goofy but there was nothing he could do about it. He was simply overjoyed by all this. Laxus wanted him to stay in his house, maybe all night and was lending him his clothes and taking care of him... This was better than dreams.

He undressed and stepped in the shower closing the curtain. He lifted his hair up on a messy bun and turned the water on. Couple of minutes later the door suddenly clicked open and Freed flinched.

”I leave your clothes here on the table”, Laxus said.

”Y-yeah, thank you”, Freed stammered surprised.

For a tiny moment there was silence. Odd, maybe a little nervous silence but also charged in a good way. For a second Freed thought maybe Laxus would want to join him in the shower and he immediately blushed deep red. No no, he shouldn't think of something like that!

Freed sighed relieved – and maybe slightly disappointed – when he could hear Laxus stepping outside and closing the door. He might be Laxus' mate but this was a new situation for both of them. He still didn't know anything what Laxus was thinking about this. Right now the blond D ragon S layer wanted to keep Freed near him, but it didn't mean it would last after the mating season. And yeah, maybe Laxus was feeling a little horny – Freed blushed again – but that didn't mean he would do something with Freed.

Before this day Freed had been so sure Laxus would never like him in a romantic way. And he was pretty sure he had never seen or heard Laxus fooling around with men…

He sighed, rubbing his eyes. He knew he shouldn’t think like this, but he couldn’t help it. What if Laxus would really hate this all once the season was over? Freed didn’t want to do anything that might hurt his friend. But then again, what if Laxus wouldn’t hate it? What if this would continue?

Even a mere thought of them living together for the rest of their lives made Freed smile. He really wanted that. He could only wait and see what might happen after the season and hope that maybe living together was something Laxus wanted as well.

Chapter Text

Freed got dressed into the clothes Laxus had brought for him. They were obviously too big, but he didn't complain. They were so comfortable and smelled like Laxus, making his heart beat fast and when he was still alone he took a deep sniff of the shirt. Was it because he had inhaled too deeply or Laxus' smell he wasn't sure but for a moment he actually felt dizzy.

Once he recovered he let his green hair fall down, brushed it and tied it up in a high ponytail. Then the swordsman stepped out of the bathroom.

”Shower is free”, he smiled at Laxus who was making something in the kitchen.

”Okay”, the bigger man muttered.

”What are you doing?” Freed asked curiously and he came closer.

”Just some snacks, nothing complicated”, Laxus said. ”And some tea for you since you hate drinking coffee at this time of the evening.”

”Thank you”, Freed said with a smile. ”That was really thoughtful.”

”Nothing special”, Laxus shrugged and he looked at his mate. ”You look good in those clothes”, he praised.

”Really?”

”You look cute.”

Freed blushed. Cute? Laxus actually called him cute? At the same time he was flattered but also a little bit hurt. He was a tall, muscular man, not some cute little girl in big clothes. Surprisingly Laxus seemed to notice what he was thinking.

”You know I don't mean it the way you're obviously thinking it”, he assured. ”You're handsome and athletic and I just like it when I see you wearing my clothes. Just like last time”, he said.

”Last time?” Freed asked and his face was burning red because of all the compliments Laxus gave him. He could hardly breathe normally.

”Yeah, you don't remember? We were on a mission like seven months ago and you forgot to bring an extra set of clothes with you so you had to borrow mine.”

”Oh...” Freed muttered now recalling it. ”We were in a middle of nowhere and if i remember correctly it was your fault I got all muddy”, he reminded.

”Trifling matter”, Laxus coughed. ”We survived.”

”Why am I always the one who ends up getting muddy or soaked or something similar?” Freed wondered raising his eyebrows at Laxus.

”Who knows, you're usually so proper and tidy I guess the universe finds you an easy target to have a little fun with?” Laxus taunted playfully.

”Or maybe my teammates rather than the universe”, Freed grumbled. ”Well, thank you for the clothes anyway”, he said and poured some tea for himself. ”They are comfortable.”

”Good. Make yourself at home”, Laxus said and went to the bathroom. ”And don't go anywhere”, he reminded before closing the door.

Freed smiled and sat on the couch and put his teacup on the coffee table. This was really nice. He took one of the books from the bookshelf. They were almost all bought by Freed and he was always happy to notice Laxus had kept them all.

He just sat there, reading a book and sipping his tea. At some point the shower was turned off and then the door opened. Freed took a look at the door and almost choked in his tea. Laxus was wearing nothing but his pyjama pants, blond hair still dripping water and his skin was damp. Freed’s eyes were almost glued to stare those beautiful bulky muscles.

”Like what you see?” Laxus smirked noticing the glare from the younger man.

”Y-yes”, Freed managed to stutter with a blush.

Of course he had seen Laxus before when they went on a spa or something like that. But this was totally different. It felt like Laxus was waiting so he could watch him as much as possible, adoring his abs and everything. Well, not everything since he still had his pants on though they were dangerously low...

Laxus brought the snack plate to the coffee table and sat down on the couch right next to Freed who was still cherry red.

”I like that book”, Laxus stated noticing the book Freed had been reading. ”It's good.”

”Really? You actually read books?” Freed asked snapping out of his daydreams.

”Don't look like that, of course I read books”, Laxus muttered pouting. ”Not as much as you – only Levy reads as much as you do – but I still like some books. I have read every book you have bought for me. I might not like all of them but that one I really like.”

”You don't need to read them if you don't like them”, Freed assured smiling. ”I won't get offended.”

”Nah, when I start something I should finish it”, Laxus said munching the snacks.

”I have more books like this if you would like to try them.”

”Sure, thanks.”

Silence landed in the living room for a moment as Laxus kept eating snacks and Freed got absorbed in his thoughts.

”Wanna watch something?” the blond asked lifting the remote.

”N-no...” Freed said to the sudden question. ”Actually there is something we need to talk about”, he said.

”What?”

”You know what. This whole situation, everything that has happened.”

”What about it?” Laxus asked standing up and he went to a small cabinet in the living room. He took out a bottle of fine whiskey and wine, bringing them to the table.

”I-I mean... Don't you think this is weird?” Freed asked. He was really impressed how calm Laxus was with all this.

”No”, Laxus said like it was nothing and fetched glasses from the kitchen.

”At all? How on Earth are you taking this so calmly?” Freed asked confused and impressed.

”How? Because I'm not you”, Laxus answered pouring wine for Freed.

”How is that an answer?”

”I don't overthink things”, Laxus explained and set the wineglass on Freed's hand. ”This feels natural and right so what's the problem?”

”It is a huge change in our lives!”

”Yeah, I know. But it’s not a bad change right?”

”N-no, of course not.”

”So it's good. I've known about your crush for a good while now.”

”Y-you have?” Freed stuttered in shock. Laxus just poured some whiskey for himself and sat back on the couch.

”You weren't that good at hiding it”, he chuckled. ”Almost everyone knew.”

”They did?” Freed whined and he facepalmed. ”Oh my god this is so embarrassing...”

”Don't worry, I'm not mad”, Laxus assured. ”I was flattered”, he said wrapping his arm around Freed’s shoulders and gently pulled the man close to him.

”You never said anything...” Freed muttered.

”I didn't know what to say. I wasn't sure if it would be a good thing for us to date. We are teammates after all and you're one of my best friends. I didn't want to hurt you. I have already hurt you enough in the past.”

”Once again I tell you, I have forgiven you and so have everyone else”, Freed said with a smile. ”You shouldn’t worry about it anymore.”

”You make it sound so easy”, Laxus laughed. ”Maybe you and the guild have forgiven me but I'm not sure if I can forgive myself for what I've done.”

”Laxus...”

”That's just something I have to go through. I don’t want to forgive myself just yet. I need to do my absolute best to keep Fairy Tail safe and help my guild mates however I can.”

”Thunder Legion will always stay by your side and we will help you reach your goal”, Freed swore, immediately snapped in the Captain of the Thunder Legion mode. ”We will do whatever it takes so we can help you and the others.”

”I know”, Laxus chuckled. His captain was always so serious about his duties. ”I'm glad I have you guys beside me. Especially you”, he hummed and Freed almost fainted when he felt soft lips on his burning cheek. ”I really want you to be my mate, Freed. I was really tempted to join you in the shower earlier.”

”What?” Freed asked his eyes widening. Laxus actually had the same idea as he did?!

”Yeah, but then I thought that you might just get startled, since this is all so sudden. I want you as my mate but I don't want to ruin this by moving faster than what makes you comfortable.” It wasn't easy, he really wanted to carry Freed to the bedroom but he had to restrain himself.

”B-but... What if it's just this season?” Freed finally asked what had been on his mind and suddenly his mouth felt dry. ”Once the season is over, maybe you won’t think of me the same way anymore?”

Laxus sighed. He should've known. Freed had some time to think and he had already sank in the worst possible scenarios in his head.

”You must trust me on this, Freed”, Laxus said softly caressing Freed's cheek with his thumb. ”You were gone the whole week, I had time to think this through. I'm not going to change my mind. I only want you.”

Freed felt breathless. Laxus had really given this serious thought. He sounded so confident and it made his heart beat even faster than before. The D ragon S layer probably could hear how it pounded against his rib cage.

”I know what I want”, Laxus whispered in his ear making Freed shiver. ”Now I only need to know what you want.”

”I...” the Rune Mage said with shaking voice just staring somewhere ahead. ”I want nothing more than your happiness, Laxus. That has always been enough for me...” he sighed. ”I would never want you to feel hurt or regret something because of me.”

”I would never regret anything if it's something I got to do with you”, Laxus said. ”Never.”

”How can you be so sure?”

”Hey, you know that when I decide something nothing will change my mind”, Laxus smirked. ”Or at least it has to be something really remarkable before I would do so and I don't believe there is anyone who is against this, at least anyone who is important enough to convince me to care about their opinion. And I can be sure about this because I just know. I don't know how to explain things like this but I just simply know what I want. I want you, Freed. This mating season only confirmed my feelings.”

”And made you ridiculously jealous”, Freed chuckled making Laxus pout.

”I understand that maybe this was kinda fast for you”, blond said sipping his whiskey. ”I can give you time to think. But please stay here.”

Freed sighed with a small smile.

”Alright”, he said. ”I'll think about it but I will stay here if that is what you want.”

”That is what I want”, Laxus murmured and he felt so relaxed and happy when Freed was here in his arms.

”Laxus?”

”Yeah?”

”You're purring”, Freed smirked. ”That's cute.”

”Fuck you”, Laxus pouted, but smiled.

Chapter Text

Freed woke up in the early morning like he usually did. But this morning was nothing like usual for him in any other way. He had fallen asleep in the evening at some point on the couch when they had decided to watch movie and apparently Laxus had decided to carry him to his bed with him.

”Laxus...” Freed gasped trying to move the big blond dragon slayer who was slightly snoring and almost crushing him.

Laxus murmured something in his sleep and moved a little, but his arms were still holding smaller man tightly. Freed sighed. How on earth was he supposed to get up now? He knew Laxus would sleep at least until noon if he could but Freed always woke up early.

With a lot of squirming and carefully moving Laxus' hands he finally managed to get out of bed and huffed slightly. Even when sleeping Laxus' hold was strong. Freed chuckled quietly looking at his Thunder God, short hair all messy and mouth slightly open. He looked so relaxed.

Freed did his best not to make a sound when he sneaked up to the door but at the moment he touched the doorhandle, he jolted when he heard a slow growl from the bed.

”Why are you up?” Laxus asked half-asleep, not opening his eyes.

”Good morning Laxus”, Freed said. ”I'm just going to take a shower, you go back to sleep”, he smiled and could only hear some vague muttering with a loud yawn when Laxus shifted to his other side and Freed could already hear him snoring.

He smiled and stepped to the hallway closing the door after him. He went to take a quick shower and changed back to his own clothes which were now dry.

So what should he do now? It was strange to wake up in Laxus' apartment, it was his first time staying overnight – it didn't count when he spent almost a week here a year ago taking care of sick Laxus – and he wasn't sure what he could do. Maybe at least some breakfast? Something he could heat up when Laxus finally decided to get up.

Freed nodded to himself and walked over to the kitchen opening the fridge. Well... There was not enough groceries to make even a decent breakfast and he wanted to make something really good for Laxus. Maybe he could buy something from the store if he was fast? Laxus would be asleep for three to four hours at least. And if he left a note he would know where he was and wouldn't worry.

Trying his best not to make any noise Freed stepped outside and locked the door. He knew where the spare key was hidden so there was no need to take one with him. Now that he was on his way, he probably should go to their house and grab some things since he didn't know how long Laxus wanted him to stay. Oh, Freed had nothing against the idea of staying forever if possible, but maybe he shouldn't think something like that. Everything was still new and they should take their time.

The weather was sunny again and that was good since Freed didn't have his coat.

Freed opened the door with his own key and stepped inside. Right away he was ambushed by five Tiki dolls who snuggled him and babbled something like ”Freed's home!”, ”We missed Freed!”, ”Good morning!” or simply ”Make breakfast!”

”Morning to you too”, Freed sighed closing the door and took off his boots.

”Freed?” Bickslow said suddenly appearing in the hallway still in his pyjamapants and a black t-shirt on. ”Baby, how are you already walking?” he snickered and lifted his eyebrows knowingly, making Freed immediately blush.

”Good morning Bicks, if you're implying that we might have done something intimate with Laxus we did not”, the rune mage said and he really tried not to let his cheeks burn even redder.

”Oh... Baby you okay? Did you have a headache?” Bicks sighed with fake concern in his voice.

”It is none of your business, Bicks”, Freed said.

”Are you disappointed?”

”Bicks! We are not going to continue this”, Freed hissed.

”Ooh, he's really disappointed”, another voice said and Freed sighed looking at Cana who came down the stairs.

”Good morning Cana”, he said. ”Did you and Bickslow go out last night?”

”Yes, we had really nice time together”, Cana chuckled rubbing Bickslows shoulders.

”We're going out again tonight”, tall man smirked. ”There's a new pub called Kolpakko and we decided to go check it out. Dunno what that name means but it sounds promising.”

”Well it is good to hear you two get along nicely”, Freed said. ”Now if you excuse me, I need to go get some of my things.”

”What about breakfast?” Bicks whined.

”You are perfectly cabable of doing that yourself, Bicks.”

”But we want your pancakes.”

”Pancakes! Pancakes!” 'babies' demanded.

”And you know how to make those too”, Freed assured.

”C'moon, Freed”, Cana chuckled. ”Bicks has sung the praises of your pancakes and how he really wanted to have them for breakfast.”

Freed sighed rubbing his temples.

”Pretty please?” Bicks begged with a wide smile.

”Please? Please?” his dolls chirped.

”Fine”, Freed gave up and raised his hands as a sign of defeat. ”But I'm kinda in a hurry so I can't stay after they are done.”

”You should make some for Ever too, she's probably hungry when she gets home”, Bicks smirked. ”She's been with Elfman aaall night and she usually comes back home at this hour.”

”Fine”, Freed mumbled and took out all the ingredients, the others cheering on the background.

Of course, it was impossible to start doing pancakes and make just few of them. Bickslow ate almost as much as Natsu so Freed flipped pancakes with two pans on the stove.

”There, these are yours and these are for Ever when she comes home”, Freed said and brought two plates on the table and put third in the fridge.

”Thanks baby!” Bickslow grinned and spurted plenty of syrup on his pile of pancakes.

”Bicks didn't lie, these are amazing Freed”, Cana praised.

”I'm pleased to hear that”, Freed said and put his apron on the closet.

”Oh yeah, your coat is in your room”, Bicks mumbled while stuffing pancakes in his mouth.

”Really? You already found someone to repair it?”

”Yeah, we found this guy who uses tailoring magic. He fixed your coat just like that”, Bicks snapped his fingers. ”It's clean and everything.”

”Glad to hear that. Next time promise me you try to think before you do something stupid”, Freed said. ”You should stop doing stupid things altogether.”

”That wouldn't be fun at all”, Bicks snickered and Freed just rolled his eyes. Asking Bickslow to stop doing stupid things was a hopeless venture from the beginning.

Chapter Text

After packing all the things he believed he would need Freed put on his old red coat, buckled up his belt and left the house with his bag. Now he should go buy some groceries. While on his way to the marketplace, suddenly he heard a familiar voice coming from behind him.

”Freed!”

He turned around surprised.

”Good morning Levy and Lucy”, he greeted the two girls with smile. ”And Plue”, he chuckled when seeing the white 'dog' who raised its paw as a hello. ”You three are up early.”

”Good morning Freed”, Levy smiled. ”Doing some grocery shopping for Laxus?” she smirked knowingly.

”Maybe”, Freed admitted. “He would never buy nothing but beer and pizza if someone else wouldn’t take care of filling his fridge.”

”That's really sweet, Freed”, Lucy smiled. ”You’re taking such a good care of him. So what are you doing for breakfast?”

“I’m not actually sure yet.”

”Aww, I'm sure he'll like everything you do”, Levy smiled patting Freed's shoulder. ”I've heard that your cooking are delicious!”

”I just do my best for my team”, Freed said with a modest nod.

”And to your Thunder God”, Lucy chuckled making the man blush slightly. ”I'm sorry, we didn't mean to tease you”, she assured. ”But I really hope I could sometime taste your cooking. Erza told me she once tasted a cake you made and she absolutely loved it! She said she would give anything to have more.”

”You're giving me too much credit”, Freed smiled. ”We have many good cooks in our Guild and comparing skills is pointless when everyone has their own speciality.”

”Always so humble”, Levy chuckled.

”So where are you two heading?” the swordsman asked curiously. ”How come Natsu and Gajeel are not with you?”

”They’re still sleeping”, Levy explained with a shrug. ”This is the only time of the day when we can go somewhere by ourselves without them hanging around and we decided to just walk around. I guess Laxus is a late-sleeper too?”

”That is correct”, Freed laughed. ”How are Natsu and Gajeel going to react when they realize you are gone?”

”Gajeel usually stays somewhat calm”, Levy said and they started walking across the marketplace. ”Until someone says one word wrong and then he loses it.”

”Natsu just starts to run around the town and yell and be stupid like always”, Lucy sighed and Plue just hummed something nonsensical while tiptoeing ahead of them.

”Natsu is unique that's for sure”, Freed smiled and bought some ingredients from a booth and they continued on around the market.

”Not sure if that's good or bad...” Lucy mumbled rolling her eyes.

”He cares about you deeply, that is always a good thing.”

”How is Laxus going to react when he realizes you're gone?” Levy asked curiously.

”I left a note for him”, Freed said. ”He shouldn't worry if he happens to wake up before I'm back.”

”I did that too with Gajeel and it didn't go as planned.”

”Really?”

”Yeah, this season makes them go crazy”, Levy said. ”They just want to stay close all the time and are suspicious of everything.”

”Yeah, they are extremely jealous”, Lucy added. “I mean… They don’t think that we would cheat on them, but they don’t trust other people to keep their hands away.”

”I did notice that yesterday... If you don't mind could you tell me more about how this mating season works? I can buy you cups of coffee as a thank you”, Freed offered.

”Sure”, Lucy smiled. ”If you really want to pay.”

”You can even order some cake if you want”, Freed promised and that made the girls overjoyed.

After shopping they found a nice little coffee shop just beside the marketplace. Since the weather was good they decided it would be nice to sit on the terrace outside.

”Really? He threw your coat away? Just like that?” Lucy asked.

”Yeah, like it was something really disgusting”, Freed nodded amused. ”If I should guess, I believe it's because I said it was from you and Natsu. If it was just from you maybe he wouldn't have minded that much.”

”But since Natsu is another Dragon Slayer, he's more cautious”, Levy figured. ”Or maybe even if it were from Warren or Jet or any other male he would have acted that way anyway? He doesn't mind girls since he knows you don't swing that way but guys are a threat.”

”Could be”, Freed nodded. ”I'm sorry Lucy, it was a nice gift.”

”It's okay”, Lucy assured with a smile.

”So... I know it is rather daring of me to ask and it's none of my business, but I don't know who else to ask these things. so.. How are Natsu and Gajeel acting about... Ahem”, he cleared his throat awkwardly and all three of them blushed. This was not an easy topic to talk about. ”Is there anything I should know so I'm prepared with Laxus?”

”W-well... I guess they are not any different from normal in that sense”, Levy answered trying to hide behind her coffee cup and Lucy hid her red face behind her blond hair.

”I'm so sorry I had to ask that”, Freed apologized and felt how his own cheeks were burning out of embarrassment.

”N-no, it's okay. You need to know more about this mating season and that is part of it. How about Laxus? Is he acting, um... A-any different that way?”

”Well we haven't actually discussed about the topic yet... He doesn't want to hurry me in any way but I can sense how he is... Umm... Randy or something similar.”

Oh god this was really awkward! Freed knew this was important to discuss about but he still felt really awkward!

”Mirajane told me that it is because Laxus is older than Gajeel and Natsu”, Lucy said. ”It's an instinct, he's old enough to want offspring. That's just something he can't help.”

”The very point of mating season is always about having offspring”, Freed nodded and he didn't say a thing when Plue snatched a strawberry from his plate. ”That can’t of course happen in mine and Laxus' case, but the instinct is still there regardless. Dragon Slayers are acting like dragons and for them I believe offspring is an important matter. Dragons live really long lives and mating season happens rarely so every little dragon is precious.”

Of course there was that horrific time when they actually had to fight against those precious little dragons but that was a whole different situation then.

”Master and Porlyusica said that we should stay cautious since this is really old and feral magic”, Levy said and she was slightly worried. ”We don't have enough knowledge about this. There are no books or anything else anymore from where we could find some information. We only have some rumours.”

”So... Basically we just need to be on alert and take notes of what happens and all”, Freed frowned.

He didn't like this. He never liked it when he had to encounter something new and he didn't have enough information. There were so many things that could go wrong.

”Has Laxus yet mentioned anything about the mark?” Lucy asked.

”Mark?” Freed asked confused.

”Yeah, Dragon Slayers mark their mates. Dragons do that too, it works like a wedding ring. It sounds of course bad but it’s nothing serious, a slayer just lightly bites their mate on the neck and leaves a mark that matches their magic. There is no need to even actually... Uh... Do those things.”

”Laxus hasn't yet mentioned anything about marks”, Freed said and put his finger on the edge of his plate when Plue was trying to steal his cake.

”We have our marks”, Levy smiled and turned around in her chair. Freed could see small round mark that looked like it was made out of tiny little pieces of steel. Lucy had her own that looked like a fireball.

”Interesting”, Freed murmured. ”So now you'll be mates forever?”

”Porlyusica said that's not always the case”, Levy said and shook her head. ”There are mates and then soulmates. If you're soulmates, the mark will stay forever.”

”And if not?” Freed asked now worried.

”Nothing stops you from being together”, Lucy smiled. ”Regular mate's mark will disappear after the mating season but it doesn't mean there is no love.”

”Can a Dragon Slayer have many mates?” The mere thought about Laxus having other mates made Freed shiver and a little bit jealous.

”We don't know that, I guess it's possible. But there's only one soulmate. And when Dragon Slayer finds their soulmate, Porlyusica said that it's quite possible they will remain somewhat possessive, overprotective and like that because Dragon Slayer's soulmate is their most valuable treasure. Their magic bond is really strong, who knows what might happen? Like maybe the soulmate might have some of his Dragon Slayer's power to protect them?”

”Like if you're in danger and then lightning appears to protect you”, Levy explained.

”Or Levy might get iron plates to cover her skin”, Lucy nodded.

”And Lucy of course might get surrounded by fire.”

”That does make sense”, Freed agreed. ”Dragon Slayers are powerful but their mates might not be as strong. I would never even imagine I could win a fight against Laxus”, he chuckled. ”Or Natsu and Gajeel if they go serious about it, not a chance. They just simply are in a league of their own when talking about power.”

”Yeah”, Lucy said and shivered. ”But they won't harm us”, she smiled. ”But they might compete against each other, to see who is strongest and to impress that way their mate.”

”And the only way to know if you're true soulmates is to wait until season is over?” Freed asked and the girls nodded.

”That's what Porlyusica said”, Levy said. ”That's pretty much all we know right now. When Laxus went after you yesterday we had no idea what to do or what might happen. Especially after we heard you were on a date with Rufus.”

”How is he by the way?”

”He's fine”, Lucy chuckled. ”Well, he had three broken ribs but he said he would meet someone to heal him. He won’t hold a grudge.”

”That is good, I'm glad nothing more serious happened”, Freed sighed relieved.

”But seriously, Laxus was scary”, Lucy said. ”For a second I was almost sure he would kill him.”

”Laxus would never kill anyone. No matter what anyone says I know he wouldn't do something like that. But he can cause serious damage.”

Freed sighed and finally he let go of the plate and let Plue have the rest of his cake.

”We're sorry we can’t tell you anything more about this”, Levy apologized patting Freed's hand. ”We know how much you hate it when you don't have enough information about something that's happening.”

”It's okay, Levy”, Freed smiled. ”It is not your fault. We just need to take notes now so in the future we are more prepared.”

”Don't worry Freed”, Lucy said with smile. ”I'm sure everything will work out. And we are sure you are Laxus' soulmate”, she giggled making Freed's face heat up. ”You two just simply belong together like...”

”Strawberries and vanilla ice cream!” Levy suggested cheerfully.

”Or chocolate and strawberries!”

”Strawberries and lemon ice cream!”

”What is with you two and strawberries?” Freed huffed amused.

”Lucy! Levy!” they suddenly heard a new voice and raised their gazes.

Happy almost crashed into their table making poor Plue to drop his remaining cake on the ground.

”Happy? What's with the rush?” Lucy asked surprised.

”Lucy! Natsu is causing trouble again!” the blue Exceed yelled and he looked scared. ”And so is Gajeel!”

”What are they doing?” Levy asked and they all stood up.

”They started to argue about something again and now they are fighting and destroying things!”

”Sounds like you two should go”, Freed said and he left money on the table to pay their order.

At that moment they could see a large pillar of fire erupting nearby.

”Those two idiots”, Lucy grumbled annoyed.

Freed was about to say something but he lost his voice when suddenly there was a bright blast of thunder and ground was shaking.

”Why is Laxus there?” he gasped confused.

”We should go there before they cause more damage”, Lucy decided and they all started running.

Chapter Text

Freed, Lucy and Levy arrived at the street where all the fighting was happening. People were panicking and running away from the enraged Dragon Slayers and pretty much the only one still standing there was a dark Exceed who looked worried.

“Here we are!” Happy yelled.

”Good, you found them!” Panther Lily said as they approached him.

”Aye! Freed was there too!” Happy smiled.

”Good morning, Lily”, Freed said. ”What is the situation?”

”Good morning Freed”, Lily nodded. ”I'd say things are not as bad as you could think, somehow they have managed to restrain themselves from causing more destruction but three buildings are down.”

”Master is going to be furious”, Lucy sighed. ”And how on Earth are we going to pay for all the rebuilding?!”

”Maybe we should think about that after we have managed to calm them down”, Lily shrugged. ”Freed, any ideas?”

”I could make a rune trap but then we need to lure them into it”, Freed said unsheathing his sword. ”And it will take some time.”

”Can you make them unable to use their magic?” Levy suggested and Freed nodded, then he started to write runes on the ground.

”Hurry!” Happy whined trembling when Gajeel hit another building with his arm covered in dark steel.

”I will do my best but please be patient.”

Freed drew a big square on the ground with runes and it took fifteen minutes to strengthen the walls enough so it could hold three D ragon S layers. It probably wouldn't last if they went full berserk but maybe just enough since they couldn't use their magic in this trap. To make a perfect D ragon S layer proof trap, it would have taken at least an hour.

”It is done”, Freed finally said. ”Dragon Slayers who enter this trap cannot use their magic and they are not allowed to leave this trap before Freed Justine, Lucy Heartfilia and Levy McGarden give them their permission to do so”, he stated.

”Great! Now let's make them notice us”, Levy grinned.

”How?”

”HEY! Blockheads!” Lucy shouted loudly and almost made Freed jump.

”Dumbasses! Over here!” Levy yelled waving her hands.

Laxus, Natsu and Gajeel all stopped right on their spot and gazed at their mates. Freed flinched when suddenly both Levy and Lucy hugged him tightly from both sides and he could hear how it made the Dr agon S layers growl furiously out of jealousy.

”Oh god...” Lily whispered with fear when all three men forgot their fight between each other and focused on their mates. Freed would be so dead if his runes didn't hold up!

Freed was thinking just about the same thing and gulped when watching how Laxus, Natsu and Gajeel bolted towards them. They approached awfully fast and he shut his eyes when they entered the trap.

They heard three loud bang s as the Dragon Slayers collided right against the wall.

The green haired mage opened his eyes and was relieved when he saw all three men lying on the ground, feeling dizzy because the impact but otherwise they looked alright.

”They didn't crack their skulls did they?” Lily asked slightly worried.

”They're boneheads, they will be fine”, Freed huffed and the girls let go of him. ”That was dangerous”, he scolded.

”Sorry Freed”, Levy smirked. ”But it worked.”

”L-Lucy...” Natsu finally said and tried to stand up.

”Sorry Natsu”, Lucy said when stepping closer to the rune wall. ”We had no other choice, you were destroying everything and we had to stop you! Freed’s runes are the only thing that can keep you from causing more chaos in town!”

”I'm gonna roast your ass, Freed!” Natsu snarled glaring at the rune mage.

”I know you are mad at me but Lucy is right, we had no other choice but to do this”, Freed said.

”Don't you dare try and take my Shrimp you damn mosshead”, Gajeel growled and he could finally get up.

”I assure you I have no intention of being nothing more but friends with Levy or Lucy. And before you even try, you cannot use your magic when inside that trap.”

”Then let us out so I can kick your ass!” Natsu barked hitting his fists against the invisible wall.

Freed sighed and now he looked at Laxus who was sitting and glaring at him both confused and annoyed. It was obvious he did not like this situation one bit.

”I'm sorry Laxus...” Freed muttered lowering his gaze as he felt really bad that he had to do this to his Thunder God.

”Don't you dare blame Freed, you three were destroying the town!” Lucy shouted hands on her hips. ”We just want you guys to calm down!”

”We're calm now so please let us out, Freed”, Natsu smiled corner of his mouth twitching irritated.

”No”, Freed refused shaking his head.

”You fucking little shit -” Gajeel started but got punched by Laxus.

”Shut your damn snout, metalhead!” the blond roared angrily.

And that was all they needed to start a new fight .

”Well at least they can't use magic now and they have to stay in that box”, Lily sighed and now they were even a little bit amused. ”So everything is okay for now. Better just let them fight until they get bored of it.”

”I guess”, Freed huffed crossing his arms.

”Don't worry Freed, once they're done with fighting I bet they are so exhausted they won't have enough energy to be mad anymore”, Lucy assured with a reassuring smile.

”Let's hope for the best”, Freed said and since they couldn't do anything else, they sat down on a bench and let the three men wrestle inside the trap.

It took two hours before the D ragon S layers finally started to get tired. They were panting , sitting on the ground and full of bruises and dust.

”Are you finally starting to come back to senses?” Lucy asked arching her eyebrows. ”You guys are acting ridiculous”, she stated making the caged men glare at her. ”If you are calm enough not to cause anymore ruckus, we will let you out.”

”But only if you promise to behave”, Levy added. ”And then we can all go home.”

Laxus, Gajeel and Natsu scowled at each other, but none of them said anything. They either did nothing to start a new fight even though they looked annoyed as hell.

”It's good to see that you're starting to calm down”, Freed said and stood up from the bench. ”There is no need to fight anymore. We know you are all really strong and we are most impressed even if you looked more like schoolboys wrestling than mighty Dragon Slayers.”

”Don't you dare attack Freed”, Lucy warned when Natsu was about to say something. ”Without him there would only be half of the town standing anymore.”

”Fine”, Gajeel said finally, Laxus and Natsu also giving up only nodding for agree.

Freed looked at Lucy and Levy who nodded and the runes finally vanished, letting the three men free.

”Okay, let's go home and rest”, Lucy smiled grabbing Natsu's hand and Levy did same to Gajeel.

”We should start making lunch”, the blue haired mage said.

Freed looked at Laxus who still seemed irritated but said nothing just staring away. It pained Freed's heart so much but he knew he had done the right thing. Even if it annoyed Laxus .

”We should head home too”, he suggested with silent sigh.

He turned to take his bag and groceries from the bench, heard steps and suddenly he didn't feel the ground under his feet anymore. Then he realized he was hanging over Laxus' shoulder.

”L-Laxus!” he shouted.

”Shut up”, Laxus growled grabbing his backbag and grocery bags with his other hand and started walking towards his house.

”I can walk on my own! Put me down!”

”Stop squirming or I'll raise that coat of yours and whip your ass”, Laxus said and that made Freed's face burn red. Why was this happening to him?

Chapter Text

After a walk that seemed to last forever they finally got to the house and Freed was glad he got down. He was so embarrassed being carried like that all the way! Laxus didn't seem to care, he just opened the door and stepped inside. Freed sighed and followed after him closing the door.

Laxus stayed silent and just dropped the bags on the floor. Freed picked them up and put the groceries in the fridge and stopped to think what he should do for lunch for them. He couldn't make breakfast for Laxus but maybe a good lunch could help so Laxus wouldn't be so irritated anymore? He hated it when the blond man wasn't saying even a word.

Before he could even start to think what he should make, Freed felt powerful fingers snatch his arm in their grasp and suddenly he was shoved against a wall.

”Laxus”, Freed gasped looking at those orange eyes that were now sparking because of anger.

”You didn't tell me where you were going”, Laxus said his voice low, placing his hands on the wall both sides of Freed, trapping him.

”I left a note, didn't you see it?” Freed said quickly.

”Some fucking piece of paper is not the same as you telling me yourself where you’re going”, Laxus grunted. ”I thought you agreed with me on this.”

”There is no way I could’ve known leaving a note was not enough for you.”

”Instead you went out with those chicks”, Laxus said ignoring Freed's words. ”What were you guys doing?”

”Are you suggesting that I'm not trustworthy?” the rune mage asked and he frowned.

”I'm suggesting you should answer my questions.”

”Fine, we just had some coffee and they told me what they knew about the mating season”, Freed said. ”I needed to have at least some information about it.”

”And you couldn't just ask me?”

Freed just stared at Laxus.

”I... I didn't think of that”, he confessed. Of course he should have asked Laxus first.

”I guess you didn't”, Laxus grunted. “I might not be smart but even I know something about this shitty season because I’m one of those who has to go through it”, he growled.

“I’m not saying you are stupid, Laxus. Don’t even dare to try and act like I’m doing so. You don’t need to worry at all, you know I’m only friends with Lucy and Levy”, Freed assured. “Nothing happened between us.”

”Nothing? Those chicks were clinging onto you and you say nothing happened?” Laxus growled.

”What? Wait, is that why you are so angry right now?” Freed blinked. ”It meant nothing! It was simply -”

”I don't care!” Laxus roared, almost making Freed jump. ”You're mine! No matter the reason no one holds you but me.”

”Laxus -” Freed started to object, but his eyes widened when suddenly Laxus kissed him. For a second he forgot how to even breathe and his heart was beating so hard it hurt! He froze completely, only feeling those soft lips. It was a rough kiss but Freed liked it nonetheless.

Laxus stepped closer and pushed himself against him and his arms trapped him in a tight hold. Freed felt a tongue touching his lips and he opened his mouth letting it in. He had no experience but that didn't seem to bother Laxus who clearly wanted to dominate. Freed lifted his hands and carefully placed them around Laxus' neck, running his fingers through the blond hair.

It was intoxicating. Freed's head was spinning when finally they separated from the kiss both panting. It was the best first kiss anyone could ever ask for! At least for Freed it was.

He was still lingering in that beautiful feeling but was waken up when Laxus suddenly yanked him up and stormed towards the bedroom. He had hardly enough time to freak out because of the sudden move when he already got tossed on the bed.

”Wait -!” Freed yelped but his lips were again claimed by Laxus' own, this time it was much more hungry and possessive kiss. Freed didn't deny that it was arousing but Laxus was also scary right now. Like he wasn't thinking at all!

Freed broke the kiss by turning his head and gasped when he felt lips on his neck.

”Mine”, Laxus snarled low, his tongue licking the pale skin and Freed realized Laxus was already unbuckling his belt, tossing it and his sword down on the floor.

”Laxus!” Freed wheezed and tried to push the other man away but he could hardly make Laxus back up even an inch. Laxus didn't even listen to him!

Suddenly he could feel teeth scraping against his skin. He froze in a shock, remembering what Lucy and Levy had told him. “ Dragon slayers mark their mates .” For a moment Freed was terrified because this all happened faster than he could adjust! Laxus was more like a wild beast than the man he knew, unbuttoning his coat and shirt while he tried to squirm away beneath him.

”N-no, Laxus”, he panted when a big hand grabbed his hip in its tight grasp to keep the rune mage down and the other hand forced his leg to shift.

Freed shivered when he felt Laxus' hard length through his pants as the blond pressed himself against him between his legs. Laxus was huge ! He couldn't help but moan when Laxus moved his hips and big hand grabbed Freed's ass. Even though he was scared of this situation with Laxus behaving so bestial, he felt really good. Good enough that for a moment he actually considered just letting Laxus do what he wanted. He really wanted to know how good it would feel when Laxus -

Freed shook his head quickly. No! This was not right! Right now Laxus was not acting normal and Freed knew he would hate himself if he would let this continue!

Before Laxus could start to unzip Freed's pants the rune mage grabbed a big tuft of blond hair in his grasp and forced the Lightning Mage's head up. He knew it hurt but he had to do it.

”STOP!” he shouted his command and it made Laxus flinch.

Only seconds passed but it felt like minutes. They stared at each other when finally Laxus' orange eyes widened as he recalled the situation. Freed was lying under him, shirt almost ripped off, cheeks burning red and panting because of all the struggling. It was a beautiful sight, but Laxus couldn't enjoy it since he knew that how they ended here was wrong. Very wrong.

He jumped off the bed and Freed sighed relieved.

”Freed...” Laxus whispered looking shocked. What was he thinking? It was like for a moment he had lost all his control over his body! Damn! He almost raped Freed! A mere thought of it made him feel sick and scared!

”Looks like you're back to your senses, that's good”, Freed said and he sat up. He ran his fingers through his green hair that was now slightly tangled. ”Are you okay?”

”What?” Laxus asked and he couldn't believe his ears. Just seconds ago he was almost forcing Freed to have sex and now he asked if Laxus was okay?

”You were -”

”I know! Fuck! I couldn't control myself at all! It was like… Like some part of me was asleep and there was only instincts left. My only thought was how badly I wanted to claim you and I didn't even care what else might happen!” Laxus blurted and backed towards the door. ”In one moment we were in the kitchen and I was still mad at you, then I suddenly kissed you and the next thing I know I was ripping off your clothes!”

”Your dragonside took over”, Freed sighed and straightened his shirt. He was still trembling but he was not going to blame Laxus of what happened. Thankfully nothing happened and everything was fine now. ”You couldn't help it.”

”No! This should not have happened!” Laxus said rubbing his face in self-hatred. ”If... Fuck, if I hadn't come back to my senses...”

”Laxus...” Freed said softly.

Suddenly Laxus turned around and before Freed could say anything he was already out of the bedroom. Quickly Freed got out of bed on his shaky legs but he could hear how the front door slammed shut loudly.

The R une M age sighed and he sat on the bed. Right now he had absolutely no idea what he should do.

Chapter Text

Freed was sitting on the couch looking at lacrimavision, but couldn't really focus on the show. He was merely just staring ahead but did not see anything. It was already long past dinnertime and he had done some stew yet he couldn't even think about eating.

He was too worried about Laxus. He had no idea where the man had gone or if he might even come back.

The lacrimavision was turn off and Freed got on his feet . He was hoping that Laxus would come back home in two or three hours but it was starting to seem like that was not going to happen. What happened was such a shock for both of them Freed wasn’t even surprised Laxus did not come back. He should’ve guessed this would happen.

The Rune Mage went to take his faithful old red coat and his sword. H e had to do something. H e couldn't just sit here comfortably while Laxus was somewhere out there probably hating himself because of what he almost did.

Freed had to make sure the L ightning M age understood that he was not an gry or scared of him . It definitely was a scary moment but he had encountered many scary situations before. Besides, he knew Laxus would’ve never done anything like that if his instincts weren’t disrupting his mind.

Freed stepped out of the house and locked the door. Maybe he should start his searching from the g uild. Who knows, Laxus might h ave said something to Makarov or maybe the old man knew some place where Laxus might go when he was freaking out. He could already guess Laxus most certainly wouldn't go to places Freed already knew since those were the places where Freed would search him first.

The Fairy Tail g uild house was loud as usual when Freed opened the door and stepped inside. He greeted some of his guild mates on his way to their usual table on the second floor.

”Ever”, he said when he saw the brunette.

”Freed”, Ever said surprised. ”What are you doing here? I was sure we wouldn't see you or Laxus for at least a week”, she smirked mischievously.

”Not that it’s any of your business but well, we are taking things slowly”, Freed lied. He couldn't tell Evergreen what happened. She would only get furious and wouldn't listen to anything what he had to say for Laxus' defence.

”Really? That's surprising”, Evergreen hummed and looked somewhat suspicious. ”And why isn't Laxus with you? The way he was acting before I thought he would follow you everywhere and guard you like the most precious treasure”, she giggled.

”Nothing is wrong, Ever”, Freed assured and tried to smile convincing. He was well aware that lying was not something that he could do well.

Ever green just stared at him saying nothing.

”Is Master here?” Freed asked trying to sound casual. ”I have something I want to talk with him.”

”He's in his office”, Evergreen said. ”Do you need me to come with you?” she suggested.

Freed knew it very well that even if she seemed self-centred and straightforwardly bitch sometimes to the others, Ever green was actually the one who was most protective of them all when she feared something was wrong with her teammates.

”No Ever, I'm fine”, Freed assured. ”I will see you again later”, he smiled and stepped in the hallway where Master's office was located in.

He stopped in front of the door and knocked.

”Come in”, Makarov said and Freed opened the door.

”Good evening, Master Makarov”, the Rune Mage greeted closing the door.

”Hello, Freed”, Makarov smiled and put away some papers he was going through. ”How are you doing?”

”I'm fine, thank you. I was wondering if I could bother you for a while?”

”You should have at least brought me some beer then”, the old man laughed.

”I will be right back”, Freed nodded and he almost grabbed the door handle when Makarov stopped him:

”Just get back here, brat!”

”But -”

”I was just joking”, Makarov sighed crossing his arms. ”Always so formal. We're family, you should just do like the others and barge right in or it feels like you've come to meet someone stranger. We are not strangers, we are family. And as my grandson's mate, you of all people should not be afraid to approach me if there is something wrong.”

”I'm really honoured of your kind words, Master”, Freed smiled.

He had not even thought yet how Makarov was dealing with this whole thing, his only grandson dating a man so it was really soothing to hear he was not against it. If Freed and Laxus would ever get married, he would actually be part of the Dreyar family.

”So, is something wrong with Laxus?” the old man asked and Freed jolted. ”He came here a couple of hours ago and he was going to take a mission that would last a month and was pretty far away. Were you two planning on something?”

”Did he take that mission?” Freed asked quickly and now he was worried.

”No. I had a feeling that something was wrong and I told him it was not a good idea and did not give him a permission to take that job”, Makarov answered and the swordsman sighed relieved. Thank god!

”Is he still here?” he asked.

”No, he left almost immediately. I got a little bit worried because he didn't even argue one bit, he just simply left. So something is wrong? He looked so disoriented and even scared of something. It has been a long time since I've seen him acting like that.”

”Something did happen”, Freed admitted. ”But it was nothing we can’t solve.”

”Tell me what happened, Freed”, Makarov told and he sat down on his desk as Freed sat on a chair.

He started from when they left the guild house with Laxus. How Laxus was acting and what he had noticed in his behaviour. And how in the morning he met Levy and Lucy, then they went to separate Laxus, Natsu and Gajeel. Freed was little bit worried what Master would say when he heard about the destruction, but the old man just told him to continue.

It was not easy to tell Makarov what happened . He hoped that Makarov wouldn't get angry at his grandson.

”And I haven't heard of him or seen him since then”, Freed ended his story. ”I need to find him and tell him that everything is okay. He was angry and jealous so his dragon side took over. This is new to him so he doesn't yet know how to handle these kind of situations or how to control his dragon side fully.”

”You're surprisingly calm with all what happened”, Makarov noted, maybe just a little bit worried how calm Freed actually was.

”I'm not that easy to scare off”, Freed chuckled. ”Not when we are talking about Laxus. Yes, things could have easily turn worse but that did not happen and even if something had happened I still wouldn't hate him. But I knew he would hate himself for the rest of his life so I didn't let it happen. He probably wants to avoid me for a while, at least until the season is over but... He shouldn't feel bad about himself”, Freed sighed. ”What he did was wrong, but he did not do it on purpose. He did not decide to do it and if he would’ve never done it.”

“I’m happy to see how much you trust Laxus”, Makarov smiled. “Even after something like that.”

“It was not his fault. But now I need to find him, so I was thinking maybe you knew some place where he might be. He wouldn't go to places I know.”

”You're right”, Makarov nodded. ”He didn't go to a mission but that wont stop him from going where ever he wants. I know some places near Magnolia but nothing more.”

”Could you point them out for me?” Freed asked. ”I need to find him.”

”I understand”, Makarov said and jumped down from his desk.

The old man went to a cabinet and he pulled out a map, rolling it open on the desk.

”Somewhere here, here and here”, he said tapping locations on the map. ”They are places where he goes when he wants to be alone. I can’t guarantee that he’ll be in any of these places but at least it’s better than just flying around aimlessly.”

”I see”, Freed muttered. ”Terrain around those places is hard to travel so not many people even try to enter there.”

”With your wings you shouldn't have any problems getting there”, Makarov said. ”But he might flee in the moment he realizes you found him.”

”That is true... I should erase my scent with my runes again so he can't smell me before I find him. If possible, I should trap him in the area so he has no other choice but to hear me out.”

”That is a good idea.”

”Please, don't tell about this to anyone”, Freed said when looking at the old man. ”Especially Bickslow and Evergreen. I'm not sure how they might react and I don’t want them to worry.”

”If you're sure”, Makarov promised.

”I'll start searching right now”, Freed said making a copy of the map and he marked the places.

”Are you absolutely sure you want to do this alone?” Makarov asked opening glass doors to the balcony.

”Yes”, Freed nodded and purple wings appeared on his back. ”I know Laxus is ashamed of himself right now and I can guess he is hating himself deeply so I will not bring more shame on him by letting someone see him in that stage.”

”Then I can't do nothing more than just wish you good luck”, Makarov said. ”I hope you'll find him but don't push yourself too much.”

”Thank you, Master”, Freed said with smile, nodded and he flew off from the Guild.

First place was in the mountain area. Freed wandered around and tried to spot something. But in the end he only saw some mountain animals. He circled the area at least four times before he finally landed. Laxus was not here so he should head to the next place. He took out the map, studied it and nodded.

Next area was near the river. It wasn't that hard place to reach but there were really nasty creatures around. Leeches, ticks, venomous spiders, snakes, mosquitoes, butterflies that could kill... No one wanted to go there voluntarily but with Laxus' electricity, he could keep those critters away.

Freed as well didn't want to land there. If he hated something it was beetles. No, hate was too mild, he absolutely loathed them. And here they were huge, as big as a fist, fast and some of them were venomous. Shivers r a n down Freed's spine when he even thought those creepy crawlers.

He just circled around the area above the trees and fought off some big birds that tried to attack him. Laxus was not in here either.

Third area was an island far away from the mainland. Freed knew it looked like a perfect place where to sail for a day, but it was actually surrounded by treacherous reefs and the marine animals there were extremely aggressive. They would sink every boat that tried to approach.

This was the most promising place out of those three. The R une M age g o t closer to the water that splashed by his speed above it and he landed on the shore. This was his first time here but he had heard there were big animals living in this large old forest. Big and wickedly vicious. Perfect training ground for someone like Laxus who could be even more ruthless if he wanted.

Sun had already set when Freed finished drawing runes. He had surrounded the whole island with his runes so Laxus didn't have a chance to leave. It took a large amount of his magic but he had no choice.

Freed wheezed silently when his stomach let out a growl. He should have eaten something before he left... Tiny piece of cake in the morning was not enough to give him enough energy. And after all that flying around, using runes to hide his scent and now this huge trap... He really did hope that he wouldn't encounter too many animals here. He was not sure if he might have enough magic to fight them of.

But he was determined to find Laxus so he straightened his back and stepped into the forest.

Chapter Text

Darkness had landed in the forest hours ago when Freed finally had to stop. He had to find something to eat or he wouldn’t possibly be able to keep this big trap on all night. He didn't even have enough magic left to fly. Flying wouldn't really help him anyway since the foliage in this forest was too thick so he wouldn't see anything.

The R une M age sighed. He couldn't find anything edible that he recognized. Plants, mushrooms and fruits in this forest were strange so obviously he wouldn't even think about eat ing them. H e didn't even see any animals he could hunt and cook.

It was actually really strange. Usually in forests like this one there were lots of critters. I t was also strange that he hadn't yet encountered any of the animals they said lived here. He had not seen Laxus either and that made his heart sank . Maybe Laxus was not here in this island after all?

Freed yelped when suddenly the ground under his feet disappeared and he fell down a small hill. Luckily it wasn't steep fall and there were lots of plants to soften his landing, b ut it did startle him for sure.

He slowly sat up, carefully inspecting if he had any broken bones or cuts. His head hurt and he could feel a little bump on the side of his head but there was only slightly blood so it wasn't probably anything more than just a scratch. Freed sighed and stood up dusting his pants and coat.

Where was he now? It seemed like some kind of large excavation...

Freed started walking carefully. He studied his surroundings and tried to figure out how far the shore might be.

Suddenly he heard rustle s . In a second Freed prepared himself, unsheathing his sword and looked around. For now he didn’t see anything. He walked carefully forward and tried to sharpen his hearing as much as he could. Rustlin g got louder the more he moved on and it sounded like there were more than one creature causing it. It was creepy and made Freed shiver.

Finally he stopped next to a stone wall and narrowed his eyes. He was tired but it was more than possible that now he had to fight so he could get out of here. Who knows, maybe he could even get something to eat? That thought in his mind he took a strengthening breath and stepped out. But nothing could have prepared him for the sight that was now right in front of him.

Big, ugly, fat beetles crawled around and Freed's legs suddenly felt like jelly. W-what?! Where on E arth did he f a ll into?! Those beetles were in the size of a dog!

Quickly Freed pulled himself back behind the cliff. No, no, no! He couldn't do this! He absolutely could not do this! He could fight against dragons, he could protect Magnolia against a whole army and there were tons of missions he had accomplished and they required strength, wisdom and courage.

But this? Hell no. He too had his limits and this went over the line so fast the line got blown away like a kite!

He had to find another way out of this hellhole. Freed swiftly turned around and started running back. He took another turn just to find more of those horrible creatures that walked around lazily. He could hear how their hard shells let out noises as they hit against each other, how some of them were fighting using their big horns.

Freed felt sick. He hated those creatures no matter what size or what they looked like! He had to get out of here!

Finally after freaking out for a while and running around he found a passage that lead up. He didn't stop when he was up and he just kept running away from that place as fast as he could.

After maybe five minutes he finally stopped, panting heavily. Oh god, that was awful... But he wasn't drowsy anymore. How could he possibly sleep in this forest when he knew those monsters were walking around?

Freed jumped when he heard rustling from the bushes. What now?

It was even more terrifying sigh when a large, bear sized insect stood up. It was a beetle, bright green with darker spots, long antennas that twitched from side to side and it had absolutely horrible long pincers.

H e was NOT going to stay and fight with that thing! Freed just sharply turned around and r a n like there was fire spreading behind him. He heard loud thumps as the beetle went after him and that just made his legs move even faster.

This was the most horrible moment to not have enough magic left to fly. But with his luck, that thing probably could fly too.

He arrived at a river and had to stop. Where should he run now? The r iver seemed muddy and deep so he probably shouldn't try swimming, there could be anything lurking in the darkness. And sure enough when he got near the water something was moving and Freed yelled eyes wide when a large centipede rose up, tiny legs fidgeting. It had enormous fangs that were probably poisonous and flat thick shell covering its back.

”This has to be a nightmare!” Freed shouted scraping his head, green hair all messy because of all the tumbling and running around.

Heavy steps came closer and Freed turned to see the beetle that let out large screech and was about to attack him. The R une M age jumped aside and beetle stumbled in the sand. Freed watched with horror how in that second the centipede attacked the beetle and dragged it i n the water. He didn't stay and watch, he stood up and started running away.

This forest was a hideous place! And it didn't help that he could hear loud buzzing sound coming above him. He just jumped aside just in time to dodge another attack but now it was a beetle that was flying.

Freed spun around and stood up quickly. Insect in front of him was slim, wasp or cockroach like a beetle that hissed low and its long – freakishly long! - antennas moved around like searching something.

Freed shivered and took a step back, instantly falling over when his foot get stuck in a hole making him shout in pain.

That made the large wasp to notice him, turning its ugly head towards Freed.

”Oh shit, shit, shit, shit!” the green haired man hissed and tried to free his injured leg from the roots on the ground.

Big flashy yellow wings spread out and Freed grabbed his sword, facing his terrifying opponent. He could only try to stab that thing dead before it could attack him. The wasp hissed loudly and Freed heard the buzzing from its wings.

Then it flitted to attack.

Dazzling flash filled their surroundings and Freed had to shut his eyes. The thundering noise made his ears ring and he covered them until the worst was over. Once it was calm again he slowly opened his eyes and he could see the wasp thing that was now totally crisped and drop dead, falling on the ground.

Laxus stood there right next to it. Freed's eyes widened. Laxus appeared out of nowhere to sa v e him!

”Laxus”, he said. ”You really were here!”

”The fuck are you doing here?” the blond snarled walking over to him. ”Almost getting killed by a bug.”

”I was looking for you”, Freed answered, still unable to stand up. ”Your grandfather mentioned you might be here so I came here.”

”And I was so sure you would never come to this island”, Laxus snorted. ”With those monstrous beetles and everything.”

”Well, I didn't know here would be creatures like that...”

”Obviously you didn't. This island is called Beetlenest Island, I thought you would avoid it at any cost.”

”I didn't know the name of this island...” Freed confessed.

Laxus huffed rubbing his face and looked down at Freed's leg.

”Is it broken?” he asked now gently, kneeling down and started carefully break roots around the ankle.

”I don't know”, Freed muttered. ”Maybe only strained.”

”Let's hope for the best. Man, I haven't heard you yelling like that maybe... Ever?”

”I had a really good reason for it.”

”You have encountered many scary things and fought many powerful opponents and won but in the moment you are against a beetle you become the biggest sissy in the world”, Laxus said amused.

”In case you didn't notice those bugs were bigger than your house!”

”No they weren't, you're just a wuss Justine.”

Finally his leg was free and Freed hissed in pain when Laxus moved it carefully.

”We need to put a bandage on it with some sort of support”, blond murmured. ”And then we need to get you to Porlyusica.”

”Is that really necessary?” Freed sighed.

”Wendy won't be back from her mission for a while so yeah”, Laxus said. He too was a little bit scared of Porlyusica if he was honest. Of course he would never admit it to anyone. ”Can you use your magic?”

”No”, Freed confessed. ”I set up a trap on this whole island so you couldn't get away if you were here.”

”Yeah, I noticed. I was trying to leave and I once again bonked my head on that wall of yours so I figured you were somewhere here. Then I heard you screaming like someone was gonna eat you”, Laxus muttered.

”I don't scream.”

”Sure did sound like it. It almost stopped my heart.”

”I'm sorry”, Freed sighed. ”My energy was low because of not eating and I already searched two other places Master pointed out so I was kinda tired.”

Laxus snorted and he lifted Freed up in his arms, making the Rune Mage feel a bit foolish when carried like that but right now there was nothing he could do about it .

”You can't fly if you don't rest and eat something first”, Laxus said and started moving. ”We have to spend our night here.”

”Really?” Freed whined.

”Do you have any other ideas?” Laxus asked and Freed sighed yet again.

”No, I guess you're right”, he gave up.

”And for fuck's sake undo the runes already you're wasting your magic.”

Chapter Text

Laxus carried Freed up to the cliff nearby and they could see the forest better all the way to the shore. Freed should have guessed that Laxus would set his camp in a place where he could keep an eye on his surroundings.

They arrived at the small cave and Laxus went in. His backpack was on the ground all packed up and fireplace was put out.

”Just sit there”, blond said putting Freed down on the rock. ”I'll relight the fire, fetch water from the stream and then we start cleaning your bruises and take a look at that ankle of yours.”

”It's okay, I'm pretty sure it is only strained a little”, Freed assured. ”I can help.”

”Keep your ass set on that rock”, Laxus snarled and the rune mage froze to his spot when he was just about to get up. ”And don't you dare move it without a really good reason while I'm gone”, he said and grabbed a kettle in his hand. ”And a beetle crawling near you is not a really good reason”, he added and stomped outside the cave.

Freed huffed but smiled. It was nice when Laxus was taking care of him, he had to admit that walking with his ankle as it was right now would be really challenging.. The rune mage opened his white boot and carefully lifted it and his sock from his foot and flinched in pain. His ankle was swollen but not that dark so it probably wasn't broken. He raised his hand and touched side of his head, hissing quietly. Well, at least there was no more blood.

Freed waited until he heard steps and Laxus came back. The dragon slayer poured some cold water on the other cup and started to relight the fire. Freed took a wash cloth, drench it in cold water and wrapped it around his ankle to decrease swelling.

When fire was burning Laxus put the kettle above it. Then he opened his backpack and pulled out his blankets and other stuff. He looked at Freed when he heard grumbling and the rune mage slightly blushed.

”Just my stomach”, he muttered embarrassed. He must seem absolutely useless right now, his leg injured and not even able to gather some food for himself despite arriving at this island many hours ago. It was pathetic.

”Eat this”, Laxus said and handed over a package. Freed opened it and found two sandwiches.

”Are you sure – fine, fine, I will eat them”, he said quickly when Laxus gave him a warning growl. ”Thank you, Laxus”, Freed smiled and took a bite. He really was hungry so sandwiches were gone quickly. ”I'm surprised you found something to eat in this island other than bugs.”

”I didn't. Inside those were grasshoppers meat.”

Freed stared at Laxus pale and shocked.

”W-what?” he stuttered and felt nauseous.

”I'm kidding!” Laxus said quickly. He wasn't but he didn't want Freed to start hurl.

”That was a bad joke, Laxus”, greenette muttered. ”I almost threw up.”

”I'm sorry”, Laxus said. ”I didn't mean to cause that.”

He narrowed his eyes and Freed got confused. Then Laxus grabbed his chin and turned his head.

”You've hurt your head”, he said carefully combing the green hair aside with his fingers so he could see the wound better.

”Yes, when I fell in the lair of beetles”, Freed nodded. ”It's nothing serious, just a scratch.”

”It needs to be cleaned right away when we have clean water”, Laxus murmured letting go of his chin. ”You shouldn't have come here. I don't want you to get hurt.”

”I wanted to find you. We have to talk about what happened.”

”It was something I shouldn't have done, ever”, Laxus muttered. ”You should be able to trust me but instead I did something that horrible...”

”I do trust you, Laxus. I was surprised and scared but I understand it was something you couldn't control at the moment”, Freed assured softly. ”You were mad and really jealous. Your dragon side saw me as a mate who you should claim before someone else could do it. I know you would never do something like that by your own choice, you are not like that.”

”I'm amazed how even after all of that you still can defend my actions”, Laxus huffed. ”You don't have to do that, you know? No, you shouldn't do that.”

”Yes I do or else you wouldn't forgive yourself. Nothing happened in the end, you restrained yourself.”

”This season is making me go crazy, I shouldn't be near you. I might hurt you again, this time I might actually rape you.”

”No you won't, I know it. Besides... It wasn't that bad”, Freed confessed and blushed bright red. ”I mean... It felt good when you were dominating and possessive... But I figured that because you were not in your right mind you would hate yourself after it. That's the biggest reason why I stopped it. You would think that you raped me regardless that I wanted it too. Then it wouldn't be raping but you would still think it that way no matter what I would have told you afterwards.”

Laxus said nothing, just pouring boiled water on another bowl and set the kettle aside so the water would cool off and they could use it as drinking water.

”You're being too hard on yourself, Laxus. Like always”, Freed said worried. ”We can try... doing that now when you are not mad any more. We can proceed slowly and so you actually know what you are doing. I'm sure your dragon side will not interrupt now that there are no threats.”

”You... wanna do it?” Laxus asked confused and looked at Freed. ”Even after...”

”Yes”, Freed said steady. ”Well I mean... we don't need to do it right now”, he said quickly and his cheeks were burning. ”But when the time is right.”

”Oh...”

”Um... Are you disappointed?”

”Somewhat”, Laxus chuckled and drenched a towel in the bowl. ”Almost started to think about what it would feel like to do it here in the cave or outside under the stars. That means you don't refuse me? That you wanna be my mate?” he asked with hope in his voice.

Freed's cheeks turned even more redder if possible, but he nodded.

”Yes”, he said with a smile. ”More than anything.”

”I'm glad to hear that”, Laxus purred lifting the towel and wiped Freed's cheeks with it tenderly. ”Let's get those scratches and bruises cleaned now and make more food for you.”

”I'm not that hungry any more”, Freed chuckled and took the towel from Laxus' hand and put it on the side of his head on the bump. Laxus started to add disinfectant on wounds that were now clean. ”And what time is it? It's late night already.”

”Past midnight”, Laxus said gently swiping little scratches with cotton wool. ”You sleepy?”

”Yes”, Freed nodded. ”This has been a really long day. But I have to borrow a blanket from you.”

”Like hell you're gonna sleep on a different blanket than me”, Laxus smirked. ”You're sleeping with me.”

”Well, I can never stand against your word”, Freed said smiling.

”Damn right. I just put on the bandages and you can then lay down”, Laxus said and started to wrap up Freed's ankle and at the same time Freed brushed his hair so it wouldn't be a total mess in the morning. He also braided it and then Laxus wrapped a bandage around his head.

”Help me up, will you?” he asked and Laxus pulled him up. Freed limped to the blankets and sat down, unbuckling his belt and he took off his coat.

”You need anything else?” Laxus asked while he packed some of the stuff in his backpack and covered the cave's entry with his big coat.

”No, just some sleep”, Freed said and lied down, using his coat as a pillow.

Laxus put more wood on the fire and then he sat down next to Freed on the blanket and pulled another blanket over them.

”Don't want you to catch a cold”, he murmured and wrapped his big arms around Freed who smiled.

”I won't”, he promised.

Silence landed and only fire crackled.

”Laxus?”

”Hmm?”

”Good night”, Freed said softly.

”Good night, babe”, Laxus said and kissed his mate's cheek and then shut his eyes, falling asleep almost instantly.

Freed in the other hand could only stare at the roof of the cave. He would never get used to the feeling when Laxus was kissing him. It was too wonderful.

Chapter Text

It took him two hours before Freed finally got some sleep. That is why in the morning Laxus was really surprised when he woke up but his mate was still sleeping. At first he was concerned, maybe hit on the head was something serious after all or maybe some nasty tiny tick bit him and he was poisoned or...

Freed mumbled something in his sleep and turned his head towards Laxus. He looked peaceful and his skin wasn't pale or anything. Maybe he was just tired enough to sleep late.

Laxus smiled and snuggled his nose against Freed's cheek. It felt nice. He didn't even think about how goofy he was acting he just wanted to keep Freed as close as possible. He had felt horrible when they were apart but it was then the best solution Laxus could think off. But his mate had come after him, assured that nothing was wrong and he wasn't scared or angry.

Seriously, how on earth did Laxus even deserve Freed's loyalty and love? That man had always been so eager to follow him and do what he told him to do, never complaining or standing against his word. Always so tender and worried even if he had a tiny scratch or something...

Laxus would make sure he would return all of that caring and love. He would make sure no one would never hurt Freed or make him sad. He wanted to make his mate smile so he could see that beautiful face all brighten up and he wanted to take care of him so he would be relaxed and feel peaceful.

Blond dragon slayer purred quietly and he squeezed Freed even closer to his chest. That was what woke Freed up.

”Laxus...” green haired man wheezed. ”Laxus, you're strangling me again.”

”Sorry”, Laxus said and loosened his grip a bit. ”Is this better?”

”Yes”, Freed said with a sleepy smile without opening his eyes. ”What time is it?”

”Somewhere around noon.”

”Noon?” Freed said surprised and opened his eyes. ”How long have you been awake? Why didn't you wake me?”

”You needed to have plenty of sleep”, Laxus smiled. ”You had a rough time last night.”

”Maybe but we still need to return to the mainland”, Freed said and Laxus had to let go of him so he could sat up.

”How are you feeling?” blond asked getting up too.

”Better”, Freed assured. ”My head no longer hurts and my ankle feels better. Maybe we don't need to bother Porlyusica after all.”

”No, we will go meet her”, Laxus said and got up on his feet. ”So we can be sure you're alright.”

”Fine”, Freed sighed. ”We should then start moving.”

”You don't wanna eat something first?”

”I'm guessing there is nothing else to eat in this island than bugs”, Freed said looking disgusted. ”And I would rather die in starvation than eat any of them.”

”Okay”, Laxus laughed. ”And I thought you weren't a picky eater”, he taunted playfully.

”I'm not, but even I don't need to tolerate everything”, Freed said and he grabbed Laxus' hand and stood up.

”How's your ankle?”

”I still can't use it but it's not hurting that bad.”

”Good”, Laxus said and helped Freed to sit on a rock. ”You sit there while I pack things up.”

”I'm pretty sure I don't have a choice”, Freed chuckled.

”Yeah you don't.”

When everything was ready Freed used his magic and purple rune wings appeared in his back again.

”What about your backpack?” he asked.

”It's meant to remain here”, Laxus explained. ”So whenever I come here I have all the camping supplies I need. Are you sure you'll get to the mainland?” he asked. He would use his lightning so he could travel far away in a short time but he could only use it to himself. ”You won't get too tired on the way?”

”I'm sure”, Freed assured. ”It takes some time but I will arrive there safely.”

”Don't fly near the water surface, I know how much you like it but here it's dangerous.”

”Alright. We will meet again at the mainland”, Freed said nodding and he took off.

Wind whistled in his ears when he speed up after he was out of the island. He stayed at the distance from the water surface and just headed towards the mainland he could hardly see. It was only a dark line on the horizon.

At some point he could hear loud thunder and looked up, just in time to see crackling lightning flash across the skies. It was over in seconds and Freed smiled when thinking that when he would finally arrive in the land, Laxus would already be there waiting. That made his heart flutter and he spinned around in the air.

Finally he was near the shore and he lowered himself near the water surface. Here it wouldn't be that dangerous and he had good reflexes if something was about to happen. Freed smiled and unsheathed his sword, tipping it on the water causing splashing behind him. He laughed and rose up high, stopped and let himself fall. He straightened himself just before he hit the water and used the speed he got from falling to fly even faster.

It was always fun. But he only did it when he were alone. If Bickslow or Evergreen saw him doing something childish like this they would tease him the rest of his life about it. This wasn't exactly something you would think that Freed the Dark, captain of the Thunder Legion would do. How Laxus knew about this he wasn't sure but he didn't mind.

The green haired mage landed on the soft grass and he panted. It was still a long way to fly and he haven't yet recovered fully.

”You sure did seem to have fun”, he heard chuckling and turned to look at Laxus and he blushed slightly embarrassed.

”Sometimes it is fun to just do something like that”, he said in his defence.

”Yeah, I believe that”, Laxus said. ”You know what would happen if Bicks saw you doing that?”

”Yes, he would torment me about it at least a month.”

”He would probably start calling you Freed the Fairy Prince or similar”, Laxus laughed and Freed muttered something unclear crossing his arms.

”Don't you ever dare to suggest that name to him or he will most certainly start using it just to tease me.”

”I won't, babe. Let's get you to Porlyusica now and then back to home so we can have something to eat.”

”I need somekind of a walking stick”, Freed said but Laxus grabbed his hand and yanked it over his shoulder.

”Am I good enough?” he chuckled.

”Okay, maybe this time”, Freed smiled.

”Get out of here you useless humans!” That was how they were greeted when they arrived at the cottage.

”We wouldn't be here without a reason you old hag!” Laxus snarled back and Freed sighed.

”Is that how you show respect to your elderly? You stupid human!” Porlyusica scolded eyes on Laxus and Freed dodged the broom just in time before it hit him in the face when she swung it around.

”Porlyusica, please”, he said. ”We don't mean to disturb you, but Laxus insisted that we should come by.”

”Oh, you're here”, old woman said now surprised, as if she had just now noticed Freed. ”So Laxus' mate finally arrived.”

”It is nice to see you as brisk as ever, Porlyusica”, Freed smiled. In some odd way, maybe because Freed was always so polite, Porlyusica seemed to tolerate him a little more than the others. Except Wendy of course. ”How have you been?”

”Fine”, Porlyusica said and put his broom down finally. ”So what happened to you, Freed?”

”Just some scratches and maybe strained ankle but Laxus insisted that we should come and see you”, Freed explained.

”I see, he's being overprotective. Okay, come in. And I don't care if your ankle is broken, wipe your shoes clean. I don't want you two idiots to spread mud in my clean house”, she said and returned back in.

”We should do as she instructs”, Freed said to Laxus who just muttered something about a crazy old lady.

”I heard that you little batterylacrima functional toy dragon!” Porlyusica yelled from inside.

”Please? So this is over faster?” Freed said to Laxus who sighed and nodded.

They stepped inside after they carefully wiped their shoes clean and closed the door.

”Sit”, Porlyusica commanded and pointed at the chair, so Freed sat down with Laxus' help. ”These don't seem that bad”, old woman muttered while she examined his bruises. ”And it seems like your head is harder than you think, this bump will disappear in a day or two and won't cause any trouble.”

”Um, thank you?” Freed said.

”But this ankle needs treatment”, Porlyusica said kneeling down. ”It has a slight fracture but I can heal it. But you still should rest your leg for two or three days so I suggest not going to missions.”

”We had no such plans”, Freed assured.

He stayed in his spot when Porlyusica used her magic to heal his ankle. He could feel little tingling but nothing more.

”Okay, that should do it”, Porlyusica finally said and straightened her back.

”Thank you so much, Porlyusica”, Freed smiled. ”That helped a lot.”

”So, how is the mating season going on with you two?” old woman asked suddenly, making Freed blush and Laxus acted like he was listening his headphones too loud to hear.

”I-I'm not sure what you mean”, Freed stuttered and he was almost choked when Porlyusica grabbed his collar and pulled it out of the way, turning his head from side to side.

”No mark”, she said letting go. ”So you're not committed mates yet.”

”No we are not”, Freed nodded adjusting his collar and scarf.

”You don't have too much time left of this season.”

”I know but it is never a good idea -”

”Just get over with it you two slow pokes, I need notes for my research so I can put together some kind of a book about the mating season”, Porlyusica snapped making Freed jolt. ”I already have other information but since you are both males and Laxus is older than the others I need all the information I can get of what might happen.”

”W-what could happen?” Freed asked now concerned.

”How should I know! That's exactly the reason why you two should start doing something!” Porlyusica said annoyed. ”You two being such laggards nothing will ever happen.”

”Well... What do you think might happen?”

”Maybe Laxus will stay as he is, overprotective and so on, maybe something will happen to the magic of you two or something like that. Or maybe he will return back to how he was before the season or what if he will become even more aggressive, who knows? There is nothing more than rumours so we need to have some facts.”

There was also one thing that maybe could happen, but it was better she didn't say it or Freed would never let Laxus touch him. And she needed to know if it really was possible, this was mysterious magic after all and she didn't believe that Laxus could possibly be the first dragon slayer ever to have a mate with same gender.

”So we are your research material right now?”

”If that is how you want to express it, then yes”, Porlyusica said and grabbed her broom again making Freed jump up quickly. Laxus opened his eyes when he sensed ominous danger.

”So take that lazy dragon slayer of yours, go home and try to make him useful! When you have some new information write it down!” she ordered and before they could even say good bye, Freed and Laxus was shoved out of the cottage.

”Always so fucking sunshine”, Laxus grumbled annoyed.

”At least she helped us”, Freed said and he picked up a stick from ground he could use as a help for walking. ”Let's start moving. Do you want to stop at the Guild?”

”Any reason for that?” Laxus asked when they headed towards the town.

”I guess not. But Master would be relieved to hear you are okay.”

”I can tell him later. I wanna go home and eat.”

”Same here”, Freed chuckled.

Chapter Text

It felt like it took forever but finally they arrived at Laxus' house.

”For a moment I thought we would never arrive”, Freed sighed and took off his boots. ”If you would have let me walk normally or at least use my leg even a little bit -”

”Porlyusica said you should rest it”, Laxus said and put his coat on the rack and Freed did same. ”And you refused when I offered to carry you.”

”It wouldn't have killed me to use my leg even a little”, the rune mage said. ”We would have arrived faster.”

”Well we are here now.”

Freed limped on the kitchen and opened the fridge.

”Good, Bicks haven't been here”, he smiled and lifted the stew on the table.

”You did that?” Laxus asked.

”Yes, yesterday at dinnertime. It should be still okay.”

”I'll heat this up, you go sit on the chair”, Laxus said and moved the stew pot above the stove.

”You know what? I might just do that”, Freed chuckled and let himself to slump on the chair in the living room. ”I'm still exhausted because of yesterday.”

”Now you have three days to rest.”

”Two or three days.”

”Three days.”

”But if two days is enough -”

”Three days”, Laxus said stubbornly and Freed huffed.

”I hope Ever and Bicks won't get disappointed”, the green haired mage said. ”Maybe they had already planned something.”

”It can wait. And speak of the devil”, Laxus murmured and almost at the same second the door flew open.

”Baby! You okay?!” Bickslow shouted and Freed gasped when he was pulled in a tight hug. ”You guys have been missing since yesterday! Max just told me he saw you two walking in the street and you were using a cane!”

”Owie! Poor Freed!” his dolls wailed and one snuggled against Freed's cheek. ”Don't cry!”

”I'm fine, Bicks”, the rune mage sighed and pushed 'babies' aside. ”My ankle just got strained.”

”It was broken”, Laxus corrected. ”Bicks, hands off”, he snarled and Bickslow quickly let go of Freed.

”Sorry. So, did you guys go see Porlyusica?” the seith mage asked.

”Yes, Laxus insisted”, Freed nodded.

”Where were you two? In a honeymoon?” Bickslow grinned and his dolls giggled.

”Not exactly”, Freed said and shivered when remembering that horrible island and what it held inside.

”We were at the Beetlenest Island”, Laxus explained.

”What?! How you managed to drag Freed there?” Bickslow asked surprised.

”Actually I didn't know what there was before I got there”, Freed huffed. ”But enough about that. Why were you trying to find us?”

”Oh, nothing serious. We were thinking with Ever if we could go to a mission all of us. We found this really good one where we need to help one rich geezer go safely to the other town and we will get three nights there in a good hotel near the beach for free and a good amount of cash.”

”Sounds actually really nice”, Freed hummed with approval.

”And it's not until two weeks from now so you guys have enough time to concentrate on this mating season first”, Bicks grinned making Freed blush.

”Good, otherwise I wouldn't agree with it”, Laxus just stated without hesitation.

”So it's settled. What are we eating?” Bicks asked curiously. ”Who did this stew?”

”Freed.”

”Okay, then I'm hungry”, tall man with helmet grinned and grabbed a plate.

”Who said you can have any?” Laxus said but with playful tone.

”Freed always makes enough for all of us, right baby?” Bicks said looking at Freed who crossed his arms.

”Old habits die hard”, the rune mage smiled. ”There should be plenty for us so no one remains hungry.”

”That's our captain”, Bickslow grinned and filled his plate while Laxus brought one to Freed. The Tiki dolls landed on the coffee table and settled there.

”So what have you been doing, Bicks?” Freed asked and looked at the dolls. They seemed unnaturally tired. Or as tired as dolls possibly could look.

”Oh, nothing”, Bicks grinned. ”Nothing you should worry.”

”Why are you saying I shouldn't worry?” Freed asked narrowing his eyes.

”Uh oh...” the mage with visor suddenly gasped when he glimpsed outside of the window.

”Bickslow!” they could hear Ever's angry shout and again the door was almost ripped off from it's frame. ”I'm going to freaking murder you!” brunette yelled and Bickslow did his best to hide behind Laxus – it didn't work well since he was slightly taller than the Thunder God. His dolls jolted and hid behind Freed's chair, trembling there in fear.

”Ever, what did he do now?” Freed sighed just eating his meal. This wasn't anything unusual in their team.

”Freed, glad you're home sweetie”, Ever smiled but that smile turned cold and deadly when she glared back at Bickslow. ”That bonehead blew up my wardrobe!” she screamed pointing at Bickslow.

”Blew up... Bicks, how on earth you managed to do that?” Freed asked confused.

”I only needed to borrow quickly one thing -”

”Please, don't tell us what you were going to borrow from Ever's wardrobe and why”, Laxus snorted.

”You had no permission to enter my room! Or go through my clothes!” Ever screamed furiously. ”No man has never permission to go pry on lady's wardrobe! Even you should understand that much!”

”But it doesn't count if it's not really a lady's wardrobe, baby”, Bickslow cackled and was hit in the face by a shoe.

”Bickslow”, Freed said before there would erupt bigger fight in the house. ”Ever's right. What you did was utterly wrong. We agreed in the rules when we moved in that house and one of the rules was that we should respect each others personal space. You broke that rule.”

”I'm sorry, Freed”, Bickslow said quickly. It would never end well if you ended up breaking one of Freed's rules. Even Laxus followed those rules carefully. ”I can fix that wardrobe for her.”

”You will most definitely do that”, Freed said.

”And then we can be buddies again?” the blue haired seith mage asked with a glimpse of hope in his voice and his dolls peeked behind Freed's chair.

”Come up with some really juicy punishment, Freed”, Ever giggled. Freed might not like it when someone broke his rules but he sure did enjoy too much when he could come up with different punishments.

Freed smiled slightly what made Bickslow sweat.

”Today you will fix Ever's wardrobe”, Freed finally said. ”And tomorrow you will spend all day with Ever in the town shopping.”

”That's just cruel, man!” Bickslow whined and Laxus shivered.

”That's what happens when you break the rules. And you will carry everything and pay everything. And you will not whine or complain while doing so.”

”But then she's gonna spend all of my money!”

”Unfair! Freed's cruel!” 'babies' scolded.

”You destroyed all of her clothes”, Freed reminded with adamant tone. ”So it's only fair that you replace them.”

”Thank you Freed!” Ever chirped and hugged Freed with joy. ”Will you come with us tomorrow? I know this new place where you could find new shirts that will go great with your look. I could buy you a new shirt as a gift”, she purred.

”Hey! It's me who's paying!” Bickslow growled annoyed.

”I know, but it's still a gift from me”, Ever smirked smugly.

”He can't go with you guys, he needs to rest”, Laxus said and brought second helping of food for Freed and sat down to eat his own. ”Porlyusica said he shouldn't use his leg too much for three days.”

”Only couple of hours won't hurt me”, Freed said. ”It's not like I can't use my leg at all and you know it.”

”No and that's final”, Laxus decided and for a moment there was a silence in the living room. Ever and Bickslow didn't know if this was good or bad, Laxus being so overprotective. Freed wasn't exactly a person who was used of being taken care of instead of taking care of the others.

Freed sighed. This was not the best situation to have a conversation about Laxus' ridiculous behaviour so he just let it go.

”How did you guys find this escort mission?” he asked so they could move into the next topic before the atmosphere was completely ruined.

”I got really lucky, I happened to be near when Mirajane was pinning the new mission sheets on the board”, Bickslow explained and he also took second helping of food. Ever decided to join them. ”I grabbed it in the instant I saw it.”

”We're lucky! We're good!” his dolls snickered smugly.

They ate and chatted what they would do in those three days in the beach and hotel. Ever couldn't wait to get to go sunbathing, Bickslow wanted to go snorkelling and build sandcastles. Even Laxus sounded exited, saying how it would be nice to explore the surroundings at the beach. Freed of course could hardly wait to go through all the book stores in the town and then read the books while sitting under the sunshade. And of course Bicks and Laxus were also wondering if there might be a casino in the town.

Greenette put the empty plate on the coffee table and yawned and stretched.

”I think I'm going to take a hot bath”, he decided and carefully stood up. ”I'm glad I packed my lavender oil in my bag yesterday. Nothing else could possibly untangle this mess”, he sighed and brushed his green hair with his fingers. It wasn't in that bad of a condition since he braided it for the night but still.

”I'll go make your bath ready”, Ever offered walking in the bathroom.

”Thank you, Ever”, Freed smiled. ”So maybe I should do -”

”I'll do the dishes”, Bickslow grinned and grabbed all the plates and skipped to the kitchen.

”So what am I supposed to do?” Freed said confused.

Finger snatched his belt loop and he was pulled on Laxus' lap.

”You can sit here in the couch with me”, blond grinned. ”And after the bath I wanna see you wearing my clothes again”, he whispered making Freed blush rapidly.

”Laxus, I have my own pair of change...”

”Who cares. You look better in my clothes and it's not like you're going somewhere today.”

Freed had no idea how he should take that comment. Was Laxus planning something?

Bath was set ready and Freed took his towel and pair of changes with him, closing the door after him. Voices from the living room got muffled quite well and that was fine, Freed really needed some time in his own thoughts.

He dropped his clothes in the laundry basket and put his towel on the hook on the wall. Then finally he could sank on the bathtub, sighing when his body finally started to relax. He planned to soak himself here until water would turn cold. This was exactly what he needed so he could forget all those ugly insects from yesterday…

He opened his turquoise eyes when he recalled what they spoke with Laxus then. And immediately his face turned bright red when he remembered what he promised.

They… would do it at some point. Well, sure, it was something that would happen eventually since he did accept being Laxus' mate. But when? And how? He had absolutely no experience in this area. He had of course fantasized all kinds of things… But this was reality! He had never believed that Laxus would ever be interested at him that way so Freed never thought how things would actually go.

Freed sighed and for a moment he let himself sank under the water, green hair floating all around the surface. Should it happen spontaneously? Or should they talk about it first? Oh god, maybe Laxus thought he had already had sex with someone and waited better experience than he could offer? Maybe it would only end in awkwardness and then everything would be ruined...

Freed gasped as he had to plop his head back to surface finally. The more he thought about this, more he had questions. Has Laxus ever done it with a man? Would he wait Freed to make the first move? Should they have some good wine or food or music...

With these thoughts Freed soaked himself in the bath for a good amount of time before he finally got up. He shifted to the shower and started to clean his hair delicately, still trying to figure what he should do. Maybe he should prepare a good dinner for Laxus? It certainly didn't sound like a bad idea. He was so nervous, maybe it would help? And yeah, maybe they really should talk these things through so they both knew what to wait and how to proceed.

Yes. That was his new plan. Now he felt more confident and not that nervous. Plans and rules always helped no matter what the situation.

Freed brushed his hair and this time he decided not to tie it up and his lightning bolt cowlicks appeared neither he wanted it or not so he did nothing for them. It was nice to let his hair open for time to time.

He dressed up – his own pants and Laxus' old orange hoodie – and stepped out of the bathroom. He was ready to take on whatever taunts Bickslow would throw at him because of the too large shirt that made him appear smaller than he was, but he was surprised when he could only hear silence.

”Laxus?” Freed called when he came to the living room but didn't see his teammates. ”Bicks? Ever?” He opened the door to the little backyard but no one was there. Laxus' bedroom and quest room were also empty.

Where did they go? And why didn't they say something? Was it something urgent at the Guild? If it was, as the captain of the Thunder Legion he should be present too! It wasn't like he couldn't move at all!

Freed rushed to his coat and noticed there was a note on it. He recognized immediately Laxus' handwriting.

' Freed. Old man send us a word to meet him at the Guild. You stay home, he will understand that you need rest .'

Freed narrowed his eyes. What was this? So this whole rule about how they shouldn't leave notes but tell each other face to face where they were going was not something that Laxus needed to follow? Oh he would so make sure that his mighty Thunder God would regret his decision badly.

' I repeat: You stay home. That's and order .'

Freed gritted his teeth slightly and fight back so he wouldn't tear the note apart. Laxus knew he couldn't go against his orders! But what if this was something important and he should be there to hear it? He was not immobilized!

For a moment Freed actually considered breaking Laxus' orders this one time and go to the Guild, but then he saw Bickslow's sloppy handwriting at the corner of the note.

' If you need something to do you can spend your time guessing where I hid your boots !' And then there was a strange little drawing only Bickslow could tell what it was supposed to mean. Maybe it was for the best.

Freed scrunched the note into a tiny ball and threw it in to the garbage can. He took a deep breath and sighed, rubbing his temples trying to calm down. They did not do this just to annoy him, he needed to remember that. They just wanted him to rest. They were his teammates and only wanted to take care of him like he would do to them.

But damn he was still irritated! He limped back to the living room and sat down on the couch, trying to figure what he should do now. He felt himself so useless and he didn't like it one bit. He was used to always have something to do, especially when he was annoyed of something but now he didn't even have anything to clean!

The rune mage lifted the remote and turned on the lacrimavision. At this state of mind he couldn't concentrate reading so he could as well watch some brainless show until it was time to start doing dinner.

Chapter Text

It was already getting dark when Laxus arrived at his house. Damn that old geezer, he had better things to do than talk about some Autumn Festival or whatever it was. Makarov said they had to talk about it now since they needed to start doing decorations and practice shows and so on.

Laxus opened the door with his keys. He smelled Freed and was relieved that the younger man had followed his orders and stayed home. Or maybe it was because the rune mage didn't figure out where Bickslow hidden his boots. Either way he just hoped Freed wasn't too mad. Although, Freed never got really angry about anything, hardly even yelled with his full voice like others in the Guild. Laxus wasn't sure he had ever seen Freed totally losing his temper, that just seemed impossible.

Blond man locked the door behind him, took his shoes and coat off and stepped on the living room where he could hear lacrimavision was on. At least Freed was irritated or else he wouldn't be watching lacrimavision when alone.

Laxus arched his eyebrows when he looked at Freed who had fallen asleep on the couch. Slightly curled up, hair open and spread around and revealing his whole face that looked really peaceful. And he had put on Laxus' old orange hoodie like he wished. It looked really good on greenette. Especially when Freed had been tossing and turning in his sleep so the hem of the hoodie had moved up revealing pale, beautiful skin and rather alluring abs and hips. If only those pants were a little lower...

Laxus just stood there heart racing and looking at the sight and he really, really wanted to wake up his mate, drag him in to the bedroom and get rid off those clothes. But he needed to restrain himself. Even though Freed did forgive him what he did earlier he knew the smaller man must have been scared of him and the situation.

Laxus flinched when suddenly Freed moved and mumbled something that he couldn't quite hear even with his dragon slayer's hearing. He smiled and walked next to the couch and kneeled closer.

”What Freed? Did you say something?” he purred softly.

”Hmm... it's huge...” Freed mumbled what made Laxus smirk.

”Oh really? What is?” he whispered near Freed's ear. ”Tell me what is huge, babe.”

”The beetle...” Freed murmured and now he frowned slightly with fear.

Laxus sighed head dropping. And here he was hoping Freed was seeing erotic dreams about him. He should have guessed this would happen.

”You're hopeless”, he huffed with amused smile. ”Just forget those damn insects already”, he murmured and kissed his mate's cheek which even in sleep developed shy red colour in it.

Laxus put his arm behind Freed's shoulders and other arm behind his knees, lifting him gently up without waking him. Freed was not lightweight with all his slim but strong muscles, but still light enough for Laxus to carry him. So he carried him in the bedroom and put him on the bed where he could sleep properly.

He was just about to turn when he heard a yawn.

”Laxus?” Freed said trying to shake off drowsiness.

”Hey sleepyhead”, Laxus smiled. ”Have you been sleeping all this time?”

”Like I had anything better to do”, Freed sneered annoyed. ”What happened at the Guild?” Freed demanded to know and sat up.

”Nothing serious”, Laxus answered. ”Old man just decided we should arrange some kind of an Autumn Festival or like that.”

”Oh?” Freed said blinking. ”With the whole Guild?”

”Yeah.”

”For the whole town?”

”Yeah, he had all these big stupid ideas like making Gray freeze over the park's pond so people could go ice skating and asking if Eve could come help us with his snow magic and make winter appear at the park. And he wanted of course fireworks, lots of food and booze and Natsu to make sure that in the beach it would be like summertime so he could watch how hot young chicks run around playing volleyball in tiny bikinis”, he snorted.

”That... does sound like him”, Freed said. ”But it is a nice idea, having a festival”, he smiled thinking about it.

But then he glared at Laxus who winced.

”A note, Laxus? For real?” he asked again annoyed and stood up from the bed. ”Are you kidding me?”

”I told you, you should rest”, Laxus said crossing his arms.

”You were the one who set the rule for no notes.”

”It's not a rule, I just want you to tell me where you are going so I can come with you.”

”Really? But you don't need to tell me where you are going so I can come with you?”

”It's not like I have any intentions to go somewhere, except maybe to the store or something so we have something to eat”, Laxus said.

”And still just three hours ago you left me a note because you went somewhere and didn't come tell me face to face”, Freed reminded.

”You were in the bath, exhausted and injured and needed rest. I figured that if I told you then you would start instist that we take you with us saying that it might be important or something and then you wouldn't rest.”

”I'm not injured, Laxus”, Freed stated with adamant tone. ”Porlyusica healed my leg, I can walk. I only need some rest and I can't go into missions but don't treat me like I almost died or something.”

”Well you did almost die, wasn't it me who had to kill that wasp before it could attack you since you didn't have any magic left to fight and your leg was stuck in roots?” Laxus snarled and now Freed was really starting to make him angry with his arguing.

”We don't know what would have happened, I might as well could have stabbed that wasp dead before it could attack me”, Freed snapped.

”I couldn't take a risk like that! I just want you to be safe!” Laxus shouted sparks emitting from his hair. ”You're my mate!”

It looked like something snapped finally in Freed's head.

”Don't you dare think this is only one sided thing!” he yelled. ”I'm not your princess you need to protect! If you want me to be your mate then you are mine and I'm equal with you! I have just as much of a right to be worried about you, try to keep you safe and most of all stand by your side as a proud mate who fights with you! Not hiding somewhere behind so stop treating me like I'm too weak to take care of myself! I'm the damn captain of the Thunder Legion and almost an S-class wizard, you yourself have complimented how strong I am! Right now you are just acting like a stupid fool who overreacts things! Did I make myself clear you fucking lightning iguana?!”

Freed huffed catching his breath and didn't stop glaring at Laxus who stood in his place frozen, eyes widened. For a moment neither of them said a thing.

”... Iguana?” Laxus finally asked.

”Got a problem with that?” Freed growled narrowing his eyes dangerously.

”No, I guess it's better than chameleon... somehow...” Laxus muttered and then he suddenly smirked.

”What?” Freed asked now confused.

”You're so god damn sexy when you snap like that”, blond dragon slayer growled aroused, making Freed blush by surprise. ”I really wanna kiss you now, babe”, Laxus purred wrapping his hands around Freed.

”That depends”, the rune mage said with sly chuckle. ”Will you accept my terms?”

”What?”

”You heard me.”

Laxus stared at Freed for a moment.

”Fine, have it your way”, he finally smirked and leaned down kissing those soft lips. Maybe it was the adrenaline that came from fighting but Freed didn't even hesitate this time to kiss back and he touched Laxus' muscles in his back, letting his hands trail where they wanted to go. He wasn't nervous any more and didn't think too much, even when he suddenly realised they were already on the bed.

XXX

”I like seeing that hoodie on you but I like it even better when I can take it off”, Laxus purred lifting the shirt up and Freed gasped when soft tongue touched his nipple. Laxus kept slowly removing the shirt until it was off. ”How on earth do you manage to keep your skin this perfect?” Laxus hummed licking Freed's collarbones and his hand caressed his hip.

”Um, well... I do use runes to cover some scars”, Freed confessed.

”Really?” Laxus asked surprised and looked at his mate's face. ”You do have scars?”

”I'm a swordsman, Laxus”, Freed chuckled. ”And a mage from Fairy Tail. You actually believe I have never gotten any scars?”

”I guess I never realized. Are they big scars?”

”One is.”

”Can you show them for me someday?”

”Maybe”, Freed huffed.

”Good”, Laxus growled and suddenly he moved down, making Freed's face heat up.

”L-Laxus”, he said quickly when dragon slayer grabbed his belt starting to unbuckle it.

”Everything's fine, babe. You can tell me if you don't like something and I will back off”, Laxus purred softly. ”You want me to back off?” he asked looking at Freed.

”I don't... I mean... um... No?” greenette finally whispered what made Laxus chuckle. He looked so adorable, so innocent.

”Okay”, he said and unzipped Freed's pants, pulling them slowly lower. ”Did that fight turn you on that much?” Laxus smirked looking at the bulge in Freed's boxers.

”I-it's not like I can help it”, the rune mage defended himself. ”Didn't it affect you?”

”Hell yeah it did, I'm so hard it hurts”, Laxus assured kissing Freed's lower abs softly.

Freed couldn't help that he felt a little embarrassed when Laxus stripped him completely. Laxus had seen him naked before but this was different. Laxus was touching and caressing him, studying him...

”You look really nice”, Laxus said. ”I bet you also taste good”, he smirked and Freed could hardly keep himself quiet when big hand hold his member. And he let out tiny whimper when he could feel tongue slowly licking and a hand started to move.

It felt so good! Freed trembled slightly and stared at the roof. Oh god he really hoped he wouldn't come too fast! But when Laxus was touching him this way...

”You're rather sensitive, I like it”, Laxus chuckled. ”Are you still a virgin?”

Freed nodded staying silent, since he couldn't trust himself to not moan if he opened his mouth.

”Really?” Laxus hummed and gave the member in his hand another long slow lick, making Freed twitch. ”That's good, I don't want anyone else to ever touch you like this. You're only mine, I'll do whatever it takes to make you feel good and satisfied and I will do it with pleasure”, he said and Freed's eyes widened when he felt Laxus' lips and then warm mouth.

He moaned louder than he wanted but couldn't stop himself. Laxus was actually sucking his cock and even in his fantasies it never felt this good. It was like Laxus knew exactly how to make him whine and moan and he hardly could restrain himself of not moving his hips.

”Laxus...” he panted slightly. ”At this rate...”

”You're feeling so good you already wanna come?” Laxus asked lifting his head and grinned, making Freed blush harder.

”I just... When you're touching me I can't help it”, he muttered.

”Then why don't you just come?”

”I... I want this to last... as long as possible”, Freed said cheeks burning and he felt dizzy in a good way.

”Is that so?” the dragon slayer smirked. ”Maybe I want you to come so I can hear how much you're enjoying when I touch you?”

”Please... ” Freed whined.

Laxus stood up on his knees.

”Alright”, he said with smile and unbuttoned his shirt. ”But in return you won't try to stop those beautiful voices you're making”, he said and Freed nodded.

Hand brushed away green hair from his face.

”And no hiding”, Laxus purred low. ”There is no need to do that. Maybe we should then speed things up since you're so eager?” he chuckled. ”I guess I have no choice.”

Freed just couldn't bring himself to say a word to that, watching how Laxus opened his night stand drawer and grabbed a bottle of lube. Then blond removed his shirt tossing it on the floor and sat down.

”Since I removed your pants, maybe you should return the favour?” he suggested slyly.

”O-of course”, Freed stuttered and got up.

He moved in front of Laxus and he trembled again. Because of excitement, lust and if he was honest with himself, he was a tiny bit scared. But not in a bad way. He reached to the belt with his slender fingers and unbuckled it. Laxus' pants were already tight and he remembered what he had felt earlier when they almost had sex.

Carefully he unzipped black pants and then he shifted boxers beneath them. Shivers run down his spine when he could see Laxus length in it's all glory, hard and just waiting for him to touch it.

”I-it's... really...” Freed stuttered gulping.

”Big? I don't wanna sound egoistic but yeah”, Laxus said with smug smile. ”And it's all yours, baby.” That sounded really, really good in Freed's ears. Yes, all his and from this day on only he could touch Laxus and bring him that way pleasure.

Freed brushed the big member with his fingers making it twitch slightly. Then he placed his hand around it and gave it a little squeeze. It was so damn hard. He couldn't hold back, he had to know how it tasted!

Laxus purred looking at his swordsman who was studying him. And he actually surprised when suddenly Freed bend down and without hesitation took him in his mouth.

”Wow, you really don't wanna waste time”, Laxus laughed softly, brushing Freed's hair. Freed only nodded since he couldn't speak. Laxus was big enough that he couldn't take his full length in his mouth but he gently helped with his hand. ”You must be a natural”, Laxus chuckled. ”That feels really good.”

Laxus' praises made Freed want to do his very best and try even harder so he could make Laxus moan from overwhelming pleasure.

But he flinched slightly when big hand gently grabbed his ass.

”Just keep sucking”, Laxus whispered. ”I'll prep you. I'll do my best so it won't hurt you too much but... Well, you can guess.”

Yes he could. Laxus was really big and it was slightly scary, since Freed had never done it before. But he wanted it badly so he nodded and kept sucking the hot member in his mouth. He slightly twitched when he felt a slick finger in his entrance, teasing him little bit before pushing in.

That didn't hurt. It felt odd but good, making Freed moan. Soon Laxus put another finger in and now he winced slightly because of pain.

”It's okay, love”, Laxus murmured brushing his hair softly. ”Just relax.”

Freed groaned when fingers started to move once the pain was over and he got used to the stretch. Suddenly Laxus pulled fingers out and he got confused. Then he got pulled up on Laxus' lap straddling, their chests against each other and their members touching.

”W-what now?” he asked putting his hand around Laxus neck. ”Did I do something wrong?” he asked worried.

”I just figured maybe this would be easier for you”, Laxus said holding Freed firmly close. ”You wanna continue?”

”Yes”, Freed said without even a hint of hesitation. ”It did hurt a little bit but I got used to it fast.”

”Good”, Laxus grinned and Freed moaned again when fingers found their way back in.

Slowly Laxus stretched him more and more, added third finger and Freed gritted his teeth. But he still liked this very much. It felt really good when Laxus moved his fingers and he yelped when suddenly he felt a new sensation.

”Found it”, Laxus chuckled smugly. ”I think I'm gonna tease you a little while from there”, he smirked and Freed squirmed when fingers touched his sweet spot again.

”L-Laxus...” he gasped and his grip tightened.

”That sounds really nice”, Laxus growled. ”Say it more.”

”Laxus”, Freed obeyed eagerly and groaned loud when fingers moved faster.

”I love it when you say my name that way”, Laxus smirked and watched how Freed wriggled and whined with pleasure.

He continued that a while and Freed panted and moved his hips against the hand. Then suddenly Laxus pulled his fingers out and greenette yelped when falling on his back on the mattress.

”Can't wait any longer”, Laxus murmured appearing above him, removing his pants completely. ”Just try to relax, babe”, he whispered licking Freed's neck and lifted his legs.

Freed trembled slightly staring at the roof. This was really happening. Oh god, it really was happening! He took a deep breath when feeling Laxus at his entrance and when blond mage pushed in, he gritted his teeth.

”Relax”, Laxus murmured in his ear.

”It hurts more than I thought...” Freed whined shutting his eyes.

”You wanna stop?”

”No! I just... Just do it slowly okay?”

”I will”, Laxus purred and when Freed had adjusted more, he shifted deeper slowly. It pained him when he heard Freed inhale fast and whimper quietly but he knew his mate was brave and could endure the pain. ”Relax, it won't hurt long.” Freed nodded and his hold tightened around Laxus more when blond kept penetrating.

He had no idea how long it took time but finally Laxus was all in. Freed panted when trying to get used to the pain and he felt sweat in his forehead.

”You feel really good, love”, Laxus praised. ”You're doing good”, he complimented, trying to get his mate relax more so the pain would loosen.

”Just... give me a second...” Freed whispered voice shaking.

”Of course, babe.”

Finally pain was starting to fade and Freed gave Laxus a sign to start moving. He flinched a little bit at first but it started to feel really good really fast.

”L... Laxus...” he moaned as Laxus was kissing, sucking and licking his neck and increased his pace.

”Keep saying my name”, Laxus commanded.

Freed groaned and whined louder when Laxus really started to move. It was heavenly! He just repeated Laxus name making the dragon slayer move even faster, adjusting himself so he would hit Freed's sweet spot every time and that made greenette's voice louder. He didn't even care if someone heard them, this felt too good to be worrying something like that.

”Laxus! I...” he panted hair spread all over the mattress and tangled. ”I'm going to...”

Laxus didn't say a thing but made Freed whimper again by grabbing his cock and stroking fast. Freed squirmed slightly tossing his head side to side, moved his hips against Laxus and for a moment he tried to stop himself from coming, but finally he just had to give in.

He yelled loudly as the powerful sensation flushed over his body. His cum spurted on his stomach causing a mess. Freed just trembled, he felt better than ever and never he had had an orgasm like that! He was starting to drift off sleepy Laxus still moving when suddenly he yelled again but this time in pain.

It didn't hurt much but it startled him when Laxus bit him in his neck. His back arched and eyes widened.

”Laxus!” he shouted in pain and satisfaction when he felt like a lightning pass trough him. It was immense power, he could feel Laxus' magic and it felt like he was having another mighty orgasm. Nothing more fit in his head than pleasure.

Finally the feeling started to soothe and now he felt really sleepy. He could hear Laxus panting heavily.

”It was... wonderful”, Freed chuckled tiredly.

”Yeah...” Laxus muttered and kissed Freed. ”I'm sorry if it hurt too much.”

”No, don't be. It couldn't be avoided and it was not unbearable”, Freed assured smiling and run his fingers through blond hair. ”But now I'm really tired.”

”Me too. That was really something”, Laxus laughed softly. ”I don't believe my dick could possibly get up for another round.”

”We can do it again later when we have rested”, Freed hummed.

Laxus nodded and pulled himself out. Then he slumped himself next to Freed, tossed blanket over them and wrapped his arms tightly around his beautiful, now exhausted mate.

”Let's just sleep”, he murmured kissing Freed's cheek.

”You know, it would be better if we take quick shower and clean up…”

”Too tired, it’s not that bad”, Laxus muttered an was already drifting to sleep. Freed smiled and shut his eyes feeling so happy and loved, how could he ever fall asleep? Still, after ten seconds they were both deep sleep.

Chapter Text

Freed woke up in the morning feeling like he was full of energy. He couldn't stop smiling when he watched his Thunder God's face while he was sleeping. Laxus was snoring like always and looked peaceful. Snoring was usually something that most people hated about their partner but Freed enjoyed it. Laxus' snoring was like a thunder you could hear far from the sea, soft and low. Not too loud so it would keep awake. For Freed it was calming and he felt safe, but also relaxed since he knew that Laxus' was feeling well and nothing was wrong. But he could guess that whoever else would step into the room, lights off and hearing that snoring they would know instantly there was something in the room they did not want to wake up.

Freed hummed and reached to touch that jagged scar, then nose and lips. The swordsman chuckled when Laxus' nose creased slightly in his sleep when finger was tingling. Freed smiled, kissed those lips softly and carefully shifted Laxus' hands so he could sat up.

And when he did he sneered in pain. This could cause problems...

”Why are you up already?” Laxus suddenly grumbled and yawned loudly.

”Good morning”, Freed smiled. ”You know I like to wake up early.”

”Why can't you just go back to sleep?” Laxus murmured wrapping his arms around Freed's slim waist.

”I want to get a shower, clean myself, brush my hair and start doing breakfast”, Freed said ruffling Laxus' hair. ”You can sleep as long as you like.”

”Maybe I will do that. Or maybe I'll get up too and join you in the shower”, Laxus grinned and yawned again. ”What time is it?”

”It's already eight.”

”Already? More like barely...”

”We should go to the Guild today since we didn't go there yesterday. And before that I need to fetch more clothes from home.”

”I don't feel like going to the Guild”, Laxus huffed and turned to lay on his back. ”And you should still rest.”

”Do you remember anything what we discussed yesterday?” Freed asked dryly.

”I remember you yelling my name really loud”, Laxus grinned. ”I liked it, still rings in my ears. I should have recorded it so I could hear it over and over again with my headphones.”

”I'm serious, Laxus”, Freed said frowning. ”I meant what I said. Don't patronize me. I like it when you take care of me and pamper me but don't expect me to change. I'm not stopping being the captain of the Thunder Legion and you must remember that I can take care of myself. You are not allowed to treat me like some kind of a princess. Don't push your luck with me in this topic.”

”But you could be my beautiful prince, Freed”, Laxus teased pulling Freed down and kissing him. ”And I want to keep you safe.”

”Laxus!” Freed shouted frustrated.

”Fine, baby”, Laxus sighed rolling his eyes. ”Just teasing you a little. I can't promise anything but I try. But if you're in serious danger you can be sure as hell I will do something.”

”Of course if things really go bad I'm grateful that you help me”, Freed smiled. ”I always trust that you will be there when I really need you, I always have. But relax now. My ankle is feeling normal so I can walk to the Guild”, he assured and lifted himself up. ”Now I will go to the shower and then I will brush my hair”, he smiled when getting up from the bed.

”Nice view”, Laxus grinned looking at his mate's naked body. ”Are you hurting?”

”Somewhat”, Freed shrugged. ”But it will fade, hot shower should help”, he smiled and stepped on the hallway.

After the shower Freed gently brushed his hair and tied it from the bottom like he usually did. Then he took out his change of clothes and dressed up. When he was putting on his white silk shirt, he stopped and turned around in front of the big mirror.

There was now round mark in his neck low enough so collar could cover it. It was pale yellow and clearly like a lightning bolt. But he was slightly worried since the lightning didn't stop inside the mark, instead it continued – lighter – until it reached his lower back, spreading and scattering around his upper back and on his left arm like reaching out for his guild mark. It looked like Laxus had actually given him scars with lightning.

”I think it's beautiful”, he suddenly heard Laxus saying.

”You do?” Freed asked looking at his Thunder God who was standing at the door. He had found at least his pants.

”Yeah”, Laxus smirked walking over to him and grabbed him in his embrace. ”It's not too visible but enough. It looks really sensual”, he purred licking the mark softly and it made Freed shiver. His skin felt really sensitive under the mark. He could actually feel how his skin was tingling like there was tiny little sparkles dancing all around his neck. Maybe the mark was responding to Laxus' magic.

”Well, I'm glad you think that way”, Freed chuckled. ”It would have been really bad if it looked awful.”

”You could never look awful”, Laxus assured.

”Why thank you, Laxus”, Freed smiled flattered.

”Would you cook me an extra plate of bacon now?”

”So that was your aim. I was actually thinking about going home.”

”What? Why?” Laxus asked quickly and looked confused.

”If I start doing breakfast, maybe I should do it at home so Bicks and Ever can have some too?” Freed said and buttoned his shirt when Laxus let go of him. ”If I don't, they would probably just come here anyway. We can still come back here after that and visiting the Guild”, Freed promised and started to tie his ascot scarf.

”Good. For a slight moment I thought you didn't want to stay”, Laxus huffed.

”Of course I want to stay”, Freed laughed and kissed Laxus who looked now relieved. ”Take a shower, shave that stubble and dress up so we can go.”

”Bossy, are we?” Laxus chuckled.

”I can be, I know exactly how much you like my cooking”, Freed smirked.

Once Laxus was ready they started their journey across the town in the sunny weather.

”You wanna walk slower?” Laxus grinned smugly making Freed blush.

”I'm absolutely fine”, he said irritated. ”There is no need to worry.”

”Just checking. There's no shame admitting that you're hurting”, Laxus said and Freed jumped when the hand slapped his ass slightly but it was enough for him to feel slight pain.

”It hurts if you do that”, he scolded even more redder from his face. ”So please stop.”

”Okay”, Laxus laughed.

They arrived at the house and Bickslow and Evergreen were still sleeping.

”See? Normal people don't get up this early without a good reason”, Laxus said slumping in the chair.

”And you consider us as normal?” Freed said playfully. ”Because I certainly don't.”

”Point taken”, Laxus laughed. ”So what are you planning to do?”

”If I don't make bacon, you and Bicks are just gonna whine about it during the whole breakfast”, Freed chuckled. ”So maybe I should do omelets with bacon, cheese, leek and sweet pepper filling?”

”Yes you should”, Laxus grinned. ”It's been forever since you did those last time and holy hell they are delicious.”

Freed smiled brightly and started to make breakfast. He always felt so proud and overjoyed when Laxus praised his cooking. First he cut the peppers, leek and bacon to pieces on the pan and started to roast them. At the same time he also grated the cheese. When the good smell of bacon started to fill the house, they could hear how the door from the attic creaked open.

”One is up”, Freed hummed with amusement as they heard thumping from the stairs.

Bickslow yawned and was stretching as he came down the stairs.

”Good morning you two”, he grinned.

”Good morning Freed! Good morning Laxus!” ’babies’ blabbered and circled around Freed and Laxus.

”Morning”, Laxus said.

”I smell something really, really good.”

”Freed's bacon omelets”, Laxus said.

”Awesome!” Bickslow shouted with excitement clapping his hands.

”Awesome! Awesome!” his Tiki dolls chanted twirling around the kitchen. Of course they wouldn't eat anything but they were always ready to join into yelling and cheering.

”Don't yell, you're going to wake up Ever”, Freed said.

”So what? It's not like it's bad for her to wake up earlier sometimes”, Bickslow cackled and started to make coffee.

”You might be right. This way she has some extra time in the town shopping with you”, Freed said with spiteful smile making Bickslow sigh.

”I already forgot that...” taller man whined. ”She's a devil. She even asked Cana to join us since I'm going to have to carry everything!”

”How nice of her”, Freed just hummed filling the omelet and flipped it closed. ”It's good that she is enjoying her time with Cana.”

”You're not any more her number one girlfriend”, Bickslow taunted playfully.

”We all must make sacrifices sometimes”, Freed just stated and slipped the omelet to the plate and started to make another. ”Her making new friends does not mean we are not friends any more.”

He had just made everything ready – Laxus and Bickslow demanded to have two omelets each – when Ever joined them too, like always just in time when everything was ready on the table not a moment before.

”So, how are things going with you and Laxus?” she asked and they were sitting in the kitchen with Freed while Laxus and Bickslow were eating at the living room watching lacrimavision.

”Good”, Freed nodded. ”Quite good.”

”Really?” Ever chuckled mischievously. ”Exactly how good?” he asked slowly.

Freed looked at his friend and opened his mouth. He was not going to tell what they had done last night and he was ready to answer something how he could avoid the question. But then he saw that unabashed twinkle in her eyes like she was with just that asking him straightforward if they had sex.

Freed blushed deep and lowered his gaze. Damn, Ever knew exactly how to drag out the information she wanted from him!

”Oh my GOD!” Ever gasped loud and stood up chair clattering. ”Really?!”

Freed blushed more and nodded with a little smile and Ever just giggled and squealed loud squirming.

”That's really good news, Freed!” she congratulated hugging Freed tightly. ”I wanna hear everything! We need a bottle of good wine and snacks and maybe Cana would like to join too?” she babbled on and Freed sighed.

”Ever, It's not that big of a deal”, he said.

”Not big of a deal?! It's something you've been craving for since the day you understood that you love him and now that it finally happened you're like it doesn't matter?” Ever tsked. ”Was he that bad?” she whispered in Freed's ear.

”Ever!” the rune mage shouted. ”Of course not!”

”Reeeally?” brunette chuckled. ”So he was good. Show me your mark, sweetie, I wanna see it”, she said quickly grabbing Freed's collar.

”Ever, stop that”, greenette said trying to shoo her hands off.

”What are you two yelling here?”

Freed jolted and looked at the door where Laxus and Bickslow stood.

”I just heard something really juicy”, Ever snickered hands still on Freed's collar.

”You did?” Laxus asked lifting his eyebrow and Freed just kept his gaze on the floor. He wasn't sure if Laxus wanted to keep it as a secret what they did...

He gulped slightly when Laxus stood in front of him and then he was lifted up.

”Why don't you show them?” blond purred.

”I-I don't think that's really -” Freed stuttered but was turned around against Laxus. Then his collar was pulled down revealing yellow lightning mark. Freed sighed and buried his face on Laxus' neck feeling embarrassed even though he knew there was no reason for that.

”Nice! You guys finally did it!” Bickslow cheered with his dolls.

”Did you scar him?” Ever asked when she saw light lines that spread outside the actual mark.

”No”, Laxus said letting go of the collar.

”You better not. Does it hurt?” brunette asked from Freed who shook his head.

”It hurt at first but only for a moment”, he said and adjusted his collar.

”That's good to hear”, Ever smiled. She was so glad for both Freed and Laxus. She had been shipping those two for years!,

”Was Laxus gentle or rough with you?” Bickslow smirked.

”I'm NOT going to answer those questions!” Freed hissed and his face was even deeper red than his coat. ”So please stop! That is a really private information!”

”Gentle at first but rough in the end”, Laxus answered with a smug smile. ”Freed likes it rough.”

”Laxus!” Freed yelled and his ears were burning as Ever was chuckling and Bickslow laughing his ass off. ”You are not allowed to answer those questions either!”

”You should have said so then.”

After the breakfast they finally arrived at the Guild. Freed was still pissed off because all the questioning and that was just amusing the others. Freed was shy with these issues.

”Good morning everybody”, Mirajane smiled when she arrived at their usual table. ”Do you want to order something?”

”Coffee for all of us, it's on me”, Ever ordered with a bright smile.

”Hey, I only need to buy your new clothes! Not food or drinks!” Bicks complained. ”Right Freed?”

”You will pay her food and drinks”, Freed muttered irritated.

”Sheesh, and I thought after night with Laxus -” Bickslow started but then purple runes shut his mouth so he could only mumble. And same happened to the dolls before they started chirping something similar as their master.

”Maybe I should make those runes to stay at least for a week”, Freed snarled and they could almost see how his lightning bolt cow licks twitched slightly.

”He just enjoys teasing you”, Laxus notifyed. ”Just relax and don't pay attention and he will stop, you should know that.”

”I'm not in a mood to wait that happen, I would rather keep him silent for a while”, the swordsman said rubbing his temples.

”So... Four coffees?” Mirajane asked confused.

”Yes, and put it on Bicks' tab”, Ever smiled and the white haired mage went back to the bar. ”So what are you two planning to do today?” she asked looking at Laxus and Freed.

”Staying home”, the dragon slayer answered.

”When can we start going on missions again?” Ever asked. ”We have two weeks before we have that escort mission.”

”I'm not in a mood to go into any missions before this season is over”, Laxus muttered.

”It might continue still four or five days”, Freed said. ”Can we really wait that long? There haven't been that many good normal missions lately and we still need to pay our rent and bills. I don't say that we can't but still. I don't like it if our budget money for the important expenses runs low.”

”Don't sweat it, I'll help you guys if that happens”, Laxus promised. ”But right now I don't feel like I can concentrate enough for an S-class mission.”

”Then it is not a good idea to take one”, Freed said crossing his arms. ”We have to stick with normal missions.”

”Wait you're planning to go?” Laxus asked glaring at his mate.

”Not sure yet, I might”, Freed teased. ”If it is a really interesting mission.”

”Are you saying spending time with me in the mating season is boring?” Laxus smirked.

”I can honestly say there hasn't been a boring moment yet once since we came back from our last mission”, Freed chuckled.

Mirajane brought them their coffee and Freed finally relented enough to let the runes vanish so Bickslow could open his mouth again.

”You know, if Laxus don't wanna go to a mission but you guys don't just wanna stay at home all lovey dovey all the time then we should do some training”, the seith mage suggested.

”That's actually really good idea”, Ever nodded. ”Sometimes even Bicks can think up something practical.”

”Then what about tomorrow?” Freed proposed.

”Fine by me, baby”, Bickslow grinned.

”Me too”, Ever nodded and they all looked at Laxus. Blond shrugged.

”I guess that's okay”, he grumbled. ”If it won't take all day.”

Chapter Text

”122. So have you guys come up with anything for the Autumn Festival? 123, we have only one month time to prepare and we have to use three days on that escort mission”, Ever counted and talked with Freed at the same time.

”127, not yet, we haven't even thought about it yet, 128”, Freed said. ”Apparently Master wants something really showy, 129.”

”Yes, 125, I was thinking using my newest technique I have been working on”, Ever chuckled mysteriously.

”New technique?” Freed asked curiously looking at his friend. ”What kind?”

”It's still a secret but I promise it will be glorious”, Ever giggled. ”You're all gonna drop your jaws.”

”Hey, don't get distracted”, Bickslow panted.

”I'm not! It's 129 now!” Ever said.

”134”, Freed said smugly arms crossed. ”Laxus will win at this rate.”

”Hell yeah”, Laxus grinned with sweat dropping from his chin.

”130. Seriously! You're too slow!” Ever scolded the seith mage.

”Freed must be lying!” Bicks groaned.

”Rules prevent us from lying in the counting and rules are absolute”, Freed stated without hesitation. ”As long as we are here, runes will count your progress and they shall not disappear before you or Laxus hit 200 with push ups. You yourself wanted to take this challenge so you can only blame yourself. 138.”

”134, Bicks! At this rate we're going to lose and then we have to pay next month's rent just ourselves!” Ever screamed slamming the blue haired mage's head with her fan.

”Faster! Faster!” 'babies' cheered.

”Your attempt to win is futile”, Freed chuckled. ”140.”

”I'm sure you're lying!” Bicks snarled. ”You can make those runes do whatever you want!”

”Maybe, but that wouldn't be exactly honourable.”

”Less talking and more moving, slacker”, Ever said.

”It's easy for you to say! You're just sitting there on my back doing nothing! You have any idea how much you weight, baby?”

”You calling me fat?!” Ever screamed and Freed covered his ears in pain, sitting on Laxus' back while the dragon slayer was doing his push ups.

”Well you ain't as light as a fairy though you pretend to be one!” Bicks taunted.

”You jerk!” Ever hissed hitting Bickslow's head and she got up. ”I'm not helping you, pay the rent by yourself.”

”Yes! Now we're talking!” Bicks cackled and his pace accelerated.

”We had a deal”, Freed reminded frowning. ”You guys wanted to have more challenge so me and Ever would serve as weights.”

”Yeah, but that came after you had already written the rules”, Bicks grinned. ”So this is not cheating!” he guffawed and his counting number for push ups increased on the rune wall.

”I ain't gonna lose!” Laxus growled and he sped up as well.

”Do you want me to get off?” Freed asked looking down.

”No! I will win with rules we set even if they are not written in the runes!” Laxus said with determination that made Freed smile. Yes, that was his Laxus!

Ever just pouted and sat on the rock looking around. This was their usual training ground, in the middle of the forest and near there were river and a beautiful big waterfall. She chuckled when despite being free from the extra weight Bickslow started to slow down after 170.

Finally runes flashed green for a moment and vanished. Freed chuckled when both men collapsed on the ground panting heavily and covered in sweat.

”So... Who... Won?” Laxus finally huffed as Freed stood up.

”Does it matter?” the rune mage asked.

”Yes!” Bickslow and Laxus both shouted.

”It was a draw”, Ever said before Freed opened his mouth. ”You're both equally idiots.”

”Why are you mad at me?” Laxus muttered.

”You guys smell like sled dogs after a long trip and a swim, go wash yourselves”, Ever just ordered pinching her nose and shooed with her fan.

”You do 200 push ups and try to smell like rose petals”, Bicks muttered.

”Well she isn't exactly wrong”, Freed chuckled. ”Animals of this forest won't come near only because they are afraid they might suffocate.”

With grumbling Laxus and Bickslow headed to the river.

”So why are you so feisty today, Ever?” Freed asked calmly when they were alone. ”Is it because Elfman? Did he do something?”

Of course, if Elfman would ever do something wrong to Evergreen then Freed, Laxus and Bickslow would definitely beat the living crap out of him. They were really protective if something happened to their teammates since there was a time when they felt they could only trust themselves and no one else even in Fairy Tail Guild. At their darkest moments... Freed wasn't even sure if they trusted each other completely what was utterly wrong. He trusted and followed Laxus no matter what but Ever and Bickslow? He was deeply ashamed of his behaviour and he would always carry that shame in his heart, reminding him what he did not want to be ever again. And he could tell Ever and Bickslow silently carried that same burden, no matter how cheerful and carefree they might sometimes seem to others.

”That meathead didn't even tell me that he was going on a mission”, Ever sighed folding her fan on her lap. She no longer bothered to pretend she didn't like Elfman when there was only their team around.

”He didn't?”

”When I went to the Guild I heard Mirajane and Lisanna talking about him. They sounded surprised, maybe he didn't tell them either.”

”That's strange”, Freed murmured hand on his chin. ”He usually is very strict to tell you where he is going and says that it is not manly to conceal things from girlfriend or something...”

”And when is he coming back?” Ever asked and was genuinely worried.

Freed smiled.

”Don't worry, Ever”, he said. ”He will come back soon. If he would have gone somewhere far I'm sure he would have said something to you. He is that kind of a man, he wouldn't want you to worry too much. He might be back at the evening already.”

”You think so?” Ever sniffed wiping a tear from her eye.

”Absolutely. And if he's not back in three days then we go find him, make sure he is alright and then we will kick his sorry ass”, Freed smiled happily making Ever giggle a little. ”So he learns not to make you worry like that, you're not in your cutest when you cry.”

”You're awful”, Ever laughed.

”But I made you laugh”, Freed chuckled.

”Yes you did, thank you sweetie”, Ever smiled kissing his cheek. ”You're the best little brother anyone could ever ask.”

”Big brother”, Freed pouted.

”We're same age, you could as well be my little brother”, Ever chuckled making Freed roll his eyes.

She stood up now smiling and determined again.

”We should start training too”, she said and Freed nodded.

”You want to start with the usual training?” he asked unsheathing his sword.

”Yes, but I'm going to make little changes to that.”

”What changes?” Freed asked when he walked little further from Ever. ”Should I use runes?”

”No. This is part of my show”, Ever smirked. ”I'm not going to show you everything but I need help with it somewhat.”

”Alright”, Freed smiled. He was really happy to see Ever trying to improve herself. Brunette was strong without a doubt, but she needed new moves and with her magic she could do so much more. ”If you need any help, feel free to ask and I will do what I can to help.”

”I will, I know how good you are when we are talking about using magic in the most creative ways”, Ever chuckled. ”But this I have to do myself, you know it.”

”I know and I'm glad you are this devoted to your decision in this. So what kind of changes are we talking about?”

”Don't attack”, Ever said and Freed got confused. What? ”This is really important training to me so just defend yourself, I'm not holding back.”

”If that is what you need”, Freed nodded and he straightened his posture and raised his rapier. ”Give me all you got!” he ordered as a captain.

Ever smiled and she lifted her hands up. Yellow glitter emerged in the air like always when she was about to hit with her Fairy Machine Gun. Freed got ready to swish away every single yellow bullet that would head towards him but in a second he realized something was different.

Dust increased and quickly it crystallized into tiny balls that floated around Ever. They were bright, almost dazzling and Freed had to squint his eyes so he could see. He looked at them carefully as they moved like lazy butterflies around.

”Fairy Swarm!” Ever shouted and Freed's eyes widened from tiny shock when suddenly those crystallized bombs were all around him, moving much faster. They buzzed around him like angry bees!

He had to move quickly and he hit first bombs with his rapier.

”What -?!” he shouted when instead of exploding, those tiny orbs stuck tightly on his sword like glue.

”You can't destroy them that easily”, Ever chuckled. ”You should watch your back”, she reminded and Freed already felt how three, maybe four orbs got stick in his back. ”Only I can order my fairies around”, brunette smirked and snapped her fingers.

Freed cried out loud when powerful explosion erupted in his back and it forced him to fall on his knees.

”Surprised?” Ever smiled.

”I must say”, Freed panted trying to force pain out of his mind. He didn't feel blood, he was still in one piece. ”I'm impressed, you have doubled your power in a short time”, he chuckled and stood up. ”And you can control them however you want?” he asked looking at the orbs that were once again calm and just fluttering around him.

”Of course. I'm feeling generous and I'll let you take off that beautiful coat of yours so it won't get torn apart”, Ever said. She knew very well how much Freed treasured that coat. ”So time out. But you will have to return where you are now after you've left your coat on the rock.”

Freed nodded and unbuttoned his coat. Tiny, now almost fluffy looking orbs skittered on the ground and fluttered in the air looking so damn innocent and cute. They made an opening for the rune mage so he could put his coat down on the rock. Then he returned and opening closed immediately, trapping him once again inside the big swarm of tiny orbs.

”I'm ready”, Freed assured.

In the moment the game was back on, Freed lifted his fingers and drew runes. Rune barriers hoisted up immediately to stop most of the orbs hitting him. If all of those would explode at one time... He would really be in trouble.

Chapter Text

After Freed and Ever were done, Freed sat down panting and for the first time in a long time he really had a rough time fighting with Ever. Well of course if he really wanted he could have used his most powerful defences but that would not have helped Ever to improve nor him to hone up his reflexes.

”Ever is doing great”, he suddenly heard Bickslow's voice and looked at him.

”Yes she is”, he smiled and took a sip from the water bottle.

In the training ground Laxus had offered to help Ever. Freed smiled when watching them go, Laxus using his lightning so Ever could focus how to make her fairy orbs move even faster and how many she could control at the same time.

Suddenly he could hear a sigh and Freed turned to the tall man.

”Bicks, is something wrong?” he asked worried

”Don't know”, Bicks muttered lifting his visor up still watching at the battleground. ”Maybe? Or...”

”What is it?” Freed asked. ”You should tell us if something is wrong.”

”Ehh... Maybe I'm just a little bit frustrated, watching how much others improve and so on”, the seith mage sneered. ”'Cause I feel like I don't know how to improve myself.”

Freed blinked his eyes. He had no idea Bickslow have been thinking something like that.

”What do you mean? You are quite powerful”, he smiled. ”You have improved your physical power greatly and you are even focusing better nowadays.”

”Better! A lot better!” Tiki dolls assured snuggling against their master.

”But I need something new like Ever has now her new attack”, Bicks groaned and dropped to lay on his back. ”But my head just refuses to come up with anything!” he grumbled and tossed his helmet in the air and his 'babies' catched it, starting to throw it around among themselves.

”Oh”, Freed said and now he understood what was the problem. ”Well you can surprise in many odd ways but you are not exactly someone with a creative mind in other ways...”

”Thanks baby”, Bicks snorted wryly.

”Well, it is true. You are much like Laxus in that way”, Freed chuckled. ”It's hard for you two to think outside the box sometimes. But you're not as dense as Laxus I have to admit that. You can be surprisingly creative if you really want but you lack of enthusiasm too often if it's something other than doing pranks or irritating people.”

”Are you trying to annoy me? You're doing a good job.”

”Annoying! Bad Freed!” dolls scolded and they bumped against the swordsman's shoulders.

”I'm trying to help you, you just need a little push. So you want something new?” Freed said and Bicks nodded. ”Let's think about it. You have plenty of powerful attacks and you can control souls. Many mages would be thrilled to have your powers.”

”Eh, I never actually like it when I have to control somebody's soul”, Bicks muttered. ”It can be such a pain in the ass. All those memories, feelings, secrets, desires, so on.”

”You have your 'babies'”, Freed reminded.

”Oh, that's totally different. They are my babies”, Bickslow grinned and dolls giggled and hoovered above him. ”They are my friends, like dragon slayers have their exceeds. They chose to stay with me so we can have fun!”

”Servants yet still dear friends and allies”, Freed smiled. ”You have told me that before. Why don't you focus on them now?”

”Huh?” Bicks asked confused sitting up.

”Focus on how you could improve them. How you could make them even more powerful and useful. Could you probably strengthen their souls so they can be more intelligent and independent?” Freed explained and looked at Bickslow who didn't say anything.

He smiled when he could almost hear how gears moved in his friend's head as the seith mage just stared somewhere far. Slowly that familiar maniacal grin widened in his face as he without a doupt came up with something.

”Baby, you really are the genius of this group!” Bicks yelled with hype and he hopped on his legs.

”So you got an idea?” Freed chuckled.

”Did I have an idea?! Baby! This is going to be awesome!” Bickslow howled with a big grin. ”Gonna see you guys later, I need to work with this alone so I'm ready when the Autumn Festival begins!”

”Bicks, are you sure that's a good idea? We have our next mission in two weeks.” Bickslow did tend to get a little bit carried away sometimes when left alone too long.

”No worries, it's nothing dangerous”, blue haired mage laughed and put his helmet back on. ”But I might be busy now so don't be surprised if we won't see each other that often. See ya!”

”Bye-bye!” 'babies' chirped and flew off with their master.

Freed huffed with amusement.

”Where did he suddenly go?” Laxus asked walking over to Freed with Ever who was clearly worn out.

”Oh, he had a new idea”, Freed explained. ”Something he wants to use in the festival. He said he is going to train by himself until our mission and after it.”

”So he wants it to be surprise”, Ever smiled. ”I understand him. It seems like almost everyone has come up with an idea of what to do in the festival”, she said and looked at Freed and Laxus. ”Almost...” she repeated.

”We will come up with something”, Freed promised.

”Don't think people wanna have a storm in the middle of their party”, Laxus grumbled.

”We will figure out something you could do. We still have some time.”

”Well, if Bickslow went home I will do the same and take a long bath”, Ever smiled. ”I think I've earned it. And I will as well spend my next two weeks training so don't get worried if I'm not around that much”, she chuckled and spread her wings and took off.

”That leaves then just you and me”, Freed smiled looking at Laxus. ”More training?”

”Not interested anymore”, the dragon slayer said.

”Then maybe forming some kind of a plan what we should perform in the festival?”

”Not interested in that either”, Laxus just yawned. ”Let's just relax.”

”Laxus, we can't just slack at home”, Freed scolded. ”We have to either train or think about the Autumn Festival, it's your call”, he decided folding his arms.

Laxus stared at him for a moment.

”Okay, let's do some training”, he finally said and Freed raised his eyebrow.

He quickly realized what was about to happen when Laxus reached his hands to grab him, but he was much quicker slipping farther from blond's reach.

”Laxus, no! We really need to focus!” he said. ”We have responsibilities!”

”Those can wait for a while”, Laxus grinned and he was actually aroused when his cute little mate tried to escape him like that. He would catch him and pin him down possessively, claim him until he understood not to try order him around.

He took another step and reached out again to catch Freed but the swordsman hopped two steps farther.

”Laxus, I really mean it”, Freed said. ”We don't have time forever to figure out what we should do in the festival and don't forget we have to train for it too.”

”Damn, I hate it when you are that dutiful. But when I'll catch you I know you will quickly change your mind.”

”Who says I even have enough energy for that?” greenette said and he stepped away once more when Laxus tried to approach.

”You sure don't seem like worn out skipping around like that”, bigger man growled amused. ”Seems like you have still lots of energy to have fun”, he grinned with predatory gleam in his orange eyes.

”I will trap you in my runes”, Freed warned.

”Like hell you will”, Laxus laughed. ”I bet you're just as much excited about this little game as I am.”

Freed blushed and muttered something.

”See? You really want me to hunt you down and ravish you since you're such a horny little bitch”, Laxus chuckled amused.

”Could you not talk like that!” Freed shouted and his face was burning bright red.

”Why shouldn't I? It just turns you on more”, Laxus purred slowly approaching his rune mage who backed away at the same speed. ”So you wanna play this game? Fine by me.”

Laxus jumped in an attack but his fingers only grasped air where some of the purple runes still lingered. Damn he forgot that fucking teleportation skill.

”Don't you dare think that I'm an easy target”, Freed chuckled reappearing on the tiny cliff farther away from Laxus.

”You cocky little shit”, Laxus grinned. ”Run while you still can, soon you won't be able to walk.”

”You must catch me first”, Freed smiled and he actually was getting excited. This really was kinda fun.

”Don't worry, I will”, Laxus smirked and Freed shut his eyes when there was a flash.

Quickly he drew runes and used teleportation. He had no time to write where he wanted to go so he just returned to where he was before. Freed opened his eyes and saw Laxus now on the cliff as he was standing lower ground near his coat.

”Okay”, Laxus said emitting sparks from his skin. ”But you still need to see where you are going, so I just have to force you to shut your eyes”, he said and dazzling flash filled the whole area.

Freed covered his eyes with his hand and was about to write runes. But where? He needed to know exact spot where he wanted to appear! If there was a tree or something on the way that was not a good thing.

He could feel it. Laxus was just in front of him. He felt it before those strong arms grabbed him in their tight grip.

”I caught you”, Laxus whispered smugly in greenette's ear making him shiver. ”I win.”

”Dark Écriture”, Freed muttered and Laxus felt finger on his chest writing runes. ”Laughter.”

For a moment blond was astonished. He didn't know Freed had this kind of a spell! And then his body started to tremble, small giggles escaped from his lips and a second later he was laughing hysterically.

Freed chuckled and stepped away watching how his mighty Thunder God bend over to lean on his knees and his rumbling laughter filled the whole forest.

”That was... That was low!” Laxus panted between his laughs just barely able to talk.

”Oh? And blinding me so I wouldn't be able to move was not?”

”I'm gonna... I'm seriously gonna... So fucking kill you!” Laxus guffawed with tears running on his cheeks.

”So intimidating”, Freed taunted playfully.

”Stohoop this!”

”Maybe I will wait for just long enough so you will piss your pants?”

”FREED!” Laxus roared and despite laughing he really sounded angry.

”Fine, fine”, Freed said and let the runes vanish.

Laxus collapsed on the ground on his knees and was panting heavily.

”Still feeling like having enough energy to have fun?” Freed smiled smugly.

”Do that ever again and I swear I will do things that will leave you trembling for the rest of your life”, the dragon slayer said still huffing and glared at his green haired mate who flinched. ”And yes”, Laxus grinned now and stood up. ”I wanna hump you more than ever before, need to remind you who is in charge.”

Silence landed as they stared at each other for a moment.

”More hunting?” Freed said.

”No magic”, Laxus demanded.

”Only to hide my scent or else you would find me too quickly.”

”Fine, but that's all.”

”Not farther than half a mile from here?”

”And no traps. Any kind of traps you damn trickster”, Laxus growled and Freed nodded.

”No traps, no magic except what was agreed, half a mile range and you give me two minutes.”

”Deal”, Laxus grinned and he closed his eyes as Freed quickly ran off.

Chapter Text

Four days went by fast when in mornings and noon they went to the Guild or trained for the Autumn Festival and evenings they spent at home just the two of them. Freed was happier than ever and he was hoping that this would continue forever.

But the mating season didn’t last forever. In his heart he felt agonising fear of what could happen after the season. Despite Laxus promising over and over again that nothing would change Freed was still scared since they couldn’t possibly be sure what was going to happen.

Then at that morning Freed woke up and he immediately noticed Laxus was not there even before opening his eyes. There was no snoring and no heat coming from the other side of the bed. The man who usually slept until noon had already got up and didn’t inform Freed where he was going.

The rune mage sighed and he felt how his stomach was tied in knots and deep sorrow was eating him up from the inside. All this really was too good to be true, huh? He had known it from the start. He couldn’t possibly have such a happiness for more than one week… He was after all Freed the Dark, demon who was meant to live his life in the shadows only once in a while able to experience true happiness, so when every time he was sent back he would fall deeper and deeper in the grief and darkness until he would never again get his hopes up.

But it had been an amazing week. He would treasure these memories, how wonderful it had been to be loved by Laxus in a way he had only dreamed for so long… He should be honoured and glad, he had one amazing week with Laxus before everything would vanish. Maybe Laxus even wanted him to resing from the Thunder Legion? He would do so if that would be what his Thunder God wanted if this all felt now too awkward for him. He would even leave the Fairy Tail if Laxus wanted that. This week was all worth that.

Freed sighed and he fought back so he wouldn’t cry, crying wouldn't help. He should just get up, get dressed up and leave. This was not his home after all.

When getting up he realized he was sweating and his head hurt. No wonder he was sweating since he had probably in his sleep gathered all three blankets over him and he huffed when he finally got a gasp of cool air. Wait what? Three blankets? They had only one big blanket in this bed usually so where did the two others come from?

Freed moved blankets aside and he got up, slightly swaying as his head felt dizzy. He needed some water he must have dehydration because of all the sweating. He quickly grabbed his clothes, cleaned himself and dressed up – with huge pain in his heart he had to leave the old orange hoodie on the chair – and just tied his hair up in a high ponytail.

He was ready to go and let Laxus to go back to his normal life. He was obviously never actually meant to be part of it. But even if only just for a week, Freed was happy that it happened. He had something to remind him he had felt for a moment what true happiness could be.

The swordsman stepped in the hallway and looked around. Laxus probably was at the Guild, he should head there too so they could talk about the next mission.

At the Guild he smiled slightly when he saw Natsu and Gajeel acting normal again. It should be relief for Lucy and Levy since they were kinda annoyed because Natsu and Gajeel were always tagging along where ever they go and always fighting if someone glimpsed towards their mate.

The mating season was really over.

”Good morning, Freed”, Mira smiled as he approached the bar and sat down.

”Good morning, Mirajane”, Freed smiled slightly. ”It seems like everything is back to how it used to be.”

”Yes, They are acting normal again and Natsu has been challenging everyone, so keep your guards up”, she chuckled.

”No need to worry, I’m really not in a mood to fight with anyone”, Freed laughed.

”You certainly don’t seem like feeling well”, Mira noticed. ”You look feverish.”

”No, I just slept badly, nothing more”, the rune mage assured.

”Laxus might get worried.”

”Who knows? I have not yet seen him in this morning, I thought he might be here but I guess I was wrong. Could you please bring me a cup of tea in our usual table?”

”Sure”, Mira promised and Freed stood up and went to the stairs. Soon after that the white haired mage appeared on the second floor and put the cup on the table. ”Are you sure you’re okay?” she asked worried. ”You look so pale…”

”I’m honestly fine, Mirajane. But thank you for your concern”, Freed smiled and Mira left back to the bar giving him still one worried look on her way.

Freed lifted the cup on his lips and the tea really helped him to calm down a little. He just sat there and read the newspaper he managed to get. Nothing new – or at least nothing chaotic – was going on in Fiore. There was something written about the festival the Fairy Tail was about to arrange. Master Makarov was of course promising this would be the festival no-one could forget. Freed could only hope that would be because the festival was a big hit, not because they managed to destroy once again everything…

After he had drank the tea Freed pinched the bridge of his nose. His headache was getting worse. Maybe he really should go home and try to rest a little bit. He could use his time trying to come up with something for the festival since he had not yet come up with anything. He had just helped Laxus to train his own show.

The swordsman got up and slowly walked down the stairs, he didn’t want to misstep now when he was feeling dizzy.

”I think I might follow your advise and go home”, he said to Mira who smiled.

”Thank god, you really look like you should rest properly”, she said. ”I’ll inform Laxus and others when I see them.”

”Thank you, that would be quite helpful”, Freed smiled, nodded and left the Guild. Bright sunlight made his head to ache even more so he would just walk straight home without stopping anywhere.

He hardly took two steps outside the Guild when he almost got startled to death because of angry: ”Freed!”

With confuse he lifted his gaze and saw Laxus who seemed to be really pissed off right now.

”L-Laxus… Good morning”, he stuttered because of the sudden appearance and he hadn't yet actually come up with what he would say to Laxus next time they would see each other! Now he just had to quickly figure something out. Always put Laxus' needs first, with that rule he should be able to handle this somehow.

”Don’t you act like everything is just normal, Freed”, Laxus snarled and Freed was lost.

”W-what do you mean?” he asked carefully. ”Are you mad at me?” Of course he was he could see it all over Laxus' face and hear it from his voice. Everything was really over? They were once again only team members, if Laxus of course still would let him stay…

”Mad? I’m fucking furious!” Laxus shouted frowning.

”I know I deserve that”, Freed said with submissive tone, lowering his gaze.

”Glad you understand that much”, blond snorted.

”I understand that this must be hard for you, now that everything is back to normal. I should do my best and make this easier to you. Maybe I should take a mission that would last couple of months, take some distance so you have time to –”

”The fuck you’re blabbering about?”

”T-the season. It’s over now.”

”Yeah? So?”

”Umm… I just… I mean…” Freed stammered trying to explain himself and ignore how his throat was aching like someone was tightening rope around his neck. He felt like someone was holding his heart in a tight grab and squeezing painfully.

”Is this again about that after the mating season thing?” Laxus asked. ”I swear to god I thought you were already over with it. But no, here you are, walking around despite you should be resting and your head is probably filled with worst possible scenarios and you look like you might cry at any second”, he growled and Freed’s eyes widened. ”You idiot have a fever, you should be in bed.”

”B-but…” greenette stuttered and he was now shocked. Laxus didn’t hate him? ”S-so where were you? I thought...”

”Of course you thought that I wanted you out of my house, I should have known”, blond grumbled. ”I was looking for Porlyusica so she would come and check how bad your condition was”, he said and grabbed Freed's hand pulling him along as they started their journey back to Laxus' house.

”I'm fine, Laxus”, Freed assured and he smiled slightly. Laxus was not going to drive him away! He still wanted him in his house!

”Like hell you are okay, you don't remember a thing about the morning, huh?”

”Remember?” Freed blinked and he had no idea what Laxus was talking about.

”You had a really bad fever, I almost didn't get you to eat the medicine! And you were so quiet, not saying a thing and you didn't react when I tried to ask you how you were feeling, for a moment I was really scared what was happening. Obviously you are feeling much better now thanks to the medicine but you're going to stay in the bed until Porlyusica says it's okay for you to get up.”

”Is she at your house now?”

”No, I couldn't find her, she wasn't at her cottage. I left her a note about the situation and told her to come over.”

”You know she doesn't like that”, Freed chuckled. ”She always says that she don't want to visit guild members at their home since she is not some doctor from the small village who can be called over anytime.”

”Now she just has to tolerate that”, Laxus muttered.

”And what was with all those blankets?”

”I didn't want that you would feel cold while I was away.”

”One blanket is enough, Laxus.”

They arrived at the house and Freed smiled looking around. He was back. Laxus wanted him to stay. Well sure, he had to go back to his home at some point but they could still be together as a couple.

”Get to bed”, Laxus ordered. ”You can continue daydreaming there.”

”If that is what you want”, Freed smiled and left his coat on the rack, boots at the entry and headed towards the bedroom.

At the door he looked at Laxus.

”But what about the food?” he asked. ”Are you going to make us the breakfast?” he asked and was now worried. Laxus could make food edible but it wasn't really tasty.

”I already told Bickslow to get us some pizza”, Laxus said. Yeah, he didn't like his cooking either. ”He shouldn't take long now. That thing is covered now so go to bed!” he roared and Freed winced and slipped to the bedroom.

There was no need to shout like that Freed thought to himself when he untied his ascot scarf. But... In some odd way he also liked it. Laxus was worried and taking care of him, but not yet too much so it would feel suffocating. He knew that he was sick so he understood that Laxus was worried.

The swordsman slumped on the bed. He was so happy he didn't even care any more if his head ached a little or he was feeling worn out because of the fever. He was back at Laxus' place, laying in his bed and even if the mating season was over they were still together.

Chapter Text

Freed was about to drift to sleep but then the bedroom door slammed open loudly.

”What? What?” he quickly asked and sat up fast. Did someone attack the house? Where was his sword? Was Laxus okay? He was on a half way to get up when his sleepy thoughts finally noticed who was at the door.

”Hey baby!” Bickslow grinned and shut the door.

”Bicks... You scared me”, Freed groaned and slumped back to bed.

”Sorry, Freed. Laxus said you don't feel well so we decided to come and cheer you up.”

”Whee! Cheer up!” dolls said in unison and Freed felt sick when they started to twirl around above him.

”Could you please make them stop? I was just about to get some sleep”, he muttered and he didn't have enough strength to even get annoyed.

”I brought you some pizza”, Bicks sang and put the plate on the night stand. ”And it's your favourite.”

”I'm not hungry.”

”Come on, you'll get more strength after you eat. That cheese should get even the dead people to rise back on their feet so they can escape the smell. I know I will use that cheese as my weapon if we ever encounter zombies.”

”Yuck!” 'babies' gagged.

”Har har, like your garlic-filled pineapple anchovy pizza is any better. You could fool those zombies that you're one of them after that. I just want to sleep now.”

”Laxus will shove this pizza down your throat if you won't eat it voluntarily.”

Freed grumbled something and groaned when he finally sat up again, combing his fingers through slightly entangled green hair.

”You look awful”, Bicks said and put the plate on Freed's lap.

”Thank you for your supportive words”, Freed murmured and took a slice. ”They are most appreciated. Where's Laxus?”

”He's in the kitchen. I also brought you a new book, this arrived this day to our mailbox”, Bickslow said and put a package on the bed. ”Or at least I'm guessing it's a book.”

”It is”, Freed smiled. ”Something I've been looking for a long time already.”

”Yeah? What is it about?”

”Just this one old story, classic and really hard to find from anywhere but libraries”, Freed said and put the package aside.

”Ooh? Why aren't you telling me the name of the book?” Bicks smirked and his 'babies' sniggered knowingly. ”Is it maybeee... something really naughty?”

”Freed's naughty!” dolls giggled.

”Bicks”, Freed said with a warning tone. ”Don't even start.”

”So it is? It really is some naughty gay story. So does it tell about the pirates? Mages? Treasure hunters? Maybe theatre?” Bicks chuckled and almost got hit in the face by a pizza slice. But not because of Freed but Laxus.

”Stop being such an ass”, blond said stepping in the room. ”So what if it's some cheesy romantic gay story with sex scenes? You wanna read it?”

”No, no thanks, not my thing”, Bicks laughed. ”I was just curious. Freed being so damn innocent it's hard to even imagine him trying to read dirty magazines. How many those kind of books do you have, baby?”

”It's none of your business”, Freed muttered while eating his pizza but his ears were already bright red.

”I'm guessing many”, Bicks cackled.

”Really?” Laxus asked now surprised looking at Freed who tried to hide behind his hair. ”Damn, I really wanna borrow some of those books.”

”W-what?” Freed said.

”What? You're surprised that I'm interested about those stories?”

”Well... I'm just not that used to see you reading something...”

Laxus just huffed amused and he sat down on the bed.

”Just eat now, I bet Porlyusica will appear soon”, he said.

”Porlyusica? She's coming?” Bickslow asked and his dolls hid behind his back.

”Yeah, I wanna be sure Freed's fever isn't something dangerous”, Laxus nodded.

”Uh oh... Then maybe we should head home”, Bicks said and stood up quickly.

”Bicks, what have you done?” Freed asked suspiciously narrowing his eyes.

”Nothing, nothing. I just remembered some really important tasks and I still need to train more and so on”, Bickslow blabbered. ”So see you guys later!” he said and opened window, flying off with his dolls.

”He has done something to really piss off Porlyusica”, Laxus grinned. ”Not that it needs much of an effort to do so but still.”

”Bickslow seems to always be in some kind of a trouble”, Freed chuckled. ”Well, everything is fine as long as he won't drag us with him in it.”

They ate more pizza and Freed stretched.

”Now I don't feel that sleepy any more”, he said when Laxus came back from the kitchen where he put the rest of the pizza in the fridge.

”You're not getting up, read that dirty book of yours”, the dragon slayer said making Freed pout.

”It's not a dirty book”, he said. ”It is an old classic.”

”Are there any sex scenes?”

”Um... yeah, some...”

”Dirty book”, Laxus grinned.

”It's not all there is”, Freed said. ”There is also romance, adventures, troubles they have to confront and win and so on.”

”It's a really dirty book”, Laxus laughed making Freed blush harder. ”Since you're defending it that much.”

”Fine, maybe it is at some level”, Freed snarled. ”So what? It's my book, it's still not as bad as some porn magazines or movies.”

”I really wanna read that too”, Laxus smirked. ”We should read it together. Maybe I should read it for you?” he suggested leaving Freed stunned. Laxus reading this book for him? That... would be so hot.

”Mmm... Maybe that could work”, he grinned. ”If you really want it. I would like that very much, thought I'm not used to someone reading for me. But if it's you, I know I will like it.”

”Anything if it keeps you from climbing out of that bed, babe”, Laxus chuckled.

”Thank you my little honeybear”, Freed teased.

”Fuck you, read by yourself”, blond muttered immediately and stood up.

”Sorry, sorry, I will never say that again, I promise”, Freed assured quickly and fought back so he wouldn't laugh. Laxus really hated any kind of nicknames.

They just talked for some time, when Laxus suddenly stood up.

”She's here”, he said.

”You're like a guard dog”, Freed chuckled. ”You better go open the door right away. We don't want her to be more angry for us than she probably already is.”

”Guess you're right”, Laxus muttered and he left to the hallway.

Freed just waited and lifted himself in more sitting position, leaning against the pillows. Door opened, there was the usual scolding from Porlyusica and Laxus grumbled something back.

”It's nice to see you again, Porlyusica”, Freed greeted when pink haired old lady stepped in the bedroom.

”Freed”, she said. ”So, what are symptoms? And quickly if possible I'm really not in a mood to stay and chitchat something nonsense.”

”Just fever and some headache”, Freed said.

”Just that? That happens because normally the dragon slayer's mark would fade after the mating season but yours won't and your body has to adjust to it.”

”What?” Freed asked blinking.

”Are you blind or something? I can see that mark from here.”

Freed quickly put his hand on his neck. He couldn't feel the mark but the skin was sensitive like before. He hadn't even thought about the mark! Mostly because he was so scared that it would disappear so he kinda pushed the whole thing out of his mind and in the morning he had so many other things in his mind he hadn't even looked himself in the mirror properly.

Freed quickly opened his shirt more so he could see the light lightning scars that scattered in his left arm. How on earth did he not see that before? Well, he saw it now and it filled him with joy. They really were soulmates with Laxus!

”I already went to see Levy because this same reason”, Porlyusica tsked. ”You useless humans make me run all around because of nothing.”

”For us it was not nothing”, Laxus growled. ”Freed's fever was really bad in the morning.”

”But it seems like he is okay now. He will be fine by tomorrow. And here I was almost excited to have new information for my research.”

”What did you think it was?” Freed asked confused. Porlyusica looked at him.

”Nothing you should worry. At least not yet, if never”, she just shrugged finally. ”Just rest this day. But if something new happens, tell me.”

”New?”

”Yes, are you forgetting how to use your ears as well as your eyes? I'll go see Lucy now since I'm here in town and I guess she's thinking these same questions if she is Natsu's soulmate like you're Laxus' and Levy is Gajeel's.”

”You're not going to check that he's really okay?” Laxus asked. ”It's not too much to ask, you old hag!”

Porlyusica looked at Laxus and she lifted up some kind of a recording lacrima and clicked it.

”Dragon slayers stay overprotective towards their soulmates after the mating season”, she stated. ”And they might get more power and so do their soulmates, but they definitely won't get more intelligent.”

”Hey!” Laxus shouted annoyed.

”And they stay hot-headed”, Porlyusica said and put the tiny gadget away. ”Everything will be fine, Laxus. Freed is strong and your dragon slayer magic will protect him. His body just needs to get used to it so it reacts like fighting against a virus. But it soon will realize your magic is not a bad thing but good.”

”Thank you, Porlyusica”, Freed said. ”We're thankful that you took your time and came all the way here.”

”Just don't try and call me again just because you feel a little dizzy.”

”We won't, Laxus just overreacted”, Freed promised and Laxus growled something angrily.

”Good. Then I'm off. Resting until tomorrow but then you can get up”, Porlyusica reminded and she left the house.

Freed looked at Laxus.

”Don't start”, he said before blond opened his mouth. ”Yes, she is... One of her kind, but that only shows how really kind it was from her when she actually came over to see if everything was okay.”

”She still irritates me”, Laxus grumbled.

”I know. But now we know everything is okay”, Freed smiled. ”We can relax this day. Tomorrow we go do more training. We must be at our best when our mission starts.”

”Okay”, Laxus hummed and he sat on the edge of the bed. ”You still hungry?”

”No, just bored”, Freed shrugged. ”Maybe you could stay with me here and read?” he suggested with tiny sweet smile tilting his head.

”Sure, babe”, Laxus grinned and he took the book from the night stand. ”Just don't wait me to act along with the roles.”

”Aww, now I'm disappointed”, Freed pouted. ”I was so thrilled to hear you do all those moans.”

”Shut up or I will call this off.”

”At least a little bit acting along?”

”I'm serious.”

”So am I.”

”You damn bitch”, Laxus muttered but couldn't stop himself from smiling. ”I'll see what I can do”, he gave in and Freed smiled happily.

Chapter Text

”I see something green.”

”Bicks, no. We are not going to play that game.”

They were sitting on a top of a carriage that moved on along the road. It was a really big car with lots of luxurious furnitures, like a small house moving on wheels. Freed was really glad their client had his own drivers since obviously Laxus couldn't drive, Freed and Ever had never driven car this big and none of them would want Bickslow behind the wheel in this thing.

Their journey started early in the morning and they should arrive at their destination around 11 o'clock at night. It was a long time to stay awake and alert all the time but it was their job.

”How are you doing?” Freed asked and looked at Laxus who was behind him.

He used every spell he knew that could possibly help ease Laxus' motion sickness. But still the blond dragon slayer could do nothing more than lay down, eyes shut and try to focus just listening the music from his headphones. Problem was that the more Freed used his spells, less they worked every time. Soon he needed to come up with something else.

”Just... Don't force me to stand up and I will be fine...” Laxus slurred and his face started to go green in the second he opened his mouth.

”He's going to puke”, Freed said quickly and Bicks stood up. ”Go fetch something, a bucket or a towel.”

”Gotcha!” Bicks said and he opened the trapdoor on the roof and disappeared.

”Laxus, roll over, get near the edge”, Freed instructed and tried to move Laxus. But it was really hard, it was like the dragon slayer had sunk his nails in to the roof to prevent himself from being moved.

”Gonna throw up if I move”, he snarled annoyed.

”You can't puke here on the roof”, Freed said and panted when he finally managed to move Laxus even a little bit. ”If you have to, do it in the bucket or over the edge.”

”Urkh...”

”Laxus! Just try to endure it!” the swordsman said worried. He didn't want to end up sitting rest of the journey in the roof that was covered with Laxus' vomit! ”You can hold it!” he encouraged and patted blond hair softly.

”Hmm... That feels nice...” Laxus suddenly muttered and the tenseness in his body loosened a little.

”What? Me touching your hair?” Freed asked surprised.

”Yeah... It's really relaxing...”

”Does it help with your motion sickness?”

”Mmhmm...”

Freed smiled a little. Well if it helped that was really good. Suddenly Laxus lifted his arms and grabbed Freed's waist putting his head on his lap.

”Yeah, this is good”, the lightning mage murmured eyes shut. ”This is really good.”

”No more feeling nauseous?” Freed chuckled and he kept tangling his slender fingers through short blond hair.

”Just sleepy.”

”Then you should sleep. My runes will alert us if someone tries to attack.”

”Yeah...” Laxus yawned and like that he was already snoring.

The trapdoor opened and Bickslow hopped up with a bucket in his hands.

”It's okay, he's sleeping”, Freed whispered.

”Did you knock him out?” Bicks snickered looking at their boss who snuggled tightly against Freed in his sleep. His mate's scent and touch somehow helped his horrible motion sickness so there was no way he would let go even for a second while they were moving.

”Didn't have to, it seems like this helps him to relax”, Freed smiled and kept softly caressing Laxus' hair. ”How is Evergreen doing?”

”She says the old man is boring but not pervert so it's okay”, Bicks said. ”Maybe he wanted you in there with him instead her”, he grinned.

”Bicks, not everyone is as perverted as you are.”

”He's filthy rich, he has enough money to be as perverted as he wants.”

”I can only imagine how horrible you would be if you could have all that money...”

”Nah, it wouldn't then be funny anymore, not for me anyway”, Bicks said what surprised Freed. ”It's not challenging.”

”You wouldn't also get hit in the face by stuff”, Freed chuckled.

”It would get really boring really fast”, Bicks shrugged. ”Yeah, it would be cool to have enough money to buy whatever you want and you could bribe anyone no matter what you do. But only like a while, then it just gets boring.”

”I understand what you're saying”, Freed nodded scratching behind Laxus' ear making the mighty Thunder God purr in his sleep like an oversized house cat. ”Money loses it's value if you have it too much. When you don't have money that much and can only sometimes afford something special to yourself, it feels ten times better than if you could buy it anytime you want”, he smiled. ”And of course there are things that money can't give to you.”

”Aww, you sound so sappy”, Bicks snorted. ”But yeah, I know.”

”By the way, how is your training working out? All this morning have been so quiet but I'm guessing you didn't actually leave your dolls at home?”

”Nope, they are resting at my backpack”, Bicks grinned. ”Cana has been helping us a lot! But poor things are really worn out so I use them only if necessary.”

”Good idea”, Freed praised. ”Are you going to tell us what you've been training?”

”Sorry baby”, Bicks laughed. ”It's not yet ready to be used in battles or anything but we're starting to get a hang of it.”

Carriage kept driving all day and Bickslow and Freed had to eat at the roof, while Ever could eat with their client inside the luxurious carriage. Laxus wasn't going to eat even a crumble of food while they were moving. They finally stopped at the dinnertime, their only stop since they had to change drivers. Laxus was more than thankful since they had a change to have a one hour break and it was the only time he could actually eat something.

”You guys go and grab something to eat, I will stay and keep my runes on”, Freed said to others as he was standing in front of the door of the carriage. Their client refused to step outside even for a second. Bicks and Laxus were sure he was just a big ass snob who felt like he was better than the mere commoners here in this village.

”You should eat something too”, Laxus said. ”And you've been keeping your rune barriers up since early this morning.”

”I'm not using a complete shield, only one larger that alerts us if someone approaches with mean intentions and one that prevents anyone else but us or our client to open the doors or windows from this carriage.”

”That's still pretty much and we still have like seven hours to go”, Ever reminded.

”I know you guys will take care of fighting the enemy off if necessary”, Freed smiled. ”You can bring me something on your way, I can eat once we start moving again.”

”Maybe one of us should stay just in case”, Bickslow suggested. ”I vote for Ever.”

”Why me?” Ever shouted.

”You’ve had it easy the whole way. You just sit there inside while we have to sit on the roof.”

”Just go, I’ll be fine”, Freed assured before fight erupted. ”Just remember to be back in one hour.”

Finally Laxus, Bickslow and Evergreen all leaved to find food and Freed sighed, leaning his back against the carriage. Seven hours and this job would be over. They could sign in the hotel rooms that were promised for them, all expenses covered and also get some pocket money what to spent. Of course Freed already demanded that they would use most of the money for their budget. That way they had all bills covered at least for two months again.

Freed opened his eyes when he heard moving and he quickly snapped his spine straight and turned towards the window.

”Sir, is something wrong?” he asked when the window slid open. Their client was an old man, maybe some kind of a businessman. He was bald, small and had a long beard.

”No, nothing is wrong my good boy”, old man replied. ”Where did your teammates go?”

”They left to find something to eat now that we had to stop, but I will assure you nothing will happen, sir”, Freed promised. ”And they are not far away, they will arrive here in seconds if necessary.”

”It’s okay. My, you really are handsome aren’t you? Not like those two others, one with a big scar and the other one using a helmet.”

”Thank you for your compliments, sir, but I would prefer if you wouldn't say something like that about my friends”, Freed said and fought back so he wouldn't say how their client wasn't exactly a model himself.

”Are you thirsty?” the old man asked moving to the next topic just like that. ”Staying all the time on guard must be really harsh.”

”I have nothing to complain, sir. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to leave my stance. I can wait until my teammates return.”

”Oh, come on now young man. Does it matter do you stand there outside or sit here inside? You can notice if someone tries to sneak in, won’t you?” old man chuckled.

Freed felt a little bit uneasy, he was not sure how he should act in this kind of situation. Would it really be appropriate to go inside? He was just offering him a drink...

Finally, but a little hesitant he stepped in the carriage and looked around. It really was like a tiny little palace. Comfortable leather covered couches, big lacrimavision, beautiful hand carved mahogany table and even a bookshelf.

”What do you like my little car?” old man asked and walked on the fridge.

”It is spectacular, sir”, Freed praised. ”You have and admirable collection of Drigale Armarus’ books.”

”Ooh, you have good eyes”, old man chuckled and brought a glass of juice for Freed. ”So you read old classics?”

”Yes, sir”, Freed nodded and sipped from the glass.

”We have something in common then, please do sit down. Miss Evergreen was not that interested talking about these things”, man chuckled while sitting down and Freed sat on the other couch. ”So tell me who is your favourite writer, mister…?”

”Justine, sir.”

”Justine? Now that brings back memories, I remember when I was a young man and I went to the opera for the first time there was this beautiful prima donna, Ophelia Justine.”

”Um… yeah… I have heard of her, she was the jewel of her time.”

”Yes, she was magnificent. Many men tried to ask her out but all of them were turned down. Drigale Armarus is one of my favourite playwrights and she is my favourite actor for the lead role of most of his plays.”

”I have heard rumours that Mister Armarus actually wrote those plays just for her”, Freed said with a little smile.

”Yes, we all have. There are many kinds of rumours about those two and how they knew each other.”

It was kinda nice, Freed didn’t that often meet others with same interests in books as him so it was really refreshing to talk about all the writers, plays and so on with someone who actually was interested. Hmm... Maybe he could try to persuade Laxus to go see an opera play with him. Who knows, maybe he might even like it? He did listen lots of different music after all.

”I should return to my place outside the carriage”, Freed finally said. ”Thank you, it has been really nice talking with someone who also appreciates good classics.”

”It has been my pleasure, mister Justine”, old man chuckled. ”So you and your team are going to spend your time in the town the whole three days?”

”Yes, sir.”

”That is really good to hear. Maybe I could ask you to join me at the opera tomorrow evening?” old man asked and Freed raised his eyebrow. ”It's my treat of course. It would be a delight to share -”

”I'm sorry, but I have to say no”, Freed stated politely standing up. ”We have plans with our team and since everything is already agreed it would be rather rude from me to not follow the plan.”

”It is an opening night of the Dance With the Swords”, old man said with a tiny mischievous gleam in his eyes.

”I'm sorry, sir”, Freed apologized. ”I really can't.”

”You are a dutiful one, aren't you?” man chuckled. ”That is an admirable quality in a young handsome man like you”, he said and that tone made shivers run down Freed's spine. ”You know, I really do like your company, maybe you would like to switch places with Miss Evergreen for the rest of the journey?”

”No, sir. I'm perfectly comfortable up on the roof”, greenette assured. And Laxus needed him there.

”I see... I was hoping we could have spent more time together. I of course would make sure it's all worth your time.”

”I have my job and that I must complete, sir. I cannot slip from my duties.”

”I could even double your salary from this job.”

”Double?” Freed asked confused. ”From me sitting here talking about the opera and books?”

”Sure, sure. And I could offer you a better room in the hotel too. A luxurious suite even if you want. You know, I'm spending my time in that very same hotel, maybe we could speak more in there?”

”Like hell you will”, they heard low snarl from the door and Freed jolted looking at Laxus. ”The fuck are you doing?”

”Laxus, I just -” Freed started but Laxus just talked over:

”I didn't mean you, I was talking to that old fart”, blond growled.

”Laxus! Be polite for the client!”

”He's an old pervert”, Laxus snapped. ”I don't need to be polite for someone who's trying to seduce my mate. Get your ass over here, Justine. None of us will accompany that bastard in that carriage anymore”, blond growled looking at the old man who was suddenly tiny and scared, trembling on his couch.

Freed huffed and stepped out of the carriage to Evergreen and Bickslow who looked serious.

”B-but... I hired you to do this job”, old man stuttered quickly.

”Yeah, but then you started to harass one of our teammates, our friend and my boyfriend”, Laxus growled and he gave the old man an ice cold glare. ”We have no reason to accompany you to save your petty little ass if someone tries to rob you.”

”Are you sure, Laxus? If we leave this job that wouldn't leave a good image of the Fairy Tail”, Freed reminded and Laxus stared at him for a moment.

”Man you're too dutiful for your own good”, he finally grumbled. ”Triple our salary and we get three suites on the hotel where you are NOT going to stay”, the dragon slayer said looking at the old man.

”That's outrageous!” old man yelled.

”Then rotten here in this village, I don't give a fuck. Let's go”, Laxus said and turned around.

”Fine! Fine...” they heard when they were starting to walk away.

”And I will take that on a paper”, Laxus said. ”So you can't deny everything when we arrive at the town.”

When everything was done they climbed back on the roof, all four of them this time.

”What an ass”, Ever hissed irritated. ”Actually trying something that low.”

”No one from Fairy Tail would never sell themselves like that”, Bicks said and Freed was still a little bit confused.

”He wanted to talk about books and opera”, he said. ”Not that I was going to accept his offer.”

”You dense dumbass”, Laxus growled his head again on Freed's lap. ”He was trying to seduce you to be his handsome little toy boy he could parade around.”

”W-w-what?” Freed stammered and he blushed deeply. ”No he wasn't!”

”Oh, honey”, Bicks chuckled. ”He totally wanted to be your sugar daddy.”

”S-sugar...”

”You're so naive and innocent in these things, sweetie”, Ever sighed hugging Freed. ”How on earth are you still alive?”

”You're seriously gonna get yourself raped at this rate”, Laxus snarled looking at Freed who didn't know what to say. ”You should at least learn when someone is trying to woo you so you can turn them down at once.”

”I can't help it, it's not like it happens that often”, greenette finally said voice still shaking.

”Man, we have saved your ass more often than you even understand”, Bicks cackled. ”All those women and men who have been drooling after you or trying to flirt with you but you just don't get it.”

”It can't be helped, he can only see Laxus”, Ever chuckled. ”He knew Rufus was after him only because he was aware it was a date.”

”Don't remind me about that douchebag”, Laxus muttered.

”But seriously, Freed. Someday it might be someone who will not take a polite no as an answer once you have followed them too far”, Evergreen said.

”I can defend myself”, Freed muttered. ”And I have no intentions to follow anyone who I don't know, I'm not a child.”

”We know baby, but who knows what could happen”, Bicks grinned.

”Just don't trust too much”, Laxus said shutting his eyes. ”And if you feel uneasy even a little bit, just leave.”

”I can't do that just like that.”

”Yes you can if you don't feel safe.”

Freed sighed dropping his head in shame. Was he really acting that foolishly? Making his own teammates and friends to take care of him like some little kid? He should be the captain here, dammit!

”Don't feel so bad”, Ever smiled. ”You're our dear little brother and Laxus' mate, we just wanna take care of you. You would take care of us if the tables were turn.”

”Of course I'm really grateful for all of you”, Freed assured with a little smile. ”I was just hoping that I wasn't such a burden.”

”You're not”, Bickslow smiled. ”No one in the Thunder Legion is a burden. We all have our own flaws, but we stick together so we can help each other to make sure nothing bad happens.”

”For once Bickslow is absolutely right”, Ever laughed.

Freed smiled and they kept talking, while Laxus drifted off to sleep. Rest of the journey they did not hear a peep from the carriage and that was good.

Chapter Text

Freed stretched his tired muscles as they were outside the hotel where their client was staying. Laxus and Ever were still inside taking care of the payment and he and Bicks were waiting near the entrance.

”What is taking them so long?” Bickslow groaned lounging on a bench. ”I'm tired, I wanna go to sleeeep...”

”Stop whining, that won't help anything”, Freed said. He had dark circles under his eyes but he refused to sit down. He was going to stay sharp until they would arrive at their hotel.

”Maybe that old bastard won't pay?” Bicks suggested. ”What are we going to do then? I didn't take any money since we were supposed to get paid when the job is over.”

”I'm sure Laxus and Ever will take care of things so we will get our payment.”

”Yeah, maybe Ever will turn all of them into stone statues and then Laxus will shatter the whole place...”

”They know they can't do anything like that here.”

They waited another fifteen minutes until finally doors opened. Laxus and Evergreen looked furious.

”What happened?” Freed asked confused.

”That old fucker tricked us”, Laxus growled. ”He used magic paper for the contract. He could change what was stated in the contract and it said he was only obliged to pay a fracture of what was agreed in the first place.”

”What?!” Bickslow howled and stood up. ”We have no money?!”

”And neither a place where to sleep”, Ever hissed. ”Money we got is not even enough for us all to buy train tickets back to Magnolia!”

”You gotta be kidding! Where are we gonna sleep? How do we get back home? What do we eat?” Bicks whined. ”We have no tent, no blankets or any of our camping equipments! It would take days to walk back to Magnolia!”

”We can't stay here, that old fart said that if we won't be gone in fifteen minutes the staff will throw us out or call the town guards so we end up in jail.”

”Wow, he got really pissed off 'cause he couldn't have Freed”, Bicks snorted and took his backpack.

”He is obviously one of those rich men who are used to have what he wants”, Freed sneered and took his own bag. ”And he will punish those who dare to object him.”

”Whatever, I'd rather sleep a month in a forest without any equipments than let him get near you”, Laxus said and touched Freed's cheek, making him smile.

”We will figure something out”, greenette promised.

”Yeah, we have been in tough situations before”, Bickslow grinned.

”But I was really looking forward to have a change to live three days in a hotel suite”, Evergreen sighed as they started walking in the dark streets.

Freed looked at his friends faces and he could see the disappointment. Even Laxus had obviously been excited about the idea of them spending three days together at the suite.

Freed frowned his eyebrows and tried to decide what to do.

”How far can we get with that money we have?” he asked finally.

”Huh? Perhaps two towns away from here if we all go”, Laxus answered.

”That is far enough”, Freed said. ”Come, we need to hurry to our night train”, he said and with confusion in their faces his friends ran after him towards the train station.

Freed took the jewels and purchased the tickets.

”We made it”, he sighed as they found an empty cabin.

”I hate this...” Laxus grumbled holding his head and he slumped to sit near the window so he could have at least a little bit of fresh air.

”I'm sorry”, Freed said and he patted his mate's shoulder.

”But where are we going?” Ever asked and they all looked at Freed.

”I know a place where we can stay. For free”, he explained. ”I don't know if it's as good as a hotel suite but at least we can sleep in beds and have something to eat. But it's two hour train trip away so we have to endure that much.”

”That's our captain!” Bicks grinned. ”You always manage to come up with something.”

”We're glad you're here taking care of us”, Ever smiled.

”Come on, I know you would have figured something out by yourselves too”, Freed smiled. But of course it was nice to sometimes hear that his team appreciated his efforts.

They took their places and Freed ruffled Laxus' hair. The dragon slayer was laying on the bench his head on Freed's lap.

”What is this place where we are going?” Ever asked with curiosity.

”Umm... An old house, there is plenty of space and we can have our own rooms”, Freed said. He was not sure how he should explain everything... But maybe it was now time for that. Laxus would eventually find out everything now since they were dating.

”Is it somekind of a mansion?” Bicks asked.

”Uh, yeah...”

”Cool, that's way more awesome than some shitty hotel”, the seith mage grinned. ”Is the owner a friend of yours?”

”A-actually... I'm the owner.”

For a minute there was a dead silence in their cabin.

”No way. No way! You own a mansion?!” Bicks shouted finally.

”Well it was my grandmother's mansion. I inherited it when she died when I was twelve.”

”You inherited? Why not your parents?” Ever asked.

”Because they died when I was three. I lived with my grandmother by winters and by summers I lived with my mother's father in the country.”

”Don't tell me he has a mansion too”, Laxus grumbled.

”He does. But he is still alive so he lives there.”

”Man... All these years we have been friends and you never considered about telling this to us?” Bicks asked. ”I mean, sure, you don't have to if you don't want to but you don't need to be that secretive.”

”I never meant to be”, Freed assured quickly. ”I just never... Knew how to tell you about this”, he sighed. ”It always changes things. Maybe you would start to think I'm just some spoiled rich boy.”

”We know you're not some shitty spoiled brat”, Laxus murmured. ”You are strong, wise and humble.”

”Thank you, Laxus”, Freed smiled blushing slightly. ”That helps. I was scared what you guys might say.”

”So you're rich?” Bicks grinned and Freed nodded. ”Wow, could you have bought that entire hotel?”

”I'm not that rich”, Freed chuckled. He should have known he had nothing to worry about. Laxus, Bickslow and Evergreen would always be by his side and they would think of him as Freed, not just some rich boy. He should have had trusted his team members more.

Greenette smiled.

”I'm really lucky that I have you three”, he said. ”And Fairy Tail.”

”But why did you leave?” Ever asked. ”I mean... you grew up in a mansion! And you have money! Why did you join Fairy Tail?”

”I wanted to be a mage”, Freed smiled. ”As simple as that. And I wanted adventures. When you're rich, you can't have that much adventures. Or at least it is not adventures for me. You can always buy whatever you want and go where ever you want. There are no struggles to survive and you don't need to think where you're going to sleep, since you can just go to the hotel.”

”I guess I understand what you're saying”, Ever shrugged. ”So you don't use your money at all?”

”No. When I left so I could join Fairy Tail, I left all my money behind. I decided to survive with my skills and earn my money.”

”You've done great, babe”, Laxus smiled. ”Now I understand you better. In a mansion there must have been many kinds of rules and stuff so that's why you always behave so aristocratic. So is your grandfather some kind of a lord?”

”Yes, he is an earl.”

”Wow... So you're rich and a nobleman? No wonder you know how to dance waltz and stuff”, Bickslow snickered. ”Do you inherit that noble rank when your grandfather dies?”

”I guess”, Freed shrugged. ”He doesn't like me so he might also have some distant cousin or something who he will mark as his heir.”

”He doesn't like you?” Laxus frowned.

”Yes... I haven't seen him since I left. When my grandmother died, of course I had to live with my grandfather full-time. He is... um... Rather scary old man. And that mansion is just as scary, I hated it when I was a kid.”

”Where he lives? I don't remember any Earl Justine living nearby”, Ever noted.

”Justine is my father's last name. My grandfather is Earl Lucados Zaldevil.”

That made others jolt.

”I'm guessing you have heard that name”, Freed sneered.

”Yeah, now I understand why you said he is scary”, Bickslow shivered. ”We don't know much about him but enough. And you lived with him every summer?”

”That is why I like winter so much”, Freed said smiling slightly sad. ”Because I lived with my grandmother then.”

”Who was your grandmother then?” Ever asked.

”Ophelia Justine. When she was young she was the primadonna of her time. She performed in many plays in opera and theatre.”

”Isn't she the one who was married with that playwright whose books you always read?”

”Yes. Drigale Armarus is only a pen-name, his real name was Felix Justine. They never revealed Drigale Armarus' real identity.”

”Man, your life sounds like it's from some crazy play itself”, Bicks chuckled. ”Are you sure it's okay that we accompany you to your mansion?”

”Of course it is”, Freed said without hesitation. ”You three are always welcome there. Even if you are nearby just by yourselves feel free to use that mansion as you please”, he smiled. ”I will make sure the staff remembers you all.”

Train chugged ahead and they stopped at the next town quickly before continuing their journey. Finally they stopped and Freed yawned. He had almost fallen asleep. Others were already in deep sleep.

”Hey, we have to go”, Freed said and shook his teammates. ”Get up.”

”I hate trains...” Laxus muttered but he stood up. They took their bags and stepped out of the train.

”It's already two in the morning, but there should be someone near the station with a carriage so we can have a ride”, Freed said.

”Can't we just walk?” Laxus groaned.

”It would take too much time and we all really need some rest”, Freed said. ”So let's just find a carriage.”

They had to search for a little while but finally they found someone who could give them a ride.

Chapter Text

Finally they arrived at the mansion after fifteen minutes ride trough the town and then two minute ride after the gate. Carriage stopped in front of huge stairs and they stood up.

”Gatekeeper will take care of the payment and they have been instructed to give a good tip”, Freed said to the driver.

”Thank you, sir”, woman behind the wheel smiled and she drove around the fountain, heading back to the gates.

Doors opened and a chubby butler stepped out in his morning gown and he was followed by couple of servants who immediately grabbed their bags.

”Master, it is good to see you”, the butler smiled.

”It's good to see you too, Dubois”, Freed said. ”I'm sorry that we didn't announce beforehand that we were coming.”

”Sir, I'm sure you had a good reason for that. We are here to always welcome you back when you want to visit us.”

”It is good to hear that”, Freed smiled. ”These are my team members and fellow guildmates from Fairy Tail. Bickslow, Evergreen and of course our leader Laxus Dreyar.”

”It is an honour to meet you all”, Dubois smiled and he bowed politely. ”Master have told us everything about you.”

”This is Aaron Dubois, he is the butler in this mansion”, Freed introduced. ”He will help you if there is any problems. Dubois, we need rooms. We might stay two or three days.”

”That is wonderful, sir”, Dubois said and his eyes seemed to sparkle. It seemed like Freed didn't visit that often. ”Go get the maids and hurry to get the rooms ready, I will take care of this”, Dubois said to one of the servants and took Freed's bag he was carrying.

They stepped inside the mansion and looked around. Laxus was really impressed. Dammit, there was marble floors, huge carpets, massive staircase to the second floor and paintings all over. There were even fancy columns and statues, even couple of full-body armours!

”Do you guys want something to eat?” Freed asked and he chuckled when he saw his friends stunned faces. Well, his grandmother was the primadonna of her time so it was only natural that her mansion was also flashy and beautiful.

”Uh... No, let's just go straight to bed”, Laxus said.

”Yeah, we can eat in the morning”, Bicks grinned.

”Warn our cook, they eat plenty of food”, Freed chuckled to Dubois. ”Oh and Laxus sleeps with me.”

”Really? That is great news, sir”, the butler congratulated making Freed blush. ”We are happy to hear you have found someone and are no longer alone. We hope you might visit more often now?”

”I can't promise anything...” Freed murmured.

Servants carried their bags and they were guided to their now ready rooms. Evergreen and Bickslow had rooms next to each other on the second floor but Freed headed back to the stairs after that.

”Aren't we gonna sleep here?” Laxus asked confused when they started to climb again.

”No, our room is in the third floor”, Freed smiled. ”I hope you like it. It is the master bedroom and there are plenty of space. We also have a beautiful view over the garden to the lake nearby.”

It was more like a tiny house inside the third floor that is what Laxus thought when they arrived. Dubois opened large doors for them to the master bedroom.

”We will go straight to bed, Dubois”, Freed smiled. ”This has been a really long day so just let everyone sleep as long as they want.”

”I understand, sir”, Dubois smiled.

”We will announce when we want our breakfast. Oh and Bickslow is allergic to peanuts, not badly but it would still be better if the cook won't use them at all.”

”I will make sure he knows that. Good night then Master, mister Dreyar”, Dubois smiled and he closed the doors.

”Wow... This is amazing”, Laxus said looking around. ”The bed is almost bigger than my own bedroom.”

”No it's not”, Freed laughed and put his coat on the hanger so servants would make sure it was clean. ”I don't know about you but I'm really exhausted”, greenette sighed.

”Yeah, I'm ready to sleep on the floor”, Laxus admitted and sat on the edge of the bed. Wow, the mattress felt like a cloud! But still it was firm enough so his back wouldn't hurt.

”Thankfully we don't have to”, Freed smiled and he put rest of his clothes neatly on the chair and was only wearing his boxers. ”That wouldn't suit you.”

”And it would destroy my back”, Laxus laughed. ”So do you visit here sometimes?”

”Yes, twice a year so I know what happens here and make sure servants are having their pay checks and so on. But I usually only stay one or two days.”

”So when you last time told us you wanted to take a solo mission suddenly, you came here?”

”I did that solo mission too and since it was in this town I could also take care of the businesses here”, Freed smiled and he slipped under the covers. ”You know, it's not really polite to just leave your clothes on the floor like that”, he chuckled when Laxus dropped his clothes.

”Eh, too tired to start folding them and shit”, blond just stated and he lifted the blanket. ”Oh god this bed is like from dreams.”

”I'm glad you like it”, Freed smiled.

”Wait, something is missing”, Laxus muttered and then he pulled Freed against him. ”There, now this is perfect”, he snickered.

”Sometimes you can be such a big softie”, the swordsman giggled.

”Shut up and sleep. You look like you might faint at any second.”

Freed smiled and kissed his dragon slayer. They both fell asleep almost instantly.

In his dream, Freed was running through the dark halls filled with big paintings of his ancestors. There were big marble statues of demons all over the mansion. Sometimes he could see the outside of the windows. It was so green and beautiful out there, but he couldn’t open the windows nor did he find doors.

He felt like he was suffocating. There weren't even servants around. No one would let him out.

Finally he arrived in the big living room where there was dark couches with red velvet covers. On the floor there were beautiful yet somehow intimidating big carpet with lots of details. Fire was crackling and dancing inside the fireplace and it was the only light in the room. Fireplace was huge and there were carvings in it, what else but demons.

Demons were part of this family, part of Freed. It didn’t matter did he want it, it was something that was decided for him. Demons lend their power to the members of this family if they saw they were promising. Freed’s grandfather had his own demon powers and he had his own. His mother did not fulfil demons’ expectations and she was not granted with this ’gift’. Freed didn’t want it either but he couldn’t change his fate.

Demons would always be part of the Zaldevil family.

Freed looked around and suddenly the doors shut tightly and he was trapped here in this huge dark room. This room where he always sit with his grandfather who would scold him because something he did or how he behaved. Zaldevils were never weak, that was rule number one. Zaldevils never cried, rule number two. Zaldevils would rather die by their own hand than surrender, rule number three. Zaldevils were only loyal to their family, no one else, rule number four.

There were dozens of rules like this and Freed remembered them all. He hated those rules. They didn’t help anyone. Rules should always help people and keep them safe, not to hurt them.

”Freed”, soft familiar voice said and it made shivers run down his spine again. It might have been years since he had seen his grandfather last time but he would never forget his voice. There were no figures in the room but still he could almost see how long, once shiny dark green but now greyish hair waved in the air near his grandfathers' favourite chair.

”I want to get out”, Freed said.

”No, you can’t. You will stay here, this is your place. It is your destiny to inherit this place and keep our family safe.”

”I don’t want to inherit this place, I don’t want anything from here.”

”But you will. Half of your heart is demon’s. It is part of you and you can’t change that. Come here, sit with me. It has been too long since we have had a good long chat…”

”No, I wont stay”, the swordsman said stubbornly shaking his head. ”I have a new home. I have a new family who I will stay loyal to!”

”That is just a pitiful act, you are trying to run away from your destiny and responsibilities. There is only you and me and Zaldevils will always stick together and be loyal only for their family.”

”I'm not Zaldevil! I'm Justine!”

”You are Zaldevil. Your heart knows that. There are demons inside you and they have acknowledged you as the next lord of this family. Your mother was not strong enough for that. And then she run off with that useless, good for nothing man from family of singers and writers...”

”Justines were wealthy and good people! They cared about other people and they would never hurt anyone.”

”They were just mere commoners, nothing more. I tried my best to have you carry the name Zaldevil but your mother was strongly against it.”

”And I'm glad about that”, Freed sneered. This was so confusing! This place was like his grandfather's mansion but it still wasn't. Something was off but he just didn't figure out what it was.

”And who is that man you're dating? I always had a hunch that you would swing that way...”

”His name is Laxus Dreyar and his family is greatly respected.”

”Dreyar... Yes, I know that name. I have heard about Makarov Dreyar, he is the Master of the Fairy Tail, that Guild where you ran off. And that Laxus is his grandson.”

”Laxus is more than just a grandson of Master Makarov”, Freed snarled.

”Whatever. But he is strong, that I have heard. I wonder... Maybe he would be what we really need in this family, strong new blood. How I would love to have a great-grandson with the power of a dragons slayer and demons.”

”Are you insane?!” Freed yelled to the empty room. ”We're both males! That is not going to happen!”

”There are always some way. You don't even know how much different magic this world helds in and what odd ways you can use it to grand you what you want.”

”I need to get out!” Freed said and he started to feel panic rising inside him. This was madness!

”Freed. You can’t go out.”

”I will! I will find a way!”

”Freed.”

”Just shut up!” Freed yelled holding his head and it felt like the whole room started to twirl around and around and around. He was feeling sick! He was ready to throw up in any second.

”Freed?”

Greenette opened his eyes and gasped inhaling large amounts of air like he had been holding his breath for a really long time.

”Freed?” Laxus said concerned looking at his mate who was huffing and sweating. He looked scared and he just wanted to hug him and soothe him. ”Was it a nightmare?”

”Huh?” Freed said blinking and he finally started to understand the situation.

It was a dream. He was not in his grandfather's mansion and talking with him. He was in his own mansion, talking with Laxus. Laxus was there right next to him, sleeping with him in the same bed.

”Y-yes…” he finally answered with a shaky voice. Ugh, he was still feeling a little bit nauseous...

”What was it?” Laxus asked snuggling close to freed and he buried his nose in those beautiful green hair. ”It’s okay now, love. Dreams can’t hurt you.”

”I know”, Freed mumbled and his heart wasn’t pounding any more so hard and painfully. ”It was just something nonsense”, he said shaking his head. Just a dream. It did feel unnaturally realistic but it was still just a dream. Right?

”Really? Why would something like that freak you out so much?” Laxus asked. Freed didn’t like to lie to anyone but he was really good at avoiding the questions. ”Was there someone?” blond asked and he slowly caressed his mate’s side so he would feel more safe and talk to him.

”Yes”, Freed muttered. Laxus knew how to ask question so he couldn’t avoid it just like that.

”Who was it?”

”My grandfather.”

”Did he say something to you?”

”Yes. But it was nothing serious. It was just a dream, it’s not like we actually had a conversation”, Freed said and turned around to face Laxus. ”It’s nothing”, he assured smiling slightly. ”I was just really tired because of yesterday and when I suddenly had to remember all those old memories it kinda invaded my dreams.”

Laxus sighed silently. Well, at least Freed was now calm again.

”Maybe you should sleep some more”, the lightning dragon slayer said.

”What time is it now?” Freed asked and turned to see the clock on the night stand. ”Already eleven?” he almost shouted and sat up.

”Well it was really late when we finally arrived”, Laxus said. ”You should still rest.”

”No, I’m okay now”, Freed smiled and he kissed his boyfriend. ”Almost forgot, good morning.”

”Good morning, idiot”, Laxus chuckled. Freed always demanded to have his morning kiss no matter what and why would he be against it?

”I’ll go take a shower”, Freed said and stood up.

”I’ll join you”, Laxus nodded and he as well got up from the bed. ”That bed is honestly something I really would like to take with us to Magnolia. I have never slept this good.”

”You don’t like your bed?” Freed asked as they walked to the bathroom. Or more like his own little spa.

”Eh, it’s okay but now it’s gonna feel tiny”, Laxus grinned.

”Maybe I should buy us a new bed?” Freed offered with laugh and he tossed his boxers in the laundry basket.

”Hmm… Not sure if that would feel right.”

”Why not?”

”It would feel like I would take a benefit of your money and it sickens me”, Laxus stated and stepped on the shower with Freed. ”I would never do something like that to you”, blond said kissing Freed’s neck and greenette gasped lightly when soft tongue caressed the mark on his skin. ”I’m gonna buy us a new bed with my own money.”

”Wouldn’t that then be me who is using you?”

”That’s okay, ’cause I want to give you everything I can.”

”Laxus, maybe I want to give you everything I can?” Freed chuckled and fondled Laxus' arm muscles.

”I only need you and I'm happy”, Laxus assured and his hands started to drift all around Freed's chest, hips and finally they stopped near his groin not yet touching him. It was a delicate way to quietly ask if Freed was in the mood.

Greenette sighed. He was not in the mood right now for that. That dream was still haunting him and it made him feel sick when he even thought about it.

”Just hold me”, he asked silently and right away hands pulled back. Instead those strong arms wrapped around him protectively.

”Better?” Laxus asked.

”Yes, much better”, Freed smiled. ”This feels really nice.”

”That's good to hear, love.”

Chapter Text

After the shower they got dressed up and arrived at the dining room.

”Damn, why can't we eat like normal people?” Laxus muttered and he poked one of the too many forks next to his plate.

”Just use whatever fork or spoon you like”, Freed chuckled as he ate his own breakfast/lunch. ”Everything is okay as long as you don't eat with your hands. Dubois, have you yet seen Evergreen or Bickslow? Are they still sleeping?” he asked from the butler who was standing near their table.

”I believe miss Evergreen is still sleeping, but mister Bickslow is outside at the pool, sir”, Dubois answered politely. Of course he was making sure their master’s and his friend’s breakfast weren’t interrupted by anything.

”Mister Bickslow, man that sounds stupid”, Laxus laughed.

”Maybe we should join him after our meal?” Freed suggested. It was a really warm day even if it was late summer already and this was their vacation so why shouldn’t they spend it at the swimming pool?

”Yeah, let’s do that. Is the pool big?” Laxus asked shoving food in his mouth.

”Big enough for us. Wow, you are actually using a salad fork to eat your bacon?”

”Shut up you spoiled rich boy. You said I can use whatever I want and this was the closest one.”

”Just teasing you”, Freed chuckled.

They ate and went to change their clothes. Laxus changed to his swimming trunks and of course Freed had his speedos.

”You really have to use those?” Laxus snarled his arms crossed.

”What? You don’t like them?” Freed asked and looked at the mirror.

”I like them but I don’t like that there are others who also like to see you wearing those”, Laxus grumbled.

“There are just us and servants.”

“Who says they won’t still stare at you?”

“That’s just ridiculous”, Freed scolded and tied his hair up into a ponytail.

“Would you change into normal swimming trunks if I asked really politely?” Laxus offered.

“Like you would do that. These are comfortable and I like them so you just have to bear with it.”

”I’m gonna punch everyone whose eyes start to linger on your body, just so you know.”

”Oh? If I had to do that to everyone who stares at you with adore, I would have no time for everything else”, Freed smirked and Laxus laughed.

They arrived outside to the big yard and Laxus looked at the pool. It was definitely more than just enough for them. There were also a beautiful patio with the big fancy stone grill and next to it there was a fridge. Of course there were also tables and chairs so anyone who wanted could eat outside.

”Seriously, I don’t believe any hotel suite would have been better than this place”, Laxus said as Freed fetched a bottle of lemonade from the fridge.

”I’m glad you like this place”, the swordsman smiled and opened the bottle. Laxus suddenly snatched it from his hands. ”You should get your own, there are enough for everyone.”

”I just need a sip”, Laxus said, gulbed down half of the lemonade and gave the bottle back to Freed. ”Refreshing”, he said with a loud burb.

”You really have no manners at all”, Freed huffed.

”It’s not because of my manners that you love me”, Laxus smirked slyly making Freed laugh.

”You might be right there”, he admitted.

”CANNONBALL!” they heard a loud yell and then water splashed on them.

”Bicks! Don’t jump from the balcony!” Freed scolded when the blue haired mage popped his head up to the surface. ”That is dangerous!”

”Danger just makes it more fun”, Bicks cackled and this time he wasn’t wearing his helmet like he usually did.

”Seriously, you’re going to hurt yourself if you keep that up. Laxus!” Freed shouted when he realised the lightning mage had climbed up on the balcony.

”Relax, nothing will happen”, blond snorted and jumped on the water causing another splash to drench Freed.

”Water! Water!” Tiki dolls yipped and flew around the pool.

“Fine, do whatever you want”, greenette gave up. “But at least I warned you guys.”

“Freed’s uptight”, ‘babies’ giggled as Freed sat on one of the chairs near the pool. He wasn’t that fond about the swimming, he usually just sat on the chair sunbathing.

“Go drown yourselves”, he hissed annoyed glaring at the dolls.

“Freed’s mean!” they cried and flew to Bickslow.

“Just leave him alone”, Laxus said. “He’s annoyed because it kinda is but still isn’t a rule to not jump down the balcony to the pool”, he smirked making Freed frown. “It pisses him off like hell when there are situations like that.”

“Yeah”, Bickslow laughed.

“I could make it a rule, this is my house after all”, the rune mage snarled dangerously.

“That would just ruin our fun”, Laxus grinned. “You wouldn’t want to do that.”

”Come on, Freed! Let’s play!” Bicks incided and tossed a ball for Laxus.

”I’m fine just here”, Freed said leaning back and put his lemonade on the table next to him. ”You guys have fun in the pool.”

He shut his eyes and heard more splashing, then pair of feet sloshing against the marble. He already knew where this was going even before Laxus grabbed his arms and Bicks did the same for his ankles. They swing him back and forth three times before they let go and the rune mage flew across the air, splashing on the water finally.

”Oh god! Oh god! So cold!” he jittered with hands around him when he got to the surface.

”No it’s not you wuss”, Bicks laughed. ”Hey! Dubious!”

”Dubois”, Laxus corrected.

”Yes, sir?” the chubby butler asked.

”Do you guys have any toys?”

”Everything that can be used in the pool are at the pool house, sir.”

”Okay, thanks!” Bicks said and he skipped to the small house near pool.

Laxus took the ball and hopped back to the water.

”Feeling better?” he asked from his boyfriend.

”Little by little”, Freed nodded. ”I wonder when Ever is going to wake up.”

”She comes when she hears us having fun without her”, Laxus chuckled and tossed the ball for Freed.

Soon Bickslow returned and jumped to the water. ”I found these!” he cackled and his tiki dolls dropped inflatable toys to Freed and Laxus. ”Let’s fill them and have a race!”

Some times later Evergreen appeared to the pool.

”Those toys suite you guys”, she giggled when watching three men who were splashing around the pool with their inflatable swimming toys. Freed had a turtle, Bickslow had a shark and Laxus had a yellow duck. ”So cute.”

”Shut up, Ever”, Laxus muttered. ”Since you’re here finally, we can play something else with full teams.”

”I pick Freed!” Bickslow grinned.

”No way! It’s us girls versus stupid giants”, Evergreen said.

”Ever, I might look feminine but I’m still a man and don’t like it when someone calls me a girl”, Freed scowled.

”So you don’t want to be in my team?” Ever asked and Freed sighed watching how her lip started to tremble. ”Do you hate playing with me?”

”Ugh, fine! I guess I can be a girl just for a moment…” Freed gave up and put his turtle toy aside.

They got up from the pool and dried themselves. This time Freed put pants on so he wouldn’t get cold with his tiny speedos.

”One ball”, Ever said and he lifted the volleyball on her hands. ”We have to circle the house with it and we can only hold it ten seconds top at a time and then it must be tossed to your team member or somewhere else.”

”No traps!” Laxus and Bickslow shouted in unison looking at Freed.

”Last time I collided on to your wall I cracked my tooth and it hurt like hell!” Bickslow said.

”Fine, so no magic? Are wings and Bicks’ dolls allowed?” the rune mage suggested.

”It does make things more interesting”, Ever chuckled rolling the ball on her fingertip. ”Laxus can use his lightning to move around but make sure not to roast us with it. So, only ten seconds, magic only allowed to move around, circle the house but what then?”

”We have to make the ball go trough that loop”, Laxus said and he pointed at the big statue nearby. Even Freed wasn’t sure what the statue was supposed to express but now it served as a perfect goal for them. ”But how do we make sure you hold the ball only for ten seconds?”

”I can make one huge trap around the mansion”, Freed suggested. ”So if you hold that ball more than ten seconds, you will freeze on your spot for twenty seconds”, he said and drew some runes in the air. It was a big trap but really simple so it didn’t took much time or magic. “Can we use anything else but magic for fighting?” the swordsman asked.

“Look who’s not frightened anymore that someone might get hurt”, Bickslow snickered.

“Have we ever played a game without someone getting hurt because we are all so competitive?” Freed asked rising his eyebrows.

“Good point there, baby. So can we?”

“No”, Laxus said. “At least not directly. But you can use what you find to make it harder for others to move.”

”What is the punishment for the losing team this time?” Bickslow asked.

”Freed?” Evergreen said and greenette mused for a moment.

”For the rest of the day they have to dress up how the winning team wants”, he finally grinned. Oh, he had a perfect dress in mind for Laxus.

”Are you sure”, Laxus smirked deviously. ”’Cause if that is the punishment, I will make sure we will win with Bickslow.”

”Yeah!” the seith mage yelled and ‘babies’ cheered.

”No no, you can’t possibly win since that trophy belongs to us”, Evergreen giggled.

”Rules are set!” Freed said. ”Let’s start this game!”

Fighting over the ball was brutal from the very start. Freed and Ever had an upper hand since they had their wings and they were quite quick with their movements, but Laxus and Bickslow had more power to steal the ball from them.

”Hop!” Freed smiled snatching the ball once again when Bickslow tried to toss it to Laxus. ”Ever!”

”Got it!” brunette assured but was shoved aside by Laxus who grabbed the ball.

”I’m gonna enjoy seeing you dressed up as a maid”, blond laughed to Freed while giving the ball to Bickslow.

”Don’t be so sure about your victory, it most certainly won’t happen!” Freed said and he was going to grab on Bickslow, when one of his dolls bonked on his face.

It was ruthles, violent and most of all so much fun when they circled the house to the front door. Dubois was talking with the errand boy at the porch when they both had to duck since the master of the house flew over them in the house with Evergreen. Bickslow and Laxus followed them almost instantly.

”Freed! You fucking little trickster! Traps were not allowed!” Laxus roared as he wiped some blood from his nose.

”It was not a trap, it is not my fault if you can’t dodge a tree branch”, Freed chuckled with Ever.

”Laxus! I’ll stop Ever you grab the ball!” Bicks said and he sent three of his dolls ahead.

Tiki dolls grabbed one of the big curtains and Ever screamed when she got tangled in it, ripping the whole curtain rail down. Freed tossed the ball on the floor making it bounce back so now he could hold on to it another ten seconds.

”Gonna catch you!” Laxus snickered following Freed on the stairs as they flew to the second floor and scared some of the servants on their way.

”I don’t think so!” Freed grinned and he spun around and dove, slipping past Laxus from under him. He was fast and swift with his movements making it harder for the lightning dragon slayer to follow up.

But he was not that good with ball games and when he tried to bounce the ball again he didn’t catch it this time.

”Getting too cocky”, Laxus grinned grabbing the ball easily.

”AH!”

Laxus stopped immediately and turned around. Did something happen? Did he accidentally hurt Freed with his lightning?

Freed just stood there with his cheeks burning red. Laxus felt immediate arousal when the rune mage gently touched his lips and chest, slowly moving towards his pants.

”Laxus…” he moaned softly making Laxus jolt. ”I… I feel so h-hot…” Freed whined and squirmed slightly.

”Oh fuck Freed”, blond dragon slayer gulped. Freed was so damn hot! His pants started to tighten up already.

”You want that? Fuck Freed?” Freed asked with a submissive tone looking at Laxus shyly.

For a second Laxus was about to just give up this damn pointless game and grab his mate, but then the air around him flashed red.

”Shit!” he roared when his arms and legs couldn’t move at all. Freed just smirked and grabbed the ball from his hands.

”Sorry, babe”, he said smugly and kissed Laxus’ cheek. ”But this is war and I’m not going to lose”, he chuckled, patted Laxus’ ass and flew off.

”I’m gonna repay this you damn bitch!” Laxus growled.

”I’m looking forward to it!” Freed laughed and then the hallway was filled with loud noises when he crashed against the line of armours. Damn Bickslow had already caught up with them and while he wasn’t paying attention, used his dolls to shove him against the armours.

”Well well, what do we have here?” Bickslow chuckled and took the ball that was rolling on the floor. ”All alone, waiting for someone to pick it up.”

”Bicks, start moving!” Laxus commanded.

”Right sir!”

Freed shook his head and stood up gritting his teeth. He was NOT going to lose! Quickly he flew after Bickslow whose maniacal cackling echoed in the hallways. Once again Dubois had to duck when two mages hurtled above him. He smiled brightly. It seemed like master was having so much fun! He spun around when Evergreen flew past him and his hair stood up when Laxus used his lightning to get out through the front door.

Bickslow tried to shake Freed off by circling around the bushes in the garden but Freed knew this mansion better than anyone. He was not that easy to shake off. He was going to win this game no matter what! Freed made a turn to the right, dove under the big bushes and appeared right in front of Bickslow surprising him.

”Thank you”, the rune mage smiled when he managed to knock Bickslow on the ground and took the ball. He wasted no time heading towards the goal he could already see. Only this short distance!

”Freed! Ten seconds!” Ever warned when she appeared beside him.

”Oh! Right!” Freed hissed and tossed the ball for the brunette.

She got instantly hit by Laxus who then took the ball, orange eyes locked on the loop. One lightning bolt and he would make it!

”Don’t you fucking dare!” Freed snarled and grabbed his boyfriend from behind causing them both to crash on the ground, since Laxus couldn’t use his lightning now or it would hurt Freed badly. ”Ever!”

”I got it!” Ever shouted and took the ball while Freed and Laxus started to wrestle on the ground fiercely.

”Toss it!” Freed yelled. Ever was so close!

Brunette grinned and she aimed carefully before tossing the ball off.

“Yes!” Ever and Freed shouted excited because their victory as the ball went straight towards the loop, but then it stopped suddenly. ”W-what?!” they asked shocked.

One of the Tiki dolls giggled peeking behind the ball, as it had stopped the ball just right in front of the loop.

”My baby!” Bickslow grinned and he got to the loop, took the ball and with one swift swing the ball was in. ”YAH-HOO!” the seith mage howled victoriously standing on top of the statue, ‘babies’ dancing around him.

The air flashed green and game was over. Freed panted and dropped on his knees. No way! They lost!

Chapter Text

They had their bruises taken care of and then they went to the big living room. Freed and Ever were sitting on the couch waiting for their punishment as Laxus and Bickslow were talking about it. Or more like arguing because of it.

”No way! They should dress up like maids!” Laxus said.

”No! It wouldn't be enough of a punishment! You just want to see Freed dressed up as a maid! Do that in your own time in your bedroom!”

“Naughty Laxus!” the ‘babies’ snickered.

”They might spend the rest of the evening just arguing about that”, Ever muttered as they were drinking tea with Freed.

”It wouldn't be surprising if that actually happened”, Greenette nodded. “It’s not like it would be the first time they argue about something the whole evening.”

”Maybe they should dress up as cheerleaders?” Laxus suggested and the Tiki dolls started somekind of a dance together behind him.

”Or something funny, like clowns”, Bicks snickered. ”What do you say, Dubois?” he asked the butler. ”Tell us what we should do.”

”Well, if you want my opinion sir”, the butler said with discreet. ”There is no need to dress them both in similiar clothes? Why don't both of you choose which one you want to dress up?” he said and Freed sighed.

”Dubois, how could you?” he groaned.

”I'm terribly sorry sir, but I had no choice. They practically forced me to answer”, Dubois answered with a tiny little smile.

”Yes, I saw how much you suffered and screamed because they were torturing you...”

”All the agony happened inside me, sir. It was brutal. I really did my best to hold back”, Dubois chuckled and left to check out if the kitchen staff had started to prepare ingredients for the dinner. They were planning to use that big grill near the pool.

”That is not a bad idea”, Bicks said and Laxus nodded. ”I will pick Freed”, the seith mage said.

”What? Why?” Laxus snarled.

”Because you would just do something dull. No offence but dressing him up as a maid is just boring. Everyone can easily imagine him like that and he just probably pulls it off better than most of the girls.”

”Not sure if I should feel relieved or offended”, Freed muttered annoyed.

”But where do we get the outfits?” Laxus pondered.

”I know I'm going to regret this, but...” the rune mage sighed and stood up.

They walked to the hallway and took couple of turns and climbed up different stairs than before.

”Where are we now?” Ever asked curiously.

”This is the north side of the mansion, here my grandparents and parents kept all the theater props they had. They hosted many special events here and the crowd was allowed to dress up as well and sing along and so on.”

Freed opened the large, beautifully ornamented doors that let out a little creak.

”Another hall?” Bicks snorted looking around when Freed turned on the lights.

”This is the lobby”, Freed explained. ”People can have drinks and snacks here and talk with each other on breaks.”

”Wow, your family knew how to make things fancy in parties”, Laxus murmured.

”It's not like they were behaving like some royals”, Freed chuckled. ”Mostly people who came here were commoners from the town. It was really fun actually, nobody knew beforehand how the evening would end. Sometimes there were crime stories and one of the crowd was ‘murdered’ and the rest had to figure out who the murderer was before there would be more victims. Dubois has been the murderer at least five times I have heard.”

“Butler did it! We knew it!” the ‘babies’ chirped.

”Did you take part in those plays?” Laxus asked as they arrived at the another pair of doors, but not the main doors at the end of the lobby that obviously lead to the theater hall itself.

”Sometimes”, Freed shrugged. ”I prefer watching the theater to being part of it.”

”Did you sing?” Bicks grinned.

”Um... Yeah, when I was younger...”

”I bet your voice now would sound wonderful on the stage”, Ever smiled.

”I wonder what kind of a cute angelvoice you had before it got like that”, Laxus chuckled trying to imagine Freed on the stage but his usual low and aristocratic tone was replaced with high-pitched squeaking. ”Actually, I don't believe I have ever heard you singing”, blond noticed suddenly.

”Me neither”, Bicks said and Ever nodded.

”We're here”, Freed said and pretended that he didn't hear what the others said, when they stepped in another large hall.

It was filled with costumes. Seriously, there were so many racks full of clothes they could hardly walk around. They were all neatly arranged by theme and category.

”Oh wow...” Evergreen gasped eyes widened.

”If you really like something, feel free to use it how you like”, Freed smiled when he saw her face. ”Just don't take every dress you can see”, he laughed.

”Oh my god! Thank you sweetie!” Ever chirped, hugging the rune mage almost crushingly and then she started to go through the dresses.

”Hey, don't forget why we came here in the first place”, Bicks reminded grinning. ”Let's go, baby. Let's find something really good for you to wear”, he grinned grabbing Freed's hand and dragged him along.

”I just hope he won't try something ridiculous...” Laxus growled.

”You really are disappointed aren't you?” Ever chuckled. ”Because you know Freed would never agree to dress up as a maid or something similiar unless he had lost a bet or something.”

”Damn Bickslow ruined everything”, the blond dragon slayer frowned, annoyed.

”If we would have won with Freed, I know he would definitely had made you and Bicks dress up like slutty nurses or maids or sexy bunnies or something similiar. And I wouldn't have stopped him.”

”I see. I think I know exactly what costume I want you to wear.”

”What? Don't tell me you want to watch me walking around in that kind of costumes?”

”What?! No! Geez, that's sick!” Laxus sneered and shivered. ”You're like my sister!”

”Damn right. And you have Freed, he has the only ass you are allowed to drool over. Don't you dare hurt my little brother by even thinking about peeping other people that way”, Ever said protectively hands on her hips.

”He's a big boy Ever, he doesn't need big sister to take care of him.”

”It's not up to him”, Ever purred with a sweet tone. ”It's totally up to me. If I want to protect him or pamper him then no one can stop me.”

”You don't do that to Bickslow.”

”He's older than me and Freed. He's the dummy big brother who we have to babysit so he won't accidentally swallow a butterfly and die choking.”

”Oh, come on. I know you care about him more than you show”, the dragon slayer laughed and started to look for the clothes he needed.

”He's a dumbass”, Ever tsked.

”Maybe but he's still our brother. Last time when we met up with Bacchus and he challenged Bickslow to drink with him, you almost made him piss his pants because Bicks was so wasted he had a hangover for three days.”

”I was already mad because of other things and he just happened to be a perfect target to release some steam.”

”You turned him into a stone statue and we barely managed to stop you with Freed when you were about to kick him down the stairs.”

”I wanted to drop him from the roof but he was too heavy for me to carry him there first.”

”You're such a stereotypical overprotective big sister even if you are younger than me and Bickslow”, Laxus grinned.

”Whatever”, Ever huffed crossing her arms.

She looked at Laxus now a little bit curious.

”So what about Freed?” she asked.

”What about him?” Laxus asked and he looked at the dozens of wigs on the shelf.

”Was it... um... Odd when suddenly he turned from brother to be your boyfriend?”

”I thought about that too. I'm not sure I have ever seen him as my brother.”

”Really?”

”Yeah... I guess at some level I have always liked him? We're soulmates after all, some part of me must have known he's my mate from the beginning even though it took me long enough to actually realize it”, Laxus muttered with a tiny hint of blush on his cheeks.

Ever smiled and hugged him tightly making the blond man freeze.

”I'm so, so, really glad for both of you blockheads”, she smiled. “I’ve been hoping you two to get together ever since Bickslow told me Freed had a chrush on you. You two just make perfect sense.”

”This is why I don't like talking about feelings and shit”, Laxus snarled.

”You big dummy”, Ever teased giggling and tightened her grip.

”Get the fuck off and go changing”, Laxus growled dropping the clothes on Evergreen’s head, mostly to cover his rosy red cheeks. Ugh, he really didn't like hugging or sappy talks if it wasn't with Freed.

Ever just chuckled and took the clothes.

”What is this costume?” she asked looking at the red long haired wig.

”Oh, you'll know it once you put them on”, Laxus just smirked.

”Do I know this character?”

”Yes, yes you do.”

”Do I like this character?” Ever asked suspiciously narrowing her eyes.

”Would it be funny for us if you liked?” Laxus grinned.

Chapter Text

After the changing Laxus and Evergreen waited at the lobby for Bickslow and Freed. Finally the doors opened and they stepped on the lobby. Laxus almost dropped his jaw on the floor when he saw his ashamed mate.

”What…” blond muttered.

”Nice work, eh?” Bickslow cackled looking at Freed who said nothing.

He was wearing tight pants with the other side black and the other white, and his shirt was black and white striped. He was also wearing leather boots with high heels and a black cone shaped hat with large brim. His green hair was now chin length and he also had black eyeliner and black lipstick.

”I look ridiculous…” the swordsman grumbled adjusting his white gloves better.

”You look fine, baby”, Bickslow grinned.

“Freed’s a harlequin!” his dolls giggled.

Freed jolted when without a warning the dragon slayer grabbed Bickslow’s throat scaring the living shit out of the seith mage.

”Did you cut his hair?” Laxus growled dangerously his orange eyes sparkling with pure anger. ”Because I swear to God if you did I will cut your –”

”No! Laxus, calm down!” Bickslow wheezed quickly. ”We just assembled it under his hat!”

”Really?”

”Yes”, Freed assured. ”Like I would give him a permission to cut my hair”, Freed huffed crossing his arms. ”There are limits what I’m ready to do even if I lost.”

Laxus grumbled something and let go of his friend who sighed relieved.

”So where’s Ever?” Bicks asked looking around but didn’t see their fairy anywhere.

”She just went to the bathroom for a second”, Laxus said.

They waited for five minutes.

”Ever!” Laxus finally shouted and pounded the bathroom door with his fist. ”Come out!”

”No!” they heard her answer.

”Come on, it can’t be that bad”, Bicks smirked. ”It was Laxus who came up with your costume so it can’t be that humiliating.”

”Who knows”, Laxus just hummed.

”You seem confident”, Freed chuckled.

”Oh yes, I know she hates that costume like hell.”

Finally, after five other minutes the door finally creaked open.

”Holy…” Freed gasped eyes widened.

”Shit!” Bicks added as well stunned. ”Man! Erza, baby, when did you arrive here in our humble mansion?!” he burst into laughter and Freed had to turn around so he wouldn’t do the same.

Ever was wearing a shirt that reminded them of Erza’s breastplate. She also had a red wig with long hair, blue skirt, long black boots and gauntlets. It wasn’t a perfect costume but close enough so they could immediately recognize who she was supposed to resemble.

”Laxus, I hate you so much right now”, Ever muttered with deadly tone in her voice.

”I can live with that”, Laxus shrugged.

”Come Laxus we need to pick something too”, Bickslow grinned.

”Why would I do that?” Laxus grumbled.

”Because it’s fun. They have to wear something they don’t want to but we can choose what we want.”

”I don’t want to wear anything else than what I’m already wearing.”

”Don’t be such a negative nancy”, Bicks grinned. ”Just pick up something and lets go grill some steaks.”

Finally they returned back to the pool. Head chef had arranged all the food for them and they were waiting for the instructions should they start cooking.

”Are they gonna cook for us?” Laxus asked. He finally gave in just enough that he was wearing a jogging pants and a hoodie without sleeves, saying he was dressed up as a man who wanted to feel comfortable for the rest of the evening. ”We’re not gonna do it ourselves?”

”We can if we want”, Freed smiled.

”I rather let them cook than Laxus”, Ever chuckled. ”Let's just enjoy getting pampered and relax.”

”As you wish, miss Scarlet”, Bicks snickered and barely dodged when Ever tried to hit him with her gauntlet.

”Shut up, Bicks”, brunette snapped. ”And what on earth are you wearing?”

”I'm a jester”, the seith mage grinned and twirled around. He was wearing colourful suit, ridiculous hat with bells and only lord knows what he had in his pockets.

”We are glad you are finally admitting to yourself who you really are”, Freed snickered.

”Oh baby, I would laugh if your lame joke wouldn't make me wanna cry”, Bickslow sighed. ”Now you have saddened the jester.”

”No! Don't cry!” his dolls gasped and rushed to snuggle against their master. They were also wearing tiny hats with bells.

”Jesters are supposed to bring laughter by their performances, not sorrow by their tears. You have failed us”, Freed grinned.

”Useless jesters are not suitable in our glorious mansion”, Laxus suddenly said with an arrogant snobbish tone. ”Off with his head!”

”Off with his head!” Ever and Freed cheered.

”Please, no! Not my head!” Bickslow whined and crawled in front of Laxus.

”Prove your usefulness to your king!” Freed demanded. ”Make him smile with your dancing!”

”Dance! Dance!” 'babies' chanted twirling around Bickslow.

”Oh, that would be my pleasure”, blue haired man cackled and hopped back on his feet.

Freed was always surprised how good their goofy friend was at dancing. He had a perfect sense of rhythm and it was not an issue for him to improvise. There were not many men as big as Bickslow who could move that freely and be that flexible.

After the dance they clapped their hands, one of the dolls even whistled and Bickslow was allowed to keep his head yet another day.

”So what can we drink?” Laxus asked sitting on one of the big comfortable chairs near the pool, as their chef started to make them dinner. “We need some booze. And not some shitty snobbish piss but real stuff.”

”Whatever you want”, Freed assured.

”Whatever?”

”Well... I'm pretty sure we have enough drinks here in the mansion that even you guys can't drink all of that in one night”, greenette chuckled.

”Sounds like a challenge to me”, Bickslow smirked.

”Yeah, I'm pretty sure I heard that too”, Laxus grinned.

”Just promise not to get too wasted, okay?” Freed huffed, though it was the same as him talking to the empty chairs since Laxus and Bickslow were already telling Dubois what to bring over. Whiskey for Laxus, rum for Bickslow.

”We are on a vacation”, Ever chuckled looking at the rune mage who sighed. ”And you owe us this much since you have been keeping secrets from us.”

”Ever”, Freed whined. ”It was not my attempt to keep secrets, I do not think that I can't trust you guys.”

”I know sweetie”, Ever hummed and she asked maid to bring her best champagne they could found from the house. ”But still. From now on, no more secrets”, she said poking Freed's nose slightly. ”Unless it is something really important that you just can't share with us.”

”Alright”, Freed chuckled. ”I give up. I think I might then take a Martini”, he decided and for him it was a big step in alcohol beverages so obviously others cheered for his boldness. ”But I know we are all going to regret this in the morning.”

”There are many things we regret in our lives but if we keep worrying something like that how are we supposed to live?” Bickslow grinned.

They ate and they drank. Even Freed was feeling more than just slightly tipsy, he usually only drank one or two glasses of wine if they were out drinking. But he still didn't drink nearly as much as Laxus and Bicks who had a competition. Even Evergreen drank more than him.

”So, there is this one thing I have been wondering”, Bickslow slurred while resting his head on the table and looking at Freed.

”What?” the swordsman asked and he had a tiny hiccup.

”I mean, you always follow rules so damn strictly”, Bicks said pointing at one of the three rune mages. ”How on earth you managed to make an exception?”

”Of what?” Freed asked confused and Laxus and Ever also stopped their conversation. Freed breaking rules? ”I never break rules if there is no really, really good reason for it like saving someone's life or something.”

”But you did, you did”, Bicks grinned his cheeks all red because of alcohol.

”What rule did he break?” Laxus asked confused.

”Teammates are not allowed to date each other”, the blue haired mage explained.

Freed just stared at Bickslow and suddenly he looked more like a ghost, skin pale and eyes filled with horror. And because of the alcohol, his reaction was strong since he didn't have that much refrain on what to say and how to act.

”Oh god...” Ever gasped.

”I... I broke the rule...” Freed stuttered with shock in his voice and obviously he was starting to slip in the panic mode.

”Freed, it's okay”, Laxus reassured quickly.

”No! I broke the rule!” Freed whined and he started to shake. ”It's a very clear rule! It exists so team stays safe and so there won't be fighting!”

Holy hell, it was like it just now dawned upon him for the first time: He couldn't date Laxus! It was against the rules!

“One should not break the rules without a really good reason!” the rune mage wailed.

”BICKSLOW!” Ever shouted and hit the seith mage on the face with her gauntlet, causing the tall man to crash down from his chair. ”Why did you do that?!”

”Sorry! I'm sorry, baby!” Bickslow apologized quickly. ”I didn't... I mean...”

”You caused Freed to fall apart!” brunette hissed as Freed was just muttering something for himself, his turquoise eyes staring at somewhere far and he looked horrified. ”Sweetie, everything is okay”, Ever smiled touching Freed's hand gently. ”This is clearly a justified exception, no one would stand against this.”

”It won't be an exception”, Laxus said and Freed raised his gaze, his mouth slightly open.

”What?! Laxus, that’s not helping!” Bicks yelled finally standing up.

”It won't be an exception because it doesn't have to be”, blond dragon slayer stated shrugging. ”I don't belong in the Thunder Legion in the first place.”

They all went silent. Freed finally blinked slowly and his drunken brain tried to process this information Laxus just said.

”Well, technically I do belong in a team with you guys, but still not”, Laxus said and he grabbed Freed's hand gently. ”We do lots of missions together but I also do them alone. You three formed Thunder Legion as it is right now and decided to follow be – only God still knows why the hell you guys did that – so I don’t belong in that team.”

”That... That is true...” Freed whispered slowly.

”So we are not in the same team”, Laxus smiled. ”Not in a way that breaks any rules when we are dating. Sure, we can confirm this from the old man when we get back home if you really want and it would make you feel better but trust me, he's going to say this is alright.”

Freed's tension loosened little by little as he thought this more. Laxus was right. Freed, Bickslow and Evergreen formed the Thunder Legion and Laxus was their leader but not part of their team.

”Seriously Bicks, if you ever do something like that again I'm going to fucking flay you and use your skin as a scarecrow”, Ever hissed.

”I was just curious”, Bicks smirked. ”And everything is fine again. Freed would have thought that same thing eventually.”

”Maybe”, Ever huffed. She smiled looking at how Freed relaxed again and was talking with Laxus. She was glad that Laxus had thought that rule and come up with an answer. Freed didn't have to feel like he was breaking rules and they could remain as a couple. Of course, they could always break their team also but it wouldn't be the same anymore.

So for a moment everything was once again in order. They would spent their vacation and return back to Magnolia and start training.

Chapter Text

Freed woke up with a screaming headache. Why was he feeling this bad? Oh, right. They were drinking last night... Now he remembered exactly why it was always a bad idea to drink.
Bed was moving slightly and someone was trying to pull the blanket off from his face.
”No... No, I don't want to get up...” Laxus could hear a feeble whine from the bed and chuckled. This bad hangover was something that made his boyfriend totally helpless and whiny and it was so damn cute.
”Come on. You know you're going to hate yourself if you sleep too late”, he purred and moved the blanket until he could see the green hair. But immediately Freed grabbed a pillow and lifted it above his head.
”I don't want to wake up”, the mighty captain groaned annoyed.
”I know babe, but I also know you too well and I know you wouldn't like it if you would sleep any later than it already is.”
”What time is it...?”
”It's already one o'clock.”
There was a silence in the bedroom and finally Laxus pulled more blanket off, revealing Freed's naked body that was filled with love bites. Greenette curled up and whined something nonsensical, still covering his face with a pillow.
”Come on, are you really not going to get up?” Laxus chuckled and bend down, leaning on his hands that were now both sides of his mate.
”I'm still thinking...” Freed mumbled from under the pillow. ”Or trying because my thoughts just don't seem to work...”
”You need a shower, then some food and a big cup of coffee. Then you will feel better”, Laxus reassured kissing Freed's shoulder softly.
”No, I need more sleep... Wake me up tomorrow...”
”Okay, maybe I should just carry you to the shower”, Laxus chuckled and grabbed Freed who squirmed and fought back but was too weak to actually do anything.
”Laxus, put me down”, he just whined miserably.
”Remember, this is the hardest part of hangover, waking up. You will feel better soon”, Laxus promised kissing Freed who finally stopped fighting and surrendered.
Ten seconds later Freed was standing under the shower, leaning his hands against the wall. He had to admit, it felt good when water ran down his body. He wasn't feeling that stuffy anymore and it was helping greatly that Laxus was washing his hair for him.
”It seems like you're not going to wake up fully for the rest of the day but at least you're feeling better”, the lightning mage chuckled kissing Freed's mark making the rune mage shiver.
”I told you I don't want to wake up, I just want to go back to sleep”, he muttered. ”I don't care if I hate myself later...”
”You know that is not true. Come on, try to work with me and turn around.”
”No.”
”Freed.”
”No.”
”You're acting like a little brat”, Laxus scolded.
”I don't care”, Freed said. ”My head hurts and I can't stand the idea of food.”
Laxus huffed. Freed was cute when he was like this but he was also a lot of work. He had to do something to make him feel better. And he knew exactly what would help.
”It seems like this situation requires some serious acts”, Laxus smirked caressing Freed's hips and he leaned closer.

XXX

Freed winced when other arm grabbed around his chest and other hand found it's way to his groin.
”Laxus”, he said. ”I'm really not in a mood.”
”You will change your mind”, Laxus purred into his ear and nibbed it, while his hand gently stroked Freed's member making it hard. ”Nothing helps like sex when you have a hangover.”
”L-Laxus”, Freed whined blushing.
”Yes, keep saying my name”, Laxus smirked licking the yellow mark in Freed's neck. He knew very well it was really sensitive.
Freed moaned and enjoyed his Thunder God's touch. He had to admit, this really helped and he was already feeling a lot better. He got confused when suddenly Laxus let go of his cock but when he saw him grabbing his lavender oil bottle he knew where this was going.
”We really need to make sure there's always lube in the shower”, Laxus murmured and he poured the oil on his fingers.
”Could be a good idea, that oil is really expensive”, Freed noted.
”Oh? Should I stop then?” Laxus grinned and squeezed greenette's buttocks.
”Please don't, this is actually helping a lot”, the rune mage said and he groaned when finger teased his entrance before it slipped in.
He leaned against Laxus, eyes shut and just enjoyed. Laxus smiled when looking at his boyfriend's face while he was like this. Freed was very rarely selfish and this was one of those rare moments. He just stood there, doing nothing and let Laxus do all the work. Laxus actually liked it sometimes and he knew Freed needed this so he could survive his hangover.
”You feeling like you could take me in?” he asked finally. Freed nodded and opened his eyes, taking some support from the handle on the wall. This was not why it was there but was perfect for this purpose.
Freed gritted his teeth slightly when Laxus started to penetrate. Blond was holding him tightly and moved slowly deeper, as he had learned pretty good by now how fast he could do this. Sometimes he needed to be more gentle, sometimes Freed liked it harsh.
When he was in, he waited for a moment.
”You okay, babe?” he asked.
”Y-yeah, you can start moving”, Freed assured.
Laxus started with slow pace, he was gentle and kissed the mark, making Freed moan. He could feel how his grip tightened from the handle and his groaning got louder, it was the sign he could start moving faster. Usually even if they started gently, it ended with roughness since Freed really liked it.
Freed panted and moaned harder, jerking himself and pushed himself against Laxus harder. It felt so good, he didn't even remember his hangover anymore. His moans echoed from the tiles and he repeated Laxus' name over and over again, begging for more and harder.
Finally Laxus gave him one big final thrust, grunting low. Freed could feel strong pulses as Laxus was ejaculating inside him.
”Laxus”, Freed groaned. He was so close to come.
When Laxus finally recovered from his orgasm, he again grabbed Freed and straightened him making him let go of the handle. He grabbed the member that was still waiting for it's release, making Freed cry out louder. It only needed a couple fast strokes and Freed was squirming and moaning hard, finally feeling the overwhelming sensation when he came.
They both panted hard.
”Feeling better?” Laxus chuckled as he finally pulled himself out and turned Freed around, kissing him.
”Yes”, greenette smiled and kissed Laxus again. ”But I'm still tired.”
”That's okay, babe. Just try to stay awake until evening or you will curse yourself because you can't sleep”, Laxus murmured hugging his boyfriend tightly. ”You need now food and coffee. That will help.”
”I guess”, Freed huffed.

XXX

They cleaned up and dried themselves. They stepped back to the bedroom and Freed wobbled towards the bed.
”Oh no you won't”, Laxus chuckled grabbing his mate in his embrace. ”We will get dressed.”
”I don't want to”, Freed whined.
”Come on”, the dragon slayer said and pulled Freed near their dresser where they kept their clothes now.
With struggles Laxus managed to get Freed put on boxers and pants, dressing up himself at the same time.
”How on earth would you survive if I weren't here to help you?” he chuckled and pulled an orange hoodie over Freed's head.
”I wouldn't have drank that much if you and Bickslow wouldn't have encouraged me to do so”, Freed muttered letting Laxus dress himself. He was tired enough not to even think about dressing other clothes than something comfortable. He didn't care if others would find it odd.
”Maybe we did get a little bit carried away, we forgot that you are not that used to alcohol”, Laxus laughed.
”And I'm not planning to get used to it”, Freed stated, lifting his hair up and let Laxus put a silk ribbon on it.
”Okay, I'll try to remember that next time.”
”You better. If I weren't this tired I would be really mad at you for letting things slip this bad”, Freed growled and he weakly hit his hand on Laxus' chest. Yes, it was his own fault for drink too much but right now he really wanted to blame Laxus.
”You can do that tomorrow when you’re not that tired”, Laxus assured amused. That hit couldn't have hurt a fly, hangover really did affect Freed in the most strange way.
”Don't you think I won't...” Freed muttered and leaned his face against Laxus' chest and closed his eyes.
”Come on, let's go”, Laxus' smiled shaking him gently. ”You need some fuel. I told them to make sure you get something that would help your hangover.”

With a little bit persuading Laxus finally managed to get Freed in the dining room. Bickslow was there, making Freed groan when he saw the Tiki dolls on the table. He could already hear their high pitched voice ringing in his ears.
He spun around and tried to escape back to the hallway but again Laxus grabbed his arms around him and lifted him up.
”You're going to eat”, he said determined and seated Freed down.
”Having a little hangover, eh?” Bickslow grinned looking at his green haired, worn out friend.
”Hangover? Freed's a drunkard!” his dolls giggled hovering around Freed, making him whine and cover his ears.
”Bickslow, give him a rest”, Laxus grumbled to the seith mage. ”You know how it feels when you have a bad hangover.”
”Fine, baby”, Bickslow smiled. ”You guys go play outside”, he said to his dolls.
”We wanna play with Freed and Laxus!” 'babies' whined.
”Later. Get out”, Bicks commanded and Tiki dolls flew out of the open window. Freed sighed relieved.
”So where's Ever?” Laxus asked as servant brought them food and coffee. Freed creased his nose as he was looking at his plate. So much greasy bacon and eggs. ”Believe me, babe. That helps”, Laxus chuckled.
“I should know, I have done this breakfast for you guys many times before”, Freed muttered and he started eating.
He only listened parts what Laxus and Bickslow were talking. Something about going to the town and exploring around. He was only interested in staying home and relaxing, maybe reading some books.
After the breakfast they walked with Laxus through the hallway that was filled with paintings.
“Is this your grandmother?” Laxus asked stopping in front of the big oil painting.
“Yes”, Freed nodded.
“She was really beautiful. I’m not surprised why she was a primadonna.”
“Yes, and she was also really kind and caring.”
“You have her facial features”, Laxus smiled. “And she had a mole just like you.”
“People have mentioned that many times”, Freed chuckled.
“So is this man your grandfather then?”
“Yes.”
“And these are your parents?” Laxus asked looking at the paintings as they slowly walked further in the hallway.
“That’s right.”
“You have your mother’s eyes. Though her eyes are brown. And your father’s eyes are blue just like your grandparents’. So did you inherit your eye colour and hair colour from your mother’s father? The lord what-was-his-name?”
“Lucados Zaldevil. And yes and no”, Freed answered. “He also has green hair and turquoise eyes but those colours came from demons.”
“Demons?” Laxus asked surprised looking at his boyfriend. “You mean, like those demonforms you use?”
“They are actual demons whose powers I’m allowed to use”, Freed explained. “They live inside me and they will never leave. They are… kinda like parasites.”
“So your mother didn’t have those powers since her hair is red?”
“That’s right. I had red hair when I was born.”
“What? Really?” Laxus laughed. “Do you happen to have any pictures?”
“No”, Freed chuckled. “I know, it sounds pretty funny to imagine my hair being red.”
They looked back at the beautiful painting where Freed’s mother was sitting near the fireplace, reading a book.
“So what happened?” Laxus asked. “Why did those demons settle inside you?”
“It is an old contract between Zaldevils and some certain demons who can’t move around in this world without a master. We can have their powers, they can have their forms and sometimes they can take over the body.”
“What? I haven’t seen you being taken over by your Absolute Shadow or something like that.”
“Of course because I won’t let that happen. Demons only want strong masters. Actually, they don’t even want to be in charge that often.”
“What happens to the demons when their master dies?”
“I’m not sure… I guess they return to where they come from? I never talked about that with my grandfather. When I was born, I was only one day old when my grandfather took me to the Chamber of Demons in our mansion. That is the place where demons decide if the human is worthy enough for them. I am not sure how many demons I have inside me, since I can’t talk with them before I manage to wake them, like Absolute Shadow. His real name is by the way Valdeghar. Or at least now it is Valdeghar. Name before that was Kiharragh. And before that it was Gjardxvidius... He likes to change his name from time to time, he says it’s refreshing.”
“I have to be honest, I have never actually thought about it where you got your demon powers from and what kind of a demons they are”, Laxus said amused. “So do they talk with you sometimes?”
“Yes, mostly in my dreams.”
“So you said that you are going to inherit your grandfather’s mansion, what happens to the Zaldevils then?”
“I’m not going to take that name”, Freed said with serious tone. “I will not be the Lord in that mansion. I don’t care if there is some old contract.”
“So you wanna be a Dreyar?” Laxus smirked making Freed jolt.
“W-what?” greenette stuttered.
“Well, it’s just a thought”, Laxus said shrugging. “But maybe some day, if you want. Freed Dreyar sounds really good in my opinion.”
“It… It does...” Freed gasped. Laxus had actually thought something like that? “But… Will it really be okay?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?” Laxus chuckled and took Freed’s hand on his own. “Relax, we have time. Don’t go overthinking things now. And we will find a way how to deal with that mansion and contract and so on. Valdeghar… That’s actually a pretty cool name”, he said.
“I’m sure he is proud right now”, Freed chuckled.

Chapter Text

The train rattled as it moved on the railway. Three days went by fast and now they were heading back to Magnolia. Of course, Freed promised to Dubois that they would visit again and the butler assured that they would always wait and welcome them whenever they decided to come.

The swordsman groaned silently and sneered. Why on earth did he let himself read so late? He knew they had to wake up before sunrise and head to the train station and yet still he had stayed at the library until three in the morning before crawling to the bed. Lack of sleep made his head hurt like someone was pounding it with a hammer.

“Still having a headache?” Ever chuckled sitting in front of the rune mage.

”Slightly”, Freed grumbled irritated.

“And you’re always the one who reminds us to sleep enough”, Bickslow grinned.

“I know that”, Freed said closing his eyes and his fingers gently ruffled blond hair, while Laxus was snoring his head on Freed's lap.

”We will arrive at Magnolia in an hour”, Ever smiled. ”You should head straight home, we go to the Guild and make a report.”

”Thank you, Ever. But as the captain I should be there too”, Freed said. ”I caused this to myself so it is not a valid excuse to not complete my task.”

”Guess we can't stop you when you decide to be a stubborn fool”, brunette huffed. ”So suit yourself.”

One hour later they stepped out the train and Freed pinched the bridge of his nose.

“No more reading trough the night for you”, Laxus said. “I’m honestly impressed how you still managed to get up before me.”

”Even Laxus looks healthier than you and we just came out of the train”, Bicks grinned and Freed muttered something. “You should really take some medicine and rest.”

”I'm fine”, Freed assured. ”I'm starting to feel better. Just don't wake up your dolls or I will shut their mouths for the rest of the month.”

“That’s just cruel, baby.”

They started their journey across the town. When they arrived at the Guild they already saw some of the decorations for the Autumn Festival. There were lots of carved pumpkins and pennons in different colors, as well as lanterns that were still in the middle of painting. They would look really good in the evening when they had candles inside them.

”Only 9 days anymore”, Freed smiled. ”Until the festival begins.”

”So, have you finally come up what you will perform in the festival?” Ever asked.

”Not really”, Freed confessed. ”But I will come up with something, it's not too late.”

”You don't have to perform anything if you don't want to”, Laxus assured. ”Old man will understand. You always do your best in every time we have this kind of things happening, it's not bad if one time you won't do something.”

”But I want to”, Freed smiled. ”And I will. I don’t want to be left out.”

”So Laxus has an idea, huh?” Bicks asked.

”Well, somewhat...” the lightning mage muttered. ”Not sure how I should use it.”

”We can talk about it later and figure out what to do”, Freed said. “Don’t worry.”

”Without Freed you would be lost”, Ever chuckled to Laxus, who laughed.

”Guess I can't argue with that”, he agreed.

They went straight to the Makarov's office and gave their report for the old Master. Even he noticed Freed's condition and said he should be at home resting.

”Pushing yourself too much is not a good thing”, he said arms crossed.

”I brought this to myself, Master”, Freed said. ”So now I should face the consequences.”

”Just go home, baby”, Bicks smiled. ”We all need some rest today.”

Freed sighed. Guess he could as well go home now since they gave their report and it sounded like they were not going to go through what new was on the mission board.

”Fine then, if you really don't need me today”, he said.

”Just rest, okay?” Bickslow said. ”I will return back to my training tomorrow.”

”I will do the same”, Ever smiled. “You should do the same with Laxus and finally decide what to perform.”

”Laxus, could you stay for a moment?” Makarov said when they were about to leave. ”There's something I need to talk with you.”

”Okay. See you at home”, Laxus said and kissed Freed's cheek, making him blush.

”Y-yes”, greenette smiled and he followed Bickslow and Ever to the hallway.

They arrived at the bar and there were already some guild members drinking. Ever and Bickslow both ordered some food but Freed didn’t feel himself that hungry yet.

”I should go then”, he said. ”Tell Laxus that I went in to our house.”

”Why there?” Ever asked confused.

”I miss my books”, Freed chuckled.

“Geez, you just caused yourself a huge headache because of reading and now you wanna read more?” Bickslow said. “Sometimes I just don’t get you at all.”

“I enjoy reading”, Freed smiled. ”I have already read every single book Laxus owns so I really need something new, I have at least ten books in my room that I haven't yet even touched since I bought them.”

”We'll tell Laxus”, Ever promised. ”He might then just follow you into our house.”

”That's okay”, Freed smiled. ”It doesn't matter where we are if we just can be together.”

”Well, I'm going to see Elfman and might spend my night with him so at least I don't need to hear what you two do in your room”, Ever chuckled.

”And I will find Cana”, Bicks smirked. ”So seems like you two can have the house all by yourselves tonight.”

”That sounds nice”, Freed smirked, waved his hand and started his journey towards their house.

On his way he stopped at the shop where he could get some medicine and he also bought more tea. He would take the medicine, maybe rest a little while, take one of his new books and curl up on the couch reading. Yes, that sounded like a perfect plan.

The rune mage approached their house and stopped when he saw a familiar figure standing in front of their door ringing their doorbell.

”Good afternoon, Juvia”, he greeted smiling, making the blue haired water mage turn around.

”Freed”, she smiled. ”Good afternoon to you too. Juvia was hoping Freed would be home.”

”We just arrived from our mission and went to give our report to the Guild”, Freed explained. ”You were on a long mission with others.”

”Yes, but it was all worth it”, Juvia beamed happily. ”It was a lot of hard work but we also had a great time!”

”I'm glad to hear that”, Freed chuckled.

”Juvia wanted to come tell Freed all about it! Oh, and Juvia heard that Freed also has something something going on with Laxus”, Juvia smirked mischievously elbowing him playfully in the ribs, making Freed laugh.

It was almost amazing how well they get along, maybe because they understood each other. For a long time they were both obsessed over someone who didn't seem to catch their affection and in some odd way they were kinda similar. They both were capable to feel so deep and overflowing love, unwavering loyalty and admiration that it seemed unbelievable for others. But not for them. They understood each other exactly, even though they acted differently. Freed was not sure if he could completely approve how Juvia used to stalk Gray around all the time, but… Well… Guess some way he wasn’t any better so it wasn’t his place to judge...

They both also knew how frustrating, agonising and sorrowful it all sometimes felt, yet still they were determined to never give up their feelings. They would never abandon who they most deeply loved, no matter if their love would never be returned in the same way. Of course the difference between them was that Juvia never gave up trying to make Gray love her, but Freed had accepted it long time ago that Laxus would never love him the same way he loved the Thunder God. And he was fine with it. Now he was glad that he was wrong.

They had both achieved their dreams.

”What you have heard is correct”, Freed nodded and that made Juvia squeal and wriggle.

”That is so good to hear, Freed!” she exclaimed hugging Freed tightly. ”Could we go somewhere to have tea? Juvia absolutely wants to hear everything!”

”Of course. Eh, but I must confess that I do have a little headache so would you mind if I make us some tea here? I just bought new tea leafs and we should still have some cookies left if Bicks haven't eaten them yet.”

”That would be just fine”, Juvia smiled. ”As long as we can talk if it won’t make Freed’s headache to go worse.”

“I will take some medicine so it will be fine”, the swordsman assured and he opened the door. ”Make yourself at home, Bickslow and Evergreen won't probably be back anytime soon, but Laxus might appear here at some point”, Freed said as he started to boil water after they left their shoes and coats at the lobby.

”That's okay”, Juvia assured and helped to set the table.

”Ah, here they are”, Freed smiled as he took out the cookie jar. ”It seems like Ever has been here”, he chuckled and put the jar on the table.

”How can you tell?” Juvia asked.

”Because if it were Bickslow, then he would have just shamelessly eaten all of them. But since only four or five are missing it has to be Evergreen. She thinks that we won't notice that sometimes she likes to have some midnight sweet snacks.”

”How can Freed tell some of them are missing?”

”Because I'm the only one here who makes them. I'm usually the one who makes all the food and I do the grocery shopping too. They just give me the money and a list what they want. I don't mind, at least I then know they don't eat just junk food”, the rune mage shrugged and poured water on the teapot.

”Freed really cares about his team”, Juvia smiled with bright face. ”That is so nice.”

”I know everyone in the Guild cares about their own team deeply”, Freed smiled and sat down. ”We all have our own ways to show it.”

They started chatting and Freed listened what Juvia told him about their mission. Apparently they did have some problems and quite unusual kind, since Wendy and Erza had had some kind of a argument. But they talked it over and ate some cake and everything was forgiven.

”So what is Gray doing now?” Freed asked.

”Gray was really exhausted so he went straight home”, Juvia said. ”Juvia decided to come first here to talk with Freed and then go back home too. Now Juvia wants to hear about Laxus and Freed”, she chuckled.

So Freed told him what had happened. How he went on the blind date with Rufus, suddenly Laxus was chasing after them, at the Guild he grabbed him possessively – at this point Juvia giggled and wriggled on her seat – and they talked about their situation.

He decided to left out the part where Laxus lost himself to his dragon side for a moment.

”We should double date sometime”, Juvia said suddenly full of excitement. she was so happy for her green haired friend!

”That would be nice but I don't know if it would work”, Freed chuckled. ”Since Gray and Laxus don't have that much in common. I can see how they would just sit there awkwardly and wouldn't say a word.”

”Now that Juvia thinks about it, Freed might be right”, Juvia sighed and all the excitement slowly disappeared. ”That is such a disappointment...”

”Well… Maybe we could sometime go eat with a bigger date group?” Freed suggested. ”There should be someone who can talk both Gray and Laxus.”

”How about Levy and Gajeel?” Juvia said and Freed thought about it.

”It might work”, he nodded. ”As long as they won't start a fight. Gray is not like Natsu but if they push the right buttons then he will not hold back one bit.”

”Gray is just so powerful”, Juvia sighed with overflowing adoration in her big dark blue eyes.

”You lost the point...” Freed mumbled. ”But anyway, it is not a bad idea to suggest this to Levy and then we can talk to Laxus, Gray and Gajeel. But I'm pretty sure those three might not be that delighted about this idea.”

”Freed might be right”, blue haired water mage sighed. ”It can be that this triple-date won't happen. They don't care about tea or biscuits or cake and talking...”

”Especially talking”, Freed nodded. ”At least not Laxus.”

They both sighed. Yeah, it was likely impossible to arrange anykind of a triple-date. Guess they had to be satisfyed with just this.

”Is Freed feeling better now?” Juvia asked.

”Hm? Yes, tea and biscuits helped a lot and a good company of course”, Freed smiled.

”That is good to hear. Juvia should probably head home now”, the blue haired mage smiled and stood up and Freed did the same.

”It was really nice to catch up with you”, he said.

”Juvia thinks so too! We must do this again but maybe after the Autumn Festival.”

”By the way, have you come up with something yet? Or did you guys just heard about it today?”

”We heard about it today but we already have a good show in mind with Gray”, Juvia said excitedly.

”That is good.”

”And Freed and Laxus?”

”I have to say I have no idea what to performance and Laxus... Well he had an idea but then it feels like he gave up with it.”

”Well, just think about something funny you can offer to children and that should be enough”, Juvia instructed. ”Something that could be also educational?”

Freed thought about it. Laxus only used lightning magic and jutsu shiki... But if those two could be combined somehow...

Then it hit him. Of course! That would be simple enough that Laxus could practice it even if they had only couple of days left and it would most certainly be funny for the kids.

”Juvia, you just gave me a great idea”, he laughed.

”Really? Then Juvia is glad”, Juvia smiled.

Door opened suddenly and revealed the Thunder God who stepped inside.

”Juvia?” he asked confused when he realized there were a guest in the house.

”Good afternoon, Laxus”, Juvia smiled. ”Juvia was just about to leave, we had a really nice chat with Freed”, she said and took her coat and put her shoes on.

”Let's settle another date after the Autumn Festival”, Freed smiled making Laxus raise his eyebrow.

”Date?” blond asked.

”Let's talk about it after the festival”, Freed just said ignoring the lightning mage's grumblings.

”Okay, Juvia is waiting it excitedly”, Juvia smiled and after goodbyes she stepped outside.

Freed started to wash the cups and teapot.

”Why was she here?” Laxus asked and he leaned on the work surface.

”We were just talking what all has happened”, Freed said and he looked at his boyfriend. ”You are not jealous are you?” he asked, making Laxus stiffen slightly.

”Just wanted to know why she was here”, he growled annoyed looking other way.

”Relax, we are just really good friends”, Freed chuckled and he put the cleaned cups away. ”I'm still not planning to cheat on you.”

”I know...” Laxus muttered and blushed a little bit ashamed. It was still hard not to get jealous sometimes, especially if situations were sudden like this time.

”And it was really good that Juvia visited”, Freed said smiling. ”She gave me a really good idea.”

”Yeah?”

”Yes, something you are going to like”, Freed purred.

”Really?” Laxus asked stepping closer to his long haired mate.

”It's going to ease all your worries.”

”Oh?” Laxus smirked pulling Freed closer to him. ”I really do like that.”

”Good”, greenette chuckled. ”Then we will start training early in the morning.”

”What?” blond asked confused.

”I finally know what you could do in the Autumn Festival”, Freed grinned and he laughed when Laxus pouted.

”Really...?” the taller man grumbled and was clearly disappointed. ”How is that going to ease all my worries?”

”Now we know what to do so we can focus on the training. And I might have an idea what I could do too.”

”You trickster, made me excited for nothing.”

Freed smirked and there was now a mischievous twinkle in his turquoise eyes.

”I said we start tomorrow”, he reminded. That made Laxus' face lit up again and big grin revealed his canine tooth.

”You little vixen”, the dragon slayer murmured.

”I would prefer if you would not say -” Freed's words were cut off because hot and possessive kiss. Big hand grabbed his ass and he was lifted up, quickly wrapping his legs and arms around Laxus so he wouldn't fall. ”Fine, whatever...” Freed finally muttered between kisses as Laxus seated him on the work surface.

Chapter Text

It took a lot of training but when the Autumn Festival arrived, they were ready. Freed smiled as he watched how his guild mates started to get ready for whatever they had planned from the early morning. Some people put up a real show, like Bickslow who hinted that he had at least music in his show. Evergreen said that her show would start at the evening when it was dark.

He had ended up making just something easy for the kids, something they could enjoy. So he had made a large trap in the open area, dark purple and inside it there were labyrinth. There were many entrances and he had made sure that rules allowed kids to come out even in the middle of the game if they so wanted, if they started to feel scared or just got bored.

Rules were really simple. There were a reward in the middle of the labyrinth and kids could go in alone or in teams. They had to choose if to turn left or right and at some point they were stopped because of the wall. There would be a riddle and correct answer would dismiss the wall, allowing kids to continue. Of course below every riddle there were runes that remind the kids they were not really trapped and they always could quit if they wanted.

Of course, Freed had also added some extra just to amuse children. There were a rune trap that reversed colours inside it, as well as a trap that would change voices. All the riddles were based on what kind of a trap there was. Most challenging trap was when Freed needed to make rune walls that were elastic so kids could bounce around. It took most of his time in training to learn to make something like that.

”Okay, so you decided to do something simple, eh?” Bickslow snorted looking at the huge trap.

”It might seem complicated but it is actually very simple”, Freed assured.

”Yeah, sure, whatever you say, baby. But why can't I go in?” the seith mage pouted.

”Because it's only for kids and just because you act like one doesn't change the fact that you are an adult. Sure, if there is an emergency then adults are allowed to go in to help. And don't even joke about causing an emergency just so you can go in”, Freed warned gazing at his old friend.

”Fine, baby”, Bickslow muttered. ”It sucks to be an adult”, he groaned crossing his arms.

”Maybe sometimes”, Freed smiled. ”But there are also many things you can do only when adult.”

”Ohh, I wonder what you might be talking about”, Bicks snickered wrapping his arm around greenette's shoulders. ”It must have been really busy days for you, training at days and in the nights a certain blond dragon slayer would grab you and -”

”Bicks!” Freed shouted blushing. Well, Bickslow wasn't exactly wrong but he didn't want it to be shouted out loud so everyone could hear!

”Man, you're so easy to tease”, Bickslow smirked and Freed muttered something shooing his hand away. ”So, where is Laxus? Haven't seen him yet today.”

”He's at the park. I was about to head there now that this labyrinth is ready.”

”You're not going to stay here and keep an eye if something happens?”

”I don't need to. Runes will disappear immediately by themselves if there is something wrong like someone attacking or similar. And there are always some parents nearby so if there is an emergency they can help. Of course, my runes will always warn me if something is about to go wrong and I can use teleport to come here in seconds”, Freed explained as they started their journey towards the park. He had made sure that he knew the exact location where to appear with teleport.

”Seems like you have everything under control”, Bicks grinned. ”Kids are gonna love that trap.”

”I don't believe it can compete against the park”, Freed chuckled. ”It is beautiful now that Eve has made it snow in there and Gray has frozen the pond.”

”Oh yeah, you like winter”, the seith mage remembered.

They arrived at the entrance to the park and Freed smiled. Here, in the street there were still warm autumn day. But when they stepped in the park, they heard crunching as their shoes flattened the snow.

”I have to admit that this is awesome”, Bickslow grinned looking at the snow covered trees and bushes. There were also lots of ice and snow sculptures around. Some of them were big enough so kids could use them as a hiding places or even slides. Reedus had also helped and some of the snow was beautifully coloured so kids could use it in making own sculptures or something similar.

”It really is”, Freed smiled and he took a green fluffy scarf and gloves from the table near the entrance. There were lots of warm clothes for people to put on. ”There will be lots of children here playing in the snow while I believe most of the adults are at the beach enjoying summer.”

”Bickslow! Freed!”

They looked at the dark haired little girl who giggled and skipped towards them.

”Asuka, are you having fun?” Freed smiled.

”Yes! This park is the best place in Magnolia right now!” Asuka laughed excitedly.

”Oh? What about the Guild?” Bickslow grinned and he bend down looking at Asuka.

”That is an exception, nothing could be better place than Fairy Tail”, girl assured and grabbed onto Bickslow's helmet. She giggled when the tall man straightened himself and she were really far from the ground!

“That’s right”, Bickslow said. “And what are we?”

“We are the strongest Guild ever!”

“Hell yeah we are!”

“Bicks, that way you’re going to teach her that cussing is a good way to express yourself”, Freed scolded.

“Relax Freed, Asuka is a big girl, she already knows that”, Bicks snorted and Asuka giggled. “She knows lots of good stuff.”

“Booger is just weakness leaving the body”, Asuka stated nodding.

“I can see she has spent too much time with you… Where are Bisca and Alzack?” Freed asked.

”Mama and papa are somewhere here at the park”, Asuka said and she had started to do little braids in the crest of Bicks' helmet.

”Maybe we should find them”, Freed suggested. ”It is not a good idea to run around all by yourself, Asuka. Something might happen.”

”I'm sorry, Freed.”

”It's okay, you're forgiven. Let's go find your parents before they start to worry too much”, the swordsman said and they started walking again.

”Bickslow, where are your 'babies'?” Asuka asked from the man whose shoulders she was sitting on.

”They are still sleeping”, Bickslow grinned. ”They have a big show today to perform.”

”Aww, I was hoping I could play with them”, Asuka sighed.

”You can play with them later after the show. I'm sure that this time you guys can have even more fun than ever before”, Bickslow grinned.

After searching a while they found Bisca and Alzack. Then they continued their journey deeper to the park until they finally saw the familiar dark coat and blond hair. This time Laxus was actually wearing his coat, not just dangling it on his shoulders.

”Hello, Laxus”, Freed smiled.

”Hey guys”, Laxus said without turning around, looking at the frozen bond.

”What are you doing?” Bickslow asked as they stopped at the Laxus' sides.

”Feeling nostalgic, I guess”, blond shrugged and that surprised both Freed and Bickslow.

”Feeling nostalgic about what?” the rune mage asked curiously. ”That is not like you, Laxus.” Laxus had been acting a little bit weird many days already, ever since they came back from the mansion. Freed was sure something was going on but he was not sure if he should pry…

”I was trying to remember when was the last time I went to ice skate”, the dragon slayer explained. ”Man, it seems like it has been forever.”

”We should totally try it”, Bickslow grinned. ”There is a booth over there, seems like you can get skates from there and it's not yet too crowded here in the park so you won't crush anyone if you fall”, he snickered.

”Like you’re one to talk”, Laxus laughed. “You should remember that I was actually quite good at ice skating”, he defended himself as they started to move towards the booth.

They arrived at the booth and Freed waited as Laxus and Bicks went to get the skates for themselves.

”Here”, Laxus said and suddenly skates were dropped on Freed's hands.

”Eh? What? I didn't say I was going to ice skate”, Freed said and now he was feeling uneasy.

”Come on, baby”, Bickslow said and quickly he snapped the skates at the bottom of his shoes. There were magic in the skates and they were easy to put on and remove and they wouldn't slip off. ”For the old times. Do some pirouettes and stuff and have fun”, he grinned and stepped on the ice. Bickslow was good at ice skating and so was Laxus. They were a little bit rusty of course at first but it was quickly shook off.

”Just put them on and move your ass here, Justine”, Laxus commanded when Freed were just standing there.

The rune mage sighed and he finally snapped the skates at the bottom of his boots and straightened himself. It didn't show but he could definitely feel how his legs shook. This was a challenge. He should face it and do his best.

”You're like a green little foal taking his first steps, baby”, Bickslow snickered as Freed stepped on the ice. How was it possible that the ice was even more slippery than he remembered?!

”You'll get a hang of it again soon”, Laxus smirked and grabbed Freed's hand.

”Laxus, no don't -!” Freed managed to cry out but then he felt a large hand on his back and his body stiffened when he was shoved towards Bickslow.

”Catch”, the blue haired mage grinned and turned Freed around making him almost fell.

”Bickslow, don't!” Freed yelled but was again shoved on with bigger speed this time.

“Relax”, Laxus laughed catching him in time before Freed fell backwards. “You’re too stiff. You can’t ice scate like that.”

“Please, just let me -!” Freed started his plead but forgot what he should say when once again he was pushed ahead.

Laxus watched how his mate slid across the pond and there was a big thud and snow flumpfhed around for a while.

”Freed?” he asked as they couldn't see the mage who had completely disappeared in the snowdrift.

Finally it started to move and green haired head popped up.

”I think I just broke myself...” the swordsman sighed.

”No you didn't”, Laxus chuckled and helped him up, swiping off some of the snow. ”But seriously, how can you possibly be this bad?”

Freed muttered something and blushed.

”I never learned how to ice skate”, he finally confessed.

”Bullshit”, Bickslow said. ”We've been ice skating before together!”

”No. You, Evergreen and Laxus have been ice skating together, I always found some way to avoid it. Fetching hot cocoa or something similar”, Freed said adjusting his scarf and cringed as he felt a little amount of snow slipping inside his collar. “It has been many years since we were here together and because I was here with you guys even though I didn’t ice skate even once, your memories say I can do it. It’s perfectly normal phenomenon and it happens more often than people even realise.”

”Damn, you actually never skated before?” Laxus asked surprised.

”No. Well, once I tried to learn it when I was alone but I just broke my arm.”

”Well this is a good opportunity for you to learn how to ice skate”, blond decided and again he grabbed Freed's hands.

”I really would rather just take these off”, greenette said nervously as Laxus pulled him back on the ice. His legs started to shake again and he almost collapsed but Laxus put his arm around his waist. ”I'm not good at ice skating”, Freed said as his legs were slipping over and over again.

”Just because you're not good at something doesn't mean you should give up”, Laxus chuckled. ”Isn't that the kind of shit you always ramble to us?”

”Yeah, totally Freed”, Bickslow smirked and Freed sighed.

”You will be fine, babe”, Laxus smiled and pulled Freed against himself. ”You're a smart guy, you figure it out quickly when we help you a little bit.”

”Somehow I can't find a way to trust that...” Freed mumbled. It seemed like he had no other option in this, so he at least tried and stood up, trying to keep his legs perfectly still so he could keep his balance. But he knew already this would be something he would regret in the next day.

Chapter Text

No matter how much they practised it seemed impossible for Freed to learn how to ice skate. In the end he had so many bruises he absolutely refused to go back on the ice anymore, and was just sitting on a bench.

”I give up, you really suck at ice skating”, Laxus huffed and sat down beside his boyfriend while Bickslow returned their skates back to the booth. ”It’s probably for the best if you never try it again.”

”I agree”, Freed groaned. ”Never again.”

”It's really weird, you know? You usually do even a decent job no matter what and it seems like you are somekind of a superhuman. This reminds that even you can't do everything”, Laxus smirked, making Freed pout.

”I hope you're not going to make fun of me about this for the rest of my life”, the rune mage grumbled.

”It depends”, blond laughed. ”If you're going to bitch me about something ridiculous I just might bring this topic up.”

”I guess in some way that would be fair”, Freed said with small smile.

”Okay babies, where should we head next?” Bickslow grinned. ”My show will start in two hours so let's just waste our time somewhere before that.”

”Where do you perform?” Freed asked as they stood up and started walking towards the park’s entrace.

”At the beach, that's definitely the best place for it now”, the seith mage grinned.

”Why not go there then?” Laxus said. ”Ever is probably there too sunbathing.”

They left the borrowed clothes on the table and Laxus took off his big coat when they stepped on the streets that were filled with colourful leaves.

”Laxus, there is one thing I have been wondering”, Freed finally decided to ask.

”Yeah? What is it?”

”When we came back from our mission and were about to leave, Master wanted to talk with you about something. What was it?”

Laxus said nothing just staring ahead as they kept walking.

”Being mysterious here, are we?” Bicks said. ”Come on, baby. Tell us.”

”There is no need to talk about that now”, Laxus just said. ”We can do it later. Let's just enjoy this festival now.”

”Then is it something that could ruin it for us?” Freed asked.

”I said we can talk about it later”, Laxus snarled and Freed raised his eyebrows. Obviously it was something important, it had something to do with Laxus and his Thunder God was not going to share that information with them at least now. ”Sorry”, Laxus muttered. ”I promise I will tell later, okay?”

”Okay”, Freed nodded. It was better not to push the topic when Laxus was that irritated about it.

They arrived at the beach and looked around.

”Baby!” Bickslow howled and grabbed his arms around Cana who was sitting at the outside bar.

”There you guys are”, Cana laughed her cheeks burning red because of alcohol.

”And she's already smashed”, Laxus chuckled to Freed who nodded.

”Cana, maybe you should slow down a little?” greenette advised. ”Of course you can do whatever you want, but you might pass out before Bicks' show.”

”What? No I won’t!” Cana giggled waving her hand and leaned against Bickslow heavily. ”Don't you come to tell me what to do, you... you... You Freed!” she burped right in front of Freed's face and almost made the swordsman throw up.

”How many barrels have you already devoured?” he asked and stepped away from their drunken guild mate.

”Who counts? One, eleven, two, twelve...”

”That's my girlfriend”, Bickslow grinned hugging Cana. ”When the fireworks are over, let's go get totally hammered in the evening. You guys should join us.”

”I'll pass”, Freed said immediately. ”I haven't forgotten our vacation hangover yet.”

”Aww, you are no fun, baby. Laxus?” the seith mage asked looking at the dragon slayer. Laxus looked at Freed who smiled.

”You know, you don't need my permission to that”, he chuckled. ”You can always do what you want.”

”I know. But I’m going to pass this time too”, Laxus said shaking his head. He had other plans in mind already. “And we also need to clean this all when the Autumn Festival is over. And I don't like doing that with a headache.”

”I'm sure Master has some plan how it could be done quickly”, Freed assured.

”Gramps? You wish! I'm sure he haven't given a shit about how we are going to clean this hell. He just wants to watch chicks on the beach”, Laxus snorted and Freed rolled his eyes. ”Cana, have you seen Evergreen?”

”Oh? She isn't here anymore?” Cana realised looking around. ”She was right here a moment ago! We were having such a great time”, she said with a sigh.

”She absolutely shouldn't drink anything if she is going to have a show later at the evening”, Freed huffed.

”Like you can tell me what to do, sweetie”, Ever chuckled, standing behind Laxus and Freed. ”Don't you worry, I can handle one or two drinks”, she convinced and took a sip from her red drink. ”I'm not lightweight like you.”

”I guess I can't stop you”, Freed sighed shaking his head.

”You're right, you can't”, Ever just hummed happily and sat down on the stool next to Cana. ”So did you guys get everything ready?”

”My labyrinth is on it's place and Laxus has done his own job in the town”, Freed said.

”So what did Laxus do?” Bickslow asked curiously. ”Can you finally tell us?”

”It's nothing really interesting”, Laxus muttered. ”Just something for the kids.”

”Maybe you should make one here too so they could see?” Freed suggested.

Laxus muttered something and stepped farther from the bar. He dropped on his knee and drew some simple runes on the sand.

”I hope that's not all of it”, Bicks chuckled when rune barriers hoisted up and formed a narrow cylinder that was about Freed's height. ”I mean, it is a really nice trap and all, you're getting better at rune magic but even I know those runes can't even hold a mouse inside them.”

”Just wait”, Freed smiled.

Laxus put his hand at the surface of the barrier. They waited for a while and then they could see little sparks starting to emerge inside the trap. First they were tiny, crackling around but slowly they grew bigger. They all combined together at the middle until there were one big lightning ball hovering in the middle.

”That does look interesting”, Ever admitted. ”What does it do?”

”Try touching it”, Freed said nodding at the rune cylinder.

They all stepped next to the cylinder and Cana – as she was drunk enough not to be scared – was first one to put her hand at the surface of the cylinder. Her hair puffed and lifted up.

”Ooh! That's actually very clever”, Bickslow said excitedly and put his hand at the rune barrier. His helmet's crest fluffed. ”Kids must love this.”

”Who knows”, Laxus shrugged.

”We must try this”, Ever grinned, opened Freed's hair, grabbed his hand and put it on the barrier.

They all stepped farther when his long hair fluffed around.

”Har har”, Freed muttered. ”You have no idea how much of a pain it's going to be to brush this bush”, he said. But this felt really good. It felt like something warm moved around his body, in his veins. Was it Laxus' magic?

”Your mark is glowing”, Laxus purred stepping beside him.

”It is? Must be because it is responding to your magic inside this trap”, Freed smiled.

”That's cool”, Bickslow grinned. ”Not just your mark, it’s like there are tiny lightning bolts all around your skin. You're like a lightbulb”, he laughed and was about to put his hand on Freed's shoulder, but the air crackled loudly and the seith mage quickly backed out hissing and shaking his hand. ”That hurt, Laxus!” he said.

”I didn't do it”, Laxus said. ”Must be because of the mark”, he pondered and Freed put his hand down. His green hair settled again and glowing started to vanish slowly.

”Well, next time we have to walk in the dark forest we know we can use Freed as a lamp as long as Laxus provides the electricity”, Bickslow snorted.

”Well well, looks like you brats are having fun”, they heard a chuckle.

”Gramps”, Laxus said looking at the tiny old man.

”That is really clever use for your magic, Laxus”, Makarov said looking at the trap. ”I guess it was Freed who came up with this idea?”

”Yeah”, Laxus nodded.

”Well, the important thing is that everyone is enjoying it”, Makarov smiled. ”Well done, my boy. Bickslow.”

”Yeah, Master?” Bicks asked.

”They have assembled all the things at the stage that you said you will need in your show.”

”Awesome! You guys are gonna drop your jaws”, Bicks cackled. ”This will be the best show you're gonna see in the whole festival!”

”We'll see about that”, Ever chuckled waving her fan. ”Don't get too cocky.”

They followed Bickslow near the stage that had been build for that day so some of them could make their shows on it.

”Instruments?” Freed asked confused looking at the drums and other instruments. There were total six of them.

”Yeah, I told you guys before that in my show there will be music”, Bickslow grinned and he lifted his cape. ”Come on, babies, time to wake up”, he said and five little tiki dolls appeared full of energy.

”Show! Show!” they chanted.

”Yes, this is going to be the best show ever, right babies?”

”Right, daddy!” dolls giggled.

”Daddy?” Laxus asked. That was new.

They sat down on one of the benches and people started to gather when they noticed someone was moving on the stage. Most of the Fairy Tail members arrived also to see their fellow guild mate's show.

”This is really exiting”, Ever smiled. ”Will it be a good show?” she asked from Cana who laughed.

”You bet”, she grinned with a tiny hiccup. ”Just you wait.”

Finally it seemed like Bickslow had assembled everything like he wanted and they looked with curiosity how his dolls chose one instrument each, hovering above it. Bickslow himself sat behind the drums.

”Alright babies, just like we practised it”, the seith mage smiled encouragingly. ”You can do it.”

”We're good!” 'babies' snickered.

Bickslow raised the drumsticks above his head and started to hit them together. Green magic patterns appeared at the surface of the dolls and it spread all around until they were completely covered by it. Bickslow grinned and he hit the drums with force and green light filled the stage.

When they could open their eyes, most of the Fairy Tail members did not know how to react.

”Oh my god”, Freed said eyes widened.

”There are six of them now”, Ever gasped.

All the five dolls had taken a human form, playing their instruments. They looked like teenagers who had wild hair styles with different colour each and their clothes matched with Bickslow's clothes more or less. They moved on their own just like any other humans but their form were slightly transparent.

”He must have trained for this like a maniac”, Laxus said impressed.

”Yeah, he really put everything in this”, Cana smiled proudly. ”Pappa, Pippi, Puppu, Peppe and Poppo also.”

”So that's how their souls look like, it is actually really fascinating”, Freed chuckled.

”No wonder they wanted to stay with Bicks, they kinda look good together like that”, Ever smiled. ”Don't get me wrong, this is going to be a hell if they can transform whenever they want but it is still kinda nice.”

”Right now they can only do this three times a day”, Cana explained. ”And around half an hour at a time. Boys can transform when they want one time but other times they need Bicks' magic since they don't have it that much themselves yet.”

”So can they speak more and do what they want?” Laxus asked.

”Yes. But they are still pretty eager to do what Bicks asks and they follow his orders. But they are getting more and more independent the more they practice.”

”This is exactly what we needed, Bickslow to have kids who are probably just as bad as he is”, Ever sighed.

They enjoyed the show, Bicks and his 'babies' were actually a really good little band. When the show was over they were rewarded with big applauds. Everyone was impressed and surprised. As the people finally started to scatter, Laxus, Freed, Evergreen and Cana could approach the stage.

”Freeeed!” they heard shout from five mouths and Freed was knocked down because of the young teenagers who hugged him tightly.

”And as usual they like you very much”, Ever chuckled. “You guys look cute together.”

”They get bored when they can't torment Freed”, Bickslow grinned when he walked over to them.

”Get off of me”, Freed commanded when he finally was able to stood up.

”We don't want to”, Pappa smiled.

”We wanna play with Freed!” Pippi grinned.

”You should go play with Asuka”, Freed sighed as Puppu ruffled his hair. “Stop that immediately”, he said.

“Fluffy”, Puppu just giggled hugging Freed’s hair.

”Laxus!” Peppe shouted and hopped to hang on Laxus' shoulders. ”Can you play with us, pretty please?”

”No”, Laxus said. ”Leave Freed alone you brats!” he roared and that made the kids back off quickly.

”Laxus is scary!” they said hugging Bickslow and Cana.

”Laxus just doesn't want to share his toys”, Bickslow smirked.

”Mean Laxus!” Poppo said pointing at Laxus. ”Laxus is a lightning chicken!”

”Keep talking and I will -” Laxus snarled but Freed stopped him:

”They are just teasing you”, he said. ”They look like teenagers but act like little kids.”

“Uh oh”, Pippi said suddenly and they started to glow again. With a little ‘poof’ the Tiki dolls returned back to normal.

”We need to train more so we can extend their time in their other form”, Bickslow said as the dolls giggled and twirled around them.

”Can they fight?” Ever asked patting one of the dolls who snuggled against her arm.

”Yes, they can use their attacks and -”

”Bickslow!” they heard a familiar shout and Natsu stormed over out of nowhere. ”That was amazing! Please fight with me! Right here right now!” he demanded. “I wanna see how strong those dolls are now!”

”Sorry, baby”, Bicks grinned. ”Can't do that now. I already promised Asuka that she could play with 'babies' after the show.”

”Then we can fight after that”, Natsu suggested immediately.

”Not today, but I will kick your ass tomorrow first thing in the morning”, Bickslow promised with a confident laugh.

”I’m gonna hit you so hard you don’t know how many dolls are dancing around you!” Natsu grinned. ”Laxus, you -”

”No”, Laxus declined immediately.

”Come on! Freed then?”

”No thank you”, Freed smiled.

”Ever? Cana?” Natsu asked.

”No”, Ever chuckled.

“Too drunk”, Cana slurred and she slumped on Bickslow’s arms.

”But you should definitely go find Gray”, Ever said with a small, slightly evil smirk. “I overheard how he said that you can’t do even a decent job here to warm the beach because he can still wear his pants.”

With that Natsu sprung across the beach trying to find the ice mage.

”Always full of energy”, Freed huffed. ”But now you're stuck with a fight tomorrow”, he said to Bickslow.

”It could be fun”, the seith mage grinned.

”You know he will be in front of our house at six o'clock in the morning, pounding the door and shouting.”

”If he does that then it will be me who is going to kick his ass”, Ever muttered.

Chapter Text

They watched few other performances too in the beach and then they headed to the marketplace. It was filled with booths full of different foods. There were even a huge grill at the centre of the marketplace, full with different kinds of meats.

Freed was really enjoying the festival. It was really fun to see what their guild members performed. When the evening started he was already yawning.

“Feeling tired?” Bickslow said as they were walking together towards the area where Freed had made his labyrinth before. Laxus was talking something with Makarov and Ever was getting ready for her performance. It would start just after the sun had set and before they would shoot the fireworks.

“Yes”, Freed nodded. “It has been a really long day. And it seems like my labyrinth takes more magic than I assumed. I don’t usually misjudge things like this...”

“You’re just getting old”, Bickslow smirked. “Laxus will get worried when he sees you like that. Looks like you might collapse at any minute.”

“I’m not that tired”, Freed chuckled. “But I’m glad it is time to finally vanish the labyrinth. It’s getting too dark and all the kids want to see the fireworks when they start, so there won’t be anyone to play in the labyrinth anymore.”

“I’m sure there has been a lot of bustle during the day”, Bicks said.

They arrived at the area and both of them got surprised when they saw Asuka, sitting there alone in front of the big trap.

“Asuka? What’s wrong baby?” Bickslow asked worried as they stepped beside the little girl.

“I-I wanted to go in the labyrinth but… But I’m too scared to go alone but no-one wants to go with me”, Asuka wailed grabbing Bicks’ leg tightly.

“What? Why wouldn’t they want to go with you? You’re the best company ever!” the seith mage assured. “Did they say something bad? Do you want us to hunt them down and make them apologize?” he grinned.

“They said nothing bad for me… But they said they didn’t want to go there since those traps are evil”, Asuka muttered and Freed flinched. “I told them they are not! Freed is not evil!” Asuka yelled.

“Of course he’s not”, Bickslow reassured. “None of us is. Those kids are just big chickens, you don’t need to care what they say.”

“I’m sorry, Freed, that I’m too scared to go alone...” Asuka sniffled. “But I still don’t think your runes are bad...”

“I know, Asuka”, Freed smiled. “I’m not offended. It’s alright to get scared sometimes. Even us, the Thunder Legion get scared sometimes.”

“Really?” Asuka asked. “Even Laxus?”

“Yes, even Laxus. Though he doesn’t like to be reminded by that”, the rune mage whispered with a chuckle, making Asuka laugh.

“Feeling fear sometimes is a good thing”, Bicks grinned lifting Asuka up to sit on his shoulders. “It makes us careful so we won’t do stupid things and get hurt.”

“I can’t believe you are actually saying that”, Freed laughed.

“Does Bicks do lots of stupid things?” Asuka asked.

“He does, but he’s still very reliable”, Freed smiled.

“Hey, I got an idea!” Bickslow smirked.

“No, really?”

“Since Asuka don’t wanna go alone, I should go with her!”

“I did not see that coming.”

“Come on, baby! It’s a great plan!” Bickslow grinned.

“It’s the most awesome super-duper holy macaroni plan!” Asuka beamed happily.

“I swear, you somehow planned this”, Freed huffed crossing his arms looking at his old friend. “You just really want to go in to the labyrinth.”

“I wanna go to the labyrinth with Asuka! We make a great team together!” Bickslow cackled. “Right, Asuka?”

“Right!” Asuka smiled nodding.

“Well… I cant’s say no to Asuka”, Freed said shaking his head. “So fine, you can go in, Bicks. But make sure Asuka will be okay and let her answer the questions, they are made for kids after all.”

“I know, I know”, Bicks grinned. “Let’s go, Asuka! This is going to be super fun!”

“Charge!” Asuka cheered and they disappeared through the entrance.

Freed smiled and he sat on the ground, leaning his back against the tree. At least they managed to cheer up Asuka. Though, he was still pretty sure Bickslow had planned this whole thing with Asuka all along somehow, since he knew that girl didn’t get that easily scared.

He just sat there and waited, closing his eyes just for a second and then he was already sleeping.

When Freed opened his eyes he knew this was a dream. He was still outside, leaning against the tree in front of the labyrinth. But everything around him was lacking colours. Shadows were deeper than normally and the landscape was moving oddly.

“Good evening, Valdeghar”, Freed yawned.

“Freed”, he could hear the deep, husky voice from the shadows.

“What is it? You don’t usually appear like this, I might wake up at any minute”, Freed said looking calmly at the shadows below the trees and he could see two dim eyes looking at him.

“We want to warn you”, Valdeghar whispered. “Huge changes are coming. Stay near your mate.”

“Stay near Laxus? What kind of changes are we talking about?”

“That we cannot answer. We can’t tell what you need to find out yourself. But beware the Lord.”

“The Lord?”

“He will soon make his move, Freed. He has heard about the changes… And he wants to take benefit of them.”

“How on earth can he know about the changes if I don’t know?”

“Lord has his own ways.”

“I see… Thank you for the warning, even though you can’t actually tell me what’s happening”, Freed nodded.

“We know what’s happening”, Valdeghar said and the eyes in the shadows narrowed slightly like snickering. “Don’t be scared, Freed. Stay near your mate and everything will be alright.”

“Alright, I understand. Thank you, Valdeghar.”

“Good. So… Your mate likes our name?” the demon in the shadows asked and now he sounded flattered.

“Yes. He thinks it is really cool.”

“Nice. Then we might keep it a little longer.”

“Go back to sleep, Valdeghar”, Freed chuckled. “I think Bickslow and Asuka will return soon.”

“We also like our name”, he heard a distant whisper before his eyes shut again. “It is a nice name.”

”It is…” Freed mumbled before he felt like falling back to sleep, even though he was sleeping all along.

Freed woke up when Bickslow shook his shoulder.

“Wakey wakey”, the blue haired mage said.

“You’re going to catch a cold if you sleep out without a tent, Freed”, Asuka scolded.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep”, Freed yawned and stretched. He should talk with Laxus soon about what Valdeghar had told him. “So did you guys have fun?”

“Yes!” Asuka giggled excitedly. “It was not scary at all!”

“That is really good”, Freed chuckled and stood up. “Now I should vanish this labyrinth and then we all head to the beach. Evergreen will show us what she has been practising and then Master Makarov wants to make a speech.”

“And then there will be fireworks!” Asuka smiled.

“Yes”, Freed chuckled.

They headed to the beach that was now crowded. It was a little hard but they finally managed to find Bisca and Alzac and for the second time that day they returned Asuka for them.

“Where are they?” Freed muttered looking around but he didn’t see Laxus or Ever anywhere.

“Before we left to the labyrinth, I saw Master talking with Laxus”, Bickslow said. “Maybe they are still talking? As for Ever, we know how she wants to make a showy entrance so she will not appear before it’s her time to perform.”

“I guess you’re right. But I would still be more relieved if I could at least see Laxus”, Freed said. He was still a little bit worried because what Valdeghar had said. Stay near Laxus... Was something about to happen to Laxus? He should do his best so he could help him no matter what.

Freed had to actually push people aside so he could continue and look for Laxus. He already lost Bickslow in this huge crowd but he knew he would be alright. He didn’t believe there would happen something right here in the festival.

But where Laxus was? Why couldn’t he find the lightning dragon slayer?

”Master”, Freed sighed relieved when he saw the tiny old man.

”Oh, Freed”, he smiled. ”Are you enjoying the festival?”

”Yes, Master”, Freed assured nodding. ”I hope you are enjoying it too?”

”Yes, it has been a really nice day”, Makarov hummed with an awry smirk, obviously thinking about the girls on the beach running around.

”Master, have you seen Laxus?” Freed asked. ”I haven’t seen him for a while and I’m a little bit worried.”

”Laxus? Yes, he was here a moment ago. I told them that I would announce everything now.”

“Announce? Who is he with?”

“Erza. I thought Erza and Laxus would be perfect rivals. I was also considering to add Mirajane as the third rival but she refused.”

“Master, what’s going on?” Freed asked confused.

”What? Didn’t Laxus tell you?” Makarov asked surprised.

“No, I know there is something he is not telling me but when I asked from him about it today, he told me he would explain later.”

“I see…” Makarov muttered.

“Please tell me what’s going on”, Freed said. “What are they doing?”

“Well, you are about to hear it soon anyway”, Makarov huffed. “They start their missions I personally chose for them and we will see which one of them is suitable to be the next Master.”

Freed stared at Makarov hardly believing his ears.

“One of them will be our next Master?” he asked.

“Yes. I told Laxus to tell you since you’re his mate and his mission might take even two months.”

”Two months?” Freed almost cried out loud. ”I should join him in his mission.”

”Absolutely not”, Makarov forbid. ”This is his solo mission. I chose those missions for Laxus and Erza really carefully so I can see if one of them is suitable to step up and take my place as the Master of the Fairy Tail. I ain’t getting any younger, Freed. Who knows when I might die. There needs to be new Master ready. Erza and Laxus are the best candidates right now since Gildarts has made it perfectly clear he is not willing to take the Master’s place. Laxus may have his past, but he has also shown how much he cares about the Guild.”

”I just… I just can’t believe he didn’t tell me”, Freed said and his legs shaked. Why didn’t Laxus tell him? He might be gone for two months! That was a really long time! Did Laxus… Maybe…

”Freed, don’t start overthinking”, Makarov scolded grabbing Freed’s hair and pulled him closer. ”He did not want to go. He wanted to stay here with you, but I pushed him to go. You understand that, right? He has to do it. He won’t leave you, he will come back”, the old man said softly. ”It’s only two months.”

”I… I understand, Master”, Freed nodded. But it didn’t help how it felt like his stomach was tied in millions of tiny knots and his legs shivered slightly. ”When will they leave?”

”Tomorrow”, Makarov said. ”I decided that this morning, that’s why I want to announce this whole thing now. They don’t know the departure time yet.”

”I see… I should probably talk with him.”

”You should. Don’t be too harsh on him”, Makarov said letting go of Freed’s hair. ”But my stupid grandson did wrong when he didn’t tell you this sooner.”

”He… Probably didn’t know how to tell”, Freed said and tried to smile slightly. ”He has never been good with words in these kind of situations.”

”Yeah… So, it seems like Evergreen is starting”, Makarov noticed and Freed turned towards the stage as well. ”And after that I will make my speech and announce about the missions.”

Freed sat down and looked at Evergreen. He wanted to enjoy the show but his thoughts were somewhere else. He watched how hundreds of tiny yellow orbs appeared in the air and they changed their appearance into tiny fairies. Yellow little fairies – with or without tail – fluttered around in the air and Freed heard gasping, amazed fuss and cheering.

He too was impressed, but… He just couldn’t enjoy the show like he wanted. People’s voices were just noice he hardly heard, it was like he was sitting under the water, feeling alone despite being surrounded by thousands of people.

Laxus… Why didn’t you say anything? Were you having doubts about this relationship? Were you planning to just disappear and reappear after two months and act like nothing never happened between them?

After Evergreen’s show the crowd started to assemble again finally. Little fairies were still moving around, playing with the kids and sitting on top of the lanterns. Freed silently moved at the edge of the crowd where it was more calm but he still heard what was happening at the stage.

He did not want to be surrounded by his fellow guild members right now. He wasn’t sure if he could stand this. The pain in his heart was too agonising.

But when Laxus climbed up on the stage, Freed couldn’t look away. There he was, always so handsome with his rough features, jagged scar, long dark coat dangling from his shoulders, orange eyes looking around the crowd. His gaze was sharp and Freed was sure he could see every member from the Fairy Tail among that huge crowd.

Even him. But when their eyes finally met, Freed looked away almost instantly. This was too much.

When Freed didn’t notice, Laxus took one step to leave the stage so he could go and comfort his mate. He really wanted to do that. Freed must had heard about the mission from somewhere. He knew what Freed was thinking. He knew his dear rune mage all too well that he could almost see all those thoughts, how Freed was thinking that he would leave him or something similar.

”Laxus”, Makarov grumbled as he stepped on the stage along with Erza. ”You have to stay.”

”Like hell I should”, Laxus snarled annoyed. ”Freed’s there and –”

”As the Master of the Fairy Tail Guild I command you to stay right were you are”, Makarov said with a warning tone in his voice. ”Freed will be fine, I told him about the situation and reassured that you would come back.”

”What? Why did you tell him?”

”Because you didn’t. You’ve known about this nine days already and you didn’t tell him so someone had to do that. Now let’s get over with this then you can go to him. He will be alright just for a moment.”

”I was planning to tell him tonight. I knew he would just worry about everything if I told him about this before. I had already planned what to say to him.”

”Well, you can say it after this”, Makarov assured and he cleaned his throat.

That made everyone go silent. Freed raised his eyes again and looked at the stage, where Master was now speaking. He didn’t even hear most of the speech, as he was looking at Laxus who stood there like he was made of stone and he looked annoyed. Well he always looked like that but Freed could tell he really was irritated because of something.

“Their missions shall start tomorrow”, Makarov stated and Freed heard how the crowd cheered. “We will send them on their way from the gates of the Fairy Tail, at the noon.”

Freed stood up when the crowd started clapping their hands. He knew one thing: Whatever was the reason why Laxus didn’t tell him what was about to happen, he needed to make sure the lightning dragon slayer had everything he needed for the mission. If it would last even two months, he should make sure the first-aid box was full and there would be enough salt and other ingredients he couldn’t find from the woods if he couldn’t buy them from the town for some reason.

He just turned around and started walking towards Laxus’ house.

Chapter Text

Freed arrived at the house when the fireworks already started to lighten up the sky above the city. He just shut the door behind him and took off his boots and coat, making his way to the closet. He took out Laxus’ big old backpack and put it on the bed in the bedroom, starting to go trough what was needed for the mission.

It was not like it was the first time he packed everything ready for Laxus, but it was worrying that he didn’t know where he was going and what he would do on this mission. Makarov didn’t tell anything about what the missions contained. But if they were picked up to choose who would be the next Master of the Fairy Tail… They were not just some simple missions.

After packing the first-aid kit, clothes and a blanket, he sat down on the bed for a moment. He really wanted to go on this mission with Laxus but he couldn’t. How could he make sure Laxus would be okay? What if something really would happen on the mission…

Freed snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the front door opening. Big shoes hit the floor in a familiar way that told him Laxus had come home. He should just get up, wish him good luck and whatever Laxus wanted for them to happen, he only needed to accept it.

So why couldn’t he get up? His legs refused to listen to his rational thoughts. He heard footsteps from the hallway and his hands started to shake suddenly. Why couldn’t he control himself?!

Laxus stepped on the room and looked at his green haired mate who was sitting at the edge of the bed. It pained him to see Freed looking at him so terrified and ready to cry at any second.

“Laxus...” Freed said and his voice broke.

“Don’t talk, just listen”, Laxus said stepping in front of the rune mage. “I know what you’re thinking. You are wondering why I didn’t say something. You are freaking out because you think I’m doing some shit like ditching you while leaving or something similar. I won’t do that”, he assured.

“If you knew how I was going to react, why didn’t you say anything?” Freed muttered.

“First of all I didn’t know how to tell this to you without making you worry all the time”, Laxus huffed. “Then I needed to think of a way how to make sure you would absolutely be sure everything will be alright and nothing would change while I’m gone.”

“You could have just said so”, Freed said and stood up now. “Do you have any idea how I was feeling when I had to hear about this mission from your grandfather, not directly from you? You’re about to be away for two months! You had so many days time to tell me!”

“And if I told you, then what? You would act brave, smile and be like nothing is wrong but still worry like hell and overthink everything? I can see it when you’re in pain, Freed”, Laxus said caressing softly Freed’s cheek, making him blush slightly. “I don’t like seeing you in pain.”

“That is not a valid reason to leave me out of this”, Freed muttered. “Just because you don’t want to see me worrying is not a good reason not to tell me something like this before you are just about to leave because guess what, I am going to worry no matter what and I know overthinking is something I often do but I can’t stop.”

“I understand, Freed”, Laxus said kissing Freed’s forehead. “I’m really sorry I didn’t tell you before. You know I’m going to miss you like hell, righ?” he asked wrapping his arms around Freed.

“I know now”, the swordsman said smiling slightly sad, tugging Laxus’ purple shirt in his hands. “I’m going to miss you too… I would definitely come with you but Master forbid it.”

“Yeah, we are not allowed to take anyone with us, we are only allowed to rely on our own skills.”

“Let’s just hope you don’t need to talk too much...” Freed chuckled, making Laxus laugh.

“I can speak well enough if I need to”, he assured. “Just trust me. Come on, babe, I wanna show you something”, Laxus smiled nodding towards the door.

Freed followed Laxus to the street and they continued until they were at the forest.

“Why are we here?” Freed asked as they climbed up the old trail.

“I was going to bring you here right after the speech”, Laxus said. “You remember this place, right?”

“I remember we used to come here when we were younger”, Freed nodded. “If I remember correctly, there is a beautiful view across the town.”

“You’re right”, Laxus chuckled.

Finally they got up and Freed smiled looking at the city of Magnolia. There were so many lights because of lanterns and despite it being quite late already, most of the folks were still awake and outside on the streets. They could hear distant music and murmurs.

“Damn, I was so sure we would make it in time to see the fireworks from here”, Laxus muttered disappointed.

“It’s alright, this is still really nice”, Freed chuckled.

“That’s good”, Laxus smiled and Freed noticed a basked and a lanter that were on the ground.

Laxus took the lantern and hanged it on the branch, using a tiny spark to lit up the candle. Freed could hardly believe what he was seeing. Laxus actually tried to do something romantic! It wasn’t maybe anything big and showy but Freed loved it, as they sat down on the grass under the lantern.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t make these myself”, Laxus chuckled when Freed looked what was in the basket. Finger food, that was nice. And a bottle of very expensive wine with glasses.

“You don’t like wine”, Greenette said.

“Eh, it won’t kill me”, Laxus shrugged it off and he opened the bottle.

“You know I can’t stay mad at you after all this”, Freed huffed.

“Really? Didn’t even thought about that”, Laxus smirked pouring some wine in glasses. “I just wanted to do something nice for you because I have to leave for two months. And when we read those books of yours together, you always seem to enjoy that romantic shit they do to each other. So I just thought what the hell, maybe I could do something like that at least once”, he smiled and handed the other glass to Freed.

“Knowing how you really feel uncomfortable with things like these, that is really sweet”, the rune mage smiled, clinking glasses with Laxus.

“I brought a blanket too because I was thinking about spending the whole night here so we could watch the sunrise together”, the lightning mage smiled.

“I like that idea”, Freed chuckled. “Let’s hope it won’t rain.”

“Oh come on, I really try to be romantic here”, Laxus laughed. “Bitch.”

“Now you sound more like the Laxus I know and love”, Freed smirked and he kissed his Thunder God.

They both got surprised when suddenly more fireworks was shoot in the air. It was really beautiful sight, this place was absolutely the best location to admire fireworks as they brightened the whole sky with their colors.

“Seems like we weren’t that late after all”, Freed smiled.

“Yeah, that’s good”, Laxus nodded and he leaned against the tree behind him, pulling Freed closer.

They sat there, watching how fireworks brightened the sky and their booming filled the air. Finally there were only couple of fireworks left and then there were silence as they stopped. Freed smiled as he knew that even if the fireworks were beautiful and all, they both still preferred silence.

Suddenly Freed could almost hear in his ears Valdeghar’s words what he told him earlier in his sleep. He knew he had to speak with Laxus about that. It was just such a pity that he had to break this beautiful moment.

“I need to tell you something”, Freed finally said and Laxus gave him an inquisitive hum. “Valdeghar told me something earlier.”

“Yeah? What was it?”

“He told me to be careful and stay near you”, Freed said and Laxus looked at his boyfriend. “He couldn’t tell me what is going on but I guess we will find out it at some point. I’m worried that he meant something might happen to you.”

“How can he know something is going on?”

“I don’t know, he just knows.”

“Could he be lying?”

“No, Valdeghar is actually very reliable, he wouldn’t say something like that without a reason. Sure, we weren’t always in good terms but we have learnt how to work together. He warned about the Lord.”

“Who’s that?” Laxus asked frowning.

“I’m not sure… But if I have to guess, I believe he meant my grandfather”, Freed said. “We should be really careful then.”

“Yeah… If I had known that earlier, I would have definitely refused to go in this mission”, Laxus grumbled. “For me it sounds more like something might happen to you.”

“If that is true, I have Bickslow and Evergreen here to help me”, Freed assured. “And everyone else, so you don’t need to worry. You’re the one who has to go out there alone for the whole two months without anyone’s help.”

“I will be fine. I’ll be back before you know it. I won’t let some old fart to stop me coming back home to you”, Laxus smirked brushing Freed’s neck with his fingers. “Just promise me that you will be careful.”

“I will”, Freed promised with a smile.

As the evening went by, they just looked the view of the Magnolia as well as the sky filled with stars. At some point Freed started to doze off but he woke up when he heard the big bells of the cathedral, telling them it was now midnight.

“Did you fall asleep?” Laxus chuckled when Freed yawned.

“Yes, I’m really sorry”, he said.

“It’s alright, babe. You can sleep. It’s still six hours before sunrise.”

“Are you not going to sleep at all?” Freed asked and he pulled the blanket over them and leaned his head against Laxus’ chest.

“I will, just not yet. I still want to admire this. Are you cold?”

“No, I’m fine”, Freed assured closing his eyes. Laxus moved his hands and Freed couldn’t stop smiling when he felt how big, soft coat wrapped around them. “Alright, this is much better”, he murmured.

“That’s good”, Laxus chuckled.

“Freed? Freed, wake up.”

Freed hummed something nonsensical and brushed some green hair out of his face.

“Is it morning already?” he yawned and wiped his eyes. “I think I didn’t wake up at all through the whole night when we were here.”

“You were in a really deep sleep”, Laxus chuckled. “The sun is starting to get up.”

Freed smiled and he was leaning against Laxus between his legs, moving just a little bit enough so he could see how the sky at the east had started to turn orange.

“I love that color”, the rune mage smiled. “It reminds me of your eyes.”

“You’re still half-asleep”, Laxus chuckled.

“I mean it. I have always admired your eyes, they are so beautiful yet sharp and somehow dangerous”, Freed smirked.

“That sounds odd, I don’t think I have ever heard someone saying something like that about my eyes”, Laxus said. “I love your eyes too”, he smirked touching Freed’s cheek, making him chuckle.

“I’m glad to hear that”, the rune mage said.

They just sat there and looked how sun slowly raised itself higher and higher. Shadows disappeared and light filled the whole town as well as the forest around them. The burning orange color started to fade little by little and they could hear how someone at the cathedral started to toll the bells.

“I’m glad we stayed here”, Freed said.

“Me too”, Laxus nodded.

“But we can’t stay long”, Freed sighed. “We still need to fully back your backpack and you need to eat.”

“Don’t worry, we still have time”, Laxus reassured kissing his boyfriend. “Just a little bit longer, until the sun is up enough so it will brighten the sea.”

So they waited. Freed smiled when the sun finally was high enough so it’s rays glimmered at the water surface.

“That’s breathtaking”, the swordsman said. “So beautiful.”

“Yeah”, Laxus smiled. “It is.”

“A perfect ending scene for a romantic picnic like this. It was worth to wait”, Freed said.

“We are not going anywhere just yet.”

“Really? Is there something more?”

“Yes”, Laxus said and now he looked really uneasy. “Fuck, I hate saying romantic crap no matter how much I try”, he growled annoyed.

“You’ve done really well, you can stop”, Freed chuckled. “Don’t do anything you don’t like doing just for me.”

“I have to”, Laxus said. “Because I want to even though I don’t like it. That sounds ridiculous...”

“No, for me it makes perfect sense because I know you well enough”, Freed smirked. “I’m honestly really surprised you could do this much just for me.”

“Why shouldn’t I? I’m still kicking myself because I didn’t understand it sooner how much I love you, so now that I have you I have to make sure we can enjoy every second together.”

“Now that I would call romantic”, Freed grinned and he turned around kissing Laxus. “But everything happened for a reason. You didn’t understand it because you weren’t ready.”

“I guess… But I’m ready now”, Laxus smirked. “Hell, I’m ready for anything. And if you know me as well as you said then I don’t even need to use some fancy words and shit, do big romantic gestures like in those books.”

“They are just books”, Freed smiled. “Real life is never like that. I know you’re not like that but I appreciate that you try sometimes.”

“You have no idea how fucking hard it is so I really hope I don’t need to do this for nothing”, Laxus said making Freed confused.

The lightning dragon slayer put his hand in the pocket of his coat and took something out. It was a black box with velvet coating.

“Okay, don’t say even a peep”, Laxus said when Freed opened his mouth, his eyes widened. “Speak only when I give you the permission, okay?” he asked and Freed nodded quickly. “Alright… Okay, so… I won’t do that kneeling and shit because that’s stupid, so I’m just going to talk. I actually never thought I would really do this some day. And we have been together only what? One month? But we have known each other many years before that”, blond smiled. “And even though I didn’t realise it, I have liked you for a long time already. Everything is so good right now so it kills me that I have to leave you for two months. But I know you will be alright, babe, ‘cause you’re strong, wise and careful. At that two months we are not allowed to make any contact so it’s going to be harsh and lonely, but just believe that I will come back.”

Freed really did his very best so he wouldn’t cry but he already felt tears in his eyes.

“Don’t cry”, Laxus groaned. “Because now I start crying too, shit. I hate it when I’m having this much touchy feelings”, he snarled, making Freed laugh. “Whatever, I just want to make sure you really understand that I will come back and nothing changes. I will not come back with someone else or forget you or something like that. And don’t you dare find someone else while I’m gone, that ass is only mine. I will eat every single guy who tries to touch it.”

“My jealous dragon”, Freed smirked.

“Damn right. And no speaking. I don’t know if I will become the Master or not after this mission, I honestly don’t care anymore. But I know it means a lot to Gramps so I just have to do it for him. And yeah, Fairy Tail needs a new Master we have to finally admit it. Gramps maybe won’t die just yet but he cannot defend the Guild like he used to. So, I’m sorry that I have to leave you but I have no other choice. I just want to ask you before that: Will you marry me, Freed Justine?” he asked looking at the rune mage.

“Yes”, Freed sniffled. “Definitely”, he smiled.

“That’s good to hear”, Laxus smiled and he took the ring out of the box. “This belonged to my grandmother but don’t worry, it’s just a plain ring so no-one knows if it belongs to male or female. It’s still a Dreyar family heirloom and I want you to carry it.”

“I love it”, Freed smiled looking how Laxus put the ring on his finger. “What about you?”

“I have this”, Laxus said and he showed a ring matching with Freed’s. “This is from Gramps. He ain’t getting married anymore so he gave these for me a long time ago.”

Laxus put the ring on his own finger and Freed couldn’t stop admiring how good their hands looked when they put them side to side, rings touching.

“I love you”, Freed said kissing Laxus and he put his arms around his neck, touching his blond hair with his long fingers.

“I love you too, babe”, Laxus smiled wrapping his arms around the swordsman. “Everything will be alright.”

“I know. I will wait patiently”, Freed smiled and rested their foreheads together. “You had to wait me at the start, now I will wait for you.”

“It’s only two months”, Laxus laughed. “It’s not like I’m leaving for two years. We can do this.”

“You’re right”, Freed chuckled, kissing his dragon slayer again.

Chapter Text

After spending one really satisfying hour at their own little hiding place, they finally needed to start their journey back to the house. Freed started to make some breakfast and Laxus went through what else he needed besides the things Freed had already packed.

When they finally arrived at the Guild, it was ten o’clock already. At their way they had decided not to mention anything about the engagement.

“I won!” Bickslow suddenly yelled with a grin. “I told you guys they wouldn’t show up before ten. They had too much to do the whole morning”, he smirked arching his eyebrows knowingly.

“Good morning to you too, Bicks...” Freed muttered. “So how did your fight with Natsu go?”

“They both lost”, Ever chuckled before Bickslow could open his mouth. “They bonked their heads together and knocked themselves out at the beginning.”

“But I woke up before him so I won!” Bicks said.

“Sure, if that makes you feel better.”

“So, are you excited, Laxus?” the seith mage grinned as they sat on their usual table. “Can’t wait to hit the road?”

“I wouldn’t say that”, Laxus murmured. “I only agreed to this because of Gramps. But I haven’t had any thoughts about being the next Master for a long time. I think it would be most easiest and best thing for the Guild to just handle that title to Erza, so we don’t need to do these stupid missions.”

“Don’t say that, Laxus”, they heard a chuckle and looked at Erza who approached their table. “Master decided this is the way how things are settled so that we must do.”

“Guess there’s no other way”, Laxus groaned annoyed crossing his arms.

“Come on, don’t give us that act like you don’t care”, Erza smiled. “We know you care. I’m glad I have this opportunity to rival with you, even though I have no interest of being the next Master. If you ask me, that title belongs to you, Laxus.”

“Are you stupid or something?” Laxus growled. “I’m the last person in this Guild who should be the next Master.”

“I don’t think others think that way. Yes, maybe in the past there has happened things that you’re not proud, but it’s in the past. We can’t change things we have done but we can now do our best so tomorrow will be better. Do you think that Master Makarov has never done any mistakes?”

Freed looked at Laxus who said nothing.

“You can’t let your past haunt you forever, Laxus”, Erza said. “We need you with your full capability here and you can’t do that if you don’t let go of the old things that doesn’t matter anymore”, she stated and headed back to team Natsu’s table.

Laxus just muttered something and Freed chuckled.

“I told you, no one here is against you being the next Master”, the rune mage said with a smile.

“I just think it’s stupid...” Laxus grumbled.

“You will make a great Master, I know it.”

“Yeah, it’s going to be awesome”, Bicks grinned. “Can we the Thunder Legion then have some special treatment?”

“No, you idiot”, Laxus said smacking Bicks’ head. “If I have to be the Master then you guys should be the ones to show example not to break the fucking rules without a really damn good reason.”

“That’s my Laxus”, Freed smirked proudly.

As the clock slowly approached 12, they all started to gather at the Guild Hall. Freed smiled looking around. The whole guild had come to wish good luck for Erza and Laxus. It was almost impossible to try to have a moment just for themselves anymore but that was alright. They had an amazing morning just for themselves.

There were only half an hour time left and Freed was still going through Laxus’ bag just in case something was missing, when the lightning dragon slayer stepped beside him.

“It’s fine, Freed. Just let it go finally”, he said grabbing his bag and put it on the floor.

“I just wanted to be sure”, Freed said.

“I have waited for a long time to finally say this to you: You’re acting ridiculous”, Laxus chuckled, making Freed pout. “It will be fine.”

“I hate it when Master said you are not allowed to make any contact to us”, Freed sighed. “We can’t even use communicator lacrima.”

“I know, it sucks. But I try to do my mission as quickly as possible so I can get back”, Laxus promised kissing Freed’s cheek, making him blush. “You know what? I’m not even surprised that no one has yet noticed the rings”, he chuckled.

“And when they notice I’m the one who has to explain everything by myself since you’re not here”, Greenette huffed.

“Sorry, babe.”

“It’s alright”, Freed smiled. “Should we tell at least to your grandfather?”

“Nah, he will notice soon enough. Could you do me one favour?”

“You know you only need to ask.”

“Could you keep an eye on Gramps while I’m gone? Just talk with him sometimes at the evening and so on.”

“Of course”, Freed smiled. “I will keep company to him and make sure nothing happens while you’re away.”

“Thanks, babe”, Laxus smiled. “I know you and others will be fine.”

The whole Guild was standing outside and everyone was looking at Laxus and Erza who were standing in front of the gates. Some of the townspeople had also come and wish them good luck.

“Is there anything you still need to know?” Makarov asked from those two. “After you step through those gates, you are on your own in your missions and can return only when you have completed what have been asked.”

“We understand everything, Master”, Erza assured.

“Good. Laxus, your mission takes place at the north, Erza, yours is at the south. Follow the mission sheets I gave you. These might not be the hardest missions you have ever done, my children, but they are tough as you have to complete them alone. Be brave and never forget that we are here and we will always watch over you.”

“Thanks, Gramps”, Laxus said with small smile.

“We will wait your return with anticipation”, Makarov said and they heard how bells started to toll. “It is noon. Now get out here, brats! And show them the might of the Fairy Tail!” he said and the Guild cheered.

Freed smiled slightly sad. This moment had something familiar in it. It felt like the day when Laxus was exiled from the Guild… They wouldn’t see each other for a long time again. But he needed to remember this was nothing like that time. Laxus wasn’t exiled, but on a mission that would decide if he would become the next Master. This was a whole different situation.

As Laxus turned their eyes met for a second. The lightning dragon slayer smiled and nodded encouragingly and Freed returned the gesture. Everything would be fine.

At the next second Laxus was already walking away from the Guild with Erza and they all just stood there, watching in silence until they finally disappeared from their sight. And even then they all just kept standing there for a while, until the townspeople started to slowly scatter.

“I know many of you guys are worried about them”, Makarov finally said looking at them. “But they will be alright. It’s not like I send them to the gates of death or something. Let’s all go now inside.”

Freed followed the others to the Guild Hall.

“Okay, so moving on to the next topic”, Makarov said when he stepped on the bar counter. “Elfman, Bickslow, if you would do the honour?”

“Try and stop”, Bicks grinned.

Freed flinched when suddenly those two men grabbed his arms and he was lifted up and shoved on the bar counter, barely able to maintain his balance so he wouldn’t fall. With confusion he looked at Bickslow and Elfman, then the others and saw everyone smiling.

“Congratulations!” they shouted loudly making the whole Hall tremble.

“W-what?” Freed stuttered blinking.

“About the engagement, you blockhead”, Bickslow smirked.

“Engagement! Freed’s a bride!” his dolls giggled.

“It is always nice to have a reason like this to have a party”, Makarov laughed loudly as they started to open barrels.

“But we just had a festival yesterday”, someone said.

“Well, then we just keep that festival going on!” Makarov guffawed.

“B-but… How did you…?” Freed asked amazed, but was cut short when Evergreen reached to hand him a piece of paper.

“Sweetie, weren’t you even a little bit surprised how he talked with almost everyone? He told me to give this to you after the surprise”, she smiled and Freed took the paper, opening it.

“Surprised? I hope so. Now you have something to do since you have to figure out the best possible punishment for me because I broke the rule of not telling about the engagement. That should keep you busy at least for a while. I will come back before you know it, love.”

Freed could only laugh. He should have known. Laxus always managed to surprise him somehow when he least expected him to. He loved it.

Chapter Text

For the first week Freed did his best to live in Laxus’ house by himself but he soon noticed it was not a good idea. Everything around there reminded him that Laxus was somewhere far on his mission and wouldn’t return in a long time yet. So when Bickslow and Evergreen came to bring him home after two weeks, he was actually really grateful for them.

But it was still hard, even if his friends tried to keep him busy and they were looking for a good mission for the three of them. Freed did his best not to sink in despair by thinking what could happen to Laxus. He would come back, definitely. He had promised that and Freed always trusted him no matter what. Laxus was strong and smarter than he looked.

That morning Freed was really surprised when he noticed that Bicks and Ever had actually woken up before him and they were already at the Guild. So he decided to take a shower, dress up and head to the Guild as well. Maybe they had something planned? He had to admit that he had been quite passive last couple of weeks, not much of a help in any way but making dinners and cleaning. Sometimes he was perhaps also slightly more irritated than he would normally be… And if he was being honest, he was feeling kinda sick from time to time...

Freed couldn’t help it, though. Maybe it had something to do with the dragon slayer magic? It was like he was constantly only thinking about Laxus and he missed him so much it almost drove him crazy. Was Laxus perhaps missing him just as much? Was he like this because they were separated? Well, this or that he only knew for sure that his body and mind missed Laxus like hell and he wanted to snuggle against his Thunder God, sleep beside him and just be with him.

But he couldn’t, not before Laxus would return from his mission so he just had to try to snap out of it, that’s what he decided when he locked the door and stepped on to the street. Warm autumn days were over and the breeze was ice cold, it wouldn’t take long and winter would start.

The rune mage arrived at the Guild and opened one of the doors stepping in. He smiled when he saw Bickslow standing in front of the mission board.

”Good morning”, he said stepping beside him.

”Good morning, baby”, Bicks grinned. ”We thought you wanted to sleep a little longer since you weren’t doing the breakfast already.”

”I guess I just read too late last evening”, Freed said. “Where’s Ever?”

“She’s over there, talking with Elfman.”

”Are there new mission sheets?”

”That’s why we came early”, Bickslow said. ”Mirajane put these on this morning. There are four interesting missions, do you wanna check them out?”

”Alright”, Freed nodded and Bickslow took four sheets from the board handing them over.

One was again an escort mission and Freed was not really excited about that. Next two were something about little bandits somewhere and in the fourth sheet a small village asked for help to get rid of a monster that was eating the farm animals at night. None of them seemed to be really challenging for them…

“Is there anything else?” Freed asked looking at the board.

“No, we just checked up everything, these are the best choices”, Bickslow assured not moving from his spot in front of the mission board, making Freed lift his eyebrow. “What?”

“Are you two thinking that it might not be a good idea for me to go into more arduous missions?” Freed asked slowly, narrowing his eyes in a slightly dangerous way that made Bickslow sweat. Damn, Freed had honed that deathly glare to it’s finest point... “You know I’m perfectly capable of keeping my personal feelings locked up so it wont affect our job. Or are you doubting me?” the rune mage asked with a low, challenging tone. Not in a playful way and that made Bickslow even more nervous. There was a really good reason why Freed was the captain, despite being the youngest. Just Freed’s irritated glare could make many challenger run away in fear.

“No, baby”, Bicks said. “I don’t doubt you, I know you can keep yourself together. But let’s just start with this”, he suggested. “Let’s take more when we come back if everything goes well, right?”

Freed said nothing, still glaring at the seith mage suspiciously but they turned towards Evergreen when she approached.

“Morning, Freed”, she smiled. “Oh, being cranky are we?”

“Blame Bickslow”, Freed muttered.

“That’s nothing new. So do we have a mission?” Ever asked, Bicks looked at Freed and the swordsman gave up finally.

”What do you think about this?” he asked and gave the mission sheet for the brunette.

“This one?” she asked and flinched when one of the Tiki dolls bumped against her back. ”Well… It might not have the best salary, but it would be a good deed to help them out”, she said.

”Yeah, and it’s not that far”, Bicks grinned. ”Depending on how long it will take to find that monster, it might only take a day or two, three at the most.”

Freed sighed. He needed to remember that Bickslow and Evergreen were just worried, they meant well. And Ever was right, it would be a good deed to help this village.

”So this will be our next mission”, Freed decided. ”The salary is enough so we can cover the next month’s bills with it. But if they have struggles to survive the next winter because they have to pay this, we won’t take the money.”

”We guessed you would say that, baby”, Bickslow chuckled.

”We’re good! We’re heroes!” his ’babies’ said proudly.

Freed stepped at the bar counter where Mirajane was working already.

”Good morning, Mirajane”, greenette smiled.

”Good morning you three”, Mira greeted. ”So, did you find a new mission?”

”Yes, we would like to take this”, Freed nodded and handed over the sheet. ”Do you know anything more about this than what is stated at the paper?”

”No, sorry”, Mira said shaking her head. ”That paper came with many others in the same pile, it wasn’t brought here by someone specifically. So remember to be really careful, okay? It might be harder mission than it says.”

”We will be on alert, thank you”, Freed nodded with a smile.

”I will let them know that you will arrive there soon”, Mirajane promised.

With that they left the Guild. At their house Freed made them some breakfast and packed lunch for all of them. After eating and checking that hey had all the supplies they needed in their bags, they headed to the train station.

Journey to the town near the village took almost two hours and after that they had to walk one hour until they arrived at their destination.

”Looks like a poor little village”, Ever muttered as they looked around. Buildings were simple, some of them decayed. Animals were kept in fences around the village and it seemed like the village got most of it’s income from them. Of course they were then really important and losing even one was a huge loss.

”That settles it, we will do what we can to help them out”, Freed said and others nodded. ”If Laxus is going to be the next Master, it is our duty to show that Fairy Tail will never turn their back if someone needs our help. No matter if they can pay us or not, we will help this village.”

”The future Master’s soon to be husband has spoken”, Bickslow snickered and his ’babies’ giggled, making Freed roll his eyes.

”I was hoping I could buy a new fan…” Ever sighed and Freed scowled at her. ”I didn’t say I wouldn’t help”, brunette huffed. ”You know I will.”

”I know”, Freed muttered.

”Good, so stop being such a grump and let’s go find the head of the village.”

After couple of questions they were lead to the biggest house at the village. It seemed like it was the place where villagers kept their meetings and so on.

”Good afternoon”, the head of the village greeted them as they came in to the big hall. ”Are you the ones who decided to answer our cry of help?”

”Yes, sir”, Freed nodded. ”We are the Thunder Legion from Fairy Tail. My name is Freed Justine and these are Bickslow and Evergreen. We are here to help you with the monster problem.”

”Thank the gods”, one of the villagers said relieved. ”That monster has been rampaging this area the whole fall!”

”We have lost quite the amount of our animals already”, the head of the village sighed. ”And every night we are afraid that some day it might be one of us the monster takes, not just the animals.”

”We will help you”, Ever smiled.

”Yeah, you can count on us”, Bicks grinned. ”So what is this monster, eh?”

”None of us has actually seen it closely, but it is big and brown”, the old man said. “And when we have found some of the carcasses it has left behind, they have huge claw marks and even the bones are broken, some of them obviously by teeth. Every night when the monster appears we hear this eerie voice that echoes from the forest.”

“It’s horrible”, one of the villagers said terrified. “It’s like a howl but much deeper and somehow penetrating.”

“Penetrating?” Freed asked confused. “Like a high-pitched screech?”

“Not that, it’s more like… When you hear that voice you can almost feel how your biggest fear has taken a form somewhere and slowly but steadily coming towards you, no matter what. It’s just not normal! When you hear it, no matter how brave you are you will feel fear in your guts”, the villager explained and the others nodded vigorously.

“Maybe some kind of a spell that causes fear in those who hears it?” Ever muttered.

“Seems so”, Freed said. “Has anyone seen this monster during daytime?”

“No. It only appears at night”, the head of the village said.

“We understand. Then it’s for the best if we set our camp at the edge of the wood and wait for the dark.”

“Is there anything you need? We don’t have much to offer but perhaps at least something to eat?”

“That would be most kind, sir”, Freed smiled.

After that the three of them walked by the trail that lead across the fields to the forest.

“Looks like a normal old forest to me”, Bickslow said and his ‘babies’ hovered around, circling the trees and bushes.

“No monster!” they reported.

“Remember, when you hear that voice don’t let it shake you”, Freed said. “We don’t know what causes it but it’s just a voice that obviously has the power to drag out people’s fear. But if we know that, it can’t affect us that much.”

“It’s just some monster that uses it’s voice to avoid actual combat”, Bicks snickered. “We can handle it.”

“Did they say does it appear every night?” Ever asked.

“According to the mission sheet, no”, Freed huffed. “So it might be that we have to spend more than just one night here.”

“Boring”, ‘babies’ sighed.

“If you’re bored, then use your new skills and help us put up the camp”, Freed suggested.

It was more like a chaos when the five Tiki dolls tried their best to help put up the camp in their human forms.

“No, you can’t use water from just any pond you find”, Ever tried to explain to Pippi and Puppu who looked confused. Wasn’t water just water?

“You better go with them or we will end up getting sick all of us”, Freed chuckled. “Where’s the meat the villagers gave us?” Freed asked looking around. “Where did you put it?”

“We saw a hungry animal while collecting woods, it liked it”, Poppo said.

“What? You gave our dinner to some random animal?”

“It was hungry”, Pappa explained and Freed sighed.

“Don’t worry, baby”, Bickslow grinned. “They meant well. We’ll go fishing to the river, I’m sure we will get something.”

“You better if you don’t want to eat just vegetables”, Freed huffed.

“Let’s go then”, Bickslow cackled grabbing Poppo and Pappa with him.

That only left one behind and Freed turned to look at Peppe who was fascinated by cutlery. Sure, he knew what they were and what was their purpose but it was so different now that he could actually feel them. They were colder than he thought.

“So, the tent is up, Ever is taking care of the water and I’ll start cooking when Bickslow brings us the fish.”

“Why do you eat fish?” Peppe asked.

“So we can get the energy. People can’t live long if they don’t eat and drink.”

“Fish looks yucky.”

“If you’re hungry, you shouldn’t complain”, Freed stated and started to chop the vegetables.

“We don’t eat.”

“I know, but it doesn’t mean you guys don’t need to have good manners.”

“Do you like fish, Freed?”

“It really depends on what kind of a fish we are talking about…” Freed sneered.

It was starting to get dark around them, as they were sitting around the campfire.

“Something about this forest is really unsettling”, Bickslow muttered looking around.

“It’s just the shadows”, Freed said and he added more wood on the fire. “Don’t think too much about it or your imagination will take the best of you.”

“Who takes the first turn?” Ever asked. “It’s probably best that only one of us is sleeping at the time.”

“I can take first two turns”, Freed said. “I could also use my runes to cover the village, then I could stay awake and you two could sleep.”

“Don’t do that, baby”, Bickslow said. “It takes too much magic and energy. You’d be exhausted in the morning if the monster won’t show up. And what if it appears just before dawn and you won’t have enough magic?”

Freed sighed to himself.

“I guess you’re right”, he said. “So two stays awake and on guard while one sleeps?”

“Me and Freed can stay up now and Ever can sleep. Second turn I go to sleep, Ever stays up with Freed and in third turn Freed can sleep”, Bicks suggested.

“Alright”, Freed nodded. “I’m sorry I have been kind of… Bad-tempered today.”

“Try waspish”, Ever giggled. “It’s okay, sweetie. We understand. But it’s nice that you apologized.”

“Let’s try to enjoy camping while here”, Bickslow grinned. “We can do something in the morning, like explore this forest better.”

Chapter Text

It was very early morning and Freed was sleeping as it was his turn to rest. Bickslow and Evergreen were keeping watch, looking at the old forest around their little camp. It was slowly starting to get brighter, but the shadows were still deep and there was a thick fog dancing between the trees. The air was cold, making them shiver from time to time.

“I wonder if that monster might appear tonight anymore”, Bickslow said with a loud yawn. He had put his helmet on the ground and his ‘babies’ were in deep sleep under his cape.

“It is starting to get brighter”, Ever nodded. “But we should stay on alert just in case. The villagers didn’t tell us in what times of the night the monster usually appeared. How did you get Freed go to sleep?”

“I told him he would either go to sleep, or I will scan his soul and dig up every kinky thing he has done with Laxus and reveal them to the entire Guild”, Bicks cackled. “Made that boy almost fly into the tent.”

“You’re awful”, Ever giggled. “Can you really see something like that?”

“Of course not”, Bickslow snorted. “I can only see some things, something that is so strong it leaves a mark in the soul and it’s not like I can see them clearly. But I can see how much you miss Elfman right now”, he chuckled and quickly dodged when the brunette tried to hit him. “Aww, you know it’s obvious, everyone can see it with their own eyes.”

“Stop looking into my soul”, Ever huffed crossing her arms.

“I can’t stop. When I look at someone, it’s like there are… Waves of colours. Or similar. It’s something I can’t turn off.”

“You’ve never said that.”

“There are lots of things I haven’t said. But no, don’t worry, I can’t see what you have done with Elfman”, Bickslow snickered. “I know you guys often wonder if I can do that.”

“Then why haven’t you said anything?” Ever asked adding more wood on the fire.

“It was more fun this way.”

“So why did you now suddenly reveal something like that?”

“Because of Freed”, Bicks said and Ever looked at him confused. “Something is off… I just can’t figure out what it is. There’s suddenly something different in his waves. A whole lot different, but I can’t see what it is. At least not if I can’t scan him properly and he wouldn’t let me do that. He’s too private.”

“Would it hurt to ask?” Ever asked. “If it bothers you. Could it be something bad?”

“I don’t know. My magic can’t tell if something is good or bad.”

Silence landed on the camp as they thought about it. Yes, they were really close and they would do anything for each other, but of course they also had things they preferred to keep as secrets from others. It was better that Bicks, Freed and Laxus didn’t know what all Ever did with Elfman and Ever certainly did not want to know what all Cana and Bicks did when together. They all still had their own lives and own things and it was a good thing not to share everything with others.

Bicks lifted his gaze to the dark clouds when he felt a raindrop on his face.

“Nice, now it starts raining”, he grumbled. “Like it wasn’t already cold enough out here.”

“We can make it through”, Ever chuckled. “You’re just cold sensitive.”

“Nobody likes it when it’s cold”, Bicks frowned. “And it’s not like I’m always complaining when it’s cold.”

“Are you hearing what you’re saying? Every single autumn you turn into a whiny shivering little bundle when there are first cold days. Sure, you enjoy snow but in mornings like this you do nothing more than just complain about how damn cold it is”, Ever laughed.

“You ain’t better than me, baby”, Bicks tisked. “Oh, right, you do that whining only to make Elfman wrap those big arms around you and carry you to the warm bed -”

“Shut up, you blockhead!” Ever shouted grabbing her arms around Bickslow’s neck, making the seith mage laugh.

They both froze when suddenly low, mournful howl echoed through the forest. It was deep and just like the villagers had described, somehow eerie.

“It’s here”, Bicks whispered and they stood up. They heard another howl and it sounded like the cause of the voice was not that far from them. For a second they both were thinking was that a good thing they could soon confront the monster they had to find...

“It really is scary”, Ever trembled. “I don’t think I have never heard something like that.”

“Yeah, me neither”, the blue haired mage nodded and he woke up his ‘babies’. “Be quiet”, he said to them.

“We’re scared”, they whispered.

“That’s okay. It’s just some magic or something. Baby, wake up Freed, I’ll go see where it comes from”, Bicks said to Ever.

“But don’t go far alone”, Ever said and she quickly went to the tent.

Bickslow took his helmet, put it on his head and ran towards the howl. He had to cross the small river and climb up a little cliff but he finally found the creature that was causing the blood freezing cry.

It was a big being with brown, slightly greenish thick fur that was dripping water right now. It had six legs, all equipped with long, sharp claws and a tail it dragged heavily along. For Bickslow it seemed a little bit like a really, really ugly otter. ‘Babies’ hid behind him when the large head was lifted, big snout took couple of large sniffs and then the loud howl filled the air again.

“Shit”, Bicks muttered to himself. That thing was huge. It looked clumsy and slow, but when it’s paws hit the ground, the seith mage felt how the ground shook.

He heard the steps and looked at Freed and Ever, quickly motioning them to be quiet. They approached silently and both felt shivers when they saw the creature.

“What is that?” Ever asked grabbing Freed’s hand.

“Suo-kaapu”, Freed said. “They are big animals that live in swamps. They are not necessarily dangerous to people but you can guess it is better not to stand in their way. They have tiny eyes and they don’t see well but they have a good sense of smell. I’m sure it knows we are here, it just doesn’t care about us. It has a skin thick enough so even my rapier can’t hurt it.”

“So that is our monster, huh?” Bicks said looking how the suo-kaapu slowly sauntered ahead, clearly towards the village.

“It fits what the villagers told us and it is an omnivore animal, so it will eat meat if it catches it. Mostly it eats animals that got stuck in the swamp.”

“One more reason for me why I hate swamps”, Ever huffed. “Something that big must need a big swamp where to live.”

“That’s why this is so odd”, Freed muttered frowning. “Why is it here? There might be some little swamps somewhere near here but not the kinds those animals prefer as their habitats.”

“Maybe it’s trying to find a new place where to settle?” Bicks suggested. “You know, animals do that right? They sometimes travel in some odd places ‘cause they were trying to find new areas where to live.”

“That is quite possible. But we have to do something or it will eat all the animals from the village. It has obviously learned that the village’s animals are an easy source of meat. And it is not good for it to stay here in a tiny swamp, it will freeze come winter.”

“So what can we do?” Ever asked. “It’s not like we can just tell it what to do. I’m pretty sure it won’t listen to our kind suggestions to move.”

“That’s what I hate the most about this situation”, Freed sighed. “It is too big and it still is a danger to the village and causing damage for them. We can’t just move it ourselves and it won’t do it itself and the species is not endangered. We have to kill it before it might actually attack the villagers. Winter is coming, it is harder to find food, maybe it’s home will freeze to the point where it can’t live there anymore and then it really would get desperate… It would probably die in the winter anyway.”

“Guess we have no choice then”, Bicks huffed. “Though it is sad.”

“We can just do our best that maybe the villagers could use everything. The skin, claws, meat, all of it so it won’t be a total waste.”

“So how are we going to kill it?” Ever asked as they carefully started to approach the big animal who still didn’t care what they were doing. The smell of rotting plants on it’s fur was strong and disgusting.

“We need powerful attacks, normal attacks won’t affect it”, Freed said. “If we can somehow roll it over, we can target the soft spot in it’s stomach.”

So they scattered around the suo-kaapu. It stopped when it noticed Evergreen who was standing on it’s way.

“Be careful”, Freed said as he stepped closer to the animal from it’s left and Bickslow from the right.

They got ready when Ever lifted her hands and yellow orbs appeared. She created as many as she could and used them to blind the suo-kaapu, that was now confused and shaking his head as it couldn’t see the lights, but the brightness was burning it’s eyes. Freed muttered something and hoisted up a runewall in front of Ever just in case if the big creature suddenly decided to rush through.

“Let’s try to get it back up in the forest”, Freed said and Ever stepped closer, making her little fairies to fly closer to the swamp beast.

Suddenly the creature slowly got up to stand on two feet and it let out a large growl. Then it let out a loud roar and Freed covered his ears quickly but it still felt like someone was pounding his head with a hammer. Voice really felt like it penetrated in his skull and body.

“Ever!” he heard Bicks’ shout and he looked at the brunette. Ever didn’t seem to be visibly injured but it was obvious she was struggling to even stand. Some of the yellow orbs disappeared.

“It’s voice can affect the concentration and the balance”, Freed realised. “And obviously it rises hormones that cause panic. That’s why everyone was feeling scared when they heard the howl.”

“We must take it further away from Ever. She can use her lights so that beast might think there is a fire in the forest so it won’t go that way but we must lure it deeper in to the forest”, Bicks said. “Line formation!” he ordered and ‘babies’ clicked themselves together.

The suo-kaapu let out another cry as it was hit in the back by the green flash. Freed used this moment and swished his rapier, making the purple runes hit the creature.

“It’s starting to get angry”, Bicks smirked as the suo-kaapu turned it’s head towards them. “We better run.”

“And fast, did I remember to tell you those creatures can run fast for a short distance?” Freed said as the suo-kaapu growled and set back to it’s six feet.

“Then it’s good we can fly”, Bickslow cackled and he hopped on top of his ‘babies’ that were linked together. Freed wrote quick runes and purple wings appeared on his back. “Yeah! Catch us if you can, you furry swamp octopus!” Bickslow taunted and they flew further from the beast who roared and as it saw them as escaping prey, it ran after them.

“Watch out for the swamp, let’s keep it in the area where it can’t have the advantage of the surroundings”, Freed said and they flew by the large old trees. They could hear the heavy steps as the monster kept chasing after them and it was surprisingly agile even though the ground of the forest was hard to run on.

As Freed made a turn to left he felt something was terribly wrong. His other wing suddenly started flickering and he prepared himself as he smacked right against the tree. The impact was strong and left him out of breath as he stumbled to the ground. He would definitely feel that at least a week in his back...

Quickly he looked around but couldn’t see Bickslow. Though, he heard snarling and the big furry beast appeared. It immediately noticed that Freed was now easier to catch for it. The rune mage gritted his teeth and swished his rapier but was left with confusion and dismay as the only thing he could make come out was some random runes that could do nothing. They disappeared almost instantly and that seemed to convince the creature that it’s prey was now also defenseless.

Freed turned around and he stumbled in between the large roots and escaped as far as he could against the big tree. He inhaled sharply when it felt like the whole tree was shaking when the strong paws attacked roots, claws destroying them from their way. He looked around in the darkness and started to move quickly to the left, moving aside old branches, dirt and god only knows what but he didn’t care.

Heart racing like a maniac, the swordsman did his best to get away, but the suo-kaapu suddenly stopped, sniffed the air and moved. Freed fell from his feet when the roots almost right next to him crashed in and he looked with fear how the big claws were only inches away from his face. Warm breath flushed over him making him gag. It was horrible!

“Hey! Swamp beast!” he suddenly heard Bickslow’s angry shout and he covered his ears when the beast let out a cry as it was hit with the seith mages magic.

Freed could finally breath at least a little bit when the suo-kaapu retreated from between the roots. He quickly stood up and looked around but the impact had caused his escape route to close.

“I don’t know what the fuck is going on and how you captured Freed there but I won’t let you mess with our captain!” Bickslow snarled and Freed managed to see something between the roots.

The suo-kaapu seemed confused, looking at the six figures surrounding it.

“Bicks, watch out for it’s roar!” Freed yelled and tried to write new runes. But the patterns died almost instantly in the air as quickly as he wrote them and he cursed. Was it because of the suo-kaapu?

“Yeah, I know”, Bicks said. “Right now it’s enough if we can get it to run away.”

“We’ll handle this!” the Tiki dolls in their human forms said.

Freed tried to look around more as Bickslow and ‘babies’ were keeping the monster occupied. He took his rapier and hit the tinier roots, clearing more of them out of his way so he could keep pushing forwards. He was worried. Evergreen was making sure the suo-kaapu wouldn’t come out of the forest, Bickslow was fighting with it and what was he doing? Trapped here unable to use his magic for nothing!

“Shit!” he yelled and kicked heavily at one of the roots, able to finally break it so he could get out from the further side of the tree, out of the immediate danger. “Bickslow!” he shouted panting. “Leave it! It’s better to -!”

His eyes widened when three of the Tiki dolls crashed on the ground near him. All transformed back to their usual forms and didn’t move at all. Quickly he looked back at Bickslow who was still keeping his ground with Pippi and Poppo.

“Bickslow, use them to fly away!” Freed yelled his command. There was no way they both could escape with only Pippi and Poppo, but he was now far enough, he could at least try to climb in a tree or something.

His shouting also made the suo-kaapu notice him again. Freed frowned and held tight his rapier. No matter what would happen, he would not let that beast attack Bickslow! He took a step back as if trying to run and that made the heavily snorting beast go back to it’s hunting mode

”No you won’t!” Bicks suddenly barked and he grabbed a long stick from the ground, used his agility to grab on the thick fur and the suo-kaapu stopped enraged as someone was suddenly riding it.

”Let go!” Freed ordered startled. What was that maniac doing?!

”Sniff this you bitch”, the seith mage growled as he managed to hold on to the beast’s neck and with as much force as he could possibly use he sunk the stick at the suo-kaapu’s other nostril.

Freed felt shivers and the ground grumbled as the greenish-brown monster shrieked out in pain and anger. Bickslow fell off and quickly rolled away from the legs that stampeded the ground making the rocks shatter.

Freed could hardly believe it. Did Bickslow just really ride that thing and sink a stick in it’s nose?

“Get away!” he yelled when he finally snapped back to the moment. “Bicks-“

His voice stopped. Everything stoppe d. For a second that felt like an eternity he saw a large paw with sharp claws and just like that, Bickslow was swished away in the air like a ragdoll. Freed felt how his legs almost turned jelly under him, his breath had stopped and he couldn’t move a muscle as Bickslow landed in the ground not moving. The Tiki dolls were laying on the ground around the battlefield.

“Bicks…” Freed finally managed to whimper, hands shaking and he let go of the rapier. Even if he didn’t want to believe it he knew that hit was seriously bad. He didn’t even need to see the broken helmet that was on the ground next to the blue haired mage.

The suo-kaapu looked at the Greenette but decided it was enough for it to only have one catch.

‘We can help.’

“W-what?!” Freed cried out loud looking around as he heard the voice.

‘We don’t know if he’s alive, but soon he won’t be if we won’t stop that beast.’

Freed looked at the suo-kaapu that was slowly moving towards Bickslow. No! He needed to stop it!

‘We can help, you rest, Freed.’

“V-Valdeghar?” Freed said.

‘You thought you’re starting to hear some other voices?’

“I don’t have time for this! I need to do something!” Freed shouted and he grabbed his rapier again.

‘You can’t help, your magic is too unstable now. We do this, let us out, Freed.’

Freed froze for a moment. Let Valdeghar out? To be in charge?

‘Freed, there is no time.’

What should he do?! In years he hadn’t let Valdeghar in charge!

‘You can’t control magic but we can, if we control the body. We can use other magic. Magic from your mate.’

“L-Laxus?” Free stuttered.

‘We know there is magic from him and it reacts when there is danger where you might die. We can use that magic and attack.’

Magic from Laxus… Yes, didn’t Levy and Lucy mention something like that when the mating season was still on? Something that it was possible for the mate to have some of their dragon slayer’s power?

‘We don’t have time for the recollections. We must act now!’ Valdeghar’s voice said and Freed looked at Bickslow. ‘Didn’t you say we are reliable?’

Freed sighed and gave in, closing his eyes. Change happened in seconds, as he was feeling like falling asleep.

The suo-kaapu was trying it’s best to get rid of the stick in it’s nose, approaching the prey it had slayed and what it was going to eat that night. But it stopped immediately when suddenly in front of it there was tall new figure with long green hair and strong posture. Obviously that creature was dangerous.

“We won’t let you continue”, Valdeghar said with low, husky voice.

Another loud roar was let out when the beast stood up again on two legs.

“Then we shall fight”, Valdeghar chuckled and he lifted his hands. Shadows appeared and there was something crackling deep inside them. “Dark Écriture: Lightning dragon’s shadow.”

Evergreen was still standing at the edge of the woods and her fairies danced around and brightened the gloomy morning. The rain clouds were so dark it was hard to believe it was morning already.

She was really worried. Some moments ago there were still lots of noises coming from the forest, then a moment of silence and another roar that made her fear worse. But then there was again one loud noise, this time louder than any other voices before and the ground was shaking. She could see that trees had been crashed down by something really powerful.

Then there was nothing.

She stayed at her place another while before she finally started to move. She had to know if everything was alright. But she couldn’t get far when she noticed something moving in the shadows.

“Freed!” Ever cried out relieved. He recognized the large form of Absolute Shadow.

But she stood still when she realized he was carrying someone. She felt like her guts turn into ice when she noticed it was Bickslow.

“Freed?! What happened?!” she shouted running towards them quickly.

When Freed didn’t answer she stopped, now terrified. Was something… Wait…

“You are not Freed”, Ever whispered when she realized what was wrong. She couldn’t explain why she knew it, there was just something really different of this demon.

“We are not”, Valdeghar nodded. “Our name is Valdeghar.”

“You’re… Absolute Shadow? Itself?”

“We like the name Valdeghar.”

Ever looked back at Bickslow in the demon’s arms. There was so much blood…

“Is he…?”

“He’s breathing. Just barely.”

“Can you carry him to the camp? You’re not planning to attack or something?” Ever asked suspiciously.

“We can and we are not. We carry him there and then we will return”, Valdeghar said and he started to walk towards their camp. Ever quickly ran after him, as the demon was walking faster with his longer legs.

They arrived at the camp and Ever arranged their blankets better so Valdeghar could gently lay the seith mage down.

“This is horrible...” Ever muttered and did her best so her hands wouldn’t tremble so badly as she opened the first aid kit. “I’m not sure if we can treat him good enough here.”

“We must return now”, Valdeghar said straightening himself again. “I wish you good luck with him”, he said.

Freed suddenly woke up and he dropped on his knees right away. He had to bend over leaning against the ground with his hands as he threw up instantly. His whole body trembled and his mind was still in confusion from waking up so suddenly, he couldn’t concentrate in anything else but the strong nausea he was feeling right now.

After a moment it finally started to calm down and he breathed weakly, trying to gather himself together. He moved some of the tangled green wet hair from his face and looked around. He was back at the camp. He didn’t remember a thing what happened after he had let Valdeghar in charge.

“Freed?” he heard Ever’s worried voice from the tent and he grunted as he could hardly find enough strength to get back on his feet.

“Ever? What happened?” he asked walking to the tent.

“You’re back, that’s good”, Ever said relieved. “But this is serious, we need more clean water and you need to find some of the herbs for us”, she quickly said.

“Leave it to me”, Freed said wiping his face and he started to gather woods they had managed to keep dry and relighted the fire pit. Then he grabbed the pot and hurried towards the river.

Chapter Text

It took them long past noon before they felt it was safe enough so they could move Bickslow to have better treatment. Freed had gone and collected the Tiki dolls and the helmet, looking at the destruction Valdeghar had caused. There was only some limbs left of the suo-kaapu and rest of it was blown away somewhere in the forest. The terrain in the battlefield looked like there had been massive destruction, trees torn down and the ground had a deep line and even the big rocks were shattered to pieces. But the forest would soon take back this place and there would be new plants and trees in no time at all.

The villagers lent them a cart and helped to move Bickslow to the train station. There they thanked them, Freed and Ever refused to take the reward and then they started their journey back home in the cabin where they had a bed for Bickslow.

“I called for Elfman”, Ever said as she stepped back inside. “He comes with Wendy to the train station and helps us to carry Bicks to the Guild’s infirmary. Wendy wanted to see right away how bad the condition is.”

“That’s good”, Freed muttered looking at their old friend, who they had patched up as good as they could.

“If Wendy can’t help him, we will go fetch Porlyusica”, Ever said sitting next to Freed. “He will be fine.” But it sounded more like she was trying to convince herself instead of Freed.

“Yeah, Bicks is strong”, Freed reassured pulling his hand around Ever’s shoulder, feeling how she trembled still. “Don’t worry, we will make sure he will survive.”

“I know...” Ever sniffled leaning her head against Freed’s shoulder.

It felt like the train would never arrive but finally they stopped. With Ever’s help Freed managed to carry Bickslow out and they saw Wendy and Elfman, who ran towards them.

“This looks bad”, Wendy said worried as Elfman took the seith mage. “We must hurry.”

For the first time Freed was thinking that their Guild house was definitely too far from the train station, but they just needed to walk faster. Finally they were sitting in the hallway, while Wendy was in the infirmary taking care of Bickslow and they could do nothing more than just wait. They were exhausted and worried sick, but they believed in Wendy. She could definitely help Bicks.

“Do you think he might have scars?” Ever finally broke the tension. “Those wounds were pretty deep.”

“Scars are manly”, Elfman grinned. “He will be fine.”

“Yes, I don’t think couple of scars will break his spirit”, Freed said and he took out his bag.

He put the five Tiki dolls on the table, where they lay silent and unmoving. It was odd and really sad, since they were used to seeing them always flying around and blabbering something. The swordsman ran his slender fingers at the wooden surface of one of the dolls, where there was one deep scratch caused by the suo-kaapu’s attack. But the ‘babies’ had suffered similar damages before, Bickslow would figure out how to fix them.

“He will survive”, Freed said once again. “Wendy will do her best.”

“Yeah, don’t you guys worry”, Elfman smiled. “She has healed wounds even nastier. And Bickslow is a strong man, he will overcome this!”

“Yes”, Ever smiled with a small chuckle.

Clock kept ticking on and they just sat there and waited. It was really excruciating, they had no idea how the situation was. Suddenly they heard steps from the stairs and stood up, looking at Porlyusica who appeared at the hallway.

“Wendy sent me a word”, she said. “Is she there?”

“Yes. Did she tell you what is going on?” Freed said.

“Only that she needed me to come help her with Bickslow. Apparently he was attacked by some big monster.”

“Um, yes”, Freed nodded and he felt so much quilt it was hurting. “We just hope the situation is not as bad as we fear.”

“It’s not, Wendy said his life is not in danger”, Porlyusica said and they all looked at her, eyes widened and relieved. “But we have to do our best so we can keep the damages as minimum as possible. It might take time so go rest, I can see you two are ready to collapse at any minute”, she just said and opened the door to the infirmary.

Freed and Ever both sighed with relief. Bickslow would survive!

“I wonder what damages she meant”, Ever said as they stepped on the stairway. “I hope it’s not something serious...”

“We can do nothing more right now, we have to leave Bickslow to Wendy and Porlyusica”, Freed said. “If you want, I can stay here and wait for the news, you can go home with Elfman and sleep”, he promised.

“No, you need some rest too”, Ever said. “I can stay.”

“You know, what if I stay?” Elfman interrupted. “You guys go home and sleep, I will stay and wait what will happen and come tell you guys immediately when I hear something.”

“Would you do that, dear?” Ever smiled.

“Of course, real men do whatever they can to help!” Elfman laughed flexing.

“We are grateful of your help, Elfman”, Freed chuckled.

They were halfway through the Guild Hall when doors opened. Cana stepped in looking worried and surprisingly sober. She hurried towards them when she saw them.

“Where is he?” she quickly asked from them. “Is he okay? I just heard that Bicks was brought here with injuries.”

“Yes, but he will survive”, Freed reassured. “Porlyusica and Wendy are both there.”

“Both? Why both?” Cana asked. “Is it really serious?”

“We… Don’t know yet”, Ever sighed looking at the ground. “We only know that he will survive.”

“What kind of damages he had?”

“He was hit in the head and torso”, Freed said and Cana’s eyes widened with fear.

“So it might be something really serious?” she whispered.

“It is always possible”, Freed nodded. “But Wendy and Porlyusica will do their best so the damage is kept in minimum. They are the best healers we know, Bickslow will be alright.”

“What on earth happened?” Cana demanded to know. “How did he get injuries like that?”

Ever looked at Freed who said nothing. The rune mage had yet said nothing to her either of what had happened.

“It was my fault”, Freed finally mumbled. “I was careless and he had to pay for it.”

“I’m sure it’s not like that”, Ever said.

“It is exactly as I said it. Bickslow had to save me and that’s why he is now lying there on the infirmary’s bed. I’m so sorry, Cana”, Freed said looking at the dark haired woman.

He didn’t even try to dodge or move away when he saw what was coming. He deserved it. He just took the hit and gritted his teeth as he broke the table when falling. His back was still aching from the hit on the tree in the forest and this was not helping it. But he deserved it.

“Aren’t you supposed to be the fucking captain?!” Cana yelled furiously. “How could you let things go like this?!”

“I know, I let him down”, Freed said wiping some blood from his chin. “I failed to keep him safe.”

“Damn right you did!” Cana snarled grabbing the Greenette’s collar with her shaking hands. “Why didn’t you help him?!”

“Because I couldn’t use magic”, Freed confessed. “I could do nothing.”

“Don’t look at me with those sad quilty eyes! I’m gonna fucking hit your ass to the moon, you son of a bitch!” Cana shouted hitting Freed’s face again with her fist and it was making her even more furious when the rune mage wasn’t even trying to fight back.

“Cana, Freed would never let Bickslow get hurt like that if he could do something”, Ever said quickly grabbing Cana’s hand before she could strike again.

“If Bickslow have suffered some serious damage, I swear to god I will…” Cana’s voice cracked finally and she sniffled hard, her shoulders trembling.

“I know Cana”, Freed said patting her head gently as she leaned against his chest now crying. “If you want to hit me or whatever, I won’t judge you. I want to kick myself too.”

“Cana, we will do everything we can so Bickslow will recover well”, Ever promised helping her friend back to her feet and sitting down on the chair. Freed stood up also and noticed that others were staring at them. They all looked worried and he couldn’t blame them.

Shortly after that, when Cana was finally calm enough, they finally left with Ever. Rain was pouring still hard and usually Freed would use his runes to prevent them to get soaked but not this time. Maybe he was scared to use his magic, he wasn’t sure if it would yet work… He just lend his coat to Ever so she wouldn’t get cold.

“So what did happen?” Ever finally asked, making Freed sigh.

“I’m not sure myself...” he said and he told her what all happened. How suddenly his magic just refused to work and how Bickslow had to safe him. He was feeling so quilty because all what happened.

They stepped in the house and put their clothes to dry.

“It was a good thing that Valdeghar helped out”, brunette said stepping out of the bathroom, wrapped up in a bathrobe and drying her hair with a towel.

“Yes. Without him, I don’t know what could have happened”, Freed nodded. “I have no idea what he did but he sure did blow that monster away like a tiny little insect.”

“Well, he used Laxus’ power so what did you expect?” Ever chuckled. “Do you need something cool to your chin?”

“It’s okay, Ever. I can handle it.”

“Cana was really angry but don’t take it personally, she just got really scared.”

“I know. And I know that hit was justified.”

“Don’t say that...” Ever sighed and she sat down beside Freed. “I know you’re feeling quilt of what happened but it’s not your fault. You couldn’t help it. I felt myself how strongly that roar affected my concentration.”

“I’m not entirely sure if it happened because of that”, Freed confessed. “But I don’t know what else might have caused that.”

Ever huffed and thought what Bicks had said before. Should she mention it to Freed? Would it make the rune mage even more worried?

“After Bickslow is feeling better, maybe you should ask Wendy to check you? Just in case?” she suggested.

“Maybe…” Freed said. He should first try if his magic would work after a good rest. “I’m going to bed”, the swordsman said and stood up.

“You don’t want some tea?” Ever asked.

“No, I really feel like I need some sleep.”

“Alright.”

Freed stepped up the stairs and opened the door to his room. It was neatly arranged and full of bookshelves that were bursting with books. Some of them were piled on his desk and nightstand. He just closed the door, took of his still damp clothes and dropped on the bed. He barely managed to pull blanket over him when he was already in sleep.

Freed fluttered his eyes open and looked around in his room. It was dark, lacking colours and it felt like the shadows were wavering making him sick. He saw two dim eyes peeking behind the farthest bookshelf.

“Good evening, Valdeghar”, he said.

‘Hello, Freed’, Valdeghar said. ‘You look tired.’

“That’s because I am tired”, Freed said. “But it’s good that you’re here. We are really grateful of your help earlier”, he smiled.

‘Oh, it was nothing’, Valdeghar smirked. ‘We noticed your friend is still alive, that’s good.’

“Yes, Wendy and Porlyusica are still treating him but he will survive.”

Freed grunted a little and moved himself so he could lean against the headboard.

“So why did you suddenly decide to help us that way?” he asked. “I don’t remember you doing something like that before.”

‘We all have our little impulses from time to time’, Valdeghar shrugged. ‘And we like your friend, he is a really amusing fella.’

“He is”, Freed chuckled. “It’s good to hear you like my friends. Too bad that you can’t talk with them yourself.”

‘That is probably for the best. Your friend Evergreen was scared of us when she realised we weren’t you.’

“She just got surprised.”

‘We told her our name.’

“That’s really nice. So you have decided to keep it?”

‘At least for a while now. When will your mate return?’

“Laxus? If everything goes well, maybe in six weeks”, Freed said. “Why so? Are you worried about him?” he smirked and looked how the shadows shifted and curled as if they were embarrassed.

‘We are just curious’, Valdeghar muttered. ‘You should have stayed with him.’

“I still don’t understand why you’re saying that, but he had to go.”

‘Your magic is too unstable, you can’t defend yourself with it. The Lord will make his move when he finds the right moment.’

“About this Lord… Do I know him?” Freed asked suspiciously.

‘...’

“So you are talking about my grandfather. I haven’t heard of him since I left to join Fairy Tail. Well… I did have a dream where I was talking with him when we were in the mansion.”

‘It was no dream, Freed. He used our brother Moranga to reach your dream and talk with you.’

“Really? That’s surprising… I didn’t know he can do something like that. He has never even told me what magic he uses”, Freed said shaking his head. “I have no idea what he can do. He always said that a mage should not use his magic if there is no good reason for it, otherwise it would just be mindless bragging.”

‘He is a strong man who bows to no-one.’

“And stubborn. What does he want?” Freed asked and looked at the shadows, as Valdeghar stayed silent. “Let me guess, you can’t say?” he huffed.

‘We are not allowed to reveal things you have to find out yourself. It’s the rule in the Zaldevil family’s old contract.’

“I know, I’m sorry. I sometimes tend to forget that there are another contract than just the one we have. Has my grandfather taken any contact with you?” Freed asked. As the Lord of the family his grandfather had at least somekind of a control to every demon in their family, even though he couldn’t take over Valdeghar from him.

‘He has not.’

“That’s good. But if he does, please let me know. I don’t like it how he’s planning something.”

‘We will tell you.’

“Thank you, Valdeghar”, Freed smiled. “I think I might continue my normal sleep now.”

‘Alright. We will go back to sleep too.’

“Good night, Valdeghar”, Freed smiled closing his eyes.

Chapter Text

When Freed woke up, he was feeling horrible. He was still feeling tired and stuffy, moving the tangled green hair away from his face. He squinted his eyes and looked at the clock on his night stand. 9 o’clock? He had actually slept through the evening and night, all the way to the late morning? He groaned and forced himself to sit up. Ugh, he really needed a shower… Sleeping this much was not a good thing.

After he finally got on his feet he stumbled to find his morning gown, wrapping it around him. Then he took his towel and other supplies he needed and stepped in the hallway. After the shower he should do some breakfast, his stomach was growling it’s demands to have something.

Freed spent good amount of time to untangle his hair. He showered and cleaned himself, drying himself and putting clothes on. He was just about to start making some tea when the doorbell rang.

He opened the door and got surprised.

“Good morning, Levy”, he said.

“Good morning, Freed”, Levy smiled. “I hope I’m not interrupting?”

“Of course not”, Freed said and let her in.

“I have actually news for you”, Levy said taking her shoes off. “It’s about Bickslow.”

“How is he?” Freed asked quickly. “Is everything okay? I woke up just moments ago and I thought about going to the Guild after the breakfast.”

“Everything is okay”, Levy reassured smiling. “He’s doing good. He’s still sleeping but Wendy said that he will recover nicely. He should wake up today.”

“That is good news”, Freed smiled relieved. “Really good news. Was Ever at the Guild?”

“Yes. She told me to come tell you. And… Well, I had something else I wanted to discuss with you also”, Levy muttered fiddling with her fingers nervously. “But I understand if you need to hurry to the Guild.”

“I still need to make and eat my breakfast”, Freed smiled and he put the kettle on the stove. “So we can talk. How can I help you?” he asked and took out the ingredients for the pancake batter.

“Um… Well… It is… Kinda embarrassing to talk about this”, Levy said blushing deeply. “It’s about Gajeel and… And what we have done together...”

“Oh”, Freed said. “Well… Wouldn’t it be easier to talk with Lucy about that?” he asked. “You two talk about everything together.”

“I would, but… I don’t know, somehow I feel like I don’t know how to talk with her about this...” Levy murmured, her face burning red. “Maybe, in a some way it’s because we are too close… Not that we are not good friends, Freed, but… I hope you understand.”

“Don’t worry, I understand”, Freed smiled while mixing the batter. “Sometimes there are subjects that are harder to speak the closer is the person you’re talking to.”

“Y-yes… But I know I really have to talk about this to someone and you’re always so calm and rational, s-so...”

“I’m happy that you came to me if there is anything I can do to make you feel better”, Freed smiled and he put down the bowl when the kettle started to whistle.

He took out cups from the cupboard and poured some tea for Levy.

“Thank you”, the script mage smiled. “I’m glad that you’re willing to hear me out.”

“Just remember to not force yourself to talk about it if you don’t feel comfortable”, Freed said.

“No, I have to”, Levy said staring at the cup. “Because… Because… I think I might be pregnant”, she blurted, face bright red and made Freed to freeze.

“You are?” he asked blinking.

“I don’t know yet, I might be wrong”, Levy said quickly and for a moment there was silence.

Freed sat down in front of the blue haired girl.

“How are you feeling about it?” he asked softly. “Is it a good thing?”

“I-I… Um… Yes, I think it is”, Levy stuttered and smiled. “It’s just really… Sudden.”

“If it’s a good thing then I’m really happy for you”, Freed smiled. “Gajeel will be overjoyed. Have you told about this to anyone else yet?” he asked.

”Not yet”, Levy confessed. ”I'm not sure about this yet.”

“Well, I’m happy that you feel I’m trustworthy enough to hear news like this first”, Freed smiled. “And I will help you any way I can, I promise.”

“Thank you, Freed”, Levy said looking at the rune mage. “I knew you would help. And since you are also dating a dragon slayer we know how they can be and we can together try to figure out what all their magic can do.”

“What do you mean?”

“We were really careful”, Levy explained. “Yet still this happened. Was it just our luck or was it because of the dragon slayer magic? Porlyusica warned that who knows what might happen.”

“So you’re suggesting that the magic is making sure that there will be offspring?” Freed said. That was bizarre. Not necessarily impossible but bizarre.

“Who knows”, Levy sighed.

”Maybe you should go see Porlyusica?” Freed suggested and stood up, starting to make the pancakes.

”I guess... But what if I'm wrong?”

”That is always a possibility but isn't it better to know than guess?”

”You're right...”

”It can be scary but you will feel better after it”, Freed promised. ”No matter what the answer is. Do you want me to come with you to see Porlyusica?”

”If that’s not too much to ask”, Levy said with a relieved smile, making Freed chuckle.

“Of course I will accompany you”, he said. “It would be my pleasure. Maybe she is at the Guild? We should probably go there first.”

“You’re right”, Levy nodded.

After the breakfast they headed to the Guild. Freed was starting to finally wake up properly when they arrived.

“I will go see Bickslow first”, he said to Levy who nodded and he headed to the stairs.

He knocked the door softly and stepped in, looking around. He smiled when he saw Evergreen who was sleeping with Cana on the couch. He took a blanket from the other bed and wrapped it around them, then he turned to see Bickslow.

The seith mage was still sleeping. He had still bandages around his head and torso, so more healing was needed before he would be alright. But at least he was snoring loudly what made Freed laugh silently. Now he was finally convinced that everything would be alright.

For a moment he just stood there next to the bed, when he finally turned towards the door. It was better to leave those three sleep in peace. And he promised to Levy that he would go see Porlyusica with her.

Levy was already waiting in the hallway, talking with Wendy.

“Good morning, Wendy”, Freed smiled.

“Good morning, Freed”, Wendy said happily.

“Bickslow is looking much better.”

“Yes, now he just needs lots of rest. I will keep an eye on him.”

“Thank you so much for everything, Wendy”, Freed said. “I don’t know how we would survive without you.”

“T-thank you, Freed”, Wendy stuttered, blushing because of so big compliments. “Porlyusica helped a lot, of course.”

“I will thank her too”, Freed smiled. “And talking about Porlyusica, do you know where she is?”

“Yes, she is actually here at the Guild”, Wendy said. “She is there in that next room, making some notes in her book.”

“That is good, thank you. Levy, shall we go then?” Freed asked looking at the blue haired girl who looked now really nervous. “We don’t have to if you’re not ready.”

“N-no… We should”, Levy said and Wendy looked confused what was going on. Freed nodded and walked over to the next door, knocking it. He heard somekind of a grunt and opened the door.

“Good morning, Porl-”

“What do you want?” the pink haired woman asked while assembling her papers on the desk.

“I hope we’re not disturbing you too much”, Freed said. “But it’s actually Levy who wants to talk with you.”

Porlyusica lifted her gaze, looking at the door where Levy and Freed were standing.

“And why are you here then?” she asked.

“I only came to help her feel a little bit more relaxed, I won’t interrupt your conversation.”

“Then go sit in the hallway, I don’t need you”, Porlyusica said. “And you, come here and close that door”, she ordered Levy, who quickly closed the door in front of Freed.

He huffed and looked around. Wendy had left already and the hallway was empty and silent. He only heard Bicks’ snoring through the other door. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes. He really hoped that Levy would get the answer she wanted, no matter what it was she wanted to hear.

After a while the door finally opened again and Freed opened his eyes. Levy stepped out with Porlyusica.

“I will call you soon”, she said. “You, inside”, she said pointing at Freed who got confused.

“Me? But I didn’t -”

“I said inside, are you deaf?” the old healer snapped and Freed looked at Levy who was gazing at the floor and he couldn’t say what she was thinking.

Suddenly a hand grabbed his other lightning bolt cowlick in their tight grasp and pulled him forwards.

“Ow, ow, I will come”, he assured quickly following Porlyusica in the room.

Freed slightly rubbed his scalp when Porlyusica let go finally.

“So is there something wrong with Levy?” he asked worried.

“We’ll talk about that later, take off your coat and shirt”, she ordered and Freed sighed, doing what was told. Then he sat down on the chair and he jolted when Porlyusica put her cold hand on his mark in his neck. “The magic is strong”, she muttered. “That’s good.”

“I did have some troubles with my magic earlier”, Freed said.

“I was talking about Laxus’ magic. What problems did you have?”

“My magic refused to work how I wanted. I couldn’t use any spells.”

“How have you been feeling lately?”

“Hmm… A little bit sick, I guess?”

“Now that Laxus is away, have you missed him?”

“Of course”, Freed said immediately.

“I mean more than normally?” Porlyusica pointed out.

“I’m not sure, maybe?”

“And anything else?”

“I have slept more than normally.”

“Good. Well, it seems I have the information I need”, Porlyusica said and let go of Freed’s mark. “You can put your clothes back on”, she said and Freed grabbed his shirt.

He buttoned up his coat and Porlyusica called Levy in the room.

“It was a good thing you came to see me”, the pink haired old mage said, when Levy sat down next to Freed. “There are news. It seems you both have successfully managed to continue the line of the dragon slayer’s, congratulations.”

There was a long silence in the room, as they were staring at Porlyusica who didn’t care about their confused looks and just wrote something in her book.

“Both?” Freed finally blurted out. “Both? What do you mean both?”

“I meant what I said. It seems you’re both pregnant”, Porlyusica said, not even rising her gaze from the book.

“How is that in any logical way possible?” Freed asked and suddenly his hands were trembling.

“Don’t tell me you need to be educated what will happen if -”

“It just doesn’t make sense!” Freed stuttered. “I understand Levy, she’s a girl! It doesn’t work that way with two men, everybody knows that!”

“It seems that this magic doesn’t care about genders”, Porlyusica said irritated, finally lifting her gaze. “It makes sense if you think about it a moment. This magic is old and with it’s powers it makes sure that the dragon slayer’s won’t vanish from the earth. I don’t know if this happens along the dragons also, but I could guess that’s highly possible. It is a way of survival. But I’m pretty sure it only works between soulmates since there must be a strong link between the mates to make something like this happen.”

“But… I just…” Freed stammered eyes widened.

“It’s alright, Freed”, Levy assured grabbing his hand. “It is good news, right?” she smiled encouragingly, making Freed blink. “Think about Laxus, what would he say? Wouldn’t he be happy?”

“I… I don’t know...” Freed muttered. “We have never talked about something like this. Of course we didn’t, something like this is insane.”

“Think whatever you want, you’re still pregnant”, Porlyusica said.

“You say it so casually, for a moment I almost forgot how absurd this is...” Freed mumbled.

“Whatever, but here’s what we are going to do next”, Porlyusica said closing her book. “You two will come see me regularly, once every two weeks. I will personally keep an eye on you two how everything goes, since dragon slayer magic is involved.”

“That’s really kind, thank you”, Levy smiled still gently rubbing Freed’s trembling hand.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m doing this only for my research”, Porlyusica huffed. “So be damn sure to tell me everything. From this moment on, you two are officially forbidden to go into any missions anymore until said otherwise. I’m not interested to tell about this to others so you do that on your own. But I have to talk about this with Makarov, he has to know not to let you two go to missions. I’m now the one who decides what you are allowed to do and what not.”

Freed felt terrified. Porlyusica would talk about this to Makarov? Oh god… How would he react? What was he going to say?

“Now get lost!” Porlyusica shouted and that snapped Freed out of his thoughts. They both bolted up from their chairs when the old lady was obviously trying to find something what to throw at them. “You two are smart enough so use your heads and find the information about diets and stuff from the books. I’m too busy to spoil you by explaining every single little detail by myself. Out! And don’t you dare to forget come see me exactly two weeks from now!” they heard her shouting when they quickly stepped out of the room.

They stood in the hallway in silence for a good amount of time.

“Levy...” Freed finally whispered. “Please tell me I’m still sleeping...”

“I’m afraid I can’t do that, Freed”, Levy said. “That was… Quite a shock.”

“Yes...”

“I’m sure everything goes well. We can support each other. What do you want to do now?” Levy asked trying to smile encouragingly.

“I’m not sure”, Freed sighed. “I guess I’ll go sit there and wait for Bicks to wake up… I don’t believe I’m yet ready to think all this through.”

“Okay”, Levy nodded. “I’ll go to the library, I want to get some knowledge about this before I tell this to Gajeel.”

“Levy”, Freed said before the blue haired girl left. “Please keep this as a secret, for now. Of course, you can tell about your situation, but… Umm...”

“I understand”, Levy smiled softly. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”

“Thank you”, Freed nodded with a tiny smile and he turned to the other door.

He stepped inside and noticed that others were still sleeping. He just moved a chair near the bed and sat down. Right now he wanted to focus on Bickslow. He couldn’t even think about what Porlyusica had told, he just… Couldn’t. It was still absurd! Well of course he knew he wasn’t the only man in the world to experience something like that, there were actually many cases in the history caused by different spells, but…

He sighed rubbing his face. Nothing changed the fact that this still felt insane.

Chapter Text

Sometime around noon Evergreen and Cana woke up finally. Ever came back to the infirmary at night since she couldn’t sleep and Freed was feeling a little quilty that he was able to sleep almost fifteen hours. Of course, he had a reason why he was sleeping more than usually but…

Quickly he shook his head. No! He was not ready to start thinking about that. He had to focus on Bickslow, he should be a good friend and do whatever he could so Bicks would feel better. After all, he would probably – or more like definitely – be dead without the seith mage’s help.

“Freed, are you alright?” Ever asked worried. Freed seemed so stressed and like he was lost in his thoughts even more than usual.

“What? Yes, everything is alright”, Freed assured. “I’m just worried about Bickslow”, he said.

“He’ll be alright”, Cana smiled brushing her fingers along Bicks’ cheek. “But I wish he would wake up soon.”

“He will”, Freed smiled. “I’m sure about it.”

“Yes… I’m really sorry about yesterday, Freed. I just -”

“I understand”, Freed said rising his hand. He still had a red bruise on the corner of his mouth but he didn’t care. It would fade soon enough and was nothing serious. “You don’t need to apologise.”

Silence landed in the room again and they just waited. Waited and did their best not to start thinking that maybe, just maybe something was wrong. Somewhere around two o’clock Mirajane and Lisanna brought them something to eat but none of them had much of an appetite right now.

It was around four o’clock when finally Bickslow shifted on his bed and they all tensed up instantly. Snoring had stopped and Bickslow’s eyes slowly opened. Freed felt so much relief when he saw their team member finally opening his eyes. And once again he was stunned when he realised he had forgotten how red Bicks’ eyes were. Dark and deep red like blood. Bicks low was always wearing his helmet, they rarely even saw his eyes.

They held their breaths when Bicks blinked few times and finally looked at them.

“Yo”, he snickered and they all felt almost ready to burst in tears because of so much relief that the seith mage was acting normally.

“Bickslow!” Ever and Cana shouted hugging the tall man tightly.

“All the ladies love Bickslow”, Bicks cackled pulling his long arms around them. “Freed, baby, good to see you’re still in one piece”, he grinned.

“All thanks to you”, Freed chuckled. “How are you feeling? Any pains?”

“Yeah, can’t deny that”, Bicks snorted and the girls let go of him. “It feels like that beast is still trying to split my head with its claws. And I’m pretty sure it broke all my ribs from my left side.”

“You were in a really bad shape”, Ever sniffled wiping her eyes. “For a moment we really… We thought...”

“Hey, no crying”, Bicks smiled patting Ever’s head. “Not some ugly swamp otter can kill me. By the way, what happened to it?”

“Valdeghar happened”, Freed smiled. “We will tell everything after Wendy has checked you and then you need something to eat.”

“It must be a really interesting story”, Bickslow grinned. “Can’t wait. Where are my babies?” he asked looking around.

“Right here”, Freed said and he walked over to the table and took the Tiki dolls. Then he returned back to the bed.

Bickslow inspected them thoroughly, muttered something about a fucking furry octopus trying to destroy his ‘babies’ and finally set them on the bed. He snapped his fingers and all five dolls hopped in the air just like that.

“We slept long!” they chirped and Freed couldn’t believe how happy he was when he could hear those high-pitched voices again.

“Yes you did”, Cana smiled, hugging one of the dolls that snuggled against her cheek.

“I’ll go fetch Wendy now”, Freed smiled. “And ask Mirajane to bring over some food.”

“Alright, baby”, Bicks said and Freed stepped in the hallway.

They told Bickslow everything while the seith mage ate and Wendy was happy to tell them that he would be back to normal in two or three weeks.

“This sucks”, Bickslow groaned, as they were now alone with Freed in the infirmary and ‘babies’ were dozing off on the bed. Cana and Ever had went to their house to find some other clothes for Bicks and other supplies. “Do I really need to spend the whole week here at the infirmary before I can go home and rest there?”

“Yes you do”, Freed nodded. “That was Wendy’s orders. Or do you want me to go fetch Porlyusica to say those same words? You know how happy she would be to do that.”

“No, baby, I think I’ll believe Wendy’s words.”

“I thought so”, Freed chuckled and Bickslow laughed.

The blue haired mage looked at Freed.

“How are you doing?” he asked.

“Me? I’m fine”, Freed smiled. But he knew Bicks didn’t buy it at all. Sometimes he was actually frightened how observant Bickslow could be if he really wanted. And with his eyes, he saw things other people didn’t.

He restrained himself from looking at Bickslow with fear when he realised something: Bickslow could see his soul. Could he see…?

“You ain’t that fine, are you?” Bickslow asked and Freed tensed up. Did he know? “Something is wrong, baby. You thought I wouldn’t notice? I should’ve said something from the start and not to wait until something happened. Damn, I even tried to pick up a mission that seemed it wouldn’t be too dangerous”, he huffed.

“I knew you were up to something”, Freed grumbled crossing his arms. “You had no right to do something like that.”

“No right, huh? You’re so damn stubborn sometimes I don’t know if I should laugh or cry”, Bicks snorted. “And what if we had taken some bigger mission? And then your magic had stopped working there, what would have happened?”

Freed felt how his cheeks were burning slightly because of embarrassment. He knew it was a good thing that Bickslow had picked up an easier mission for them this time. But it just irritated him so much.

“Everything is now fine”, he said. “You don’t need to do something like that again.”

“Like hell, I’ll do it as many times as I see it necessary. You know, if Laxus were here he wouldn’t have let you go on any missions at all before we knew what’s wrong.”

“Everything is perfectly fine so you don’t need to -”

“Don’t you fucking lie to me, Freed”, Bickslow snarled making Freed flinch. “Something is going on, I see it clearly. What is it? Are you sick? You always do this same stupid thing over and over again, never wanting to make anyone worry about you. I swear, if only I could get up from this bed I would give you a good beating ‘cause you didn’t say anything.”

“Calm down”, Freed said. “You don’t need to worry about it.”

“Like I haven’t heard you saying that before, baby”, Bickslow tisked. “I’m gonna tell Ever to make sure you will go see Wendy.”

“There is no need”, Freed frowned.

“You’re always like that when there IS something wrong.”

“I will take care of my problems, Bickslow. You concentrate on getting better.”

“Now you’re practically admitting something is going on. What is it, Freed?”

Freed knew that if he kept talking he would probably say something he didn’t mean to, or yell at Bickslow and he didn’t want to do that either. He just stood up from his chair.

“At this rate we are just going to fight and that is not good for you right now”, he said and his voice was colder than he actually intended. He was just too annoyed right now. “I’m going home. I will bring you some snacks tomorrow, maybe those cookies you like so much.”

“Hey!” Bicks barked as the rune mage started to walk towards the door. “We’re not done yet! I’m still talking to you!” he said and tried to get up, but he was still hurting too much to do that.

“Try to rest, Bicks.”

“Freed! You’re shutting us out!” Bickslow yelled angrily. “We want to know what’s going on, just so we can help!”

“I know, but right now the most important thing is for you to rest and get better. I will be fine, I promise”, Freed said and he stepped in the hallway, closing the door and didn’t care about Bicks’ yelling.

He knew he meant well. He was just worried. But Freed wasn’t ready to talk about this yet, not even with Bicks low or Ever. He just sighed and stepped on the stairs.

“I will go home”, he said to Ever who just appeared at the Hall with Cana.

“Oh”, Ever said surprised. “I thought we would spend the whole evening here together.”

“I just remembered something I need to do”, Freed said. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t tell me you two had a fight”, Ever huffed.

“I really am sorry. We did have a slight disagreement about one thing that doesn’t matter right now, but you know how he is. I think it’s better that I go home so he can cool his head.”

“If you’re sure”, Ever said.

“Fighting wouldn’t do any good for him now”, Cana said.

“I agree”, Freed nodded. “So I will see you again tomorrow. I promised to Bickslow I would bring some cookies over for him.”

“See you tomorrow, Freed”, Cana smiled and Freed nodded, walking to the doors and out of the Guild House.

Freed did his best to avoid thinking about what all had happened to day. He tried to think about anything else, like what kind of cookies he should make for Bickslow. And should he maybe make something else too, since he was starting to bake?

Before he even knew it, he was suddenly standing in front of the house. Not their house, but Laxus’ house. He hadn’t been here since Bickslow and Ever brought him back home. It was not that long ago actually, but it felt like weeks ago . Freed sighed and went to the stone wall, where one of the stones was loose and from behind it he took the key. He was here already so why not go in? Did it matter was he here or at their house?

He stepped in and clicked the lights on. Nothing had changed. But he smiled slightly when he could smell that comfortable, familiar scent all around. He put his coat and boots away and stepped in the kitchen. He stopped when he noticed the orange hoodie he had left neatly folded on the couch before he had left.

Freed shook his head and opened the closet, looking for the ingredients for the cookie dough. He needed flour, butter, sugar, chocolate, eggs, baking powder… Maybe just a little bit of vanilla? It would go nicely with the chocolate.

But when he tried to find some vanilla, he didn’t find any. He had everything else, though. He could obviously just not use vanilla and do regular cookies but before he could even think about it, suddenly Freed felt a burst of frustration, anger and fear too big for him to ignore it anymore. This one tiny little thing finally shoved him over the edge and he just couldn’t stop himself from sobbing. Everything was a mess.

He closed the door with maybe a little bit too much force since it’s other hinge broke. But he didn’t care, he just slumped on the big arm chair in the living room. There was too many different feelings rushing over him and he didn’t know what to do or what to think. His magic didn’t work like it should. Ever and Bicks were worried about him. He had no idea how he should tell them that he couldn’t go to any missions for a long time, or how to calm them so they wouldn’t worry so much. And he couldn’t even find that fucking vanilla for the cookies!

After a moment that felt like a whole night, Freed opened his reddened eyes and looked around. He noticed the hoodie, grabbed it and unfolded it. Laxus… Slowly he pulled the hoodie over his head and squirmed his way inside it without getting up from the chair . He just inhaled deeply the scent of his Thunder God and it soothed him. He felt instantly a little bit better. But then he felt sad again . Laxus wasn’t here. It was just his old hoodie. But even that helped him to calm down enough so he could finally think.

There was no running away. He had to confront the fact: He was having a baby. The mere thought sent cold shivers run down his spine and it felt like his stomach was tied in knots . He still couldn’t understand how that was in any way possible but… If Porlyusica said this was the situation, then it was so.

Then a new thought popped into his head. Laxus was the father. He was having a baby with Laxus . That made him smile slightly as he buried himself better at the chair and in the hoodie, lifting his legs on the stool. They would have an absolutely adorable little girl or a boy, with wild blond hair and stunning orange, beautiful eyes. Suddenly a thought about having a baby wasn’t that frightening anymore. It was hell of a lot to adjust, but not daunting. Or maybe they would have his turquoise eyes and…

Freed frowned. Oh yeah, they might have red hair. His hair was green because of the demons. He had thought about it many times, did demons reverse the colours in hair, so if their child had yellow hair it would turn purple? Not that it mattered, he would never let their child into that big mansion where his grandfather lived. He would be the last Zaldevil having a contract with demons.

Being lost in his thoughts, Freed didn’t even notice it was starting to get late. It was already dark outside when he heard knocking from the door. He stood up and came to the door, opening it.

Freed jolted slightly when he saw the tiny old man standing in front of him.

“Good evening, Freed”, Makarov smiled.

“Good evening, Master”, Freed said and managed to stop himself from gulping. “Um… Is something wrong?”

“No, I just thought I should stop by, if you’re not busy?”

“Of course not”, Freed assured and let Makarov in.

“You weren’t at the house of you three so I thought you might be here”, Makarov said and took off his shoes. “Were you doing dinner?”

“No”, Freed said closing the door.

“Then it’s good that I brought these”, the old man said and lifted up the bag he was holding in his hand. “You don’t mind some fast food?”

“That is really kind of you, Master”, Freed smiled and took the bag.

“Just call me Makarov, we’re alone after all”, Makarov smiled following Freed to the kitchen. “I understand you want to be formal at the Guild so you don’t seem impolite but here we don’t need to be formal. I just wanted to come see how you’re doing and maybe chat a little.”

“You’re always welcome here”, Freed smiled and he started to set the table.

For a while there was a silence, as Freed put the food on the plates and set the glasses on the table. Makarov sat down, following what he was doing.

“Thank you”, he said when Freed gave him the plate, took his own and sat down as well when everything was ready.

“Thank you for bringing the food”, Greenette smiled and they started eating.

“I heard you went to see Bickslow”, Makarov said.

“Yes, I’m really happy to see he is doing much better, even though he can’t get up from the bed yet. Maybe that is for the best or otherwise he might be already doing something he shouldn’t”, Freed chuckled.

“I can see that happening”, Makarov laughed. “He is a strong boy with a carefree nature, like many in Fairy Tail. And that is good.”

“Yes”, Freed nodded.

He looked at the old man and hesitated a moment.

“Do you want to ask me something?” Makarov asked without even lifting his gaze from his food.

“H-have you heard... Anything about Laxus?” Freed stuttered. He was about to ask something else but couldn’t at the last second.

“No. They can’t make contact even with me”, Makarov said and Freed’s gaze dropped back to his food.

“I understand”, he said. “Of course, that was a stupid question.”

“No, you should always ask if there is something you want to know. For a moment I did consider letting them make contact with me if they needed, but then I decided they should do this completely by themselves. Master needs to make decisions by himself sometimes. Of course, I too listen to what others have to say but in the end everybody waits for my final decision. If I don’t let them do this alone, without even my help, they would still be relying on someone and not doing this by themselves.”

“I understand”, Freed nodded.

They ate and Freed put the dishes in the sink. Then he brought a tray over to the living room and set the teacups on the coffee table and poured some tea.

“I hope you like chamomile, it relaxes nicely as it is quite late already”, he said.

“Thank you, Freed”, Makarov nodded and he took his cup. “I don’t think I have ever visited Laxus’ place and had this good treatment”, he guffawed, making Freed chuckle.

“I think this is just polite”, he said and sat down. It was then when he finally realised he was still wearing the hoodie. Oh god, he was probably looking ridiculous.

“It must soothe you, that hoodie?” Makarov asked as he noticed exactly what Freed was thinking. Poor boy was always so worried was he polite enough and did he look proper. This was the first time he ever had seen him dressed up more relaxed. At least with his own will, of course. When they last time had a costume party at Fairy Tail, Bickslow and Evergreen had forced Freed to dress up as a scarecrow.

“Um... Yes, I have to confess to that”, Freed nodded.

“That is good. I was worried about you, now that Laxus is away and he won’t return yet anytime soon. Although, who knows? It all depends how long it will take them to finish their missions. They might return even earlier.”

“Or it might take them longer”, Freed murmured and Makarov huffed.

“Of course, that is also possible”, he agreed.

There was silence again, until Makarov finally looked at Freed and the swordsman lifted his gaze when he noticed the movement.

“I talked with Porlyusica”, the old man said and Freed felt like his guts freeze. “I understand if it feels bad but she had to tell me. This is really big news. You do know that I’m really happy for you and Laxus, right?” Makarov smiled.

“Y-you are?” Freed stuttered.

“Of course! What were you expecting? That I would throw out the person who’s carrying my great-grandchild just because he’s a man?”

“W-well... Not necessarily throwing me out...”

“You’re always so worried about everything”, Makarov laughed. “I didn’t know something like this could happen but I’m glad it did. Now I have a chance to see my great-grandchild before I die.”

Freed just blinked and he didn’t know what to think. Makarov was happy for them? It was not upsetting that his only grandson was having a child with another man?

“I have to be honest, I was quite worried what you would say”, he said with a small smile. “Because this is so... Unusual.”

“Just because something is unusual, doesn’t make it a bad thing”, the old master smiled. “Remember that, Freed.”

He frowned and that made Freed tense up again.

“But... When I heard about this, I couldn’t stop thinking how hard this must be for you”, Makarov said with a deep sigh. “If I had known this, I would have waited before sending Laxus on that mission.”

“But it is a really important mission”, Freed said.

“But now Laxus can’t be here to support you. And he couldn’t be the first person to hear he’s about to be a father. I can’t say nothing more than I’m really sorry, Freed”, Makarov said bowing his head and that made Freed almost drop off from the couch.

“Please don’t bow your head, Master”, he said quickly. “That is not necessary.”

“Yes it is, I’m deeply sorry that I had to make you go through this unnecessary pain and with that I have failed as a Master”, Makarov said with an adamant tone, not lifting his head. “Master should never make his children suffer like this.”

“You couldn’t have known, please lift your head, Makarov”, Freed begged. “I’m absolutely not holding any grudge and I’m not mad. I understand that Laxus had to go, he is going to be a great Master if you decide to give that title to him. He is smart, strong and most of all he loves Fairy Tail and everyone who belongs in it more than anything.”

Finally the old man straightened his spine and looked at Freed with a smile.

“You really are a good and loyal man, Freed. I’m more than happy that Laxus could finally open his eyes and see that too. I’m honoured that soon you will join in the Dreyar family, you are exactly the mate Laxus needs so he will stay on his path and make good decisions. With your help, I’m sure he can do anything. And I believe with him you are also cabable to achieve whatever goals you set for yourself. I have known it from the start that you two are perfect for each other.”

Freed could say nothing, he just gulped hard and did his best not to sob. Makarov just laughed heartily.

“I-I’m sorry, it just seems I can’t control myself fully”, Freed sniffled wiping his eyes slightly trembling. Makarov’s words were just so kind.

“It’s alright, Freed”, man with the big moustache smiled warmly. “It’s part of being pregnant. When my lovely wife was pregnant with my good for nothing son, she was emotional as hell all the time. And she normally was able to hold her feelings better than anyone I have ever known.”

Freed chuckled. It was good to hear he wasn’t acting totally ridiculous.

“If there is anything I can do to help, remember that you only need to ask”, Makarov said and he hopped down onto the floor. Freed stood up also.

“I will remember”, he nodded.

“I can’t tell you what you should or shouldn’t do, but if you want some advice, I recommend that you should talk about this with Bickslow and Evergreen”, Makarov said as he walked to the door and put his shoes back on.

“I don’t feel comfortable telling about this to others before I have talked with Laxus”, Freed sighed.

“I understand. But you know, they are just going to keep on being worried about you. They were the ones who insisted that I should talk with you, since you didn’t listen to them. They might have mentioned something about being stubborn”, Makarov grinned playfully and Freed laughed.

“I might have bad manners in that department”, he agreed.

“I would have come to see you anyway. Oh, before I forget completely”, Makarov said and he pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. “Levy asked me to give this to you. It’s a list of books she thought you might find useful.”

“Thank you, Makarov”, Freed smiled taking the paper.

“That’s more like it”, Makarov grinned. “Although, you can as well start calling me Gramps.”

“One thing at a time”, Freed said and made the old man laugh.

“As you wish, Freed. Go rest now. And think about what I said. When they know about the situation, they can help you. Otherwise they don’t know what to do and they definitely won’t stop worrying. That way you also don’t have to come up with excuses of why you can’t go to missions.”

“Oh, right”, Freed sighed. “I almost forgot that...”

“Porlyusica was really strict with it. No missions. She might seem heartless and only interested about her research, but trust me: She’s also really worried about you and Levy, since we don’t have much information if pregnancies caused by dragon slayer magic go normally. She only wants to keep you two safe.”

“I know”, Freed smiled. “We all know that despite acting like she hates us all, she actually cares Fairy Tail a lot.”

“Yes. Now, thank you for the tea and company”, Makarov smiled opening the door. “Let’s chat again more some other evening.”

“Good night, Makarov”, Freed smiled and he went to do the dishes after locking the door.

Chapter Text

In the next morning Freed headed to the Guild after the breakfast and making some cookies for Bickslow. He was glad to see him already awake and Evergreen was there also, as well as Cana. He had thought Makarov’s words through and with time. He was right. He should tell about this to his team. He was still feeling bad because he had to let other people know about this before Laxus but it was necessary. Laxus would understand.

He asked Cana to leave them for a moment. After apologies because of yesterday, he told them everything. Nervously, he sat there and waited for what they would say. If he hadn’t been so nervous, he would’ve laughed because the stunned expressions in their faces.

“Holy hell, that’s even more bigger news that I could imagine in my head”, Bicks said.

“And Laxus doesn’t know?” Ever asked.

“Of course not, he’s out there on a mission. Even I didn’t know before yesterday”, Freed huffed. “I don’t have any way to reach him so I could tell him.”

“Shit... So how are you feeling?” Bicks asked.

“I don’t know, I’m still trying to process this information”, Freed said shaking his head.

“Is your magic back to normal?”

“I don’t know that either. Valdeghar said my magic is unstable, I’m guessing that’s because of the hormones. I have Laxus’ magic to protect us if something happens, but my magic might not work properly.”

“Then it is a good thing that Porlyusica forbid the missions”, Ever said. “We can do some little missions with Bicks after he recovers so we can cover the rent and bills. And thanks to you we have enough savings so everything should be fine.”

“Thank you”, Freed smiled. “I really hate it that I have to ask this much and can’t do nothing at all myself.”

“Don’t sweat it”, Bickslow grinned. “You have a really good reason for it.”

“Maybe I can negotiate with Porlyusica more about that mission ban. You know, maybe if there’s something I can do at home? Translating some texts and similar.”

“Dunno what she might say”, Bicks huffed. “But guess it’s worth the shot, if you really don’t then need to go anywhere. But we don’t get jobs like that often in our Guild. Everybody knows that Fairy Tail is more into going out and beating bad guys, than sitting inside and going trough some dusty books. Even though we have you, Levy and couple of others who would like to do jobs like those”, he snickered.

“I should talk with Porlyusica and then ask Mirajane to tell me if there are any missions like that”, Freed smiled.

Needless to say, the trip to Porlyusica did not go well. It was his quick reflexes that saved him from getting a hit by the broom, as he was chased away from the cottage. So he had to come up with something else. In a way, it was nice to have a little challenge, how to make money when he couldn’t go on missions.

But after couple of days hard thinking what he could do, he started to really just get annoyed. But when Levy and Gajeel finally announced about the pregnancy, it lifted his spirit and he was really happy to see how the whole Guild was bursting with joy. Of course there were big party, lots of congratulations, even some gifts. Levy was absolutely glowing, laughing with others and Gajeel was so full of pride he would have popped if someone stuck him with a needle.

Even Bickslow was allowed to come into the Hall to join the party and Freed smiled looking how their guild mates had fun. When the darkness started to land outside, the atmosphere was quite drunk.

“Are you having fun?” Levy asked as she sat down in the same table with the rune mage. Of course it was obvious they couldn’t drink any alcohol but they were alright with just juice and water.

“Yes”, he smiled. “It is so nice to see everybody having fun. Congratulations, Levy”, he said and Levy chuckled.

“You already knew this”, she reminded.

“I know, but I still wanted to say it”, Freed smiled. “It seems that Gajeel took the news pretty well.”

“I’m almost scared of how well”, Levy giggled. “But I’m glad. He said that he had been wondering for a while about my scent.”

“Your scent?”

“Yes. He said it was different, but he didn’t know why.”

“Interesting”, Freed murmured. “Well of course it makes sense that hormones would affect the natural scent. They can smell it when one is stressed, scared, happy or similar. So obviously pregnancy with it’s strong hormone surges is something they notice easily.”

He quickly looked at Levy and now he was a little bit scared.

“They might notice”, he repeated.

“Right now they are so drunk I don’t believe they could notice anything”, Levy giggled. “Don’t worry, Freed. Even if they do notice, I don’t believe they would say anything.”

“Maybe not Gajeel”, Freed huffed. “And Natsu is simple minded enough not to maybe understand, but he might blurt something out and then someone else might realise it.”

“You’re thinking it too much. Have you yet read any of those books I listed?”

“No, not yet.”

“You should. Have you yet noticed anything different happening?”

“Hmm… I seems it is kind of a challenge to try and control all of my feelings”, Freed confessed with a slight blush and Levy chuckled.

“Is that all? You’re lucky”, she smirked. “Obviously you haven’t yet experienced the morning sickness in it’s full glory.”

“Is it really that horrible?”

“You have no idea. I’ve had it already two weeks. It was the reason I started to wonder if I was pregnant.”

“I see, this is just getting better and better”, Freed muttered. “Um… Do you happen to know when… Ahem...”

“The pregnancy starts to be visible to others? Usually after three months at least. But it really depends, not everyone gets a big baby belly”, Levy smiled. “Who knows.”

“Three months...” Freed murmured. Laxus would return in five weeks, if everything goes well. He would be then in his eleventh week. If he was lucky, it wouldn’t then yet be visible. But if it took longer for Laxus to return… It would be hard to try hide it.

He sighed and rubbed his face.

“I think I might as well go to the Guild’s library to read, then”, he said. “Or do I have to head to the library in town?”

“No, there are two of those books I listed”, Levy smiled. “Rest you have to find from the town’s library, but it is a good start.”

“Yes”, Freed nodded and he stood up. “Seriously, he’s about to be a father but you could easily mistake him to a sponge in a barrel”, he huffed looking at Gajeel who was laughing hard with others.

“Let him have his fun”, Levy giggled. “When the baby is born, we can’t do things spontaneously or party until morning and stuff. Would you say to Laxus he’s not allowed to have a party if he wants to do so after he hears the news?” she asked and Freed smiled.

“Of course not”, he admitted. “But then, we cannot be sure there even will be any party.”

“Freed”, Levy sighed rolling her eyes.

“I’m just being realist. No one can say how he might react.”

“You’re being dumbass. You’re the only one who thinks that way.”

“Wow, pregnancy is turning you more sassy, soon you might compete with Evergreen”, Freed chuckled.

He looked at Levy and jolted when he saw how those big, soft brown eyes started to tear up and her lower lip quivered slightly.

“Err… Um...” Freed stammered and Levy sobbed taking the napkin from the table.

“I really try my best not to be unpleasant”, the blue haired girl sniffled.

“Oh no, you’re not unpleasant”, Freed assured quickly. “Forgive me, that was not what I meant at all.”

Levy swiped her tears with the napkin and tried to smile.

“Yeah, I know”, she said. “It’s just… It’s just...” she wailed and was crying again.

“It’s just those hormones”, Freed huffed. “I understand. Believe me, I really do.”

“I-I think I’m going to talk with Bisca”, Levy said with a small laugh. “Maybe she can give me some tips how to deal with these bursts.”

“If she has any, please tell me too then”, Freed chuckled.

He turned to head to the library, when he almost bumped against the iron dragon slayer. Freed lifted his gaze and felt shivers when he saw those red eyes full of anger.

“Why’s she crying?” Gajeel growled and Freed stepped further from the angry, now also drunk dragon slayer. “What did you say to her, you nerd?”

“We were just talking, nothing bad happened”, Freed assured. “She’s just a bit emotional right now -”

“You made my mate cry”, Gajeel grumbled narrowing his eyes.

“Um… Yes, it seems that did happen… But -”

“No one makes my mate cry”, the black haired mage snarled and Freed knew this was bad. He was against a dragon slayer who wanted to protect his pregnant mate.

“I’m deeply sorry, I did not mean to make her cry”, he tried to explain rationally, keeping his voice calm.

“Gajeel, leave Freed alone”, Levy said quickly grabbing her hands around the big man, who growled towards Freed. “He didn’t mean to make me cry.”

“But he still did”, Gajeel growled.

“It’s because of the hormones, you remember? I explained these things to you earlier.”

“I think I need to go now when I still have a change”, Freed said and headed towards the stairs. Gajeel grunted something and the swordsman heard Levy scolding him for being so overprotective he didn’t even think clearly.

Freed huffed and closed the big doors of the library after him. Levy would have her hands full to keep Gajeel calm if he was going to react that way every time if Levy even sniffled a little. Obviously if Levy wouldn’t have stopped Gajeel, he would probably be running around the Guild Hall right now, trying to dodge attacks and not able to use his magic to defend himself. Fighting was the last thing he wanted to do right now.

It was quiet in the library and he was glad about it. He just wandered between the shelves for a while, trying to find the right books. After he found them he sat down on his usual spot in the corner of the library, nice quiet place with a comfy arm chair and a light. It was a place you didn’t notice right away when entering the library and that’s why it was his favorite spot, since it gave him some privacy.

Freed took one of the books and started to read it, leaning his head on his hand. He flipped pages as he finished them and frowned a little. There was much to remember. He straightened himself and went to the nearest desk where he found papers and a quill. He had to make notes or else he couldn’t remember everything. He obviously had to create a diet for himself, since there were foods he couldn’t eat and there were things he wasn’t allowed to do either. Oh god he was going to miss hot baths...

He went through the whole book and opened the second one. If he was quick enough, he would manage to read this book as well and take all the notes he needed and still have some time to go to the town’s library.

Freed fluttered his long eyelashes and wondered what had happened for a moment. Did he fall asleep? He yawned and straightened himself, as he was leaning against the table, open book under his arms . It seemed like he really did fall asleep while working… He wondered what the time might be and rubbed his eyes, looking at the wall where he knew the big clock was.

Freed blinked when looking at the clock. Was it really the same clock? But the numbers were all wrong. And the pointers were moving oddly, not in a perfect pace like they should but too fast. Freed rubbed his eyes more. Was he still sleeping? He stood up and looked around.

Everything seemed so… Surreal. All the shelves were crooked, books were ridiculously different sized, even the windows he saw were twisted and he wasn’t sure did he actually see anything trough the glass. It was like there were thick fog behind them.

Carefully he stepped further and looked around. Obviously it was dark outside, but there were some lightspots in the odd places like between the shelves, or behind the books, even under the ridiculously warped table. There were enough them so he could see around but not too many so they would light up every shadowy corner he saw.

This was… Eerie. It was so quiet in the library it actually made Freed’s ears hurt. What was wrong with this place? One guess popped in his mind.

“Valdeghar?” he said and even though he whispered, it was like his voice was emerged at least six different spots in the library, making it echo and Freed felt shivers. This really was scary as hell, he had to admit it.

He heard no answer. Well, he wasn’t really surprised, this was not how everything looked when Valdeghar visited his dreams. He had never seen something like this, but he was pretty sure it was because of demons. Some demon he didn’t know was meddling with his dreams.

Freed spun around startled when suddenly he heard deep breath. Where did it come from? He looked around and his heart was pounding against his chest. He really needed to calm down, being jumpy was not helping him, he needed to think. He had to come up with a way how to escape this place. If this was a dream, how could he make himself wake up?

He heard another slow gasp and he stepped closer to the doors. Who was breathing? Some demon? What demon was it?

Freed’s gaze suddenly locked straight ahead, at the end of the passageway between the shelves. He felt panic when he realised there was something standing right there, something he didn’t notice earlier there.

The figure was tall, slim and stood perfectly still. Like an old big clock that was covered with a dark sheet. For a moment Freed didn’t move a muscle, just staring that figure who didn’t move at all. Finally he started to relax a bit, but his hand never moved far from the hilt of his sword.

Freed almost jumped when suddenly the figure moved slightly. It started to turn slowly and Freed stared at two round hollow eyes that now stared back. What should he do? He glanced towards the doors that weren’t too far and looked back at the figure. What the…?

He wasn’t sure was it just his eyes deceiving him or did that figure move closer? Freed was almost too scared to even blink, just staring those round big eyes that stared back without a word. Freed swallowed as his throat felt suddenly really dry and he glanced at the clock, then remembering it was no use for him as it was just a mess with no sense.

He looked back and figure had moved closer.

“Oh shit!” he cried out loud before even realizing it and he almost stumbled on his feet as he moved quickly further. The figure did nothing and did not move as he stared it. But when he again looked at the doors just to see how far they still were, it only took a second when he looked back and the creature was even closer.

Feeling the panic and fear, Freed broke the eye contact and grabbed the doors, opening them and closed them as quickly as possible when he was at the other side. He panted heavily and looked at the dark stairway. Steps were uneven and there were no lights, but the ceiling seemed like it was glowing with stars. Carefully he started his way down the stairs.

The whole Guild House was silent and it was unnerving as hell. Fairy Tail was never this quiet. He walked past the corners and arrived at the Hall, but there was no-one there. There should be! There was a big party going on! But instead it seemed like there haven’t been anyone in this Hall for the long time. Even the tables and chairs were removed.

Freed felt shivers when he heard breathing. It was that demon again. He stumbled down the last steps and looked around, trying to find out where his enemy was. Finally he saw it, standing in the corner. What should he do?

He did his best to not break the eye contact this time but when his eyes started to dry and water, he had to blink. The figure was instantly closer, looking at him with it’s hollow eyes and breathing slowly.

“Who are you?” Freed stuttered and he was trembling. This was more than just a nightmare. What would happen if that demon caught him?

He blinked and the figure was closer. Now he was starting to really fear it. He took a step and almost tripped over something, he had to look what it was but saw nothing, then he looked at the sheated creature who was now even closer.

“Don’t come closer!” Freed shouted and desperately swished out his sword, only to notice its blade drooped like it was melting. Quickly he dropped it and drew some runes in the air but nothing happened. Now he realised he had at some point broken the eye contact.

He lifted his turquoise eyes and looked at those deep, big circles that were only inches away from his face. Breathing was now heavy and it filled Freed’s ears as there were nothing else to hear.

When the figure moved, Freed drew back and stumbled.

He felt how his back hit the floor and he blinked. He was looking at the ceiling. Was he awake? Or still sleeping? Where was the demon? Could he move at all?

He slowly moved his head and yelled in fear when there was someone standing next to him and it took couple of second before he realised it was Mirajane.

“Freed?” Mira said with a worried voice. “Are you okay?” she asked, looking at the rune mage who had fallen with his chair to the floor when fighting against the nightmare.

“W-what? Uh...” Freed wheezed and he was panting heavily, finally starting to understand what was going on.

They were in the library. He had fallen asleep against the table. Freed quickly glanced at the clock and it looked normal, as well as the shelves and everything else.

“Are you alright?” Mirajane repeated her question and Freed took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

“Yes”, he finally said and sat up. “It was… Just a really intense nightmare”, he said and with Mirajane’s help he stood up. “It seems like I fell asleep while studying.”

“Levy told me you were here, I was just wondering if you were hungry”, Mirajane smiled. “Then I saw you sleeping and you were muttering something. It seemed like you were having a nightmare so I tried to wake you up.”

“Thank you”, Freed smiled. “I’m fine now.”

“What were you studying?” Mira asked curiously looking at the note sheets and books.

Quickly Freed shoved the notes in one pile and put them upside down on the books to hide them.

“It’s… Umm… Something very personal, please understand”, he said.

“Of course”, Mira said a little bit confused but smiled. “It’s none of my business, I was just a little bit curious. So, do you want something to eat?” he asked friendly as ever.

“What was the time again?”

“Almost ten, you’ve been here many hours already.”

“Oh… I guess I could eat something”, Freed nodded. “But I will come downstairs”, he said before Mira left. He wasn’t actually thrilled to stay in the library after a nightmare like that. “Could you wait me at the doors, so I will put these books in their right places?”

“Of course, Freed”, Mira smiled and stepped on the doors.

Freed sighed in his mind, took the notes and put them inside his coat. Then he took the books and went to put them on their right places at the shelves.

He stopped when he saw the spot where he first time noticed the creature in his dreams. Now it was empty. He shook his head and continued, still feeling uneasy no matter how much he tried to calm himself.

It was just a dream. There was nothing here. But still, as he stepped to the doors where Mirajane waited him, he knew he wouldn’t return here for at least a few weeks, not alone.

Chapter Text

In the next week Freed used most of his time in infirmary with Bickslow to keep him company. He also read the books he got from the library and made notes. He had asked Ever to get the books for him since he was too familiar with the staff in library and he didn’t want to raise questions.

He was also doing his best to avoid Gajeel and Natsu, so when he heard Natsu had left to the mission with Lucy, Gray and Juvia, he was relieved. Gajeel was mostly only focused on Levy, so he could avoid him good enough.

After that week Wendy finally gave Bickslow a permission to leave the infirmary so he could rest at home. But he was still forbidden to go in any missions at least for two weeks. Since Freed had nothing else to do, he also mostly stayed at home to help Bickslow with whatever he needed. The seith mage had still a little bit problems with his feet, as he stumbled easily when walking in stairs. He had always been so flexible and acrobatic, Freed could tell that was frustrating as hell for him, even though Bicks did his best not to show it. But every day, he was doing better and better.

The nightmare Freed had in the library appeared almost every night now. He was in different locations, when in the Guild, when in their home, when on the streets of Magnolia and every time he did his best to get away from the demon who silently followed him, moving when he wasn’t watching. Sometimes in his dream, especially when it was located in their house it just stood there watching him, doing nothing. When he tried to move away, it just reappeared somewhere close and kept staring at him. It was almost just as scary as when he was trying to run away from it.

Today he had to go see Porlyusica for the first examine and he was really tired. But he had to keep going, walking through the forest to the cottage. Levy had her time earlier so they wouldn’t happen to meet each other, since Gajeel was obviously following her like a shadow everywhere.

Freed stepped on the porch and knocked the door. When he heard a familiar grunt he opened the door.

“Good morning, Porlyusica”, he greeted and carefully wiped his shoes clean before stepping in.

“Finally, what took you so long?” the pink haired old woman tisked looking at him.

“Am I late?”

“You could have come earlier”, Porlyusica said and Freed sighed to himself. There was no way to please this woman.

Porlyusica looked at him from top to bottom.

“You look weary”, she noticed.

“I am”, Freed nodded. “I’m having troubles to sleep well.”

“You useless humans are making my research harder. Take off your coat and shirt and sit there”, Porlyusica commanded.

Freed put his coat on the rack with his belt and folded his shirt neatly on the back of a chair with the scarf. Then he sat down where Porlyusica pointed.

“Why can’t you sleep?” she asked putting her hand on the mark.

“Just some nightmares, nothing to worry about”, Freed assured. “Was Levy okay?”

“If you wanted to know that, you should have come with her at the same time.”

“I think it’s better if I keep my distance from Gajeel…”

Now Porlyusica seemed a little bit interested.

“Why so?” she asked while writing something in her book.

“I don’t want him to notice my pregnancy and… I have a feeling he really don’t want me to come near Levy anymore. Maybe it has something to do with the dragon instincts or similar. I mean, it’s not like we are good friends in the same way as I am with Levy, but we are still friends.” They were really good friends with Levy so obviously he was bound to get to know Gajeel better also, not that he complained. “We usually talk this and that, but now it sometimes feel like he either ignores me completely or just stares at me as if trying to figure if he should just not care or should he hate me.”

“Quite interesting. He might see you as a threat. Not that you might cause something to Levy but maybe he just doesn’t like the idea of the other dragon slayer’s mate being pregnant in the same area.”

“What?” Freed asked blinking.

“It is very common in nature”, Porlyusica explained writing more in her book. “It is a way to make sure there wont be anything around to harm the mate and the baby. But this can bring us some serious problems if Gajeel and Laxus can’t control their instincts once seeing each other again.”

“Do you think they might cause something?”

“Of course I think they might, you moron. We are talking about dragon slayers, they always cause trouble where ever they go”, Porlyusica snapped. “I’m worried that if there is wrong word said in the wrong moment, they might start a fight that could destroy the whole city considering how powerful they are. They might start a serious battle for territory, depending of how bestial they might get. Winner gets to stay in the city with his mate, loser has to find another place.”

“Oh god”, Freed trembled when thinking about it. “That sounds really extreme.”

“In the nature, only strong ones survive and reproduce.”

“So it is possible that Gajeel already knows, at least at some level”, Freed huffed. “I should keep my distance then.”

“That is a good idea. Laxus is not here to protect you. I don’t believe Gajeel would hurt you, but he might threaten you a little just to keep you away. He probably doesn’t even notice it himself.”

“He’s already growling every single time he sees me…”

“So it has begun. But in the end what I said is the worst case scenario. They might also decide there is no need to fight over or just simply get over with those bestial instincts. Though I doupt that...” Porlyusica muttered.

There was silence as Porlyusica made notes and went through rest of the examination.

“You need more food”, she finally said and let go of Freed’s mark. “And you definitely need to try to sleep better. Your body is exhausted.”

“I will do my best”, Freed promised and took his shirt. “But everything else is alright?”

“Yes. It seems your body starts to change.”

“Change?” Freed jolted. “What do you mean?”

“Of course you know that male body is not suitable for carrying a child, let alone give birth”, Porlyusica tisked. “So it needs some changes. Female body also has to go through some changes during the pregnancy but yours are slightly bigger changes. I’m not saying you will turn into a woman, but something similar will happen. This should help you to figure things out”, she said and gave him a book.

“Um… Thank you”, Freed muttered taking the book.

“Now get out”, Porlyusica said sitting down behind her desk. “And eat more.”

“I will, thank you Porlyusica”, Freed said and he stepped outside after buckling on his belt. “I will see you again in -”

“Get lost, you rune ornated dragon’s squeeze toy!” the old healer yelled and Freed quickly shut the door and heard how the quill stuck on the surface of it. Quickly he started walking away from the cottage.

He was not sure what to think. His body would go through changes… Porlyusica said it like it was nothing, but he was slightly trembling even thinking about it. How much would his body change? It was like he was only just now realizing that he actually had to give birth ! How the hell would he manage to do that?!

Freed groaned almost pulling his hair. He really was not ready for this at all! This was insane! There was absolutely no sense in this whole mess no matter how hard he tried to think about it!

He sighed looking at the sky. But what could he do? Maybe this was insane, but… It was not like he had any choice? He huffed and opened the book while walking towards the town.

He kept reading until he was at their house, opening the door and stepped inside.

“How did it go?” Ever asked. Surprisingly, she was actually cleaning the living room.

“Fine”, Freed said finally closing his book.

“Another book?”

“Yes, Porlyusica said I should read this… It seems like there will be lots of changes ahead”, Freed said and he slumped on a chair. Usually he would instantly start helping with cleaning – and at some point take over – but not now, he was too overwhelmed because of the meeting with Porlyusica. “This just feels like too much. I don’t know how to handle this. I seriously doupt if I can do this at all...” he sighed rubbing his face.

“And you think that women always accept it just like that?” Ever said as she sat down at the armrest of the chair, making Freed look at her. “It feels just as overwhelming and insane for us. Of course, your situation is slightly different but in the end it’s just the same: Suddenly you are responsible for a whole new life you need to keep safe.”

“I just don’t know how I can do this”, Freed said. “I know I have to, but…”

“Do you think that women are not scared of giving birth? Or becoming a parent?”

“Of course I’m not assuming something like that”, Freed sighed. He lifted the book looking at the cover. “You know, I do respect women in a whole new level now after reading all these books”, he said. “Since I have never been interested in women that way, I naturally never thought about how pregnancy works. I had no idea there was so much to keep in mind so the baby would be healthy and everything would go well.”

“It’s rare to hear a man saying something like that”, Ever giggled. “But then, men don’t experience something like this so it’s not a wonder. Well, usually they don’t experience something like this.”

They heard a knock from the door and Ever went to open it.

“Hello, Wendy”, she said.

“Hello, Evergreen and Freed”, Wendy smiled. “I came to see Bickslow, if that would be okay?”

“He’s still sleeping”, Freed said and he put the book on the drawer. “Do you want me to go and wake him up?”

“Um, no, let him sleep. I can come back later”, Wendy assured. “I just wanted to check on him.”

“I know you didn’t go to the mission with Natsu and others so you can keep an eye on Bickslow”, Freed smiled and stood up. “We are really grateful of that. Why don’t you just stay and wait until Bickslow wakes up? We have some cake in the fridge and we can make some tea.”

“Would that really be okay?” Wendy asked, with just a little bit nervous tone in her voice. She had never stayed in the house of the Thunder Legion just… Well, like eating cake and drinking tea. It sounded absurd to even think about, them doing something so casual like that. Something so… Normal, like they weren’t one of the strongest teams in the whole Guild!

“Of course”, Freed smiled and he filled the kettle with water and put it on the stove. “Isn’t Carla joining us?”

“No, she said she had other things to do”, Wendy explained as she took off her shoes.

They set the table and sat down after everything was ready.

“So goood”, Wendy praised with a sweet tone after taking the first bite.

“Of course, it’s our Freed who baked the cake”, Ever giggled making Freed laugh.

“I’m glad you’re enjoying it”, he smiled. “There are still some left so if you want, you can take the rest with you when you leave.”

“If that’s not too much to ask, I would love to!”

“Of course you can take the rest with you. Freed can make a new cake anytime he wants. And apparently he have started to like cakes much more lately”, Ever smirked making Freed roll his eyes. “There might be a new cake in the fridge soon.”

“Ever”, Freed said frowning.

“I wouldn’t say it’s impossible”, Ever chuckled. “I’d say it’s likely.”

“That’s enough.”

Wendy looked confused and a little bit worried.

“Um… Is there something going on?” she asked timidly.

“Maybe”, Ever chuckled.

“Ever!” Freed scolded.

“Fine”, the brunette huffed. “But you know, she’s young, not stupid. She’s a dragon slayer too”, she said and Freed opened his mouth, but had to close it when he didn’t know what to say.

They looked at Wendy who seemed slightly embarrassed with red cheeks, looking at her piece of cake.

“I bet you know already what’s going on”, Ever giggled.

“I… I might… Have said something to Porlyusica...” Wendy stuttered blushing more fiercely. “When I noticed Freed’s scent was different...”

“Oh my god”, Freed sighed palming his face and Ever just laughed amused. “Please, Wendy, tell me you haven’t talked about this with anyone else.”

“N-no!” Wendy assured quickly.

“That’s good”, the rune mage sighed relieved.

“Porlyusica said I shouldn’t tell anyone and I agreed with her”, Wendy said. “I was surprised, though...”

“I bet you were, we were too”, Ever chuckled.

“Aren’t you a little bit too young to know things like these?” Freed huffed looking at the blue haired girl.

“Oh please, she’s not that young anymore”, Ever said. “You’re just like many other men, thinking that she will always remain as a sweet little girl and you ignore the fact that she will grow up and become a woman. Seriously, what are you and Laxus gonna do if your baby is a girl?”

Freed thought about it for a moment. Their little girl would be so cute and angelic, wearing beautiful dresses and maybe a golden locket on her neck and tiny little cute shoes on her feet. They would spoil her without a doupt, maybe she would have long blond hair, tied up in a high ponytail with a big orange bow. Oh god, even he knew what he was thinking was so stereotypical...

“Okay, you’re thinking her as a little girl”, Ever said leaning her chin against the palm of her hand. “Now think of her as a teenager. Rebellious, wearing clothes she wants to wear and they might be really revealing. She’s going on dates, not wanting to listen to you old farts who don’t understand her and only want to think her as a cute little girl, not as a young independent woman.”

Freed frowned a little, thinking about it for a second.

“I’m not feeling comfortable continuing this conversation”, he decided immediately.

“Men”, Ever said to Wendy and they giggled.

“I think I’ll go wake up Bickslow”, Freed grumbled and he went to the stairway.

He sighed to himself thinking about it. If they had a girl… It was slightly scary to think about it, but they could only do their best to raise her and let her be just like she would want to be. And they had Evergreen. She would help them out if there was something they couldn’t solve.

Ever was talking with Wendy, when suddenly they heard a shriek:
“ OH MY GOD!!”

“And he’s thinking how they obviously have to tell their baby girl at some point about sex and stuff” Ever giggled and Wendy blushed again, trying to hide behind her cake plate.

The blizzard was so fierce it was almost impossible to say was it a day or a night. It had been going on around four days if Laxus wasn’t mistaken. Keeping time was hard when you were trapped in a small cottage you happened to find in the middle of nowhere. But he was glad the cottage was here, he would have frozen out there in the middle of snowstorm.

The blond grunted and put some more wood on the fire. He would soon run out of logs. Then he would just have to break the tables and chairs, everything he could find to keep himself warm. He wasn’t worried that the cottage’s owners would mind, it was obvious this place had been dumped for a long time ago. He had to use the old rugs he could find to cover the broken windows and the hay-filled mattress to cover the door that was almost completely broken.

Everything was going so smoothly until now. He was so sure he would be home earlier than in two months but then this fucking blizzard started. He could only hope it would subside soon so he could continue his mission.

Laxus laid down on the floor near the fireplace. He was worried. He had this uneasy feeling that everything was not alright with Freed. He had felt a strange tug in his magic – was it maybe around two weeks ago? - and he knew it was because something happened to Freed. He was so close to just drop everything and head back home right away, but then he felt that everything was fine again.

But now… He didn’t know how to describe it. He knew that something was going on and he wanted to go home, but he couldn’t. The lightning dragon slayer let out a grumbling small laugh when he imagined Freed’s face if he would return and tell him he dropped the mission. He would be so damn mad at him. It was always so amusing when Freed got mad, even if he never totally lost his temper.

Laxus let out a sigh and closed his eyes. He could only hope that everything would be alright. Bickslow and Ever were there to help if something happened and so were the whole Guild. But deep down he knew already that if there would be another tug like that in his magic… No way in hell he would just stay and ignore it.

Chapter Text

It was a really cold early morning. There were dark clouds in the sky, shooting down sleet all around the town, making everything wet and slippery. There was no signs that the clouds would disappear at the rest of the day, so it was probably wise to just stay inside today.

Makarov put the newspaper on the table after reading it. Just then, the kettle on the stove announced that the water was boiling by a soft whistle so he hopped down onto the floor. He climbed on the stool and took the kettle from the stove, pouring the water in the teapot. He had his coffee, but he knew Freed wanted a cup of tea in the morning so he made it ready for him.

It had been a rough couple of days... It had been six weeks since the Thunder Legion had returned from their last mission. Bickslow was doing great, all thanks to Wendy and Porlyusica who managed to heal him completely back to normal. He did have big scars though, but it seemed like Bickslow didn’t care about it which was good.

Everything went really well until last week. Freed was lucky that his pregnancy didn’t yet show, at least not when he wasn’t wearing shirts too tight-fitting. He was able to still come to the Guild and not fear that someone might notice before he could tell Laxus. Makarov was worried he might get bored, not being able to go in to missions so he had given the rune mage some of the paperwork where he could help him. Of course, it was obvious that if Laxus would be the new Master of the Fairy Tail, Freed would probably be the one helping him as much as he could so it was a good thing that he get to know what kind of a paperwork there would be.

The old man sighed, while waiting for the tea to brew. The moment that started this downhill was when a week ago Erza had returned back to the Guild. Of course Freed was just as happy as everyone else when the red haired mage returned, but that seemed to make him think that Laxus would probably appear anytime soon too. He was so eager to see him, waiting patiently and hoping that Laxus would step inside the Guild Hall at any second.

That continued three days. When Freed finally realized that Erza’s return didn’t mean that Laxus would return soon too, he got depressed. When he didn’t show up in the Guild on the fourth day, Makarov went to see him and found him from the Laxus’ house and it pained him to see how the proud, strong man looked so utterly sorrowful and lost.

It was now obvious more than ever that the dragon slayers weren’t the only ones to suffer because of their dragonic instincts, their mates had their own share as well through the link that soulmate’s mark created. Freed seemed so sad and fragile when his soulmate was away and he did the best thing he could: He looked for the safest place he could find, where he could wait.

So here they were in Laxus’ house and Makarov had decided it was probably for the best if he stick around as well until Freed would feel better. Freed was obviously doing bad, not sleeping well and not eating enough. The old Master of Fairy Tail was worried that if he weren’t there to make some food, Freed would starve himself. Maybe dragons could go without eating through the whole pregnancy but obviously humans couldn’t.

Of course, Evergreen and Bickslow were also worried about the situation. But there was not much they could do. They tried to talk with Freed, cheer him up but there was hardly anything to make the swordsman even smile a bit. Most of the time Freed just laid on the bed, maybe not sleeping but he didn’t want to get up or go anywhere.

Makarov poured the tea on the cup and put it on the small tray. Then he headed towards the bedroom, knocked the door and opened it. The room was dim and he saw the lump on the bed, as Freed had snuggled himself under the covers, leaning against the pillows. Like nesting, Makarov thought silently. Guess it made him feel more safe so it was good.

He walked next to the bed and put the cup on the night stand. He looked at the breakfast he had done earlier and saw that at least Freed had eaten few bites of it. That was good also, he was worried he wouldn’t even touch the plate.

“I brought you some tea”, Makarov smiled softly and the lump slightly shifted. “I hope you’re feeling better after eating something. Is there anything you need, Freed?”

There was a silence for a moment.

“No...” he finally heard a quiet answer. “Thank you, Makarov.”

“You’re welcome, my boy”, Makarov said. “I’ll be in the living room if there is anything you need, just shout.”

“Yes...” came a slow sigh and Makarov stepped back to the hallway, closing the door.

It was really hard to see Freed like this. Freed might many times overthink things, but he was always a man who would not let depression take over him in the end. So this was really worrying and unusual of him, though who could blame him? If anything, Makarov only blamed himself, he was the one who send the Greenette’s mate away when he most desperately needed him by his side to support him.

At least he could help this much. He felt responsible to take care of Freed while Laxus was away. If this kept going on and Laxus wouldn’t show up... He had no other choice but to tell rest of the Guild what was the situation, why Freed wasn’t showing up at the Guild, why Makarov was staying with him in Laxus’ house and so on. Right now it was covered when he told Mirajane to take care of the paperwork because Freed was having cold and he felt responsible to help the man who would soon be part of the Dreyar family.

Makarov’s thoughts were cut when there was a knock on the door so he went to open it, seeing Bickslow standing there with his dolls.

“Good morning, Master”, he grinned.

“Good morning, Master!” the Tiki dolls greeted happily.

“Morning, Bickslow”, Makarov said letting the seith mage in from the rain. “You’re up early.”

“Yeah, how’s Freed doing?” Bickslow asked. He had found a new helmet for himself, though now it was only a visor that was hold in its place in front of his eyes by two leather straps. His blue and black wild hair was now wet because of the rain and you could clearly see two big scars at the left side of his head. “Has he finally gotten up from the bed?”

“I’m afraid no”, Makarov said shaking his head. “But he’s eating. Not much, but even a little bit is good.”

“Freed’s sad”, ‘babies’ sighed. “That’s no good.”

“We can only do our best to keep him company and make sure he eats”, Makarov said.

“I’ll go see him”, Bicks said. “Talk with him a little. I even brought him a book he could read”, he grinned pulling out a book from under his cape.

“That might cheer him up a little bit”, Makarov smiled. “It’s good that you and Evergreen want to help him.”

“Of course! We’re the Thunder Legion”, Bickslow cackled.

They went silent when they heard a stumble from the bedroom and looked at the door. Bare feet stepped on the floor coming closer and finally the door opened, revealing the rune mage who was wearing a pyjama pants and a loosen t-shirt. He looked exhausted and had dark circles under his eyes, green hair was tangled and the lightning bolt cowlicks looked like they were drooping.

“Oh...” he muttered surprised when he saw Bickslow. “Morning, Bicks.”

“Morning, baby”, the seith mage smiled. “How are you doing?”

“Good, I guess”, Freed murmured stepping in the hallway. “I just thought I need to go to the bathroom. Feeling nauseous...”

“We missed Freed”, ‘babies’ said, snuggling against the swordsman surprisingly tenderly, making him even chuckle a little bit.

“It’s nice to see you too”, he said and went to the bathroom.

Bickslow put his cape and shoes to dry and helped with Makarov to clean the kitchen while Freed was in the bathroom. After that, they were both happily surprised when Freed actually joined them in the kitchen.

“How is Evergreen doing?” he asked as he sat down and Makarov poured him some more tea.

“She’s on a mission today with Elfman”, Bicks said, eating what was still left of the breakfast Makarov had made.

“I see. I really feel bad that I can’t help you in any way to earn some money for the rent and the bills.”

“Hey, don’t sweat it. Everything’s fine”, Bickslow assured. “And we were talking with Ever yesterday about our living arrangements.”

“Is there something wrong?” Freed asked worried.

“Nah, there isn’t but you’re not seriously thinking about to keep living with us when Laxus returns, baby?”

Freed blinked surprised and confused.

“That house is too big for just me and Ever”, Bickslow said. “There is no point keeping it if you’re moving in here. So we thought maybe we could rent a smaller house near here with Ever?” he grinned and Freed didn’t know what to say.

“That is not a bad idea”, Makarov nodded.

“We’re moving!” ‘babies’ cheered excitedly.

“When the house is smaller, the rent isn’t too big so we can find a house from this area with Ever.”

“What about Cana and Elfman?” Freed asked.

“Me and Ever both know it’s too soon for us to think living together with them and they agree”, Bicks said.

“Way too soon!” the Tiki dolls said.

“They can crash in our place anytime they want so it’s not a problem.”

“How are you two going to manage keep the house clean and take care of the bills just by yourselves?” Freed asked amused.

“We figure something out”, Bicks said. “And if it’s close enough, you can easily visit there anytime you feel like you’re bored and need something to do”, he snickered.

“Oh I see, that is the main reason why you want the house near here”, Freed chuckled and it was a relief to hear him finally start to slowly get over the depress.

They talked more for a while, until Freed was starting to feel overwhelmed. It was not like he wasn’t enjoying spending time with Makarov and Bickslow, but still it was like there were tiny little voice in his head that told him the safest place was in the bedroom. So using a slight headache as an excuse, he returned back to the dark room and closed the door.

He slumped on the bed and crawled in the middle, pulling the blanket over him and snuggled his face against the pillows. They smelled like Laxus and it was very soothing. But it still reminded him that Laxus wasn’t home and it saddened him, making it feel like someone was slowly tightening a robe around his neck and he clenched his teeth. He would not cry. He should be brave and just wait patiently. He promised that to Laxus. No matter how many weeks or even months it would take, he would wait and do his best to just make sure their baby would grow bigger and healthier.

Freed sighed. It was starting to show more. His pants felt tight and his normal shirts were slightly stretched around his waist. He hated it. He felt stiff and clumsy and he wasn’t used to it at all.

He huffed and shifted, taking better position and let himself doze off.

Makarov talked with Bickslow a while, until the seith mage headed back to their home. The old man sat on the couch and opened the lacrimavision, hearing how the wind howled in the windows and the sleet hit the glass with force. It really was a horrible weather…

For a good amount of time the only voice in the house was the lacrimavision. But when there were some noise at the door, Makarov stood up. He was just about to go see what was causing that rustle, when the door opened and his eyes widened.

Laxus stepped inside, completely drenched by the rain, shivering and he dropped the big bag on the floor.

“Laxus”, Makarov said both surprised and happy.

“Gramps”, Laxus grumbled and he just tossed his coat somewhere on the rack. He had some bandages around him what told there had been several big fights, but nothing too serious still. “They told me in the Guild that you were here.”

“Yes”, Makarov nodded. He noticed how tensed up Laxus was. It was like he was barely holding himself together, trying hard to keep his head cool.

He knew something was going on with Freed, without a doubt. Makarov was more than just impressed how his grandson was able to maintain himself, but he realised that Laxus obviously waited that they would quickly go through the reports and stuff.

“Technically, we should go to the Guild where I can then hear your report and read what the person who gave the quest had to say about you”, Makarov said and he saw how veins in Laxus’ neck grew bigger. He was just about to lose it. “But I think I owe it to you and Freed to close my eyes for a while so you can go see him. But tomorrow you have to appear in the Guild first thing in the morning”, Makarov said and Laxus nodded. “I will go then”, he said and took his coat from the rack. “I made dinner ready, you only need to heat it up if you want to eat.”

Laxus grunted something that sounded like “Thanks” and kicked shoes off his feet, heading towards the bedroom. He could smell Freed was there.

The blond had to use his last bits of self control so he wouldn’t just slam the door open. Instead he opened it silently and looked at the dark room. He heard how Makarov closed the front door, leaving them alone in the house. Laxus let the door open and walked next to the bed. Freed had covered himself completely with the blanket and he heard him breathing calm what told him he was sleeping.

The dragon slayer sat at the edge of the bed and gently he moved the blanket. He saw the green hair that was tangled and the familiar beautiful face that he had missed so much. But he growled when he noticed how his mate’s brows were slightly frowning even in his sleep. Was he seeing nightmares?

Laxus dropped the wet shirt and pants on the floor and moved the blanket more. He grabbed his mate in his tight embrace, finally feeling more relaxed. He tossed the warm blanket over them and run his fingers through that green hair, careful so he wouldn’t pull any strands. He buried his face in Freed’s neck and inhaled deeply.

It was Freed, yet he still smelled slightly different. Laxus pulled his head up and looked at his mate thoroughly, searching if there were injuries or was he sick or similar but he saw nothing. Yet still he noticed that Freed obviously had not eaten well and he looked really tired. It was alarming. He wanted to help him.

“Freed”, he murmured softly, caressing his cheek. There was no reaction and the calm breathing didn’t stop. Damn, sometimes Freed really did sleep like a log. He pulled the rune mage closer and petted his hair. “Freed”, he said again.

Freed shifted slightly and his breathing got uneven when he was finally waking up. Laxus watched how those long eyelashes fluttered, then opened and the turquoise eyes looked around still dazed because of waking up. It took a moment but Freed finally seemed to notice he wasn’t alone in the bed and lifted his gaze up, looking at Laxus.

The blond grinned wide at his mate.

“Hey, babe”, he greeted.

“Laxus...” Freed whispered still unable to believe this. Was he still sleeping? Was he missing Laxus so much he finally started to hallucinate?

“Missed you”, Laxus smiled and he kissed Freed gently. The Greenette just stayed still, until carefully he moved his hands, touching Laxus’ still cold and damp skin, caressing his neck and wet blond hair, as if he was scared that the Thunder God would disappear at any second.

Finally they pulled apart and for a moment they just stared at each other.

“When did you return?” Freed finally asked.

“Just a minute ago”, Laxus said. “I’ve been worried about you”, he said and hugged Freed again, this time he hugged back just as tightly.

“I’ve missed you too”, Freed whined feeling how tears already burned the corner of his eyes. “I’m so happy you’re home again.”

“Me too, babe”, Laxus smiled. “I don’t want to ever leave you like that again.”

“What about the mission? Did you talk with Makarov?” Freed asked worried looking at Laxus.

“Don’t worry, I talked with him. He told me to come to the Guild tomorrow. Today I’m planning to stay here with you and spoil you and cherish you”, he said with a smirk. “And make you eat more. Have you been sick?” he asked worried.

Freed blinked and suddenly he realised what was the next big step: Telling Laxus what was going on. He knew already something was going on but not what exactly.

“Um… Something like that”, Freed muttered making Laxus’ frown.

“Did something happen?” he growled.

“Nothing bad happened, I swear”, Freed reassured. He sighed and dropped his head back to the pillow. “But… I don’t feel like talking about it just yet”, he said. “Right now I want to enjoy this moment, knowing that you’re back”, he smiled brushing Laxus’ cheek, running his finger across the jagged scar. He admired those beautiful orange eyes he had missed so much. “It can wait a while”, Freed smiled.

“Are you sure?” Laxus asked.

“I’m sure”, Freed said kissing the black tattoo on Laxus’ shoulder. “Just for an hour or two. Just like this. Enjoying how we can be together again.”

“I like that idea”, Laxus smiled. “That fucking mission took longer than I intended, but there were some hindrances.”

“You’re here now”, Freed smiled leaning his cheek against Laxus’ bare chest. “It was hard to just wait… Not knowing if you would ever return. But I wanted to believe in you, you said that you would return so I believed that. No matter how long it would take, I would wait.”

“You’re doing good, love”, Laxus praised kissing those green hair, making Freed smile happily. Laxus had no idea how good it felt to hear those words. “Let’s just stay here like this for couple of hours.”

“You’re cold.”

“Yeah, I know. There’s one seriously shitty weather out there to try walk anywhere.”

“Do you need a hot shower?”

“Nah, I’m good”, Laxus assured kissing Freed’s forehead. “I only need you.”

“I will warm you up”, Freed chuckled wrapping his arms around Laxus’ big body, making the dragon slayer laugh.

“I like that idea”, he smirked.

Chapter Text

For two hours Freed and Laxus just cuddled at the bed and exchanged kisses and caressed each other. It was nice, nothing sexual, only gentle making out and enjoying how they finally after nine weeks were able to be together again. They didn’t care if there was storm outside or the wind felt like it was ready to blow away the roof of the house.

Freed smiled looking at the lightning dragon slayer, who had finally dozed off for a moment. It was clear that Laxus was more than just exhausted after the big mission. He couldn’t yet tell what all happened, not before he fist talked with Makarov about it, but it was okay. They had time to talk what all had happened while they were apart.

Carefully Freed opened one of the bandages in Laxus’ arm and examined the wound. Not deep, but still not just a scratch. He was happily surprised that Laxus had actually taken care of it like he should, not just splashing some water on it and saying that was enough. Freed crawled at the night stand and took out a little case, opening it. Inside there were ointment that would help to keep the wound clean and heal. After gently applying it on the wounds in Laxus’ arm, shoulder and chest he wrapped the bandages back on.

After that he silently stood up and stretched. He felt better than in many weeks! He was no longer constantly stressing or worried or anything. He was just happy that Laxus was home and relieved that his mate was not that badly hurt.

Freed quietly slipped out of the bedroom and to the bathroom. He dropped the clothes on the laundry basket and stepped on the shower. He wanted to do something really good for Laxus. Should he bake something? Laxus’ wasn’t really fond to sweet things… And there was no point making dinner since Makarov had already prepared something for them.

Freed hummed while washing his hair. He had been so depressed he hadn’t even showered properly for a couple of days. Slowly the tangles started to straighten from the green hair as he added some of the lavender oil in it.

Suddenly he heard someone grabbing the handle of the door and he got startled. He had locked the door after him and now he was glad he did it. It would be wonderful to have a shower together with Laxus, but… With no clothes to cover the slight roundness, Laxus would probably notice it right away, since the rune mage was always so strict to stay in a good shape. Freed just kept washing his hair and pretended like he didn’t notice at all. Luckily, the handle was left alone after that one attempt to try open the door.

Freed stepped out of the shower and grabbed the towel. He wrapped it around his hips and raised his fingers, drawing some runes in the air. He smiled when his magic was working and he felt a warm little breeze blow through his green hair, drying it. Then he grabbed his brush and started to brush his hair straight. It was never sure that his magic would work when he wanted. Sometimes it did without a problem just like it always had but sometimes he could do nothing. It was really frustrating for time to time. After every single knot was untangled, Freed pulled his hair up and tied it in a high ponytail.

He stepped beside the door and listened for a while the noises. Laxus was obviously doing something in the kitchen. He completely forgot to bring a change of clothes with him in the bathroom, so he should just quickly slip back to the bedroom and put something on.

Freed nodded to himself and silently he set some runes that would muffle all the sounds from everywhere but from the kitchen so Laxus couldn’t hear him. Then he opened the door and sneaked to the bedroom that were still dark but now empty.

He pulled out a pair of boxers and put them on, then he grabbed the orange hoodie that was laying around and pulled it over his head. Yes, this was good. He only needed pants anymore.

Freed looked around for a while in the darkness and when he turned, he saw Laxus and cried out loud because of the sudden appearance. Or he would have cried loud, but he couldn’t hear a thing because of the trap. He waved his hand and the runes vanished.

“You scared me”, he said still trying to calm his fast pounding heart.

“Sorry, didn’t think you would use your magic to sneak around”, Laxus said. He had dressed up already and was just about to eat something when he noticed the bathroom door had opened without him even hearing it. “What was that?” he asked frowning.

“I just didn’t want to wake you up, I thought you might still sleep”, Freed said still looking for pants.

“Like hell you did, you heard me when I tried to open the door, you stopped humming instantly at that moment”, Laxus said and Freed shivered. “Something is wrong.”

“Nothing is wrong, Laxus”, Freed assured.

“Why wasn’t I then allowed to enter? What are you hiding?”

“I… Umm...” Freed stuttered and now he was scared. Laxus wanted to know what was going on, he was worried. He had actually thought it many times how he should break the news to the lightning dragon slayer, but… Suddenly he just froze.

He was so scared that Laxus would react badly. What if he got angry? What if he would throw Freed out of his house? What if he never wanted to see him again?

Freed flinched when big fingers touched his chin and lifted his face up, making him look straight into those orange eyes that looked like burning cinder in the dim light of the bedroom.

“What is it, Freed?” Laxus asked calm, but demanding. He wanted to know what was going on. Something obviously had happened, he didn’t just imagine it while he was away. “Seven weeks ago I felt a tug in my magic and I knew you were in danger. Are you okay?”

“W-what?” Freed said blinking. “No, I’m fine! We were against a big beast and Valdeghar had to use your magic.”

“Valdeghar?” Laxus asked. “Why him?”

“W-why? Uh… There were some troubles and Bicks was in a really bad shape, it was the only way to help him.”

“Why couldn’t you help? Were you hurt?” Laxus kept asking and Freed took a step backwards.

“It’s a little bit complicated”, he said.

“Were you hurt?” Laxus repeated growling. He knew Freed would squirm his way out of this and keep avoiding questions if he wasn’t straightforward with them.

“W-well, I can’t deny there wasn’t -” Freed started and was startled when Laxus grabbed his hand, rolling the sleeve up looking for signs of wounds or anything. “Laxus, I’m fine!” Freed assured pulling his hand away. “Seriously!”

“Then why aren’t you telling me what’s going on?” Laxus snarled grabbing his other hand but he found no wounds.

“Calm down”, Freed said. “There is no need to be like that. I can’t tell you anything if you won’t listen.”

Finally Laxus let go and stood there, ready to listen. Yet he was obviously not in a very patient mood. But Freed had already lost his words again.

“I’m waiting”, Laxus grunted looking at his mate who just stared at the floor, almost trembling.

“I-I…” Freed whispered, trying his hardest to think should he just bluntly blurt everything out or try to figure better words. “D-do you want some tea first?” he offered.

“The fuck?” Laxus growled raising his eyebrow.

“J-just to ease the situation a little?” Freed suggested. It would give him at least a little bit more time.

“That’s it. Get here, Justine”, Laxus snarled and Freed jumped away when he tried to capture Greenette with his hands. “Fucking grasshopper”, the blond grunted. “I gave you an order!” he roared and Freed jolted, stopping when his captain side automatically wanted to follow his commander’s orders.

He yelped when big hands grabbed him and shoved him on the bed, binding him down so he couldn’t squirm away that easily. But instantly Freed grabbed the hem of the hoodie before Laxus could pull it up.

“Laxus! We need to talk with time and peace”, he said.

“I gave you many changes but you didn’t tell me, so if you’re not going to be honest with me I’m just gonna see it myself what’s wrong”, Laxus growled. “Did that beast hurt you badly? Are you still recovering? Did it rip your chest and leave you with scars?”

“It has nothing to do with that beast!” Freed yelled his cheeks burning, eyes shut tightly.

“What? Was it something else? Did something else happen while I was away?”

“No!”

“Then what is it?!” Laxus shouted eyes sparking angrily, as he got more and more worried.

But he forgot his anger and got stunned when he suddenly heard sobs. He immediately stopped. Was Freed crying? Did he scare him? Or accidentally hurt him? Oh fuck! Did he really hurt his mate while angry?

Quickly Laxus run his fingers through long green locks and pulled Freed closer.

“It’s okay, love”, he murmured, trying to soothe him. “I’m sorry, I lost my temper. I shouldn’t have yelled. Are you hurt?”

“No...”

“Are you sure? I’m so sorry… I really didn’t mean to cause you any harm”, Laxus said and he felt guilty and ashamed. He made his mate cry. He was the worst boyfriend ever. “Shit, I shouldn’t have been so rough...”

“I-it’s alright...” Freed muttered.

“It’s not, you’re crying.”

“I’m not crying because of that”, Freed groaned rubbing his face with his hand and Laxus was confused. He had no idea anymore what was going on.

“Freed, seriously”, he said. “You have no idea how fucking scared I am right now”, he murmured. “I don’t know what is wrong and I just want to help you. Please, tell me what it is.”

“It’s… Because…”

Freed’s throat hurt so badly, it was like he was choking. But he had to say it. He had to tell him. He had to force himself so he could even whisper something and Laxus leaned closer so he could hear what he tried to say.

“Pregnant?” the dragon slayer said when he understood what Freed was muttering. “I don’t get it”, he frowned trying to figure what Freed meant. Why was he saying something like that? “You don’t mean… You are?” he asked half jokingly, but the other part of him was so serious it was terrifying.

Freed’s head was buzzing as he had finally managed to say something but he couldn’t open his eyes and look at Laxus. He just sniffled, as he wasn’t anymore able to control his feelings. Whatever it was he was feeling, everything was just a big mess inside him right now.

“Y-yeah...” he sputtered nodding wearily.

There it was. Laxus knew. There was no going back anymore. Whatever would happen, he couldn’t stop it and he had to accept it, no matter how hard it would be. He just sank to lay on the bed like it could swallow him in it’s depths, he was too tired to do nothing more than just stay there, sobbing.

Freed’s other hand let go of the hem as he was too overwhelmed to try and fight back, when bigger hand raised the hoodie. He wanted to hide under the blanket, keeping his eyes shut when Laxus was observing his body. Last time he felt this embarrassed under Laxus’ stare was when they had sex for the first time.

He inhaled slightly when he felt rough hand gently touching his stomach. Those fingers were trembling so much it was almost ticklish.

“Shit...” Laxus gasped, feeling a bump. It was not yet big but he could feel it well. And he could see how before so sharp and gorgeous sixpack had started to… Well, not fade but soften in some way. “Oh shit.”

Freed snivelled quietly. The more time went by as they just stayed there, both not knowing what to do, the more he just wanted this to end. No matter what, even if Laxus would just throw him out of the house, he couldn’t just stay there being stared by his Thunder God.

“Oh fuck...” Laxus muttered, finally sitting on the bed and he run his fingers through the blond hair. “I think I need one really strong drink. No, maybe a whole bottle.”

Freed said nothing just wiping his face on his sleeve and he rolled on his side when he was finally free to do so.

“How is that… How can that even happen?” Laxus finally asked. And he was stunned by the fact that part of him didn’t even actually question was this really possible. It was like he knew it all along, but only just now realised it!

“Because of the dragon slayer magic...” Freed muttered. “The mating season activated this part of it…”

“But… How can two men…?”

“I don’t know, Porlyusica said something about how this magic doesn’t care about genders as long as there is a strong enough link between soulmates”, Freed sighed. His tears had stopped finally and he was too tired to even be scared anymore. “Something about how it is a way of survival. To make sure dragon slayers won’t vanish. It is possible that dragons have this same trait so it was passed to the dragon slayers with the rest of the magic they have… We still don’t know much about this.”

“Porlyusica knows about this?” Laxus asked.

“Yes. She examined me as well when Levy suspected she was pregnant”, Freed nodded.

“And Levy knows too?”

“Yes.”

“Who else?”

“Um… Naturally, me and Levy are not allowed to go into any missions anymore for a while and… Well, Porlyusica had to tell Master why.”

“So Gramps knows?” Laxus said eyes widened.

“Yes...” Freed nodded, hoping that Laxus wasn’t angry. “It was necessary to tell him, he is the Master of Fairy Tail.”

“Oh fuck!” Laxus groaned holding his head. “I don’t know what the hell I should think. I have never thought about having kids.”

“Me neither”, Freed sighed. “At least we are both just as lost with this.”

“Are you absolutely sure about this? You’re not just getting fat?”

The suggestion was so sudden and odd after all what Freed had said, he actually burst into laughter. He knew he probably should feel offended or whatever but he couldn’t, maybe he was tired enough to find even that lame question funny. No, he didn’t laugh because of the question, he laughed because of the serious tone Laxus had when he asked it.

Freed tried to calm himself quickly, still giggling a little and he finally looked at Laxus. Then he laughed more when he saw that confused, worried and annoyed expression in his scarred face.

“What?” Laxus snarled making the rune mage only laugh harder. “Are you fucking joking?”

“N-no”, Freed chuckled trying to calm himself. “I just… You look so...” He buried his face on the pillow laughing hard again.

“Look what?” Laxus growled. “How would you look like if you came home after over two months and found your male lover pregnant?”

“Wouldn’t that then be you?” Freed asked and thought about how it would look like.

“Don’t picture it in your head, you ass!” Laxus yelled his cheeks red as Freed was laughing for the mental image.

Laxus huffed and crossed his arms, waiting until Freed finally started to calm. His look was annoyed, but inside he felt really relieved to hear his mate laughing again. For a minute there, he was almost ready to kick himself because he made him cry. He had really missed that face and voice, no matter how bizarre this situation was.

Freed let out a couple of small chuckles still and wiped tears from his eyes.

“Are you finally done?” Laxus grumbled.

“I guess”, Freed smiled. “I really needed that.”

“Seems so.”

The rune mage looked at Laxus.

“Are you angry?” he asked.

It took a while, as Laxus stared at somewhere far.

“Not angry”, he finally said. “Just… Fucking confused, that’s all”, he sighed rubbing his face and ruffled his hair. “When someone suddenly tells you something like that…”

“I know”, Freed smiled. “It was a big shock for me too.”

Laxus sighed and he slumped on the bed.

“So… A kid, huh?” he muttered.

“Yes”, Freed nodded, laying just beside him, both staring at the ceiling now. “Can you imagine?”

“No, not before I have that drink”, Laxus snorted. “Does Bicks and Ever know?”

“Yes, I had to tell them, they were worried.”

“Good. They were here when I couldn’t be.”

Freed turned his head towards Laxus, who kept staring ahead.

“I was worried”, he confessed. “Of what you would say… I still am.”

“I guess I would be too”, Laxus murmured. “That was one hell of a bulletin. I was so close to just grab my coat and head to the nearest bar and drink until I wouldn’t know anymore if it was next day or last week.”

“I wouldn’t have blamed you if you had done that. Why didn’t you leave?”

“You were crying”, Laxus huffed and his cheeks reddened slightly. “I can’t just leave when you’re crying. It’s not something you do often, not like that. Sounding so sad, scared and lost… I don’t know what I felt, was I terrified or what, but I couldn’t just walk away.”

“You big softie”, Freed chuckled.

“Shut up, bitch”, Laxus snickered. “I still don’t know what the hell I should do, but walking away is out of the question.”

“I’m not forcing you to anything”, Freed assured. “You can do whatever you want.”

“You know what I don’t wanna do?” Laxus grumbled. “I don’t wanna be like my own bastard dad, not giving a shit about what family really is and stuff. But how could I be better father when I had him as my role model?”

“Who says you can’t be like Makarov then? He’s your grandfather”, Freed smiled. “Most important thing is that you do what feels right and find your own way how to be father.”

“That’s going to be hard, being a parent.”

“It is. But I’ve heard it’s all worth it. Just take your time to fully digest this, I’m not pressuring you into anything. If you don’t want to get involved, I will respect your choice.”

“Wouldn’t that make me an asshole?” Laxus grunted. “Leaving you to take care of the kid all by yourself?”

“I still have Fairy Tail”, Freed smiled. “I won’t be completely alone. I just don’t want to force you, I’ve never wanted to -”

“Shut up, like hell I’m gonna leave you and our kid.”

Freed smiled brightly when hearing that. He wasn’t that scared anymore. Laxus obviously needed still lots of adjusting in this but he looked really determined to not just turn his back.

“I think you’re going to be a great father”, he assured. “Just believe in yourself more. But you will not grow a mustache as you get older and start staring at hot young guys at the beach.”

“Hell no!” Laxus laughed.

Silence landed and they kept staring at the ceiling, both thinking about the changes there would be in their lives.

“Hey.”

“Yes, Laxus?”

“Wouldn’t you then be a mother?” Laxus chuckled and Freed blushed.

“I guess...” he huffed.

“Suits you, you’ve always acted so motherly, taking care of everything and everyone.”

“I don’t know if I still would want to be called a mother...” Freed muttered crossing his arms and Laxus laughed.

“Mama Freed… Sounds about right”, he smirked and was kicked down from the bed.

“Thin ice, Dreyar. Thin ice”, Freed warned. “I don’t want Bickslow to start calling me that.”

“I’m sorry, love”, Laxus smirked climbing back on the bed and kissed Freed softly. “Just teasing you a little.”

“You’re forgiven. This time”, Freed said smiling a little. He had stressed about telling this to Laxus so much, so when he finally had told it, how he didn’t need to lie or hide or try to come up with excuses anymore… He was happy. He never wanted to lie to his Thunder God or keep secrets from him. And it was a relief how well Laxus took the news in the end. Well… At least million times better than what Freed had feared he would.

Chapter Text

In the next morning, Freed looked at himself from the mirror, tied his hair, checked that everything was in order and gave himself an approving nod and he was ready to head to the Guild. It was all thanks to Porlyusica’s herbal tea that he wasn’t hugging the toilet all morning feeling sick. It didn’t always work, but today was obviously a good day.

Freed buckled his belt and straightened his sword, then he stepped in the bedroom.

“Laxus, seriously, you need to get up”, he scolded folding his arms, looking at the blonde who was still laying in the bed. He heard nothing but sleepy growling that almost instantly turned into snore. “Master is waiting for you to appear at the Guild. It’s already nine o’clock”, Freed said and he pulled away the blanket.

“Don’t care...” Laxus grumbled not opening his eyes.

“You should care. Are you going to ruin everything, make that whole two months being apart worthless just because you’re a little sleepy? I made you coffee ready in the kitchen and a breakfast, so eat, take a shower, shave your stubble and dress up.”

“I hate it when you’re that dutiful for the first thing in the morning…”

“At least someone has to make sure you complete your mission with honour. Now get up, I have to go so make sure you won’t take too long.”

“What? Wait, where are you going?” Laxus asked finally lifting his head from the pillow, blond hair a total mess. “Why are you leaving?”

“We can’t arrive at the Guild together”, Freed noted and he stepped at the hallway. “You’re not supposed to be here.”