Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The sun was starting to set painting the whole sky orange. In Magnolia, the train let out a whistle as it finally stopped at the station. Freed smiled when stepping out with Bickslow and Evergreen with their bags.

“Man, am I happy to be home again”, Bickslow groaned and stretched. “That mission... I can’t believe we actually got out of it alive.”

“Don’t be ridiculous”, Freed chuckled. “It wasn’t that bad.”

“Wasn’t that bad? I don’t want to see any books for the rest of my life! Hell, why did we have to move a whole library?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, it wasn’t even that big library. And we got paid well.”

“That’s true”, Ever smiled happily. “After a good night sleep I’m going to spend my whole day tomorrow shopping.”

“I hope Cana is in a better mood”, Bickslow grinned. “I hope she’s at the Guild, we could go her place.”

Freed smiled listening what Bickslow and Evergreen planned as they started their walk towards Fairy Tail. They had been on their mission for a week and of course there were more than just moving books around. There was in fact many little missions as the islanders came to ask their help once they learned there were mages around. Even if there had been a lot to do, it was a nice little island Freed had to agree with it. They had helped to catch few burglars, move the library since the old building was almost grumbling down, and other things that made the islanders life more peaceful and easier.

“Freed?” Ever asked and that snapped Freed out of his thoughts.

“What? Excuse me, I didn’t listen what you said”, he apologized.

“I just asked what you’re planning to do for a few days?” Ever smiled.

“Well, it all depends”, Freed chuckled. “But I guess I try to relax for a while.”

“Good luck with that”, Bickslow grinned.

Soon they walked under the large sign that said ‘FAIRY TAIL’ and continued towards doors. They could already hear people yelling and fighting.

“Sounds like Natsu and Gray have returned as well”, Bickslow smirked.

“I’m definitely not in a mood to listen some fighting, I’m going home right after we give our reports”, Ever huffed.

Before they got at the large heavy doors, one of them was slowly pushed open with a lot of effort.

“Mama!” Felix beamed as he finally got out and dashed towards Freed. The rune mage chuckled and gladly caught his son who made him crash at the ground. “You were gone way too long!” Felix sniffled grabbing a tight hold of the red coat.

“I wasn’t gone that long”, Freed assured with a smile. “Only one week.”

“That is a whole week too much!”

“I see. I try to be quicker next time”, Freed promised and stood up. “Did you have fun with dad while we were gone?”

“No”, Felix pouted.

“Why so?”

“Dad’s old and boring. Can we go home without dad?”

“Why would we leave him behind?”

“Because dad couldn’t catch as many peanuts as Natsu.”

“I don’t think that’s a reason good enough not to take him home with us”, Freed chuckled and they finally stepped inside the Hall.

They were greeted and they gave their report. Felix hummed happily not letting go of Freed’s neck when they finally sat down for a while.

“I don’t see Laxus here”, Freed said surprised.

“Yeah, he’s usually sitting here even when doing paperwork”, Bickslow said.

“Well, I’ll be going now”, Ever smiled. “I’m tired. Don’t bother me at least for a few days with missions or stuff.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere either”, Freed assured.

“Same here”, Bicks smirked. “We have money again so everything’s fine.”

Ever left and Bickslow slipped away to sit with Cana. Freed just smiled and they sat with Felix who wanted to know everything about their mission, while getting some juice and tea from Mira. Some time later Laxus appeared down the stairs and headed straight towards them.

“Welcome back, babe”, he said giving Freed a kiss.

“It’s good to be back”, Freed smiled. “How did everything go? Did you have problems with each other?”

“Nah, he’s a good kid. He missed you much but otherwise everything went fine”, Laxus said ruffling Felix’s wild blond hair.

“Dad missed you too, but I missed you more”, Felix assured and Freed chuckled.

“Well, I’m here now.”

They looked at the window when they heard a familiar sound coming from outside.

“It’s them”, Felix gasped. “The bells are ringing!”

“Yeah, I suppose there’s something going on at the Cathedral”, Laxus said.

Freed closed his eyes as they enjoyed the beautiful sound and for a moment it felt like the whole town had gone silent, except the bells of the Kardia Cathedral. After a while they stopped and all that was left was a lingering memory in their ears.

But soon the Hall was again filled with chatter as everyone kept doing what they were doing.

“They sounded kinda sad”, Felix suddenly said making his parents confused.

“Why do you think that?” Laxus asked.

“I don’t know... They just did.”

“I see... Don’t worry, they will ring happily once again.”

“Really?” Felix asked worried.

“Absolutely”, Freed reassured.

“Good”, Felix smiled. “We have to do something fun together!” he suggested excitedly.

“Of course. We can have a whole day tomorrow doing something fun together. Today it’s already too late, so we should just go home”, Freed smiled.

“Good idea. You look like you might collapse at any second”, Laxus said picking Felix up and Freed stood up as well.

“So what did you eat while I was away?” the rune mage asked curiously when they headed out the Guild.

“We mostly ate at the Guild”, Laxus explained.

“Dad destroyed one of the pans at home”, Felix said getting a glare from the Thunder God.

“Didn’t I give you a bag of cookies so we wouldn’t tell that to mama?” he reminded and Felix covered his mouth.

“Oh? You bribed him to stay silent?” Freed asked lifting his eyebrow. “I’d love to talk about this more once Felix is in his bed”, he said and Laxus groaned.

In the morning Freed woke up and he wasn’t at all surprised that Felix had appeared in their bed, sleeping between them in deep sleep. He chuckled looking at how Laxus snored and Felix sounded like he was muttering something in his sleep. Those two were so similar Freed had to restrain himself so he wouldn’t laugh.

He silently got up and took his morning gown, stepping out of the room. Since he was awake, he should take a shower and start getting breakfast ready.

After the shower he stepped out of the bathroom downstairs, just to see Felix smiling brightly.

“Good morning, mama”, he said happily hugging Freed tightly.

“Good morning, Felix”, Freed chuckled. “I thought you were still sleeping”, he said buttoning up his shirt.

“I woke up. I wanted to help you do the breakfast so dad won’t try to do it.”

“I see. Then we better start doing it since dad has to get up soon and go to the Guild.”

“Why dad has to always wake up early and go to the Guild?”

“Because he’s the Master of Fairy Tail”, Freed explained taking out bread from the closet and eggs and butter from the fridge. “He has to go and make sure that everything is fine. Did you feel yourself lonely when I was gone and dad had so much work?”

“No, he said that he let Mira and Erza do most of the work so we could do something together”, Felix said and Freed smiled.

“That is really good, it’s very nice that you two do something together”, Freed said.

“Why do you make holes in those?” Felix asked confused, as Freed cut one big hole in the middle of every bread slice.

“So I can break the egg at the middle”, the rune mage explained and he put two slices on the pan.

“Is it good?”

“It’s very good. Eggs are really healthy for breakfast and this is just one way how to make them.”

“Can I do something?”

“Of course”, Freed smiled taking a small cup of salt they had near the stove. “Just take a little bit salt and sprinkle it over the bread.”

He chuckled when looking how serious look Felix had when he carefully took some salt and made sure to sprinkle it evenly over both breads.

“Is that okay?” he asked.

“Yes”, Freed nodded and put the cup away.

With Felix’s help he made the breakfast, set the table and the coffee was also ready just when Laxus stomped down the stairs.

“Dad is late”, Felix scolded.

“I’m not, kid”, Laxus grumbled ruffling Felix’s hair and he stepped to kiss Freed. “Good morning.”

“Morning”, Freed smiled. “Are you going to have a long day?” he asked as they sat down with fresh coffee and tea.

“Shouldn’t be. I can ask Mirajane and Erza if they can still today take care of the papers so we could do something together.”

“I’d love that”, Freed smiled, but Felix pouted.

“But we were supposed to have fun today”, he whined.

“We can have lots of fun all three of us”, Freed assured.

“But it was supposed to be just us...”

“Don’t be like that, you’re making dad feel bad.”

“But mama’s been away the whole week”, Felix wailed moving to sit on Freed’s lap. “I wanna be with mama.”

“Told you he missed you”, Laxus said lifting his eyebrows. “It’s okay, it feels bad to leave Mira and Erza take care of everything again anyway. You two have some fun since we were doing things together all week with Felix”, he smiled.

“Is that really okay with you?” Freed asked.

“Of course, babe. You guys need to have time together as well”, Laxus chuckled and he leaned over to give his fiancé a kiss.

But small hands grabbed his face, pushing his head away.

“No! No kissing! It’s gross!” Felix forbid making Laxus growl.

“And here I was so nice to let you have all day with mama, you brat”, he snarled irritated.

“That’s enough”, Freed said. “We won’t start a fight. Felix, eat your food and go dress up properly, you can do that right?”

“Right!” Felix smiled happily, returning back to his own seat and continued eating.

Freed looked at Laxus who seemed annoyed.

“You also do your best at the Guild today, don’t bother Mira and Erza anymore with your work”, he said and heard somekind of a grumble. “It’s nicer to have our own time at the evening when Felix is asleep and there is no works that needs to be done”, the swordsman chuckled mischievously.

“Hmm, I like that idea”, Laxus smirked immediately.

Chapter Text

For the next week, all their days were full of chores what to do at the Guild. There were lots of things they had to buy, help making the foods, clean every spot of the whole Guild House and decorating it the best way they could. There was only few days left and everyone was doing their best to help, no matter how many times Freed and Laxus both said they absolutely didn’t need anything fancy or showy.

But this was Fairy Tail, so it was pretty much pointless to wish celebration that would be calm and nothing big.

“Reedus, that looks wonderful!” Evergreen praised when looking at the beautifully colored flowers. Who would even believe they weren’t real flowers?

“I’m really happy if this looks nice”, Reedus said flattered and blushed. It was after all not that common the get praised by Ever.

“I have to say, this makes the whole Hall look completely different”, Freed smiled while admiring all the paintings that had been brought alive due Reedus’ Picto Magic. “It would be nice to always have something like this presented in here.”

“Like something that fits the seasons?” Ever said excitedly.

“I’m not sure if I can do it permanently…” Reedus apologized with a tiny chuckle.

Freed looked at the stairs and ignored Ever and Reedus who kept talking about the idea and he smiled when he saw Laxus.

“What the…?” the lightning dragon slayer asked confused when looking around. “Since when did this old run-down pub turn into a meadow?”

“Reedus made everything according to Ever’s plans”, Freed chuckled. “Do you like it?”

“Do we really, really need this much flowers?” Laxus grumbled when seeing few gigantic purple orchids over the bar counter.

“You are always free to discuss about that with Ever. I decided not to do that.”

“I guess that’s a wise move… I’m starting to regret of letting her decide all the decorations…”

“I’m so sorry, Master”, they heard a cold voice when Ever stepped beside them. “Would you care to tell me point by point what I should change with the decorations?”

“Eh… Nevermind”, Laxus sneered instantly giving up. He was definitely not in a mood to start arguing with the brunette, he was already tired because there was so much to do. “Have you guys seen Bickslow by the way? I wanted to talk with him about some stuff.”

“What stuff?” Freed asked confused.

“Mostly make sure he’s not gonna make a toast with some stupid old stories or something similar.”

“We must find him immediately”, Freed decided without hesitation. “Were you supposed to meet him here?”

“Nah, haven’t seen him at all today”, Laxus huffed. “He didn’t say that he’d have any plans today, though. Not before evening when we would get Roxanne, Roscoe and Kvestor from the train station.”

“Don’t tell me he’s out drinking with Cana”, Freed sighed as Laxus went to talk with Mirajane of something. “Of course, there’s still few days before the wedding but there is also so much what to do.”

“I will make sure to find him”, Ever offered. “Don’t you worry.”

“How are you planning to find him?”

“By making Elfman to look for him”, Ever hummed happily. “He has free time so it should be fine.”

“How are you two doing, by the way? You just moved in together and then we had a week long mission. Did it cause anything bad?”

“Of course not”, Ever said. “We’re mages. We have to take missions that might last long times sometimes, even months so one week is nothing.”

“That’s good”, Freed smiled. “I was just a little bit worried.”

When knowing how Ever could be sometimes terrifyingly clever but still very impulsive, anyone would be worried. But guess she really did love Elfman.

“You have absolutely no need to be worried at all”, Ever tisked annoyed.

“I know. He is a really good guy after all”, Freed smiled. “I’m really happy you could find someone so honest man who knows how to value something as delicate as you. Even if you’re sometimes a little bit too much to handle...”

“Hey!”

“But he knows that despite how spicy you can be, you’re still just a fragile little fairy inside”, Freed chuckled.

“That’s more like it”, Ever smirked hugging Freed. “Is Felix playing with his great-grandfather somewhere?”

“Yes, Makarov promised to keep him and Vellanja busy so they wouldn’t cause troubles and we can concentrate handling things here.”

“Those two they are just so cute both of them”, Ever giggled when picturing the blond haired boy and the raven haired girl. “Always picking on each other.”

“I have told you, it is not okay to think like that. That will only encourage them to fight and that way they learn it is a good way to solve things.”

“You always find a way to make things more boring, huh?” Ever sighed disappointed.

“I just want them to understand that things can be solved without violence”, Freed forwned crossing his arms.

“I know, Sweetie. You’re absolutely right, as always”, Ever said rolling her eyes. “But they are kids, Freed. Let them argue and fight sometimes, it won’t harm them I’m sure of it. You just overthink everything like usual.”

“When did you learn that much about kids anyway?” Freed muttered slightly annoyed, mostly because he knew that Ever was actually right. He didn’t run between Felix and Vellanja every time they fought, but maybe he did lecture them little bit too often. He was boring even himself out.

“Have I ever implied that I’m bad with kids?” the brunette asked raising her eyebrows. “Shut up, I can see it all over your face how you think I’m not exactly someone you would think would want spend time with kids. And I really don’t. I’m just using common sense and I have kept my eyes open, you know. You’re not the only person in this place who can learn something by just following what other people do”, Ever reminded hands on her hips.

“Have I ever suggested something like that?”

“Smartass. You know, when they fight they can actually become closer together.”

Freed sighed thinking about it a moment. He had actually never really thought things that way. But now that he did, it really did make sense.

“Natsu and Grey are close, even though you wouldn’t think it when you saw them fighting all the time”, he had to admit. Their team sure did have their own quarrels too, but they never really fought like that. “Even if they have calmed down lately.”

“We all mature at some point”, Ever chuckled.

“It is really interesting how much people can change in four years”, Freed smiled. “All kinds of incidents slowly but sternly shape us into something new when given time.”

Sudden heat wave bursted over them burning the beautiful flowers and whatever was left of them were frozen by the icy wind.

“Then again, sometimes it feels like things never change even one bit”, Freed shook his head as Ever locked her deadly glare towards the fighting mages, who didn’t seem to notice at all what disaster they were causing. “Let them be, Ever”, Freed smiled. “Reedus can always make more flowers for us.”

Ever was just about to start argue with him when the big doors slammed open and they saw Bickslow.

“Someone has attacked Naava Town!” he yelled.

Freed and Evergreen both jolted and ran towards their friend.

“What is the situation?” Freed asked.

“I don’t know, Roscoe just called me”, Bickslow said worried. “I didn’t understand much since the line was really bad but if that guy calls us it cannot be something good!”

“We have to leave immediately”, Laxus said coming over.

“Laxus”, Bickslow smiled relieved.

“They’re saved!” his ‘babies’ yelled.

“They’re part of our Guild now and even if they weren’t, we would help”, Laxus said. Three years ago Roxanne, Roscoe and Kvestor all three had joined Fairy Tail, but didn’t leave Naava Town and very rarely they asked their help at anything. That made them all just more worried what kind was the situation in there.

“Laxus!” they heard a familiar sound and looked at Natsu who came over to them with others. “Is something going on?” the pink haired mage asked.

“Yes”, Laxus said. “Bickslow’s hometown is under attack.”

“We’re going to help too!” Natsu snarled and others yelled agreeignly. “We won’t leave Madam Roxanne in trouble!”

“Thanks, guys”, Bickslow grinned gratefully.

“Reedus! Paint us some pigs that can fly!” Erza yelled.

“Oui! As you command!” Reedus said stepping out of the Guild House and painting some baby pigs on his arms. They popped out from his skin and transformed into big strong swines that had wings.

“I’d like to offer my skills to help getting there faster”, Mest said stepping beside Laxus.

“That is much appreciated”, Laxus nodded. “Can you teleport me and the Thunder Legion there?”

“I can do my best, Master.”

“Then that is what we will do.”

“Warren”, Freed said looking at the telepathy mage. “Contact rest of the Guild who are in Magnolia and inform them about the situation. Use Reedus’ pigs to get in Naava Town as quickly as you can.”

“Yes!” Warren said, closing his eyes.

Freed frowned and looked outside where mages picked their swines and got off.

“Gramps will take care of Felix”, Laxus said to him as he could guess what his mate was thinking. “Don’t worry, they will be fine here in Magnolia.”

“You’re right”, Freed nodded and stepped beside his team members and Mest. “We should go.”

Mest nodded and with a swish of his hand their surroundings turned into a blurry mess of colours and shapes. It didn’t take more time than just few seconds and then it stopped. Since it was still early spring, in Naava Town there wre still lots of snow and now they were standing at the middle of the field near the town itself.

It was like the tall mountains were bleeding as the fires of the burning town and forests were reflected from the snow on their slopes.

“What the hell?” Laxus grunted as they all were stunned by the horrible view.

The whole sky was black because of the smoke, but suddenly many dark red balls of fire shoot down destroying more of the town and shaking the ground under their feet. They could hear fightened screams and how buildings grumbled down. The smell of the air was something they would never forget.

“It’s like a meteor shower”, Freed gasped astonished.

“Bickslow, we go find Roxanne, Roscoe and Kvestor. Mest, Freed, Ever, you three concentrate on evacuating as many people as you possibly can. Don’t do anything hasty! If there are enemies, be careful. Forget putting down the fires if not necessary, focus on saving the people!”

“Right!” they yelled and split up, all heading towards different parts of the town that had became a burning hell from nightmares.

Chapter Text

Roxanne stood at the porch of her house and watched what all was happening. She had seen a lot in her time already, but this was probably one of the most terrible things yet. It was harsh to have to just watch how her own hometown was attacked and was now burning down.

“Madam, we should go”, Kvestor said worried, holding a bag where they had hurriedly packed some of the most precious things from the house. “The fire is spreading and we can never know where the next meteor might hit.”

“You’re right, Kvestor”, Roxanne sighed leaning against her cane. “But it’s not an easy task to leave this old house just like that. It has been in our family for so long, it’s like leaving behind a family member.”

“I understand, Madam. But we can’t stay.”

Roxanne sighed again but said nothing, she just couldn’t move yet. They heard another three explosions as meteors destroyed the town and the ground shook, making the old house tremble and creak dangerously.

The old woman suddenly raised her head when she heard familiar voices. She was surprised when she saw Bickslow and Laxus, both heading towards the house.

“Bickslow! Mr. Dreyar!” Kvestor shouted both surprised and happy.

“Granny! Are you alright?” Bickslow asked as they finally reached the porch.

“We are alright, Cookie”, Roxanne smiled. “And Honeycomb too, it’s nice to see you two again though I wish it would have been a better time. But why are you here?”

“Roscoe called us and told someone was attacking Naava Town”, Laxus said. “So we came here. Rest of the Guild will come soon too.”

“That is a relief to hear, kids.”

“You better leave this place too, Granny”, Bickslow said. “Can Kvestor fly you away?”

“I’ve been trying to tell that to Madam for a while, but she just doesn’t want to leave”, Kvestor sighed.

“You have to leave”, Laxus grunted. “We saw how bad the destruction was, it’s highly possible this town won’t survive it. We just have to try and save as many people as we possibly can. Freed, Mest and Ever are already evacuating them.”

“Roscoe is doing that too”, Roxanne said.

“Where is he right now?” Bickslow asked.

“He should be at the west part of the town. This town has underground tunnels so they are using them to evacuate, but not everyone can use them at the same time and only few of them lead out of the town.”

“I should have guessed this town has something like that since you have a damn library build inside the mountain...” Laxus grumbled.

“One is coming down!” Kvestor suddenly screamed when he saw the fiery rock that was falling almost straight towards them.

Laxus grunted gathering his magic and unleashed a strong beam of lightning, hitting the meteor that shattered into tiny pieces.

“You guys can’t stay here any longer”, he said to Roxanne and Kvestor. “We’ll take you to Roscoe and then we go search more who the hell is causing this all.”

“Let’s go, Granny”, Bickslow said and Roxanne sighed, but nodded finally.

Freed used his rune walls to prevent fires spreading more. He made sure there were streets which people could use to escape. Ever was keeping an eye for the meteors and Mest was using his teleportation skills to help people get out as well.

One of the meteors hit at the nearby building, throwing burning pieces of wood all around.

“This is getting insane”, Ever said as she landed just beside Freed. “I don’t see that many people here anymore, but there must still be some around.”

“We must do what we can to help them”, Freed said. “Mest is our best hope in this kind of situation. I hope they all gather somewhere safe. Is the train station still working?”

“No, I saw it before, it’s totally ruined.”

“That’s bad, I was thinking if we could have used it to send people towards Magnolia”, Freed murmured and tried to think. “They can’t just stay in the forest or mountains, they will freeze to death.”

“Can you create a dome so we can at least stop more meteors to hit this town?”

“That might work”, Freed murmured. “But it would take time and I’m not sure if we have that much time to use.”

“I’ll cover for you, you do it”, Ever said. “It’s our best hope to make sure no more meteors destroy this town and people can run away. Even if it takes time for you to set it.”

“But it won’t stop the fire spreading.”

“I know! But at least there wouldn’t be burning rocks raining from the sky!”

Freed looked at the brunette and finally he nodded.

“You’re right”, he agreed. “We can’t stop the fire anyway, we just need to buy as much time as we can until the others arrive and they can help us to get rid of the whoever is causing all this”, he nodded and took out his sword.

The rune mage did his best so he wrote the runes fast, but carefully so he wouldn’t leave out anything. Everything had to be perfect. Ever was keeping an eye of their surroundings in the small area where there used to be much people selling their groceries and stuff.

As the runes were finally ready, Freed put his hand against the stones of the street and the dark purple writings slithered in different directions, heading towards sides of the town. There they linked up creating a circle and all the letters brightened up, hoistening up a purple wall that closed itself on top of the town and covering every building that were still standing.

Freed huffed but smiled. It had been a while since he last time needed this spell. And he was glad that Naava Town was so much smaller than Magnolia.

“Are you feeling okay?” Ever asked.

“Yes, no need to worry. Everything is on its place and the shield is as unbreakable as I can make it”, Freed nodded.

“Good, I’ll watch your back for you”, Ever smiled. “In the end, right now Mest is the best choice to take care of the evacuating so we take care of those meteors.”

“I wonder...” Freed murmured trying to think how they could help the situation more. “If there might be any way I could subside those fires while the dome is on?”

“Can’t you just use some rules like there can’t be any fire inside this trap or such?”

“No. Fire needs oxygen so the trap would erase all the oxygen and suffocate both fire and us. And we can’t just go outside and use it then, since if there’s even one person left behind, it’s as good as I killed him with my own hands and I won’t do that.”

“I see... Alright, then we just keep away those meteors right now and help Mest as much as we can”, Evergreen said.

Freed concentrated all of his magic and strenghtened the dome more. At the same time he made sure all the walls he had already set up to prevent the fire from spreading were still standing. There wasn’t much he could do after that anymore, but that’s why he had Ever. She would make sure no one would ambush him.

Bickslow and Laxus were escorting Roxanne and Kvestor towards one of the places where people could go underground, when they noticed how the dark purple dome appeared above the town.

“Go, baby!” Bicks cackled when few meteors collided against the shield, breaking into pieces and falling down the wall.

“Freed’s a hero!” ‘babies’ chanted happily twirling around in the air.

“Sugar did that?” Roxanne asked surprised.

“It’s his Jutsu Shiki”, Laxus smiled. “We don’t need to worry about those meteors anymore. Now we just need to get everyone out of here.”

They arrived at one of the meeting places and Bickslow grinned when he saw Roscoe. The slightly shorter man with his visor that was covering his jaw was shouting commands to other guards, who guided people underground in pairs.

“Roscoe!” Bickslow howled happily and hugged his older brother tightly.

“Shit, watch it you idiot!” he snarled shooing the seith mage away and hissed, grabbing his side.

“Are you hurt?” ‘babies’ asked worried hovering around the guard. “Poor uncle!”

“This is nothing”, Roscoe grunted. “But I guess I have at least one broken rib.”

“Man, I’m glad you’re still alive”, Bickslow grinned. “We were worried, baby.”

“How is everything going?” Laxus frowned.

“We have managed to get most of the people out, luckily”, Roscoe said. “But there are so many lost lives as well...”

“It won’t take long and rest of the Fairy Tail will be here too”, Laxus promised. “There are mages who can help putting down the fires and Freed is currently taking care of the meteors. We might still have some hope to rescue something of this town.”

“That is a relief”, Roscoe smiled. Then he frowned. “But we don’t have time to chat right now, we have still much to do.”

“Do you need us to go somewhere spesific to check out places?” Bickslow asked.

“The northern part of the town, there’s something happening there but we don’t know what.”

“We go check that out”, Laxus promised. “You take care of things here and make sure Madam and Kvestor get out as well.”

“Are you sure you can do it by yourselves?” Kvestor asked worried.

“It’s not like we can help them much”, Roxanne said. “We don’t have the kind of magic that can help in these kinds of situations so it’s better than we just go since we already started moving.”

“You get out of here too when you can”, Bickslow said when Roscoe guided Roxanne and Kvestor down the stone stairs. “I don’t wanna come back here just to scrap your ashes off from the street.”

“Like you need to say something like that to me, idiot”, Roscoe snorted but smirked. “Take care”, he said and Bickslow grinned, following Laxus towards the northern part of the town.

Freed stayed still and kept the dome on, but now he was worried. For a while it has been oddly silent. The meteors had slowly stopped pouring, but he was sure that wasn’t a good omen.

“We haven’t seen anyone for a while, guess this area is finally empty”, Ever noticed while looking around.

“Ever, be careful”, Freed warned. “It’s oddly quiet right now.”

“I feel it too”, Ever huffed. “I wonder how Laxus and Bickslow are doing?”

“I’m sure they are fine. Let’s just keep our guards up until others arrive in this town, then we can come up with a new plan what to do.”

Ever opened her mouth and was about to say something, when the whole ground grumbled again and they heard loud crashes. Bright burning light filled the street and Freed could feel how something hot and heavy hit the ground, shattering everything that was unfortunate enough to get in its way.

It was one of those meteors, there was no doubt of it and Freed covered as much as he could without letting go of the ground and breaking the pattern. He hissed when pieces of rocks, plankets and other stuff hit him but it was finally getting calm again. The air was filled with smoke and it smelled awful, making him cough.

“Ever?” he said looking around when he finally could open his eyes. There were so much dust and smoke in the air he could hardly see around. “Ever!” he shouted worried. Did Ever get hurt?

He snapped his glare towards the big hole where there was a whole building only seconds ago and he heard steps. He frowned when noticing a silhouette that was coming closer and little by little he could finally see who was approaching.

It was a tall man with a slender figure and he was humming as he walked. White cape moved as the man hopped over the rubbish that had been blown all around the street and Freed noticed the fancy clothes that didn’t have even one tiny bit of dirt on them.

The stranger tucked back the tall white top hat with few red feathers as he noticed Freed.

“Oh?” he said, his long black hair swishing from side to side as he walked closer to the lonely man who was still keeping his stand in this abandoned part of this town.

Freed gritted his teeth, not moving a muscle but he was cautious. But that didn’t seem bother the other man, as he just came closer while humming and inspected the magic pattern made of runes on the street.

“Interesting, really interesting”, he muttered tapping his lips with his finger. “I don’t remember seeing something like this before.”

“Who are you?” Freed asked calmly, keeping his turquoise eyes locked on that man.

“Hm? Oh, sorry, I just got so fascinated of these runes for a second. My name is Humphrey Mertell, nice to meet you.”

“You’re the one who caused those meteors, am I right?”

“Yes you are, my good fellow”, Humphrey smiled. He had really handsome facial features and bright green eyes like two emeralds.

He stepped in front of Freed who couldn’t let go of the pattern and kneeled down. For an odd moment there was a silence as they stared at each other, Freed cautious and trying to stay calm as Humphrey just studied his appearance with that low humming.

“You have a good taste with your clothes”, the man with the white cape suddenly said. “And you have such a beautiful face. I’ve decided.”

Freed eyes widened when suddenly a hand gently grabbed his chin and in the next second soft lips touched his own. His whole body froze as he had no idea what was happening or even what to do. But as soon as it started it was also over and Humphrey smirked pulling back.

“I love you”, he announced with a smile of affection. “We shall stay together from now on.”

Chapter Text

Freed shook his head and gritted his teeth. His mind was getting hazy. That was not a good thing, but snapping out of it felt really hard and he wasn’t anymore sure what was happening. It was like his mind was half asleep already and he just couldn’t remember what was happening.

Humphrey smiled looking at the large dome above them that started flickering. But it didn’t fade and he frowned, looking at the green haired mage who was struggling.

“Why are you fighting?” he purred touching Freed’s face, who yanked his head away. “Usually this spell works even for the strongest mages...” he muttered.

Freed panted slightly as he kept fighting against the spell and he felt sweat. He couldn’t give up. He had a mission, even though he wasn’t anymore sure what it was, but he knew he couldn’t just give up and let himself fall asleep or whatever would happen.

Humphrey hummed curiously letting his stare wander around Freed’s body more. This man really was beautiful. He was impressed how much he was fighting against the charm spell he was using, but it was actually just more thrilling.

“Just forget everything and let me take care of you”, he whispered in Freed’s ear. “We will be happy together. Hm?”

His green eyes noticed something in Freed’s neck and he pulled away the collar of his coat. There was a mark and lightning scars or similar. It was slightly glowing. Could that be the reason why this man didn’t just fall for his spell like many others had? It sure was a pain in the ass.

Humphrey pulled his hand pack when a small spark emitted from the mark. So this man was marked by some kind of a slayer? That was the only explanation he could come up with. It was such an annoyance, but also it made this more interesting. It would be even more of a sweet victory when he would finally conquer this man even though he had a mark of a slayer.

The black haired mage smirked and took something from his pocket.

“I’m so happy I decided to take this with me”, he hummed pulling out a leather collar. “With magic sealing stones, I wonder if even that mark will protect you”, he purred.

Freed panted heavily as his vision was starting to get black. He knew something bad was happening, but he couldn’t move at all as gentle hands brushed away his hair and he felt thick leather around his neck.

“Don’t you fucking dare, you scumbag!” they suddenly heard a scream.

Freed blinked when with a loud thud Humphrey jolted and dropped the collar on the ground. In the next second he collapsed himself, curling up into a tiny trembling ball. Freed looked at the whining man and then Evergreen, his mind starting to finally slowly get back on its right track. If he hadn’t been still so confused at the moment, he had definitely felt cold shivers because of what Ever did.

“Be really grateful I only crushed your jewels and didn’t cut them off”, Evergreen snarled her brown hair all messy and her outfit had been burned here and there. “No one does something like that to my brother as long as I live! And where the hell is Laxus when someone is trying to collar and steal his man?!” she yelled angrily looking around.

“You... Bitch...” Humphrey wheezed trying to gather himself.

“Hm? I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you”, Ever said. “Did you say bitch? Yeah, I know I can be one in a situations like this. And I can get even worse if you try anything funny again”, she smirked deviously.

“What’s happening here?” Freed asked rubbing his face.

“Don’t let strangers get so close to you like that, you moron!” Ever scolded hitting Freed’s head with her fan. “You almost gave me a heart attack! What if he would have tried to kill you?!”

“I’m sorry”, Freed said with a small chuckle and that hit was really helping him to get rid of the last bits of the charm spell. The dome that had been flickering was strong again when he could concentrate.

They looked at Humphrey who managed to get up, though obviously in pain.

“Unforgivable”, he grunted taking his top hat that had dropped on the ground. “Well, some of the blame goes for me, I didn’t think there were others than him around anymore.”

“I won’t let you touch Freed”, Ever frowned. “And because I’m still not at least a total bitch I even give you a little tip: Do not touch Freed if you value your life. There’s a certain Thunder God in this town who won’t hesitate to rip you apart if you hurt him.”

“Thunder God...?” Humphrey asked narrowing his eyes. Was the one who had marked this rune mage some kind of a god slayer?

“But since it seems Laxus is busy right now, I’ll be the one to kick your ass”, Ever said moving her hands. “Fairy swarm!”

At the northern part of the town Laxus and Bickslow looked around but unlike they suspected, there wasn’t much people around. It seemed like almost everyone had already left and that was good.

Suddenly Laxus stopped and Bickslow crashed right against him.

“What the hell, baby?” he asked annoyed. “Did you see something?”

Laxus wasn’t sure what the feeling was. It was... Strange. It was like his senses were screaming to go find Freed, but then there was something that almost like soothed those instincts and assured there was nothing wrong. It definitely wasn’t anything good.

“Someone must have attacked Freed and Ever”, he growled.

“Really? Don’t worry, baby. I’m sure they will be fine. But if you really start to worry, you can go check the situation”, Bickslow said.

“Would you really be okay just by yourself?” Laxus asked.

“Sure, I’ve got my babies”, Bickslow grinned looking at the Tiki dolls.

“We’re good!” they giggled.

Laxus nodded, but then the ground shook under their feet and something burst out right through the street stones, crushing and throwing them all around. Low growling filled the air as they lifted their gazes and there were some kind of a golem, made out of moss and stones right in front of them.

“Holy shit!” Bickslow yelled surprised. That thing was as big as the buildings near them!

“Yikes!” ‘babies’ shouted.

“There’s at least two enemies then”, Laxus frowned.

They quickly dodged when one of the large arms smashed the ground, moving to crush down one of the houses just like that with one powerful hit. Laxus grunted and let out his lightning to hit that arm in pieces, as Bickslow used his Tiki dolls to hit the monster’s head.

It didn’t even slow down the golem, when the moss just grew right back and entrapped more rocks inside it to give it more power and weight.

“We have to find the one who’s making that thing walk around”, Laxus said. It seemed like that monster didn’t really care about them, it just mindlessly moved to destroy more buildings of the town.

Not far from them they heard more crushing and another loud voice just like the first one.

“And there’s more of them”, Bickslow tisked. “That’s gonna be pain in the ass.”

Laxus nodded but then he suddenly went pale. There was a horrible empty feeling inside him. His whole body was almost trembling and his eyes widened as he looked at the dome above them.

It wasn’t there.

“Oh no...” Bickslow stuttered as he noticed that too. He looked at Laxus who looked like paralyzed and scared, just standing there and staring at the direction where Freed were. “Laxus! Go, go! There might be something seriously wrong!” the seith mage quickly said and that seemed to snap Laxus out of his paralyze. “I’ll handle these things, just go see what’s wrong!”

Humphrey panted but he was smiling widely. His outfit was ruined and his top hat was crushed, but he had accomplished what he had decided. Evergreen was out and when she wasn’t here to cover Freed’s back, he had managed to surprise him while he was trying to keep his spells on. With quick fingers he had snapped the collar on it’s place around this beautiful man’s neck and with that there was no magic anymore.

But his sweet prey was still fighting. Standing there, his sword pointing at Humphrey and not giving in. But he knew that when suddenly getting cuffed with magic sealing stones like that, Freed must feel terribly tired and unsteady. Humphrey was seriously impressed how this man still chose to stand against him, even if it was plain clear who was the winner here. He was so stubborn it was hilarious.

“I have always liked those with great amount of pride”, he smirked, as turquoise eyes stared at him with icy cold glare. “It’s always then more thrilling when I finally get to crush that pride and make people fully surrender to me. Those who give up right away are not fun at all. I knew I fell for the right person.”

“You are taking us way too lightly”, Freed growled and he was annoyed. He was ashamed of this situation, how he had let things slip at this state! Evergreen was hurt, the fire could again spread around and if that man wanted, he could keep shooting down those meteors until there was nothing left.

He shook his head. No, he shouldn’t think like that. He had made a mistake, but it wouldn’t mean that everything was lost. Erza was still leading all the others here and they might appear at any minute now. Laxus and Bickslow were here also. Just because he couldn’t do his best, there were still a whole lot of strong wizards who would save what was left of this town.

Humphrey chuckled straightening his scarf and brushed his hair back in order.

“Well, I’m satisfied with the situation as it is right now”, he said. “I might not be able to take you with me right now, but I will return to you once again”, he hummed with a smile and Freed frowned. “We are destined to stay together.”

“My destiny is what I decide it to be”, Freed said. “No matter what tricks you use, my destiny is to always stand beside Laxus Dreyar, our Master of Fairy Tail and the love of my life!”

“What a loyal man you are”, Humphrey chuckled.

Freed took a tighter hold of his sword and Humphrey prepared for the attack, ready to counter whatever he would try to do. That was when Freed stopped as he felt the familiar tingling in the air. Humphrey noticed that too and his eyes widened slightly as he realized someone else was about to enter in their battlefield.

Someone far more powerful than these two.

Lightning struck down with loud thunder that filled their ears. Freed opened his eyes when the light faded finally and he felt a presence of the lightning dragon slayer who stood now right behind him. Strong arms wrapped around him immediately.

Humphrey had fallen down and was collecting himself from the middle of the pile of rubbish. He quickly looked at his new opponent and he immediately felt cold shivers as those burning orange eyes glared at him. The air around them was crackling because of all the electricity. His legs trembled and he felt cold sweat.

This... This was the power of the Thunder God from Fairy Tail.

Laxus looked at Freed who smiled with relief. He noticed the collar that was on the rune mage’s neck and his eyes widened.

“What the...?” he snarled looking at Humphrey who flinched because of that anger filled stare. “Who the hell do you think you are, collaring my mate like some fucking dog?” Laxus growled with horrifyingly low voice.

“Well, I think my time here is up”, the black haired mage said quickly jumping back on his feet.

“You’re dead!” Laxus roared furiously, unleashing his lightning.

Freed didn’t see much, only that just before Laxus’ lightning reached Humphrey, their opponent had turned into a small bright ball of light and as the electricity hit the ground, it was already flying up in the air like a shooting star.

Laxus snarled annoyed.

“That fucking bastard”, he growled and he would have gone after Humphrey if Freed didn’t grab his arm.

“Laxus, calm down”, the green haired mage said quickly. “Remember what happens if you won’t keep your calm!” he reminded.

The lightning dragon slayer gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, doing his very best so he could soothe his bouncing anger. He snapped his glare to the collar on Freed’s neck, almost startling his mate.

“What the fuck is with that collar?” he grunted, touching the leather but he felt the power of the magic sealing stones immediately. “I didn’t know there were collars like that.”

“It’s alright, I’m sure we can get it off”, Freed reassured. “This is not our biggest problem right now. We have to help Ever first”, he said.

“What?” Laxus asked.

“She’s hurt, we have to take her out of here.”

“You don’t look doing well yourself”, Laxus grumbled and he saw how Freed was almost ready to collapse.

“It’s because the collar, but I will be fine”, Freed smiled. “Where’s Bickslow?” he noticed.

“He’s at the northern part of the town, there are some huge moss golems or something like that rampaging around.”

“You should go back and help him.”

“No”, Laxus refused stubbornly. “I’m gonna first take you and Ever out of here. Bickslow has his own little army, some fucking flower monsters won’t beat him down easily.”

Freed sighed and nodded. He knew it was pointless right now to try and convince Laxus to go back.

“Then we must be quick and hope that Erza and others arrive here as soon as possible”, he said and they went to find Evergreen.

Chapter Text

Bickslow jumped over the roofs and looked at the moss golems. There were four of them now and they didn’t care about him or his attempts to slow them down, they just focused on destroying buildings. He had been trying to think why they were doing that but couldn’t come up with anything. Shit! Freed would definitely have at least three possible answers ready for that. But the truth was they couldn’t really know the answers before they would capture someone of those who were causing this.

“Did you find anything?” he asked looking at Pappa who hovered closer. He had send all five dolls to search if they could find the mage who had created those monsters.

“No good”, Pappa sighed apologetically.

“Aw, that’s alright”, Bickslow grinned. “We’ll find the guy who’s doing this. Would you lend me your hand?”

“Okay!” Pappa beamed happily.

“Alright. Soul Cape: Pappa”, Bickslow said pulling his visor up and his eyes glowed.

The little Tiki doll disappeared and Bickslow’s hair turned black and white colour. He stopped and inhaled deeply. Of all five, Pappa’s power was the hardest to control as it was intelligence. It demanded great amounts of concentration so he could let the magic do the logical solutions for him, he only needed to gather all the pieces of the puzzle.

Bicks frowned slightly, trying to remember every little clue they had. This attack happened suddenly. They were destroying buildings and didn’t care about people would they die or not. It didn’t seem like they were searching for anything. Not only the town but the parts of the forest was also burning and destroyed...

He groaned ruffling his hair. He really didn’t get it. He needed more clues! There were too many possible answers right now so he couldn’t come up with what could be the most plausible explanation for all this.

“Bickslow!” he suddenly heard a familiar voice and he looked down at the street.

“Roscoe”, he said surprised. “What the hell, baby? You were supposed to be out of this town already with Granny!”

“I’m the damn guard of this town so like hell I will just run away when something like this is happening”, Roscoe snorted. “What is the situation here?” he asked.

“Uh, I’m trying to find out why they attacked here but there’s too many possible answers right now.”

“Well, you’ve never been one with great detective skills no matter how much you use magic”, Roscoe said amused, making Bickslow pout. “But what are your top three possibilities?”

“Hmm... I don’t wanna tell.”

“Stop being such a brat and just tell me!”

“Fine, fine”, Bickslow huffed and he dropped himself down at the street. “First one is that they are looking for someone and causing a ruckus like this they wish to draw that someone out here. Second guess is they are looking for something but didn’t find it, or they found it and are just being assholes destroying everything after that. Third guess is they have a reason to get rid of this whole town but I have no clue what that reason might be.”

“Those aren’t really anything helpful in the end...”

“I know, baby, that’s why it’s so frustrating. We need more clues. We have to find someone who can tell us more about this situation here.”

“Can I then join in this conversation?”

They both jolted when they heard the third voice and looked at the man who had appeared in the street without them even noticing. He was middle aged, small and round. He had a bowler hat, huge red moustache which ends curled up and he had a monocle.

“I am surprised, things are going even better than we hoped”, the man chuckled and he had annoying nasal voice, leaning against a black cane that had golden handle. “How marvelous, you are just the people we were hoping we could see here and you both appear just right in front of me! I’m sure I will get some bonus after this”, he giggled.

Roscoe and Bickslow looked at each other confused and then at the little man who caressed his moustache. Bicks opened his mouth but his older brother raised his hand, silencing him.

“I’ll handle talking, you take notes”, he said. “You’re looking for us? Why?” he asked frowning to the strange man who rocked back and forth on his feet.

“Hmm... Well, since you two are extremely important so we can start our business”, he answered.

“Business?”

“You will find out more about it later.”

“Are you the one who controls those golems?”

“Yes. I use Moss Magic. I’m not very strong man myself as you can see, those golems are my bodyguards. My name is Ichabod Pinkerton, I am the third... I guess you could call me one kind of a general, but we are all primarily businessmen.”

“General? So there are more of you guys?” Roscoe asked.

“There are three of us, but only two of us are here right now. The one causing those meteors is called Humphrey Mertell, he’s still young and he has bad habits of chasing men but he’s still smart and powerful. Though I can’t believe he got higher rank than I did...” Ichabod sighed shaking his head.

“Aren’t you talkative”, Bickslow huffed.

“It’s not like we are trying to be secretive or anything.”

“So who sent you to find us?” Roscoe asked. “Are you sure you found the right persons?”

Ichabod chuckled clicking the street stones with his heels.

“I know”, he assured. “There’s no doubt of it. I have to say, you two really resemble your father almost exactly”, he smirked and Roscoe’s and Bickslow’s eyes widened.

“You know our dad?” Bickslo asked quickly.

“I do, I do.”

“Bickslow, calm down”, Roscoe commanded before the seith mage would start asking more questions. They had to be really careful. “We don’t know if we can trust anything he says after all.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to”, Ichabod assured twirling his moustache around his finger. “But since I found you, I’m supposed to somehow make you two come with us.”

Four moss golems suddenly stopped their rampaging around the town and turned towards them. Bickslow gritted his teeth and they stepped closer to each other with Roscoe, keeping an eye on their foes.

“Can you still fight, what about your rib?” Bicks asked.

“Don’t you worry about that, idiot”, Roscoe grunted.

“Can’t you use your magic at all? Could it be even a little bit useful for us right now?”

Bickslow, just like the others, had never seen Roscoe using his magic. Only thing they knew was that he could use magic but didn’t like it. Roscoe sneered annoyed as the golems destroyed stuff in front of them while slowly coming closer.

“I don’t think it will be that useful in this situation”, he grumbled.

“I can’t take them all down by myself so you have to come up with something, baby.”

“I know!” Roscoe snarled irritated. “I just... That kind of magic is not something someone should use”, he said.

“We don’t have much of a choice here! We either use it or get squeezed between those monsters’ toes!”

“Uncle can do it!” ‘babies’ cheered as they had all gathered together again since they found their enemy.

Roscoe grumbled but sighed. He hated this. This was just not right. No one should be able to use magic like this. But Bickslow was right, until others would come to help them they needed to do whatever they could to slow down those moss golems.

“Alright”, he finally growled. “But I don’t think it’s that useful.”

“I’ll take those golems, you try attacking that pompous little bastard”, Bickslow said. “You can attack, right? Like, if nothing else at least throw some stones towards him.”

“Shut up, asshole! I can do that much at least, I just haven’t used my magic in years”, Roscoe said looking at Ichabod who seemed curious of what they would do. “Just... Don’t freak out, alright?”

“Huh?” Bickslow said confused.

“Living Dead”, Roscoe said. Bright silver magic circle appeared at his feet. “Corpse Army”, Roscoe said and the circle flashed, growing so large around them it covered a whole part of the town.

Almost instantly they heard grumbles, crashes, thuds and alot more other sounds. Bickslow almost dropped his jaw as here and there around them corpses of the dead townsfolk appeared from buildings, from under the thrash, digging their way up to follow Roscoe’s orders. There was no life, that was obvious. There were just empty bodies that were being animated by Roscoe’s magic and they obediently waited what would be their orders.

Bickslow looked at Roscoe, who seemed like he was in pain. No wonder. These were bodies of those who got killed because of this attack in town. And Roscoe being a guard, he must have known even some of these dead people that were now standing and waiting for commands.

“That’s... Wow”, he whistled both amazed but also creeped out.

“Scary”, his ‘babies’ whispered looking at the walking bodies.

“I hate it when I have to disturb those who are dead”, Roscoe muttered sadly. “This is not natural at any way. Those who are dead should be left in peace.”

“So the rumours are true”, Ichabod smiled widely, excited to see those bodies moving. “You can move dead bodies as you wish. You have no idea how marvelous news that is for us, we weren’t sure if you could do that but now that we know, we can work as we have planned.”

“What is that plan?” Roscoe frowned.

“You will find out soon enough, no need to rush. There’s still one thing we need before we can fully start all our plans. We tried to find that book from here, but seems like it had been moved away.”

“Book?” Bickslow said surprised. No way... Were they looking for the book they had brought with them to Fairy Tail over four years ago?

“Since we couldn’t find that book, we decided we would at least try to find out one of you two. It makes things a lot easier for us that you both appeared here!”

“So dad is trying to find some book and us?” Roscoe asked. “Why?”

“Because we need your powers for our business. We know the younger one of our chief’s boys has Soul Magic at least. And that book contains information what we need so our business can start once we have that and you two and your father’s magic.”

“I don’t really get what all you’re blabbering but no way in hell are we gonna just follow you with this nonsense”, Bickslow huffed.

“We could already guess that. That’s why we have these”, Ichabod smiled pulling out two collars from his pockets. “When magic is sealed, we just need to wrap you up and take you with us.”

“Pfft, it’s so funny when you sound like you actually believe that’s going to happen”, Bickslow snickered.

“Don’t get too overconfident”, Roscoe scolded.

“It seems we don’t have that much time anymore to chitchat, so maybe we should just start?” Ichabod suggested and he lifted his hand.

The street stones under Bickslow and Roscoe clattered and in an instant huge amount of moss surrounded them, slithering around their bodies.

“Oh no!” ‘babies’ cried before they were completely covered by moss.

“Shit”, Bicks sneered trying to move his arms but he could hardly move a finger anymore. Roscoe yelled in pain when moss tightened around him, making his wounds hurt even more.

“Good boys”, Ichabod giggled and the moss under his feet moved him closer.

All the dead bodies were blocked because of the moss and Ichabod took out the collars, quickly snapping one around Roscoe’s neck. His magic vanished immediately and the bodies crashed on the ground one after another.

“Roscoe!” Bickslow shouted when Roscoe’s head nodded forward, as he got simply too exhausted to fight back anymore.

“Hush, there’s no need to yell”, Ichabod scolded stepping beside Bickslow.

The seith mage gasped when tight collar clicked around his neck and it was like his whole body was trembling. Everything he had seen disappeared. Is this how it felt to have a normal vision? Everything was so pale.

And then came the exhaustion. When was the last time he felt himself so powerless and tired? He had to really do his best so he wouldn’t lose his consciousness.

“It was simpler than I thought”, Ichabod chuckled looking at the two men he had trapped.

Bickslow growled glaring at the tiny fat man. He didn’t see any colours or waves or anything and if he was honest, it was terrifying. There was nothing he could see, just a normal man and he knew nothing about his soul.

“It’s not yet over”, he grunted.

“That’s why we have to leave this place quickly”, Ichabod nodded. “Come along then”, he said snapping his fingers and the moss moved. All four golems started to move, following their master.

That was when suddenly one of them simply blasted in millions of little pieces and crumbled down on the street, startling Ichabod who was now confused.

“Ah, FINALLY you guys got here”, Bickslow cackled wearily as the second golem got attacked by Erza and the sky was filled with clouds, starting to rain. “I wanna see how you’re planning to run away now when whole Fairy Tail is here, ready to kick your ass, baby”, the seith mage snickered to Ichabod who was clearly stunned because someone destroyed his golems so easily.

Chapter Text

Freed spread out Laxus’ dark coat on the snow and the lightning dragon slayer gently laid Evergreen on it. They got out of the town to where most of the people were hiding, far enough from the town so they were not in danger.

“It seems that it’s nothing life threatening, but she needs first aid and lots of rest”, Freed muttered inspecting all the wounds. There were many others too, having their wounds taken care of and Wendy was doing her best to help all of them with the doctors of the town.

“We can take care of that, Sugar”, Roxanne said coming over with one other woman. “Until Blueberry there has taken care of the patients with the most serious wounds. We don’t have much with us right now but at least we can try to make sure Cutie’s condition won’t get worse.”

“We would appreciate that very much, Madam”, Freed smiled and he moved away so Roxanne and her friend could start nursing Ever’s wounds.

The rune mage sighed looking at the town that was still burning and here and there they saw blasts of ice, fire, sand, all kinds of magic they had in their Guild.

“I wish I could have done something more”, he said.

Suddenly a finger yanked the collar he had around his neck and he looked at Laxus, who stared at the collar with a frown.

“Let’s cut that off”, he growled. There was no words for how much he hated to see something like that around Freed’s neck. Someone had done something like this to his mate!

“Laxus, if it was that easy do you think I wouldn’t have done it already with my sword?” Freed said. “Were you planning to bite it off?”

“I’ll do that if it helps.”

“It won’t. But we can get it off, I’m sure of it. But right now I’m absolutely useless in the town”, Freed huffed looking at people who talked with each other, carrying whatever they had managed to take with them. There were kids and animals and no one knew what would happen next, was it safe to stay here. There were lots of injuries, fear and despair.

“We will do what we can to help them”, Laxus promised looking at his mate who had a worried frown on his face. “Others are here too now. We can fight them off from this town and then put down the fires. We haven’t lost everything yet.”

“You’re right”, Freed nodded. He straightened his spine with determination. “I will help here in any way I can, even if it’s just moving around stuff.”

“Don’t overdo it, Freed. I know you want to help but you’re not useful if you collapse because of exhaustion.”

“I know, Laxus”, Freed smiled touching his fiancé’s arm gently. “But you must return back to the town, they need you there. We don’t know what Humphrey might do next, now that I can’t cover the town from his meteors anymore.”

“I hate that little fucker so much”, Laxus growled irritated. “I’m gonna kick his ass so hard he’s gonna look like a shooting star even without his magic.”

“Remember to keep your cool.”

“Yeah, I know, babe”, Laxus promised giving a quick peck on Freed’s cheek. “Just stay here, okay?” he said and with a flash of lightning he was already gone.

Freed huffed and turned around, asking from people if there was anything he could do to help them despite not being able to use magic right now.

Bickslow yelped when he was dropped on the street, with Roscoe falling right on top of him. Wooden Tiki dolls dropped on the ground just like any normal dolls and they weren’t moving.

“You’re heavy”, Bickslow gasped trying to help Roscoe to get up. “You alright, baby?”

“Somehow”, Roscoe panted grasping his side tightly. “Just... Tired.”

“Yeah, must be because of these stupid collars.”

“Where did that man go?” Roscoe asked looking around but they saw no one. There were still moss all around them, but it wasn’t moving anymore. It had covered most parts of the street.

“Erza and others must be keeping him busy, we better get out of here”, Bickslow said and he finally got on his feet, grabbing Roscoe’s arm and lifted it around his neck helping his brother to get up. “You can walk, right?”

“Yeah...”

“Let’s leave everything to others, we can’t do anything anyway now when that fucker sealed our magic”, Bickslow said and he gave a slight kicks to all five totems, catching them and tucked them inside his cape. “Alright, tell me the way how we can get out, baby”, the seith mage said and Roscoe nodded wearily.

“Follow this street until the fountain, then turn left and follow the path down”, he instructed and Bickslow started moving, supporting Roscoe the best he could.

They managed to get to the fountain that was now broken and there were even more moss around here, covering the walls of the buildings that were still standing.

“Is it just me or is it like... Slowly spreading to everywhere?” Bickslow asked cautiously. “It’s not moving fast like before, but there’s definitely more of it.”

“What?” Roscoe panted looking at the moss.

“It looks... Different somehow.”

“We better walk faster”, Roscoe grunted.

“You mean I should carry you faster, baby?”

“Shut up and walk, donkey.”

“Bickslow! Roscoe!”

They stopped when Erza’s familiar figure dropped right in front of them on the street.

“Have you seen the one who made those golems?” she asked quickly.

“Huh? Weren’t you fighting with him?” Bickslow asked confused.

“I was, but he managed to slip away when he spread more moss around. It’s almost all around the town right now. So he escaped...” Erza muttered with a frown. “Hard to imagine he would leave just like that and after creating so much moss.”

“Wow, even Titania can sometimes lose the sight of her enemy”, Bickslow snickered and Erza glared at him.

“We have no time for that, Bickslow”, she scolded, though she was also embarrassed. She had looked away only for a second and then that man had already disappeared!

“He’s definitely a coward, that Pinky. You destroyed his golems so easily, no way he wants to fight against you, baby.”

“Pinky?”

“He told us his name is Ichabod Pinkerton.”

“I can’t say I have heard about him before”, Erza frowned. “And I don’t like it how there is still so much moss all around even though he ran away.”

“Yeah! We were suspicious about that too! There’s so much of it.”

Erza was just about to say something, when suddenly there was a loud yell inside their heads making them jolt.

“Watch out the moss that is spreading! Don’t go near it!” they heard Warren’s voice.

“What? Why?” Erza quickly asked.

“We were just trying to cross it and it blasted out some kind of spores that are now spreading in the air! It seems it’s toxic!”

“Toxic?” Bickslow yelped and they heard all kinds of noices, yelling and coughing. “Oh shit! We have to get out of here before the whole town is covered with that crap! This is the worst time not be able to use my babies so we can fly!”

“Bickslow, can you hold Roscoe tightly enough?” Erza immediately asked, changing her outfit to something more suitable for flying.

“Yeah, I hold him if you can carry us”, Bickslow nodded. “Thanks, baby”, he grinned.

“Don’t mention it”, Erza smiled grabbing Bickslow’s cape as she flew up in the air.

Freed had also heard what Warren said. Now there was also toxic spores in the air?

“Juvia!” he yelled, hoping he could still reach the blue haired water mage with Warren’s magic.

“Freed?” he heard Juvia’s voice.

“We need more rain! So it stops those spores to spread more! It won’t stop them completely but at least we have a little bit more time.”

“Juvia will do that!” Juvia promised and those dark clouds moved, gathering more over the town and the rain got heavier. Snow was starting to melt more and the fires were calming down, but they didn’t stop.

“That should help at least a little bit”, Freed huffed, but he was still worried.

“Everyone!” This time it was Laxus’ voice talking to them. “Get out of this town NOW!”

Only seconds later Freed noticed Erza who was flying over with Bickslow and Roscoe. Here and there the other mages started to appear too, who was carrying someone and they hurried to help them.

What was happening? Why did Laxus suddenly tell everyone to get out?

“Baby!” Bickslow yelled grabbing Freed and hugged him tightly. “You’re safe! You made us worried when the dome suddenly disappeared like that!”

“I’m fine, Bickslow”, Freed assured. “It’s because of this collar.”

“What?! You too?” the seith mage said when he noticed the collar. “That stupid Pinky put collars on me and Roscoe too!”

“We can talk about that later. Is everyone here?” Erza asked looking around.

“It seems like it”, Gray said. “Only Laxus is still missing.”

Freed felt instant fear inside him as horrible memories of Laxus inhaling all the Magical Barrier Particles in order to safe them came to his mind. It was something that still caused him nightmares. But this wouldn’t be something like that, right? Laxus wouldn’t try and inhale those spores!

“Freed! Stop!” Bickslow yelled grabbing a hold of the green haired mage who had taken a step towards town.

“I want to know what Laxus is planning to do!” Freed said. He was both worried and also angry. Would Laxus really do something like that again? Of course he would, if he thought it was the only way to save his guild mates and this town!

“Calm down, dammit!” Bickslow yelled. “You’re being stupid if you try to go there when you can’t even use magic.”

“Mest! Do your best to teleport as many people out of here as you possibly can”, Erza commanded. “We have to get them to Magnolia.”

“I’ll do that”, Mest nodded.

In that moment the sky was again lightened, but now it came from above the clouds. All the smoke and clouds moved and they were almost blinded when bright yellow burning meteor or something like it slowly, yet still horribly fast dropped towards the mangled town. It was a sight they would simply never forget, as there was still something left of the old town that had been standing here between all the mountains for hundreds of years.

They all knew that in just a blink of an eye it would all be gone.

Loud thunder crackled in the air and they had to shut their eyes because of the flash. The ground shook, there were lots of crashes and grumbling, more thundering sounds and Freed finally had to open his eyes just enough so he could see what was going on.

The meteor was gone, but there were still some of its parts falling down, destroying the town. Laxus was doing his best to break down the biggest parts, but even then he couldn’t stop them all.

“The library...” Freed heard gasps as others opened their eyes as well to see what was the situation.

The huge castle-like library was falling apart. At least the outer part of it, since more than half of it was carved inside the mountain. Boulders, bricks, roofs, tiles, sculptures... Everything came down like a massive wave, smashing against the nearest parts of the town and sweeping everything away.

If only parts of that meteor was enough to do this catastrophe, Freed could only imagine how bad it would have been if Laxus had not broken that thing into smaller pieces. There might be absolutely nothing left of that whole mountain, the town and even them.

Erza was the first one to recover from the shock.

“We must continue moving!” she ordered, shaking them all awake with that command. “We have to get to Magnolia, we will make sure you will all find places where to stay once we are there”, she promised to the huge crowd full of terrified people who were violently forced to go through all these horrors.

“You heard what Cakepop said”, Roxanne said leaning against her cane. “We have to leave right now. We can come back once everything is safe again and then we can see how bad the situation really is.”

Freed looked at the town where lightning had stopped and no more meteors were dropping from the sky. He wondered if there would really be anything left for these people to build their town again.

Lightning shoot down and Laxus appeared near them. He didn’t seem at all satisfied because of the situation.

“Damn thing was much bigger than I expected”, he grunted as Freed and Bickslow hurried to their commander.

“How did you know it was coming, baby?” Bickslow asked confused.

“That bastard with the top hat told me. I saw him and he said I either go after him and his fat friend or stay and protect this town.”

“So they are now gone?” Freed asked.

“So it seems. But we can’t go anywhere near that town before all that moss disappears, who knows how long that might take.”

“We will somehow make through all this”, Freed smiled. “You did a great job.”

“There’s hardly anything left anymore because of that fucking meteor I didn’t manage to destroy!”

“But there is still something. I honestly don’t believe we would be standing here anymore if you had not managed to destroy it even that much. It was enough, Laxus.”

“Yeah, let’s just go home now and do what we can”, Bickslow grinned. “We have to help those poor people get new homes and then help with those who inhaled spores.”

“And we have to take care of Evergreen”, Freed nodded. “So let’s just go home.”

Chapter Text

Freed yawned and rubbed his face, trying to keep himself awake. It was already far past midnight and they had managed to get back to Magnolia somehow. All the townspeople from Naava Town who needed medical attention were in hospital and rest of them had tempory shelters all around the town.

There were more of them who got hit by those spores than he thought. Jet, Droy, Warren, Macao, Vijeteer, even Mirajane, Gajeel, Panther Lily, Natsu and Lucy had gotten sick. Few others also had mild symptoms but Porlyusica had assured that she knew how to cure them all. It would just take few days. Until then, they would have to stay in the infirmary and Evergreen had to stay there as well. Porlyusica said she would be just fine after few days of rest. For this night, Freed had decided to stay in the Guild House just in case so Bickslow was doing the same.

This had really been one hell of a day. For now, they hadn’t had any time to think about the collars him, Bickslow and Roscoe had but they could think that later. Right now Freed was just enjoying the moment of silence, leaning against the bar counter in their Guild Hall.

Freed sighed deeply resting his head against his arms, closing his eyes for just a second. Laxus was still talking with Porlyusica, so he wanted to stay awake too. Bickslow and Cana were sleeping on the floor on a futon, as there wasn’t enough rooms to sleep anywhere else. Roscoe stayed as well, but he had refused to go in to the infirmary since as he said, he only had few broken ribs that Porlyusica could cure easily. Maybe it was for the best. It was easier to keep those infected by spores in same rooms.

The rune mage stood up and stretched, trying to wake himself more. He decided to make some coffee in the big kitchen and after making it he sat down beside the fireplace on the couch. He just huffed and leaned against the soft back of the couch and before he knew it, he was already sleeping.

Freed woke up when something soft and heavy was pulled over him and he opened his turquoise eyes. Laxus groaned silently as he sat heavily on the couch next to him, lifting his feet on the table in front of them.

“You look exhausted”, Freed said, enjoying the warmth of his Thunder God’s coat.

“You’re one to talk”, Laxus snorted. “I thought you were asleep already.”

“I was but I woke up. How are you feeling?”

“This day... So much happened. In the morning everything was fine, Felix was excited to go spend a day with Gramps and Vellanja and we were going through all the last things for our wedding and then suddenly...”

“I know”, Freed smiled. “It’s hard to believe all that really happened. In just one day.”

“We could have handled it better”, Laxus said with a deep sigh. “Instead, the town is now ruined.”

“Laxus, it might be true but if we weren’t there, the whole town might be gone by now. We managed to help most of those people to get out and prevent anything more horrible to happen. Yes, maybe things could have gone better, but they also could have gone far more worse, remember that.”

“Thanks, babe”, Laxus smiled. “I know there’s no point in wondering how we could have done things differently. Instead we have to figure how we’re gonna make things better now.”

“That’s right”, Freed said and he shifted to lean against Laxus. “We did our best. It was a situation we didn’t see coming. This is your first time as a Master to have to go through something like that, of course you hope you could have done something more. But what is done is done.”

“You’re right”, Laxus smiled leaning his head against Freed’s head.

“I know. So stop being so hard on yourself. You did a good job there. You made sure we wouldn’t get hurt and even though I think it was stupid, you were ready to even sacrifice yourself in the end by sending others away and taking care of things by yourself. You Dreyars really like doing that.”

“Okay okay, I get it”, Laxus chuckled. “Enough with the speaking, we’re both too tired for this. Damn, I love you”, he said kissing Freed who smiled.

“I love you too”, Freed said.

Laxus looked at his worn out mate and his eyes stopped again when he saw that collar.

“Is it bothering you that much?” Freed asked.

“Yeah”, Laxus muttered. “It still pisses me off when I even think about that fucker who did this.”

“We will get it off.”

“I know, I just...” Laxus said and he sighed, making Freed slightly confused. Laxus seemed more like sad than irritated what was surprising.

“What is it?” he asked sitting up properly. It was obviously something they had to talk about.

“I hate this feeling”, Laxus grunted both annoyed but also sad, looking at the fireplace where the fire was almost gone out. “That collar... It’s blocking the bond”, he said and Freed was confused.

Laxus sighed dropping his arms behind the seat.

“When we were with Bickslow in that town, I knew something went wrong when I got this weird feeling. I don’t know how to describe it... It was just weird. Like there were alarm bells in my head or something. And then suddenly... I just couldn’t feel a thing.”

“What didn’t you feel?” Freed asked.

“The bond. It was like... There was nothing. I couldn’t feel if you were alright, were you in town or outside or anything. It was like you were... Dead”, Laxus huffed and Freed’s eyes widened. “It was so fucking terrifying. I couldn’t even move or do anything, Bicks had to shook me and yell at me so I started moving again and all I could think was that I had to find you, even though I had no idea where you were.”

“Laxus...” Freed muttered.

“And even now, I can’t feel that bond created by magic that is blocked because of that stupid thing”, Laxus snarled. “It has been four fucking years, I’m too used to have my magic tied up to you and even though I don’t know how to explain it, I just know if everything is alright. When that suddenly disappears, even if you sit right there it feels like you’re not there.”

“But I am here”, Freed assured taking Laxus’ hand in his own and gave it a tight squeeze. “And everything is fine. I understand why you’re feeling so anxious now”, he smiled. “I promise you we will get this collar off tomorrow. Just try to rest this one night.”

“Yeah, I’ll try”, Laxus said. “Just whatever happens, don’t leave the Guild House. I’m seriously scared that something happens and then I wouldn’t even know it if I’m somewhere else.”

“I understand”, Freed assured. “I will stay here until we get this collar off.”

“Thanks. I know you don’t want me to patronize you but right now I’m not gonna give a damn about that.”

“Well, you’re a dragon slayer after all, we have learned how you act when it’s about mate’s safety”, Freed chuckled. “For this time I will let you act like a dragon who’s keeping me in the tower.”

“Isn’t the dragon always the bad guy in those stories?”

“Not in this one”, Freed smiled. “Come on, let’s sleep while we still can. We have so much to do in the morning.”

Even though Laxus tried his best, he could only sleep small amount of time. He was sitting in a bench, wearily looking at Freed who was lying on the couch under his coat and sleeping. Freed was here, but it just didn’t feel like it. If he was honest, he was so scared that something might happen if he let the rune mage out of his sight even for a moment.

Clock in the Hall let out a bong as it hit six in the morning. Before he knew it, the whole night had just slipped away like that. Laxus wondered if Porlyusica was still awake in the infirmary, though it was none of his business. She didn’t want anyone to come and disturb her while she worked. He groaned and stood up, stretching. Guess he might as well make some coffee ready since he couldn’t sleep.

Laxus was just about to step behind the bar counter when suddenly the front doors opened and he looked who was coming back at this early. Makarov stepped inside, followed by his great-grandson who already was slightly taller than the old man. Laxus put down the coffee pot and looked at Felix who obviously was still really tired but there was a strikingly familiar stubborness in those turquoise eyes that made Laxus chuckle.

Felix was acting so brave. But Laxus could notice how at any second tears might roll down on his cheek and tiny fists were clenching the hem of his orange shirt so hard they were trembling. Felix was really doing his very best so he was a courageous Dreyar who wouldn’t cry.

“I’m happy to see you’re okay”, Makarov smiled to his grandson.

“Yeah, we all managed to get back home somehow”, Laxus nodded. “Porlyusica is taking care of the injured and I’m sure Wendy will help her once she wakes up. Where’s Vellanja?”

“Levy already picked her up”, Makarov said. “Just a moment ago and she told me about the situation. Felix woke up too so he wanted to come here right away”, he said looking at the boy who didn’t say anything, just looking at the floor. “I told him you two were alright but he was really stubborn with coming here”, Makarov laughed.

“He’s both Dreyar and Justine, what did you expect?” Laxus smirked. “It’s okay, Felix. We’re really alright”, he smiled and Felix finally let out a small hiccup, quickly running to Laxus who picked him up. Little arms hugged his neck so tightly it was almost choking, but he wouldn’t complain. “You did a good job, taking care of Gramps and Vellanja while we were away”, Laxus smiled listening the sniffles.

“He will grow up to be a good man some day”, Makarov assured starting to make the coffee for them.

Laxus stepped beside the couch where Freed was sleeping and Felix let go of his neck, moving to lay down just next to Freed.

“Keep an eye on mama for me, okay?” Laxus smiled. “I’m gonna talk with Gramps for a while.”

“Okay...” Felix muttered sleepily, snuggling against Freed under the dark coat.

“Good”, Laxus nodded and he stood up again, walking towards the bar counter.

“Levy couldn’t tell me much what was happening, but apparently you did encounter some enemies?” Makarov asked as he sat on the counter, waiting for coffee to brew.

“Yeah”, Laxus said sitting down on the chair. “There were two of them.”

“Only two?”

“I didn’t see the other one but if I ever see that bastard with the top hat again, I’ll eat his head for sure”, Laxus snarled and Makarov lifted his eyebrows. “Freed said his name was Humphrey Mertell, he was using some kind of meteor magic or such, used them to attack the town. And that other one used moss magic. Bickslow and Roscoe said his name is Ichabod Pinkerton.”

“I have never heard of those names”, Makarov said taking out cups for them.

“Apparently there’s still third one, they work as a team or something. But he wasn’t there. Or she, dunno if it’s a man or a woman.”

“Let’s just wait until others wake up”, Makarov said pouring them coffee. “And then we can go through what all happened.”

Laxus nodded, taking the mug and they didn’t talk more. They were just waiting that the snores in the Hall would stop and others would join them.

Chapter Text

Freed woke up after few hours because Felix kicked him right in the guts and he huffed opening his eyes. They were still in the Guild House but he was surprised to see his son, still asleep and seeing dreams. Makarov must have came here already with him.

He smiled and quietly moved from the couch and left Felix continue his sleep under the dark coat. He took his own red coat and just pulled it on him, leaving it open and stepped beside the bar counter.

“Good morning, Makarov”, he smiled to the small man who was sitting at his favourite spot on the counter.

“Good morning, Freed”, Makarov said sipping his coffee. “There is still some coffee left in the pot.”

“Thank you, I will then take some”, Freed nodded and he took a cup from under the counter. “Thank you for taking care of Felix yesterday when we had to leave so suddenly.”

“It’s okay, of course he can always stay with me whenever necessary”, Makarov assured.

“Where’s Laxus?” Freed noticed looking around. Roscoe was also missing, but Bickslow and Cana were still sleeping on the floor.

“He went to check on Evergreen”, Makarov said. “And Wendy called Roscoe to the infirmary so she can make sure his ribs are healing well.”

“That’s good. I should go see Ever as well”, Freed nodded pouring another cup of coffee for the brunette and took out a tray, putting the cups on it.

“I’ll come with you”, Makarov said hopping down from the counter and they went to the stairs.

For a moment there was a silence, until Felix got up pushing away the big coat and stepped down from the couch. He was happy that Freed and Laxus weren’t hurt but Ever and many others had gotten injuries...

The young boy frowned looking at the floor and he thought about it. Their Guild was strong, that’s what he always heard and he believed it absolutely, but they still got hurt. So that meant their enemy was super strong, right? Would more of them get hurt if they encountered that enemy again? But if there were more members then...

Felix looked around and his eyes widened when he noticed a sword that had the familiar green Fairy Tail guild mark shaped hilt and a black scabbard. It was leaning against the chair just beside the couch. Freed usually never left it anywhere just like that!

Quietly the blond haired boy stepped beside the sword that was as long as himself and he touched it timidly. Freed was super strong, he knew it! And Erza used swords too and she was strong as well! He had seen many mages who used swords or other weapons, not just their magic so... Would he be more stronger if he used a sword as well? He couldn’t yet use magic and it really bugged him even though Laxus and Freed said it was alright and he would learn some day...

But he wanted to help now. What if their enemies attacked again? What if this time there would be more injures? What if the whole Magnolia would suffer?

Felix grabbed the sword and the first thing he learned about it was that it was really heavy. With loud clattering it fell on the floor with the leather belt it was still attached to and Felix quickly looked around. Did someone hear? Did Bickslow and Cana wake up?

For a moment he just listened, but he could still hear snores so everything was still fine. He took the belt and dragged the sword along him, heading towards the door behind stairs. After few turns in the hallways he got out at the backyard where there were no one right now. Not aware how the snores had stopped in an instant he had stepped outside the Hall.

Felix grinned and he lifted the sword with its sheath. It really was heavy! How did Freed move it around so easily? He could barely lift it with his both hands! But if he trained hard he could move it around just like Freed, right?

His fingers were almost trembling when he touched the snap that kept the scabbard on.

“Ooh, are you gonna fight against someone, baby?” he suddenly heard a cackle and almost jumped, quickly looking towards Bickslow.

The tall man had left his visor inside the Hall and was just wearing his pants and a simple sleeveless shirt. His black and blue hair was all messed up because he just got up from the bed.

“You know, Freed doesn’t like it if someone takes his sword just like that”, Bickslow said stepping beside Felix, dropping to sit on his heels.

“I just... Wanted to try it”, Felix muttered his cheeks blushing. “Because using a sword makes you more stronger, right?”

“Hmm? Where did you get that?” Bickslow asked curiously.

“Mama’s strong!” Felix yelled instantly.

“Oh, you’re right! Sure, sword can make you stronger if you know how to use it. Do you know how to use it?” the seith mage grinned leaning his jaw against his hand.

“I don’t know...” Felix murmured and he didn’t like it that he had to say it. “But that’s why I have to train! I have to get strong too!”

“I see, I see... Okay, that sounds fair”, Bickslow said after thinking a moment and Felix was actually surprised. Bickslow wasn’t going to take the sword away from him? “You know, I can use a sword a little bit too”, the man with a face tattoo smirked.

“You can?” Felix asked, but he was not convinced. He had never seen Bickslow using a sword after all. And Bickslow sometimes lied about things!

“Sure I can”, Bickslow snickered and he took the sword, standing up.

“Isn’t it heavy?” Felix asked, amazed how Bickslow actually could move it quite effortlessly.

“Yeah, but that’s okay since I’m soooo strong!” the red eyed mage cackled snapping the scabbard off and the sword was shining when the sunlight hit it.

“Dad and mama are stronger than you”, Felix huffed not at all convinced by Bickslow’s declaration.

“Hush, we don’t talk things like that out loud, baby.”

“But it’s true.”

“Man, there’s no way to fool you is there, chipmunk?”

“Don’t call me chipmunk.”

“Okay, okay”, Bickslow smirked. “Behold, I’m going to show you some of my very, very secret skills of using a sword! Like this!” he grinned swishing the sword around.

He had no idea what he was doing. He just did his best to make it look really showy and it seemed like no matter how much Felix was doubting him, he was still amazed. Bickslow cut down few pieces of wood from the nearby fence and something like that, when he dropped on his knees suddenly.

Felix got instantly worried when he heard him hissing in pain.

“W-what happened?” he asked quickly grabbing Bickslow’s arm. “Bickslow! Did you get hurt?” he asked.

“It huuurts!” Bickslow howled sitting on the ground and he was holding his hand. Felix’s face went pale as he saw blood in his hand and he got scared. “Damn, these things are sharp! No wonder you have to train so hard with a toy sword before you can use the real thing!”

“Bickslow!” Felix cried. “What can I do? What can I do?” he asked desperately, not wanting Bickslow to die here because he got injured.

“Go inside and go get a first aid kit from the infirmary.”

“I can do that!” Felix assured. “Wait here!” he said and quickly ran inside, leaving the wailing man behind.

Though the wailing stopped right after he shut the door and Bickslow laughed out loud. In the next second he felt real pain when he got a hit on his head.

“Idiot, Felix got really scared”, Cana scolded crossing her arms. “He must think you’re dying or something!”

“He’ll be fine once he notices I’m alright when we just clean and wrap up this tiny scratch”, Bickslow grinned showing his hand. Sure there were blood but the wound itself was tiny.

“I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he got traumatized because of this.”

“He’s a smart boy, at least he knows now why he shouldn’t play with dangerous stuff.”

“At least there’s something good with this little play”, Cana huffed rubbing his forehead. “I’m way too sober to hear yelling like that yet.”

“Sorry, baby.”

“But I guess I understand why you did that”, the brunette smiled leaning down towards Bickslow. “You want to take care of Felix as well.”

“Damn right I will! He’s my nephew”, Bickslow cackled. Not maybe blood related but who cared about something like that here?

The door opened again and Bickslow was instantly groaning again, holding his hand and Freed and Laxus were following Felix.

“I got the first aid kit, Bickslow!” Felix said holding the box.

“Do I even want to know what the hell happened here?” Laxus muttered.

“Bickslow hurt himself while using mama’s sword!” Felix said worried as Freed took the first aid kit and opened it.

“Is that so?” the rune mage asked taking Bickslow’s hand and looked at the wound. It wasn’t anything serious but they had to disinfect it nonetheless.

“I just wanted to show Felix how good I’m with sword”, Bickslow grinned. “Since he was so interested about learning how to use one.”

“Hmm?” Freed said looking at Felix, who looked at the ground.

“But I didn’t know Bickslow would get hurt”, he muttered apologetically.

“Swords are dangerous and not at all as easy to use as it might seem”, Freed said taking some cotton and dipped it in a disinfectant, starting to clean the wound and now Bickslow really hissed in pain.

“You don’t need to push it so hard”, he said.

“I think I really do”, Freed just smirked deviously pushing the cotton more against the wound. “Just to be extra sure the wound is clean. Haven’t I told it many times that my sword is not a toy?”

“I know! I know! Oh god take it off already!” Bickslow yelled and Freed finally let go.

“That should do it”, the green haired man smiled taking out a roll of bandages. Felix was almost even more scared than before.

“Let’s go inside”, Laxus said to Felix and they left, while Freed wrapped bandages on Bickslow’s hand.

“Thank you for keeping an eye on him and not letting him get hurt”, Freed smiled.

“Anytime, baby”, Bickslow smirked. “You guessed it was Felix who took the sword in the first place?”

“Of course I knew it right away, I know my son and the face he was making was more quilty than when he ate all the cookies from the closet and blamed mouses of their disappearance. But I’m sure he won’t touch the sword again without permission after this.”

“He got so scared I felt really sorry for him”, Cana smiled. “But it was for the best.”

“Yes. Felix always wants to act brave and help everyone, but he is also quite sensitive little boy”, Freed smiled closing the first aid kit. “He is doing his best every day and we have noticed how it bothers him that he can’t use magic yet.”

“He will learn”, Bickslow grinned getting up on his feet and Freed took his sword from the ground.

“I know he will. Makarov told me that it took some time for Laxus too before he learned magic.”

“No way, is that true?”

“Yes. It was really hard for him, especially since Ivan was not happy about it at all.”

“I can imagine”, Cana huffed. “That old bastard made Laxus’ life really hard. I didn’t really hang out with Laxus when we were kids, but I do remember some parts when Ivan was yelling at him, making him do all kinds of training and stuff.”

“Man, that sucks”, Bickslow said.

“And even after all that, Laxus still defended his dad no matter what and said it was all so he could get stronger.”

“Children are ready to do unbelievable things for their parents”, Freed said. “Not always, but sometimes that is the case. They are ready to forgive and bear all kinds of horrible things because for them, parents are their whole world until they grow old enough to survive on their own. But Ivan is in prison right now”, he said bluckling the belt around his waist and put the sword in the scabbard. “And if he ever gets out, I will do whatever I can to imprison him again”, he said his purple eye glowing. “He will not mess with Laxus’ life again and he most definitely won’t come near Felix.”

“Yeah, he’s gonna die for sure if he tries something”, Bickslow smirked widely and Cana chuckled.

Chapter Text

After everything was alright they returned back inside and Freed looked at Felix, who was sitting beside Laxus at the bar counter. He seemed embarrassed and sorry, so he knew Laxus had already talked with him about this whole taking the sword without a permission thing. So he just sat down with them, not saying a word since this was already a matter that had been discussed through and they could forget it.

Roscoe had returned now too and they all got more coffee, except Felix who had some juice. Slowly one after another their guildmates who weren’t hurt appeared in the Guild House and they could start talking about the situation.

“So you did encounter this Ichabod?” Makarov asked looking at the black and blue haired brothers.

“Yes”, Roscoe nodded. “We actually found out few things we should have told you sooner.”

“What is it?” Laxus grunted.

“There is one more of them, Ichabod said they are something like generals”, Roscoe explained. “Only Humphrey and Ichabod were in the Naava Town.”

“They are strong if only the two of them caused all that destruction and injures”, Makarov huffed.

“They just managed to surprise us”, Bickslow snorted. “I’m sure they are not that strong next time when we know what magic they use and what they can do.”

“Never let yourself get too overconfident”, Freed scolded crossing his arms. “That is one of the biggest mistakes you can make when fighting against someone.”

Felix sipped his juice, listening what all the grown ups talked. They knew so much about things... And they didn’t sound scared at all.

“So there are only three of them?” Makarov asked. “No one else?”

“No, there’s still their leader”, Roscoe frowned.

“Yeah, our dad”, Bickslow said and they all almost dropped their jaws. “He said we resemble him quite a lot.”

“I don’t care, I’m not interested of meeting a man who does something like this”, Roscoe snarled annoyed. “Ichabod told us this is all so they can start their business.”

“What business?” Cana asked confused.

“That he didn’t say. Only that me and Bickslow are needed for it since we have magic they need.”

“You do? We know Bickslow has soul magic but what magic do you use?” Gray asked as he had returned back to the Guild Hall just moments ago with Juvia and Erza.

“He controls dead bodies”, Bickslow smirked and Roscoe sighed. “It was really creepy and really awesome, all those bodies were listening to him like they were just puppets following his orders!”

“That is not natural”, Roscoe said stubbornly. “Magic like that should not exist. Those who are dead should be left in peace.”

“Sometimes magic can seem confusing”, Makarov nodded and they all looked at the old man. “And sometimes if feels like it doesn’t fit the person using it at all.”

“It is odd to think how someone who respects nature as much as Roscoe would have magic like that”, Freed had to agree and Roscoe muttered something.

“Maybe that is the reason. Roscoe might be the right person since he wouldn’t use this magic for something evil because he respects nature too much. He only uses it if absolutely necessary and he shows respect to those who are dead”, their former master explained while scratching his cheek. “There are lots of different reasons why someone has the kind of magic they have.”

“So could it then be that maybe your father uses soul magic or that living dead magic or whatever?” Laxus asked snatching few peanuts from the bowl that was nearby.

“Might be”, Roscoe nodded. “I know that mom didn’t use either of those magics. Though, I have no idea what kind of a magic she did use...”

“We should ask from Granny”, Bickslow said. “I bet she knows.”

“Juvia is still slightly confused”, Juvia said worried. “Since your father is looking for Bickslow and Roscoe, does that mean that he will attack again?”

That was certainly a good question and they all thought about the possibilities for a moment.

“I’d say that is more than likely”, Erza finally said outloud what they all were thinking. “If they want to start business, whatever it is, and they need Bickslow and Roscoe for it then they will do something again so they can lure them out.”

“That bastard also mentioned some book”, Roscoe said and Bickslow sneered when Freed, Laxus and Makarov jolted. He had hoped Roscoe had forgotten that book.

“Book?” Gray asked frowning. “If they were looking for it, it was really stupid from them to destroy the library.”

“Obviously they already knew that book wasn’t there, so they didn’t care what would happen to other books. But Ichabod said it was also important for their plans”, Roscoe said and Freed and Laxus looked at each other and then Makarov.

“What was that look?” Erza noticed suspiciously. “Do you know more about this than us?”

“Yeah”, Laxus grunted crossing his arms. “We know where that book is.”

“You do?”

“It’s here in our Guild House”, Freed explained.

“What?!” others shouted surprised.

“What book is it?” Max asked confused. “If they want it so badly that they would destroy the whole town, what are they going to do when they learn it’s in here?”

“They will most probably attack here”, Gray said. “Isn’t that obvious? So how long has that book been here?”

“Four years”, Freed said.

“And you didn’t consider telling us something about it?” Erza asked.

“It was my orders then”, Makarov said. “Don’t blame them. I thought it would be better the less people knew about it.”

“So what is that book?” Lisanna asked worried.

“Well, considering they need Bickslow and Roscoe, it contains some kind of a dark magic that they will use for their business”, Freed said frowning as he thought about it.

“And since they are ready to go that far as to destroy a whole town, it can’t be anything really good business”, Wakaba murmured huffing out a cloud of smoke. “Those who do things like this don’t plan on starting businessess that would help people. They even hurt poor sweet Mirajane...”

“I’m gonna make sure that whatever they are planning, it won’t work!” Elfman yelled angrily. “Because that’s what men do when there are enemies who hurt innocent people!”

“Calm down, Elfman”, Lisanna smiled. “Mira will be fine after some rest.”

“I haven’t yet done much research and I have passed only one of the spells that protects the contents of the book”, Freed said. “There are still two more to go and even after that I need to come up with how to read those runes. I’ve never seen them before anywhere.”

“Could it be some kind of a demon thing?”

“No, I already asked about it from Umanor and others”, Freed said shaking his head. “They don’t recognize those runes either and there is no marks of demon magic. But I’m sure I will learn to read those runes after I study them some more.”

“If we don’t know what’s inside that book, is it really wise to try and read it?” Gray frowned looking at the green haired man. “Who knows what might happen then. What if you let loose something that was meant to stay chained inside that book?”

“That is true”, Freed nodded. “But I will promise to be careful and I won’t let something like that happen.”

“I still don’t really like that idea”, Gray grunted. “But it’s not like I know any other way how to find out what our enemies are planning.”

“So what do we do now?” Macao asked looking at Laxus.

“For first we make sure everyone is okay”, the lightning dragon slayer said and they nodded. “And after it’s safe again, we will go see what is the situation at Naava Town.”

“I have to say, it didn’t look really good”, Mest huffed. “I had to move around pretty much so I got a good picture of the town’s situation. It’s not hopeless to try and build it again, but there is not much left of it.”

“We just have to do it even if there’s nothing left”, Roscoe grunted his red eyes full of determination. “And we will make sure the old library is restored back to its full glory. Only the outer parts of it were torn down, the other part inside the mountain might still be in good shape.”

“Let’s hope for the best”, Freed smiled. “Once we get there and clean up a bit, I’m sure everything will look better.”

“By the way”, Laxus said and Freed gacked slightly when the finger yanked the collar around his neck. “Freed, Bicks and Roscoe all have these things and needless to say, I want them off”, Laxus growled.

Felix’s eyes widened as he looked the collar. He hadn’t even realized Freed had it! But why did he have it?

“I’ve seen few of those”, Mest said inspecting the collar a little bit closer. “They are highly effective but they should come off easily when you know what to do.”

“Great, take them off.”

“I don’t know what to do.”

“What the fuck? Why are you even talking then?” Laxus snarled. “We can tell it by ourselves that they are effective and if you had a fucking key, of course they would be easy to get off!”

“Laxus, calm down”, Freed said and their Master muttered something annoyed. “We will find a good locksmith.”

“Nearest one who can do something for those locks are in Crocus”, Mest said. “So you have to travel there.”

“It could be fun”, Bickslow grinned. “We just have to wait until Ever can travel as well, she would get mad as hell if we went to Crocus without her.”

“What’s Crocus?” Felix asked looking at Freed.

“It is the capital of Fiore”, the rune mage explained. “Queen Hisui E. Fiore lives there and the Grand Magic Games are held there every year.”

“It must be a big city then”, Felix said his eyes widened. “I wanna come too!” he begged grabbing Freed’s arm. “We should all go!”

“We can’t all go”, Erza smiled. “People are still sick and they can’t move from the infirmary before Porlyusica and Wendy give them a permission to do that.”

“And it won’t be happening anytime soon”, they heard a voice and they saw Porlyusica stepping down the stairs with Wendy. Felix quickly slipped to hide behind Laxus. He was scared of the pink haired old woman who was always so cranky and mean. “They will be fine, but it takes time to heal them all. All the spores are gone in three days but they still need rest at least for a week after that.”

“I’m not gonna wait that long until we can get that thing off”, Laxus grunted. “Me, Roscoe and the Thunder Legion will leave only. When can Ever move?”

“I already gave her a permission that she can leave and rest home”, Porlyusica said taking a cup of tea since there were everything ready on the counter. “She’s changing her clothes. But she has to rest for this day and tomorrow before she can travel”, she reminded and they nodded.

“This is gonna be fun”, Bickslow chuckled. “Laxus hasn’t travelled with us in a long time. Last time we went somewhere together, it was last fall on a mission.”

“Hey!” Felix shouted grabbing Laxus’ massive arm this time. “Please let me come too!”

Laxus and Freed looked at each other and Makarov chuckled.

“Let the boy go, it’s not like you’re going on a mission”, he reminded. “It’s good for him to see other cities than just Magnolia and Hargeon.”

“We’re gonna have so much fun with Felix!” Bickslow cackled. “We’re gonna show you the Domus Flau where the Grand Magic Games are held every year!”

“I wanna see it!” Felix yelled with excitement. “Dad! We have to go see it! It sounds like a cool place!”

“You only know its name”, Laxus reminded.

“But it sounds so cool!”

“If we’re careful, there shouldn’t be any problems”, Freed smiled. “Makarov, would you like to join us?”

“No thank you, you kids go by yourselves”, Makarov said. “Go get rid of those collars and show the capital for Felix.”

“Have you been there before, baby?” Bickslow asked looking at Roscoe who nodded.

“Few times with Granny”, he said.

“Well, since Ever has to still rest few days I will make myself useful and try to study that book more”, Freed said. “I can’t do much since I can’t use magic, but I might still notice something.”

“So I can come?” Felix asked with a huge grin and eyes shining.

“Yes, you can come with us.”

“Yayy!” Felix shouted happily, jumping against Bickslow. “We’re gonna have fun!”

“Yeah, we are”, the seith mage smirked and others laughed for Felix’s excitement. Of course it was a big deal for a kid that he could travel too.

“What’s all the hassle over here?” they heard a familiar chuckle and looked at Evergreen.

She had bandages here and there, but she was looking much better and she had a new pair of glasses.

“Ever!” Felix beamed running to hug her and Ever chucled. “You’re okay!”

“Why of course I’m okay, Felix”, Ever assured. “Not some weirdo with flying rocks can defeat me that easily. He won a battle but I will win the war”, she smiled all too happily and it made them all nervous.

“Now that’s manly!” Elfman laughed loudly.

“Don’t call me manly, you idiot”, Ever hissed. “But yeah, next time I see him I won’t be satisfied with just a kick, I’m going to cut off his dingledong and -”

“Ever”, Freed cleared his throat and frowned. It was pointless to even try to make Laxus and others stop cussing but they could still be a little bit more careful of what all they talked in front of Felix.

“What’s a dingledong?” Felix asked confused.

“It’s a dingalingadingding that dangledingledongs”, Bickslow smirked.

“That doesn’t make sense”, Felix muttered and he was getting frustrated. It seemed like he was the only one who didn’t understand while others were laughing and it was not nice!

“Don’t worry about that now”, Laxus chuckled ruffling Felix’ hair and he got up. “I’m hungry now, after eating something we can take contact with Roxanne and go see how they are doing in shelters and hospital.”

“I will then make some lunch for us”, Freed nodded standing up.

“I will help”, Lisanna offered collecting empty cups from the table.

“Juvia wants to help too!” Juvia smiled happily.

With that, they all scattered around the Hall, talking about this and that. They all got more relaxed now that they knew about the situation better, but they all understood that there was a constant danger of getting attacked again.

And it might happen at any time and anywhere.

Chapter Text

The train let out a loud whistle as it finally stopped at the station. For a while there was a huge crowd of people who erupted from the train one after another from different doors and other people were waiting for their turn to get in the train.

Freed stepped down with Felix holding his hand and they were followed by Laxus, Bickslow, Evergreen and Roscoe, everyone holding their own bags for the trip. Freed was slightly amused but he also felt sorry for the lightning dragon slayer who was using all of his strenght so he wouldn’t puke. It had been a while since he had to travel without feeling the motion sickness. But he seemed to be fine after taking few deep breaths.

“Wooooow!” Felix gasped loudly his turquoise eyes wide as he saw the huge station. It was so much bigger than the one in Magnolia! “There’s so much people all around!”

“Don’t pull my hair”, Laxus grunted as he was now holding Felix on his shoulders so the boy wouldn’t get lost.

“I’m sorry, dad.”

“Everyone is hurrying somewhere”, Roscoe muttered when again he got pushed by someone, as they were trying to get out of the station. “It was the same thing last time too. What is wrong with these people?”

“Well, life here is pretty much different than in Naava Town, baby”, Bickslow cackled.

“That is true”, Ever smiled. She still had a few bandages around her arms, but she had assured them that she would be just fine and wanted to travel with them. “But I liked walking in Naava Town, even though there weren’t as many different shops as here. Bigger city means busier people, that’s just how it is.”

“I’m hungry! Let’s go eat somewhere!” Bickslow grinned.

“Yes!” Felix agreed.

“We can eat once we find a tavern where to stay”, Freed reminded looking at the big clock on the wall of the train station. “It is better to bring our bags to the tavern first so we don’t have to carry them around.”

“Did you book our rooms already?” Laxus asked.

“Yes, from the tavern called Dancing Nope.”

“Sounds fun”, Bickslow smirked.

“Though, I liked the place where we stayed last time”, Ever huffed disappointed.

They had a tradition with Laxus and the Thunder Legion that every time they stayed in Crocus by themselves, they would book rooms from a tavern where they had not visited yet. That way they always had new places to discover in this huge city.

Freed looked at the map and Laxus looked over his shoulder, trying to figure where they were even standing right now. Who the hell was making these maps? Why couldn’t they be more simple?

“It takes a while to get in our tavern but the area around it should be nice”, Freed smiled folding the map away. “Not anything luxurious but we have never needed something like that.”

“Speak for yourself”, Ever tisked. “I wouldn’t mind if even once we could try something a little bit more exquisite than some old tavern.”

“You don’t have to stay in the same place as us, baby”, Bickslow reminded. “You can go in one of those fancy pansy hotels whenever you want.”

“I know I can”, Ever tisked opening her fan. “But if I leave you idiots alone there would be a chaos in the town.”

“Sure that is the reason, Ever”, Freed chuckled.

“What is that?” Felix asked pointing at the tram that let out loud clatter as it went past them.

“That is the tram car, in a big city like this it is hard to always just walk from place to place so you use those nasty cans to move around”, Laxus grunted and he almost got green colour on his face.

“Don’t you like tram cars, dad?” Felix asked, still totally oblivious how dragon slayers suffered motion sickness. He had slept the whole time in the train.

“Guess they are useful sometimes. But no, I don’t like them.”

“So we won’t probably use one of those...?” Felix sighed leaning against Laxus’ head, seemingly disappointed.

“Not this time”, Freed said. “But maybe later”, he promised. After the collar was off, the motion sickness shouldn’t affect anymore.

Some time later they finally arrived at the tavern. It wasn’t really anything peculiar but it looked like a really nice place where to stay. Above the the sign over the door, there was a painting of six spiders that were hanging from their net, swaying in the wind. They opened the heavy white door and stepped inside, looking around.

There were lots of other customers who were talking with each other. Some of the customers did jolt when they noticed them, but mostly because three of them stood tall like towers. Not to mention the way how they dressed was not something ordinary. But when they didn’t say anything or do anything that might be threathening, most of the customers quickly lost their interest.

They might be part of the famous Fairy Tail Guild, but in the end there were still lots and lots of people who didn’t recognize them and that was actually what they preferred. That way they had some peace. There were also occassions when someone did recognize them and either those people got scared, curious or wanted to fight.

After getting keys to their rooms – Freed, Laxus and Felix in their own, Roscoe and Bickslow shared one and Ever of course had her own room – they made sure they had what they needed, left their bags and went downstairs.

“Not bad, I’m really surprised”, Ever smiled happily as she sat down with them. “My room is nice, not too small, has a good view over the town and everything is spotless.”

“You really thought I would book rooms for us from some rundown inn?” Freed chuckled as they were already eating.

“Of course not, Sweetie”, Ever giggled and she took the menu.

“So what can I get for the Lady?” they heard a jolly voice as the owner stepped beside their table.

He was an older man with a thick red beard and arms like tree trunks, reminding them of a certain white haired mage from their Guild. But he wasn’t as tall as Elfman, though they could have obviously had a good fight of sheer power. But the owner didn’t really seem like a man who was interested about fighting. He had a very friendly face and bright green eyes.

“I’ll take the same as they have”, Ever said pointing at what Freed, Laxus and Felix were eating.

“Alright, coming right up. Say, weren’t there still two others with you? Two men with visors?”

“They’ll be here in a second, might as well make them this same grub”, Laxus said. “This is good”, he complimented.

“Glad to hear that”, the owner laughed. “I hope you enjoy your time here”, he wished and left to make three more meals.

As said, only few moments later Bickslow and Roscoe came down the stairs and they joined them.

“That looks good, can I taste it?” Bickslow grinned looking at Felix’s plate

“Don’t feed him, you’ll never get rid of him”, Laxus said to his son. “That’s how I ended teaming up with him in the first place when we were kids.”

“Really?” Felix asked astounded.

“No”, Laxus chuckled.

“You can have this broccoli”, Felix said poking the green ominous looking vegetable on his plate.

“Really? Must be my lucky day”, Bickslow snickered snatching the broccoli and ate it.

“You can have them all if you want.”

“That’s nice, Felix”, Freed said while eating his own meal. “And when Bickslow’s plate arrives, you can have all of his broccoli as a trade. There must be much more on his plate than yours since he has a bigger meal.”

“I don’t want to...”

“Then you better eat those you have in your own plate.”

Felix muttered something but he kept eating. Soon Bickslow, Roscoe and Evergreen got their meals as well.

“Are we going to start looking for that locksmith right away?” Roscoe asked looking at Laxus. “I don’t care about my magic, but this thing really is starting to gnaw on my skin.”

“Yeah, let’s do that”, Laxus grunted. He was feeling really uneasy being in this big city and he couldn’t feel the bond. Sure, he could always use his nose to find Freed but it just wasn’t the same thing.

“Did Mest give you any adressess?” Ever asked.

“He gave me this”, Laxus said pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket. “He said this lady should definitely know how to help us.”

“That will be our next stop then”, Freed nodded.

After eating they stepped out of Dancing Nope and walked along the street. Felix was more than excited to see more and they were dashing around with Bickslow who was carrying him this time.

“You know”, Laxus said as they were walking behind with Freed, stopping sometimes when others wanted to stop and see some stuff that was on display behind windows or something like that. “Have you thought about Lucados?”

Freed snapped his gaze towards Laxus.

“Why would you suddenly bring him up?” he asked, not really comfortable with this topic.

“You know they are keeping him here in Crocus since they captured him three years ago”, Laxus said as he kept walking. “Have you thought if you want to go see him?”

“Hasn’t even crossed my mind”, Freed huffed crossing his arms.

“You’re really terrible at lying you know.”

“Why are we suddenly talking about him?”

“I just thought that maybe you wanted to see him”, Laxus said with a shrug. “Not gonna force you to go see him, but won’t blame you either if you want to see him.”

Sure, he wasn’t happy about the idea of Freed and Lucados meeting but if Freed would want it, he couldn’t stop him. He could only be there and support him, making sure Lucados wouldn’t try anything.

“It is his own fault that he is in prison now”, Freed said with a frown.

“I know, that bastard really deserves it. But I know you’re not the kind of a guy who would completely turn his back just like that, Freed. You haven’t talked with him ever since that day what happened in the mansion. Dunno, guess I just don’t want you to go the rest of your life wondering if you should have gone and tried to talk with him. Even if it might be pointless and no matter what he says, he won’t get out.”

“And what do you think he wants to say? That he has changed and he wants us to talk more while we still can?”

“Nah, don’t think something like that could happen”, Laxus grunted. “And if he said something like that, like hell I would believe it. He’s not gonna get out of that prison, he’s gonna stay there until he dies. And when that happens, would you be okay with not talking him? That day is gonna happen eventually and after that it’s too late.”

Freed stayed silent, walking beside the Thunder God and looked how Felix was pulling Roscoe along this time, showing him something he saw in the window.

“Would it be completely heartless to not let him know anything about Felix?” the rune mage asked almost silently.

“Can’t say. After what he did, no one would blame us for not ever telling that man even the name of his great-grandson.”

“I know. And maybe it would be for the best. But...”

“You can never be someone like that, right? That’s why I wondered if you had thought about meeting him.”

“I would never do something like that without telling you, Laxus”, Freed assured quickly.

“I know”, Laxus chuckled. “Wasn’t blaming you. Don’t get me wrong, I really don’t like the idea of you two meeting but I hate even more the idea that you might regret it later and feel pain because of it.”

“I’m just worried what he might say. And if we would take Felix with us to see him, I would be even more worried about that. He might try to convince Felix to think that we were the ones in fault.”

“Like hell that’s gonna happen. I’m gonna break his jaw if he even tries to talk shit.”

“I know”, Freed smiled looking at his fiancé, who looked back. “I’ll think about it. I’m happy that you care so much, even though I know how stupid it is to spare even a moment to think about my grandfather anymore.”

“He’s still your grandfather.”

“Yes. Have you thought about seeing Ivan again?” Freed asked and Laxus frowned instantly, but didn’t say anything immediately.

“Maybe some day”, he grunted finally. “But I’m not gonna let him see Felix. That man is even worse than Lucados.”

“I have to agree”, Freed nodded. Despite how messed up Lucados might have been, at least he never intented to really hurt Freed or Felix. Ivan was someone who hurt Laxus when he was just a little kid and he would definitely do something bad for Felix as well if he could get his hands on him.

Freed shivered. He would never let that happen. And he knew Laxus would never let that happen as well as Makarov and the whole Fairy Tail. They would protect each other.

“So where the hell is that locksmith anyway?” Laxus grunted looking at the address.

“We have still some way to go, but we will get there”, Freed chuckled. “Let’s just enjoy what all we see while walking there.”

Chapter Text

After walking a good while through the large city with its many interesting sights, they finally stopped in front of one of the shops. There were huge writing over the window that said: “Teina Talona: Locksmith.”

“Looks like we finally found it”, Laxus grunted.

“Were you doubting my skills of reading the map?” Freed chuckled.

“Nah. Well, we did have to walk for a while, so...”

“I see. But it is not my fault that we can’t use a tram car. With that, it would have taken much shorter time to get here.”

“Fine, fine”, Laxus pouted. “Let’s just go inside and get rid of those collars”, he growled opening the door and the little bell over it let out a dingle.

They all stepped inside and looked around. So many locks. Like, there were hundreds and hundreds of them. All kinds made out of wood, iron, copper, silver, even gold. Freed could guess that somewhere there must be also locks made out of magic sealing stones and he would not be surprised at all if there were locks made out of platinum or covered with jewels or something like that.

All the l ocks came with different kinds of shapes. Some were big, some small, some tiny and some long. There were carvings, accessories, attachments, all kinds of stuff that had something to do with locks.

“The owner must really like locks”, Evergreen huffed looking around. If only she could find a shopkeeper who was just as devoted for making fans...

Freed looked at the counter and he blinked. He was waiting to see the shopkeeper, but instead he saw a boy sitting behind the counter and looking at them curiously. He could not be at least much older than Felix.

“Hello there”, he smiled stepping closer to the counter. “Do you know where the owner of this store is?”

The boy stayed silent, picking his nose and just looked at Freed. Someone might easily think he was just dumb and his shaggy dark blue hair didn’t really give an impression of someone who would have even basic manners or education.

But when Freed looked at those strikingly light blue eyes, it was evident that this kid was not stupid. Manners were something completely different matter but stupid was not something what to use to describe this boy. But obviously he wanted them all to think so.

The boy just sniffed and closed his eyes, ignoring Freed and the others completely.

“Is this supposed to be customer service?” Ever huffed annoyed.

“I guess the owner is not present right now?” Freed asked from the boy. “Is it alright if we wait here?”

The boy shrugged, not saying anything. He just turned the chair around and Felix was confused. Why was he acting so cold?

So they decided to wait and just walked around, looking at all the goods that were present. There were also few chairs so they sat down once they had seen most of the stuff. After a little while the door opened again finally and the boy behind the desk turned his chair around.

“Oh my, what a traffic there was!” a woman with brown wavy hair sighed closing the door. She was holding few paper bags with ingredients and the boy stood up, helping to carry them. “Thank you so much, Chester! I know I told you that I would make you some pie today but all the berries were sold out already so I decided that maybe some pudding wouldn’t be that bad? And as for the dinner as a thank you for taking care of the cleaning here in shop I was thinking maybe I should make some meatloaf? You liked it when I did it last time so it should be fine, right? Oh no, I think I forgot to buy eggs! Well, it’s too late now I will go buy them tomorrow so I can start making the food right away.”

The boy called Chester patiently waited until the woman finally shut her mouth and then he pointed towards Laxus and the others.

“Oh dear me! I didn’t notice at all that we had customers!” the brunette shouted surprised and she quickly stepped over, while Chester took the bags to the backroom.

“That is alright”, Freed smiled and they stood up.

“Let me introduce myself, my name is Teina Talona and this is my shop”, Teina smiled brightly. “Well, it was my father’s shop at first but I inherited it after he passed away. He was already quite old man and it happened a long long time ago. He was the one to teach me everything about locks and I can assure you that whatever you need, you will find it from here! And if you can’t find the lock you need, we will make one!”

They were all confused. It was obvious Teina was a woman who talked a lot. But was all that information really important for them to know?

“Actually we aren’t looking for locks”, Laxus finally said.

“You aren’t?”

“No, instead we want to get rid of some collars with locks. We can’t use magic to open them because they are made out of magic sealing stones.”

“I see! Well, you are in the right place then”, Teina smiled. “I am highly skilled with opening locks as well even without a key! I have opened thousands and thousands of locks, even the most challenging ones! There is nothing to worry about! Well, I do know that if people knew I could do something like that they would start feeling uneasy around me. They might even think I’m a burglar or something! But I would never do something like that.”

Freed was about to open his mouth when suddenly Teina turned around and she walked in the backroom.

“She’s rather... Talkative”, Roscoe muttered and Bickslow cackled.

“Really, I’m not sure if she even took breath”, Ever murmured.

Right away Teina returned ands she opened a big leather wrap on the table. They looked at all the lockpicks, all different kinds and after asking few questions about what kind the collars were and such, he asked Freed, Bickslow and Roscoe to sit down.

She never stopped talking and there was hardly any chances for them to say anything. Felix thought it was really rude. You should let other people talk too!

He flinched when suddenly he noticed how Chester was looking towards him, stading beside the counter. For Felix he looked a little bit cool. Well he was older than him so of course he was cool. But why didn’t Chester want to talk with them? Was he shy? Or didn’t he like them?

After collecting some courage Felix left Laxus’ side and stepped near the counter, looking at Chester who was surprised because of his approach.

“Hey”, Felix smiled. “Your name is Chester, right?”

The light blue eyed boy stayed silent, just staring at him.

“My name is Felix”, Felix smiled. “Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, Felix”, Chester said and Felix smiled. So he could talk! And didn’t hate to talk to him!

“Do you work here? Like adults?” Felix asked.

“I do some little things”, Chester said looking at Teina who just kept talking and talking while trying to open Freed’s collar. “So I can eat here sometimes.”

“Oh. Don’t you like eating at home?” Felix asked confused. For that Chester said nothing, just looking at the others.

“Is that your dad?” he asked pointing towards Laxus. It was easy to tell, they resembled each other highly.

“Yeah”, Felix smiled. “And that’s my mama”, he said pointing towards Freed who was sitting and waiting for Teina to open the lock of his collar. It seemed like it wasnt that easy task in the end but Teina obviously wasn’t going to give up easily.

“What? He’s a guy”, Chester said looking at Felix like he was some kind of an idiot. “Liar.”

“I’m not lying!” Felix frowned. “He’s my mama!”

“Guys can’t be mothers! Only women can be mothers”, Chester said crossing his arms. “So you’re lying.”

“I’m not!”

“You are. Because he’s a guy, he should be your dad but you can’t have two dads.”

“Why?” Felix asked confused and really annoyed.

“Because you need a man and a woman to have kids”, Chester explained. Not that he really knew much about the topic, but he knew at least that much. “Two guys can’t have kids”, he stated looking at Felix and felt a little bit joy when Felix stopped arguing with him. But then he flinched when the younger one seemed like he was about to cry.

“But he’s my mama...” Felix whimpered. “You don’t know anything! You’re just a liar yourself!” he yelled and turned around.

His yelling was dragging their all attention but Felix didn’t care, he just quickly ran and hugged Freed tightly.

“Were you two fighting?” Freed asked surprised, patting the soft golden hair.

“Chester, it is not nice to fight with others”, Teina scolded looking at the blue haired boy who ignored her words.

“She is right, you should try to be friends instead”, Freed nodded looking at Felix.

“I don’t have to, we won’t see him after we leave”, Felix muttered just tightening his grasp of the red coat.

“Did you say something mean to him?” Teina asked her hands on her hips, looking at Chester who was looking at the opposite direction of her. “With that kind of attitude you will never get friends, Chester. Look at the poor boy, he’s crying! You always cause troubles like this when I turn my back even for a second. You better apologise properly!”

There was a silence, until Chester finally looked towards Felix from the corner of his eye.

“... I’m sorry”, he muttered with a pout.

“It is alright”, Freed assured with a smile. “Felix can cause troubles too sometimes.”

“No I don’t...” Felix denied.

“Kids always fight about something, it’s nothing serious”, Laxus huffed to Teina. “They will forget this really quick.”

“Thank you for your understanding”, the shopkeeper smiled.

“I’m leaving”, Chester said stepping beside the door.

“Chester, I told you I would make the dinner later”, Teina said.

“I don’t need it”, Chester said opening the door. He looked at Felix who had a hiccup and he stuck out his tongue, quickly slipping out of the store.

“Rather rude brat”, Roscoe muttered.

“Please forgive him”, Teina sighed and she continued to pick the lock on Freed’s collar. “He doesn’t always get along with other kids.”

“Is he your son, maybe?” Freed smiled.

“No”, Teina laughed. “He just lives somewhere nearby and sometimes he comes here to help me and I make him some dinner for that. I think he might be an orphan.”

Felix was confused. What did an orphan mean?

“I see, it must be tough for him”, Laxus huffed.

“He doesn’t really want to talk about himself”, Teina sighed. “So I don’t pry, I’m just glad that every time he comes over he seems to be alright so at least he doesn’t fight or something. Ah, there you go”, she smiled when they heard a click.

The collar dropped on the floor and Freed lifted his hand, rubbing the skin that had a red mark because of the collar. It would disappear in few days. He felt how his magic was again moving freely inside him and it was such a refreshing feeling.

“Thank you very much”, he said standing up and Felix had to let go of him. “It feels good to finally have that thing off.”

He flinched when strong arms suddenly wrapped around him and he looked at Laxus. The lightning dragon slayer was inspecting the mark with a frown. He didn’t like it how there was a red scrape right over the mark.

“Is everything alright?” Freed asked.

“Yeah, I feel the bond again”, Laxus said snuggling against the mark and Freed chuckled.

“Blergh, could you please leave all that lovey dovey crap in your own room”, Bickslow groaned and Teina started to open the lock in his collar. “Do it on your own time when alone.”

“I agree”, Ever chuckled and Freed laughed.

“You heard them”, the rune mage smiled to Laxus who muttered something and finally let go of him.

Felix wasn’t sure at all what they were talking. But at least everyone was happy and that ugly collar was finally off. After a while Bickslow’s collar dropped on the floor as well.

“Wohoo!” the seith mage howled jumping up from the chair. “Come on out, babies!” he grinned snapping his fingers.

Five tiki dolls appeared from under his cape, giggling and twirling around.

“We slept long!” they shouted.

“Babies!” Felix smiled happily and the Tiki dolls giggled while surrounding Felix, snuggling against him.

“We like Felix!” they announced.

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I did miss those things”, Evergreen chuckled. “It has been so oddly quiet all the time.”

“I know what you mean”, Roscoe said. “But I wouldn’t yet say I missed them”, he grunted when Pappa hovered in front of his face that had a visor covering the bottom half of it.

“Aw, come on! No one can hate my babies”, Bickslow cackled and ‘babies’ giggled snuggling against him.

“You certainly are interesting people”, Teina chuckled and she started to pick the lock in Roscoe’s collar.

“That’s right, baby. We are part of Fairy Tail after all”, Bickslow laughed sticking his tongue out, showing the black Fairy Tail guild mark.

“Fairy Tail?” Teina said now surprised. “You are? I did see those guild marks but I didn’t recognise it right away.”

“You better believe it”, Ever chuckled fanning herself. “And you must have seen us at least few times since we join Grand Magic Games every year possible.”

“I have seen you”, Teina smiled. “Fairy Tail and Sabertooth are always fighting over the first place, it is really thrilling every time I get to see Grand Magic Games. Last year was extremely interesting, as there was such a tiny difference in points but somehow you finally managed to break through!”

“Of course we were going to win! Our Guild is not the best because of nothing”, Ever laughed.

“So, could I ask for a favor from you guys?” Teina smiled. “Let’s say it’s a payment for taking off those collars.”

“Sure, what do you need?” Laxus asked.

“Could you go and find out more about Chester? It seems like he is doing fine, but I’m still worried. If he really don’t have a home, it would be better for him to find one, right?”

“Are you suggesting we should take him with us to Fairy Tail?” the dragon slayer asked.

“Now that you said it out loud, yes.”

They all looked at each other, thinking about it a moment.

“Sure, we can take him there”, Bickslow grinned. “But if he doesn’t learn magic, he can’t actually be part of the guild. It is a mage guild after all.”

“Only mages can be part of it!” ‘babies’ informed.

“But that doesn’t mean he can’t hang out there”, Laxus huffed and Felix was confused. He knew that Fairy Tail was a mage guild but was it really true that those who didn’t know magic couldn’t be part of it?

What if... What if he would never learn magic?

Freed looked at Felix who had such a worried and sad expression on his face and he could already guess what the blond haired boy was thinking.

“It’s alright, Felix”, he smiled. “You’re still young. You will learn magic when it’s time for that, don’t rush with that”, he said lifting Felix up.

“But if I won’t learn...” Felix muttered.

“Sure you will, baby!” Bickslow assured with a grin. “Don’t you worry about that!”

“You just concentrate of being a kid, okay?” Laxus smiled ruffling Felix’s hair. “So finding out stuff about Chester and taking him to Magnolia is the payment? Isn’t that a pretty high salary for just taking off some collars?” he asked looking at Teina.

The brown haired woman smiled and she gave Laxus the price list of all the jobs she would do.

“What the hell is wrong with these prices?!” he shouted surprised.

“I’m the best, after all”, Teina just smiled. “So my salary is set by that. Of course I’m always ready for trades and negotiation and I’m always ready to help those who need me! But you are mages from Fairy Tail who has won Grand Magic Games for so many years in a row, you shouldn’t have problems with these prices right?”

“Well...” Ever murmured and they all knew very well how much money Fairy Tail had to spend just to cover all the damage they caused here and there all the time.

“Guess we have no choice then”, Laxus sighed. They really didn’t have that much money with them right now. “Fine, we will find that brat and if he doesn’t have a home, he can join us. And if he learns magic, he can be part of Fairy Tail too.”

“I knew I can count on you wizards!” Teina said happily. “If I’m correct, Chester should live somewhere around here, but I have no idea where exactly. You just have to walk around and wish you can find him.”

“At least we have Laxus’ nose to help us”, Bickslow snickered.

“But we still better scatter around”, Freed said. “We will meet back here in two hours.”

“I want to come too”, Felix said quickly. “I want to go with mama.”

“Alright, that’s settled”, Bickslow smiled. “Everyone take one baby”, he said and the Tiki dolls hovered over, everyone choosing one of them. “Just in case.”

“Remember to behave or I will crush you and turn you into a pile of toothpicks”, Roscoe growled looking at Puppu who shivered.

“Don’t be mean to him”, Bickslow said.

“Let’s start the hunt then”, Laxus said.

Chapter Text

After planning who would go where, the Thunder Legion, Laxus and Roscoe scattered around the area. Freed was holding Felix’s hand as they walked along the street without hurry, looking around and trying to find Chester. Peppe was following them, but it was searching the alleys and other places for them, while they stayed in the street.

“It was really nice of you too to help us”, Freed smiled to his son, who pouted.

“I didn’t want to stay behind...” he muttered. “Do we really have to find him? He was so mean.”

“Yes, we will go find him since we were asked to do so. And Chester might not be that mean once you get to know him. He must have his own reasons why he is the way he is.”

“What reasons?” Felix asked looking at Freed who thought about it a moment, as they passed the people who were walking and doing their own things on the street.

“Well, Teina told us that he might be an orphan. He must have really hard times because of that. I’m not saying he is mean because he is an orphan, sometimes people just act that way to protect themselves. They might not really be mean at all.”

“I don’t understand...”

“Keep that thought in your head, one day when you remember it you notice you also understand it”, Freed chuckled.

“What is an orphan?”

“If you’re an orphan, it means you don’t have parents.”

“That can happen?” Felix asked his eyes widened.

“Yes. There are lots of orphans, we have many in our Guild too, you know?”

“We have?”

“Not children anymore, but some of us don’t have parents. You know, mama is an orphan too.”

“No!” Felix gasped grabbing Freed’s red coat tightly.

“Yes. When I was as young as you are now, my parents passed away. But I was really lucky, I had a loving grandmother who took care of me”, Freed smiled. “I also have a grandfather. So in a way, I still had parents. My grandmother has passed away a long time ago, but grandfather is still alive.”

“Where is he?” Felix asked. “I have never seen him, have I?”

“No, you haven’t.”

“Is dad an orphan too?” Felix asked worried.

“No, his father is still alive.”

“But what about his mama?”

“I don’t know”, Freed had to say shaking his head and they stepped aside to let a cart pass them. “I have never seen her and dad doesn’t talk about her.”

“She would be my grandmother, right?”

“Yes.”

“And his dad is my grandfather?”

“That’s right.”

“We should ask dad to tell us more about them”, Felix smiled. “Maybe we can see them?”

Freed huffed looking at how excited Felix was about the idea of meeting his grandparents.

“We have to talk about that with dad”, Freed said. “But right now we have a mission”, he smiled, changing the subject. “Isn’t this your very first mission?” he asked and Felix was astounded.

“It’s my first mission!” he beamed happily when he noticed it too and Freed chuckled.

“So let’s do our very best to find Chester, since that’s our job”, he said and Felix nodded.

They continued, stepping on another street and there were even more people since there were more shops around. Felix noticed really quickly that it was very hard to try and find someone because there were so much people. But Freed seemed like he had no problems with that, he just looked around, searched and like he knew exactly what to do.

“Freed?”

Suddenly they stopped and Felix looked ahead confused. There was a man approaching them. He had funny clothes as he had a large cape and a tabard with a mark in it. He was around Freed’s height and his black hair was tied back in a ponytail.

There was also a scar that went over the bridge of his nose and Felix thought it made him look a little bit scary, so he grabbed tighter hold of Freed’s hand.

“Rogue”, the rune mage smiled. “It is nice to see you again, it has been a while.”

“Few years”, Rogue smiled. He had a small smile and even though it didn’t seem like it reached his red eyes, they were still warm and friendly. “You haven’t come here with the rest of Fairy Tail in Grand Magic Games in many years.”

“We were actually thinking that in next year we would travel here as well with Felix when the Games start.”

Rogue lowered his gaze and Felix jolted when he was noticed.

“This must be Felix then?” Rogue smiled. “He has grown since I last time saw him. How old is he now?”

“Four”, Freed smiled looking at Felix who was obviously being shy, hiding partly behind him.

“It is nice to meet you, Felix”, Rogue said leaning down a little bit. “My name is Rogue Cheney. I’m from another mage Guild, Sabertooth, and I’m an old friend of your parents.”

“Hi...” Felix muttered.

“So why are you here?” Freed asked curiously. “A mission perhaps?”

“Not this time. We came because right now there are no missions for us so we decided to have a little vacation”, Rogue smiled.

“That sounds nice. But what about Frosch? I don’t see him anywhere”, Freed realised.

“He and Lector decided that they wanted to go in different shops than me and Sting, seems like they had something in mind. We will meet again back in the tavern. Are you on a mission then?”

“Well, it wasn’t our purpose of coming here but we ended up taking one in the end”, Freed chuckled. “Us, Laxus, Bickslow, Evergreen and Roscoe.”

“I see”, Rogue said and suddenly he noticed something. “Weren’t you and Laxus supposed to have a wedding soon?” he asked and got confused when Freed sighed.

“That is true”, the green haired man nodded. “But right now we have some serious problems.”

He explained the situation roughly to Rogue. He stayed silent and listened until he had told everything.

“I’m really sorry for all that”, he finally said. “But they are going to be okay?”

“Yes, Porlyusica already gave them the antidote and they should be fine after a week from now”, Freed smiled. “We are lucky it wasn’t something more serious.”

“Rogue!” they heard a new voice.

Another man approached them, but he had a wild blond hair. Felix blinked his eyes as he noticed few earrings and scars. But he had a huge grin and he looked friendly. Somehow he looked a lot like Natsu.

“Oh, hi Freed”, he smiled when he catched them. “Long time no see.”

“It is nice to see you too, Master Sting”, Freed nodded and Felix looked at him surprised. He was a Master? Just like Laxus?

“Still as formal as ever, I see. Oh?” Sting said as he noticed Felix. He smirked and dropped to sit on his heels. “Hello there, little fairy. Isn’t your name Felix, right?”

“Uhm...” Felix muttered.

“Aren’t you cute as a button! You know, last time we saw you, you had just learned how to walk!”

“I don’t remember you”, Felix muttered.

“I’m hurt”, Sting sighed dramatically and Rogue chuckled. “My heart is bleeding.”

“You were still so little when you met them so it is no wonder you don’t remember them”, Freed smiled to Felix who grumbled something.

“So where’s Laxus? A good battle is something I really need right now”, Sting smirked looking around.

“We are actually looking for someone right now so we don’t have time for a battle”, Freed explained.

“It’s an important mission!” Felix assured.

“What? Are you already old enough to go to missions? Man, time goes way too fast nowadays”, Sting groaned. “So are you old enough to get your Guild Mark? Do you have one yet?”

“Not yet”, Felix said. “But I will get it one day!” he said determined and Sting laughed.

“Of course you will”, the blond mage said and he got back on his feet. “But hey, are you sure you want to join Fairy Tail? What about joining Sabertooth?” he smirked and Freed huffed amused.

“No”, Felix said bluntly.

“Really? Our guild is super cool!”

“No.”

“We would love to have you in our Guild. You could become Eucliffe, wouldn’t that be awesome?”

“I don’t want to!” Felix shouted. “I’m Dreyar!”

“I understand... In that case I just have to kidnap you!” Sting laughed grabbing Felix who yelled when his grip of Freed’s coat slipped. “Now nothing can stop us! Me and Rogue will raise you as a member of Sabertooth!”

“I don’t want to!” Felix cried and wriggled to get away.

“Sting, you’re scaring him”, Rogue frowned and Freed sighed.

“Aw, he would quickly learn to love us as his parents”, Sting smiled hugging Felix tightly. “Don’t you want to have a kid, Rogue?” he asked and Freed was amused when Rogue’s face turned into a dark shade of red instantly.

“This is not a place where to talk things like that”, he scolded the blond haired man who just laughed loudly.

“I sure do want one of these little creatures!” Sting grinned and Felix was desperately trying to get away. “Freed, how did you and Laxus have a kid? I mean... You are a guy, right?” Sting asked looking at the rune mage like there was still some little part of him that wasn’t sure if Freed really was a man.

“Yes, I’m a man”, Freed said. “It’s not like it happens just like that because you want it to happen. It was all thanks to the mating season for us.”

“Oh yeah, that thing what happened earlier... Now I’m regretting it we didn’t do anything -”

“We are not going to discuss about that here”, Rogue snapped finally.

“Fine, fine”, Sting tisked not caring how Felix was trying to twist his fingers so he would let go of him. “Okay! So when is the next mating season?” Sting smiled and Rogue rubbed his red face, embarrassed because of this conversation.

“You have to still wait for around five years”, Freed said.

“What?! That long?! I don’t wanna wait that long!” Sting said. “Can’t we make it happen sooner? Like, is there some kind of a spell or anything to make it happen sooner?”

“Dear god I hope there is not”, Freed muttered, remembering what all he had to go through because of that season. He was definitely not ready to go through that all again...

“Damn. I have to make some research for that, Rufus should be able to find out at least something.”

“From searching information by yourself to make Rufus do it instead, this must be your new record for that”, Rogue mentioned.

“Or, we’re just gonna keep Felix.”

“No! I don’t want to!” Felix cried loudly, big tears rolling down his cheek finally.

“Sting -” Rogue started but stopped when another large figure appeared among them.

Sting yelped when suddenly he himself was lifted up from the ground. Deep growl made him shiver, as Laxus grabbed Felix from his arms and Sting knew better than try to continue the joke. Freed smiled taking Felix who grabbed his neck, saying how he didn’t want to go with Sting and Rogue.

“They were just joking”, he reassured.

Laxus shoved Sting towards Rogue, the smaller blond maintaining his balance just barely.

“Sorry, sorry, I took the joke too far”, he laughed looking at Laxus and there were sparks crackling in the air. People were walking faster and some of them looked worried if there would be a fight in the middle of the street. “I didn’t mean to make him cry, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, he will calm down soon”, Freed said.

“You should properly apologise from Felix as well”, Rogue said frowning and Sting nodded.

“I’m really sorry, Felix”, he said bowing his head and Felix sniffled looking at him. “Of course we will not take you away from your parents, don’t you worry. Can we be friends now?”

“No”, Felix refused. “I don’t like you.”

“Harsh”, Sting sighed defeated.

“You deserve it”, Rogue huffed crossing his arms.

“I guess I do...”

“So what the hell are you guys doing here anyway?” Laxus grunted still annoyed.

“We decided to have a little vacation”, Sting smirked wrapping his arm around Rogue’s neck. “Since there are no missions for us right now and everything is peaceful.”

“Whatever, we don’t have time for you guys now”, Laxus said.

“So you were looking for someone? We can help!” Sting offered. “After that you have time, right? We could have a little match”, he laughed.

“Not interested, dimwit.”

“Oh come on!”

“After we have found Chester, we are probably going back to our tavern for the evening”, Freed said to the twin dragons. “But we are doing more sightseeing tomorrow if you want to join us then.”

“Don’t go promise that on your own”, Laxus grunted looking at his mate.

“Sightseeing, eh? Sounds fun”, Sting said.

“Are you perhaps going to show Domus Flau for Felix?” Rogue asked.

“Yes”, the rune mage nodded.

“Okay! We will join you guys tomorrow then!” Sting grinned widely.

“I have a feeling I’m gonna have a huge headache tomorrow”, Laxus muttered.

“We’ll see you guys in there at noon then”, Sting said as they turned with Rogue. “And there we’re gonna have a fight, Laxus!”

“You can’t fight in Domus Flau when there are no events”, Rogue reminded as they started walking.

“What? What’s the point of having a battle arena if you can’t use it for battles when you want?”

“Could you at least pretend that you’re thinking before speaking sometimes...”

Freed looked at Laxus and smiled.

“Don’t look like that”, he said as the Master of Fairy Tail was pouting. “I’m sure we’re going to have great time tomorrow with them.”

“No we won’t”, Felix muttered.

“See? Felix doesn’t want to go with them either”, Laxus said and Freed rolled his eyes.

“It’s already settled so just let it go”, he said. “We have to start looking for Chester again.”

Chapter Text

Two hours were up quickly and they had to return back to Teina’s shop with empty hands.

“Seems like you guys didn’t have any luck either”, Roscoe huffed waiting in front of the door, Puppu resting on top of his head.

“We’re no lucky”, Peppe sighed flying beside the other doll, settling on top of it.

“We’re no good!” Puppu wailed.

“Shut up already”, Roscoe grunted. “I’ve been hearing that crying enough.”

“Have you seen Ever or Bickslow yet?” Laxus asked and he was holding Felix on his shoulders and the boy was all worn out because of all the walking, leaning against his head and ready to fall asleep at any minute.

“Not yet, but they should arrive soon.”

After few minutes, Evergreen appeared and she shook her head as an answer for their question about Chester. Right after that Bickslow found his way back as well and since he was alone, it meant they had failed their mission.

“Shit, I hate it when things don’t go well”, Laxus grunted annoyed as they stepped inside the shop.

“No one likes it when things don’t go well, Laxus”, Ever pointed out.

“Not all missions can always work out”, Freed reminded. “This is a big city and I’m sure that even though he is young, Chester knows exactly how to move around here so he might not be in this area at all anymore. He might be anywhere inside this large city.”

“That’s a good point, baby”, Bickslow said letting his ‘babies’ under his cape to take a nap. “Oh, by the way! I saw that Rufus the dufus guy from Sabertooth.”

“What?” Laxus growled instantly frowning and Freed sighed. It seemed like Laxus wasn’t yet ready to forget how Rufus tried to seduce Freed to go out with him years ago. Well, he shouldn’t really be surprised, it was Laxus after all.

“We actually saw Rogue and Sting too”, the rune mage said. “They told us they are on a vacation, guess they came with the whole team or he has his own businessess here.”

“Makes sense. I wonder if Orga is here too”, Bickslow smirked. “Would love to fight with him, last time he really torched my babies with his lightning when we were against each other in Grand Magic Games two years ago. I want a payback.”

“We’re not here to have battles”, Freed reminded.

“You guys came back”, Teina smiled as she finally appeared from the backdoor.

“Why do you leave your shop without anyone to keep an eye if customers come...?” Ever muttered.

“Actually, Chester came back some time after you all left”, Teina smiled. “Isn’t that funny? It’s like he was waiting that you all would be gone before coming back to have a dinner!”

“I bet that’s exactly what he did...” Roscoe murmured annoyed. “So where is he now?”

“He left.”

“What?” they almost shouted.

“I did try to convince him to stay, but he didn’t want to”, Teina sighed leaning against the counter. “After all, he is really shy even though it might not seem like it. I told him that it would be good for him if he went with you to your guild but he didn’t say anything, like usual. That boy rarely talks about anything.”

“Maybe he didn’t have time to say anything?” Ever snickered and Freed slightly poked her with his elbow.

“But he didn’t seem like he was against it really”, Teina smiled, not at all affected because of Ever’s mutters. “I told him the name of the tavern where you’re staying and said that he should drop by there. He might not say yes right away, but let him get to know you a little bit first. I’m sure he will come to see you guys.”

“You seem awfully optimistic about that”, Laxus grunted.

“I just have this feeling, you know? Sure, it is also possible he won’t come, but I believe in him. I told him you would help him and he might find friends and even a family from your guild.”

“Big promises”, Roscoe said.

“If you won’t do it, I will snap those collars right back on your necks since you don’t have money to pay my prices.”

“Sassy”, Bickslow cackled. “Don’t worry, we’ll take him with us, baby. If he wants to come, that is.”

“Wonderful!” Teina smiled brightly. “But please do come see me one last time if he decides to leave. I want to tell him to take care and behave.”

They nodded and after changing few more words, they finally left the shop and headed towards Dancing Nope.

Journey back to the tavern was a lot more quicker now, since they could use the tram car. Not that Laxus really liked travelling with it even if he wasn’t feeling nauseous anymore. But Felix was excited, all awake again and looking around, being amazed how fast they were going.

“How is this car moving?” he asked from Bickslow.

“Well you see, there are little vulcans hidden inside this car, lined up and they are using tiny little pedals, creating a huge amount of energy so we can move”, the seith mage grinned and Felix’s eyes widened.

“I want to see them!” he said quickly.

“No can do, baby. We’re not allowed to distrub them while they work.”

“But what if they get tired?”

“When we stop, there are actually little stops hidden under the street rocks and only they can move those rocks. When the car stays still, they quickly scatter from the front of the car and go under the rocks, while new ones come inside from behind the car and they take the turn.”

“Is that true?” Felix asked looking at Laxus who grunted.

“I wouldn’t care less even if this thing moved with vulcan’s sweat and tears”, he said and Ever chuckled.

“He is not a big fan of anything like cars, trains or similar”, she smiled to Felix and Laxus growled.

“Why?” Felix asked, looking at Laxus with his big turquoise eyes full of curiosity.

“I just don’t like them.”

“Mama says that is just an opinion, while I asked an explanation. Every opinion comes from some kind of an experience thus there is an explanation for the opinion. If the explanation is not good enough, there should be no reason to really hate something. Did I say it right?” Felix smiled looking at Freed who chuckled.

“Yes you did”, the rune mage nodded.

“Stop teaching him stuff like that”, Laxus frowned looking at Freed who shrugged.

“We have such a clever son, wouldn’t it be waste not to teach him all this?”

“Do you know what that means what you said?” Laxus asked looking at his son.

“Mama said it when I said I don’t want to eat brussels sprouts”, Felix said. “It means that I can’t know if I like them if I won’t try them.”

“You taught him that too, just in case if I ever ask if he knows what it means....”

“Guilty as charged”, Freed smirked.

“So, why do you hate cars, dad?” Felix asked.

“I just don’t like them, I’ve tried them and didn’t like them, that is an explanation and created my current opinion”, the Thunder God said.

“Oh”, Felix said. “Okay.”

“Not everything needs to have a complicated explanation”, Freed smiled.

“I see. I don’t want to eat brussels sprouts because they look yucky and they smell bad”, Felix said looking at Freed. “That is a good explanation, right?”

“Short and simple, yes.”

“So I don’t need to eat them anymore?”

“Yes you do.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m your mama and I say so”, Freed said and Felix pouted.

“That is not a good explanation...” he muttered.

“But it’s highly effective”, Laxus chuckled.

Needless to say, rest of the way was full of pouting, even though Felix was still interested to look out from the windows. Finally they stepped out of the car and Felix tried to be quick and look under the tram car so he could see the tiny vulcans, but he was lifted up before he could do so.

“Don’t just stand there, you’re blocking the way from other people”, Laxus said as they stepped aside and let others step in the car.

“Come on, let’s go so we can have dinner”, Bickslow grinned. “I’m hungry.”

“After that I think it might be good for us to go to bed”, Freed said as they started walking. “At least Felix should go to sleep”, he said looking at the boy who was hanging on Laxus’ armpit, looking really disappointed that he couldn’t have a chance to see himself if those little vulcans really existed.

“It has been a long day already”, Ever said and stretched. “And since we couldn’t find Chester today, we probably have to continue looking for him tomorrow.”

“We promised for Sting and Rogue that we would meet them at Domus Flau tomorrow at noon”, Freed said. “But we can search for him before and after that.”

“Seems that we don’t go and search that far”, Roscoe said and stopped, so they did the same.

They looked at the tavern and there was the same young boy with dark blue hair, obviously waiting for them to arrive. Once he noticed them coming closer, he straightened himself from leaning against the wall.

“Teina told me that you are part of a mage guild”, he said, his blue eyes studying them more than before and in a different angle now. He knew those people were different from regular customers right away when they stepped in the shop. And he had suspected they were mages since why would someone put those kinds of collars on people who couldn’t use magic in the first place?

“That is true”, Freed nodded.

“What guild is it?”

“Fairy Tail”, Laxus said and Felix looked at Chester. He looked a little bit different. Last time he was almost lazy and didn’t really care about what happened around, but this time Chester was interested yet still slightly on alert. He obviously didn’t trust them yet at all.

“I’ve heard of it”, Chester said his eyes slightly widening. But then they narrowed. “Prove it”, he said.

They looked at each other and shrugged. Freed showed his hand and Ever moved the shawl she was wearing to cover her shoulders from the sun. Laxus lifted his shirt enough to show the black mark on his left side and Bickslow of course sticked out his tongue. Roscoe took off his visor that was covering his jaw and there was a dark red mark just under his chin, on the right side of his neck.

Felix admired all those marks. He wanted to have one too as fast as he could! He would definitely take it on his side just like Laxus, it looked really cool.

Chester looked at them and he seemed to think something really fast.

“I know magic”, he finally announced.

“Is that so? What magic do you use?” Laxus asked letting his shirt fall back and Roscoe put his visor back on to cover the lower half of his face.

Chester lifted his hands.

“Silver Make: knives”, he said and two simple little knives appeared on his palms.

“Silver magic?” Freed said and they were all surprised.

“That is one rare magic you got there”, Laxus said impressed.

“I guess”, Chester said looking at the little knives that had little carvings on them. “I don’t really know much spells yet...”

“You will learn”, Bickslow grinned. “Say, could you maybe make some coins for us?”

“No”, Chester said looking at Bickslow like he was a total idiot. “And that is illegal.”

“I guess so”, Bickslow sighed crossing his arms.

“Well, you know magic so there shouldn’t be any problems for you to join us”, Laxus said and Felix looked at him. Would they really take Chester with them? “But you have to leave Crocus if you want to join Fairy Tail. Our Guild House is in Magnolia.”

“That’s okay”, Chester nodded and Freed was surprised how calm the boy was with all this. He couldn’t help but think that there must be some kind of a reason why he was so eager to join them.

“You can still think it over, we are going to stay here at least tomorrow still”, Freed assured. “If you want, you can stay with us here in Dancing Nope. It is good to have some information of Fairy Tail before you do decisions that will change your life. You can share room with Bickslow and Roscoe.”

Chester looked at them as the group stepped inside the tavern. He hadn’t actually planned to befriend with anyone, he just needed a place where he could learn to control his magic better. Teina had told him that he might find a new family and lots of new friends but that wasn’t what he needed.

Chester muttered something and followed others inside. Guess he had to talk with them more if he wanted to join Fairy Tail.

Chapter Text

The whole crew sat down in one of the free tables. Right now there weren’t many customers around and those who were sitting on their own tables, didn’t pay attention to them. Felix squeezed himself to sit between Laxus and Freed, staring at Chester who seemed like he was measuring them all with his gaze. Maybe he was trying to decide if he coud trust them or not. He should, that was what Felix thought and he nodded to himself. Chester was a fool if he didn’t trust them.

“Since we haven’t really introduced ourselves properly yet, I guess that is the first thing to do”, Freed said and they all nodded. “We are mages from the guild called Fairy Tail and we live in Magnolia. My name is Freed Justine, this is my fiancé Laxus Dreyar and our son Felix Dreyar. Laxus is the Master of Fairy Tail and me, Evergreen and Bicklsow are in the same team called the Thunder Legion, also working as Laxus’ bodyguards. Roscoe here is Bickslow’s older brother and he joined our guild few years ago.”

“You’re the Master?” Chester asked surprised looking at Laxus.

“Yeah”, the lightning dragon slayer said crossing his arms. “What’s so surprising about that?”

“Uh... I guess nothing”, Chester murmured. He didn’t really know how Masters of the mage guilds acted like, so maybe it wasn’t that surprising that Laxus didn’t somehow feel like he was a Master. Strong he was obviously, he could see it and even he knew Master had to be strong. But he just... Was kinda plain.

“Why are you all here in Crocus? Just because of those collars?” Chester asked snapping himself out of his surprise by changing the subject.

“We couldn’t help it, Teina was the only one we knew who could help us”, Ever explained. “So we had no choice but to come here. But it is nice to visit Crocus sometimes.”

“Did others from Fairy Tail come?”

“Not this time”, Freed said. “Do you know how teams work in mage guilds?”

“They do missions together, right?”

“Yes. They move all around Fiore. Right now we have a bit of a situation in our guild but you will learn about that later when we get there. Most of us are back in our guild so you have a good chance to meet as many of us as possible, some of the mages might travel even decades without coming back before the mission is over.”

“I see...” Chester murmured. So it was not a necessarity to show up back in the guild from time to time.

“Of course, it does help others if they at least know you’re doing fine”, Laxus grunted. “Gildarts just comes in, drinks until his head is full and then he might leave just as suddenly as he came back and none of us might see him in years after that.”

“Well, he does stay in contact with Cana”, Bickslow reminded. “But even she doesn’t know all the time where he goes. Only clue we have where he might be is the copy of the mission sheet he took.”

“Where is he right now, by the way?” Ever asked confused. “Wasn’t he supposed to come back for the wedding?”

“Nah, we only send him a message about our wedding, we don’t know if he ever got it”, Laxus huffed. “I can’t really tell you guys where he is, since it’s an S-class mission but I can tell you that it might be that we are not going to see him for a while.”

“Bummer”, Bickslow sighed. “Cana’s not gonna like that.”

While others were talking, Felix stared at Chester and narrowed his eyes. He didn’t like it how Chester was talking with others so easily. He should have stayed mute like with Teina! Chester was becoming way too good friend with others at this rate.

Suddenly those blue eyes shifted to look at him and Felix flinched, but he didn’t look away.

“What?” Chester asked, confused because Felix was glaring at him.

“I don’t like you”, Felix said.

“Oh”, Chester said, only mildly surprised.

Felix pouted when his words didn’t seem to affect Chester at all. The little silver mage just looked what others were talking and completely ignored Felix’s harsh glaring.

“Here you go, dinner is ready”, the owner of the tavern smiled as he came by the table with a large tray full of plates. “Hi, Chester. Haven’t seen you for a while.”

“You know each other?” Roscoe asked surprised.

“Sure! Everyone in this town knows Chester! He’s like a tiny little guard”, the owner laughed ruffling Chester’s hair, making him blush and mutter something. “He helps out how he can.”

“I see”, Freed smiled. “That is really admirable, Chester. Given that you’re still really young.”

“It’s really nothing”, Chester assured eating his own food.

“This boy has his bad habits, but no one can say that he isn’t fair”, the big bearded owner smirked patting Chester’s tiny shoulders with his large hands, almost making him crash down from his chair. “He’s a good kid, you can bet on that.”

“We believe you, baby”, Bickslow grinned. “He’s amusing. He’s gonna leave with us and join Fairy Tail.”

“What? Is that true?” the owner asked looking at Chester.

“Yes. Well I haven’t yet made the final decision”, the blue haired boy said. “But they told me I could join them if I want.”

“You know what, you should go. You’re a smart kid, Chester, you could learn a lot new things. Those guys are strong and awesome, I’ve seen their every match in Grand Magic Games! Now that I look at you guys more close, I do recognize you”, the big man smirked. “You’re the Master of Fairy Tail, Laxus Dreyar, aren’t you?” he said looking at Laxus who nodded. “And you guys are the Thunder Legion, obviously.”

“That’s right”, Ever smiled.

“I should have noticed that sooner! So, who are you?” the owner asked looking at Roscoe who grunted.

“That doesn’t matter”, he said. “I haven’t been here with the guild even once.”

“And this little guy here is a Dreyar alright, I can see it miles away!” the owner guffawed looking at Felix. “How did you guys happen to crash here in my little tavern?”

“We haven’t been here before”, Freed explained.

“I see, you are those travellers who usually want to try some new places when they visit this city.”

“Yes. I don’t mean to be rude, but we really would rather keep our staying here as a secret. Or as secret as it can stay.”

“Aye, captain”, the owner winked. “I get it. There must be tons of people out there who recognize you guys immediately so it is nice if you can have some peace at least in the tavern where you stay. No worries, I won’t tell a soul.”

“I’m glad that you understand.”

“Okay, so enjoy your dinner”, the owner smiled as he took the tray. “Tell me if you need anything else”, he said and headed back to the kitchen.

“People seem to like Fairy Tail”, Chester noticed.

“Usually, yes. But there are also people who don’t like us”, Laxus grunted giving a bread slice for Felix. “Naturally.”

“That’s because Fairy Tail is so strong guild”, Felix smiled.

“Damn right”, Laxus smirked.

“You’re gonna love being part of it, baby”, Bickslow grinned to Chester. “It’s full of awesome people! And if you want to get stronger, there’s always someone who will fight with you.”

“Really?” Chester asked.

“Some of them will ask you to fight with them even if you really don’t care”, Ever chuckled. “But well, at least it’s not boring to live there.”

Chester nodded, eating his food and he listened what others talked. They started to talk something about someone called Natsu and Lucy and others, something about how they might be doing right now. It sounded like there was something bad going on at the guild and many people were sick, but Chester decided it was not his place to pry.

After the dinner, Felix yawned and rubbed his eyes.

“I wanna go to sleep”, he murmured leaning against Freed.

“Then I guess we have no other choice but go to bed”, the rune mage smiled.

“I’ll take him, you stay here with others a little longer”, Laxus offered and he got up.

“Are you sure?” Freed asked.

“Yeah”, Laxus assured and lifted Felix up. “Dunno if I’m just getting old but I might as well go to sleep now.” Especially if tomorrow was going to be the kind of a day he was afraid...

“Alright”, Freed smiled. “I’ll be there in a while”, he said and Laxus gave him a quick kiss on his cheek.

“Good night, mama”, Felix murmured already half asleep and Freed chuckled.

“Good night”, he said.

“Sleep well, chipmunk”, Bickslow smirked.

“Don’t call me that...” Felix muttered and they disappeared on the stairs.

“That kid is too cute”, the seith mage grinned and Ever chuckled.

“He is”, she smiled.

“Is it alright for you to sleep with Bickslow and Roscoe, Chester?” Freed asked looking at the boy who nodded. “Alright, we will arrange a spare mattress for you, I’m sure the owner can help us.”

“But beware, they both snore so loudly it will be a miracle if you can sleep at all”, Ever warned.

“It’s not like we can help it”, Roscoe grunted.

They chatted for a while, until they all decided they should also go to sleep. Freed wished good night to his team members and opened the door to their room. He was surprised when he noticed that Laxus was still up, sitting on a stool next to the window.

“Is everything alright?” he asked closing the door and he looked at the beds. There were two beds and they weren’t big enough for both of them so one of them had to share a bed with Felix. He was already in deep sleep under the blanket.

Laxus grumbled something and sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

“Felix told me what you guys talked today while searching for Chester”, he said and Freed sat down on the other bed.

“And?” he asked.

“He was curious about Ivan and my mother”, Laxus said leaning against his hand, looking out of the window.

“I know, he asked me if his grandparents were alive. But I told him we should talk with you about this matter”, Freed said. He could understand that it might bother Laxus, it bothered him too to even think about if Felix and Ivan might meet some day.

Freed sighed pinching the bridge of his nose.

“I should have been more careful”, he scolded himself. “We were talking about what it meant to be an orphan and I should have known it would lead to this.”

“It’s fine”, Laxus said. “He has to learn someday that Ivan is a bastard.”

“He’s just a child, Laxus. I doubt he will understand why we would say something like that about his grandfather, when he was getting so excited about seeing him.”

“He’s not gonna meet up with Ivan”, Laxus growled with a frown.

“I know, I don’t want that either. I’m just saying that he might not see things like we do. After all, he hasn’t even met him even once and he doesn’t know yet how bad some people can be. Even though they are supposed to be people you can trust with your whole life. He thinks that all the parents in the world are like us.”

“Yeah. He’s still so innocent”, Laxus huffed amused. “I like that.”

“Me too”, Freed smiled leaning against the wall and he looked at the ceiling. “I hope he will stay like that at least for a while still. But I’m glad he isn’t that small anymore”, he chuckled and Laxus laughed, getting up from the stool.

“Yeah, the first two years were exhausting”, he said slumping to sit next to his green haired mate. “When he learned how to walk, we couldn’t let him out of our sight even for a second or he already ran off somewhere.”

“And if he only had enough energy, he never let us carry him up the stairs but he had to climb them up himself”, Freed chuckled. “But it took time before he finally got enough courage to climb them down.”

“It was such an amazing feeling when I could see him take his first steps”, Laxus smirked and Freed crossed his arms.

“That is unfair, Laxus. You know very well I was on a mission then and when I got home, my son was already walking. It felt like I had been gone for years!” the rune mage said with a frown.

“I think it’s fair, you were the one who got to hear his first word.”

They both knew that it really didn’t matter if they could or could not see the first steps or hear the first word, as long as they could be there to walk and talk with Felix for the rest of the journey. But they were lovely memories, that was true. Memories they would never let go.

Freed looked at his Thunder God.

“So what are we going to tell him when he asks about his grandparents again?” he asked.

“I don’t see why we can’t tell him straightforwardly that Ivan is in prison”, Laxus said. “And if he asks why, we tell him he’s there because he’s a bad guy and he belongs in prison.”

“What about your mother then?”

“Dunno about that. I don’t know anything about her.”

Freed looked at Laxus, who stared at the ceiling. He didn’t expect to get that kind of an answer. He just always assumed that Laxus didn’t want to talk about his mother.

“Not even her name?” he finally asked, not sure if Laxus was willing to continue this conversation.

“Not even that. Ivan was always furious if I asked about her and Gramps said it was not his place to tell me something. I don’t remember her at all.”

“I see... I’m really sorry, Laxus”, Freed said taking the lightning dragon slayer’s hand on his own, giving it a light squeeze. “If you ever want to find out more about her, I’ll do everything I can to help you”, he promised and Laxus snorted.

“To be honest, I’m not that sure if I want to find out anything”, he confessed, looking at the other bed where Felix was sleeping. “Guess I’m a little bit scared if she’s just like Ivan.”

They sat there in silence for a while. Freed wasn’t sure what he should say and Laxus was glad the rune mage decided not to say nothing at all. There simply was nothing to say. He had always avoided this topic, he didn’t want to start thinking about his mother.

There was simply too many questions if he would open that door. Way too many questions. At least for now, he was not ready to start thinking those questions.

“We should go to bed as well”, Freed finally said breaking the silence.

“Yeah, you’re right”, Laxus nodded and Freed got up from the bed, stretching. “I have this feeling that tomorrow will be a long day...” Laxus grunted taking off his shirt.

“But it might be fun”, Freed chuckled and he folded his long red coat on the chair as well as his shirt. He put his sword to lean against the table and he gently pushed Felix closer to the wall.

“Good night, babe”, Laxus yawned settling on his bed.

“Good night, love”, Freed smiled as he straightened himself on his bed as well.

Chapter Text

Laxus was still in a deep sleep and snoring low like a rumbling thunderstorm far above the sea. Or that was how Freed liked to describe it, Laxus knew very well that Felix described it only being an annoying gargle since he couldn’t sleep while listening it.

The Thunder God grunted in his sleep when the bed moved and someone was crawling over him, forcing him to wake up.

“Dad? Are you awake?” Felix asked staring at the scarred face that was frowning.

“I’m not...” the big man growled and he turned to his other side, pulling the blanket over him better.

“Are you sleeptalking now?”

“Yes, go wake up mama...” Laxus grunted, stubbornly keeping his eyes shut and trying to hold on to his dreams that were drifting away.

“Mama is up already”, Felix smiled leaning against Laxus’ side. “Are you angry because I came to wake you up?” Felix asked a little bit worried and making the blond haired man sigh.

“No, I’m just tired and I haven’t gotten any coffee yet”, he muttered rubbing his face with his hand.

“Why do you drink coffee?”

“Dunno, guess there is so much rust in my old bones that I can’t get them to work anymore if I can’t get coffee.”

“I knew it”, Felix sighed with a serious nod and Laxus chuckled.

Felix hopped down from the bed and Laxus sat up stretching and scratching his head.

“Is mama downstairs?” he asked taking his shirt.

“Yes. Others are awake too so mama said I should come and wake you up as well. We’re going to see Domus Flau today”, Felix smiled excitedly. “Bickslow said that it is gigantic! Is that true?”

“Might be”, Laxus nodded buttoning up his shirt and he took his big coat. “How big do you think gigantic is?”

“It must be bigger than the Guild House.”

“Then it definitely is gigantic.”

They stepped in the narrow hallway and down the stairs. There were much more people now eating their breakfasts and planning their works for this day. But it wasn’t hard at all for them to find out their group, even without Laxus’ keen sense of smell. Most of the customers in this tavern were travellers and they might sometimes have really interesting clothes, but Laxus had noticed it years ago that it was almost a law between mages to have extraordinary clothings. Was it some kind of a way to make sure it was noticed that they were not just ordinary people?

He thought back few years and remembered how flashy clothes he used to wear himself. Now it almost send cold shivers run down his spine. God, he even smoked cigarettes and wore jewelry. Did he really think he was looking so damn badass? But well, it was part of that stage of his life so why not dress up like a douchebag when he was acting like one?

They stepped closer to the table where others were talking.

“You’re up, baby”, Bickslow grinned when he noticed them.

“Yeah, how are you all up already?” Laxus grunted when sitting down and Felix sat between Freed and Ever. Chester was sitting between Bickslow and Roscoe, eating porridge. It seemed like Felix was not yet ready to forget whatever quarrel they had yesterday and just try to be friends with the little silver mage, so he was keeping the distance.

“Because no matter if you’re a big ass Master right now, you still sleep longer than any of us if you don’t need to go to the Guild in the next morning”, Bickslow cackled. “It’s like your body immediately goes into a holiday mode when we’re out of Magnolia.”

“I just had hard time to fall asleep”, Laxus grunted taking the spoon that was next to his plate. Thank god others had decided to wake him up before his porridge would get cold.

“Is something wrong?” Freed asked.

“No, there were just so much noise from the street, it’s not this lively in Magnolia in the middle of the night.”

“Might be fun if it were”, Ever chuckled. “But it might also get just annoying fast.”

“Definitely”, Roscoe grunted. Seemed like he had hard time to sleep as well. “This might be a large city but people should still show some respect towards each other and keep in mind that some people want to sleep during the night.”

“Well aren’t you Mr. Sunshine today”, Bickslow cackled, making Roscoe look at him with a frown. “Don’t be so serious and pessimistic all the time, baby. Try to have some fun!” Bickslow grinned and Roscoe said nothing, just continuing his eating.

After the breakfast it was already half past ten so they stepped outside on the busy street.

“If we want to go to Domus Flau, we have to take two cars”, Chester said as they were heading towards the stop.

“You know the fastest way?” Freed asked.

“It’s not the fastest, but there won’t be that many people at this time of the day. But it won’t take that long.”

“That’s fine, at least we don’t need to walk all the way”, Ever chuckled.

So they let Chester guide them. They hopped in the right car and the driver greeted them, laughing how it was good to see Chester to hop in as a paying customers for once.

“It seems like you’re using tram cars regularly”, Freed said as they sat down.

“It is the fastest way to travel in this city”, Chester explained as he sat beside Bickslow.

“It’s still pretty crowded here”, Roscoe said looking around and they had to squish together a little bit.

“But you got to sit down”, Chester said looking at the guard. “If we had taken the fastest car that goes straight to the Domus Flau, you’d have to stand the whole way.”

“I don’t understand people from big cities...” Roscoe murmured looking out from the window.

At the half way they changed the car and even if it was a long ride, they were enjoying the sights they could see during it. Finally they turned into a road that head up towards the colossal arena where mage guilds competed against each other every year during the Grand Magic Games.

Felix was amazed how long the road was. They were getting higher and higher, until they could see almost the whole town.

“There’s the castle”, he smiled looking at the big fort that stood at the middle of Crocus. “It’s really big.”

“It is”, Freed smiled. “It’s even bigger than Domus Flau. Isn’t Crocus an enormous city?”

“Yeah! It’s even bigger than I thought”, Felix said looking down. All the houses were so tiny!

“We can see the city even better once we get all the way up.”

It took a little bit more time, but finally the tram car stopped near the big entrance. Felix looked with his mouth open at the huge building. It really was gigantic!

“Sting and Rogue said they will arrive here at noon, so we still have one hour time to look around”, Freed said when they were all out with couple of more passengers and the tram car continued its way. “When they arrive, we can talk more what we want to do then.”

Felix looked at the guards as they stepped in from the entrance. Seemed like people were allowed to walk around freely as long as there were no signs or ropes that forbid walking further. People could only walk around in the halls and stand, they were not allowed to enter the arena itself or the rooms and places like that.

The hallways were long and dark with high ceiling and big columns. Their steps echoed, as well as all the little crackles or other noises whatever caused them. It was a little bit scary and Felix quickly grabbed Laxus’ hand just in case as they walked ahead.

At some point they could see big stairs that lead up, but they didn’t go there. Instead they turned into another hallway, smaller this time and took few turns until they arrived at the stairs and climbed up. There were no windows so when they could see the entrance after walking for a while, the light was almost blinding.

Felix squinted his eyes and looked around. They were just beside the arena! It was a humongous area!

“Where are we?” he asked.

“This is one of the platforms where the Guild can stand and cheer on their guildmate that is fighting”, Laxus explained. “We have stood here many times already.”

“Have you all been in the arena?” Chester asked. He wasn’t as amazed as Felix. After all, he had been here many times before. If those guards wouldn’t throw him out, he would live here.

“Not all of us”, Freed smiled. “Roscoe and I have never had a chance for it.”

“Why?” Felix asked confused. Freed was so strong! He was almost as strong as Laxus! How come he had never fought in the Grand Magic Games before?

“Well, there hasn’t been a good time yet for that”, Freed chuckled.

“How come we have never came here to see the Games?”

“We can do it this year.”

“Let’s do that!” Felix beamed excitedly and others laughed. “I want to stand here too and cheer everyone!”

“That’s the spirit”, Bickslow smirked. “But hey, Freed just standing here and cheering? No way, baby! You have to join the team this year!” he grinned swinging his arm around Freed’s neck.

“That is true”, Ever chuckled. “We have waited patiently when you would be ready to step up and be part of the team.”

“There are many strong mages in our guild and any one of them would be delighted to join Team Fairy Tail”, Freed assured but he was touched.

If he was completely honest with himself, when looking at that big arena he was almost dying to know how it would feel to stand there and do his best to bring glory and honour for his Guild.

Laxus could notice it and he smiled slightly. If Freed would want to compete this year, he would definitely let him join their Team. Sure, it might seem a little bit favouring. But he was absolutely sure not single one person in Fairy Tail would think that way. They all knew how strong and smart Freed was, he would be an excellent member for the Team Fairy Tail. He would have competed years ago, but for him the most important thing was to take care of Felix before anything else.

But now that Felix was old enough and would even come see the Games with the rest of them, there really was no reason for Freed to hold back.

“Mama, you have to join the Team Fairy Tail this year!” Felix shouted grabbing Freed’s hand.

“The boy is right”, Bickslow smirked. “You should definitely do it, baby.”

“We don’t know how things will go”, Freed huffed. “There are many others who definitely want to join too. It’s not like Laxus can just say that I’m in the team, that would be wrong and they wouldn’t like it.”

“The fuck do I care what they think”, Laxus said. “If I say you’re in the team, you’re in. Besides, if there really is someone who would say you’re not strong enough or don’t deserve to have a chance, I’m gonna use him as a lightning rod.”

“Mama, you have to join”, Felix said stubbornly and Freed sighed.

“I will think about it”, he smiled. “There are still at least five months before the Games.”

They walked around a little bit more, visiting the highest places where they were allowed to go and as near the arena as possible. Felix was more than just amazed by all this. He definitely wanted to fight on that arena as well some day! He had to learn magic, train hard and then he would join the Team Fairy Tail and do his ultimate best!

Chester was looking at the mages who all seemed to think about only that one thing: Fighting on that arena. But what was so amazing about that? He would never want to do something like that. He wanted to get stronger and he wanted to be respected, but this sounded more like a waste of time to him.

“If it isn’t our most dear rival guild Fairy Tail”, they suddenly heard a chuckle and turned around.

Felix slipped behind Freed when he recognised Sting and Rogue. But they weren’t alone. They had four other people with them this time.

Laxus smirked slightly.

“Sabertoothpick finally arrived”, he said.

“Isn’t this weird? Meeting each other in Domus Flau when there are no Grand Magic Games on?” Sting laughed looking at the empty stands around them.

“Yeah, can’t deny that”, Laxus nodded. “It feels like something important is missing.”

“So why not have a little battle?” Sting grinned.

“For the last time, Sting”, Rogue sighed. “We can’t fight here.”

“This is the battle arena!”

“But it’s still forbidden to fight here when there is no event going on.”

“Man, this sucks!” Sting shouted frustratedly and others laughed. “Who came up with such a stupid rule anyway?”

“Rules excist because of a reason”, Freed reminded politely.

Felix peeked from behind the rune mage and studied those people closer. He knew Sting and Rogue now, but he didn’t remember seeing those four others before. Two men and two women. One of the men was big and bulky with mint green wild hair, while the other one was around Freed’s heigh with long blond hair. He seemed like a gentleman, with a large hat decorated with feathers and a red coat similar to Freed’s. But Freed was more like a soldier, while this man looked like a nobleman. But Felix was sure that man would not stand a chance against Freed, of course.

He looked at those women, one with short white hair and one with black long hair. Woman with white hair seemed nice, but the one with black hair made Felix almost shiver. She seemed so... Strong willed. She was pretty much like Evergreen.

“I don’t really think we should try battling against each other”, the woman with white hair chuckled. “It might be fun, but it can turn chaotic very quickly.”

“I agree with Yukino”, Freed nodded. “There’s no one to work as a judge and with two insanely powerful teams...”

“The results might be unpredictable”, the man with long blond hair chuckled.

Felix flinched slightly when he heard a deep low growl, looking at Laxus. He wasn’t sure if others noticed it, but Laxus did seem annoyed and if his orange eyes could burn that man with red hat into ashes with just by staring him, that would have happened right now and there.

“So, what? Are you saying we are not going to fight? At all?” Sting asked and he was really disappointed.

“Works fine with me”, Laxus grunted.

“Don’t be like that, Laxus! It will be fun!”

“Well, there is always one more option”, the woman with dark hair said. “We have to compete in some different way than just having fights.”

“What do you mean, Minerva?” the big wild looking man asked confused, making Minerva shrug slightly.

“I don’t know, we can come up with some kind of a game?” she suggested.

“Hey, that’s not a bad idea”, Bickslow cackled.

“We have to come up with some good game then!” Sting grinned. “I suggest we play catch the flag!”

“Catch the flag? Seriously?” Laxus grunted. “Isn’t that a game for kids?”

“May I remind you we have kids here”, Freed said and he looked at Felix and Chester. “Wouldn’t it be fun?” he smiled.

“I have never played that game”, Chester confessed.

“And we can’t run as fast as adults”, Felix said.

“And there is more us than them”, Chester pointed out looking at the Team Sabertooth. “Does one of us have to go to their side?”

“I don’t want to”, Felix quickly said grabbing a tight hold of Freed’s coat.

“Well, seems like we can’t do it after all so we should just go back to our tavern”, Laxus shrugged.

“Just wait a minute, Master Dreyar”, Freed said.

Then he turned towards Sting and others.

“Felix and Chester are just kids and they have to compete with adults, isn’t that a little bit unfair?” he said.

“What do you suggest?” Rogue smiled.

“I suggest that Felix and Chester can work together, counting as one person. Then our teams are evenly matched.”

“Does anyone have something against it?” Sting asked, but others shook their heads. “Then it’s settled.”

“Hold on”, Bickslow said. “What about those exceeds? Doesn’t that add two more members in your team.”

“Froch and Lector won’t be joining us”, Rogue said. “At least not for now. If they come later, we have to tell them they can’t participate and they just have to wait until the game is over.”

“Then how can we make sure nothing happens?” Yukino asked slightly worried. “Especially for Felix and Chester.”

“No magic”, Ever smiled. “No magical weapons or tools as well. That includes Bickslow’s dolls too so he can’t use them.”

“But they are my babies! They would love to play as well!” Bickslow shouted.

“No magic. And our teams have been set so they would just mess the numbers again.”

“So just pure power?” Roscoe huffed. “It might still get brutal.”

“Maybe, but that’s just how things always go”, Freed chuckled crossing his arms. “Obviously we can’t play here, so we have to find another place.”

“If we leave the city, there is a big forest at the other side that we could use”, Rogue suggested.

“Sounds good. I can use my runes to mark the area and make sure no one happens to wander there.”

“Okay, so are we going to go with the usual plan? Both teams have their own half of the area and if you go to the enemy’s side they tag you?”

“Boring, too easy”, Bickslow snorted.

“So what are you suggesting, Bicks?” Freed asked.

“We can use the whole area to tackle each others. We have only home bases where our flag is and where the enemy’s flag is supposed to bring over so we win.”

“Not bad”, the mint green haired big man chuckled. “And how are we going to stop other team members to steal our flag?”

“With a tackle. Baby, can you use your runes and make some kind of a rule that those who are tackled and remained on the ground for ten second, have to stay there for ten minutes?” Bickslow asked looking at Freed.

“Of course I can do that”, the rune mage said. “You mean they have to stay in “prison” then.”

“Supposed I got your flag”, the mage with a big hat said. “And I’m holding it and running towards our home base. Anyone from Fairy Tail can tackle me until I’m inside the base?”

“That is right.”

“And if you do it, is the flag left where I dropped it or are you allowed to bring it back to your home base?”

“Of course they have to take it back, Rufus. It’s more fun that way”, Sting said.

“And what is the time limit?”

“Until the sunset”, Ever suggested. “Or until other team wins.”

”I like that”, Shing smirked. ”This is going to be awesome.”

With that, both teams headed out from the Domus Flau and towards the large forest outside the city. Felix was not sure if he was excited or worried how things might go. And how was he supposed to work with Chester? Chester didn’t seem to mind, just looking at others when they talked with each other. But he did mind! There was no way they could work as a team!

But it seemed like he didn’t have much of a choice if he didn’t want those other mages to win. He would do his best so Fairy Tail would win.

Chapter Text

The forest at the southwest from Crocus was big and bushy but it was still easy to walk around since there weren’t that much brushwood. After they all had walked around a bit, Freed drew the lines with his sword and magic, hoisting up the dark purple walls.

After that it was agreed that they should eat lunch before starting so they sat down at the area that was agreed to stay as a neutral place. They would meet up there next time together at dinner time and after that when the sun was set. Or when the other team had won.

“There you go”, Freed smiled giving wooden bowls full of food for Felix and Chester. They had bought the ingredients they needed on their way to this forest.

“It smells good”, Chester said surprised.

“Of course, it’s our Freed who made it”, Ever smirked taking her own portion from the kettle that was above the fireplace.

“With Yukino’s help”, Freed chuckled and Yukino smiled.

“You guys sure eat good if Freed makes all your food every time”, Sting said while munching his portion. “What is this food?”

“It’s Granny’s famous hunter’s stew”, Bickslow grinned. “Am I right, baby?”

“Yes. I think I’m getting better at doing it, but I have still long way to go”, Freed said giving bowls for Minerva and Orga, while Yukino served Laxus and Bickslow.

“You can make it even better than what it already is?” Orga chuckled tasting the stew.

“You should try the stew Granny makes”, Bickslow smirked at him. “Now that’s delicious! But this is amazing as well, Freed.”

“Thank you, Bicks”, Freed said and he sat down with Yukino once everyone had their bowl.

“It really is delicious”, Rufus smiled.

“You could learn something from Freed, Rufus”, Sting said pointing at the memory mage with his spoon. “You’re horrible at cooking.”

“I wouldn’t say I’m horrible”, Rufus defended himself.

“I would, you’re horrible”, Minerva stated bluntly. “Accept it finally.”

“I can make something”, the red masked mage said with a hint of hurt in his voice.

“No you can’t”, Orga snorted. “You can make tea, that’s it. Last time you had to make our food when we were on a mission, we all got sick.”

“I still get sick if I even imagine that food again”, Minerva tisked.

“Can we talk about something else than my apparently poor cooking skills?” Rufus muttered.

“Nah, this is fun”, Laxus snickered giving his bowl back to Freed so he would fill it again.

Felix was eating his own food and he looked around, listening what adults were talking. It was funny how it sounded like they were insulting each other yet still they were laughing and no one was offended. He wondered if Chester was like that too... Did he get hurt even though Chester didn’t mean to insult him?

He looked at the dark blue haired boy who was following what adults were talking as well. Felix couldn’t help it, he still felt anger when he remembered what Chester said. No one should talk something like that even if it was a joke! It was a cruel joke!

He huffed and looked away when Chester looked at him and that made the older boy confused. Why would Freed put him work together with that idiot?! He could have managed to work by himself, definitely!

After the food was gone they cleaned the dishes and stepped inside the runes.

“All the rules are written in runes”, he announced. “We have our home bases and all the players are free to roam and tackle the members of the enemy team. If you can make them remain at ground for ten seconds, they will be trapped in runes and they can’t get out for ten minutes.”

“Sounds good”, Sting grinned excitedly.

“We choose our flags and they will be placed in our home bases. Then we try to snatch the enemy’s flag and carry it to our own home base. If the flag is dropped, it is allowed to carry back to its place. No magic is allowed inside these runes. If you use magic, you will be trapped inside the runes for ten minutes as a punishment. No weapons are allowed either nor magical tools”, he said and he took off his sword.

Another box made out of runes appeared and he placed his sword inside it. Others followed his example and whatever they had that had magic in it, they put them in the box that was then sealed.

“Does everyone agree with these rules?” Freed asked crossing his arms and they nodded. “Good. I would like to add something small.”

“But not a rule?” Bickslow asked confused.

“It is more like a warning”, Freed said and his turquoise eyes flashed with cold mercilesness when he looked at the members of Sabertooth. “You hurt my little boy and I will rip your intestines out and hang them on the branches for birds to eat”, he announced without even a hint of hesitation, making others sweat.

“Warning has been noted”, Minerva chuckled amused.

“Of course we know we can’t attack Felix and Chester with full power”, Rogue smiled understandingly.

“Don’t take us lightly”, Chester said annoyed. “We can handle this game just as well as you adults.”

“Doubt that”, Roscoe said. “You just don’t know what all these guys can do.”

“Can we start already?” Sting asked impatiently.

“We still need to choose our flags”, Yukino reminded.

“Fine! This is ours!” Sting said snatching Rufus’ hat.

“That is my finest hat!” the memory mage shouted.

“They all look the same!”

“Okay”, Laxus said and he looked around. He grabbed the visor Bickslow had on his face and took it off, the seith mage doing nothing to stop him. “This will be ours then. Bickslow can’t use his eye magic so it’s okay.”

“The flags are now chosen”, Freed nodded. “Does anyone have any questions?”

“What will happen to the team that loses?” Orga asked curiously.

“I’m sure we can come up with something”, Freed chuckled. “Anything else?”

“If something happens and we have to cancel or pause the game, what would be the sign for that?” Rogue asked.

“I already thought about that. If there is such a situation, say “Danger alert” two times out loud and it will nullify all the effects in this trap and warn all of us that something is happening. It won’t make the runes disappear, but we can move and use our magic again how we want and the trap won’t stop us.”

“There is still one more thing”, Rufus said. “We have to run or sneak around, but how can we do that when dragon slayers can smell us from far away and hear where we walk?”

“That is a good question”, Freed said with a frown.

“Way to go, Rufus, we had an upper hand since we have two dragon slayers and they have only one”, Sting grunted and Rufus chuckled.

“We want it to be fair, don’t we?” he asked and the young Master of Sabertooth sighed.

“I know, you’re right”, he said, but he was still disappointed.

“I can add in a rule that all the dragon slayers will hear just the same as an average person would”, Freed said. “And what comes to the sense of smell, I will make all of ours smell disappear.”

“Hey”, Laxus said looking at his mate sharply. “I don’t like that idea at all.”

“It cannot be helped. It’s easier to affect one’s hearing by making it lower, than their sense of smell.”

“We can deal with that”, Sting grinned. “If of course Laxus isn’t too scared of it?” he snickered making the lightning dragon slayer jolt. ”Don’t geel confident anymore to walk around without depending on your nose all the time?”

“The fuck did you just say?” Laxus snarled annoyed and sparks immediately emitted from his hair.

The air around him flashed red and then there were cylinder made out of runes surrounding him, muffling all the sounds from inside and Laxus had a pretty confused and dumbfounded expression on his face.

“Seems like we are going to have some problems from the very start”, Freed sighed, as he knew how bad tempered Laxus could still be if you pulled the right ropes. And lightning wasn’t exactly the easiest magic you could control since it got lots of its power from the user’s feelings.

Felix looked at the runes worried and he grabbed Ever’s hand.

“Will dad get out?” he whispered to her.

“Yes, in ten minutes”, she smiled. “We will wait until then. Freed”, she said looking at the rune mage who turned towards them. “What if Felix and Chester get tired at the middle of the game?”

“We won’t!” both boys yelled furiously.

“If you happen to get tired, you just say so”, Freed smiled to Felix and Chester. “We will listen and you can wait until you feel like you can play again.”

“We won’t get tired!” Chester assured.

“We want to catch that stupid hat so Fairy Tail will win!” Felix announced. Then he thought a second for something. “But what if someone gets hurt?” he asked now worried again.

“We promise we won’t get too carried away”, Yukino smiled. “No one will get hurt.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that”, Bickslow whispered to Ever who giggled.

“And no ganging up”, Freed said looking at them all. “Felix and Chester are the only ones who are allowed to do that. That is the last rule. You can’t tackle the enemy one after another by working together as a group against one person.”

“Okay, okay, that’s cool so let’s start already!” Sting yelled excitedly.

Since there was no more questions, they all parted their ways towards their home bases to place their flags down.

Chapter Text

Freed walked around without hurry and did his best not to let out any noise from his steps. They didn’t know where Sabertooth’s home base was, just like they didn’t know where Fairy Tail’s home base was. They just had to walk around and wish they could find Rufus’ hat before they could find Bickslow’s visor.

Sudden snap caused by a dry stick made him stop and he frowned. He didn’t see anyone, but obviously there was someone nearby. If he wasn’t mistaken, the noise came from pretty close by and he took a little bit distance from bushes.

If it was Orga, he might be in serious trouble. Since they couldn’t use any magic, he was pretty sure he had a chance against others but Orga was definitely the biggest threat right now. But was Orga able to move that silently? Quickly Freed shook his head. He should not make the mistake and underestimate his opponents, especially in these kinds of situations when they might encounter skills they wouldn’t normally see them use.

“I was hoping it was you”, he suddenly heard a voice almost right behind him.

Freed spun around and hopped further, locking his eyes towards Rogue.

“I should have known you know how to move silently as a shadow even without magic”, he chuckled, taking better footing from the ground and ready to either block or attack, whatever it was Rogue would do.

The raven haired mage smiled with his own small smile and stepped out properly from behind the tree.

“Well, I guess I was just lucky”, he said humbly. “I did not really trust that I could surprise you.”

It wasn’t like they really even knew each other very well, but somehow they always enjoyed each other’s company when they had a chance to talk. They were both calm and tactical by nature, and they enjoyed more watching what others did than wanting to join in the occassion.

Freed frowned slightly when Rogue didn’t seem to plan attacking, instead he looked around, maybe to make sure there was no others.

“I don’t break my own rules”, Freed said. “I walk alone while searching your flag and if I encounter someone, I will take them down by myself.”

“I know”, Rogue nodded. “I didn’t mean to doubt that. Truth is, I was really hoping I could encounter you.”

“Is that so?”

“Actually, I wanted to talk with you”, Rogue explained and Freed let himself relax a little bit. “I know we’re in the middle of a game, but it is really hard to find an opportunity to talk with you without making others suspicious.”

“I get your point”, the rune mage nodded. Laxus would definitely get suspicious and most likely jealous if he said he would meet up with Rogue alone. And he had a hunch that Sting wasn’t that much different. “I understand. This must be really important for you.”

“You’re the only one who I can talk with about it”, Rogue said and Freed nodded.

He lifted his finger and runes formed in the air around them. As the master of this huge trap, naturally he could use his magic even if it was forbidde n by rules. He had the power to do what he wanted with his runes and he could change the rules if he so desired. Not that he would do it just like that and he did not want to break rules, but this was definitely a situation when he simply had to bend his usual traits to help someone.

Runes formed another box, trapping Freed and Rogue inside it.

“Until I drop this trap, no one is allowed to step out or in”, Freed stated. “And no voices will be heard from inside this trap.”

“Thank you, Freed”, Rogue smiled and he sat on the ground, Freed following his example.

“So, what is bothering you?” the rune mage asked curiously, but also a little bit worried. There was not many topics where only he could help the shadow dragon slayer.

Rogue sighed and even though he always looked kinda sorrowful, now it was clear from his face and Freed knew he had done right when he broke his rules.

“I have been thinking lately, about... The mating season and such”, he said. “Especially since Sting has suddenly started to talk about family and stuff.”

“Are you afraid that it might be just a whim?” Freed asked. “If it’s so sudden, that is a possibility.”

“I know. But... No”, Rogue murmured and he plucked some grass from the ground. “I don’t think it’s just a random whim, though I know he can be such an airhead sometimes”, he chuckled. That was one of the things he actually liked about Sting. He was so carefree but knew how to get serious if it was necessary. “But it is sudden. Still, no matter what our situation is what it is and starting a family is not possible right now.”

“Sometimes it can be really frustrating when two men can’t have a family together”, Freed said.

“You and Laxus did it”, Rogue smiled.

“Yes, but it was caused by dragon slayer magic. It wouldn’t have happened without it.”

“That is what I want to talk about with you”, Rogue said. “Is it really true that the mating season will happen again? In five years?”

Freed stayed silent for a moment, thinking how to answer.

“Actually, we can’t be certain of that”, he finally answered and Rogue’s eyes widened slightly. “I’m sorry. But we have encountered only one mating season right now. We don’t have any real facts about when there will be another. And what if there won’t be another? What if every dragon slayer only experience one mating season during their lifetime?” he said. He had been thinking about it a lot.

“Then... That would mean we have missed our chance”, Rogue muttered, slightly shaken because of that thought.

“That is just one of many possibilities, we don’t have any real facts yet. Dragon slayers get their magic from dragons, even Laxus who has his powers because of lacrima. It won’t change the truth that he is a dragon slayer, he just didn’t have a dragon to teach him. Dragons are mystical creatures and their lifespans are multiple times longer than humans. They have no need to have a mating season that often.”

“If I had known something like this would happen, I would have asked these things from Skiadrum when I still had a chance...” Rogue sighed.

“You were young”, Freed smiled. “Kids are not supposed to know these kinds of things.”

“You’re right. If only there were still dragons, we could have some information... But they won’t return, so we just have to do our best.”

“Yes. But don’t worry, I’m pretty sure there will be another mating season”, Freed smiled encouragingly. “Since if it were more personal and appear when the dragon slayer is ready to find their mate, they wouldn’t have all gone crazy like that at the same time.”

“That is true. So at least we know that much.”

“There is also something I’ve been thinking about”, Freed said and he frowned. “Will the mating season really happen when the certain amount of time has passed, or is there something that triggers it to start?”

“What?” Rogue asked confused.

“What if it won’t happen every ten years, but it happens every time when it’s the most suitable time for it?” Freed explained. “It might take only years for it to happen next time, or it might take even decades.”

“And what would be the thing that makes it happen then?”

“That I don’t know. It must be something really powerful to make happen something that affects so many in the same time. It can’t be something like there happens to be few mates who are ready to carry offspring.”

For what they knew, only him an Levy ended up getting pregnant in last mating season and if someone had asked from him if he was ready for it, the answer would have been a definite no. If he had known better what would happen, he probably would have kept his pants on until the season was over.

But even if it was a hard thing to go through, he was absolutely happy it happened. Felix was their treasure, a real life proof of how strong their feelings were with Laxus and those feelings only got stronger after having their son.

“If the mating season happens because something triggers it to start, I wonder if we can make it happen once we find out what that thing is what we need”, Rogue wondered and Freed felt shivers.

“Guess that is possible”, he sighed. He was not that thrilled about the next mating season to happen... Would he really be able to keep Laxus away the whole time? Would he get even aggressive if he would try to reject him until the season was over?

Freed frowned slightly. Would Laxus even try and force him if he got frustrated enough? No matter what, Laxus had not mastered those dragon instincts and couldn’t fight against them when they got strong enough. Freed knew his fiancé would never do something like that by his own choice. But if the dragon instincts would take him over...

“Freed?”

The rune mage snapped out of his thoughts and he looked towards Rogue.

“Yes?” he asked.

“You suddenly went silent and like you were thinking something that made you worry”, Rogue said. “Is something wrong?”

“Ah, no, not really”, Freed assured with a smile. “Well... Guess I’m a little bit worried about the mating season when it will happen again. Not that when or if it will happen, but actually exactly opposite...”

“Oh”, Rogue said and he realised what Freed meant. “Since last time you ended up getting pregnant, even though you’re a man. It must have been quite a shock since no one could tell that could even happen.”

“It was a shock”, Freed agreed. “And it was really difficult. I’m not sure if I’m ready to do it again.”

“I understand... The next mating season might bring a chance for me and Sting, but for you it’s going to be hard. Are you going to stay away from Laxus?”

“Who knows if I can even do that”, Freed sighed crossing his arms. “He might follow me no matter where I would go. If I try to trap him, it just hurts me deeply to see him like that, even if it would be for the best. And can Laxus keep his instincts tamed until the season is over, or will he get aggressive the more days go by and finally end up not being able to fight against those instincts?”

“I see why you’re worried”, Rogue frowned. “That would be a horrible thing to happen.”

“Laxus would never recover from it”, Freed said with a tiny sad smile. “He would never look at me straight in the eyes again, or maybe even come close to me... Truth is, something like that almost happened before”, he said and Rogue flinched.

“It did?” he asked.

“Yes. When the mating season had started. I was on a mission with Bickslow and Evergreen and when we returned, you can imagine I was stunned to learn what was going on. Anyway, first Laxus wasn’t that bad but then there was a little incident and he got madly jealous. He says he can’t even remember what happened, but he lost all of his reasoning and his dragon side took over. It was really close, but thankfully he was able to finally come back to his senses. After he realised what he almost did... He took off immediately.”

Freed huffed remembering how he had to look around a whole day and night before he found the lightning dragon slayer. From an island made out of nightmares.

“But we managed to get over it”, he smiled looking at Rogue. “After all, nothing actually happened. Sure it was one of the scariest moments that has ever happened in my life but we were lucky this time. But if he got like that... What kind he would be if I try to reject him the whole season?”

“You’re in a really difficult position, Freed”, Rogue said. “Maybe you should talk about this with Laxus?”

“You’re right. I don’t know if it will help, but it can’t make things worse either”, Freed chuckled. “I’m sure that everything will go well, no matter what. And I’m happy to hear that you and Sting are looking forward for the next season to start.”

“I’m a little bit nervous”, Rogue confessed. “That is one of the things I also wanted to talk with you. You are the only man I know who has been pregnant and I was wondering if you would like to tell me what to expect.”

“Every pregnancy is different, but generally there will be lots of nausea, back pain, mood swings and feeling like you’re the size of a house”, Freed chuckled and Rogue laughed. “And when you start to think you can’t simply grow any bigger anymore, that is exactly what is going to happen. I also needed lots of sleep, I felt like I was tired all the time.”

“I see”, Rogue said. It was better to ask whatever he could from Freed so he knew how to prepare. Although, he was pretty sure he would never be prepared well enough, but that didn’t stop him from doing his best.

“And whatever happens, make sure Sting won’t go away for long times”, Freed said. “When I learned about my pregnancy, Laxus had just left for a mission for two months. At the end of it, it was horrible. I don’t know exactly how to explain it, but I just didn’t want to leave the house, I wasn’t interested about others and even eating was difficult. Guess I got seriously depressed.”

“I will keep that in mind”, Rogue nodded. “I’m glad that everything went well after all.”

“Well, I almost gave him a heart attack but yes, everything went fine”, Freed smiled.

Sting looked around and he sighed finally. Damn. He wouldn’t have guessed that not being able to smell others would be this bothersome. He didn’t even know where his team members were right now!

“Ahh, this is so frustrating!” he snarled hitting the nearby dead pine tree, making it blast into millions of little pieces. Getting angry wasn’t of course helpful, but he could think better after letting out some steam from his head.

Sting patted his clothes to get rid of the splinters and he decided to continue just walking around. He was sure he would eventually crash up with someone -

“Cannonball, baby!” he suddenly heard a loud yell right above him and looked up. That was when suddenly everything went black.

Bickslow grinned as he was sitting on Sting, few leaves still falling from the tree from where he just dropped down. He wiped some bark and other trash from his clothes.

“Did I knock you out?” he chuckled looking at the younger male. “Seems so... What? Are you implying that I’m too heavy?” he asked. “Tsk... How rude”, he huffed and got up.

Only few seconds later purple runes formed a trap that isolated Sting from the other players .

“Guess I got lucky”, Bickslow snickered and he stretched out. “But man, did I have to wait long in that tree! I probably should go and try to find that hat now then. Bye bye, baby!” he cackled and left Sting to wake up and notice he had been trapped for a while.

Chapter Text

Rufus was walking near the cliffs and he was being really careful. If he was completely honest, he really didn’t like these kinds of games. Not when he couldn’t use his magic to create even mirages or similar.

But he wouldn’t let that discourage him. He would never give up just because he couldn’t use magic, he was far too proud for that. He was after all stronger than he looked and quite skilled with martial arts. And he was absolutely confident he had a chance against every person from their opponents.

All except one person. He could only hope that he wouldn’t happen to encounter Laxus who clearly was still holding a grudge against him. He had even given up seducing Freed right away, but it seemed like the lightning dragon slayer was someone who would not forget some things that easily...

“Attack!” he suddenly heard a shout and it surprised him as he had been so deep in his thoughts despite trying to be careful.

Chester dashed out from the bush and he aimed his elbow right towards Rufus’ stomach, making the memory mage groan. Chester smirked as he managed to make Rufus crash down on the ground on his back.

“Pull his hair!” he said to Felix who grabbed the long blond hair. Rufus let out a shout as the smaller boy pulled his golden strands while Chester was stubbornly trying to hold his arms not letting him get up.

But it was true that the memory mage was actually a lot stronger than he looked. After he snapped out of the sudden shock of the sneak attack, Chester was shoved – of course not too roughly – aside on the ground. Felix yelped with surprise as he got pulled up still holding the blond hair, when Rufus got up straightening his red mask.

“Not bad”, he chuckled patting his clothes. “But you two really do make me angry.”

“Run!” Chester yelled and Felix quickly let go, running after Chester. Rufus chuckled and he followed after them, just slowly enough so they could keep running in an illusion that he wasn’t able to catch them.

Felix and Chester both kept running as fast as they could, jumping over the fallen tree trunks and rocks. Their journey was cut short, though. They had been running only a short while when suddenly there was a tall cliff in front of them and just like that they were both trapped without a way to escape.

Quickly they turned around, but Rufus was already there. The mage who had lost his hat because of the Master of Sabertooth looked around and noticed the situation. If he had realised this sooner, he could have pretended he didn’t notice where Felix and Chester ran off and could have just gone find someone else.

But this was a game and it wasn’t like he had to hurt those two.

“It seems like you boys just have to stay put for a while and wait until you can get free from the runes again”, he chuckled stepping closer.

But then he stopped. Felix and Chester both got confused when the long haired mage suddenly looked like he froze completely, face pale like a sheet and he was looking up. They lifted their eyes as well to see what there was.

Pair of burning orange eyes were locked towards the memory mage as the big lightning dragon slayer sat on his heels on the top of the cliff.

“Did I just got lucky or what?” Laxus said and a wide smirk revealed his sharp canine teeth. “This just got ten times more interesting.”

Rufus - as he was a wise man – did not waste time but spun around on his heels and escaped the situation immediately. He knew when there was no chance for him to win.

“You’re not gonna get away, douchebag!” Laxus roared and he bounced swiftly down from the cliff, running after his escaping prey.

Felix and Chester stayed still for a moment until it was getting silent again.

“So he can run faster”, Chester finally muttered.

“I’m sure dad will catch him”, Felix smiled.

“He doesn’t seem to like that man.”

“He was growling before, when we were in Domus Flau together.”

“He was?”

“Yeah! Didn’t you hear it? He must be really mad at him for some reason”, Felix said.

“Too bad for that guy then”, Chester said. “We should continue now, let’s go that way”, he said and he started to walk towards the forest.

“What? Why? Who said you can decide where we go?” Felix asked annoyed.

“If you don’t want to, you can stay here”, Chester said, not even turning around or stopping. Felix gritted his teeth irritated and stomped after the slightly taller boy. Why was he acting so bossy anyway? It wasn’t like Freed or Laxus or anyone other said that Chester was the leader or something. Was he acting like that just because he was older? Or because he knew magic?

Whatever was the reason, Felix decided he still did not like Chester at all.

“Just so you know, I’m not following you because I want to”, Felix stated.

“I see”, Chester said.

“Or because I have to! I’m sure I could take care of myself! When I’m gonna be a mage, I will be the strongest mage ever who needs no team!”

“Hmm...”

“But it does seem fun to have a team...” Felix murmured thinking about it. “Mama and dad are always having fun with Bicks and Ever.”

“Mm...”

“Are you listening? You are so rude”, Felix scolded with a frown but he bumped against Chester’s back, looking at him annoyed. “Why did you stop?” he snarled.

“I think I heard something”, Chester explained, looking around.

“Did you really if you weren’t even listening to me?” Felix muttered. “You’re just -”

Suddenly a hand grabbed his collar and he was pulled down, the bush rustling as they hid to sit behind it.

“Why are you -!” Felix asked but a hand covered his mouth.

“Just be quiet already!” Chester whispered sharply and Felix noticed how serius he was and his heart started racing hard. Staying silent and hiding, it was both exciting and also scary. It was like they were just little preys, fearing that there was a hungry beast at the area.

When Felix finally calmed a little bit he was able to start listening carefully. Steps... They were heavy steps. But they weren’t coming closer hurriedly. He looked at the direction and Chester did the same after noticing the movement.

They waited. Felix swallowed and this was so intense his hands started to shake. Those steps were clearly closer now. Finally they were able to see a figure and they both flinched when they noticed the big wild mane.

Orga.

“We... We probably shouldn’t...?” Felix whispered as quietly as he could, looking at Chester who was actually looking just as nervous and scared as he was.

“Uh... Yeah...” he nodded. There was no way they could even dream about being able to make Orga fall down and keep him down for ten seconds. “Um... Let’s just sneak away really quickly?”

“Okay”, Felix agreed.

Orga noticed how the bush nearby was rustling. Right after that he managed to see a glimpse of dark blue and blond hair. Seemed like Chester and Felix decided to leave him alone and just get away quickly.

He chuckled and went after the little duo. He would not catch them, but keep and eye on them. Who knows, they might even lead him to their home base where the flag was.

Roscoe moved away some bushes and his steps were almost silent as he made his way through the forest. He was careful not to disturb any critters and he even smiled when he saw a bunch of weird little creatures that looked like rabbits, but they had a lot longer tails, bigger and longer backlegs and they hopped around, munching some grass and flowers. Not wanting to scare them, he decided to take another way.

After walking around a while Roscoe ended up near a stream with a tiny waterfall. The water was so clear he could see the bottom and how there were fish swimming around. This would definitely be an ideal place where to camp.

His red eyes glanced around the area more and he noticed something at the other side of the stream. On the tiny cliff, only partly covered with leafs and stuff, pink feathers were sticking out and he couldn’t help but grin a little bit. He had found the flag.

Quickly the guard from Naava Town hopped over the stream and hurried towards the cliff. Now he only needed to grab that hat and hurry back to their home base so they could finally end this pointless game.

Roscoe was just about to get to the cliff, when he got alerted by a tiny sound caused by moving rocks. Swiftly he turned around, just to get kicked right on his chest good and hard, forcing all the air out from his lungs. With seemingly no effort at all his opponent spun around and the next kick sent him flying right in the icy cold stream.

Roscoe coughed and gasped air as he got his head above the surface, grabbing a hold of the nearest stone. The stream was a lot deeper than it seemed.

“Caught your breath finally?” he heard a chuckle and he looked at Minerva who had completely surprised him. “Oh my, how annoyed look that is you have there”, she giggled, standing on one of the stones alongside the stream.

“What an annoying attitude you have there”, Roscoe huffed, moving to climb up from the water and he sneered in pain. Those kicks really hurt!

“Be careful, I did make sure I wouldn’t break your bones but you know, these legs have a lot more than just beauty in them”, Minerva smiled, brushing her thigh with her fingers as she was wearing a skirt with both sides open so there was a lot to see. There was also a lot to see in his upper body, since she had only a tiny top and a blue scarf that she had behind her neck and around her arms.

Roscoe grunted finally getting up, dripping water and he looked at his opponent.

“You’ll catch a cold if you dress up like that”, he said.

“Aren’t you such a gentleman, sweetheart.”

“You look like a tramp.”

“And straightforward too. I think I want to kick you around some more because of that insult”, Minerva said amused.

This was the first time when the two of them actually ever spoke to each other, though they had seen each other in gatherings and such between their guilds. Was this man really Bickslow’s brother? The seith mage was such a goofy and always so happy and positive, but this man was dead serious and like he didn’t even know how to smile! Talk about polar opposites.

Roscoe huffed and he squeezed some water out of the hem of his black shirt. Shit, that water was seriously cold.

“I really don’t want to start a fight with you, it would be bothersome”, he said.

“Hm? The kind of a man who don’t want to hit a lady?” Minerva smirked.

“If you give me a reason, I’ll punch that pretty face so hard your nose will grow out from your neck for the next three months, but I just don’t care about fighting if I can avoid it.”

“How surprising... So there are people like you in Fairy Tail after all.”

“Hey, don’t go badmouthing our guild”, Roscoe growled.

“I’m not, I can honestly say that your guild has left an impact on me that will never fade and I do respect Fairy Tail deeply”, Minerva assured with a smile. “But I know it very well that most of the members in Fairy Tail are rather... Destructive.”

“Can’t really argue with that, can I?” Roscoe muttered.

“You can’t. Now you surely know that I’m not going to just stand here and watch how you take away our Rufus’ dear hat?” Minerva smiled crossing her arms. “So it’s either you get more serious with this situation or just stand there and look like a fool in your wet clothes. You might think this game is stupid, but you should understand that when Sabertooth and Fairy Tail compete against each other, it will be dead serious and we will give our very best to win”, she chuckled narrowing her eyes. “Is it Grand Magic Games or just a children’s game, that doesn’t matter and we all know this fact.”

“I’m really not feeling comfortable just -” Roscoe started but suddenly Minerva bolted right towards him.

He had hardly time to block another fiercely strong kick that was followed by another, making him hiss in pain when his side got a good beating. He had been healed well after that incident in Naava Town, but his muscles were still sore because of it.

“You really act stupidly, not even trying to fight back”, Minerva scolded, aiming another kick towards Roscoe and trying to get off that visor he was wearing to cover the lower half of his face. “But you can block hits quite well, so it tells me you are not that bad at fighting.”

“Just because snow looks pure, doesn’t mean there’s no danger”, Roscoe snarled annoyed.

“What a funny thing to say. Are you saying you’re such a pure soul?” Minerva giggled, not stopping with her attacks even for a second and slowly forcing Roscoe to move further from their flag.

“Pure doesn’t always mean innocent or good either. I’m not calling myself pure, not even close to it.”

“That’s a surprise. Even though you’re so persistent not to even raise a finger against a woman!”

“I told you that is not the reason why I won’t fight!”

“Are you just scared that you would still end up losing if you did fight back?”

“Why would I be scared of something like that? No one knows how the fight might turn out before it’s fought!”

“Have you fought with Bickslow?” Minerva smirked. “I wonder which one of you two might be stronger?”

“Comparing strenght is pointless when fighting is more about skills how you can take the advantage of the moment!”

“Or maybe you prefer him to save your petty little ass if there’s some trouble? Aren’t you such a -”

“You’re so fucking annoying!” Roscoe roared when his patience finally snapped and with a loud crash Minerva was punched against the ground.

He huffed and tried to calm himself but he had a big vein throbbing on his neck.

“I don’t need Bickslow to save my ass! But if I’m in a situation where I can’t help myself, I’m thankful he can help me because ending up dead is not better than getting help even if it might hurt your pride!” he snarled still irritated.

Minerva sat up and she chuckled, looking at those angry red eyes.

“Finally I found the right switch”, she said with a smirk. “You’re the kind of a man who has many levels of seriousness. I found the right one and finally you’re ready to actually make this a good battle”, she said and hopped up, brushing her bruised cheek like it was nothing. “I’m looking forward to see what you can really do, sweetheart”, she giggled.

“I hate this game...” Roscoe grunted but he was already angry enough so guess it was pointless to try and calm down.

Chapter Text

Ever felt how her eyes were burning because of dryness, but she refused to give up. She had no idea how things turned out like this, but basically they had ended up having a staring contest with Yukino. The light blue haired mage’s eyes were twitching and red, but she was just as stubborn about this as the brunette.

“Do you have any idea what we are doing?” Yukino finally asked after a while of silence.

“I only know that I won’t lose”, Ever said. If only she could have used her eye magic, she could have turned Yukino into a stone statue ages ago!

“Shouldn’t we be fighting?”

“Who says we have to fight with just pure power? The one who blinks first is a loser and has to give up!”

“I don’t really have anything against that”, Yukino chuckled.

Suddenly rune walls hoisted up around them and trapped them inside. They had to break the eye contact with each other and they looked at their right side where a text appeared on the wall:

“Participants:

Evergreen

Yukino Agria

Competition:

Staring contest

You have 60 seconds to get ready after this trap has appeared.

Rules:

The one to blink first, loses.

Only winner is allowed to leave this trap,

while the other one has to wait for 10 minutes.”

Ever chuckled.

“Should have known Freed would predict something like this might happen”, she said.

“How did he knew we would have a staring contest?” Yukino asked amazed. She had heard Freed was a really smart man but would anyone really be able to predict something like this?

“He didn’t, he has just made rules that there is possible to have mini games inside this big trap if people against each other decide to compete different ways than just fighting”, Ever explained. “Once he used a trap like this in a similar kind of situation and he has obviously noticed this is a good add in this trap.”

“Well, at least now we will definitely know who wins”, Yukino smiled, looking back at Ever.

“You’re right, I’m going to enjoy seeing how you will be left inside this trap”, the brunette giggled.

“Don’t be too sure yet, Ever!” Yukino smiled. “I have no intentions to lose either!”

Runes flashed green as the sign of the game to start and they started to stare again. First ten seconds were fine, but suddenly Ever felt how slight breeze suddenly hit her eyes and then she felt pain.

“Ow, ow, ow!” she hissed taking off her glasses and wiped her eyes. In the same second runes flashed red and the trap was cut in half and the side where Yukino was standing disappeared. “What! This is unfair! I got something in my eye!” Ever shouted furiously when she noticed the situation.

Yukino didn’t hear a thing what Ever was saying inside the trap but she could see she was furious. She could guess that this happened because Ever got something in her eye.

“Um... Seems like Freed’s rules don’t consider getting something in your eye as an exception for us to blink”, Yukino said, even though she knew Ever couldn’t hear her. And even though she was happy for her victory, she could see why the brunette was frustrated. It wasn’t really fair.

“I’m going to kick Freed’s ass when I see him next time”, Ever growled angrily, looking how Yukino left.

Rufus was still running and why wouldn’t he, when there was a revengeful dragon slayer just behind him. He was really lucky when he noticed that even though Laxus seemed to be faster runner than he was, the bigger man was not that agile to move around when the ground was rough to walk. So he used that as his advantage and did his best to keep them in an area where there were lots of rocks, tree trunks, bushes and other things to slow Laxus down.

Rufus jumped over some rocks, a little stream and he climbed up a small cliff faster than he had ever dreamed he would be able to climb, running right through some bushes and he didn’t even care if his clothes might get slightly ripped. If he would get caught, Laxus would rip his limbs off after all so tearing his clothes a little bit wasn’t that big of a deal.

He slightly smirked when he heard how Laxus was already falling down behind him, hearing him cussing and shouting something from under the cliff. But his luck wasn’t long lasting when suddenly the ground disappeared from under his foot and in the next second he was already rolling down the hill.

When the finally stopped, he carefully rolled over and got on his knees panting heavily. It felt like nothing was broken, that was good. He had to start moving immediately or Laxus would find him, definitely he heard all the rustles and noises from him falling down and he might appear here at any second.

Finally the memory mage managed to stumble on his feet, wiping some dirt from his face and he looked around. His eyes widened when he could hardly believe what he was seeing.

There was a little opening between big trees and bushes, with rocks covered by moss. And there, between the biggest rocks was Bickslow’s visor shining in the sun. Just waiting for someone to pick it up. He had accidentally managed to find the flag!

Rufus glanced towards the top of the hill but he didn’t see Laxus, though he did hear him moving somewhere there. It would be stupid not to use this moment. He had to run away from Laxus anyway, probably during the whole game so why not do that while holding the flag they had to bring to their home base?

Rufus smirked and he grabbed the visor – that was actually surprisingly heavy – and he looked around to find out where was north, starting to run again towards the right compass point after finding it. Who knows, he might actually be able to do this!

Freed stood up in the trap he had created so they could talk and Rogue did the same.

“I hope I managed to help you at least a little bit, even though what I know is not much”, the rune mage said and Rogue smiled.

“You did, it’s easier when you can talk with someone about these things than just ponder them all by yourself”, he said with a nod.

“That is true. I can also ask these things from Porlyusica if you want, but I don’t think she knows more than what we know right now. We can only wait and see what might happen next.”

“I understand”, Rogue said. “Sting already told Rufus to go through some books but I don’t believe he will find any information. So our conversation is now over”, he said when Freed let the trap around them fall. “So now we are again enemies in this game.”

“Should we walk away on our different paths, or see which one of us is allowed to leave first?” Freed asked.

“Since we are already here, why not see how things will go?”

“I agree.”

For a moment they stared at each other and in a same second they both bolted towards each other. They both were swift, strong and calculating. They had the ability to predict what might be the next move their opponent probably would use and they both were equally defensive as well as aggressive.

Freed smirked looking at Rogue.

“I will slip out a little secret for you”, he said and blocked another hit. “Ever since I couldn’t control my magic while being pregnant, I decided I would make sure I would never be too vulnerable even if I couldn’t use my magic again one reason or another.”

“Interesting”, Rogue smiled and he dodged a kick.

“So don’t let me catch you”, Freed smirked. “Because if you do, you should know that if fighting with pure power”, he said and managed to catch Rogue’s collar, using the shadow dragon slayer’s own body weight when he was trying to attack him and pulled him over his shoulder. “I can take down even Laxus!” Freed stated and his fist hit with blasting power on Rogue’s chest, crashing him brutally against the ground and causing the nearby trees to shake.

Some leaves fell softly down on the grass around them and Freed straightened his ascot scarf around his neck, looking at Rogue who was lying on the ground, panting heavily and gasping for air.

“Don’t try to get up”, the rune mage instructed. “You will faint if you try.”

“I think I broke”, Rogue managed to chuckle wearily and coughed. “I can believe when you say that might take down even Laxus.”

“Of course that alone wouldn’t do it, but at least it’s not anymore plain clear which one of us would win if magic is not allowed.”

“I wonder if I can get up even when my prison will disappear.”

“You’ll be fine, I know you’re a lot tougher than that, Rogue”, Freed smiled. “Just take it easy for the next ten minutes”, he said and the rune walls appeared, trapping the shadow dragon slayer inside them.

Chapter Text

Laxus smirked as he saw a glimpse of blond long hair.

“Found you!” he roared running after the memory mage who yelped and dashed out from his hiding place like a fox out of its cave. “You are not as good at hiding in a forest as you think you are!”

“I have always preferred cities over forests!” Rufus shouted and did his very best to run faster.

Since the ground was now easier to walk, Laxus grinned as the distance between him and the memory mage was slowly getting smaller. He could almost grab those long strands if he just reached out his hand!

Rufus jumped over a bush and Laxus was ready to do the same, when suddenly he saw a very clear closeup of rough knuckles. It felt like half of his face was blown away with a single punch that send him flying, crashing him heavily on the ground.

Orga chuckled looking at the lightning dragon slayer who had to take a few seconds before he could sit up.

“You should pick up someone on your own size to harass”, the wild maned mage smirked.

“You fucking furry cap”, Laxus grunted, spitting some blood and he brushed his bruised cheek. His jaw would definitely hurt for a while. Rufus had already disappeared, probably snickering smugly and damn did that piss him off! “Isn’t this ganging up?” Laxus asked and he finally stood up.

“No, there’s just you and me here after all. You just happened to run right against my fist”, Orga said flexing his hand, making his knuckles crackle. “It would be different if we attacked you together with Rufus, but there’s no need for that. I was following those kids when I heard Rufus’ voice and I thought something was up. I was right. Seemed like he was carrying something, no wonder you were in such a hurry to catch him.”

“I don’t have time for a chit chat”, Laxus grunted and it was really taking all of his selfrestraint so he wouldn’t accidentally let out any lightning sparks. He had to try and stay cool. Orga was big but he wasn’t stupid, he would probably try and anger him until he would accidentally use his magic.

“Well, you’re not gonna get after Rufus either.”

“I see... Guess I just have to kick your ass so hard you’ll be glad there will be runes to protect you for ten minutes”, Laxus smirked, surpassing his anger by focusing on a thought that Orga was actually someone to give him some real competition of all in their current opponent team.

“I’d like to see you try”, Orga said amused. This was going to be a good battle and they both knew it.

Rufus kept running and now he was almost positive this would work! He was not that far from their home base after all. Oh how he was going to love it when he could -

“Boo!”

Was it luck or quick reflexes, Rufus wasn’t sure, but somehow he managed to dodge just in time when someone dropped down from the tree. But it did almost make him collapse and he stumbled against a tree, tightening his grip of the visor.

“You’re hopping around like a masked rabbit, baby”, Bickslow grinned as he straightened himself. “Did I scare you?” he cackled looking at Rufus who was panting.

“Anyone would get scared when something like that suddenly drops from the sky”, he taunted with chuckle.

“Not cool, baby. That really hurts my feelings so I’m gonna hurt your head a little bit”, Bickslow said and he was just about to dash towards Rufus, when a tumultuous roar filled their ears following with quick steps and rustles.

“BICKSLOW!” Sting shouted angrily as he suddenly appeared from behind trees like an enraged wildboar.

“Yikes!” Bickslow shouted with total surprise.

“I’m gonna KILL you!” Sting roared running right towards the seith mage.

“Abort the mission!” Bickslow yelled leaving Rufus where he was and instead escaped from the wrath of the Sabertooth’s Master.

“I’m gonna make some corned beef out of you!” Sting threathened while he chased after Bickslow, almost running over Rufus at the progress.

The memory mage huffed looking after two mages who quickly disappeared at the forest and Sting’s loud yelling was getting farther and farther. He had no idea what Bickslow had done to make Sting so angry, but luckily he didn’t need to find that out. He only needed to continue!

Rufus smirked and turned around, almost having a heart attack when there was already someone standing to block his way.

“Oh god!” he hissed grasping his chest.

“No no, not a god”, Freed chuckled. “But as his fiancé I can take a message from you to him.”

“Are you all gathering in the same place on purpose?”

“Only because of a pure coincidence, I can assure. Just like Orga appeared to help you get away from Laxus.”

Felix yawned as he followed Chester and he was starting to get bored. This game was too long, he was hungry and tired. They hadn’t seen anyone in a while and Felix wasn’t even sure where they were anymore. He knew they were still inside the runes, but he had no idea where in there they were.

Chester looked at the younger boy who was dragging his feet.

“Do you want to sit down?” he asked. He was tired too, he had to admit it. All the running around and walking was hard. And moving around here was so much different than in a city.

“Hmm-m...” Felix mumbled and he nodded, rubbing his eyes.

“Okay, let’s go sit over there, they said we can rest if we want”, Chester said and he pointed towards a big apple tree.

Felix nodded again so they went over to the tree and sat down on the grass. There were just enough shadow for them so it wasn’t too hot.

“I’m hungry”, Felix sighed leaning against the old tree.

“Me too”, Chester said as he sat down and leaned against a rock. “That food earlier was really good. It was my first time eating a camp food or whatever it’s called.”

“Really?” Felix asked surprised.

“This is my first time being in a forest like this.”

“I have been camping many times with mama and dad. And sometimes with Bicks and Ever”, Felix smiled. “It’s so much fun. We can go fishing and pick berries and stuff, and sometimes we can go swimming if there’s a lake or a river near.”

“Isn’t it dangerous to swim in a place you don’t know?” Chester asked. For him all this was so new and maybe even little bit scary, though he didn’t want to admit it. It was so quiet all the time. It made him nervous.

“Yeah, I’m not allowed to go swimming if there’s no adult around.”

“What if there’s some big beast that bites you?”

“That’s why adults make sure first it’s safe to swim there. And whatever there is, dad can zap it with lightning”, Felix grinned.

“I have never seen them fighting in Domus Flau”, Chester confessed. “Kids can’t go there without adults after all.”

“Was this your first time there?”

“No”, Chester snickered. “I’ve been there many times. When there’s no events, there aren’t that much guards around so it’s easy to slip in without anyone noticing. But whenever there is something happening there, it’s really hard to get in and they always throw me out.”

“That sounds really unfair.”

“Yeah. I just wanted to see mages fighting, it wasn’t like I was going to run around and steal something from people.”

“Who would do that?”

“Many kids like me who don’t have parents. They do what they can so they can survive.”

“Oh... So you really are an orphan?” Felix asked and now he felt bad for Chester. He couldn’t even imagine how it would feel like if he had no parents! Even a mere thought of losing Freed or Laxus or both were really scary!

“Yes. I’ve never seen my parents. I don’t know if they’re alive or dead.”

“But where do you live then?”

“Where I can. Teina has been really kind to me and she always asks me to help her and then she makes food for me and sometimes lets me sleep in her house.”

“So you don’t dislike her? But why don’t you talk to her then?” Felix asked confused. He thought Chester didn’t talk to Teina because he didn’t like her or something like that.

“She likes talking. I don’t need to talk since she will take care of it.”

“Oh... So you’re not just being rude”, Felix realised.

“Well, I don’t always want to talk to her, when she’s acting like a mom or something...” Chester confessed with a slight blush and crossed his arms. “I don’t need parents.”

“Why? Don’t you want someone to read for you or do food for you or play with you?” Felix asked confused. He liked it when he could do stuff with Freed and Laxus! “Do you know how to read?”

“I don’t need to read. I can learn other ways what to do.”

“Mama says reading is really fun and you can learn so much more when you read books! Mama always reads books.”

“I don’t get you”, Chester said looking at the smaller boy. “Why do you call him your mama?”

“Because... He is”, Felix said and he didn’t really know what else he could say. “Has always been so why I wouldn’t say mama?”

“Because he’s a guy! Two guys can’t have kids.”

“Why?”

“Because... Um... I don’t know but that’s just how it is.”

“I don’t understand...”

“I don’t really either but that’s true. So he can’t be your mama”, Chester stated.

Felix went silent, thinking about it. But it couldn’t be right! Freed was... He had always called him mama. At least as long as he could remember... Freed and Laxus loved each other and they were a family! Why was it so wrong for Freed to be his mama?

Suddenly they heard a rustle and they both jolted, quickly jumping up.

“It’s alright, it’s just me”, Yukino smiled as she walked closer. “I saw you boys resting here. Did you get tired?” she asked.

“Yeah, but we were allowed to rest if we got tired”, Chester reminded, slightly alert if Yukino would still try to do something and trap them.

“It’s alright, I won’t try anything”, Yukino assured and she sat down as well. “I’m tired too, may I rest here with you two?” she asked politely and Felix and Chester looked at each other.

“I guess that’s alright”, Felix finally said.

“Thank you. I heard what you were talking. Chester, to me it sounds like you really want to be always right.”

“Well, I am right about this”, Chester muttered.

“But you’re hurting Felix’ feelings at the same time. You shouldn’t do that.”

“But I’m still right.”

“You know, I happen to know the fact that you’re not right in this topic”, Yukino chuckled and that seemed to surprise Chester.

“Really?” Felix asked quickly.

“That’s true. Chester is right about how usually two men can’t have children together, but there are some situations when it actually can happen”, Yukino smiled to Felix. “But for that to happen, there needs to be magic involved, since it can do so much things and make impossible to be possible.”

“Magic is cool”, Felix grinned.

“I think so too!” Yukino chuckled. “You two are still so young and that is not a bad thing. You will learn a lot new things every year, just be observant. Chester, it’s really admirable that you want to be right at things and you are really confident, but you have to take a notice of how others feel. It is true that facts won’t change just because you want, but sometimes things are not so black and white. When magic is involved, logic doesn’t always work.”

“That sounds weird”, Chester murmured, maybe a little bit annoyed since someone pointed out how he was wrong.

“Might be. Just keep your minds open and learn new things”, Yukino encouraged. “Even us adults learn new things all the time! The life is all about learning all kinds of things, are they necessary or not that depends, but you should always be curious and if you don’t know how something works, you should ask from someone who knows. Felix, who do you think would know the best to tell you how things are if you’re not sure about it?”

“Mama and dad”, the blond boy said.

“That’s right. You should always talk to them if there’s something bothering you.”

“I’ll talk to them when I see them”, Felix promisd with a smile.

“Really good. Chester, I heard that you don’t have parents but you do know at least some adults who can help you”, Yukino said looking at the silver mage now. “Being a family is not necessarily about being blood related, but about people who you can always trust and who you know will always be there for you. Now that you are joining a guild, you know there are lots of adults that can help you.”

“I’m not yet sure if I definitely will join...”

“You should! I promise, you will have lots of fun when you do that.”

“So everyone says...”

“And they are right. Well, of course it depends in what kind of a guild you will join in”, Yukino said, looking slightly sad for a moment. “But you know, with a lot of work and helping each other out, you can make a really good guild together where everyone can get along. You just have to remember that the guild is your home and everyone inside it is your family”, she smiled now happily again. “When everyone thinks that way, every day is wonderful in that guild!”

Felix looked at Yukino and he was impressed. He had thought that Fairy Tail was an awesome guild, but it sounded like Sabertooth was too! Yukino seemed like she really loved her guild, she looked just the same as if Freed or Laxus or any other from their guild was talking about Fairy tail.

Chester stayed silent, thinking about what Yukino said. He really didn’t need a family, he was sure he could take care of himself just like he had done this long... But the way how Yukino and others talked about their guilds... He wasn’t sure, maybe it made him envious? Because he didn’t have something like that? Did he actually want something like that?

He wasn’t sure, but the more he did hear others talking about their guild, the more curious he did get. He was just sceptical if things might really go that well.

Yukino smiled and she stood up, brushing off some grass from her legs as she was wearing a simple yet lovely white skirt.

“I think I should continue playing then”, she said. “You boys make sure to rest if you feel like it. And if you get hungry, I’m sure we can stop the game for a while. It’s almost dinner time already anyway.”

“No, we can still play”, Felix said now determined again.

“That’s good. Do you plan to try and fight with me now and here?” Yukino smirked and suddenly she looked a lot more tough. She obviously wouldn’t hurt them, but it wouldn’t be easy to make her lose.

“Uh... No, not now”, Chester said what Felix was thinking.

“Alright”, Yukino smiled sweetly, looking so harmless again. “I will see you boys later then”, she said waving her hand and left.

Felix and Chester stood under the apple tree for a moment, until they were sure Yukino was gone.

“What way do you want to go now?” Chester asked finally.

“Anywhere where she didn’t go...” Felix murmured and Chester nodded.

Chapter Text

Roscoe was panting heavily as he ran as fast as he could, trying to remember where their home base was. He had taken so many turns already and he couldn’t stop to find out where south was, he wasn’t even sure where the hell he was right now.

He could only keep runnig like a headless chicken and he had no intentions to slow down or he might finally get beaten up for good because of Minerva who was running almost right behind him. How could she still run like that, she didn’t even look tired!

Roscoe tightened his grip of the red hat that he had somehow managed to snatch away from its resting place. Now he only needed to shake Minerva off but she didn’t seem willing to cooperate with that.

The mage who had the power to command dead bodies looked around and he noticed two figures. Felix and Chester were walking ahead, not in a hurry and talking with each other. This might be the chance he needed. Roscoe took a quick turn and dashed through the woods.

Felix and Chester noticed the quick steps and looked at Roscoe who was coming closer.

“Roscoe! You found the flag!” Felix shouted excitedly when they also noticed what the man was carrying with him.

“And that scary lady”, Chester said eyes widened when they saw Minerva who now stopped to look at the situation, but she was still dangerously close.

“I need you two to take care of this”, Roscoe wheezed and he pushed the hat to Felix, who had to use his both hands so he could hold the hat and long pink feathers or he might trip on them. “Take it to the home base for me, yeah?”

“But... You found it”, Felix said confused.

“But it’s not against the rules to give that flag to someone else in a same team. I’ll make sure Minerva won’t come after you two, or at least that you will get enough time to escape.”

“Are you saying you can’t win?” Chester asked and Roscoe frowned.

“We don’t have time for this”, he grunted and turned around to face Minerva who was now walking closer, looking amused.

“You can try whatever you want but I won’t let you carry that hat into your home base”, she said.

“You can never be sure how things will turn out”, Roscoe huffed. “Felix and Chester can take care of that flag, I just need to keep you here so you can’t go after them.”

“How noble. But you’re no match for me.”

“Then I can help”, Chester said and Felix got surprised, as well as Roscoe. “Felix can definitely take care of the flag and we can hold you here.”

“Oh my”, Minerva chuckled and he was honestly impressed how serious Chester was.

“But we have to work together”, Felix said worried.

“You can do it. You only need to go back to the home base, you know where it is.”

“But it doesn’t change that we were supposed to work together! You can’t team up with Roscoe. We should bring this hat in to our home base together! It’s... It’s a rule!” Felix shouted.

“A rule?” Chester asked confused and Roscoe chuckled.

“In their family, rules are absolute”, the black and blue haired man said. “And I highly recommend you to follow the rules Freed has set, for your own good.”

“We have to go now so we can take this flag to our home base!” Felix said to Chester. “Before Minerva knocks Roscoe out! She might attack at any second and then it’s too late!”

“Hey now...” Roscoe grunted.

“Okay”, Chester nodded finally. “Let’s make sure we win this game”, he smiled and Felix grinned.

They started running and Roscoe looked towards Minerva.

“I see why Freed wanted them to work together”, she giggled. “They have become such good friends.”

“I’m sure of it”, Roscoe nodded.

“But I’m still going to shove you away and go after them. Maybe I even let them almost get to the home base before I take the hat away?”

“You should plan something like that when you actually have a chance to do it”, Roscoe reminded.

Minerva smirked, narrowing her eyes and for a moment nothing happened. Roscoe knew she might attack at any second and it was making him nervous. That was obviously what Minerva was waiting for. She stood on her grounds, waited and when Roscoe finally moved in a nervous manner, that was her time to attack.

Roscoe gritted his teeth as once again a strong kick aimed to hit his already sore side. He barely maintained his balance when Minerva chuckled as she took her chance and went around him. The black and blue haired mage stretched out his arm and managed to take a grip, causing a long ripping noise that almost hurt their ears.

Roscoe took few steps back and finally found his balance, realising he was still holding something. A blue cloth? He looked at Minerva and his eyes went wide. What he was holding in his hand was Minerva’s top.

Minerva looked like she had frozen completely, not knowing if she should believe what just happened and he looked at Roscoe, who stared back. And then his eyes flickered down and back up like it was some kind of a reflex he just couldn’t fight against.

“Perv!” Minerva hissed now angrily.

“I didn’t... I really... Uh...” Roscoe stuttered as he had no idea what he should say or do in this situation. His face was burning red and he stumbled when backing off, trying his ultimate best to keep his eyes locked on Minerva’s eyes and to not look at anything else.

“Like hell yeah you didn’t whatever!” the dark haired woman growled and she dashed towards Roscoe who was still way too stunned to even block her hit this time.

Minerva huffed straightening herself, looking how Roscoe crashed down at the ground out cold. His visor dropped right beside him with a thud, rolling few feets and then it stopped.

“They are all the same”, Minerva muttered taking the cloth that had been dropped on the ground. Seemed like she couldn’t use this anymore. What a shame, she really did like this top.

She took her long scarf and wrapped it around her neck and then around her chest to cover most critical places. Like hell she had anything to be ashamed of, but it would still be better not to run around without anything at all.

Still muttering something Minerva turned her back to the man that had been now trapped in runes and who knows when he might wake up finally. Like she would care. She should go after Felix and Chester now. But it was true that Roscoe managed to slow her down enough so she was not sure where those boys ran off. And she wanted to kick Roscoe again just because of that, too bad she couldn’t because of the runes.

Felix and Chester were slowly getting down the steep hill, the very same where Rufus had stumbled down not that long ago.

“We’re there soon!” Felix smirked, carefully taking footing from rocks.

“Yeah, others are going to be surprised”, Chester laughed and he was getting excited. Their team would win!

They were almost down, almost seeing the big pile of rocks that was their home base, when suddenly they stopped when the whole area around them flashed red for a second. After that, a dark purple wall appeared in front of them with some text.

“So... Do you know how to read?” Chester asked looking at Felix who shook his head.

“No”, he said. “But I know that word, it means “stop” so this game might have stopped now...”

“So something might have happened? Is it danger or did we just pause this game or what?”

“I don’t know! I still don’t know how to read!” Felix shouted.

They both jolted when the wall flickered and then runes started to move, forming a new figure. Freed smiled as he teleported in front of them, using runes to stay in the air. Felix got worried as he saw a dark bruise on the rune mage’s cheekbone and his visible eye had a dark bruising around it as well.

“No need to get scared like that”, he chuckled when noticing how worried Felix was. “I just had a few little fights, that’s all. We will take care of these later.”

“What’s happening now?” Chester asked as Freed slowly landed on the ground and they climbed down the rest of the hill as well.

“The game has stopped for now”, Freed explained. “One of the flags hit the ground.”

“Not ours!” Felix assured showing the big red hat he was still holding tightly in his arms.

“I know, it was Bickslow’s visor that was dropped. Rufus was carrying it, but I stopped him.”

“What happened to him?” Chester asked curiously.

“Nothing bad”, Freed assured. “But let’s go back to the camp now, others are heading over there too so we can eat.”

“I’m starving”, Felix said grabbing Freed’s coat. “And we’re tired!”

“I’m sorry if this game feels too long for you two”, Freed smiled lifting Felix up and Chester took the hat this time. It was all wrinkled and the feathers were broken and some of them had fallen off. “You don’t have to play with us in the next round if you don’t want to”, Freed promised as they started to walk towards the area where their temporary camp was. “You can do something else, as long as you stay near the camp.”

“But is there enough people then?” Chester asked.

“It’s alright, we will figure something out.”

After walking a while they finally stepped out of the woods. Their camp was just beside it and others had already found their way in it, as Minerva and Evergreen were cooking this time.

Rufus looked at them at the corner of his eyes, since he couldn’t move his head as he had to keep his nose upwards so the bleeding would stop. Judging because of all the cloth he was holding on it, it he had gotten a pretty good hit.

“Is that my hat?” he almost shrieked as he saw the condition of his red hat. It was all dirty and battered!

“There you go”, Chester said giving the hat back to the memory mage.

“What happened to it? I don’t recall – Ow! Ow! Yukino, stop poking my face”, Rufus growled annoyed, glaring at his team mate who was trying to help to clean more blood from his face.

“Stop acting like a big baby”, Yukino scolded with frown.

“Rufus is a sore loser”, Bickslow snickered and he also had few bandages just like most of them. He was also wearing his visor again after getting it back.

“You’re one to talk”, Sting snorted with a smirk. “I totally kicked your ass!”

“I managed to trap you first, baby!”

“You surprised me!”

“Has anyone seen Laxus yet?” Freed asked looking around. Orga was missing as well.

“Maybe they didn’t want to stop yet?” Rufus suggested, hissing when carefully pressing a cloth drenched in cold water on his swollen nose.

“That looks much worse than I intented, I’m sorry”, Freed said apologetically. “But at least I got you to drop Bickslow’s visor.”

“How did it happen?” Felix asked curiously.

“I can tell you that”, Bickslow cackled.

“You weren’t there”, Rufus reminded the seith mage who just waved his hand.

“It just makes my story much more interesting, Rudolph”, he said.

“Sting, why don’t you tell us how you kicked Bickslow’s ass?” Roscoe asked amused. He had took off his visor and was using cold clothes as well to reduce swelling on his jaw.

“That’s not an interesting story!” Bickslow yelled looking at his brother.

“That’s a super interesting story!” Sting laughed immediately. “Now you boys listen carefully, you’re going to love this.”

They started eating and after a while, Laxus and Orga finally appeared back to the camp. Both men were full of bruises and there were blood, but they were also smiling and talking together while approaching others.

“Seems like they are getting along well”, Sting smirked and Freed lifted his eyebrows, when Rufus snapped his gaze towards the slayers.

“Oh...” the rune mage said as he realised something. “Rufus, do you perhaps -”

“No!” Rufus quickly said and his face got more red, trying to cover it with the cloth.

“Then how did you know what to answer if you couldn’t even hear my question?”

The memory mage muttered something pretending he didn’t even hear what Freed said, glad that others didn’t seem to notice as they started talking with Laxus and Orga.

After the dinner, they all settled around the camp, enjoying the sun and just lying on a grass. It felt good to have a little rest after the game and dinner. Felix and Chester were both already in deep sleep, covered with Laxus’ big coat.

“So you and Orga really got along?” Freed chuckled as he was lying beside his fiancé.

“Yeah, he’s a good guy”, Laxus nodded his eyes closed. “You did a good job with Rufus, I wish I could have seen it when you broke his snobbish little nose”, he chuckled.

“It’s not like I enjoyed it”, Freed huffed. “You should finally let him be, it’s not like he’s after me anymore.”

“Yeah, I know”, Laxus said. “He’s going out with Orga.”

“Oh? I only suspected Rufus liked Orga.”

“Orga told me. They’ve been together for a year already, haven’t told others yet.”

“They must be really good at hiding it”, Freed chuckled.

“Well, whatever. Main part is that Orga is keeping Rufus busy so he has no time to think about drooling after you”, Laxus yawned.

“That happened five years ago...”

“So what? You’re even hotter than five years ago, like fuck I wouldn’t worry that some douchebag might try to hit on you.”

“Thank you for the compliment”, Freed smirked rolling on his side, looking at the lightning dragon slayer. “You’re not that bad looking yourself after five years.”

“Oh yeah? That’s all I get?” Laxus laughed opening his orange eyes, looking at Freed. “You bitch.”

“I told you not to call me that when Felix is around”, Freed scolded. “I’m going to give you a fate more horrible than death if he calls me that even once because he heard you calling me that.”

“Don’t worry, they are both sleeping, can’t hear a thing.”

“I’m glad it seems like they are getting along better.”

“Well, that’s what you were planning when you suggested that they should work together, right? Your plans usually work.”

“Sweet talker”, Freed chuckled and Laxus smirked, giving him a kiss.

“And damn good at it when I want”, he said.

“I’m aware of it.”

“You know, we could forget this game for a while and -”

“No, Laxus.”

“It’s not like it’s something we have to take seriously anyway...”

“No.”

“Now I’m disappointed”, Laxus huffed pulling his hands behind his head, looking at the clouds.

“I can’t help it”, Freed smiled, rolling to lay on his back.

Chapter Text

After some rest the game continued again, but this time Felix and Chester decided they didn’t want to play more. It was too long, mostly boring and even though they didn’t want to admit it, it was also too scary. They could never know when someone might appear and all the adults were too... Well, adults! They didn’t really have much chances to fight against them no matter how much they wanted!

So instead of playing the game, they stayed near the camp while all the adults went back to the forest inside the rune trap. Since Fairy Tail was now short one member, one of Bickslow’s dolls were called to help them.

“This is just a game but they all take it so seriously”, Chester huffed sitting on a big rock, near a tiny stream.

“They don’t even know what’s the price for those who win”, Felix said. “Or what will happen if you lose.”

“Adults can be sometimes really stupid”, Chester decided and Felix nodded agreeingly. “So what are we going to do?” he asked looking around. There were this and that random camp stuff, mostly just plates and cups, a first aid kit, few blankets just in case if they wanted to sleep some more... But nothing really interesting.

“I don’t know, we can go only so far that we can still see the camp”, Felix said plucking some funny looking flowers from the ground. The area where they were was a nice place where to camp, as it was a moderately large meadow with a clean little stream going through it.

But there wasn’t really anything for them to do. The stream was so small and cold they couldn’t try swimming even if they would have a permission to do it. There might be some fish, but they didn’t have anything what to use so they could catch them.

Chester stood up and hopped down from the rock.

“I want to go see what’s over there”, he said pointing towards the other side of the meadow.

“It’s pretty far”, Felix said as he got up on his feet as well.

“But we can still see the camp, right? If we can see there from here, we can see the camp when we are there?”

“I guess so...” Felix had to agree. He was a little bit worried, but also excited. And if they could see the camp, it was alright.

Chester smiled and nodded so they started their journey across the meadow, looking around while doing so. They saw few birds and lots of grasshoppers, but not really anything else. In the end, it wasn’t that much of an exploration as Felix had hoped when they finally arrived at the other end of the meadow. But at least they had done it, so now they knew what there were at this side.

“It looks like the camp is so far away”, the blond haired boy said looking back.

“We can still see it”, Chester assured. “So no need to worry. What do you want to do now?”

“We could have our own game”, Felix smiled. “I noticed there are lots of grasshoppers and other bugs! Let’s see who can find the biggest bug!”

“I’ve never collected bugs”, Chester said and he sneered. “Aren’t they gross?”

“No, they are just bugs. But watch out for wasps, they are really annoying”, Felix said and he snickered. “Mama hates beetles. I think they are awesome! Especially the big ones with horns!”

“Eww...”

“We go collecting bugs with Vellanja all the time in Magnolia”, Felix smiled and he started to look around the surrounding grounds.

“Who’s that?” Chester asked and he was not at all as excited to find bugs, but he did so anyway.

“She’s from our guild, she’s as old as I am. Her father is a dragon slayer too, an iron dragon slayer.”

“What is a dragon slayer anyway?” Chester asked poking some bark from a tree and he was kinda relieved there was nothing under it.

“I’m not sure... But they are strong! Dad’s a dragon slayer, a lightning dragon slayer. And then there’s Natsu, he’s a fire dragon slayer and he’s in our guild too! He’s really strong but dad says he’s dumb. I think Natsu is really funny. Oh and Wendy! Wendy is a sky dragon slayer.”

“Are there others?”

“Not in our guild, not that I know”, Felix said and he rolled over a rock. “These are just regular worms, nothing interesting”, he muttered and put the rock back into its place. “We always compete with Vellanja who can catch a bigger bug, it doesn’t matter what bug it is.”

“Then what do you do with those bugs?”

“We let them free of course.”

“What’s the point of collecting them if you don’t do anything with them...?” Chester asked confused.

“It’s just for fun. It’s like treasure hunting”, Felix smiled and suddenly he grabbed something. “I found one!” he smirked showing a big fat beetle with long antennas and Chester shivered.

“I don’t want it!” he yelled when Felix came closer. “You can keep it! You win!”

“Why are you so scared of it?” Felix asked confused and the beetle flickered its wings open, flying away with loud buzzing sound. “It’s just a beetle.”

“I just don’t like them, can’t we collect something else?” Chester asked slightly blushing.

“Aren’t there bugs in the city as well?”

“Yeah, but I still don’t want to collect them. Let’s go find something else.”

Felix sighed but he followed after Chester. They searched the area, found nothing paricularly interesting but it was a good way to spend their time while waiting for others to end their game.

Suddenly Felix heard a thump, like something heavy hit the ground and it was followed by a snort.

“Chester...?” he said looking around, noticing the older boy nearby. “I heard something.”

“Really? I didn’t hear a thing”, he said looking around. There were more trees now and bushes, but they could still see the camp.

“It was something big”, Felix said nervously. “Maybe we should go back?” he suggested and Chester nodded getting down from the fallen tree trunk.

Another low snort cut the air and Chester noticed it too, they both looking deeper in the forest.

“What is it?” Felix asked as they got closer together with Chester who was getting nervous as well. They heard more thumps and they were like heavy steps and there were lots of them.

“I don’t think this is good”, the dark blue haired boy said. “Silver make: Knives”, he said and a pure silver formed a pair of little knives in his hands.

They both froze when they saw something light step out from the woods. It was a huge cow-like animal, bigger than even Bickslow! It walked on four legs and had enormous head that was covered with some kind of a bone structure, looking like the animal was wearing a helmet with large horns.

Suddenly more others stepped out and they all were looking directly at Felix and Chester.

“I don’t like this”, Felix whispered and he was scared. What were those animals? “They look mad.”

“They probably are”, Chester muttered and he tried to stay calm. “They just... Don’t look like normal animals. They look so dusty.”

The biggest bull in front of them hit the ground with its large hooves, making it tremble because of the power. It let out a loud bellowing roar and shook its massive head, making the long fur around its neck shake so it looked even more bigger.

Felix and Chester both cried out loud and they ran away, hopping over the rocks they had climbed over and back to the meadow. The air was instantly filled with rumbling as the big herd chased right after them. Rocks, trees, everything was easily crushed down by their helmets and horns, hooves smashing down the bushes and whatever was left after the hit of those hard skulls.

They had just gotten to the meadow when suddenly Chester yelled as he tripped over, making Felix fall down as he stumbled over him. Fear filled them both as the enraged stock stampeded the ground as they came closer. They both shut their eyes grasping a hold of each other, when suddenly they felt how something dashed right over them.

There was a huge clang when horns collided against each other. The herd let out shouts as a new big figure had stopped the leader and others started to run around wild.

“These little sticks are nothing”, a low voice growled and purple hands took a hold of the horns that were attached on the bull’s head.

Felix opened his eyes when he recognized the voice and he sat up surprised.

“Umanor!” he shouted relieved when he saw the big demon with long green mane and big curvy horns.

“W-what?” Chester asked his eyes widened when he saw the demon as well.

“You managed to get yourself in a big trouble this time”, Umanor scolded looking at Felix and Chester.

“We’re sorry! Can you help us, please?” Felix asked, worried if this was too much for even Umanor.

“Tch, these things are not good enough for even a little warm up”, Umanor snarled and Chester almost swallowed his tongue when the bull was lifted up from the ground.

Like a ragdoll it was tossed on the ground and if they wouldn’t have been already sitting, they might have fallen from their feet because of the impact. Other animals went insane, running around aimlessly and hitting whatever happened to stand on their way.

One of them took a turn and ran towards Felix and Chester but its way was cut literally by sharp dark claws and it fell down on the ground instantly.

“Valdeghar”, Felix smiled.

“Don’t move”, Valdeghar commanded, blocking more of those big animals with Umanor.

Another loud roar was heard and this time Felix was not worried since he knew that one too. Jish-Ahrna straightened himself from the other side of the herd, puffy dark mane swaying as he moved. Those animals were big, Umanor and Valdeghar were both big, but compared to them all Jish-Ahrna was colossal. He lifted up his other long arm with large scythe-like claws and with only one strong swipe he send three of those beasts flying like petty little insects.

The ground suddenly moved under them and Felix looked down. The grass grew longer, shapeshifted, turned pink and created a hat kind of a thing under them.

“Whatwhatwhat?!” Chester shrieked when they suddenly flew up, spinning around few times.

“Hello, Moranga”, Felix smiled peeking over the large brim and looked at the little demon who had ridiculously glaring clothes and a huge smile over his face. Moranga giggled loudly as he just flew higher with Felix and Chester on his hat, making sure they got in safe distance from the ruckus.

Chester looked at the hat and he gulped when he realised it was made out of hair or something like that.

“Don’t worry, they are part of Fairy Tail too”, Felix assured. “They came to help us.”

“But... Who... What...?” the little silver mage asked, not sure what he should really ask.

“They’re demons.”

“We came to protect the young master”, Moranga said with a high pitched voice.

“Thank you”, Felix smiled.

It took only few seconds of fighting, but suddenly all the creatures stopped like they were frozen solid. Jish-Ahrna raised his paw and swished again, causing all four animals it touched to turn into a dust.

All demons halted, looking around alarmed but the beasts that had been rampaging around earlier were all standing on their places like statues.

“Magic”, Umanor grunted wrinkling his nose.

“But what?” Valdeghar asked.

Jish-Ahrna lifted his hand and a long tongue licked one of the claws. He flinched and let out a purring whisper.

“Salt?” Umanor said confused. “Salt magic?”

“That’s bad”, Moranga suddenly piped up. “I once heard about someone who used it, though it was already hundreds of years ago. Very dangerous, can even be used to kill lots of people if the mage is skilled enough. One person could take down even whole armies and destroy towns!”

“That is easy to believe”, Umanor grunted. “I think we better tell Freed about this.”

Jish-Ahrna suddenly growled and puffed out his mane to look bigger, looking over the forest. There was a cliff, barely visible because of all the trees but they managed to notice a dark figure standing on it.

“I believe that is our mage”, Valdeghar said.

Felix squinted his eyes and tried to see better, noticing how the figure was wearing a hat and a cape. But it was impossible to see more as the character was standing too far away.

Suddenly it moved and the sun glinted from something long that was lifted up.

“He has a gun”, Umanor said quickly. “And we are standing out here wide open.”

“What can one gun do to us?” Valdeghar huffed.

Two clear bangs cut the air and Felix and Chester got terrified when Jish-Ahrna let out a shriek as something bursted right through his chest. The huge demon fell backwards hitting the ground heavily and let out a groan, vanishing in the air.

“Moranga! GO!” Umanor roared and the colourful little demon jolted awake of his dismay. Felix and Chester grabbed a tight hold of the ‘hat’ as they flew over the meadow and they kept their eyes shut tight. It was easy to hear two more shots, but they did not know if they were hits or not.

“Felix! Chester!” they heard a loud yell and carefully opened their eyes.

Both teams who had been fighting against each other were now approaching them side by side like an army. Freed stopped while others continued running and he unsheathed his sword. Moranga sped up getting lower passing others and when he finally got to Freed, rune walls hoisted up around them covering them all four from any possible attack.

Felix bursted out crying when even remembering the horrible moment when Jish-Ahrna started to fall. And what happened to Umanor and Valdeghar? That horrifying image and those cruel loud shots were like glued in his mind, repeating themselves over and over again.

Freed sighed when he could guess that something bad had happened. He had felt how suddenly all four demons had created links on their own and he knew something was wrong. If only they had noticed this sooner...

Moranga hovered over the rune mage when Freed lifted both boys from his hat. It was a shock for both of them, obviously. At least here it was safe when the rune walls stood around them.

Laxus gritted his teeth feeling more anger than he had felt in a long time. They had noticed the lone figure standing on top of the cliff as well, all of them heading towards it with one goal in their minds:

They had to make sure there was no more danger for Felix and Chester.

“Bickslow, Ever!” Laxus said.

“Yeah!” rest of the Thunder Legion yelled and both flew up in the air.

“I shall join them”, Rufus said. “Memory Make: Flying beast from ancient times!” he commanded.

Red magic circle formed in the air, flashed and let out an enormous lizard with a big beak and long wings. It dashed down and Rufus grabbed a hold of its back, following after Bickslow and Ever.

“Show off”, Bickslow huffed.

“We don’t have time for that!” Ever yelled smacking the seith mage’s head.

“Yeah yeah”, he said and all three of them took their distances, surrounding the cliff. It didn’t seem to bother their enemy, who followed their actions but didn’t care to move itself.

“Laxus! Keep your cool!” Roscoe reminded the Thunder God when Laxus seemed ready to dash forward and break that whole cliff with lightning. “We cannot attack randomly, you saw what happened to Freed’s demons.”

“I saw”, Laxus growled and he frowned, feeling even more enraged and lightning crackled over his skin. “That fucking bastard shot down our guild mates.”

They stopped near the cliff, not getting too close as they could still clearly see the rifle that had taken down the demons. Person holding it was a man, tall but not muscular. He had a long dark hair, clearly visible stubble and he was using a cape to cover himself.

“Why did he attack in the first place?” Orga asked as they all kept their eyes on that man, constantly alarmed if he would try to do something.

“Well, he did attack first so let’s just fight back”, Sting said.

“Wait, don’t you want to find out the reason for this?” Rogue frowned.

“If we attack now, we might not find out what was the purpose of this and if there’s more danger around”, Yukino nodded and Laxus grunted.

“It pisses me off even more because I know you’re right”, he said. “You! Fucker with a rifle!” he roared. “You better have a damn good reason to do what you did because if you don’t, I’m gonna make your last moments feel like eternity of pain.”

The man tilted his head a little bit.

“I have my reasons”, he said. He had a low bass voice, not particularly loud but they could still hear it clearly.

“Care to share those reasons with us? What’s your name?” Sting frowned.

The man looked at them for a moment.

“Emmett”, he finally said. “That’s all you need to know”, he said lifting his hand.

The air got filled with salt dust that made their eyes burn and it was hard to breathe. Laxus snarled and charged lightning, looking at the cliff but Emmett was already gone. Right after that there were two shots followed by screams of pain.

“Yukino! Minerva!” Sting yelled.

“Shit”, Laxus grunted and he moved his finger, writing something in the air.

A bubble made out of runes appeared around them, forcing the roaming salt dust to stay outside it. Yukino was holding her shoulder and Minerva had collapsed as a bullet had hit her thigh.

“We have to get them in a hospital quickly”, Rogue said when seeing all the blood. “They might die because of blood loss!”

“That fucking piece of shit!” Sting roared angrily, looking around but the dust was covering the area so thickly now it was hard to see anything.

Suddenly they all flinched when a loud yell of pain filled their ears again. It was not clear where it came from but they all knew they didn’t recognize that voice. So it had to belong to Emmett.

“Did they got him?” Laxus said trying to find out where Bickslow, Ever and Rufus were.

Suddenly the storm subsided like there had never been one in the first place. Only evidence was the white salt that was covering the meadow and the forest but it was already starting to fade because magic was disappearing.

Another bubble made out of runes was hovering in the air, covering Bickslow, Ever and Rufus. The memory mage smirked when they were noticed.

“When the hell he managed to copy that?” Laxus muttered.

“Don’t underestimate Rufus”, Orga chuckled. “You have no idea what all he can do.”

There was no sign of their foe who had obviously fled. The runes vanished and Bickslow and others landed near them.

“What happened to that dumbass?” Laxus asked.

“He was trying to attack when Rufus made that rune bubble”, Bickslow explained. “Was trying to shoot us too but Ever made one of her fairies and it blasted right beside his head! I bet that hurt like hell, I hope he lost one of his eyes.”

“It would at least make it a little bit more difficult for him to continue shooting people”, Sting grunted and he looked worried at Yukino and Minerva.

“We have to move them now”, Roscoe said. “Before it’s too late.”

“Yeah”, Laxus nodded. “We have to fetch Freed and boys.”

“I’m on my way”, Ever said flying off.

With what they had, they managed to make tourniquets and stop bleeding the best they could. But they knew they had only a little amount of time to get to the nearest hospital.

It was almost midnight and they were still waiting at the hospital, in the dim lighted waiting room. They had waited for a long time already, only sometimes getting up to pace around for a while and then sitting back on the seats.

Freed sighed rubbing his eyes a little bit since no matter what, they were all getting sleepy no matter how worried they were. Felix was already in deep sleep on his lap, wrapped in Laxus’ coat and Chester was sleeping on Bickslow’s lap, using his cape as a blanket.

Laxus stepped in the waiting room with Rogue as they had fetched coffee for all of them. The lightning dragon slayer sat beside his mate, giving him a cup.

“Thank you, Laxus”, Freed said with a small smile taking the cup.

“Have you heard anything yet?” Laxus asked.

“Not yet”, Ever said taking one of the cups too and Laxus gave one for Bickslow and Roscoe as well. “But it might take time still, they have to remove those bullets and everything.”

“You guys.”

Sting stepped in front of them and they looked at the Master of Sabertooth.

“We really appreciate it that you want to stay here”, Sting smiled and he was looking really tired as well. “But it’s really late, you can go back to your tavern.”

“No way, we want to hear what happens, baby”, Bickslow said and they nodded.

“We understand and it really makes us happy, but wouldn’t it be better to take Felix and Chester to sleep in proper beds?” Rogue suggested and Freed looked at Felix.

“It is true it’s not really good for them to sleep like this through the whole night”, he had to admit looking at Laxus. “They can’t rest properly and after a scare like that, they need a good night sleep.”

“Yeah”, Laxus huffed. “Though I don’t like it, feels like we’ve done things half assed or something.”

“No, you guys should go”, Sting said. “We are grateful that you accompanied us here until this late, but truth is that none of us can do a thing no matter how long we will wait here. So you should go and get some sleep.”

“Will you contact us immediately when you know what’s the situation?” Ever asked as they got up, Freed carrying Felix and Bickslow took Chester on his back.

“Of course”, Rogue smiled. “We will let you know at once when we hear about the situation.”

Freed wrote down in which tavern they were staying and after that they finally left the hospital. There were still people walking on streets and since the tram car was working night and day, they decided to use it to get faster to the Dancing Nope.

“I got worried”, the owner said when they stepped inside. There were no other customers awake anymore. “You didn’t mention you would stay out this long.”

“It wasn’t our intention, but some things happened”, Laxus explained.

“I thought so.”

“We are really sorry if we made you stay up this long just because of us”, Freed apologized.

“That’s alright, it was my own decision. You all look like you have gone through a lot of troubles, but I know it’s none of my business to ask what it was. Are you guys hungry? I can make some sandwiches for you if you want, we don’t really have anything else before tomorrow.”

“Thanks, that would be awesome”, Laxus said.

They all sat down and the owner soon returned with a big pile of sandwiches.

“There you go”, Freed smiled giving one of them for Felix that was now partly awake. Chester was nibbling his own as well, yawning. “You should eat at least these before going back to sleep.”

“When did we come back?” Chester asked looking around wearily.

“Just a moment ago. Just eat now and we can all go to sleep.”

After they ate, all of them went in their own rooms and Freed pulled a blanket over Felix who was sleeping again.

“How are Umanor and others?” Laxus asked looking at his finacé.

“I haven’t heard anything yet”, Freed muttered worried, taking off his belts and coat. “But it’s not like they have disappeared completely, so they might be just fine after some rest.”

“What happened to them?”

“It’s too early to say yet, I’m sure we will be wiser tomorrow when we hear more about Yukino and Minerva as well.”

Freed huffed looking out from the window.

“I just thought...” he mumbled. “That man, Emmett. That attack was so sudden and it was like he knew exactly what he was after. It probably wasn’t Felix or Chester, since he had a really good opportunity to just snatch them away.”

Laxus growled without even noticing it, when the mere thought about that made his blood boil again.

“So what? He wanted to lure us out?” he asked.

“Exactly. This somehow reminds me of Ichabod and Humphrey and how they attacked Naava Town just to lure Bickslow and Roscoe out.”

“I see...”

“Whatever, I know what I want to do tomorrow for the first thing”, Freed said looking at Laxus.

“And that is?” the lightning dragon slayer asked.

“I want to go see grandfather”, Freed said. “And ask him if he knows anything at all about this. Chances are that he won’t tell us a thing even if he knew something, but we have to try. He might know even something ebout Emmett, Ichabod or Humphrey. Or even Bickslow and Roscoe’s dad.”

Laxus thought about it, staring at his mate who had just that look on his eyes that he wasn’t going to back up with this decision.

“Guess you have a point there”, Laxus nodded finally. “But I’m going with you.”

“It would make me feel better”, Freed assured with a smile. “Let’s talk more about this tomorrow.”

Chapter Text

Felix looked at the huge building. It was amazing! It looked even bigger than he had thought! The great palace Mercurius stood silently on its place in the middle of Crocus and there were constantly people walking in and out.

But their tiny group wasn’t going to the main gate and it was kinda bummer. Felix would have loved to see how the palace looked like inside those great walls. Instead, they were heading down in some weird place just beside the palace. There were huge gates made out of iron and all the time guards walked around.

“Where are we going?” Felix asked confused looking at Laxus, sitting on his shoulders.

“Under the palace”, the big man grunted and he was obviously tense. He just didn’t like this. He had a feeling that something might happen.

“Oh, wow. Is there a dungeon or something?”

“Yes”, Freed nodded.

“Are we going in prison?” Felix shouted surprised and even worried.

“No one’s going to lock us up”, Freed chuckled and they waited their turn while guards were going through all the papers necessary. “We are going there to meet someone.”

“Oh... But why didn’t we take others?”

“Because this is a family matter”, Laxus explained. “Though I still don’t understand why we took Felix with us”, he grunted looking at Freed.

“I understand you don’t like this”, Freed said. “But it’s not like he can do anything. He’s an old man who will live in a prison for the rest of his life, I just thought maybe letting him meet Felix is not that bad idea. Who knows how long he might even live anymore.”

“I kinda understand what you mean, but I’m just worried”, the lightning dragon slayer grunted.

“Who is he?” Felix asked curiously.

“He is my grandfather, your great-grandfather like Makarov”, Freed explained to his son. “His name is Lucados. He might look a little bit scary, but he can’t do anything. And you don’t need to care what he says.”

“Why is he in prison?” Felix asked now surprised and the gates were opened for them and few mage guards accompanied them to the dark hallway under the Mercurius.

“He’s a bad man”, Laxus said. “You don’t need to know more right now.”

They walked down the stairs for a long while. There were no windows and the light was dim. They passed many heavy doors that obviously led to different levels of the prison, but the one they were heading towards was a lot lower than these.

After a while more they finally stopped and the guard muttered some spells. Big magic circles appeared on the door, they heard loud clicks and crumbling like something heavy was moved. Felix looked down the spiralling stairs that continued even lower and he wondered what kind of prisoners there might be. The door let out a final click and opened so they could step inside.

The hallway was more lighted now and in a wall at the other side there were cells. There were few meters space between every cell and Laxus could guess it was because every cell was covered with magic sealing stones and probably iron that had been strengthened with many spells.

“Do you want us to wait here or accompany you?” one of the guards asked.

“We’ll be fine”, Freed assured and Laxus lifted Felix from his shoulders.

The guard nodded and closed the door after him.

“Which one of these is Lucados’ cell?” Laxus asked as they started walking. It seemed like most of the prisoners weren’t even interested about them, not paying attention while they walked past. They couldn’t reach out to them, nor could they use magic. Some of them were even chained on the wall.

Felix grabbed a tighter hold of Freed’s hand walking just beside his parents. This place was scary. Until now he had thought it would be exciting to visit a dungeon, but the reality was so different from what he had thought in his mind.

“We take a turn left and walk up few stairs”, Freed said and they turned left when there was another hallway crossing the one where they were walking.

Finally they stopped in front of one of the cells. It was no different from other cells, but the number above told them it was the right one. That and the figure who was sitting and leaning his back against the wall behind it.

The old man’s long hair had still that slight glint of green, just like his beard that had been growing few years already. Long scythe-like cowlicks were still pointing down, crossing each other and old, turquoise eyes were lifted up to see who stopped in front of his current home.

“Would you look at that”, he chuckled. “They told me I would have visitors soon, but who would have thought it’s my favourite grandson with his husband.”

“Fiancé”, Freed corrected.

“Oh my, so the wedding is still waiting? I’m so sorry.”

“Like hell you are”, Laxus grunted annoyed.

Lucados stood up and his posture wasn’t that straight anymore, as his back was slightly hunched. He looked down at Felix who was nervous, not sure if he liked that old man. Freed and Laxus didn’t seem to like him as well.

“And this here must then be my great-grandson, from who you’re denying his rights as the heir of the Zaldevil family?” Lucados asked.

“There is no Zaldevil family anymore”, Freed said.

“Hmm... I wonder”, Lucados muttered stepping closer to the wall made out of bars of magic sealing stones. Felix gulped as he saw his great-grandfather closer and he hid behind Freed. “Such a little coward”, Lucados tisked narrowing his eyes and Felix flinched.

“Hey, you might not be able to use your magic but I can sure as hell roast your ass with my lightning”, Laxus warned angrily.

“I’m aware of it.”

“We don’t have time to hear your insults”, Freed said crossing his arms. “We actually have a reason why we came to meet you.”

“Really? I’m so honoured”, Lucados smirked. “There’s still some use for an old man like me.”

“What do you know about men called Emmett, Ichabod and Humphrey?” Freed asked and Lucados thought about it a moment.

“I don’t recall that I have heard about them”, he finally said. “Since you came all the way here to see me even though I was sure you would never come meet me again, that means they are causing some troubles for you. What’s the situation?” Lucados asked and he sounded genuinely curious.

“I’ll go wait with Felix near the door”, Laxus said lifting Felix up. There was no need to tell everything in front of him, he had still hard time to forget what happened to Jish-Ahrna.

Freed nodded and Laxus turned, Felix looking at the old man who smirked.

“Grow up to be a strong man, Felix”, Lucados said. “Don’t let anyone tell you what to do.”

“That’s enough”, Freed said with a frown. “You should be happy you had a chance to meet your great-grandson even once before you will die here in prison.”

“I am. I can see the traits of the Zaldevil family in him.”

“You’re just seeing things.”

“You will soon see what I meant, don’t you worry, son.”

Laxus stepped down the few stairs and they came to the corner where hallways crossed. Suddenly he stopped when he heard laughing from ahead of them.

“Everything echoes here pretty well”, a familiar voice said amused. “I thought it was your voice, Laxus. I’m hurt. You came all the way down here and won’t even say hello.”

Laxus frowned, feeling anger and he pulled Felix closer to his chest without even realising it. It had been some times since he heard that voice but he would never forget it.

“Come on, son. Come see me properly since you’re here. I heard you want some information, I might know something...”

Laxus hesitated, but finally he took steps to walk forwards. Felix was worried what was going to happen now since Laxus looked so angry. It was like he really didn’t want to go meet that man who was speaking but he had no choice.

Finally they stopped in front of a cell. Felix looked at the man who had black hair and beard, noticing something familiar in him. But he looked scary and he grabbed a hold of Laxus’ shirt.

“Oo-Oh! So this is my grandson”, Ivan smiled widely looking at Laxus and Felix, standing just the other side of the bars. “He is a Dreyar alright, it warms my old heart.”

“The fuck do you want?” Laxus grunted scowling at his father. “Tell me what you know so we can leave.”

“Don’t be so hasty, son”, Ivan smirked. “I even sent little Felix some gifts, did you get them?”

“I threw them away when I saw your name”, Laxus said bluntly. “We’re not gonna give Felix anything that has touched your hands.”

“How cruel. I went through a lot of trouble that I could sent him those.”

“I’m surprised you even know what cruel means. Tell what you know, old man.”

“Being impatient like always”, Ivan huffed. “So you were talking about Emmett, Ichabod and Humphrey if I didn’t hear wrong? I happen to know something about them”, he smirked.

“That’s what you said, stop repeating your words.”

“I wouldn’t have cared if you didn’t have mentioned them all at the same time. This is too much to be a coincidence, they must be the same men who are working for a certain man I know as well.”

“You know him? They told us they have a boss but didn’t reveal his name. They are working on some project, some business thing.”

“Yeah, I know about that as well. Well, not much but something.”

“That man is Bickslow’s father.”

“Oh, that explains a lot about him... Never liked that brat anyway, but you persistently kept teaming up with him.”

“Tell me about his father”, Laxus commanded. “Was he one of your underlings as well?”

“Oh god no!” Ivan sneered. “I wouldn’t have taken him as my underling even if he wanted to join me! He actually came to me and asked me to join as one of his generals or whatever. It happened years ago already, around the time when you were stuck in that stupid tree.”

“Like hell you would ever work as someone’s underling”, Laxus snorted.

“True. But it wasn’t the whole reason for me to decline. That man is messing with things even I don’t want to be part of”, Ivan frowned now and crossed his arms. “If you are planning to go against him, fine, do what you want. But you will soon see that he is a total maniac.”

Laxus frowned a little bit, trying to picture that man in his mind. He had to be something really crazy if even Ivan was refusing to work with him.

“How can someone like that even get underlings?” he asked.

“It’s the money”, Ivan smirked and laughed. “If you have money, you just need to find right persons who don’t care what you do as long as you pay them, son. Now I don’t know about this Humphrey, I only heard his name mentioned when I happened to hear about them last time. Seems like he’s a new partner.”

“How do you know about these things? You’ve been here for years already.”

“Might be, but don’t you think that information doesn’t spread around here as well. Prisoners come and go as there are new ones and old ones are either transferred to somewhere else, set free or some even executed.”

Felix almost gasped. But didn’t that mean they were killed? It sounded horrible! Laxus looked at his son and he went through his coat’s pockets.

“Listen these”, he said giving Felix his old headphones and the boy put them on his ears, hearing music he liked. Laxus had made sure he had tons of songs for Felix to listen as well. “Watch out what all you talk in front of Felix, old man.”

“If you’re sugar coating the world for him, he will never get used to the fact how cruel it can be”, Ivan snorted.

“He’s four years old, he doesn’t need to know all that cruelty.”

“Death is just as natural as breathing.”

“When other person causes that death, it’s not natural. So keep your mouth shut about those things”, Laxus growled his orange eyes burning with warning.

Ivan shrugged.

“Your choice”, he said.

“Damn right it is, that’s why Felix is not gonna grow up as fucked up as I did. Back to those generals or I will leave right now.”

“As you wish, son”, Ivan said with mockingly submissive tone. “Ichabod is a man who is easily lead by money. It means everything to him. He is greedy, but not as stupid as you might think. I have never really met him, just like the other two but I assume you have?”

“I didn’t, but Bickslow, Roscoe and Erza did.”

“So you have some experience of his magic?”

“He uses moss magic, covered the whole Naava Town with it.”

“Since you’re still standing and here, you were smart enough to leave the town then. Did he unleash spores with his moss?”

“Yeah, but those who were affected were cured by Porlyusica.”

“Should have guessed that old hag managed to do that. But using spores is Ichapod’s fast way to get rid of his enemies and it isn’t always lethal. There is a slower method as well and far more deadlier.”

“And that is?” Laxus asked with a frown.

Ivan smirked.

“Mold”, he said. “He takes time to create it and once it’s settled somewhere, it is really hard to get rid of it.”

“Shit”, Laxus growled, remembering all the moss that was covering Naava Town when they left.

“Now now, let’s not get depressed. Yet. It takes time before that mold is created. But if it is created and you go in that town and inhale the air, it will attack your lungs. Slowly, painfully it will fill your lungs, spread to your throat, from there to your stomach and all around your guts. It might take weeks before you die and at that point, it might be your biggest wish that you would die.”

Laxus sneered.

“If it’s so damn hard to get rid of it and it can spread so easily, how can it be stopped?”

“That is something you have to find out yourself, I can’t help since I don’t know. But one of the good ways to get rid of it is using salt. Though, we are talking about an area so big I doubt that can be useful, not that it concerns me. But from this we get to the last man, Emmett. Are you aware he uses salt magic?”

“Yeah, we saw some of his skills, he made out a salt storm.”

“If you’d stay in that storm too long, it would dry you out like a raisin. Because he uses salt magic, Ichabod is actually scared of him. Moss needs moisture after all. Emmett doesn’t really care about money – not that he isn’t rich – but there must be something he really wants since he is willing to work as a general in this project. He’s the one you should really be afraid of, besides their leader. Emmett is a thorough cold hearted bastard who only follows his own morals. He is hard to control, so that something he wants must have great value for him. He kills people without even a blink of an eye and he does not regret what he has done.”

“So pretty much like you, huh?” Laxus grumbled.

“I have never implied that I don’t feel regret”, Ivan reminded. “There are things I do regret, but mostly how careless I was to end up here.”

“Regret all you want and whatever the hell you want, you will not get out from here”, Laxus stated.

“That’s probably true”, Ivan sighed dramatically.

“Why are they all after Bickslow and Roscoe? They want their magic, but for what?”

“Hmm... If I remember right that brat with dolls uses soul magic, am I right?” Ivan asked.

“Yeah.”

“What does this Roscoe then use?”

“He controls dead bodies.”

Ivan’s eyes widened the way that surprised Laxus. He looked like someone had slapped him right across his face out of blue.

The next reaction confused him even more, but he was also alarmed when the black haired old mage started to laugh loudly. Felix was still listening to the big headphones and carefully peeked towards Ivan, seeing him laughing. Somehow it made the man look even scarier than before.

“What’s so funny?” Laxus snarled annoyed.

“I just can’t believe it! He might actually be able to carry out his crazy plan!” Ivan laughed with almost teary eyes. “Who would have thought! Until now I really thought he could never actually do something like what he had planned, but this? This takes everything into a whole new light!”

“Just spit it out already!”

“Fine, if that’s what you really want”, Ivan smirked looking at his son. “His name is Yuidose. I only met him once, but I have heard some things over the years about him. The magic he uses is strongly related to voodoo magic and it falls under the category of Lost Magic: Netherworld magic.”

“Netherworld?” Laxus frowned.

“In some ways it can be compared with slayer magic. It is something you have learned from someone or because of something, as it does not naturally appear among humans. Just like slayer magic, there are different varieties of netherworld magic.”

“So what, he’s some kind of a netherworld slayer?”

“No, not a slayer. Slayers specialise on taking down creatures like dragons, devils, beasts, whatever there might be. Netherworld magic is more like magic from another dimension.”

“So it can’t appear naturally on humans here because it doesn’t belong to this world?”

“Ding ding ding! You’re starting to get it!”

“Cut with the smartass act.”

“For what I have learned, netherworld magic’s varietes don’t include something that can be thought as physical forms of something, but depending how skillful you are you can create things like water, fire, even forms you can use to ride or use in fights. It’s all about how much you can think outside the box, just like with most magics. There are very little netherworld magic users confirmed, but those there has been over the history have used Holy, Chaotic, Dark, Spiritual and few other similar kinds of varietes and one of them even mastered both Chaotic and Spiritual. You get the point what I mean?”

“Yeah”, Laxus nodded.

“Good. I’m not sure what netherworld magic Yuidose uses, but it must be something hell of a strong since the goal he has in his mind to use as a business is to bring back dead people.”

A short silence landed in the dim hallway and Ivan chuckled when he saw that utter consternation over the lightning dragon slayer’s face.

“No no, wait”, Laxus finally stuttered trying to wrap his head around all these things he had just heard.

“Take your time, it’s not like I can go for a walk in the near future.”

“Bickslow’s father – Yuidose – wants to bring back people who have died already? But how? How can anyone do something like that?” Laxus asked and he was shocked. How could anyone even dream about doing something like that?! It was completely insane!

“With his magic alone he can’t”, Ivan explained like he was trying to teach for his son how to count one plus one. “That’s the reason why he needs soul magic and someone who can use necromancy. He has soul controlling, he has bodies, he has his netherworld magic and probably all the other things he might need as well and if he really can carry it out... Yes, there’s a person who has been resurrected from death.”

“Holy shit...” Laxus gasped thinking about it. “Can magic really do something that...”

“Insane? Amazing? Crazy? Marvelous? Even blessing from gods or something? It’s all about who is the one to express that question.”

“And just like that he can pop dead people alive where ever he wants?”

“No. He might be able to combine all three magics, thus being able to control the soul his magic brought back and the body where the soul once belonged. But it’s only temporary since it would require someone to keep that magic going on all the time while that person resurrected exists in this world. With souls he can bring back the behaviour and memories of that person and obviously he needs a body that will shelter that soul. But it’s not like they are actually alive.”

“How could anyone think that’s something good? What the hell? Is he trying to create some army or is he trying to bring back someone he loved or find out some information from someone already dead?”

“Laxus, you’re not thinking!” Ivan groaned with suffering voice. “I’m actually trying to do a favor to you here so try to listen! This is business to him! Has been from the very start! From where did you inherit those brains of yours if you can’t see where this whole thing is going?!”

“Since this is about business, his goal is only money”, third voice suddenly said.

Laxus snapped his gaze towards Freed who stepped closer and the rune mage crossed his arms, turning his cold glare towards Ivan.

“Well, if it isn’t the mother of my only grandson”, Ivan snickered with clear despise in his voice.

“Ivan”, Freed said. “I heard your talking all over the other side of this hallway. At first I thought I would stay put but I will not tolerate you talking to Laxus like that”, Freed growled irritatedly. “Especially in front of Felix, even though he can’t hear what we are talking here while listening music.”

“What a sense of loyalty”, Ivan snickered slightly amused. “I always thought you were like a -”

Lightning hit right inside the gate, causing Ivan to fall from his feet. Felix startled hiding his face against Laxus’ chest and the blond man growled. Laxus stared at his father and it was all thanks to Felix trembling in his arms that he was capable of showing great amount of patience, even though there as a big vein throbbing on his neck.

“If you value yourself even a little bit, you won’t finish that sentence”, he said with a horribly cold tone. “We continue from where we were left. So the goal is money?” he grunted.

Ivan quickly recovered from his stun and he stood up, dusting his simple prisoner’s clothes.

“Yes, that’s the reason”, he said. “It actually works better for Yuidose that he can use those resurrected persons only for short amounts of times.”

“How can they bring him money?”

“Not them. The relatives”, Ivan said and Freed frowned. He had already feared this when he had been listening the conversation. “There are plenty of rich people who would pay great amounts of money if they could see their loved ones even once again. Even for five minutes. Talk to them, listen to them, laugh with them, hug them... Of course, every second they spend with them costs them money.”

“That’s sick”, Laxus sneered angrily.

“That’s the cruelty of this world. I told you this is just business for Yuidose.”

“What else do you know?” Freed asked.

“That’s pretty much all I know about them”, Ivan said with a shrug. “Maybe there’s someone who knows more, but I can’t help you finding them. Now as a thank you, may I ask something?”

“No”, Laxus grunted. “There’s nothing you need to know.”

“Have you happened to hear anything about Katya?” Ivan asked anyway and Laxus and Freed looked at each other. “I see, so no. Well then, I guess she decided to keep low profile still. Who knows where she might be right now”, he grunted.

“Who’s Katya, does she have something to do with Yuidose and his idiots?” Laxus asked.

“No no, I don’t think so”, Ivan said waving his hand. “I was just a little bit curious, I thought she might decide to make her appearance now that... Oh well, never mind.”

Laxus frowned but he looked at Freed.

“Are you done with Lucados?” he asked.

“Yes”, the rune mage nodded.

“Then we should leave this dumpster.”

“I agree”, Freed said and they turned around.

Ivan huffed looking after them.

“Laxus”, he called out before they disappeared from the corner. “You will probably always blame me and think that I destroyed your life because I gave you that dragon lacrima”, he said and Laxus stopped, but didn’t turn around. “But you do know it only gave you power.”

“You should stop talking”, Freed growled glaring at Ivan who smirked.

“There’s just one little thing I would like to correct about all this”, the black haired mage said. “I did plant that lacrima, but it wasn’t originally my idea.”

“What?” Laxus grunted slightly turning his head.

“It was your mother who came up with all that”, Ivan chuckled and Freed quickly looked towards his fiancé, who stood on his place but his eyes were widened. “Just so you know. Now, don’t hesitate to come back again anytime you want and we can talk more about this”, Ivan laughed.

“Let’s go”, Laxus growled grabbing Freed’s wrist and pulling him along.

Freed said nothing just following after Laxus. They arrived at the door and waited that it was openend for them. Worried, Freed looked at Laxus’ face and he saw anger and confusion. They had no idea if they could trust what Ivan just told them, but it was still enough to shook Laxus.

Freed sighed silently as they stepped in the stairway after the door was opened. He just hoped Laxus wouldn’t let this bother him too much.

Chapter Text

Journey back to their tavern was quiet and not the kind of silence Freed enjoyed with his Thunder God. They had stepped out of the tram car and even Felix was being unusually quiet all the time. The rune mage sighed, holding his son’s hand as they kept walking towards the Dancing Nope.

When they arrived, there were already a full hassle going on.

“You can’t name your tavern as Dancing Nope if you don’t even have any meaning for it, baby!” they heard Bickslow’s voice first when they stepped in the building.

“I’m the owner, I can name my tavern whatever the hell I want”, the owner guffawed happily.

“That’s just not right! You should at least have some pet spider here or something! Or did you fight off some big ass spiders before you could move in here?”

“Big ass spiders? Here at the middle of Crocus?”

“You know, maybe they were big enough so you had to use a broom...”

“Now that I think about it, there was few really big spiders when I bought this place”, the owner said scratching his big beard.

“We should sing a ballad!” ‘babies’ giggled twirling around the owner. “A great hero story!”

“Now that would be something!” the owner laughed.

Freed smiled when hearing his friends laugh. Maybe it would help them to take their minds off of all the things they heard from Lucados and Ivan.

“You came back”, Ever smiled when she noticed them heading towards their table. “Oh no, did something happen?” she asked when seeing Laxus’ face.

“Somewhat”, Freed sighed letting go of Felix who ran to Bickslow and the seith mage lifted him up. “We should talk about that later”, Freed said and he was glad that it seemed like Felix managed to forget some of his scare, laughing when ‘babies’ came to babble something for him.

Ever looked concerned, looking from Laxus to Freed.

“Seriously, what happened?” she asked a little bit lower so only they could hear.

“Nothing”, Laxus grumbled.

“I’m not buying that.”

“We got new information”, Freed explained. “But it might be better to discuss about it once we’re back in Fairy Tail.”

“We should leave today”, Laxus said. “As soon as we hear something about Yukino and Minerva that they are doing okay.”

“They are fine and recovering well”, Ever smiled. “Sting and Rogue visited here while you guys were away. Apparently those bullets Emmett used were made out of magic sealings stones.”

“So that’s why it made Jish-Ahrna, Umanor and Valdeghar disappear”, Freed said with a frown.

“Seems so. That Emmett guy is really dangerous if he has other weapons like that as well.”

“Yeah, we should be really careful with him”, Laxus grunted. “So now that we know the situation, we can leave this city.”

Ever huffed crossing her arms, watching how Laxus and Freed went to tell others that they should leave. Now she was really worried what had happened, she had been against them going to see Lucados from the start.

Chester stepped out of the train with others and he looked around. He seemed confused and almost lost.

“Where are all the people?” he asked. There were hardly any people waiting for trains or stepping in!

“Magnolia is a smaller city than Crocus, baby”, Bickslow cackled. “So there’s less people here. But it’s still a pretty big place.”

“I like Magnolia better”, Felix said. “I did like tram cars, but Magnolia is still pretty cool place.”

“It is”, Freed smiled. “The atmosphere in Magnolia is a lot less busy than in Crocus.”

“Yet there’s still so much to see”, Ever assured.

“Yeah, and for first we’re going to show you your new guild”, Bickslow grinned ruffling Chester’s dark hair.

Following others, Chester kept looking around and he was surprised how different Magnolia was compared to Crocus. The town was big and there were people walking around all the time, but it was somehow different from Crocus.

“Feeling homesick already?” Roscoe chuckled.

“No”, Chester muttered with slight blush.

“You will soon get used to Magnolia”, Laxus assured. “This is a good town. And remember what Teina said, you can always go visit Crocus whenever you want, she will take care you have a place where to sleep.”

It had been a long time to wait for their train, listening Teina’s talking. Chester had merely nodded to everything she said and when they had stepped in their train, even when it departed they had seen Teina still talking.

It didn’t take much time for them to arrive at the Guild House of Fairy Tail. Chester looked at the big sign over the gate curiously and he was impressed by the big building. Well, truth to be told he did imagine it a little bit bigger, but it was still pretty impressive.

Laxus opened the huge doors and they stepped inside. They were really glad to notice that those who had been poisoned were up again and talking with others.

“Gramps!” Felix shouted happily, running to the small old man who laughed.

“Hello there, brat”, he smirked hugging his great-grandson. “Did you all have fun in Crocus? Was it a big city?”

“Yeah! It was enormous!” Felix said excitedly.

“It was that big?! What did you see in there?”

“We went to see the battle arena and we saw the palace up close! And we used tram cars! Did you know that they move because there are tiny vulcans inside them that use pedals?”

“You know what, son? I did not know that! Thank you for telling me”, Makarov laughed.

“Granny!” Felix smiled hugging Roxanne who giggled.

“It sounds like you liked your visit in Crocus, Sugarcube”, she smiled.

“Yup! We had so much fun. But... There were some scary stuff too that happened”, Felix said while others were approaching.

“Scary stuff?” Makarov asked and he looked at Laxus and others. “What kind of scary stuff?”

“We’ll tell you soon”, Laxus grunted.

Makarov nodded and he lifted his eyebrows when he saw a new face.

“Who’s this?” he asked curiously.

“This is Chester”, Bickslow grinned. “He came here to join Fairy Tail.”

At this point everyone stopped talking and all the eyes were shifted to look towards Chester, who suddenly felt really nervous. Were they unhappy because someone new was joining?

“New member means more fun for Fairy Tail!” Natsu suddenly beamed up happily and others cheered loudly. “And new battles!”

“He’s just a little kid, Natsu”, Gray reminded. “You can’t fight with him, you would kill him with your flaming burp.”

“What was that, Jish-Ahrna’s freezed turd?”

“You’re insulting Jish-Ahrna!” Bickslow cackled.

“That does it!” Gray snarled bolting right up and towards the seith mage, who slipped up in the air with his dolls.

Immediately there was a new fight and Chester blinked confused. Chairs were tossed, two tables broke down and someone was even thrown through the air at the other side of the Hall.

“It’s always like this here, you’ll get used to it”, Roscoe assured. “They’re good guys all of them.”

“Mira, go get the stamp”, Laxus said and then he looked at Chester. “You still have a chance to escape if you want”, he smirked.

“Well... I came this far already”, the little silver mage said.

“That’s true”, Freed smiled. “I’m sure you’re going to enjoy your life here.”

“So what kind of magic do you use, Ravenberry?” Roxanne asked curiously and Chester was confused.

“Madam Roxanne always gives nicknames for people”, Felix explained. “And that’s my great-grandfather Makarov Dreyar, he used to be Master here before dad took his place.”

“Oh”, Chester said. “I use silver magic”, he said and formed the little knives in his hands.

“I see”, Makarov said looking at those knives. “That’s really handy.”

“But you still have lots to learn”, Roxanne said and surprisingly fast she swished her old cane, snapping one of the knives half just like that and it startled Chester. “You have to train your magic more, these knives can make ugly injures, but anyone could destroy them even with a cane like this as you can see. And you’re playing with pretty dangerous toys anyway, do you know how to use them, Ravenberry?”

“Of course”, Chester said suddenly annoyed. How did that old woman cut his knives like that? With just plain wooden cane? “I know how to take care of myself.”

“You got some guts, I like it”, Roxanne cackled.

“What else can you do with your magic?” Makarov asked.

“Well... That’s actually all I can do right now...” Chester confessed and Felix was surprised. He had thought Chester was really good with his magic!

“You better concentrate on training for now”, Freed suggested. “Before you start doing missions. You have to learn how to properly defend yourself and you need to strengthen your magic so your knives won’t fail you when you need them.”

Mirajane brought the stamp and raised it, smiling to the dark blue haired boy.

“Where would you want it and in what colour?” she asked.

“Uhm... Make it silver and put it here”, Chester said after thinking for a while and he pointed at his arm, between his wrist and elbow.

“Alright”, Mirajane smiled and she stamped the Fairy Tail insignia on the pale skin.

Chester looked at the silver mark and he felt odd. He was happy, yet still he could hardly believe this. He really had a guild mark.

“That’s awesome!” Felix smiled. “You’re so lucky, I want to have my mark soon too! But only those who know magic can join mage guild...”

“You’ll learn it”, Freed assured. “Don’t you worry.”

“Let’s have a party for our newest member!” Natsu howled.

“like people here really need a reason to have a party”, Laxus huffed. “I can see others are doing better, what did Porlyusica say?” he asked from Makarov and Roxanne.

“They can’t yet go out to fight, but they are doing much better as you can see”, Makarov smiled looking how others surrounded Chester, introducing themselves and asking things from him.

“Is it really okay to let them party, we all know how things tend to end up”, Freed said.

“Let them have their fun, Sugar”, Roxanne giggled. “They’re strong kids all of them, this will cheer them up.”

“I guess”, Freed sighed.

“Where did you find Chester?” Makarov asked taking a beer from Lisanna, who was serving them around the Hall.

“From Crocus, he’s an orphan and just drifted around the city”, Laxus said taking one as well. “Thanks, Lisanna.”

“You’re welcome”, Lisanna smiled happily and gave Freed a glass of wine he liked. “Was it his wish to join or did you suggest it for him?”

“It was Teina who brought it up”, Freed explained. “The one who took off the collars from us. But I think Chester is really happy that he could join. Now he has a place he can call home”, he smiled looking how Felix showed the Hall for Chester. “And I’m really happy they finally get along with Felix”, he chuckled.

“At first Felix didn’t really like him”, Laxus said. “But now it looks like they will become good friends.”

“That’s good”, Makarov smiled. “Friends are always a treasure.”

“Aren’t you such a romantic, Raisin”, Roxanne cackled and Makarov pouted looking at her.

“We also found out some information”, Laxus said and now he frowned. “And we should discuss about it.”

“I see”, Makarov said and he stood up on the counter. “We should use the office then”, he said hopping down.

Makarov, Roxanne, Roscoe, Laxus and the Thunder Legion all stepped inside the office and they sat down where they could. Mirajane was taking care of Felix and Chester so they had time to focus on this.

After everyone was listening, Laxus and Freed explained what had happened in the prison. Makarov frowned when he heard about Ivan.

“I can’t believe there was actually something good at meeting him”, he grunted.

“That’s some seriously scary shit”, Bickslow whistled and his ‘babies’ moved like nodding. “If Ivan was telling the truth, dad’s insane alright.”

Freed looked at Laxus. He had left out the part where Ivan mentioned Katya. If Laxus didn’t want to talk about it in front of others, then he wouldn’t say anything either. But he could only hope that Laxus wouldn’t let it bother him too much.

“Okay, so now we know what Yuidose is plotting”, Roscoe said. “What are we going to do next? Find him and make sure he can’t carry out his plans?”

“Don’t rush things, son”, Roxanne scolded. “Right now we can’t do a thing. We don’t even know where they are. And we don’t know about that magic of his what all he can do.”

“The book”, Ever suddenly said and they looked at her. “Yuidose wants that book, right? There must be something he needs so he can resurrect someone. Using just his, Bicks’ and Roscoe’s magic isn’t obviously enough.”

“But we can’t understand it”, Bickslow huffed crossing his arms. “How can it give us any information?”

“If Yuidose uses netherworld magic and it comes from another dimension... Then that writing must be from there too”, Freed supposed. “It would explain why we can’t read it. But the spells it has to defend it are definitely from this world.”

“That’s not helping us, baby.”

“Actually it does. Now I know I don’t need to use my time to try and find out old languages or similar. I have to pass rest of those spells and see what will happen after that.”

“You just have to be really careful”, Laxus said looking at his green haired mate. “We can’t know what all there is. You shouldn’t study it alone.”

“I can stay with him”, Ever smiled.

“Good.”

Roscoe frowned thinking about all this. He could hardly believe that the man he should call father was a man like that. Yuidose sounded like a total madman.

“I can’t believe he would use his magic for something like this...” he growled and Bickslow looked at him.

“There are people who only think about money”, the seith mage said. “Well, if you think about it, it is really sickening that he obviously will make his customers pay loads of money so they can see their loved ones, but at least they can see them, right? I mean, maybe it’s not all too bad.”

“But can we really trust that is all he has in mind?” Freed asked.

“I agree”, Makarov huffed, sitting on the desk. “If Yuidose is ready to go that far, it’s hard to believe he will only resurrect people so he can get money from their relatives.”

“What else could he do?” Bickslow asked confused.

“Think about it”, the former Master said. “Let’s assume he can resurrect any human he wants. There are thousands of mages in the history who are well known because of their magic. There are people who know secrets. For Yuidose, you only need to tell him who you want to resurrect and pay enough money and he will do that.”

“Yeah, we know that much already.”

“What about then nations who want to resurrect powerful mages who could teach others to have their powers?” Makarov grunted and they all flinched. “Think about all the dragon slayers Yuidose could resurrect so they could teach their power to others. Think about all those mages who can use magic that is long lost nowadays.”

They all went silent, thinking what would happen.

“That’s... Shit”, Roscoe growled. “Even Fiore would pay him insane sums of money so they could get him to give them some mages.”

“I don’t like thinking that way, but you’re probably right”, Freed huffed.

“And the other nations too”, Roxanne sighed. “At worst case, this might even lead us to a new war. And Yuidose is the only one who will benefit from it since everyone is fighting over and paying him so he would give them more powerful teachers so they can have more powerful soldiers to fight. And not just nations, there are lots of people who would pay whatever to learn magic that has been long forgotten already.”

“We have to do whatever we can and make sure Yuidose won’t find that book or get his hands on Bickslow and Roscoe”, Laxus said, his orange eyes burning with anger and few sparks emmitted from his blond hair. “Right now, our guild might be the only thing that can prevent that war from happening.”

Chapter Text

Felix sat down at the table with Chester and Mirajane brough some lemonade for both of them with cake.

“Isn’t this a great place?” Felix smiled.

“Well, yeah”, Chester had to agree looking around. It was again calm in the Hall and everyone was talking with each other or doing their own things and stuff. “I have never been in a place like this where there’s only mages around so it’s kinda cool.”

“Yeah! Hey, we could train together, right? I’ve been thinking it a lot that I should start training too, because how else am I going to learn magic?”

“But how are you going to defend against me if you can’t use magic at all?”

“Um... Well, I just have to get stronger! I could learn how to use a sword!” Felix said excitedly. “Like mama. I guess there has to be some kind of a sword even I can use, right?”

“You might just end up hurting yourself”, they heard a new voice snickering.

Felix and Chester turned to look at the girl who had approached their table without them noticing it. She had a long, black fluffy hair she was holding up with a bandana that had little flowers in it. She stepped closer looking at Chester curiously with his strikingly red eyes.

“So you’re the new boy?” she asked with a smile. “Chester, wasn’t it?”

“Uh... Yeah”, Chester said a bit confused.

“My name’s Vellanja! Vellanja Redfox, nice to meet you”, Vellanja smirked and she just sat down with them at the table.

“Oh... Nice to meet you.”

“I thought you weren’t here at the Guild”, Felix said a little bit surprised.

“Stuuupid! I’m here every day of course”, Vellanja huffed crossing her arms. “Dad can’t leave the Guild House before Porlyusica is absolutely sure there’s no more danger so we come here every day with mom to see how he’s doing!”

“How is he doing?”

“Of course he’s doing good! Dad is strong so nothing can hold him down!”

“I’m happy he’s doing better”, Felix smiled. Vellanja was loud, very straightforward with what she said and he had to admit it, she was also quite strong for a four year old girl. But even though Vellanja might sometimes be a little bit rude, she was also really caring and she never turned her back on her friends. Felix was secretly admiring how courageous she was! She wasn’t at all scared to fight back if someone started to bully them!

Vellanja smiled widely.

“So, I heard you two want to start training?” she asked. “I want to come too!”

Now Felix flinched a little bit. Vellanja would join them? Not that it was a bad idea, but somehow... He would have liked better if they could have trained with Chester alone. After all, they were already friends with Chester, Vellanja just appeared out of nowhere and invited herself to their doings just like that!

Chester looked at Felix and Vellanja.

“I don’t really mind”, he said. “But is it okay with Felix?”

“I... Umm...” Felix muttered slightly blushing.

“What?” Vellanja said now confused. “Are you saying I’m not good enough to come play with you boys?” she asked her eyes narrowing dangerously.

“No”, Felix said quickly. “Just... I mean... Sure, of course you can come”, he finally gave in and Vellanja grinned.

“Good! Chester, how did you learn magic? Can you teach us?”

“Me? I don’t know, I’ve always used it”, the little silver mage said. “I don’t know how to explain it, it comes naturally like talking or walking and stuff.”

“That’s not really helping us, you’re useless”, Vellanja huffed. “We should ask someone adult to help us.”

“I’m sure mama knows how we could learn magic”, Felix smiled.

“Freed will talk too long, we would get bored. Let’s ask mom instead! She knows tons of neat stuff!”

“Mama’s not boring!” Felix yelled almost instantly. “He knows lots of stuff too!”

“But mom’s way more smarter than he is!”

Chester looked from face to face, not sure what was going on anymore but it was obvious there was going to be a fight. He looked around, seeing others laughing when they were looking how Felix and Vellanja bickered on each other and the laughing only got harder when finally there was a fight.

“One hundred jewels for Vellanja!” Droy yelled.

“One hundred for Felix!” Jet shouted and others cheered.

“Cut that out.”

Chester jolted when suddenly red haired mage with an armor and a blue skirt stepped up, lifting both Felix and Vellanja up.

“And what is this quarrel about?” she asked.

“Erza!” Felix gasped noticing her and Vellanja flinched.

“They were just having a little spat, Erza”, Macao laughed from the other table. “Let them be.”

“We don’t need yet another pair in this Guild that will destroy everything at least twice a day”, Erza said and she let both kids down on their feet. “Do you understand?” she asked looking at them.

“We’re sorry, Erza”, Felix and Vellanja both said looking at the floor.

“Good. What were you fighting about anyway?”

“We were arguing which one is smarter, Freed or mom”, Vellanja said.

“There’s no reason to argue over something like that. We are all smart in our own ways. Well... Most of us...” Erza muttered crossing her arms. “Why were you arguing because of something like that?”

“We just want someone to teach us magic”, Frelix explained frustratedly. “So we can all train together and become stronger! We want to become mages already with Vellanja!”

“Learning magic is not easy, you’re still too young.”

“But Chester knows how to use magic.”

“People learn how to use magic on their own pace. Someone might learn it really early, someone might learn it much later.”

“Erza is a strong wizard!” Vellanja smiled, ignoring everything Erza said just like that. “Can you teach us? Tell us how to learn magic!”

“That is something that won’t happen just like that, I’m afraid”, Erza apologized, yet she was obviously a little bit flattered because what Vellanja said. “It takes some time before you can learn it and it’s different depending what kind of magic it is you can use. And even if you would learn magic suddenly, it takes years before -”

“Can’t you teach us even just a little bit?” Felix pleaded with big eyes, Vellanja following his example and Erza sighed.

“I’m not sure if I’m the most suitable person to teach something like that”, she said. The puppy eyes. There should be a law against the puppy eyes.

“But tell us at least something! You can have the rest of our cake.”

“I’m happy to guide you as much as I possibly can”, Erza said already sitting down and she took the plate. “But before you really start training or anything like that, I have to demand that you will talk with your parents. Learning magic is a serious thing.”

“We promise”, Felix and Vellanja both smiled happily.

Freed looked how Laxus stepped out of the office with others, Makarov following them.

“Makarov”, he said with a low voice, hoping he would not make others notice. “May I speak with you, without others?”

“Hm?” Makarov said confused yet alarmed. He looked how others disappeared behind the corner and they were left alone in the hallway. “Let me guess. It has something to do with Ivan?” the old man asked and Freed nodded.

“I’m afraid so”, he said.

“I see... Alright, it must be something really important.”

They opened a door to another room and closed it behind them. Makarov hopped up on the chair and Freed sat down on the other chair.

“So what is making you worry?” the former master asked. “Did Ivan say something more?”

“Yes”, Freed nodded and he did feel guilty because he was about to tell Makarov something Laxus obviously didn’t want to tell him. But someone had to do it and Laxus was not going to do it so was there really any choice? “Ivan mentioned a woman called Katya.”

Makarov’s eyes widened, but then he let out a long and tired sigh.

“It was only a matter of time”, he muttered shaking his head. “Only a matter of time...”

“So you do know her? Ivan did not give us straight answers, but I have a really strong suspicion that she in fact is -”

“Laxus’ mother? Yeah, that’s true”, Makarov nodded and Freed’s stomach almost jumped. So it was true?

“And then... Ivan told a little bit about how things had actually gone, about the dragon lacrima and whose idea it originally was”, the rune mage continued, looking at the white bearded old man.

“That is true too”, Makarov nodded. “It wasn’t Ivan’s idea, but Katya’s. She had been studying about dragon lacrima’s long before they met with Ivan.”

“So was she part of Fairy Tail as well?”

“For a while, yes, even though I always felt a little bit alarmed around her. It was just one of those feelings you can’t explain perfectly... But she was getting obsessed with dragons and especially dragon lacrimas. She never revealed anything about her researches to anyone other than Ivan. Together they started to dig up more information, they travelled a lot and little by little, she changed Ivan.”

“Changed?” Freed asked now utterly confused.

“Ivan always had some traits I’m not proud of, but he wasn’t still a bad person. Just a little bit wild and he is a smart man.”

“I have to admit that much, though I don’t like it”, Freed muttered annoyed.

“Katya was different. She was smart, but also cunning and she only followed her own interests. If you weren’t interesting enough, you meant nothing for her. Now I know you wonder how on earth I would let someone like that to enter Fairy Tail, but it’s because she’s charming. She can talk you to trust her, she digs up things she can later use against you, things like that.”

“It sounds like she’s a narcissist.”

“Could be. Anyway, with all that time they spent together, it did not have a good influence towards Ivan. He took a lot of same traits, he got obsessed with power and might. He started to crave it and he did not care anymore those things he still used to care at some point. I’m not saying it was an extreme change in his behaviour, but nonetheless it was still a change.”

“I’m really sorry to hear that, Makarov”, Freed said. “It must have been a harsh moment to learn how Ivan wasn’t anymore the same person you had known...”

“It was”, Makarov sighed leaning against the back of his seat. “And for one horrible moment I actually feared that maybe it would happen for Laxus as well... I am so, so deeply glad it didn’t happen. It was all thanks to Fairy Tail, his friends and family and of course he himself that he knew how to choose right.”

“Laxus is a good man”, Freed smiled. “Has always been. We all sometimes have moments when we lose ourselves, but with help and accepting ourselves, we can find our way back.”

“You are such a good man, Freed”, Makarov said looking at the green haired man. “I’m so happy that you, Bickslow and Evergreen stayed with him even in his darkest moments.”

“You shouldn’t thank us”, Freed said. “It is true that I wanted to follow Laxus no matter what would happen. I was ready to do horrible things, ignoring how I really felt and I just shut my feelings deep inside me... But we weren’t trying to help Laxus. We let him do as he wanted, we even added the fuel and were cocky and cruel. For this day I still can’t simply understand how Laxus managed to convince you to let us stay in Fairy Tail.”

“Because I knew you weren’t bad brats”, Makarov smiled. “I’ve known you all for a long time already. And if I had expelled you three as well you would have followed Laxus, when actually you all needed some time apart from him. Laxus especially needed to learn how lonely it would be without his family. So he would learn to treasure it once he would finally have it back.”

“So you really were planning to let him back in Fairy Tail?”

“Of course. But if it hadn’t been Gildarts, I would have waited for at least a whole year before letting him back in but only if he would have came back himself and ask for it. He needed to learn to be a little bit humble. He knew we are his family and we would always look after him and wait for him to return, but he had to ask it himself.”

“I believe I understand what you mean”, Freed smiled.

He frowned.

“Ivan obviously did not learn anything like that”, he said and Makarov nodded.

“One time they returned and when they did, they showed us the dragon lacrima they had found”, the old man explained. “It wasn’t the same Laxus has. I have actually no idea what dragon lacrima it was, but to get it, Katya had done some horrible things.”

“So you expelled her?”

“I would have, but that wasn’t all we learned. At that time she was already pregnant”, Makarov said and Freed huffed.

“You of course didn’t want the child to be born somewhere else”, he could guess and Makarov nodded. “No one can blame you.”

“I know I used my power as a Master wrongly that time... Katya had even killed people, yet I decided to close my eyes and ignore that fact.”

“Please don’t feel bad, Makarov”, Freed said. “Everything has turned fine and now we have Laxus here.”

“But we could have also saved ourselves from so many suffers.”

“But it wouldn’t have helped Laxus”, Freed reminded and Makarov blinked.

“That’s true”, he agreed.

“After great amount of pain and suffer, it feels like a new life has been granted once the darkness goes away”, Freed said. “Laxus is here, he’s a great Master for Fairy Tail. My life couldn’t be happier and we have an amazing son, your great-grandson. Everyone is enjoying their time here. Maybe some things would not have happened if you hadn’t ignored what Katya had done, but then also these all amazing things hadn’t happened as well.”

“I understand what you mean”, Makarov chuckled finally. “It’s useless to try and think how things might have been. No matter if we could change the past, we would still both win and lose something.”

“Yes. Let’s stop this pointless pondering how things might have been.”

“You’re right. Let’s concentrate on how we can make sure the future will be peaceful”, Makarov said. “And actually, it was Katya who left us after Laxus had been born”, he said and Freed was surprised. “She took her researches and the dragon lacrima with her, but he left Laxus with Ivan. I can’t say I’m sorry about that. I was greatly relieved that she left and Laxus was still here.”

“I can understand”, Freed nodded. “What about Ivan then?”

“Well... I wanted to give him a chance, we all make mistakes after all. He was furious of Katya’s betrayal and he started his own researches. He wasn’t that obsessed with dragon lacrimas, but he knew their power. And power was what he wanted. For some way he really managed to find another dragon lacrima, the one Laxus has. I actually believe he meant to use it on himself, but then he ended up using it on Laxus instead.”

“Maybe he got scared”, Freed frowned. “After all, if he or Katya had never actually seen how the lacrima might affect humans, it’s easy to guess that they would need a... Guinea pig first”, he said and shivered for a mere thought. Laxus being nothing but a mere test subject for both of his parents. It was horrible.

The rune mage sighed.

“After observing how Laxus would react with the lacrima, how he would learn to use it, maybe he might finally use one on himself as well. Or even worse, he might take back what he had already planted inside Laxus...” he said.

“It’s hard to believe that even Ivan would go that far”, Makarov huffed. “But then again... It’s Ivan, so we can’t really know where his limits are.”

Silence landed in the room as they thought all of this. Freed knew he had to talk with Laxus about this soon. As soon as possible.

“Would you mind taking care of Felix for a while?” Freed asked as he stood up and Makarov hopped down from his seat.

“You don’t even need to ask”, the old man chuckled. “For how long?”

“At least until tomorrow”, Freed said. “We have so much we have to talk with Laxus. I know he doesn’t want to talk about this, but we simply have to”, he said opening the door and was almost scared to death because of the statistic air that made his green hair all fluffy.

Laxus was leaning against the wall, his orange eyes sparking because of anger. He glared right towards his mate who froze to his spot immediately.

“What the fuck you think you’re doing?” Laxus growled.

“Laxus, calm down”, Freed said quickly. “This is not how I meant for you to hear everything -”

“This is none of your goddamn business!” the lightning dragon slayer roared, making Freed jolt. “Try to poke this topic even a little bit more and I will sure as hell roast you with my lightning”, Laxus warned.

“Laxus -” Freed said worried, but the blond man just turned around.

“Fuck this shit, I’m going to get drunk”, he snarled and stomped away.

Freed took a step, when Makarov suddenly grabbed his wrist and stopped him.

“Let him cool down”, he said. “That’s for the best. This all must be really harsh for him to handle right now.”

Freed sighed but he nodded.

“And when he gets confused, he always answers to it by getting angry”, he sighed. But he also did understand why Laxus was angry. He had every right to be angry at him.

“Yes. Let him cool down a little bit, then try to talk with him. I will take care of Felix so don’t you worry, Freed. You just concentrate on Laxus.”

“I will. Thank you, Makarov”, Freed said with a small smile and he heard how doors were opened with loud bangs.

They stepped at the top of the stairs, seeing how others looked scared and they were staring at the big doors. Laxus had obviously left the Guild Hall.

“I just hope he stays in Magnolia”, Freed muttered worried.

Chapter Text

The night was dark and the sky was filled with dark clouds, but it wasn’t raining. At least for now. On an empty street there was only one person walking by, a street lamp’s light occassionally revealing the green colour of his hair as he walked past them.

Freed stopped as he arrived at an intersection, looked around and finally he turned left, walking along the new street. He didn’t hurry as he knew there was no need for it. He walked over an another bridge, stopped again and followed the canal before turning into a new street. Now he was walking more confidently, as he was almost certain he was feeling Laxus’ presence so he was somewhere around here.

He couldn’t really explain it how he knew it. It was... A hunch. An instinct. Something like that. He rarely needed to rely on it so he wasn’t really used to listen to it, but at situations like these it really was helpful. They were soulmates after all and just like Laxus was able to find him, he was able to do that same when he just followed his instincts.

And truth to be told, Freed wasn’t really good at just purely following his instincts, leaving all the rational and logical thinking out. But he was pretty sure he would find Laxus. He had a feeling where to go so he just followed that feeling.

He stopped once again and glanced around. Laxus said he would go to drink and if his instincts were right and the lightning dragon slayer was still in Magnolia, he just needed to find a pub from the area where his feelings of Laxus’ presence was strongest. At this area, there were only three places and one of them wasn’t really Laxus’ style, so that left two pubs to investigate.

Freed already had a pretty good picture which one of those places were the one where Laxus currently was. He took a new turn, walked along the street and finally stopped in front of the door. Just before soft drips were starting to fill the street and he stepped inside the old building.

It wasn’t a big place, nor it was really special in any way. Just an ordinary bar where people could hang out, talk to each other, drink their worries away or drink until there was nothing more but worries in their mind. Only few guests were remaining, one of them just gazing somewhere far and two were talking with each other. They all completely ignoring the person who had stepped inside.

Freed huffed when he saw the last person and really, for one to not notice Laxus instantly when stepping in would be impossible.

Laxus was leaning against the table, still holding a stein with his other hand and there was only few drops left. It seemed like there was also a bottle of whiskey that was empty. So now Laxus was either so drunk that the owner didn’t want to sell him any drinks anymore, or he was sleeping.

The rune mage stepped beside his Thunder God, gently touching his shoulder.

“Laxus”, he said. “Come on, let’s go home. You’ve had enough.”

“The fuck I’ve had enough...” Laxus growled, but he sounded more groggy than intimidating.

“The owner will throw you out soon”, Freed said looking at the counter where the owner had noticed him to approach Laxus. And he could see how relieved the small man was that someone appeared to get Laxus so he wouldn’t need to be the one to try and get rid of the big, now also drunk mage.

“Like hell he will... I could use him as a toothpick...”

“Well, at least he won’t sell you anything”, Freed said. “So there’s no reason for you to loiter around, you can’t sleep here either.”

For a while there was a silence, until Laxus shifted a little bit under his dark coat he had over his shoulders.

“Is Felix home alone?” he asked and Freed was happy to notice Laxus at least recognised who he was talking with and he was sober enough to be worried about his son being alone.

“No, he and Chester went to sleep over at Makarov’s place”, Freed said and he took away the stein, glad that Laxus wasn’t trying to stop him. “He was excited as always to spend a night at his great-grandfather’s house and Makarov even promised they could make a fort out of sheets with Chester”, he smiled and heard a little grumbling chuckle.

“We used to do that with Gramps too once...” Laxus muttered.

“I’m sure Makarov is more than happy to help them to build that fort”, Freed smiled. “Come on, it’s long past midnight already.”

With great efforts Laxus managed to straighten himself on his seat, but he seemed like he was ready to collapse at any second. Freed sighed and he pulled one of the strong arms around his neck.

“Up we go”, he said and helped Laxus to stand up. “Is everything paid?” the rune mage asked looking at the owner.

“Just get him out, that’s fine”, he said while cleaning the counter. “I don’t need to stay here the whole night or pay someone else to move him because I can’t move that giant by myself”, he smirked and Freed chuckled.

“I will visit here later and pay whatever is left”, he promised and they stepped outside the pub.

“He said there’s nothing left to pay”, Laxus grunted, trying to straighten himself at least a little bit but still he was mostly leaning against his mate who kept him on his feet.

“Laxus, you know that will not do.”

“Man, you’re too dutiful sometimes...”

“Yes I am and I’m not going to feel bad about it”, Freed said and he drew some runes in the air, creating a small dome over them like an umbrella to cover them from rain. “Now let’s just get you home, I will make you something to eat and then you can sleep.”

“Yeah... Guess so...” Laxus murmured, following Freed the best he could.

The fresh air sobered up Laxus just enough that he could at least walk again, even though he was still leaning against Freed somewhat when they arrived at their house. Freed opened the door and Laxus just kicked his shoes off and shoved his coat somewhere towards the rack.

Freed sighed taking his boots off and assembled them better with Laxus’ shoes and then he hung his own coat on the rack as well.

“What do you want to eat?” he asked stepping in the kitchen as Laxus slumped on the couch in the living room.

“Don’t care, whatever you do”, he grunted.

“Alright”, Freed nodded and he started to make something easy to eat. Laxus was still drunk enough so he probably wouldn’t care was it something simple.

So he roasted some bacon, toasted few pieces of bread, added some salad, cheese and just a little bit mayonnaise. Finally he placed the sandwiches on a plate and stepped in the living room.

“There you go, I will fetch you some water”, he said giving the plate for Laxus.

“Thanks...” he grumbled.

While Laxus was eating Freed placed his sword in the cabinet he locked with runes and cleaned the kitchen. While he was still washing the dishes he heard how Laxus climbed up the stairs. Well, at least he was sober enough to go in the bed. Last time Laxus went to drink with Bickslow, they both had passed out at the living room floor. Felix had been quite confused why they had been sleeping there without blankets or pillows.

After making sure all the lights were out and everything was locked, Freed climbed up the stairs as well and stepped in their bedroom where a lamp on the nightstand was now giving them light. Laxus was sitting at the edge of the bed, leaning his head against his hands.

“Are you feeling sick?” the rune mage asked immediately stepping beside the lightning dragon slayer. “If you are, please -”

“I’m not”, Laxus grunted not lifting his head. “I’m still fucking pissed off.”

Freed sighed. He wasn’t surprised.

“I see”, he said.

“But... Well... I’m also sorry...”

That surprised the green haired man. He didn’t wait anything like that. Laxus just shook his head, still not lifting his gaze just looking at the floor.

“I’m mad, but I shouldn’t have threaten you like that”, he explained.

“Oh...”

“You know I really wouldn’t do something like that, Freed? I wouldn’t hurt you.”

“I know, Laxus”, Freed smiled touching the soft blond spiky hair gently. “I was surprised, but I knew you would never actually do something like that.”

“Yeah... But I’m still mad.”

“I know. And I really am sorry for talking with your grandfather about that matter before I talked with you. I just wasn’t sure if you would talk with him.”

“Well, now we’re not gonna find that out, are we?”

“You’re right. I’m sorry”, Freed said repentantly. “But I had to know and even though it is really hard for you, you needed to know those things as well.”

“It was none of your business to go and talk with Gramps about something like that”, Laxus said and now he lifted his gaze, glaring at Freed. “You had no right.”

“Quite the contrary, I think I did have the right to do that even though I do feel bad about it”, Freed said crossing his arms.

“Hey, there are some limits even though we are about to get married -”

“Not that way”, Freed said slightly raising his voice, making Laxus frown. “Like it or not, but I do have the right to know if there are people out there who might cause danger for Felix”, the rune mage explained. “What we heard from Ivan, Katya is possibly one of those people. I had to hear it for sure is she or is she not. The only person who we definitely can trust and who would know something about Katya is your grandfather so he is the only person who I could talk with about her. I want to be prepared so nothing would happen.”

“Like hell I would let anyone do something for Felix!” Laxus snarled annoyed. “I don’t care who they are but they won’t hurt my son!”

“He’s my son too, you know! You can’t intimidate me to stay aside on this matter, Laxus Dreyar! I have every damn right to find out more about the person who might some day try to hurt Felix because guess what, just like you I either don’t plan to let anything happen to him for as long as I live!”

“I thought it was me who was supposed to be angry”, Laxus growled.

“You made me angry, deal with it. Felix might be a Dreyar by name, but he’s just as much Justine as well! You are not his only parent! I’m honestly really sorry that I had to hurt your feelings, but once you really think it through, you understand it was the right thing to do. It’s better to know these things as soon as possible so we can prepare.”

Freed huffed calming himself down and he pinched the bridge of his nose.

“You have to remember that when it comes to Felix, there is no you or me but us. It’s not “I will make sure nothing bad happens to him”, but “we will make sure nothing bad happens to him”. I know you’re the Master of Fairy Tail and you’re more powerful than I am, but by god I can assure you I’m ready to protect our son just as much as you are.”

Silence landed in the bedroom. Freed looked at Laxus and he was glad to notice how Laxus was actually trying to make his drunken mind to work a little bit. He knew it was wrong of him to shout like that, but he had learned it a long time ago that sometimes it was necessary so he could make Laxus actually realise what the situation was.

Laxus lowered his gaze, still not saying anything and he just looked at Freed who narrowed his eyes.

“Where do you think you’re staring at, mister?” he snapped. They didn’t fight much like this, but when they did it sometimes seemed to turn Laxus on.

Laxus reached out his hand and grabbed Freed’s belt loop with his finger, pulling him closer. The rune mage wasn’t really in a mood for something to happen, but he didn’t fight back when he was pulled against Laxus. What did surprise him was a gentle hold when Laxus’ arms wrapped around his hip and legs, his cheek pressed against his stomach.

“Did you calm down?” he asked looking down at the mighty Thunder God.

“Yeah... More or less”, Laxus murmured finally. “I’m probably not gonna remember much about this tomorrow...”

“I could guess that.”

“But I’m not mad anymore. At least not that much... I know you’re right, I guess that’s what really angered me. I wouldn’t have had the courage to go hear all those things, you did it for me to make sure nothing would happen.”

“I’m always ready to do that if ever needed, Laxus”, Freed finally smiled. “It’s my job as your soulmate and as your fiancé. When you can’t fight, I will do it.”

Laxus chuckled.

“Yeah, I know, babe”, he said. “I love you.”

“I love you too”, Freed chuckled and he jolted a bit when a hand was suddenly groping his ass. “You know you’re too drunk.”

“I’m not.”

Freed sighed and he pulled out from Laxus’ embrace and looked at him.

“If you say so”, he said. “Then can you at least wait until I take a shower?”

“You have to?” Laxus asked disappointed.

“Yes, it won’t take long”, Freed assured kissing Laxus and he stepped in their own bathroom.

Five minutes passed and the door opened, Freed stepping out still wearing his clothes and he chuckled when leaning against the door frame.

Laxus was snoring loudly, lying on their bed in deep sleep and Freed was sure he wouldn’t wake up even if something exploded just beside his ear.

“Pretty much what I thought”, he smiled closing the door and finally started to change for night.

Laxus let out a long groan and shifted on the bed, trying to find a position that would magically make his huge hangover go away. Once again he wondered how there were so much different kinds of magic all around this world yet no one had yet invented alcohol that wouldn’t cause such a headache.

He moved a bit more, rustling the blankets but finally his mind came to a conclusion that he indeed was alone in the bed. So it was definitely morning since Freed was already up... Laxus grunted and finally he sat up opening his eyes, looking around in the room that was dim because of thick curtains that covered the window.

He yawned and stretched trying to remember what happened last night. Why did he get so wasted? He rarely did that anymore so there had to be a reason for it. After pondering a while and warming up his thoughts, Laxus froze when he started to remember.

Katya.

He instantly felt anger, forgetting his hangover for a moment. Why the hell Ivan had to mention that bitch? Now he had absolutely no fucking idea what he should think! He hated having to think about things like these in the first place so this was like a nightmare he couldn’t shake off!

Laxus grunted ruffling his hair and tried to remember more. He had sat in the bar, but he wasn’t sure for how long. How did he get back home? Oh yeah... Freed had appeared to bring him back... Funny, he vividly remembered being really mad at his mate because he went to talk with Makarov behind his back, but somehow he wasn’t that mad anymore.

So what else happened? He had no memories of how they got back home or even how he got in to the bedroom. Yet he still had a really strong feeling that they did talk with Freed last night if it wasn’t just a dream. What did they talk about?

Laxus got almost startled when suddenly the door opened softly and he looked at Freed.

“So you’re awake”, he said sounding so goddamn smug.

“What happened last night?” Laxus asked before he would get angry again because of that stupid smirk over the rune mage’s face.

“Let’s see... I don’t know what happened at the pub, but when I got there you were already wasted like a joke that no one can understand”, Freed huffed stepping in the room and he gave a glass of juice for Laxus who took it with thanks. “We got home, I made you something to eat and we exchanged few words after that.”

“I knew we talked something, I wasn’t just dreaming”, Laxus murmured.

“It was more like a fight than just mere talking.”

“Oh. Should have seen that happen if I was that shitfaced. You should have just left me there in the pub.”

“You know I can’t do that, Laxus”, Freed smiled looking at his Thunder God. “You have to remember something since you’re not that mad anymore.”

“Throw me a clue, maybe I start to remember”, Laxus insisted and Freed nodded.

“We were talking how Katya might be a threat to Felix”, the green haired mage said and finally Laxus started to remember.

They were only parts from here and there, but he did remember the main part. The reason he wasn’t angry for Freed anymore was because he knew he did it so they could keep Felix safe. And because he knew Laxus wouldn’t ask anything about Katya from Makarov.

Freed looked towards Laxus taking the empty glass and put it on the table, waiting until Laxus could process everything he could remember.

“Sorry for getting so angry, even though you were only trying to help”, the lightning dragon slayer finally murmured. “I know why you didn’t talk with me about going to talk with Makarov together. I would have just gotten angry anyway and refused to talk with him.”

“We don’t need to worry about that anymore. At least we know something now. You take your time and think all this.”

“Yeah... Hey, so we had a fight?”

“Yes.”

“How did it end? The usual way?”

“Well...”

“Damn, now I’m pissed since I can’t remember that part”, Laxus grumbled.

“There’s no way you could remember it. You fell asleep.”

Laxus blinked and looked at Freed, who kept a perfect poker face while looking back.

“Oh shit...” Laxus groaned his head drooping. “Tell me I didn’t at least fall asleep in the middle of -”

“No you didn’t”, Freed laughed amused. “I knew you would fall asleep right away when your head would touch a pillow, so it’s perfectly fine.”

Laxus grunted and he stood up, taking off his shirt that reeked alcohol.

“I need a shower”, he said.

“Yes you do. And after you’re done, there’s fresh coffee in the kitchen and I just made some lunch.”

“It’s already noon?”

“Honeycomb, it’s two o’clock.”

“Shut up”, Laxus growled stomping in the bathroom.

“It’s your punishment, you yourself agreed to it”, Freed smirked. “You get yourself that wasted and I’m allowed to call you Honeycomb for the next day.”

“Why did I ever agree to that”, Laxus sighed closing the door.

Freed chuckled and he stepped in the hallway. He should probably call Makarov and find out if everything was fine with Felix and Chester. Makarov wasn’t that young anymore so Freed was hoping they wouldn’t wear him out with their energy.

Once Laxus came out from the shower and was wearing again something, they sat in the table and started eating. Having some food and fresh coffee made Laxus feel a bit better, even though he was still tired.

“Thanks”, he said when Freed started to clean the table. “It was good.”

“I’m glad you liked it”, Freed said. “What do you want to do now? I have already informed Erza that you might not come to the Guild today so she will take care of things. And it sounded that Felix and Chester were playing with Vellanja, Makarov said he would take them to the park.”

“Huh? So the house is ours, Gramps is keeping Felix busy and there’s no work to do?” Laxus said and he smirked. “Then we should do our best to really enjoy this rare moment”, he purred wrapping his arms around Freed who was cleaning the dishes.

“We don’t know when they might come home, though”, the rune mage chuckled.

“So put some runes on the door so they can’t surprise us.”

Freed smiled and nodded, writing some runes in the air. They flashed and disappeared, but the house was now guarded just in case if Felix and Chester might come back earlier.

“Nice”, Laxus grinned and he licked the mark on Freed’s neck, making the green haired mage shiver. “Let’s go, right now.”

Freed nodded leaving rest of the dishes to wait and followed after his Thunder God to the stairs.

Chapter Text

The bedroom door opened with loud bang as Laxus and Freed barged in kissing, panting and getting rid of their clothes. This really was something extremely rare for them to be able to have sex in the middle of a day with no rush anywhere. They could enjoy each other’s company, cuddle and just relax on the bed.

But right now they were in a hurry as both of them were really excited of this opportunity. Since Felix was so small and there was always danger that he might surprise them, they could have sex hardly once a week. Mostly thanks to Makarov who would take Felix to sleep over in his house f rom time to time. It was of course really fun for Felix, but even more fun for Laxus and Freed and obviously that was the reason why Makarov asked Felix to come over sometimes. God bless that tiny old man!

The bed shook with a loud creak as Laxus was slammed down by Freed. The lightning dragon slayer smirked looking at his mate who clim b ed over him and he brushed his green hair gently, pulling out the ribbon that was used to tie the hair down.

“You’re quite bossy today, aren’t you?” Laxus chuckled.

“I do like it sometimes”, Freed smirked. “But I don’t want to push you too much today, you have a hangover after all so I’ll be bottoming.”

“I like it better this way anyway”, Laxus laughed. “And I know you like it this way too.”

“Might be”, Freed chuckled mischievously.

He crawled lower, pulling down Laxus’ boxers he was still wearing. He smiled, admiring the big member that was already half erect. He touched it g ently with his long fingers, giving it a kiss and a lick.

Laxus smirked looking at Freed. For a moment ago they were ready to do it even at the hallway, and yet Freed still took his time to properly warm him up.

“Hey, get your ass over here, Justine.”

Freed looked at Laxus with his turquoise eyes amused. He shifted, taking off his pants and moved to straddle over Laxus’ face. The lightning dragon slayer smirked and reached his hand to grab a bottle from the night stand. He covered his fingers with the slippery liquid, licking the lenght that was just above his face making the rune mage shiver.

Freed smirked stroking Laxus’ member. He could make the mighty Thunder God shiver as well with pleasure. He opened his mouth and took the big cock in his mouth, giving it a few sucks and he felt how Laxus shuddered. Good. Freed felt a finger touching him, slipping inside and he slightly cringed. It didn’t hurt, but it had definitely been awhile since their last time.

Laxus chuckled grabbing the dick that was now hard and as he moved his finger he stroked Freed at the same time. He was really satisfyed as he heard a soft moan and it felt extremely good since Freed was still sucking him. Soon he could add another finger, forcing his mate to open up for him more.

Freed moved his head and he used his tongue, tasting pre-cum already. They were both excited enough, they probably wouldn’t last long but since they had time and peace, they could have sex as much as they wanted.

For a little while they entertained each other like that, until Freed had to let go and his body was trembling because of the pleasure.

“Laxus, that’s enough”, he said getting up.

“Are you sure?” Laxus frowned looking at Freed who turned around to face him. He had added third finger only moments ago and even if Freed was good at relaxing himself so he could enter, it might still be better to continue a little while.

But when he saw that lustful smirk over Freed’s face, he knew there was no point to try and convince him to wait.

“Guess there’s no way to make you wait, you horny little bitch”, Laxus grinned.

“You’re right”, Freed smiled as he positioned himself over Laxus.

He gently stroked the hard cock under him making sure there were lube everywhere and then he quided it with his fingers, slowly lowering his hips and he moaned when Laxus was entering him. It felt so good. He always loved this feeling.

Laxus smirked and he didn’t move his eyes even for a second when looking at his mate who slowly lowered himself, making Laxus invade his body deeper and deeper . He pulled his knees up to support Freed and he grunted from pleasure when the rune mage kept getting lower until he was all in.

This was absolutely their favourite position, as Laxus could get so much deeper and he loved watching how Freed moved. Freed loved it how in this position he had all the power and he could decide the ir pace. Laxus had to admit it, he didn’t really like letting Freed do all the work like this but sometimes it was nice. He could watch Freed all he wanted.

Slowly Freed lifted himself up, before going back down again.

“You okay?” Laxus asked, just to make sure.

“Yes, don’t worry”, Freed chuckled. He knew how much Laxus liked to watch him so he wanted to show exactly how much he enjoyed doing this with his Thunder God. He knew there was no need to act, Laxus would only get annoyed if he even tried. He just didn’t need to hide anything and he could let himself enjoy as much as he wanted.

He shuddered as he went down.

“Feeling that good?” Laxus smirked. Oh yeah, he knew that face! In this position, it was easy to hit Freed’s good spot.

“Y-yes”, Freed nodded and his cheeks burned red already.

“Don’t stop now”, Laxus said giving a smack on Freed’s buttocks, making him yelp. “Start moving that ass.”

Freed muttered something but he started to move more and his back arched as Laxus hit so deep inside him. He took more support from the dragon slayer’s knees, as Laxus grabbed a hold of his hips.

They both panted hard and Laxus kept his orange eyes on Freed looking at his face, his body, how the green hair moved around as he moved his hips. It was amazing. Freed looked absolutely amazing, full of desire and increasing speed as he was craving to get more pleasure. Laxus grunted as his hips wanted to move on their own. H e needed more.

“L-Laxus”, Freed whined looking at his fiancé. “It’s hard to follow pace like this if you keep moving.”

“Sorry”, Laxus muttered, trying to calm himself. But Freed was moving too slow! He knew it wasn’t easy to move fast but he just wanted more!

He growled and gave the rune mage a push with his knee, making him fall forwards. Freed almost crashed right against Laxus’ wide chest and he got confused.

“Just stay there”, Laxus commanded and again he grabbed Freed’s hips, locking him to stay right there as he smacked his own hips right up. Freed groaned and stayed still, allowing Laxus to dominate as the lightning dragon slayer thrusted inside him more vigorously making him shiver. After all he always liked it the best when Laxus was the one who held the reins.

At some point Freed was surprised again when suddenly Laxus pulled out and he was slammed against the bed. He moaned as the hard member thrusted back in from behind and Laxus bit the mark on his neck. As he thrusted harder he bit his skin again leaving bite marks, making Freed grab a hold of the sheets as his hands trembled.

The tingling sensation filled his body and his back arched. Sheets under him got moist because of his cum but he didn’t care. He just panted hard, enjoying the last bits of that lovely feeling before his body started to relax and he sunk against the mattress.

Freed noticed that Laxus had stopped moving as well and he was leaning against his back, trying to catch his breath. So they both came already.

“Holy hell I really needed that”, Laxus grunted as he pulled out and rolled to lie down beside Freed.

“Same here”, Freed chuckled.

“I love Felix more than I can even tell but right now I’m so fucking happy that kid is away”, Laxus laughed.

“I know what you mean”, Freed said amused. “I agree with you. It’s hard to try and have sex when we have to be so careful that he won’t catch us. It can get really frustrating, especially when it might take weeks before we can have some time alone.”

“Yeah... So now that we know he will be away for a while more, we better have fun as long as we can”, Laxus smirked kissing Freed, pulling him closer.

“You can’t be ready to continue already”, the green haired man chuckled.

“You wanna bet on it?” Laxus grinned pushing Freed on his back, hovering over him. “Don’t you underestimate me, Freed. It’s been over two weeks since the last time we could have sex. I would fuck you even if my dick wouldn’t get up.”

“And how would that happen?” Freed asked amused.

“I would make it happen”, Laxus assured kissing his mate’s neck. “Somehow. You wanna stay like this for the next round?”

“I’d like that”, Freed assured wrapping his arms around Laxus’ neck and gave him a kiss.

Chapter Text

Felix and Vellanja were sitting on a grass and Chester was looking at them curiously. He had never really thought where magic came from. For him it had just always been there and he could use it, he didn’t need to think about it.

“You’re not concentrating!” Makarov scolded hitting his great-gradson’s head. Well, not like he really hit him, it was more like a pat.

“I’m trying! I really am!” Felix assured frustratedly. “It’s just really hard!”

“No it’s not, use your head more. Listen to the Justine side of you, you should have more brains than Laxus at least.”

“There are so much noises around here”, Vellanja complained. “We can’t concentrate if there’s always someone yelling or birds chirping and stuff.”

“Yes you can when you really want”, Makarov assured crossing his arms. “You want to learn magic so you have to learn how to connect with your magic. You have to get to know it. When you’ve done it once, it gets easier”, he assured now with a smile.

“I just don’t get it at all...” Felix murmured.

Chester yawned and he dropped to lie on the grass. Well, it was not like they had to rush so he might as well take a nap while Felix and Vellanja tried to learn how to use magic.

“When you concentrate, you don’t try to shut out every single voice you hear”, Makarov explained looking at the kids. “You don’t have to. All those noises and stuff are part of your surroundings, let it all come in. Once you start to get used to it, you notice how easy it is to concentrate no matter what kind of noise there are.”

“So why is it that big of a deal?” Vellanja muttered. She did not get this at all.

“Magic is created once you’re in balance with the nature. The energy you get from nature is mixed with the power you got in your spirit, forming the power as we know being magic.”

“That sounds so complicated”, Felix huffed.

“That’s why we have told you two it’s still a bit too early for you to learn magic”, Makarov chuckled. “Magic cannot be created if you can’t let out the power you have inside you.”

He didn’t want to tell them it was also possible that they just couldn’t use magic. Only small amount of all people were able to use magic after all. It was something you had to be born with.

“How did you learn magic, Gramps?” Felix asked curiously.

“Me? Hmm...” Makarov muttered trying to remember. “I think I was seven years old... I practiced every day for a long time.”

“So it wasn’t that easy for you as well?” Vellanja snickered and Felix giggled.

“What was that?” Makarov frowned. “Don’t you brats know how to respect your elders? Fine, I won’t then teach you anymore”, he decided closing his eyes. Of course he was just teasing them.

“We’re sorry”, Felix said immediately. “Please teach us more, Gramps.”

“That sounds better. As I said, I practiced every day and little by little I was starting to understand what it meant to really concentrate. One day it was just... A whooosh! Or something like that”, the old man guffawed loudly.

“That is not helpful...” Vellanja grunted and Felix sighed.

“But once you get that feeling you will know what I meant”, Makarov assured with a smirk. “You just know. That’s when the real training starts since you have to learn to actually use your magic.”

“I wish I can learn something cool like lightning magic, just like dad”, Felix smirked.

“I want to be a dragon slayer!” Vellanja announced and she stood up.

“I want that too!” Felix said getting up as well.

“Now now, kids. Magic does not work like that”, Makarov said.

“By how?” Vellanja asked confused.

“Just because you want to have some specific kind of magic doesn’t mean you will be able to obtain it. The magic comes from inside you, it always takes its own shape. Of course it is possible that Felix can learn lightning magic or rune magic just as well as Vellanja might learn iron magic or letter magic. But even if they are the same, they are still yours and they won’t be the same what your parents have.”

“You’re being too complicated again, Gramps...” Felix murmured.

“It just means you are still too young”, Makarov laughed. “There are so much different kinds of magic here in this world and sometimes even from outside of it.”

“But... What if I get magic I don’t want?” Vellanja asked worried.

“You can’t be a good mage if you think like that. Magic is not powerful because of what it is but what you can do with it.”

“But what we can do is what it is?” Felix asked.

“Don’t think too much of it”, Makarov chuckled. “You have still plenty of time to learn everything, believe me. Time will rush forwards even quicker than you think, even though right now it might feel like you’ll never grow up.”

“It just feels like we always have to wait”, Felix complained. “And everyone always says that we are too young or too small. We can’t do anything!”

“Of course you can”, Makarov smiled patting their heads. “There are lots of things you can do. You just have to be more patient. It might feel absurd, but there will be a day when you would give anything to be a kid again.”

“No way!” Felix and Vellanja both shouted, not believing a word. Why would they wish something like that?!

Makarov guffawed loudly. It was always so much fun to talk with kids.

“Now then, you should practice this at home more”, he said. “It will take time, but I’m sure you will learn how to concentrate so you can let out your magic.”

“We want to train more”, Felix said. “Please, Gramps!”

“Well, what do you want to train?” Makarov asked.

“We have to get stronger!” Vellanja said. “We have to learn how to fight well.”

“I want to learn how to use a sword like mama”, Felix said and now Chester stood up, coming to them.

“I have to strengthen my knives so they won’t break again”, he said.

Makarov chuckled.

“I understand”, he said. “But before that we have to eat well. So let’s go get some pizza.”

“Yay!” they cheered and followed after the old man.

It was getting late and the sun was starting to set when Felix and Chester ran along the street and towards the Dreyar-Justine house. They had so much to tell for Laxus and Freed! Soon Felix could see the familiar gate and he opened it letting Chester in and closed it after them.

He opened the door and they stepped inside.

“We’re home!” he announced sitting down and pulling his shoes off.

Laxus stepped in the hallway, looking at them.

“Hey, haven’t we talked about not leaving your shoes lying all around like that?” he frowned, looking at shoes that were scattered on the floor. “When someone comes in, they might trip over because of your shoes.”

“Sorry”, Felix said and he rearranged the shoes with Chester, next to Freed’s and Laxus’ shoes. “Hey dad! You know what?”

“What should I know?” Laxus asked as he stepped in the kitchen and Felix and Chester followed him immediately.

“Gramps told us how me and Vellanja can learn magic!” Felix smiled as they sat down with Chester.

“Though they didn’t yet understand how it works exactly”, the dark blue haired boy said and Felix pouted.

“You didn’t need to say that...” he muttered.

“I see”, Laxus said with a chuckle. “I assume you couldn’t yet use magic?”

“No we couldn’t... Gramps said we are still too young...”

“He’s right. Don’t worry, Felix. I’m sure you will learn magic soon.”

“I guess so... Where’s mama?” Felix asked confused, looking around.

“He’s in the living room. He’s taking a nap on the couch”, Laxus said with a smirk that Felix and Chester didn’t understand.

“Mama never takes naps...” Felix said and he hopped down from the chair.

He stepped in the living room and just like Laxus said, Freed was sleeping on a couch. He looked funny, his other leg on the floor and arm over his eyes.

“Mama”, Felix said stepping beside the couch and he heard how the light snoring stopped. “Are you ill? Why are you sleeping at this time?” Felix asked worried and Freed yawned.

“I’m fine”, he murmured and opened his eyes finally. “No need to look so worried”, he smiled.

“Oh, that’s good”, Felix smiled. “But you smell funny”, he said and Freed blinked.

“Funny?” he asked confused as he sat up.

“Really sweaty, like you’ve been training a lot.”

“Oh... I will take a shower later”, Freed chuckled. “So what did you two do with Vellanja and Gramps?”

“Gramps told us how to learn magic!” Felix smiled. “We don’t really get it, but he said we will learn it some day. And then we went to eat pizza and then we trained a lot!”

“That sounds like fun. What did you train?”

“I trained my magic, while Makarov teached for Felix and Vellanja how to defend themselves”, Chester said.

“I wanted to learn how to use sword, but Gramps said he shouldn’t teach me something like that”, Felix said. “He said I should ask mama to teach me with that. Would you teach me?” he asked looking at Freed.

“Swords are really dangerous”, Freed said.

“That’s why I have to learn from someone who knows how to use it!”

“But why do you want to learn how to use a sword?”

“Because mama uses one! It makes me stronger, I’m sure of it”, Felix said with a nod. “Even if I don’t know how to use magic, I can still defend others if I can use a sword.”

Freed thought about it a while. There was absolutely no chance that he would give Felix a real sword but if he really wanted to learn, guess there was no harm to find a bamboo sword or similar he could use and train.

“I understand”, he nodded and Felix’s eyes shined with excitement. “I will find a bamboo sword for you what you can use and practice.”

“A bamboo sword?” Felix asked confused. “Not a real sword?”

“Of course not. It would be too dangerous for you. Once I see you’re skilled enough I will buy a real sword for you”, Freed promised with a smile. “But only when I’m satisfyed with your skills.”

“Okay!” Felix beamed happily. He would get a sword! Well, not a real sword but a sword nonetheless!

“Chester, did you talk with Makarov yet where you are going to live?” Freed asked looking at the older boy.

“No”, Chester said and he shook his head.

“Then you better stay here at least for now. You can sleep in the guest room or in Felix’s room.”

“We should sleep in the same room”, Felix smiled looking at Chester. “Mama, let’s go get a futon for Chester”, he said grabbing Freed’s hand and the rune mage chuckled.

“Alright”, he said and stood up.

They took out a guest futon from the guest room and laid it on the floor next to Felix’ bed.

“Does it feel good?” Freed asked as Chester sat on the mattress.

“It’s really nice”, he assured touching the pillow. It was really soft.

“That’s good. Felix’s bedtime is at eight o’clock, so you should make sure you’re ready to go to sleep by then as well. After eating some dinner, you two will take a bath.”

“A bath?” Chester sneered and Freed wasn’t at all surprised how he didn’t look so keen of the idea. Felix didn’t really like bathing either.

“Yes”, he said with a nod. “You really look like it would do wonders for you. When was the last time you washed yourself?” he asked while taking clothes from the closet, trying to find something that might fit for Chester. They had bought few clothes that were still too big for Felix since it was only a matter of time when he would start growing again more.

“I took a shower at Teina’s place sometimes... I don’t really like the idea of taking a bath.”

“I don’t recall asking if you would like to have one. I only said you will take a bath.”

“Adults are so unfair”, Felix muttered.

“Sometimes we maybe have to be a little bit”, Freed chuckled and he sneezed loudly.

“Mama, are you sure you’re not ill?” Felix asked worried.

“I’m fine”, Freed assured and he folded the clothes on the futon to be ready.

“I’m gonna tell dad”, Felix said running in the hallway and Freed sighed. There was no need to make such a fuss just because he sneezed a little bit.

After the guest futon was ready they decided it was time to eat some dinner. It was already dark outside and after the dinner the bath was ready.

“I can take care that they go to bed”, Laxus said looking at Freed who washed the dishes. “You can go to sleep.”

“I’m fine”, Freed said once again. “You and Felix are worrying over nothing.”

“Felix is four years old and even he knows already that you would never admit it that you’re sick. You’d rather cut your tongue than admit you have a fever.”

“I would not”, Freed huffed closing the door of the cupboard. “May I remind you that last time you were sick it was almost impossible to get you to stay in the bed and rest. I had to use my runes to tie you down.”

“I can’t use rune magic like that so I guess I just have to use a rope”, Laxus chuckled. “If you won’t rest voluntarily.”

Freed was just about to say something when the bathroom door opened suddenly. Felix stepped out with a large towel around him.

“You did not wash yourself already”, Freed frowned but he got confused when Felix looked like he was ready to cry.

“But... There’s something wrong with my hair”, Felix whined grabbing a hold of Freed’s neck when he kneeled down.

“Your hair?” the rune mage asked. “There’s nothing wrong with it.”

“Chester said it looks weird!”

“I did not! I said I didn’t notice those tufts before!” they heard Chester’s voice from the bathroom.

Freed and Laxus looked at each other and Freed gently brushed the wet blond hair with his long fingers. True, there were little tufts of hair that kept stubbornly pointing up even when rest of the hair was flat because it was wet.

“Hey, aren’t those...” Laxus realised his eyes widening and Freed nodded, noticing the same thing.

“What is it?” Felix asked almost scared touching his hair.

“I don’t really see any other explanation”, Freed said and he chuckled.

“This is not funny!” Felix yelled.

“I’m sorry you got startled, Felix. But there’s nothing wrong with your hair”, Freed smiled.

“But what is it then?”

“Looks like you’r hair will grow these thingies as well”, Laxus smirked touching Freed’s green lightning bolt cowlicks. “Whatever they are.”

Felix’s eyes widened as he looked at Freed’s hair.

“If I remember correct, mine started to grow as well when I was around four or five”, Freed smiled. “If you don’t like them, you can just keep them short”, he assured to Felix who shook his head

“No! I think they are cool!” he smiled all happy again. “Will they really grow? Will they be like yours?”

“I don’t know”, Freed smiled. “Probably. Maybe they are bigger or maybe smaller, we can’t say before you will grow up more.”

“Wow, it would be awesome if they were big.”

“Yeah”, Laxus said and since everything was again alright, Felix went back to the bathroom. “Now that was a surprise”, the lightning mage smirked looking at Freed.

“It really was”, he smiled. “I’m glad he likes them, it would have been harder if he didn’t.”

“I’m sure they will look good on him, why wouldn’t he like them?”

“I didn’t like mine when they started to grow”, Freed explained and Laxus was surprised. “I hated them for many years. I wanted to cut them but my grandfather said they are an important feature only Zaldevils have so he never let me cut them.”

“But you don’t seem to dislike them anymore.”

“Of course I don’t dislike them anymore. You said you liked them when we first met”, Freed chuckled looking at Laxus who lifted his eyebrows.

“That was all it took to make you like them?” he asked.

“For you it might seem like a minor thing, but for me it was a really big deal. Well, it doesn’t matter anymore since all that is in the past. I’m just happy that Felix is alright with them.”

Freed covered his face as he sneezed and Laxus huffed.

“Seriously, go to bed already”, he said. “You can take a quick shower in our bathroom if you really want but you should just rest. I’ll make sure Felix and Chester will go to sleep.”

“I guess that’s for the best”, Freed had to give in and he climbed up the stairs. Well, it was almost bedtime anyway so guess he could just read a while.

Chapter Text

In the next day as they arrived at the guild, Felix ran quickly towards Makarov who was sitting on his usual place on the counter accompanied with Roxanne. It had become like a tradition, them to sit together whenever Roxanne was visiting the guild and now that they couldn’t live in Naava Town, they were seen on their usual places every day.

“Morning Gramps! Granny!” Felix beamed happily as he hopped on the stool.

“Good morning, Felix”, Makarov smiled.

“Don’t you look energetic today, Sugarcube”, Roxanne cackled sipping her tea. “Did something good happen?”

“Yeah! Can you notice anything different?” Felix grinned widely and Makarov and Roxanne were both confused.

Laxus, Freed and Chester stepped beside the counter as well.

“Erm... Did you get a new shirt?” Makarov asked and Felix pouted.

“Not clothes”, he said. “Look closer”, he said and Freed and Laxus were amused. Makarov squinted his old eyes and tried to figure out what his great-grandson was meaning but he just couldn’t see it.

The old man quickly glanced towards Laxus and Freed for some help and the rune mage pointed towards his cowlicks. Confused because of this Makarov looked back at Felix who was still waiting impatiently when he would notice.

“You mean... Ooh! I see!” he laughed when he realised. Felix’s hair was already wild just like Laxus’ but now that he looked more closer there really were two tufts that didn’t grow like others since they seemed to have a shape of their own. They were still small but no doubt they would grow to look like Freed’s hair. “I’m sure they will look really nice.”

“I know right!” Felix smirked.

“He’s been looking at them in the mirror all morning”, Chester huffed. Well, they were kinda neat.

“Jealous”, Felix said crossing his arms.

“I’m not.”

“You are.”

“My hair is just fine the way it is”, Chester tisked.

“How are things here?” Freed asked from Makarov and Roxanne as they left Felix and Chester to argue.

“Things are much better”, Roxanne smiled. “All the kids are healthy again, Porlyusica gave them a permission to leave the infirmary.”

“That’s good news”, Laxus said sitting down on a stool.

“It is”, Makarov nodded. “They are already trying to think how to help Naava Town and how we can catch Humphrey and Ichabod who destroyed it.”

“They’re such good kids all of them”, Roxanne chuckled fondly.

“It’s better we don’t hurry too much”, Laxus said. “Remember what we told you about Naava Town and the moss? We have to be careful, if there’s that mold around we can’t do a thing there.”

“We’re aware of that”, Roxanne nodded. “But there are already some people who are arranging groups that will go there to find out if it’s safe. We can’t just wait and do nothing. I asked Porlyusica for help, but she said she can’t do a thing before she knows what kind that mold is.”

“Bummer”, Laxus huffed.

“And the more we wait, the more higher is the chance that there will be mold.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“So have you heard anything about Valdeghar and others, Freed?” Makarov asked.

“I was planning to take contact with them today”, Freed said. “I’ll try to call them out. Those magic sealing stone bullets made them vanish, but since they do vanish they cannot actually hurt them permanently. They have had time to recover so everything should be fine now.”

“Mama, are you going to call Jish-Ahrna?” Felix asked when he noticed them talking about the demons. “Can we see if he’s okay? And others too?”

“Of course”, Freed smiled.

Since there was nothing else more urgent to take care of right now, they stepped outside the big building. Some others followed them curiously since when they had learned more about Umanor, Valdeghar, Moranga and Jish-Ahrna, they had become part of their family just like others and of course they had been worried about their guild mates as well.

Chester looked how Freed took out his sword and drew some runes on the ground, constantly muttering something while doing so. He closed the big circle and runes flashed purple. Something big started to form up.

The little silver mage felt shivers run down his spine when he saw the huge demon with dark scaly skin and big mane. He was standing on his relatively short legs, leaning against his long and large arms with big claws.

The yard was filled with loud screech that abated into a soft whisper as the demon looked at them.

“Jish-Ahrna!” Felix shouted relieved and he hugged the other large arm tightly. Jish-Ahrna let out a gentle purring whisper as he lowered his head looking at Felix. “We were really worried!” Felix said patting the big arm.

Freed smiled and he drew three more circles on the ground. Two average sized and one little circle. Soon Valdeghar, Umanor and Moranga all appeared as well getting greeted by others.

“Good to see you’re all doing better”, Freed smiled.

“It took a while to recover, but we are fine now”, Umanor assured as Moranga giggled and twirled around Felix and Chester. “But we are not sure what has happened here.”

“Not really much”, Freed said. “We will tell you what we know.”

For Jish-Ahrna it was a little bit challenging to find a place where to sit in the Hall, but after moving two tables away there was a nice place for him near the fireplace. For someone who could cover everything with hoarfrost he really liked warm places where to stay.

“So they are all demons?” Chester asked as they watched how the demons were talking with others.

“Yeah”, Felix smiled. “They are really nice. Valdeghar and Moranga are really funny and Umanor is sometimes really serious. And even if Jish-Ahrna looks scary because he is so big, he is super kind! He let’s me ride him if I want!”

“I always thought demons are evil”, Chester said. He couldn’t really see that when looking how Moranga was dancing with Asuka and Vellanja. Bickslow, Gajeel, Natsu, Gray and Valdeghar were laughing because of something and Umanor was talking with Freed, Laxus, Erza, Makarov and Roxanne.

Now that the scary first impression faded, none of them looked paricularly evil and no one was scared of them. Cana even brought a big jug of beer for Valdeghar and Mirajane who had recovered completely brough a big plate of food for Jish-Ahrna.

“Mama says that demons are like humans”, Felix smiled. “There are those who do good things and those who do bad things. But demons are not bad just because they are demons.”

“I’ve never heard anyone saying that before”, Chester said. “People always say demons are evil creatures.”

“That is not true. Umanor, Valdeghar, Moranga and Jish-Ahrna are definitely not evil. They are really fun and they always help if we need help”, Felix grinned. But his smile slowly faded. “But they can’t visit us here as often as we would like”, he said. “It’s really sad. Everyone likes them.”

“Why can’t they?”

“I don’t really understand... Mama calls them out with his magic, I don’t know where they are before he does that. They can appear themselves too if there is an emergency but it takes huuuge amounts of magic, Umanor told me that.”

“So... Is Freed like a demon summoner?” Chester asked.

“I don’t think so. Sometimes when mama trains he takes one of their form himself.”

“What?”

“Yeah, I’ve seen him when he does that. He gets really strong!”

Chester didn’t really get it how Freed could do that, but guess it had to be true then.

“Felix! Chester!” Vellanja suddenly yelled and they looked at the girls and Moranga. “We’re going to play hide and seek, come play with us!” she said.

“Who’s that?” Chester asked looking at Asuka.

“That’s Asuka, she’s few years older than us”, Felix explained as they walked towards the girls. “She’s really nice, even if she’s older. She always plays with us.”

Chester nodded and they all set the rules. They could only hide in the Hall and Moranga was not allowed to shapeshift into anything, as it was too easy for him if he pretended to be one of the chairs or such.

“That was pretty much all what happened after Emmett attacked”, Laxus said.

“We’re glad nothing more serious happened”, Umanor said as he ate some cookies Lisanna had brought over.

“We haven’t yet heard more about Yukino and Minerva”, Freed said and he was drinking tea. “But what we heard before we left Crocus, they should be fine.”

“But this whole thing sounds like a big mess”, Umanor said with a frown. “Bickslow and Roscoe’s father, those three generals, Laxus’ mother...”

“I know what you mean, a lot has happened in a short time”, Laxus huffed annoyed leaning his jaw against his hand. “And we have no idea what we should do next.”

“Isn’t that obvious?” they suddenly heard a new voice and they looked at Evergreen and Elfman who came towards them.

“You mean we should try to find them?” Freed asked.

“No, there’s something else that we have to do before that”, Ever said her hands on her hips. “The wedding!” she reminded when others looked so clueless.

“The wedding?” Laxus said confused. “Why the hell would we do that when there’s -”

“It’s exactly because there is so much happening!” Ever said. “If all the old signs come true, there will be even more stuff to happen and there’s no way we can have time for your wedding then. We have most of the work done already, we just need to get everyone to help and make that wedding happen.”

“We can do it!” Elfman laughed loudly. “Everyone will help the best they can because that’s manly!”

“That’s right!” Ever smiled. “We’ve done things even more impossible over the time, sure as hell we can pull off a wedding in few days!”

“Ever, that’s... Crazy”, Freed sighed rubbing his temples.

“Crazy is part of Fairy Tail”, Elfman smirked.

“It’s hard to argue with that”, Roxanne cackled.

“But we should start investigating about the book and be prepared for what might happen next”, Freed reminded. “There is no time -”

“We will make time then!” Ever shouted almost making the rune mage fall from his stool. “No arguments! Everybody!” she yelled looking around he hall, but not many noticed her talking to them. “Laxus?” Ever said looking at the Thunder God who grunted.

“Do I have to?” he asked.

“Yes you do or I will throw a tantrum.”

“For fuck’s sake... BE QUIET YOU DAMN IDIOTS!” Laxus roared annoyed making every single head to turn towards them. “Well, at least I still got it”, Laxus huffed taking his mug and sipped some coffee.

“Thank you”, Ever smiled.

“What’s the big deal, Laxus?” Natsu asked confused as they had been having so much fun.

“I just want to save my ears from nagging, Ever was the one who has something to say”, Laxus stated.

“True men listen when a lady is speaking”, Elfman grinned.

Ever hopped on the counter and looked at her fellow guild mates.

“Listen! We have only two days time!” she said. “Who knows what might happen now that things are getting messier with new enemies popping up and stuff! So Laxus and Freed’s wedding must happen now!”

Others were quite surprised, looking at each other.

“We’re all going to do our best to make it happen”, Ever commanded. “Some of us will take care of the decorations, some will help making food and we still have to clean this place spotless. I will be in charge, any questions?”

“Why you?” Gajeel snorted and Freed almost heard how something snapped.

In a second the iron dragon slayer had been turned into a stone statue, sitting on his chair. Ever brushed her brown hair and put her glasses back on.

“Any other stupid questions?” she asked glaring at others.

Erza chuckled.

“I don’t see why we couldn’t make this happen”, she said. “This is a challenge and we are always ready to face a new challenge no matter what.”

“Yeah!” Natsu grinned.

“If we really do our best and everyone helps, I’m sure everything will go well”, Lucy smiled.

“We just have to split everyone to help with things they are good at”, Levy said.

“But it won’t be that easy if there was a plan to invite other people outside Fairy Tail”, Gray said and he was looking skeptic if this could really work out.

“From the beginning we were planning to only celebrate with members of Fairy Tail”, Freed said.

“And we don’t even need that much decorations and shit”, Laxus huffed. “Just a lot of food and booze.”

“That we can do”, Cana assured.

“But there has to be at least some decorations”, Ever decided. “Reedus! I’m counting on your magic in this the most.”

“Oui! Leave it to me!” Reedus smiled.

Freed had to chuckle as Ever started to organize things, giving everyone a job to do and soon there was a huge hassle as they were fetching stuff, going out, talking and coming up with decorations.

Felix came over looking at Evergreen.

“What’s my job?” he asked.

“We’re gonna help too!” Vellanja smirked as Chester and Asuka followed as well.

“Of course you will”, Ever smiled. “Asuka can help in the kitchen, Vellanja can follow instructions from Levy and Gajeel. Chester, do you think you could help Bickslow to get him ready since he’s going to be Laxus’ bestman?”

“What’s that?” Chester asked confused.

“He will make sure Laxus won’t chicken out”, Makarov laughed, making Laxus pout.

“I see”, Chester said and he nodded. “I can do that.”

“What about me?” Felix asked looking at Ever.

“You will get the most important job as you will bring the rings for Laxus and Freed”, the brunette smiled.

“That sounds really important”, Felix grinned. “What rings?”

“The wedding rings. When I give you a sign, you will walk over and give the rings for your parents and then sit down with others.”

“I can definitely do that”, Felix assured enthusiasticly. “But who will make sure mama won’t chicken out?”

“I will take care of that of course”, Ever giggled grabbing Freed’s arm, making him roll his eyes. “Because I’m his bestman!”

“How can a woman be a bestman?” Chester asked.

“Hush you incredulous little Ravenberry. Those are your instructions now. Until it’s time to bring those rings, Felix can help me to make sure Freed and Laxus both has perfect suits.”

“Okay”, Felix smiled. “If we won’t help dad, he might pick up something stupid.”

“You brat...” Laxus growled.

“So let’s start with Freed”, Ever smiled pulling Freed on his legs. “There is not much time so we have to start right now”, she said and the rune mage didn’t really have much choice but to follow after Ever with Felix just behind them.

Laxus sighed rubbing his face and Roxanne chuckled.

“Cutie really knows how to make things roll”, she giggled.

Chapter Text

Few days went by really fast when there was so much to do. Freed and Laxus didn’t really have time to stay in the guild and just relax even for a while when Evergreen was dragging them along all around the town. It took lots of time but finally they managed to find the right suits, thanks to a tailor who used magic so he could easily make a custom made suit even for Laxus in just two days.

After finding suits there was taking care of their hair. Freed was really enjoying it letting them wash and take care of his green hair, cutting it just enough so all the dry and damaged tips were off. Laxus wasn’t that happy with all this, he didn’t like it when he had to let someone he didn’t know so close to his head with scissors. He just wasn’t really fond of these kind of things. For him it would have been just enough to let someone from the guild to cut his hair but Ever insisted that they should go to a professional barber.

When the wedding day arrived, they were both already exhausted because of all the running around and taking care of things. Plus - and Laxus was sure it was just to annoy them – they had to spend the nights separately. Laxus had to sleep in Bickslow’s place and Ever slept with Freed and Felix in their house to make sure Laxus wouldn’t sneak in. Ever said it was a tradition, Laxus was certain it was just stupid. They had been a couple with Freed for five years already and they had a kid, spending few nights apart didn’t magically turn them more chaste or something...

The lightning dragon slayer huffed leaning against the back of his chair as he had finally at least some time to just loiter around. There were still few hours before the ceremony would start and of course it was Makarov who would do all the rambling and stuff, whatever there was in a wedding ceremony. Why couldn’t it just be something really simple? Do you take this man as your husband? Yes. And you? Yes. Okay, got it. Now you may kiss, go home and have fun!

Laxus slightly chuckled when imagining it. If only it could be that simple. At least they had said it many times to Makarov that he had to keep the ceremony as short as possible. There was just no way the old man would keep it that short...

“Man, I didn’t really believe we would actually be able to pull this thing off”, Bickslow grinned sitting next to Laxus. He was wearing a smart looking blue suit and had even left out his visor. They had arrived at the guild some time ago, sitting on a second floor because according to Ever they wouldn’t be on the way if they were there.

“I had my doubts as well”, Laxus nodded. He had absolutely refused to wear anything too outstanding so his dark suit was rather simple yet it was obviously elegant. It looked pretty damn good on him, he had to admit it. “But well, we know that when Ever has that look in her eyes, there’s nothing that will stop her.”

“Yeah”, Bickslow smirked. “Well, say what you want but I’m glad the wedding happens now, baby.”

“Huh? It’s not like there wouldn’t have been time even after helping Naava Town.”

“Dunno. We can’t know what all might happen.”

“Don’t say such ominous things, Bicks.”

“Sorry, baby. Let’s just be happy that this day actually came”, Bickslow cackled. “For a moment we thought it might be again delayed for another four years.”

“There’s no rush”, Laxus grunted crossing his arms. Damn for the first time in years he really felt like he needed a smoke. “If you’re implying that I might actually have chickened out I will -”

“Nah, we know you wouldn’t do that”, Bickslow said. “But think about it. Who was the one who decided to move the wedding for the first time?” he asked and Laxus was confused.

“It was Freed”, he said. “But we both agreed why we should do that.”

“I know, just hear me out. So the next time Ever brought this up was two years ago when Felix was older. Who was the one to say it was too early?”

“Freed...” Laxus murmured.

“And last year?”

“Okay, what the hell are you trying to say?” Laxus growled annoyed looking at the seith mage. “That Freed actually doesn’t want to marry me?”

“No!” Bickslow shouted quickly. “That’s not it, not at all!”

“Are you saying he might have doubts if this is a good idea?”

“No. I mean damn, that man loves you so much I should wear sunglasses for all the rainbows. He would never leave your side, baby.”

“So what’s the problem?” Laxus frowned.

“Well... You know Freed, he overthinks everything”, the man with a face tattoo said and Laxus’ eyes widened.

“He’s doubting me?” he asked. “And how I feel about him?”

“Not sure about that... But what I can believe he is thinking is that is he good enough for you”, Bickslow said and Laxus blinked. “It’s Freed, of course he thinks that. In the moment when Makarov says you guys are married, you are tied up and Freed must think if it would be right. That you should probably have someone more suitable or something.”

“That’s just stupid”, Laxus grunted, but he knew Bickslow was right. That was so something what Freed would think... Even if it wouldn’t make any sense. “Fuck”, the Thunder God snarled and he stood up.

“Hey, Laxus, where are you going?” Bickslow asked standing up as well. “We were supposed to wait here.”

“Where’s Freed staying?” Laxus asked stopping at the top of the stairs.

“Huh? Oh, if I remember correct, they were talking about using that room in the library”, Bickslow said. Better just stay out of the way on this. Laxus grunted and he turned towards the library.

He stomped ahead, scaring Juvia and Levy who were talking in front of the library and they quickly stepped out of his way. He slammed the door open into the room inside the library and noticed Freed and Ever who both looked surprised.

“You, get out”, Laxus said to Ever. “I have a few words to say for Freed.”

Ever looked at Freed worried but she did as Laxus said and left the room, closing the door after her. Freed stood up and he had already changed into his suit as well. It looked amazing even though it was simple like Laxus’ suit.

“Is something wrong?” he asked concerned, stepping closer to Laxus.

He was almost startled when orange eyes glared at him.

“If Ever wasn’t so persistent of us having this wedding today and now, when would you have wanted to have it?” Laxus asked.

“What?” Freed asked.

“Would you have wanted to wait more?”

“Uhm... Well, we could have gotten more time that way, not needing to rush like this...”

“Does it matter anymore now that everything’s done?” Laxus asked and Freed was confused.

“Of course not”, the rune mage said. “Is something wrong, Laxus?”

“You’ve been moving the wedding day further and further every time we have talked about it. I never really thought much about it before Bickslow pointed it out. I know that it’s not because you don’t love me and you know that I love you as well. So the only possible explanation is that you think you’re not just good enough.”

Freed shuddered and he blushed slightly. Laxus wasn’t wrong. It was something he couldn’t just stop thinking.

“So it is true then”, Laxus growled narrowing his eyes. “Why the hell are you thinking like that, Freed? I thought you were over something stupid like that!”

“It’s not like I can help it”, Freed said with a sigh. “I can’t stop thinking about it. You’re a Dreyar, you’re a current Master of Fairy Tail. You are one of the strongest persons I know and you are a better man than you give yourself credit for. You just don’t see it yourself. You could get anyone you would ever want if you tried! Instead...”

“Instead?” Laxus asked.

“You had to settle with me because of something you couldn’t fight against”, Freed mumbled and he lifted his hand to brush his neck where the yellow mark would remain forever. “You were affected by your magic, it wasn’t something you decided by yourself. It was just your instincts talking -”

“Isn’t that the point?” Laxus asked and Freed shut his mouth. “I’m not some damn love expert but isn’t it something that happens without thinking?”

“But... You weren’t in love with me at first.”

“Yeah, can’t deny that. But at some point I was. Dunno when it happened, but it happened. I’m gonna say this only once so you better open your damn ears and listen well”, Laxus said. “Yeah, that mating season changed everything in our lives completely. But that was not the moment when I just magically started loving you. The truth is, it happened already before that.”

Freed’s eyes widened as big as plates as he stared at the lightning dragon slayer.

“And I don’t know when or how, only that it did happen. It must have because maybe I was slightly confused at first when the season started and I realised who my mate was, but I was okay with it. If I hadn’t been, like hell I would have accepted it like that. You know me, I don’t like thinking these kinds of things so I never bothered to think about it more. It felt right so I knew it was meant to be, that was enough for me to know.”

Laxus huffed and tried to calm himself a little bit more as his hands were starting to tremble. He didn’t want to scare Freed, but he did want the rune mage to understand there was no need for him to feel like he wasn’t good enough.

“Don’t you think the fact that we are soulmates means something?” he reminded. “You see it the way that I’m forced to settle with you. I see it that it is an ultimate proof that we are meant to be together and there couldn’t simply be anyone better for us. Dammit, I seriously thought you understood this thing years ago!”

“I... Did... But...” Freed stuttered trying to collect his thoughts. “I just -”

“You just started to think too much again. You know what? For now on it’s forbidden for you to think that much anymore!” Laxus snarled and Freed flinched. “And you will never doubt it again if it’s a right thing for us to be together, get married, grow old together and shit! I swear, by the end of the day you’re gonna be a fucking Freed Dreyar or I’m seriously gonna start killing people! You got that?” he asked and as Freed was left speechless the green haired man could only nod. “Good. So the wedding will happen and we will never agan discuss about this matter, you understand?”

“Yes, Laxus”, Freed promised.

Laxus nodded with approval.

“Okay. I’m gonna go now, you get ready and if you won’t come to the Hall when you’re ready here, I will hunt you down and drag you there even if I have to follow you to the other side of the world and use whatever the hell I need to tie you down.”

Freed had to chuckle when imagining that.

“I understand”, he smiled looking at Laxus and he was really feeling relaxed right now. “I’m happy that you said that all to me. I’m not afraid anymore.”

“It should have been clear even if I didn’t say it”, Laxus tisked. “There was no need for you to get afraid in the first place. Now get ready”, he ordered and he opened the door and froze.

Ever, Levy, Juvia and few others were standing just the other side of the door, all looking at him with awe and Laxus blushed. Had they heard all what he said?

“That was so sweet, Laxus”, Ever squealed happily.

“It was really touching”, Levy smiled.

“Juvia is so moved, Laxus loves Freed so much”, Juvia sniffled with wide smile and swiped her eyes with a handkerchief.

“Fuck you all”, Laxus snarled and he stomped out of the library.

He grumbled something under his breath as he arrived back on the second floor where Bickslow was still sitting.

“Everything’s good now?” the seith mage asked, maybe a little bit on alert even though he tried to act like he wasn’t worried at all.

“Yeah, no worries”, Laxus assured and he sat down, seeing how Bickslow relaxed immediately.

“That’s good, baby”, he smirked. “Man, for a little while you did scare me a little”, he cackled and Laxus had to chuckle a little bit.

“You have no idea how scared I got”, he said crossing his arms and he looked down where others were still assembling last chairs and stuff. “But this wedding is definitely going to happen.”

“Yeah, or Ever will blow up this whole place for good”, Bickslow smirked. “She’s been planning this Fraxus wedding for a long time already.”

“The fuck what wedding?” Laxus snorted amused looking at his old friend.

“Don’t ask me, baby, but it sounds funny”, Bickslow cackled.

They waited for around an hour when suddenly Bickslow raised his head and grinned. Laxus got confused and turned his head. He laughed when he saw the rune mage who looked slightly embarrassed as his long green hair has been braided and there were even one light green silk ribbon that kept it all in order.

“Don’t”, Freed said annoyed when Bickslow opened his mouth. “Don’t say a word.”

“What the hell’s going on with your hair?” Laxus asked instead and Bickslow laughed, making Freed blush slightly.

“I couldn’t help it, they ganged up on me”, he muttered as he sat down with them. There were still a little bit more time to wait and they would step in front of Makarov together so might as well wait that moment together. “I couldn’t say no to them.”

“Well, it’s not that bad”, Laxus comforted patting his soon to be hunsband’s shoulder. “At least they didn’t use flowers or something.”

“They just wanted your hair to look different since it’s such a big day for you guys”, Bickslow smirked. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“I guess”, Freed sighed crossing his arms. “Is everything going well here? Where’s Felix? I haven’t seen him since the breakfast”, he asked looking around over the hall.

“He’s with Gajeel and Vellanja, don’t worry”, Laxus said.

“Hmm...”

“It’s fine, he’s having fun helping with decorations. I told you to stop thinking too much.”

“I know, I’m sorry”, Freed said with a tiny chuckle.

They were just about to get up and get some coffee or something when suddenly the big doors bursted open like there was a hurricane outside and all of them got surprised when seeing Sting and Rogue stepping in with their exceeds.

“We’re here!” Sting laughed. “I bet you guys missed us.”

“What the...?” Laxus grunted, looking how others went to greet them. “Why are they here?” he asked looking at Freed and Bickslow.

“Dunno”, the seith mage said. “We didn’t sent any invitations since you guys didn’t want to invite anyone outside Fairy Tail.”

“Only so we could keep the ceremony simple”, Freed said. “Maybe we should just go and ask why they are here?”

“Yeah”, Laxus nodded and they stood up.

All three of them stepped down the stairs and towards Sting and Rogue who were talking with others.

“Oh! Don’t you guys look fancy”, Sting grinned as he noticed them. “Everyone’s dressed up so nicely, what’s the occasion?”

“Their wedding?” Bickslow snorted pointing towards Freed and Laxus.

“Oh?” Rogue said surprised. “We had no idea, I’m really sorry for just barging in like this but Sting didn’t want to wait so we could have at least informed that we’re coming”, he said and scowled for Sting who scratched his head with quilty expression.

“No, it’s okay”, Freed smiled. “Now that you guys are here already, you might as well join others and sit down.”

“Would that really be okay?”

“Of course and you can join the party afterwards as well.”

“We’re staying!” Sting smirked and Rogue sighed.

“Well, now I feel bad we don’t even have a gift”, the shadow dragon slayer said apologetically.

“It’s okay, we don’t need gifts”, Laxus assured. “Just have fun.”

“We can do that!” Lector cheered.

“Fro thinks so too!” Frosch smiled happily.

“We’re gonna start soon so just ask from Ever where you can sit and wait”, Laxus said and the twin dragons went with Natsu and others to find Ever. “We can ask why they are here later. I guess few surprise guests won’t harm anyone.”

“That’s true”, Freed smiled.

“But if Ichiya appears on the yard, we’re damn sure gonna pretend we’re not here.”

“Yes, my dear.”

Chapter Text

Freed looked at the clock on the wall. Almost noon. Only few minutes left. He had to be honest, he really was getting nervous. This wasn’t just any ceremony, but his and Laxus’ wedding. It was... Still so unbelievable to even think! It just felt like he might wake up at any moment and everything – everything! - had been just a big dream. A wonderful dream that would leave him heartbroken in a moment when he would wake up.

Freed jolted when a big hand touched his shoulder and he looked at Laxus. The blond man smiled slightly, as if he could see right through what was going on in his mind. He gave Freed a slight nod, like with only that he was saying “I know, I feel the same but this is true. All of it.”

Freed smiled and he nodded as well. This was their moment. In front of their guild, their family, they would make promises to always love, respect and trust each other. They were already a team, best friends, partners, soulmates, parents, family and now they would be husbands as well.

The rune mage looked around as they were standing near the doors. All the tables had been removed beside the walls and were full of all kinds of amazing foods and drinks. It was really a handful of trouble to keep Natsu away from all of that. All the chairs were assembled in the middle of the Hall, facing towards the platform made by Gajeel with his iron magic. It was amazing how detailed and even delicate looking carvings there were, since when you saw Gajeel you wouldn’t exactly imagine him being much of a sculptor. But still, the platform was incredible and the top of it was covered with hoarfrost made by Jish-Ahrna.

Freed smiled when looking at the demons who had joined them as well, sitting on their own seats and Jish-Ahrna was enjoying the warmth of the fireplace. One by one, as the clock ticked on towards twelve o’clock they all found their places and sat down talking with each other. Evergreen was still making sure of the last things, Felix was sitting and waiting for his turn to bring the rings, Chester was sitting with Cana, Roxanne and Roscoe, Bickslow was pigging while eating a piece of pie he had managed to snatch from the table... Even Porlyusica was there, sitting on a chair at the backseats and it was really surprising. No one could have believed she would actually come.

Freed inhaled deep and tried to calm himself. He was nervous, he couldn’t help it. And as he glanced towards Laxus, he could see how his jaw was clenched and as his arms were crossed over his barrel chest covered by the black suit, his index finger kept tapping against his arm.

Surprisingly, it was somewhat calming to see that Freed wasn’t the only one nervous here.

The clock on the wall let out a click and it was followed by loud gongs as it hit noon. Everyone went silent and turned to look towards the platform where Makarov walked on. The old man looked around, happy to see his kids here to celebrate this occassion.

He smiled brightly to all of them.

“There are no words for how happy I am right now”, he announced. “Not only is the Hall so beautifully decorated but for what occassion! To celebrate a ceremony that will join two of our members together!”

Others cheered loudly and Freed chuckled. Of course Makarov couldn’t resist of making a speech.

“And it makes me even more happy that one of those two members is my own grandson”, Makarov smiled fondly and Laxus grumbled something. “It just... Fills me with joy... That I could actually live long enough to see this day...” the old master of Fairy Tail stuttered as his eyes started to fill with tears and Laxus sighed.

“Geezer...” he grunted and Freed hold back a laugh.

“Ahem, anyway”, Makarov said after wiping tears from his eyes and he cleared his throath. “Let’s begin the ceremony”, he announced and everybody turned to look towards Freed and Laxus.

The rune mage smiled looking at his Thunder God who was now clearly nervous. This was it.

They looked at each other, smiled and was about to take each others hands to walk through the aisle, when suddenly Laxus flinched and he turned towards the doors. Alerted by this, Freed did the same and others moved so they would be ready to defend the guild if there was an attacker.

“Ohey-Oo! And a bottle of rum!” they heard a distant singing from outside. “Or how did it go...? And a bottle of rum!”

“Seriously...?” Laxus pouted annoyed as they all recognized the voice and the owner of it was obviously drunk.

“A bottle of rum that is brought by a damsel, she has a mighty softy bum and gigantic round – Yo-ho-hoo!” Gildarts hollered as he shoved the doors open. “Or something like that”, he laughed loudly while slightly swaying.

For a moment there was a complete silence until it was cut by a hiccup and Gildarts peered down at the bottom of the bottle he was holding, tried to get the last drops and came to a conclusion it in fact was empty. After that he finally looked more around noticing all the fancy clothes, beautiful decorations and such.

“Sorry, wrong guild house”, he said turning around and almost tripped over.

“Old man!” Cana shouted both surprised and embarrassed because of such an enter.

“Huh? Cana! My little girl!” Gildarts shouted happily. “How have you been? It’s been such a loooong time!”

“It’s your fault, not mine”, Cana said coming over and grabbed the empty bottle from his father.

“I’m sorry my little sweetheart”, the old man sighed and grabbed Cana into a hug – or more like just leaned against her. “Why does this place look so different?”

“Because it’s Laxus and Freed’s wedding!” Cana shouted trying to hold the man with a dark cape up while others were laughing.

“Oh right, I did get a note abou them getting married, that’s why I was hurrying back here! So there’s gonna be a party after it, right? More booze? I already bought some rum – Hey, where did my rum go?”

“Only thing you need is a kick in the ass. Bicks”, Cana said and the seith mage came over.

“Up we go”, he smirked lifting Gildarts arm over his shoulder and keeping him on his feet.

“Hey, it’s Bickslow”, Gildarts laughed looking at the tall man. “You know, it has been a few years since we saw last time and I have finally accepted the fact that you and Cana are dating... And I still don’t like you.”

“Love you too, baby”, Bickslow cackled.

“I’m so sorry about this”, Cana apologized when turning towards Laxus and Freed. “But seriously, no one could have guessed that this old drunkard might appear right when the ceremony is supposed to start.”

“That’s alright”, Freed smiled reassuringly. “At least now even Gildarts is back home, we are all here.”

“That’s true”, Laxus said looking how Bickslow helped Gildarts to find a seat and of course there were lots of questions about where he had been and such. “Actually, it was even better that he appeared like that.”

“It was?” Cana asked confused.

“Yeah, I’m not gonna lie, I was getting nervous as hell because of all the waiting and hassle, everone staring us and now things feel more relaxed again.”

“What are you babbling there?” Ever suddenly snapped as she stepped beside them. “Everybody back to their places!”

For a moment there were lots of noises around as everybody went back to their places and finally the ceremony could start again. Freed felt how his feet were trembling as he took steps just beside Laxus and they walked through the aisle.

Makarov welcomed them up in the platform made out of iron, everybody’s attention on them. It felt really odd, at least for Freed. He was used to that where ever they would go, people would stare Laxus and it was a fact that when they noticed Laxus, they didn’t really pay attention to Freed and others. It didn’t bother them, it actually sometimes made things easier for them. It worked like a trick, Laxus would act as a decoy and keeping the attention so the Thunder Legion could sneak around and no one would notice.

This time they were both stared just as much. Then again, this was a really special situation so no wonder. Freed smiled when he looked at Makarov, who smiled brightly to them both.

”Remember, you promised to keep it short”, Laxus murmured so only they could hear it.

”I know, brat”, Makarov said and he again cleared his throat. ”Okay! So as you all know we have arranged this ceremony to celebrate this magnificent day when not only one, but two of our fellow guild mates will step into a holy matrimony. This is a rare occassion indeed and we couldn’t be more happier for you two”, he smiled to Freed and Laxus. ”We will always wish you happiness and love.”

Ever moved her hand and Felix almost jumped up. He climbed up on the platform and gave a box for Makarov, who opened it and took out two golden rings. They were old and battered, but full of great meaning as they were the same ones he had once used with his wife. Now as he didn’t need them anymore, it filled him with joy and happiness as he could give them to his grandson and the person he loved so deeply.

”Thank you, Felix”, he smiled and Felix quickly escaped the situation as he felt so nervous and embarrassed because all the stares. He just sat down with Roxanne and others, glad that he didn’t need to stay up there longer. ”Alright, once I give you these rings you will say what you want to say and exchange rings”, he explained. ”Laxus, you start”, he said and gave a ring for the tall blond man.

Laxus silently gulped and took the smaller ring. Of course they had made sure they would fit so at least there wouldn’t be an embarrassing moment to realize their rings didn’t even fit for them. He looked at the old surface of the ring, how the darkness of pure gold was so intimidating yet still warm. It would always make sure they would never forget that they were not alone.

”Okay…” Laxus finally said and he was nervous again. This was probably the hardest part of this whole ceremony! He had been thinking it for days what the hell he should say but he just wasn’t good with words! ”You know I’m no good at making some poetic shit, Freed. Well, that’s one of the reasons I love you”, he smiled. ”With you I don’t need to pretend, act or anything. I can just be myself. When I feel like I’m falling, you make sure I can keep on standing. When we’re against enemies, I always know I don’t have to worry about what’s happening behind me because I know you’re there and will take care of things. And I will do that all for you as well, I promise that”, Laxus said as he took Freed’s hand and with shaking fingers he slid the ring on the slender finger. ”I will always guard your back, Freed. No matter what.”

”Laxus...” Freed gasped and he was almost ready to cry. It wasn’t helping that he could hear sniffles from the crowd.

He just forced the tears away and took the ring Makarov was offering. He lifted Laxus’ hand and he could feel how it was trembling. Or was it his hand that was trembling?

”Laxus… I seriously could have never believed this day would actually come true”, he said after calming himself. ”It wasn’t mutual love at first”, he smiled. ”And for a longest time I was sure I was doomed to live my life with loving a man I could possibly never get.”

Laxus felt a slight twinge of guilt, but he understood it wasn’t his fault that Freed had been hurting. He had learned about Freed’s feelings much later and that way started to question what he himself felt.

”I had accepted that fully”, Freed assured. ”I knew I would only hurt myself, but I couldn’t bear a thought of not staying beside you, even if you would never understand my feelings. Even if you would hate me because of my feelings. I was never trying to pressure you to love me, I would rather die that try to force you to do something like that. For us to actually stand here, exchanging rings, promising things to each other… It’s like a dream”, the rune mage smiled looking at those orange eyes. ”For me, it’s like a miracle. You’re the only man I love, Laxus. I will follow you even to the depths of hell and as long as I live, I will make sure you can keep going forwards and don’t need to worry about defending your back. I will do that for you.”

Laxus smiled softly looking at those turquoise eyes as Freed slipped the ring on his finger. That man was amazing. How come he could get so lucky that he could find Freed?

”Those were beautiful words, both of you”, Makarov smiled warmly. ”We could all hear how much you love and respect each other. Okay, so is there anyone here who has something against this marriage?” he asked looking around.

Freed chuckled as he saw Evergreen scanning thought the Hall with her glare, ready to turn anyone who would say something into a stone statues.

”Well then, I guess there’s nothing more left than announce that with the power as a former guild master, I announce you two married”, Makarov smirked and the Hall was filled with loud cheers, stomping feet against the floor, whistles, yelling and shouting.

Freed smiled looking at Laxus who looked back.

”Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” others yelled loudly and that made them laugh. They leaned towards each other, lips touching and with that sweet kiss everything was sealed. Everyone jumped up from their seats, all happy for their friends.

”We went through so much annoying things and hurried everything for just this small moment”, Laxus chuckled. ”Feels stupid, but guess it’s all worth it.”

”It is”, Freed nodded happily and they turned towards others.

”It’s finally time for the battle!” Natsu howled excitedly and others accompanied him.

”Battle?” Roscoe asked confused.

”It’s a tradition in Fairy Tail”, Evergreen explained with a smile as they looked how Laxus and Freed walked past the chairs together, towards the big front doors. ”Those who get married and they both belong to Fairy Tail should have a battle after the ceremony. To prove that they indeed are compatible and that they trust each other. There won’t be fighting until other one can’t continue, but testing each other and their limits, as well as their trust that their spouse will never hurt them so badly they can’t get up.”

”That’s so… Fairy Tail”, Roscoe snorted and he followed after the others, as they were all heading outside to see the battle.

Chapter Text

Felix and Chester quickly followed after Laxus and Freed as they were walking outside in the yard. Behind the guild house there were a big pool, a place where to grill food and just enjoy spending time outside. It was still early spring but days started to get warmer and warmer.

A little bit further, far enough so there wouldn’t be danger to others, there was a huge area for battling.

”It’s big”, Chester said as they arrived at the area. ”Not as big as the Domus Flau, though.”

”Of course it’s not, this is not a place big enough for that”, Felix said.

”Felix! Chester!” Vellanja shouted as she ran towards them. She was wearing a cute orange dress and her fluffy hair was open. ”Isn’t this cool! We can see Freed and Laxus fighting against each other! I’ve never seen that since they never train here at the guild.”

”I’ve seen them”, Felix smiled. ”They’re really strong!”

”I hope they’re really gonna show what they can do”, Vellanja smiled excitedly. ”I wanna see a real, good battle!”

”But they are not supposed to hurt each other”, Chester reminded. ”So they can’t really fight like they usually would.”

”That’s just stupid. Why call it a battle then? And what’s the point with it anyway if they’re not gonna find out which one is stronger?”

”That is not the point here”, Levy smiled as she stepped beside them with Gajeel.

”Well, it’s true that it can’t be called a battle since they’re not actually fighting”, the raven haired man said. ”I wouldn’t call it even a good spar.”

”Gajeel, you’re not helping”, Levy pouted. ”Did you think that way when we got married and went through this same thing?”

”What? Of course not! But you have to admit it, it’s not a battle”, Gajeel said. ”When you battle, you aim for the win.”

”That’s not true”, Levy said her hands on her hips. ”Winning is not always the most important thing. This is about love and trust.”

”Pfft, they’re guys, of course they aim for the win.”

”You are such a jerk, not romatic at all.”

”Whatever”, Gajeel said while picking his ear. ”But yeah, sure, it can also be all that crap you said...” he agreed.

Felix frowned and he looked towards Laxus who was talking with Makarov while Freed drew runes around the area so they wouldn’t accidentally hurt anyone watching them. He left his place beside Chester and Vellanja, running through the area towards Freed.

”Mama, are you sure this is safe?” he asked. He was worried. He didn’t want Freed or Laxus to get hurt. And he was more worried about Freed because… Well, Laxus was bigger than him! And stronger! What if Laxus would accidentally use too much lightning and it would really hurt the rune mage?

”Of course”, Freed smiled not lifting his sword as he kept drawing the runes. ”Are you worried?”

”Yeah… I don’t want anyone to get hurt”, Felix said and he grabbed Freed’s hand. ”Do you really have to battle?”

”You’ve seen us sparring many times, you know we wouldn’t hurt each other”, Freed assured looking at his son. ”This is just like one of those times, I promise. You just stay with others and cheer for us”, he smiled.

Felix frowned, still worried and Freed chuckled.

”Everything will be fine”, he assured lifting his son up and kept drawing the runes.

”How do you do that?” Felix asked pointing towards purple runes on the ground. ”How do you know what you have to draw?”

”Because I can read these runes.”

”I see… I want to read them too. I want to learn how to read”, Felix smiled.

”Are you sure? You’re still young”, Freed said amused and finally he linked the runes together, hoisting up barriers that covered the whole battle arena.

”I’m almost five! Did you forget?”

”Oh, I’m sorry. You’re right, you’re almost a grown up man”, Freed chuckled. ”You’re almost too big to carry around anymore.”

”I’m not that old yet”, Felix assured quickly. ”Will you teach me how to read?” he smiled.

”Of course if you want to”, Freed promised. ”And if Chester and Vellanja want to learn as well, I can teach you all at the same time. First we have to learn all the alphabet.”

”I’m sure they want to learn too”, Felix smiled. ”Can we learn how to read these runes?”

”No, these are different than the normal writing. This is a language no one uses anymore normally because it’s so old.”

”How can you then use it?”

”Because I’ve learned how to use it. You can learn it too after you’ve learned to read the normal alphabet. There are many kinds of languages around the world, some of them are languages that are no longer written or spoken. Sometimes you don’t even use words to write but pictures.”

”Wow! You can write with pictures?”

”That’s right. They are hieroglyphs and it’s called a logographic writing system.”

”I don’t really understand but I want to learn that!”

”One thing at a time”, Freed chuckled as they stepped towards Laxus and Makarov.

”Is everything ready?” Laxus asked turning towards them.

”Yes, barriers are up and no one can enter or leave without permission”, Freed nodded and he let Felix down. ”Now there won’t be any accidents.”

”Good. I don’t remember when the last time we sparred here at the guild was”, Laxus said looking around on the big area. ”We usually train in one of our regular places outside Magnolia.”

”Well, this is not a real battle anyway”, Makarov chuckled. ”This is just a little show, but please make it enjoyable. There are many people here who have never seen you two fighting against each other.”

”What’s so amazing about that?”

”It just is, trust me”, Makarov laughed. ”They are going to watch this battle closely, even if they know you’re not going against each other with full power.”

”Who said anything about not using full power?” Freed smiled and it surprised the old man.

”We just don’t fight until one of us can’t continue, right? But we are not gonna do just some little dancing around”, Laxus smirked.

”Dad! Are you really gonna hurt mama?” Felix asked and he was seriously worried.

”What? No, we’re not going that far, I promise”, Laxus smiled ruffling Felix’s hair. ”And you know your mama is strong, I have to be careful he won’t hurt me.”

”That’s okay”, Felix nodded.

”You brat...”

”Alright so let’s start this so everyone can start eating and drinking”, Freed said amused. ”Felix, go with your great-grandfather.”

”Okay”, Felix said, grabbing Makarov’s hand as they walked over to the crowd.

Freed smiled looking at the others waiting. He turned his head and looked at his husband, silently chuckling when thinking about him that way. Laxus really was his husband now. It wasn’t just a dream anymore, a wish he secretly had for so long… This was reality.

”You done staring at me?” Laxus smirked and Freed snapped out of his thoughts.

”I was just admiring your face before I give you a beautiful bruise around your eye”, the rune mage smiled and Laxus laughed. ”No, I won’t do that, I don’t want something like that to ruin this day.”

”So not going far enough to cause bruises?”

”We just have to make this showy, remember? Let’s show them we can use our full power without hurting each other”, Freed smirked.

”Yeah, let’s do that”, Laxus said and gave Freed a kiss before they both started to walk to their places.

Felix was trying to see everything with Chester as people cramped against the fence. It was easy to forget there were smaller viewers when everyone was so excited.

”We can’t see!” Felix shouted annoyed, when suddenly someone grabbed him. He smiled when Bickslow lifted him up to sit on his shoulders and ’babies’ flew up with Chester.

”Don’t fall off”, the seith mage cackled.

Felix chuckled and he looked ahead. Now he had a perfect view over the whole arena. It looked even bigger than before! That whole area was covered with rune walls they couldn’t see and just in case there was a small distance from the arena and after that came the fence that went around it. They were all standing behind that fence, all excited to see how things would go.

”I want to see them really go against each other!” Natsu laughed.

”I wonder which one would win if they really had a battle?” Sting pondered.

”That doesn’t really matter”, Rogue smiled, looking how Freed and Laxus stopped after getting to their places. ”If that day ever comes when they have to go against each other, it must be because of something that is forcing them to do so and the winner doesn’t matter.”

”Sting, your man is boring”, Natsu huffed and Sting laughed.

”No, he’s just perfect”, he assured wrapping his arm around Rogue’s shoulders and making the shadow mage blush.

They looked back at Laxus and Freed. Two handsome men in their suits, standing other sides of the battle arena. Suspense in the air was high.

In just a flash, Laxus bolted right ahead and they could hardly see it how the rune mages hand moved, fingers drawing something in the air and he vanished. Laxus stopped immediately and he was looking around. Just as swiftly as he disappeared, Freed appeared in the air just few feet above the Thunder God.

His hand gently touched the blond hair as he dropped down, his fingers already writing more runes. The air tingled around him and a burst of lightning almost blinded them. As it cooled down, they could see Freed with runes all around him that had covered him from the destructive power.

Laxus knew he would do that. It gave him one second time to pull his arm up and he grabbed Freed’s collar, yanking him down on the ground with loud crash. Felix almost shouted but even if he had, they wouldn’t have heard it since there were so much cheering and yelling around them. But his worry was needless since almost immediately Freed bounced right back on his feet, taking distance from Laxus.

Freed knew very well that fighting with Laxus wasn’t easy. He could attack far with his lightning and even if he could get near him, he was an excellent melee combatant. But well, same went with him.

”Dark Écriture: Moranga”, Freed smirked and Laxus frowned.

For a second the rune mage took a dark shape, flashing dark purple and changing his form. In Moranga’s form he wasn’t really big, but he was swift and he could do things he normally couldn’t do with his runes.

Laxus looked at the colourful mage who was using demon’s appearance to streghten himself. Unlike when using other demons, his body didn’t really change that much with Moranga, mostly just his clothes. And by god, Laxus didn’t care if no one would agree but his husband looked sexy as hell in those clothes!

He didn’t have time to ogle that sexy beast when the ground started to shake and he had to move. Tall pillars of ground hoisted up, shaping the whole area differently. Laxus huffed and looked at Freed who was tiptoeing on one of the pillars, chuckling so damn smugly.

”Yeah, grin while you still can you trickster”, Laxus smirked and sparks of electricity emitted from his blond hair.

His hair grew bigger and flash of lightning shot down his spine, forming big wings and a long strong tail. That made many of their guild mates gasp, as his nails grew bigger and sharper, orange eyes burning. It had taken hell of a lot training, but he was able to draw out some of the dragonic traits without instant danger of losing his mind to his instincts as well.

Felix shut his eyes, too scared to watch and he heard so much crashing and thundering, how something hit against something, ground was crumbling and stuff like that. Others were screaming with thrill and excitement, cheering for them both and enjoying the show. He was just scared that something bad might still happen.

”Hey, don’t worry”, Bickslow said when he noticed Felix wasn’t watching. ”They won’t really hurt each other. They are both strong, they can handle some tossing around.”

Carefully Felix opened his eyes and looked again. There was a huge mess on the arena. Dust was whirling around as Freed and Laxus fought in close combat right now. Both doing their best to land a kick or two, punching and shielding themselves from attacks at the same time.

It was… Amazing! Felix’s eyes went wide when he saw how both men were smiling all the time, obviously enjoying this all! They were in a perfect sync! Again they took distance and used magic, lightning colliding against runes and causing blast that was so powerful Felix had to grab Bickslow’s head so he wouldn’t fall.

The area was filled with dust and now there was a silence. Slowly the dust faded and revealed two fighters who were staring at each other. It was clear that the fight was over. They had shown their power and trust, as well as how well they fit together. If they wouldn’t there would be serious injuries by now.

Moranga’s form faded and Freed stepped towards Laxus who started walking as well. They stopped, facing each other with smiles that told it all. This was how it was meant to be. There couldn’t possibly be anyone more suitable for them. They had something many people spend their lives looking for and maybe never finding it.

They were soulmates. They belonged together like a coin that has been split in two pieces. There were thousands of metaphors how to describe their situation and even then none of them seemed like enough.

There was one thing that was an ultimate proof of how they were meant to be, how strong their bond was and once the runes disappeared and others could come forward to congratulate them, that proof came with others and hugged them both.

”That was amazing!” Felix yelled with a wide smile.

”Thank you, Felix”, Freed smiled.

”Laxus! I want to fight with you too!” Natsu said. He was too excited after watching that fight!

”No way in hell”, Laxus snorted. ”Not today.”

”Let’s just all go inside and start celebrating”, Freed suggested dusting his cloths and they agreed.

It was starting to get dark outside, but that didn’t matter since inside they had bright lights and the party was still going on. Freed smiled while holding a glass of wine, looking how others were eating and getting drunk. It was alright, it was how Fairy Tail partied after all.

He looked towards Rogue who sat down beside him with the little exceed in his frog costume. The raven haired man had a glass of juice since he wasn’t too keen of alcohol.

”Congratulations once more, Freed”, he said to the rune mage.

”Thank you, Rogue”, Freed smiled. ”We are really happy that you and Sting came here.”

”We’re really sorry it was so sudden”, Rogue said. ”And you invited us to eat and drink. I will make sure we will send a gift later.”

”Don’t worry about that. By the way, now that you mentioned it, why did you appear so suddenly here?” Freed asked curiously.

”We wanted to come and help”, Rogue smiled. ”That Emmett attacked Minerva and Yukino. We simply can’t forgive something like that. Rufus and Orga are helping them and they’re making sure everything will be fine while we’re here. I’m not sure if we will be much of a help, but at least we are ready to do our best.”

”Fro thinks so too!” Frosch said happily as always.

”We have to talk about that with Laxus, but I’m sure no one is against of you guys helping us”, Freed nodded. ”We are grateful that you want to help us.”

Rogue smiled and he let his gaze to wander around the Guild Hall. Some were fighting, some were drinking, others were eating and so on. Everyone was so happy. His stare stopped as he saw Felix, Chester and Vellanja playing together with Bickslow’s ’babies’.

”Rogue?” Freed said after a moment of silence and Rogue jolted slightly, looking at the rune mage who was smiling. ”You look like you have a serious baby fever”, he teased and Rogue’s face flushed bright red.

”I don’t… Sure, I wouldn’t mind, but...” he stuttered and Freed laughed.

”That’s fine”, he smiled. ”I’m sure you and Sting will have a family. We can’t know when the next mating season will start.”

”That’s true”, Rogue said with a tiny smile. ”Have you talked with Laxus about that yet?”

”No”, the green haired man said shaking his head. ”It’s not an easy task to talk about that… But still, I know that Laxus won’t just ignore my feelings. He will listen.”

”I’m sure of that as well”, Rogue nodded. ”So are you two perhaps going to the honeymoon?” he asked and Freed chuckled.

”No”, he said. ”Now that the wedding is over, we really have to start helping Naava Town.”

”I see. Me and Sting will help as much as we can of course.”

”Thank you for that.”

Chapter Text

Few days later Freed was following after Laxus. Even if it was early morning, it was snowing so harshly their surroundings were dark like it was evening already and they barely could see where they were going. They were following tracks so at least they wouldn’t be able to get lost in this blizzard.

”I don’t think that moss can survive when it’s so cold here”, Freed said and he looked behind them. They were followed by their whole guild and many volunteers of survivors who used to live in that now empty town.

”That’s good for us”, Laxus grunted and he was actually wearing his big dark coat. It was warm enough so the snow didn’t really bother him at all.

The train had left them not far from Naava Town and the rest of the way they had to walk. They couldn’t take a risk that the air in the town really was toxic and then everyone in train would die.

Freed yelped when again he almost fell but Laxus’ arm was around him immediately, keeping him on his feet.

”Thank you”, he smiled. They all had struggles to walk over huge piles of snow.

”Don’t mention it”, Laxus said and in the next second he fell down in the snow with cusses. Freed managed to hold his laugh, watching his angry husband who snarled and swiped some snow off of himself.

”Did you hurt yourself?” the green haired man smiled helping Laxus up.

”No”, he grunted. ”I hate this shitty weather”, he said as another strong blast of wind almost made them all fall and he heard thumps as some of them did fall on the snow. He pulled Freed closer, wrapping his dark coat around them both.

”There’s not much left and we will be in the town”, Freed assured.

It was a long road but finally they got to the town. They stopped near the forest just in case, everyone ready to retreat immediately if the air would smell funny.

”Do you smell anything?” Freed asked looking at Laxus who tried to sniff the air along with other dragon slayers.

”Nothing”, he said. ”If there were mold, we would definitely smell it.”

”Are you sure?”

”Yeah. Do you guys smell anything?” Laxus asked looking at Natsu, Gajeel, Wendy, Sting and Rogue.

”Nothing”, Wendy said and others nodded as they didn’t sense anything as well.

”So it should be pretty safe to go there”, Laxus grunted. ”But only few of us should go first.”

”I suggest only dragon slayers go with exceeds”, Rogue said. ”Since we can smell the mold if it’s there.”

”I agree”, Gajeel nodded. ”We can get quickly away from there if there’s something suspicious around.”

Laxus nodded.

”Then let’s do that”, he said and sparks of electricity ran down his spine. Huge lightning wings appeared on his back, waving in the air as if the lightning was alive.

Freed frowned worriedly while looking how the group of dragon slayers flew up and towards the town.

”Warren, make sure we can hear immediately if something happens”, he said and Warren nodded.

For a while they waited in silence. It felt like minutes were crawling, every second felt like it lasted eternity. Cold wind was turning their limps numb and their clothes were slowly getting wet because of all the snow.

”You hear me?” they suddenly heard Gajeel’s voice.

”Loud and clear”, Levy assured.

”Good. I don’t smell mold at the northern part of the town.”

”No mold in east”, Sting assured.

”Not in west either”, Natsu said.

”The library mountain is clear as well”, Wendy said.

”What about south and the middle of the town?” Roscoe asked.

”Nothing here”, Rogue said and they heard Laxus grunting something agreeing.

It was such a relief and the townspeople who had came with them cheered. Since there was no mold and nothing smelled suspicious, the air wasn’t poisonous.

”There are no much moss anymore”, Laxus said. ”And all that’s left is frozen because of the weather.”

”It’s like these mountains are protecting our town”, Roscoe smiled. ”Now we can get rid of the moss before it can cause more damage.”

”You can all come in the town but be careful”, Laxus said.

”Be prepared when you come. It’s not a beautiful sight”, Natsu warned with a serious tone.

They all started to approach the town. Soon they were on its streets, looking around and Freed heard gasps. So many buildings were nothing but ruins anymore. Fire had destroyed most of the town and even though there were so much snow all around, they could see blackened houses and walls.

Crying was inevitable when the people who used to live in this town could see all the destruction. No matter how much white snow fell down from the sky it wasn’t enough to cover what all horrible things happened here.

Freed moved his gaze when he saw corpses lying on the street. They had done their best yet there was so many lost lives… If only they had known about the attack sooner…

”Let’s scatter around and investigate the whole town”, Erza said. ”If you see anything even slightly strange, inform others immediately. Do not walk alone”, she commanded and others nodded. ”Stay in groups of at least three people and do not touch anything if you’re not sure what it is.”

One after another they decided who would go with who. They decided it would be the best if at least one mage would go with those who had no magic. Freed was waiting for his group and soon a man and a woman stepped ahead. Freed frowned as he saw something familiar in that man with a black long hair…

”Ketkel”, he said surprised when he recognized that face.

”So you do remember me”, Ketkel chuckled. ”It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Justine. Oh, I mean Dreyar”, he quickly corrected himself. ”I heard about the wedding, congratulations.”

”Thank you”, Freed nodded with a smile. He had ended up taking Laxus’ surname after all, it made things simpler. And if he was completely honest, it had been somewhat a dream of his to be called Freed Dreyar.

”I can go to another group if this is not okay”, Ketkel assured. He had some really haunting memories of a certain lightning dragon slayer almost making him soil himself when he tried to approach the rune mage…

”It’s alright, Ketkel. It’s in the past. And you are?” Freed asked politely from the woman who smiled.

”My name is Milalai, nice to meet you”, Milalai said. ”So which way should we go?”

”I was thinking about going to see the library”, Freed said and Ketkel and Milalai nodded.

”Freed!” they heard Levy’s voice and looked at the tiny woman who came to them with two others. ”You’re going to the library right?” she asked.

”Yes”, Freed nodded. ”Do you want to come with us?”

”If you don’t mind”, Levy smiled. ”It’s a big area to investigate, better if there are more of us, right?”

”You’re absolutely right”, Freed agreed. ”So let’s all go.”

It wasn’t easy to walk through all snow and once they got near the once beautiful castle like library built in a mountain, there weren’t just snow but all kinds of trash as well. Planks, rocks, glass shards, broken statues, doors, books, everything. It was really a challenge to walk over all of that and they had to be really careful not to hurt themselves.

Finally they found some stairs that were still solid since they had been hacked right through the mountain. Carefully they climbed up, feeling slightly nervous if the ceiling would hold. There was also a possibility that the other end of the stairs had collapsed and they had to go back.

Thankfully it hadn’t collapsed and they could get out. They were in the deeper part of the library that was still looking good. Of course shaking had caused all the books to drop from shelves but considering how big the destruction was, this part was in a really good shape.

”Thank god”, Milalai said relieved. ”Only the outer part of the library collapsed.”

”Be careful”, Freed reminded. ”Let’s not do anything hasty. Some parts might not be sturdy enough to carry our weight so do not walk around carelessly.”

They nodded and scattered around, not too far apart from each other. Freed walked around, keeping his hand on his sword just in case. Part of him was still worried that something might happen. Emmett, Ichabod and Humphrey all attacked so suddenly, they could never really know when they would appear next time. Everything seemed so calm right now so it felt like someone of them might attack at any second.

Freed felt shivers when remembering Humphrey. He was so glad Laxus didn’t know what all happened. Laxus could get seriously jealous after all and with his instincts if he heard someone touching his mate in an inappropriate way… There would be a storm like never before.

Freed carefully stepped on stairs that lead down. He actually had a place where he wanted to go. This part of the library was oldest, as it had been started building from inside the mountain and slowly it had expanded until people had build that castle part of the library. Since this part was almost intact, there might be some books that could help him.

He wanted to know more about Netherworld Magic. According to Ivan there wasn’t many who had used that magic so finding some information would be a challenge. It belonged to the category of Lost Magic so if here were any books about it, they would be here at the oldest part of the library. There were a whole chamber full of books about magic, some of them behind locks so that people couldn’t read them without a permission if they held information of dangerous magic.

This was his change to read those books since there wasn’t anyone to stop him. He followed the long hallway to the most deepest parts of the mountain library, opening doors and looking around his way.

Finally he stepped in the right chamber. There were many shelves full of books. He frowned when seeing all the dust. Even if there wasn’t people to read these books because it was forbidden, they should still take care of them.

The rune mage stepped beside the shelves, his finger almost touching covers as it run over them. There really was all kinds of magic. One of those books he recognized as he had read it many times. Forbidden runes. But he had no interest to take that book ever again so he continued his way.

After searching for a while, Freed stepped out of the chamber and closed the doors. He had found one book that might held information. There was no time for him to read it here so he had to borrow it for a while. He would definitely return it later, right now it was important to learn more about Yuidose’s magic and considering how dusty all the books were, no one would even notice if one of the books were missing.

Book hidden in his runes, Freed walked back to the others.

Laxus landed on the library as well, but on the higher parts of it. He could guess that Freed was investigating it inside already. He had to admit that he was slightly worried if this whole place might collapse after all so he was keeping an eye out.

He could see the whole town from here, even though it was still snowing harshly. It really wasn’t a pretty sight. Most of the buildings were log houses and they were burned down. But he saw how volunteers who had came with them were already moving stuff, cleaning some parts, getting out corpses so they could bury them later. It was important to get the train station to work again so they could get more people come here.

They should be fine. Sure it would take time to build this town again but it was clear that the people of Naava Town would not give up.

Laxus frowned when he lifted few rocks. These were parts of meteors, they looked different to be just normal rocks from walls. He growled letting the rocks fall from his hand. He really hated that Humphrey guy. If only they knew where to find them, he would kick his ass so hard he would shit footprints for a month. No one collared Freed like that without consequences as long as he lived!

It was getting really dark when all of them finally gathered in the middle of the town. They had repaired one of the biggest buildings there so all of them could get inside. They all got rooms and they made beds out of everything they could find.

”So what are we gonna do next?” Bickslow asked, sitting beside a fireplace in a small room where Laxus and Freed would spend their night.

”Tomorrow we will repair the train station”, Laxus said. ”At least well enough so the train can move. People in this town can start rebuilding and we can go back to Magnolia.”

He looked at Freed who was still reading. He had done nothing else but read the whole time after they had stepped inside.

”Hey”, Laxus said getting up and walking over to the other man who was sitting by the table.

”Hmm?” Freed murmured not stopping.

”Have you eaten anything yet?”

”Hmm...”

”Guess not”, Laxus grunted and he snatched the book away.

”Hey!” Freed yelled and he looked at Laxus annoyed. ”I have to finish that book as soon as I can.”

”No you don’t”, Laxus snorted. ”We can take this with us to Magnolia.”

”I was planning to take it back tomorrow before we leave.”

”Why bother? You said no one would notice. Just take it with us and bring it back later.”

Freed sighed and rolled his eyes.

”Don’t roll your eyes at me. It’s better if you don’t need to hurry. Just go eat something, then we can go to bed. That is an order.”

”Fine”, Freed said and he stood up. ”But only because you know I can’t stand against your orders.”

”I know”, Laxus smirked.

”You big bully”, Freed said, but playfully and he stepped in the hallway.

”He gave up quicker than I thought”, Bickslow snickered and Laxus put the book down on the table.

”That’s because he’s planning to keep reading once I’ve fallen asleep”, the blond haired man explained. Then he frowned. ”We should definitely go home tomorrow”, he muttered.

”Why?” Bickslow asked curiously.

”I don’t know. I guess I’m just being paranoid but in here I feel like those enemies of ours might jump out at any second. And I’m nervous that there’s only Gramps and Roxanne taking care of Felix. What if they might attack them now?”

”I don’t think so, baby”, Bickslow said. ”They have no reason to do that. True, they could use them to lure us back, but we would just come with the whole guild and they can’t win against all of us.”

”Yeah, you’re right about that. Using Felix and other kids as a bait does not work for them right now. It was different when we were out with a smaller group. Besides, I want to take Freed home before something happens.”

”Dude, I get it but you’re going too far”, the seith mage warned. ”You know Freed doesn’t like it one bit if you try to patronize him.”

”Yes, but I can’t help it.”

”You’re acting weird, you know that?” Bickslow said confused. ”You know Freed’s strong and he would kick your ass if he heard you now.”

”I know”, Laxus growled. ”And I don’t care. It’s just… I don’t know”, he huffed.

”Something’s going on, baby”, Bickslow said. ”Maybe you knocked him up again and that’s why you’re so overprotective?” he smirked and Laxus laughed.

”Nah, that’s not the reason”, he assured.

”Guess so. Well, I’m off to bed”, Bickslow said getting up and stretching his limps. ”Try to cool your head a bit, okay? Just a friendly advice”, he cackled and stepped out of the room.

Laxus sat down on the couch and huffed, thinking about it. It must be just because Humphrey had gotten so close to Freed earlier. He just didn’t want that to happen again.

Chapter Text

On the next day most of their morning went when they were clearing the train station. Those who knew how, repaired tracks and others helped to fix the ceiling, move away all the trash and things like that.

It took a long time, but around noon they gathered together to look how the train finally arrived at the station and stopped.

“I can’t believe we actually did it”, Lucy smiled.

“Well, without Gajeel’s magic we probably couldn’t have done it”, Erza said as they watched how people were taking off bags and supplies from the train. It had waited them near the town until now and once everything was ready for it to arrive, they had sent Mest to give a word for train engineers.

“Tch, little things”, Gajeel said yet he was obviously proud and flattered because of the compliments.

Once all the supplies were out they were deciding who would stay behind and who would go back to Magnolia once the train would depart.

“I want to stay”, Lucy smiled. “I want to help with the library.”

“I will do that too”, Wendy said.

“There’s still much moss to burn so I’m gonna stay!” Natsu laughed loudly. “Sting, Rogue, you’re gonna stay right?”

“Could be fun”, Sting grinned. “What do you say, Rogue?” he asked looking at the raven haired man.

“I don’t see why we couldn’t”, he smiled.

“If this town really wants to get rid of that moss, Sting and us are the obvious choice of course to stay”, Lector smirked. “Isn’t that right, Frosch?”

“Fro thinks so too!” Frosch said with a happy nod.

“I guess we stay”, Gray said. “I rather like the weather here anyway, feels cosy. Hey Bickslow, are you guys gonna stay?” he asked looking at the seith mage.

“Nah, not us, baby. Though I would want to”, Bickslow said while moving some planks that were used to fix the roof. “Roscoe will stay of course. He’s being in charge and arranging groups who will do what.”

“What? Why aren’t you guys staying?” Natsu asked confused. “We might find those enemies! Humpty Dumpty and Baldy Pinkie and who was that third?”

“Emmett”, Laxus said as he stepped by, carrying few bags. “You guys stay if you want but we have other things to do in Magnolia. Just don’t get in their way and be damn sure that if I hear you’ve been destroying things here, I’m gonna use your heads as picks and hammer few more holes in that mountain so they can build that library even bigger than it was”, he growled.

“Aye...” Happy meowed timidly.

“Don’t mind him, he’s just a little bit cranky today”, Bickslow snickered as Laxus walked away.

“Isn’t he always?” Lector murmured.

“Fro thinks so too...”

“Might be true”, Bickslow cackled. “Hey, do you guys know where Freed is? Haven’t seen him for a while”, he said looking around.

“He’s with Levy in the library”, Lucy said. “They are arranging books and Freed is using runes to strengthen walls and ceilings until they are properly sustained.”

“Should have guessed he’s there”, Bickslow smirked. “Those two really love books..”

“They do”, Lucy smiled.

“Ever is probably with Elfman somewhere?”

“They are helping Mirajane and Lisanna to repair one of the restaurants so the townspeople can use that as a public kitchen for now and eat there until more buildings have been rebuilt.”

“I see. Alright, I’m not gonna just slack around either!” Bickslow decided and he grabbed a pile of planks lifting them up. “I’m gonna make sure that roof is fixed before we will leave!” he cackled, hopping on his Tiki dolls who giggled and flew up through a hole in the ceiling.

“We’re not gonna lose! Let’s go destroy some moss!” Natsu shouted.

“I bet me and Rogue will get more of it destroyed than you guys before lunch”, Sting blustered confidently.

“Ha! You wish, you broken spotlight!”

“Sting can definitely get rid of it much faster than you!” Lector defended furiously looking at the pink haired mage.

“Pfft, maybe if he eats it all”, Happy snickered landing on Natsu’s shoulder.

“Come on, Sting! We can win them!” Lector said and Sting laughed.

“Hell yeah!” the Master of Sabertooth assured and Rogue chuckled.

“You’re gonna be sorry that you dared to challenge -”

“Get the fuck off already!” they heard Laxus’ roar and it made them jump.

“Let’s go then”, Erza smiled and they all walked outside.

Freed piled up books on the table and picked up a few more from the floor. Levy was going through them, inspecting in how bad of a condition they were and Ketkel, Milalai and others were helping them by arranging books in the shelves that had been restored.

Huge old clock was ticking on the wall and it was a surprise it was still working. It striked noon and Freed looked up.

”Mirajane said they would have lunch ready by one o’clock”, he said when carrying new books for Levy.

”Oh, so we better hurry up if we want to get that shelf filled by then”, the blue haired woman smiled taking off her glasses she was using when going through the books.

Freed nodded and he was ready to turn, when he noticed how Levy’s shoulders tensed.

”Are you okay?” he asked concerned.

”Just felt a bit dizzy for a moment”, Levy said.

”Dizzy?”

”I’m sure it was nothing.”

Laxus and other dragon slayers had confirmed there was no mold here, but the building was big, part of it was full of snow and ice, there were dust everywhere and the scent of old books… There were so much scents around, what if they missed a spot? What if there was a smell that covered the scent of mold? What if there was only little bit mold in some of the books?

”Leave the books!” Freed commanded loud enough to make his voice echo and everyone in the large hall stopped whatever they were doing. ”Don’t touch anything, leave the library at once!” he ordered and everyone looked at each other first confused but then in fear. ”Come on, Levy”, Freed said pulling her on her feet. Others started to run towards the staircase that lead to the passage they could use to get out.

”I’m sure this is nothing”, Levy assured but she followed after the rune mage.

”Better safe than sorry”, Freed just said and they hurried down the stairs.

”Freed!” they heard another voice and Ketkel ran beside them. ”I found this”, the long haired man said and he handed over an envelope. It seemed new but Freed stopped when seeing something written behind.

”What is it?” Levy asked as she stopped too.

”Where did you find this?” Freed asked looking at Ketkel. ”Did someone give you this?”

”No!”

”So how did you suddenly find this?” Freed asked and even though he didn’t like it, he was getting slightly nervous.

On the backside of the envelope, with elegant handwriting there stood the name ’Freed Justine’.

”Where did you find this?” the swordsman demanded to know and Ketkel was almost sweating.

”It fell on the floor, I swear!” he quickly said. ”I was leaving when it suddenly just fell down and I saw the name! I had no time to think so I just grabbed it along! That’s all I know!”

”What’s inside?” Levy asked and she was worried. A mysterious letter suddenly falling from the ceiling? If that wasn’t suspicious she didn’t know what was.

Freed frowned and ripped the envelope open. Inside there was a simple card that had more writing and Freed pulled it out.

’My dear Freed.

I’m longing to see you again, my love. Our moment together last time was far too short and my heart is aching in horrendous pain because I can’t see you. I still vividly remember that kiss, it’s like I can still feel the tingle on my lips and it will never disappear.’

”That’s… Creepy”, Levy muttered. ”And… Um… A kiss?” she asked.

”Long story”, Freed grumbled.

’I know your soul must be hurting too because of this distance between us. You just don’t know it yet. I will do my best to get you realize your love towards me. For that I need you to give me a chance so I can prove I’m right. Simply asking won’t make you come, you are the famous Freed the Dark after all, a man who has devoted his life for one man only until now. But I might have something that makes you come flying to me. Something you love deeply and the longer you delay our wonderful reunion, higher is the risk that something regrettable might happen. I wish to see you as soon as possible again, my love.

- Humphrey Mertell’

”Humphrey...” Levy said looking at Freed who tried to keep himself calm. ”That same man who used meteors to attack?”

”That same man”, Freed admitted and he tried to think what was the thing Humphrey meant in his card.

Most of their Guild was here in this town and even Humphrey wouldn’t consider attacking them. Laxus was with others in the train station so that most likely left…

”Felix”, Freed gasped and it felt like his guts froze. Felix was in Magnolia with Makarov, Roxanne, Chester and Vellanja.

”Oh god”, Levy said covering her mouth with her hand. ”He has Felix?”

”Levy, go immediately find Gajeel and you have to get in that train”, Freed said and it called tremendous amount of selfcontrol so he could keep his voice calm. ”If Humphrey really was here… We simply cannot be sure if everything is alright, you have to go see Porlyusica. Tell others to be careful as well. Tell Laxus he has to stay calm and once he has made sure you and everyone else who has even slightest bit of symptoms has gotten in that train and it has left, he can come after me with his lightning.”

”I will”, Levy promised with a nod.

”But, what -?” Ketkel said but Freed was already running.

There was a window just nearby, partly open because one of its hinge was broken. The rune mage hopped on the windowsil and leaped out, not caring that they were high on the mountain. As he fell, his fingers moved quickly, writing runes.

”Dark Écriture: Wings”, he said and a pair of dark purple rune wings appeared on his back.

Icy cold wind hit his face when he flew through the air, quickly leaving the town behind. Some of the snow covered trees lost part of their white coating as he dashed just above them. He flew higher to get over the mountain they had once hiked over with Laxus, Evergreen and Bickslow.

Snow dusted behind him rapidly as he flew over the mountain, seeing more forest, small villages, other mountains and everything was covered with snow. The scenery was absolutely beautiful and if it had been any other day, he might have stopped to enjoy it a bit more. But this was not a time for that.

Freed let his altitude drop so he wouldn’t get caught in those strong winds around the mountains. He never dropped his speed and by using winds he could, he flew even faster and soon all the mountains were left behind. Snow had disappeared and instead there was now green everywhere. The air got slightly warmer but with high speed it really didn’t matter. Not that Freed really cared, he wouldn’t stop even if he was about to freeze to death.

It felt like forever but finally Freed could see the familiar town. His heart was racing now and he clenched his jaw, praying that Felix was alright. He would never forgive himself if he was too late!

He dashed forwards and flew over the houses, finally dropping his speed as he arrived at the right street. He vanished his wings and dropped on his feet, quickly running to the old house where Makarov lived.

”Felix?!” Freed shouted as he stepped in, panting heavily after using so much magic to get here as fast as he could.

There was no answer.

The rune mage stepped in and looked around, opening doors but the house was empty.

”No, no, no, no, NO!” Freed yelled and his head was spinning because of the rising panic and he could hardly breath. His neck felt like there was a belt around it, slightly tightening and he knew he had to try and calm himself.

He shouted in anger and sorrow, ruffling his green hair as he was trying to calm down. He had to think! He had to focus on finding out where Felix was and he shouldn’t do anything hastily, he had to wait that Laxus would come here as well! Together they would find their son.

”Freed?”

Freed snapped out of his thoughts like someone hit him with a whip and he lifted his gaze. His body froze as he saw Makarov standing in the doorway.

”Why are you here?” the former master of Fairy Tail asked surprised and Freed opened his mouth, but he couldn’t speak. ”Is something wrong?”

”Fe… Felix...” Freed finally managed to stutter.

”Oh, he’ll be here in a minute with other kids and Roxanne. We were in a park and Roxanne went with kids to the market to get ingredients for a stew.”

Freed dropped on his knees immediately because of relief. Felix was alright. His son was still here and safe.

Makarov closed the door.

”Now tell me what is wrong, Freed”, he said stepping in front of the green haired mage who couldn’t yet get up. ”Are others alright?”

Freed nodded and he took the card, giving it for Makarov who read it.

”I see, no wonder why you look like you were scared to death”, he murmured. ”Does Laxus know?”

”He should”, Freed said and his voice was almost lost because of cold air and he still felt dizzy. ”He had to stay and make sure Levy can return with the train and any other who might have been infected with mold.”

”So there was some left?”

”We’re not sure. Levy said he felt dizzy suddenly when we were in a library. I told her to get in train and tell Laxus to make sure it will leave immediately. She has to see Porlyusica, that’s the only way we can be sure is she infected or not.”

”You’re right”, Makarov nodded. ”And because of this card, you hurried here of course to see if Felix is alright.”

”Yes”, Freed said.

They heard steps behind the door and Freed finally stumbled on his feet, just in time when the door opened and Felix, Chester and Vellanja stepped in with bags full of groceries. Roxanne followed after them, closing the door.

”Mama!” Felix shouted surprised and happy when he noticed Freed. He left the bag on the floor and quickly ran to hug Freed who was feeling overwhelmed because of all the intense feelings he had gone through in a short time. But right now he just wanted to hug Felix tightly and be so damn happy that he was alright. ”You’re cold”, Felix noticed when touching the cold skin. ”Are you sick?”

Freed opened his mouth but he had no idea what he should say. He didn’t want to scare Felix.

”He just flew all the way over here to bring me something”, Makarov smiled and Freed was silently thanking him. ”Go fetch a warm blanket for your mama, Felix.”

”Okay!” Felix smiled and he ran up the stairs.

”You kids take those bags in the kitchen”, Roxanne said and Vellanja and Chester nodded, going to the kitchen. ”And you go sit on the couch, Sugar”, the old lady said grabbing Freed’s hand. ”You’re about to fall from your feet at any second.”

Freed sat down obediently and he knew Roxanne was telling the truth. His legs felt like he wouldn’t be able to get up for a while even if he wanted. He might have fainted at any second.

”It was not wise to fly all the way here, you’re going to get sick”, Roxanne scolded.

”I understand”, Freed nodded. ”But I had to come. I’m just so glad that everything is alright”, he sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. ”I’m so relieved.”

”I’m gonna make the food ready, you just rest there, Sugar”, Roxanne said. ”Take off that cold coat and wrap the blanket around you once Felix brings it over.”

”I will do that.”

”Good, I will make some tea at first so it will warm you up”, Roxanne said and he went to the kitchen.

”I’m not sure if this is the right time, but I guess you should have this”, Makarov said and he stepped to the table near the entrance.

Freed looked at the envelope he brought. It was exactly the same as the first one, with his name and all.

”This came just this morning”, Makarov said. ”I didn’t open it but since it came to my house but there is your name, I knew it was something suspicious.”

Freed’s hands almost trembled as he opened the envelope and pulled out a card.

‘I fooled you!’

Freed let out a shaky breath, glad that there wasn’t anything else.

“There’s something more”, Makarov said noticing the other side of the card.

Freed tensed up immediately and flipped the card over.

‘For now <3’

Chapter Text

Somewhere around three o’clock the whole town got scared when suddenly lightning hit down from bright blue sky and thundering filled the air. Laxus straightened himself, standing in front of Makarov’s house and he walked past the port, opening the door.

“Oh, so you finally came”, Makarov said when the blond haired dragon slayer stepped in. “Freed said you would come.”

“Where’s Freed? And Felix?” Laxus growled and there was a big vein throbbing on his neck. It was a miracle he was able to do as Freed had told and take care that the train would leave with Levy and Gajeel aboard. Thankfully there wasn’t others who were feeling dizzy or anything else suspicious.

“Don’t worry, everything is fine”, Makarov assured trying to calm his grandson. He would only scare the kids if he stepped in front of them looking like he was ready to explode.

“Levy said that Humphrey guy was after Felix.”

“Seems like Humphrey was making fun of you guys. At least for now”, Makarov huffed. “Felix is fine and there hasn’t been anything unusual happening here.”

Laxus sighed relieved. He could of course smell Felix and Freed both of them, but hearing that everything really was alright was what he really needed. But after sniffing some more, there was something that made him feel uneasy.

He stepped at the entrance of the living room and peeked in. It seemed like tthe kids were playing a board game, Felix sitting on Freed’s lap. The rune mage still had a blanket around him and he was sleeping against the back of the couch.

“He’s sick”, Laxus grunted. “I can smell it.”

“He fell asleep only moments ago, refused to go in bed”, Makarov explained looking in the living room as well. “He almost hurt himself when flying over in that cold weather in mountains. He needs some rest, but he should be just fine after few days.”

Laxus stepped in the living room and Felix noticed him.

“Dad”, he said happily. “You came home too.”

“Yeah”, Laxus nodded and he smiled slightly. Felix really was okay, it lessened the tension in his shoulders. “Don’t wake up mama.”

“We told him he should go to bed but he didn’t want to”, Felix huffed looking at the green haired man who was sleeping soundly. “He said he would wait until dad would be home too.”

“Well, I’m here now”, Laxus said. “So let’s go tuck mama in bed.”

“Are we gonna stay here with Gramps?”

“Yeah, it’s easier that way”, Laxus said and Felix slid off from Freed’s lap.

The lightning dragon slayer gently pulled his arms under Freed’s knees and shoulders, lifting him up.

“Did he eat?” he asked as Freed’s head leaned against his neck and he could feel how his body was radiating heat because of high fever. It made the rune mage look so small and fragile, he just wanted to take care of him the best he could, do whatever he could so his mate would feel better soon.

“We had lunch an hour ago”, Chester said. “He ate something as well.”

“Good”, Laxus nodded and he turned.

He carried Freed up the stairs and Felix opened a door for him in the bedroom. It was Laxus’ own room he used when visiting Makarov and sometimes he had lived there when Ivan was away doing... Whatever the hell he had been doing.

There was one more room for Roxanne and Vellanja, while Felix and Chester slept in this one. Makarov of course had his own bedroom.

There was a bed big enough for two in Laxus’ old room and he laid his husband on it. He was worried when seeing his pale skin sweating so much.

“Go tell Gramps that I need water and a towel”, Laxus said and Felix nodded, leaving the room.

While waiting, Laxus removed the shirt and pants, leaving Freed only in his briefs. He got another blanket from the closet and made sure Freed was feeling comfortable. Soon Makarov came over with a bowl filled with warm water and a towel, leaving them alone.

Gently Laxus wiped Freed’s skin, admiring again how perfect he looked even when he was so sweaty and obviously sick. It was like Freed simply couldn’t look imperfect no matter what. He drenched the towel in water again, squeezed most water out and kept cleaning his mate.

He stopped when he saw now faint scar on his beautiful skin. It was a scar Laxus knew very well as it was on Freed’s lower part of stomach. He remembered how troubled he had been at first, thinking Laxus would think it looked hideous. But how could he hate it since it was due something amazing? At first Freed had covered it with runes just like he covered those other scars he had, but stopped doing that when Laxus managed to assure him there was nothing wrong with having that scar. It didn’t make him look foul or disgusting, it never would.

Carefully Laxus turned Freed to lie on his side and he started to clean his back. He frowned when looking at the skin there, moving towel along with it. He had seen those few other scars Freed had, they were pretty big but now faint, yet Freed still covered them. There wasn’t really any extraordinary stories behind those scars, or at least Freed told Laxus that they had been caused during his training. More precicely, when he was trying to first time take over Valdeghar’s form and it ended up him clawing himself.

Laxus cleaned rest of his body and then laid Freed back on his back and pulled the covers over him, making sure he wouldn’t feel cold. Then he went to throw away the water.

“You should eat something too”, Roxanne said but Laxus shook his head. “I didn’t ask, I commanded. You sit down, there’s plenty of stew left”, the old woman said opening a lid from the pot.

After eating something Laxus went back to their room and he hung Freed’s coat in the closet since they were going to stay over. He was just about to close the doors when he noticed something sticking out of one of the red coat’s pockets. A card? Two actually.

Laxus took out the cards. Were these the ones Humphrey sent? He frowned and read them through. After that, he was more confused what the hell had happened. A kiss? What the fuck was Humphrey meaning with a kiss? Since when did he have a chance to kiss Freed?!

A massive amount of jealousy and overprotectiveness instantly lifted its ugly head inside the Thunder God and his hair was emitting sparks. Did that douchebag touch his mate? Freed wouldn’t tell him, he was probably embarrassed and scared how Laxus would react. Did he do more than just kiss him? Laxus wasn’t stupid enough to actually even consider that Freed would have done something like that out of his own free will. He’d rather die than betray Laxus!

But still... He hadn’t mentioned anything about this. Did something happen that time when Humphrey and Ichabod attacked Naava Town? When Humphrey collared the rune mage? Now that he thought about it, it most likely was around then. Like hell Freed would easily let someone do something like that to him!

But how? How did he manage to kiss him? If he really did do that, did something else happen too? Laxus grunted and crumbled those cards inside his fist, trying to calm himself. He wasn’t mad at Freed. There were questions he wanted him to answer to – not yet though, not before he was feeling better - but he wasn’t mad. Freed would never cheat on him. It was that Humphrey who caused everything and in that moment Laxus decided he would hunt that man down no matter what. He would make him suffer for touching his mate like that.

Laxus tossed the crumbled cards away and he sat on the bed beside Freed. He looked at him, gently moving few green strands from his face. He would make damn sure Humphrey would never get near Freed again. This explained all the uneasines Laxus had felt for a while. He knew that something wasn’t right with Freed. It was his instincts trying to tell him that someone had tried to take his mate from him. It was a horrible and angering to even think about something like that to happen.

If only Freed wasn’t sick, Laxus would have kissed him, caressed him, claimed him and done all that again just to assure himself that Freed really was here and wouldn’t leave him. Oh god he wanted to claim him so bad! Freed was his and no one else had the right to even touch his gorgeous skin or sniff his beautiful green hair! Laxus knew he was thinking too possessively, but right now it was how he felt!

The lightning dragon slayer laid down next to Freed and pulled him in his embrace. Right now the most important thing was for Freed to get better. After that... Well, they would see what would happen after that.

It was dark in the room when Freed woke up finally. His body felt heavy and he was not strong enough to get up. His head hurt slightly and he opened his eyes, looking around. Laxus was sleeping just beside him, his arms around Freed and that made him chuckle. On the floor, Felix and Chester shared a spare futon and both were in a deep sleep.

Freed noticed a jug on his nightstand and he reached out to pour some water in a glass. Him moving woke up Laxus instantly.

“You’re awake?” he grunted still half-asleep.

“I just woke up”, Freed said taking the glass. “You can keep sleeping, I’m not going anywhere.”

“Good, because I wouldn’t let you go anywhere even if you wanted”, Laxus grumbled turning on his side towards Freed. “You need more sleep.”

“I was just feeling thirsty. How long have I slept?”

“It’s three in the morning now”, Laxus said looking at the old clock on his nightstand. “You’ve slept twelve hours.”

“That’s... A lot.”

“Not enough. Go back to sleep, babe.”

Freed sighed and gave up, settling back on the bed. He smiled a bit when strong arms wrapped around him and he touched Laxus’ skin that felt a bit cool since his skin was so warm.

In the next day Freed was feeling better already. At least he did his very best to seem like he was back to normal but there was no way to trick Laxus.

“At least I’m well enough to go home”, Freed said while sitting on a bed. “And you should go to the guild and see what’s the situation now.”

“Erza can take care of that”, Laxus grunted. “It’s easier here anyway since Gramps can keep an eye on Felix.”

“So why don’t we ask if Felix could stay here and we go home?” Freed sighed. “I don’t feel comfortable staying here while sick, I don’t want that they might get sick as well because of me”, he said as he lifted his feet from the bed, touching the cold floor.

“Freed -” Laxus started annoyed because of such stubborness but then he thought about it more. With Felix staying here, they could be just the two of them. He really liked that idea right now.

Freed looked at Laxus confused at first but quickly he realised what he was thinking and sighed while getting up. He was still feeling slightly weary, but at least he could walk. He would be fine after resting this day.

“Don’t get any weird ideas”, he said and took his clothes, starting to get dressed.

“I didn’t get any weird ideas...” Laxus murmured.

“You did, I can see it from your face. I will go home, brew some tea, maybe take a shower and rest more. You are going to the guild.”

“Yeah, yeah, got it”, Laxus grunted finally giving up. Guess he really had to go see what was the situation, no matter if he didn’t like it. He only wanted to follow Freed and help him with whatever he needed. Just stay there alone together in their house...

Oh shit, he really was getting weird ideas. Freed was sick, of course they couldn’t do stuff like that, he had to control himself more.

It wasn’t a surprise that Makarov had nothing against it that Felix and Chester would stay over maybe one or two more days. It all depended when Freed would feel better. Felix was of course against the idea, he wanted to come with them and help Freed get better as well. But after a long talk – crying, yelling, clinging – Freed and Laxus finally managed to get out of the house.

“I’ll just go check what’s the situation and I will come home right after that”, Laxus said as they were standing in an intersection, from where Laxus would continue his way towards the guild house and Freed would take his own way towards their house.

“Alright, but make sure everything really is alright”, Freed said. “I want to know how Levy is feeling.”

“I’ll do that”, Laxus promised and kissed his husband lovingly, before they both took their own streets.

While walking home, Freed bought few things they needed. Most likely he wouldn’t even get that much appetite that he would want to make some proper food so he might as well buy something so they could just make sandwiches. They were easy and even Laxus could do those.

Soon he stepped in their little front yard and reached his hand to open the lock from the door with his runes, when suddenly his whole body felt like it lost some strength, almost making him fall down. He felt dizzy, leaning against the door and keeping his eyes shut.

Was his fever rising again? It was more than possible, it wasn’t a good idea to walk around while sick after all. It never was. He was so glad that Laxus wasn’t here right now or the lightning dragon slayer would just worry too much and make a big fuss about this.

Finally the rune mage straightened himself, opened the door and stepped inside. He brought the bag in the kitchen but at that time he was already feeling dizzy again and he had to sit down for a while. Once he would be able to get up again, he should probably try and contact with Porlyusica. What if he was infected too because of that mold? It was always a possibility. Levy had said he felt dizzy too, was she feeling like this right now as well?

Freed groaned and he forced himself to get on his feet. He would not give up. He stumbled and took some support from the wall as he was heading towards the living room, but after few steps he realised he was already falling on the floor. His body was too heavy. His vision was getting darker and he felt the impact of his body hitting the floor but at that point he was already lost enough not to care.

It was warm when Freed started to wake up again. He felt disoriented, not sure if he was sick or not and he was wondering why it was so dark. Was it night already? After pondering that for a while Freed noticed it was because he hadn’t yet opened his eyes.

The rune mage fluttered his eyes open and everything seemed fuzzy at first. He was staring at the ceiling and when he lowered his gaze he saw sharp, orange eyes clearly through all the fog. They were staring at him with worry.

Little by little Freed’s vision got better and he realised that Laxus had obviously came home and carried him upstairs to their bedroom. It was really thoughtful and it made Freed smile slightly as he stared at his Thunder God. Laxus was taking care of him.

“How are you feeling?” Laxus asked, not too loud if Freed’s head was hurting.

He had came after Freed instantly when he felt how something was wrong. He couldn’t really explain it, but he just knew that he had to go after Freed immediately and he had found his mate lying on the floor at their home.

“A bit better”, Freed almost whispered, still trying to wake up completely but it was like some part of his brain just refused to wake up. “I’m sorry if I scared you.”

“Don’t worry about that”, Laxus said gently caressing Freed’s cheek with his thumb. “I just want you to get better.”

“I will”, Freed hummed, lifting his hand and touching Laxus’ hand that was caressing his face. “I already feel better”, he assured, kissing the palm of Laxus’ big hand. Just having Laxus around made him feel a lot better.

Laxus watched at the rune mage who was kissing his hand, feeling the warmth of his body. Without thinking he lowered his head, kissing Freed’s neck, caressing his torso with his other hand. He really, really wanted Freed. He wanted to be gentle, claim him but not wear him out so his fever wouldn’t come back. But he shouldn’t do that, he should leave Freed alone so he could rest and get better.

Laxus was just about to pull back when suddenly hands wrapped around his neck and Laxus almost lost his senses when he felt hot lick on his ear. Oh shit! Freed was definitely in a mood!

“Freed”, Laxus almost stuttered beccause of such a sneaky attack that made all the blood rush down. “You’re still sick.”

“I’m feeling better”, Freed assured while nibbling Laxus’ ear, feeling how the lightning dragon slayer was trembling because he was doing his ultimate best to fight against the temptation. Yes, he knew they probably shouldn’t do this but he didn’t really care. As long as Laxus stayed beside him, he knew everything would be alright.

“Fuck...” Laxus growled trying to force himself to get up and walk away but it was easier said than done. It would definitely not feel good enough to just jerk off in a bathroom or something.

“We don’t have to be wild”, Freed purred sensually, letting his hand travel on Laxus’ chest, caressing those amazing muscles. “Let’s be gentle, do it slowly and enjoy each other.”

Laxus hissed and he just couldn’t resist. Who the hell could resist it when Freed was sounding so lusty?

“Don’t blame me later if you feel too exhausted to do anything”, he grunted and Freed chuckled lifting his leg on Laxus hip, pulling him closer.

“I won’t”, he assured, kissing him.

Chapter Text

Freed wasn’t sure what the time was when he woke up but at least it was bright outside. Someone had pulled the curtains shut but he could see a little bright light that peeked behind them. How long had he slept? He remembered coming home, falling and waking up with Laxus in bed and then they ended up having sex, but he wasn’t sure when they stopped or what the time was when they stopped.

The rune mage groaned as he sat up and with great effords he managed to get on his feet. Was he still sick? No, it didn’t feel like it. His temperature felt normal and he wasn’t sweating. He was also feeling really hungry so at least his appetite was back. He must have just slept a bit too long, it was already ten when he looked at the clock on his nightstand.

Freed took his red morning gown and wrapped it around him, tying the belt. After using the bathroom he stepped out of their bedroom, still confused and not sure what was happening. He stepped down the stairs and went to the kitchen where he was surprised by Bickslow and Evergreen.

“Morning, baby”, Bickslow grinned. “You finally woke up!”

“Freed’s alive!” his ‘babies’ cheered and snuggled against Freed. “We missed Freed!”

“Good morning”, Freed said shooing the dolls away. “Why are you here at this time?” he asked confused.

“Sit down, I will pour you some coffee”, Evergreen smiled taking out a cup from the cabinet. “How are you feeling?”

“Uh... Disoriented?” Freed huffed and he sat down. “I’ve slept too long. Where’s Laxus?” he asked.

Bickslow and Ever looked at each other and Freed knew immediately that something wasn’t right.

“What? What’s going on?” he asked quickly and frowned. “Did something happen while I was sleeping? Where’s Felix?” he asked worried.

“Everything’s fine”, Bickslow assured. “But you've been sleeping soundly for three days.”

Freed looked at the seith mage and he couldn’t believe his ears. Three days? Surely he just misunderstood something, right?

“It’s true, Sweetie”, Ever said giving him a cup of coffee and she sat down as well. “You’ve been sleeping like a log the whole time. Felix has been really worried, he’s been crying and asking why you won’t wake up.”

Freed still felt it hard to believe but he saw from Bickslow’s and Ever’s faces that they weren’t lying. He really did sleep through three whole days.

“I... I have no idea why”, he said slowly, even though he knew they weren’t demanding him to explain why he didn’t wake up. “Where’s Laxus?” he asked.

“He’s at the guild with Felix, don’t worry. He asked us to stay here and keep an eye on you”, Bickslow said.

“Oh, of course”, Freed said. “He has his duties as a Master -”

“No, Freed”, Ever sighed. “It’s not just that, actually. It’s... Well, Porlyusica said that we should tell you the situation right away once you wake up...”

“What situation?” Freed asked and he was really starting to get nervous. What the hell was going on?

“The mating season”, Bickslow finally said and Freed froze. “Yeah. It’s back.”

“But... How...?”

“We don’t know, Porlyusica was just as clueless as we are. She said it should occur only once in every ten years.”

“What about others? Are they having symptoms?”

“Yeah, Makarov had to go to Naava Town because Natsu and others are causing troubles there and Laxus refused to leave Magnolia. No one can of course blame him for that and even if he did go there, he would probably just fight with them. They should come back today with a train.”

Freed took a deep shaky breath, rubbing his temples and closing his eyes.

“Alright... Let’s start from the beginning”, he finally said after a moment. “I have a really, really important question: When did it start exactly?” he asked looking at his friends. It was really important to know!

“Three days ago”, Evergreen said. “You got a high fever again then.”

“I see... Have I... Been awake at all during those three days? Alone with Laxus?”

“No”, the seith mage assured. “Laxus was the one who said he would stay in Makarov’s house and we should stay here, Cana and Elfman have been helping too and we have taken turns who would stay here and who would take care of Felix and Chester. Laxus said he didn’t want to risk anything by staying here. You had a fever after all and he was afraid he might not be able to control himself even if you were sick.”

“Okay...” Freed murmured and thought about it more.

Three days ago... Did the mating season start before or after they had sex with Laxus? He remembered that he had really wanted it and at that time he didn’t really think it was something out of ordinary.

Bickslow and Evergreen looked at each other and back to the rune mage who seemed to be deep in his thoughts.

“So... Did that fever have something to do with this mating season?” Freed finally asked.

“Porlyusica said it was probably because you had been sick just right before the season”, Ever explained. “You were still recovering. When the season started, it was just too much for your body to handle so you got sick again. She said you should be fine after few days. I’m glad she was right.”

“And how is Laxus doing right now?”

“He’s... Doing his best”, Bicks huffed. “He’s angry, irritated, frustrated, but really stubborn of not coming here before you would feel better. So he hasn’t at least lost his senses.”

“That’s really good, I’m glad to hear that. I hope Erza is helping him to take care of the paperwork.”

“She is. She understands that this is difficult for Laxus as well. She would have gone to Naava Town but Makarov said it was better if she stayed here. Just in case if Laxus and Gajeel might start a fight”, Ever said and she shuddered. “It has been a close call for several times already. We’re all just trying our best to keep them separated so they can’t see each other.”

“How is Levy doing?” Freed asked snapping his head back up. “She felt dizzy in the library -”

“It was part of the mating season”, Bickslow said and he snorted amused. “You should have seen Porlyusica, she was really interested when she noticed how this mating season seemed to affect some mates as well, not just dragon slayers.”

“It’s probably because this time there’s no need to worry about who might be their partner since most of them already have soulmates”, Ever smiled. “What she said exactly was that now those who already have a bond with their soulmate can only concentrate on the main part: mating.”

“To be clear, mates get horny as well”, Bickslow grinned.

“I hate it when she talks so bluntly”, Freed muttered with a tiny blush and Bickslow and Ever snickered.

He sighed and rubbed his forehead.

“This is certainly too much information first thing after waking up”, he groaned and he still couldn’t wrap his head around all the things he had heard.

And he was worried. What if... No... But then again...

“Since it affects both ways, it only reasonable to think that you don’t feel good either when being apart from Laxus right now”, Ever reasoned. “Maybe we should go to the guild?”

“That might be it”, Freed nodded. That might be the exact reason why he was still feeling so uneasy. Sure the fact that he had been sleeping for so long was one reason as well, but this was probably also part of it all. “I might as well eat there, I’m not in a mood to start cooking something and I want to see Felix so he won’t worry anymore.”

“Just... Go wash yourself first, Sweetie”, Ever said. “You’ve been sleeping for three days and you’ve been sweating a lot. Your hair looks like a rat’s nest and you smell like a workout shirt that hasn’t been washed forever.”

Freed sighed and he got up, walking in to the bathroom. He dropped his clothes in the laundry basket and stepped in the shower. For a moment he just stood there feeling the hot water running down his skin and tried to organize his thoughts.

Of course the first thought in his head was a question of when did the season start. Was there going to be consequences or not? To get an answer to that, he should probably talk to Porlyusica once they would get to the guild...

After Freed had taken a shower, brushed his hair and dressed up, the Thunder Legion was ready to leave. For each step they took getting closer and closer Fairy Tail’s guild house, Freed’s tension lessened and the uneasiness he had felt slowly faded. It must be because Laxus was near.

They walked past the big gates and arrived at the big doors. Freed did not wait but grabbed a handle, opening the door so they could step in.

The Hall was lively just like always. But they could sense the tension there was when everyone was nervous how things might go now that dragon slayers were acting more dragonly again. And it wasn’t just Laxus, Natsu and Gajeel this time, but Wendy as well and on top of that, Sting and Rogue were visiting their guild to help them with Yuidose and others.

Freed looked around but he didn’t see Laxus. He smiled when he saw Felix, playing with Cana and Chester and he headed towards them. Freed chuckled when they were hardly close to the table when suddenly Felix lifted his head from cards and he turned around noticing them.

“Mama!” he shouted getting down from his seat and ran towards them. Freed smiled and grabbed his son, lifting him up. “You woke up!” Felix said tightly hugging the rune mage.

“I did”, Freed smiled patting his son’s back. “I’m really sorry you had to worry like that, Felix.”

“You should be!” Felix said and he sniffled, not letting go of Freed’s neck. “I though you would never ever wake up anymore!”

“I’m fine now, don’t worry”, Freed smiled as they sat down and Felix hiccuped. “There’s no fever anymore and I feel much better. I will see Porlyusica today and she can confirm that I’m alright, okay?”

“Do you pinky swear?” Felix asked wiping his eyes and let go of Freed finally.

“Absolutely”, Freed swore without hesitation, lifting his hand and Felix grabbed his pinky with his own. “Now that’s a promise. What were you playing here?”

“We just read some cards”, Cana smiled and Freed noticed that she didn’t even have any drink with her on the table. How rare. “And then we build some houses from cards.”

“Cana is really good with cards”, Chester said. “She can draw out any card she wants from the deck.”

“Yeah, because she’s that awesome”, Bickslow grinned giving a big smooch for Cana who laughed.

“You dog”, she said.

“Thank you for taking care of Felix and Chester”, Freed smiled as the mentioned boys took a few cards and went to talk with Macao and Wakaba, trying to read them their future from cards.

“It was fun, don’t worry”, Cana assured. “And I didn’t really do much, I just kept an eye on them when Laxus was busy and Ever and Bickslow were in your house. They are good kids, it’s easy to get along with them. I’m probably going to miss this now”, she chuckled.

“Didn’t Chester mostly live with you two when he was helping Bickslow before wedding?” Ever said. “What if he moved in with you guys permanently?”

“What?” Bicks and Cana both asked surprised and Freed looked at Ever confused. Chester living with Cana and Bickslow? Not that it was a stupid idea or impossible, but... Would it really work?

“Why not?” Ever smiled. “Chester likes you two, I’m sure he would like to live with you. They can meet with Felix whenever they want.”

Cana and Bickslow looked at each other.

“What do you say?” Bicks asked.

“I don’t know, it’s a big decision to make”, Cana said. “But... He doesn’t have a family, I do feel bad for him.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean.”

Freed smiled. Maybe it really might work.

“It takes some time to get used to new things that will come along with Chester moving in, but I’m sure everything will go just fine”, he said. “And we can help too if there are problems.”

“So he’s like our kid then, huh?” Bickslow said and he grinned. “Not that bad idea, right?”

“It actually sounds really nice”, Cana smiled, leaning against her hand. “But we better talk with Chester about it.”

“I’m sure he has nothing against it”, Freed assured and he stood up. “I better go find Laxus, I want to talk with him about something.”

“He’s in his office now”, Cana said.

“Are you sure it’s wise?” Ever asked.

“I’m sure”, Freed promised and he went to the stairs.

He stepped in the hallway, walked past some doors and stopped in front of the right door. He knew that Laxus was there, he could almost hear him breathing. Oh god, it made his skin tingle and it felt difficult to concentrate on why he had actually came here. He heard thumps from inside, like something was hitting against a wall.

“I know you’re there”, he heard a grunt from inside and Freed sighed, grabbing the doorhandle and opened it.

He stepped in the room and instantly there was a tension between them. Freed looked at Laxus who was sitting on his chair, his legs on the table and the thing causing thumps was a ball he kept tossing against the wall.

But when Freed stepped in, he stopped and straightened himself, putting the ball on the table.

“I’m glad to see you’re okay”, he smiled.

“It’s still hard to believe I slept three whole days”, Freed said closing the door and he stepped closer to the table. “Bicks and Ever told me all about what’s going on.”

“Good that you know”, Laxus said.

Then there was a silence between them. They were both feeling uncomfortable because of the temptation they felt and they knew they couldn’t help it or either do anything. Finally Freed sighed and he sat down on a couch.

“I hope you’re not mad that I wasn’t there when you woke up”, Laxus said looking at his mate. He had secretly feared that Freed might actually get mad at him because he wasn’t there taking care of him.

“No, I completely understand why you decided that way”, Freed assured immediately. “And I’m glad you did. You did the right thing.”

“Yeah. I hate it”, Laxus grunted running his fingers through his blond hair. “These past three days have been torture, but I didn’t want to risk anything.”

“I know”, Freed smiled. “You’re a good man, Laxus.”

“Dunno about that. I’ve been thinking a lot, you know, that time when you passed out at home and...”

“That was the first thing I thought too when I heard about the situation.”

Again there was an awkward silence, them just staring at each other.

“So do you think that last time, it might...?”

“I have no idea. I will talk about it with Porlyusica today.”

“Good.”

“And we have to talk what we are going to do now, since there are almost two weeks left of the mating season”, Freed said and Laxus groaned turning around with his chair. Damn, he hated when they had to talk about things like these! These conversations were always so complicated. “I’m serious, Laxus. What do we want to do? What do you want to do?”

“What the fuck is that question? You know I want to bang you right against this table right now if I could.”

“I’m not talking about that, I’m just as tempted as you are but we have to stay rational with this. If we don’t want to have another kid, we can’t do a thing during the season”, Freed said with a frown. Even he hated the idea of staying apart for that long but it couldn’t be helped. “So what is our decision? What do you think about it?”

“An honest opinion?” Laxus said and he turned around again looking at Freed. “I don’t mind. Either way. I’m fine with one kid and I’m fine with two kids. That’s my opinion. What do you think about it?” he asked. “And I want you to be honest.”

It was more important to know what Freed might think or want. He knew that Freed was always ready to endure whatever Laxus wanted. If he had said he wanted an another kid, Freed would do it no matter what he himself wanted. And if he had said he was fine with just one, he would bend to his will again. Sometimes Laxus really hated that part of Freed’s nature. It wasn’t that the rune mage didn’t have any backbone to go against his word – because he sure could do it if he so decided – but he was always ready to throw away his own wishes and desires if it was for someone he really loved.

Freed was too damn kind in his own stupid way and Laxus knew it very well.

“So what do you want to do?” Laxus asked.

Freed took a deep breath and he thought it all over. What did he really want? This was the time when they really had to make the decision and it would be final. There was no guarantee that the mating season might happen again in five years, or even ten years. It was... Scary to think that they actually might not have another chance after this, but in the other hand he still did feel like he wasn’t ready.

Yet still some part of him said that everything would be fine, they could do this. But was it just those instincts brought by the mating season talking?

“I’d say... That we gamble”, he finally said and Laxus lifted his eyebrow.

“Gamble? That’s not something you would usually do”, he snorted and Freed chuckled slightly.

“I know, I don’t usually like doing something like that”, he admitted. “But the truth is we can’t know if that last time happened already during the mating season or before it so this is a gamble right now no matter what we want. Unless we give in for the temptation even once, we know how strong this magic is and it’s almost one hundred percent sure we will have another child. But right now, we don’t know what will happen.”

“So you want to stay apart and see what will happen?”

“Yes, that is my suggestion to this.”

“Since when did you become someone who leaves things for the universe to decide?” Laxus asked a bit amused.

“Truth is, I can’t really decide”, Freed said honestly. “There’s so much to consider in both options.”

“Hey, do you remember what I told you in our wedding day? You’re thinking too much again. You should concentrate more on what feels right, not ponder every single thing like a damn machine.”

“But this is a big decision -”

“Like hell I don’t know that already!” Laxus growled and Freed almost jumped. The lightning dragon slayer grunted and calmed his bounching anger. “Sorry, just... So frustrated since you’re right there and I can’t even touch you even though I haven’t seen you in three days”, he muttered.

“It’s alright, I understand”, Freed nodded. “I know how you feel”, he smiled. He really wanted to touch Laxus as well. “Well, right now we’re not even sure how things are, I should talk with Porlyusica first and then we can think about this more. Together.”

“You’re right”, Laxus said. “You want to go talk with her right now? She’s here at the guild.”

“I think that’s for the best. You want to come with me?”

“Definitely. I want to be there if she actually can tell if you’re pregnant so this time I’ll be the first one to hear it with you.”

Freed blushed slightly and they stood up.

“Are you absolutely sure you’re okay with this arrangement?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Heck, I haven’t forgotten how much work it was to take care of a baby and I can’t even imagine how hard it might be now since there’s Felix as well”, Laxus huffed stepping beside his green haired husband. “But I know we can do it if the old hag says we’re gonna have another brat.”

Freed thought about it and then he sighed as they stepped in the hallway.

“What?” Laxus asked confused. “You don’t want to do it?”

“Of course I do, don’t even joke about something like that.”

“So what’s with the sigh?”

“... I really hate that coat.”

“Huh? What coat?”

“That black coat I had to use because this one got too small...”

“Well if that’s the biggest problem then we go home after this, burn that coat and I’ll buy you a bunch of new coats and you can choose them all by yourself”, Laxus said amused and Freed huffed.

“Don’t even dream about me forgetting that promise”, he said but he smirked playfully and they laughed.

It was a really good thing to know that whatever might be the answer, they would both be fine with it. Even if they wouldn’t have another kid, they already had an amazing son and if there might be another baby, they were sure that together they could handle anything.

Chapter Text

“I can’t tell.”

“Huh?” Laxus asked confused and annoyed.

They had arrived at the room where Porlyusica was staying at the moment, observing how dragon slayers and their mates acted during the second mating season.

She didn’t even bother raising her head and just kept writing something in her book.

“What did you not understand?” she asked annoyed. “I can’t tell anything yet.”

“What the fuck? What do you mean you can’t tell, you old -” Laxus’ words were cut when Freed’s elbow hit him on his stomach and he looked at the rune mage who didn’t care about his glaring.

“We understand, Porlyusica”, Freed said instead, looking at Porlyusica. “Forgive us, Laxus is just being more impatient than normally because of the mating season.”

“Really? I didn’t notice any difference”, Porlyusica tisked and Laxus growled. “This situation really is tricky since you’re not sure about the time. Even if you two might have felt more attraction towards each other than normally, since it was so early it’s not a guarantee that it might yet mean something.”

“So it really is a mystery right now... When can you tell how things are?”

“Not at least before the mating season is over”, Porlyusica said, finally closing her book and looking at them. “But I’m pretty sure that it will be Laxus who notices it first, because of scent.”

“That’s true”, Freed realised. “Last time, Levy told me that Gajeel had mentioned how she smelled somehow different even before Porlyusica confirmed her pregnancy.”

“I remember you smelling funny”, Laxus said trying to remember it.

“Funny? That’s the word you want to use?” Freed muttered looking at his Thunder God.

“I can’t describe it, it’s... Like your own scent but softer somehow, maybe a bit sweeter than normally or something like that. It’s your scent but still different.”

“Well, I can try to see how the situation is after the season is over”, Porlyusica huffed. “But I can’t guarantee that I can say anything yet even then.”

“Thank you, Porlyusica”, Freed nodded. “We appreciate it.”

“And since you two have decided not to have sex, I will take notes how things go so I can write everything down.”

“Is that really necessary?”

“It’s really important so we have more information later how dragon slayers behave if their mates are not willing to mate with them. Now get lost”, the old healer snapped and they obediently stepped out of the room.

“So now we just have to wait”, Laxus grunted as they walked along the hallway. “And not touch each other for two weeks...”

“We can still kiss”, Freed chuckled. “And we can still do hand jobs for each other.”

“If you get near my dick like that, I’m sure gonna lose my patience and fuck you no matter where we are.”

“And I probably wouldn’t stop you...” Freed admitted. It was a tough situation. Would they really be able to maintain themselves for almost two weeks?

Laxus stopped suddenly so Freed did the same.

“How about taking a mission?” he suggested. “I can leave, you can stay here. We can’t do anything if we can’t even see each other.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Laxus”, Freed sighed. “It’s already clear that if we take distance, it will only make us feel uneasy and I don’t want to have to worry you doing a mission when you can’t concentrate properly. And you would just constantly worry what’s happening here.”

“Maybe you’re right”, Laxus grunted. “Okay so no mission. What about -”

“I think we just have to try and stay here, but not see each other”, Freed said. “It’s going to be hard, but I think it’s the best solution. I can work with the book, you keep on doing your job as a Master. If we do our best and really focus on our jobs, we might just be able to forget this mating season even for a while.”

“I seriously doubt that...”

“Me too, but it’s worth a try.”

“And what about sleeping arrangements?”

“You can come home, but it might be best if we won’t sleep in the same room. I can sleep with Felix in his room”, Freed smiled. “I’m sure he won’t mind. And I know you won’t try to sneak in and do something since it would definitely not be a good idea when Felix is in the same room.”

“Yeah, that’s true. But what keeps you from sneaking in my room?” Laxus snickered.

“I guess I can ask help from Umanor and others”, Freed pondered. “They could stop me if I’m about to step in our bedroom. I can’t use runes since I can rewrite them how I want.”

They looked at each other and even though Freed knew it was for the best, he would miss his husband so much. He could see that same thought in those orange eyes. It was weird to think how they should suddenly stay apart, even though they would be working in the same house. They shouldn’t stay alone together for too long, so Freed finally moved.

“I will go study that book finally”, he decided. “I’m sure I will pass those spells that are guarding it and we can start inspecting it further.”

“Just be careful, okay?” Laxus said slightly worried. “Levy can’t help you right now with it”, he said and for a moment his nose creased as he thought of Freed and Levy working together, sitting next to each other... Like hell he would let that happen!

“I know”, Freed smiled. “Did you bring the book I borrowed from the library?”

“Yeah, it’s in our house.”

“I should then go and get it. The faster I start the sooner we will get more information”, Freed said and they walked towards the Hall.

When they arrived, a fight had almost erupted in the Hall. Freed looked surprised how Makarov, Erza and others were trying to calm down dragon slayers who had apparently just arrived from Naava Town.

Freed looked at Laxus when he heard a deep growl. It seemed like Laxus and Gajeel were both more calm than they had been in last mating season, but this many dragon slayers in the same place with their mates made even them go highly overprotective. Not just that, Freed was almost certain that there would be some kind of showing off, to prove their mates that they were healthy and strong.

Freed looked at Lucy, Rogue and Levy. They were all worried what might happen next. He frowned slightly when he noticed that someone was missing. Where was Wendy?

Laxus didn’t care that much about others and he was only staring at Natsu, Gajeel and Sting. He noticed that arrogance they had in their stares as if they were challenging him and it really pissed him off! Those brats would never have a chance to make him scared of them.

He was the damn top dog of this place! It was him who made the rules here, some little pests would not threaten him and his mate no matter what! He didn’t care what the fuck they would do themselves but if they would try to defy him or come close to Freed, there would be hell to pay!

Freed quickly looked at Laxus when he was sensing a huge amount of anger. Even one wrong move and there would be a war in the guild house!

“Laxus, calm down”, he said finally touching his arm and that seemed to help at least a little bit. “They are not here to challenge you.”

“They better not”, Laxus growled, still staring at others. Freed didn’t hear what they talked, but seemed like Levy, Rogue and Lucy tried to talk some sense for their mates as well.

“They won’t. There’s no need for you to fight over who’s strongest. You’re all friends and this is their home too. Come on, it’s better if we go somewhere else, we don’t want to cause chaos here”, Freed said pulling Laxus along and he was happily surprised that the lightning dragon slayer didn’t try to fight back.

They stepped back in the hallway and Freed though it might be the best if Laxus would calm down for a while in his office. They should come up with some kind of a plan with others how they could keep Laxus, Gajeel, Natsu and Sting apart. And what should they do with Wendy? Where was she?

When they stepped in the office, Freed got scared when a strong hand grabbed his arm and he was slammed against the wall. He let out a small whine because of the impact and pleasure when Laxus pressed himself against him. The blond mage buried his face against his neck, scraping his mark with his canine teeth gently but possessively. His hips pressed against Freed’s groin and he felt a hard cock that rubbed against him through clothes. It felt so good, making him pant already but he had to fight against the temptation!

“Laxus...” he hissed, trying to push the bigger man away. “Control yourself”, he scolded, even though his own thoughts were almost complete mush.

Laxus stopped and hands let go of the smaller man, unsteady they hit against the wall and Freed could almost hear how his nails dug in the wood. He was panting heavily, still sniffing Freed’s neck but he didn’t move otherwise.

“Good, you’re doing good”, Freed praised and tried to collect himself. “Now... Step back.”

Laxus let out a growl that was definitely telling that he was reluctant to do what Freed told, but after a few seconds he finally stepped back slowly. Freed sighed relieved and he straightened himself.

He looked at Laxus, who stared at the other way and it hurt his heart to see him look rejected. He seemed hurt, like Freed had insulted him the worst way possible but the rune mage could see from his eyes that he still had his senses. Laxus understood why he was rejected.

“You better go”, he murmured, still not looking at Freed like it would hurt too much. “Or I will seriously ravish you.”

“I understand”, Freed nodded and he turned towards the door when suddenly a hand grabbed his arm again, but this time he wasn’t pulled anywhere.

“Don’t leave the guild house”, Laxus ordered. “Don’t go far and don’t let those fuckers come near you.”

“I understand”, Freed nodded and the hand let go. “I’ll stay here, but not in this room. Bickslow or Evergreen can fetch me that book from home. I’ll be in the library trying to pass those guarding spells from the book we got from Roxanne. I will be studying it for the next two weeks and we should probably try to see each other as less as possible.”

“Not going home alone”, Laxus forbid.

“We can go home together”, Freed promised. “And with Felix with us, we can’t do anything at home so we’ll be fine. I love you, Laxus, but right now we can’t stay together.”

“Yeah... I know that”, Laxus grunted. “I love you too, Freed. Now get the fuck off.”

“I will see you at the evening”, Freed smiled and he left from the room.

Laxus stood on his place for a while, trying to calm himself. He knew why he was rejected. It wasn’t because Freed didn’t think Laxus was worthy enough for him as a partner. Freed loved him, this was just a situation when they couldn’t be together and it had nothing to do with how they felt towards each other.

Outside the guild house it was peaceful, when suddenly a window from the office was crashed in millions of little pieces as a chair was thrown through it.

Chapter Text

For the first few days it seemed like everything went quite well. Freed was studying the book in the library and Laxus focused on his work in the office. He wasn’t avoiding just Freed, but Natsu and other dragon slayers as well. It was better that way so there wouldn’t be any unnesessary fights.

For what Freed had seen, everything was going surprisingly peacefully. Gajeel was happy with Levy, and Sting and Rogue were mostly staying in their temporary apartment they had while staying in Magnolia. At first they had thought about returning back to Sabertooth but Porlyusica had been against it, saying that now that they already were here they should stay so she could study their behaviour. After all, they were both dragon slayers so she wanted to write down every information she could, how they acted and how it was decided who would carry the baby since they were really eager to start their own family.

Freed had also heard that Wendy was actually staying with Sherria. He was really happy to hear that the little – or not so little anymore – sky dragon slayer had found her mate too. Right now they didn’t really know more where they were exactly and Porlyusica was not too happy about that.

Only ones acting up were Natsu and Laxus and for the same reason: No sex, poor things. But it wasn’t like Freed and Lucy were any more happier than they were. It was a surprise that Lucy and Natsu didn’t want to start a family yet, but they just said it wasn’t a right time yet for them. It made Freed a little bit happier when he knew he wasn’t the only one suffering through this mating season. Since they had decided this way, they had to stay strong

It was easier said than done and that day Freed was sitting on a bar stool, his head leaning against the bar counter and he felt miserable. Once again he was wondering why, oh why did they make this decision? After four long days his determination was starting to slowly crumble, even though he knew he had to stay strong. There was still a whole week left of the mating season!

Mirajane sighed when looking at the rune mage who was moping and she put a cup of tea on the table. Freed had been working so hard for the last four days, staying in the library and barely showing his face outside so it was rare to see him sitting here in the Hall.

“Cheer up, Freed”, she said gently and patted his green hair. Even those lightning bolt cowlicks were drooping and it was so sad. “Everything will be fine.”

“I know...” Freed murmured not lifting his head.

“It’s so heartbreaking to see you like this”, Mirajane sighed. “And Laxus isn’t doing any better. I just brought him some coffee and lunch and he didn’t even say anything, he’s just angry all the time.”

“I’m sorry, Mira. It’s not because he dislikes you or anything, he doesn’t mean to act coldly towards anyone...”

“You don’t need to apologise, Freed”, Mira assured. “I know all that already. He’s been shutting himself inside his office all days and I can’t help but feel a little bit worried. He shouldn’t work that much.”

“I know, he should do some training instead”, Freed said. “I should suggest that he should take a day off tomorrow and go training somewhere nearby.”

“I don’t think he will do that”, Mira huffed crossing her arms and she leaned against the counter. “You two obviously miss each other so much. This decision to stay apart is almost killing you both.”

“It’s for the best right now...”

“I don’t know about that”, Mira said and she really meant it, making the rune mage finally shift slightly. “When you look at Lucy and Natsu, they are not acting this bad even if they decided not to start a family yet.”

“It’s different for them, they can do that even if there wasn’t a dragon mating season.”

“You’re right. But obviously this is not just about how much you and Laxus miss each other. Are you really sure this decision not to have more children is the right decision for you two?” Mirajane asked and she really was worried.

Freed moved his head so he could look at the bartender with his visible eye.

“I’m listening...” he muttered.

“Well... For first, you two are both men and if the mating season is the only time when you can have kids together, why not take this opportunity? Obviously it’s bothering you both that there’s no guarantee when this opportunity might happen next time”, the white haired mage explained.

“But I’m not sure if we’re ready to have two kids.”

“You’re thinking too much”, Mirajane said lowering her head next to Freed’s, looking at him. “You’re being wonderful parents for Felix, why wouldn’t it go just as well with two kids?” she smiled warmly and Freed thought about it. “You’re not alone, we all will help you two as much as we can. Of course in the end it’s all up to you two what you decide, but I think you should reconsider this.”

Finally Freed lifted his head, looking at his tea.

“It’s already possible that we might have a kid”, he said and Mirajane was surprised.

“Really?” she asked excitedly. “But... Shouldn’t it be almost defnite if -”

“We don’t know if the mating season had started when... You know”, Freed muttered with a slight blush. He didn’t really like to talk about sex so casually.

“Oh, I see... If you really do feel like that’s the best solution, then of course we are all going to support you two”, Mirajane said with a smile, though it was slightly sad. “I just really hope you and Laxus will feel better soon. And I hope things will go back to normal when the season is over.”

“What do you mean? Why wouldn’t they be back to normal?” Freed asked looking at the take over mage and Mirajane sighed when she understood that she had just managed to make things worse.

“Of course they will be back to normal”, she assured.

“Don’t lie to me, Mira”, Freed frowned. “You meant something with that and I want to hear what it is.”

“Fine, I will tell, but it’s only my opinion and it doesn’t mean that it will happen”, Mirajane said putting her hands on her hips. “Are you sure there won’t be any regrets after the mating season is over?”

“This is what we decided, so -”

“Yes it is, but I’m not asking that. Are you sure that when the season is over, you won’t regret this decision? Or that Laxus won’t regret it? I don’t want to think that because of this season, you two end up separating because of this decision. You have to know -”

“I can’t know that”, Freed snapped. “Nor can Laxus. No one can. I might regret it, or I might not, but... I just don’t know”, he groaned rubbing his temples and it felt like his mind was crashing. How on earth could he know if he might regret it? How could he know if Laxus might regret it? Why wasn’t there a book with simple rules about these kind of things?!

Mirajane was quick to move around the bar counter and she hugged the green haired man tightly.

“I didn’t mean to add more pressure”, she apologised. “I just... Just be sure, okay?”

“It’s not like there is some way to make sure anything about this”, Freed said just staring at his tea cup.

“I know, you hate it when you don’t know what’s coming.”

Freed sighed deeply and he tried to calm his nerves and get a grip of himself.

“You know... Part of me almost hopes that someone else would make this decision for me”, he murmured.

Mirajane pulled a bar stool closer so she could sit right next to him, not letting go since obviously Freed needed someone to listen him right now. They all had those days sometimes.

“Maybe... That same part of me kind of wanted that Laxus would be the one to make this decision of what we should do. When Laxus is happy, I know I will be happy. My life is devoted for Laxus, from the moment we became friends. I only want what is best for Laxus.”

“And Felix”, Mirajane smiled and Freed actually chuckled slightly.

“That goes without saying”, he nodded. “We are both devoted to make sure Felix will be happy and will grow up to be a fine man.”

“Of course. And I’m sure Laxus wants what’s best for you as well”, Mirajane smiled. “He knows how you would do anything for him so I’m guessing that’s the reason he wants you to decide. So you can do what you want. This time you’re the one making a big decision that affects both yours and Laxus’ life all by yourself... And it actually terrifies you, doesn’t it?” she asked understandingly and Freed had to nod silently. “It will be alright”, Mirajane smiled. “Don’t worry, Freed. We’re all here to support you.”

“I know”, the rune mage said and he patted Mirajane’s hand. “Thank you, Mira.”

“Do you want me to go yell at Laxus?” Mirajane smirked and Freed laughed.

“No, please don’t do that”, he said amused and Mirajane smiled happily, finally letting go of him. “Thank you for listening.”

“Anytime”, the white haired mage assured. “Instead of staying here inside the guild house, why don’t you all go outside? You, Laxus, Felix, maybe ask Bickslow and Evergreen too? Go do some training together, camp out together, teach Felix and Chester what they need to know about camping out, just have fun!”

“I was actually planning to study how to nullify the rest of the spells in the book Yuidose is after”, Freed chuckled.

“Oh come on! You can’t just work and Laxus needs a break as well, we know he can’t continue like this for long. I can take care of the paperwork with Erza, you guys just go out and have some fun.”

Freed sipped his tea while Mirajane went to take care of other orders and he thought about it. It might be fun... And with Felix, Bickslow, Evergreen and Chester there, they wouldn’t be able to accidentally end up doing something they shouldn’t.

He sat there and thought about it more, when suddenly he heard steps that were all too familiar that he could mistake who was approaching. He stayed silent, just drinking his tea and soon a larger mage sat down beside him.

Just like they always did. Yet still everything was different.

“Yo”, Laxus said leaning against his hand, but not looking at Freed. They had been so focused on their work and since they were sleeping in different rooms it felt like he hadn’t even seen Freed in few days.

“Hello, Laxus”, Freed said with a small smile. “I hope you’re doing fine.”

“Like fucking hell that’s possible”, Laxus grunted annoyed. “How have you been?”

“I can’t say I’m feeling any better. Did Felix bring you the breakfast we made?”

“Yeah, sorry for leaving so early, I just thought it might be the best. Thanks for making some food, though.”

“Of course”, Freed smiled. “I’ll always make food for you as long as you want to eat it.”

“Yeah”, Laxus said, finally relaxing a bit and he smiled. “Mira, give me some coffee.”

“Such a nice way to ask something”, Mirajane chuckled, happy to see their Master in the Hall as well.

“I know, and make it quick.”

“Don’t be rude”, Freed scolded and Laxus sighed rolling his eyes.

“Please?” he growled to Mira who laughed amused.

“I’ll make it as soon as I can”, she smiled.

There was a small silence again, when Freed finally turned more towards Laxus.

“What would you think about camping out for maybe a day or two?” he said and the blond man was surprised.

“Camping out? Together?” he asked.

“We should ask Bicks and Ever join us. We both need a little break from work and we should do something else. We could finally start teaching Felix more about camping, how to find wood, start a fire, find a place where to stay, things like that. I’m sure Chester would like to join too.”

“That’s not a bad idea”, Laxus said while thinking about it, taking a cup Mirajane brought over.

“You could do some training together”, she smiled.

“Yeah. Okay, let’s do that. I’ll go find Bicks and ask him”, Laxus said gulping down his coffee down with one go and he stood up.

“I’ll find Ever and then go home with Felix and pack our bags”, Freed smiled leaving the empty teacup on the counter.

Mirajane looked how they walked away and once they were gone, she opened a cabinet. There was a big sheet of paper inside it, full of markings of who was betting what. Mirajane smiled and she crossed over her previous sum and instead put in a higher amount of jewels. There were lots of questions, like would Freed end up pregnant or not? Who would be the first one to surrender for the instincts? Could they actually stay strong and not do a thing?

Mirajane chuckled closing the cabinet. Most of their guildmates were actually almost sure that nothing would happen because they knew how stubborn both Laxus and Freed could be when they decided something. She was of course betting that they would end up having another kid.

Chapter Text

“Alright! Assemble!”

“Right!” Felix and Chester both shouted. Not just them, but the souls of the Tiki dolls assembled right behind them, all ready to help.

Bickslow grinned leaning towards them.

“Before it will get dark, you will gather as much wood as you can”, the seith mage commanded. “We went through how to find them. Tell me the first rule of gathering wood.”

“Never break branches from trees that are still alive”, Felix and Chester said.

“Good! Can you peel of their bark?”

“No, because it damages the tree.”

“Very good, babies. Pippi, Poppo, Pappa, you three follow them and make sure they won’t get lost.”

“Yes!” they yelled.

“Puppu and Peppe will come with me, we will train more our speed and magic power with Laxus.”

“Aye!” Puppu and Peppe grinned.

“Okay, so have fun”, Bickslow cackled as he left them.

Chester looked around and he was feeling nervous. This was his second time in a real forest.

“Don’t worry, everything will go fine”, Felix smiled. “I’ve been here few times with mama and dad and Pippi, Poppo and Pappa know this place thoroughly because they train here so much!”

“We do!” the little souls assured.

“It’s not like I was worried”, Chester murmured with a slight blush. “How much do we need wood?” he asked as they started to look around.

“Let’s just keep finding wood until Bicks says we have enough”, Felix said picking up few sticks.

“We can’t use those”, Pippi suddenly said.

“But they are dry.”

“They aren’t dry”, Pappa said and he snapped the stick in two, showing them how damp they were from inside. “Only outside is dry.”

“Oh...” Felix said. “So where do we start looking for wood?”

“Follow us!” the little souls grinned and they started walking.

Finding enough wood was not easy, but finally they could return back to the tents and they all had as much sticks as they could carry.

“Very good”, Freed smiled when they dropped them on the ground. “Did you have fun?”

“No”, Felix huffed. “Finding wood is not fun.”

“Might be true, but we have to do it nonetheless if we want to stay warm and have a good meal.”

“I don’t like camping anymore.”

“Oh so it’s fun only when us adults do all the job?” Evergreen chuckled amused as she brought vegetables she found from the forest.

“Yeah...” Felix murmured.

“We all have to do our jobs”, Freed said as he piled up wood in the circle of rocks they had made many years ago, since the day they started coming by to train here. “But since you collected so much wood for us, you can go play until the dinner is done.”

“Let’s play hide and seek!” Pippi shouted.

“As long as you don’t go far away or near the water, that’s fine. And don’t climb anywhere high.”

Ever smiled looking how Felix and Chester ran along with Pappa, Pippi and Puppu.

“They’re so cute together”, she said.

“I know”, Freed chuckled as he lit the fire. “It won’t take long and they will start camping out by themselves without adults.”

“Are you really going to let them do that?” Ever smirked as he knew Freed all too well.

“At some point I have to, don’t I”, the rune mage chuckled and he stood up taking a kettle from the ground. “I can’t stop Felix from growing up. We just have to make sure he has all the knowledge he needs so he can survive. They have to learn how to find water and build a shelter with what they can find. If they will end up being a team together, at least one of them has to know how to cook.”

“Doesn’t Felix like cooking?” Ever smiled and Freed nodded.

“He is quite interested about cooking”, he said. “I’m sure everything will be fine. As soon as Felix will learn magic as well, I’m sure they want to go out doing their first mission together. Though, I’m not going to allow them go out alone without adults until I’m sure they have all the skills they need.”

“Guessed that much.”

“I will fetch water, you can start peeling those vegetables”, Freed said and he started to walk towards the stream that was nearby.

It was dark and they had just finished dinner, when they were all walking along the old path. Evergreen’s fairies were lighting their way so they wouldn’t trip in the darkness.

“Where are we going?” Chester asked holding Felix’s hand who was holding Laxus’ hand just in case so they wouldn’t fall.

The path they followed was heading up and there were lots of trees around them. Chester didn’t want to admit it, but it was really scary. How could they know what there was lurking in the darkness? And it was so silent it was hauting!

“We’re going to see something awesome, baby”, Bickslow grinned walking just behind Felix and Chester, followed by Evergreen and Freed. “You’re gonna like it.”

“But it’s so dark, how can we see anything?”

“Just you wait, Ravenberry.”

They kept walking and finally the ground was getting so steep they had to climb over big rocks. For Felix and Chester it wasn’t that big of a deal as they were carried by Laxus and Bickslow. All the time dazzling little ‘fairies’ were buzzing around them so they could see where to step and Chester noticed how suddenly there were a lot less trees around them.

Finally they got on a flat surface all of them and Felix and Chester could stand on their own feet again.

“There’s nothing here”, Chester noticed. There were just cliff and rocks right in front of them. They weren’t going to actually climb up that wall?

“Just stay where you are”, Laxus said. “Okay, Ever.”

“Right”, Ever smiled and snapped her fingers.

All the lights disappeared and for first there was only darkness. Then little by little their eyes got used to it and when Chester looked up, his eyes went round.

Stars! So, so, SO MANY of them! The whole sky was filled with bright stars! There were bigger stars that looked like they were twinkling and smaller stars that looked like someone had covered the sky with a diamond dust.

“Wow...” he gasped. He had never seen something like this! It was almost intimidating yet so beautiful. Sky really looked endless.

“This is so cool!” Felix shouted amazed. “Why haven’t we come here before?”

“Isn’t it nice that we came here now so you and Chester could both see this?” Freed smiled.

“Yeah, I don’t mind”, Felix smiled still staring at the stars.

“I didn’t know there were so much stars”, Chester said.

“You’ve lived in a city until now, you can’t see them like this when there”, Laxus said as he sat down on a rock. “There are too much lights in Crocus.”

“There must be at least hundreds of stars!” Felix smiled.

“That’s not enough at all”, the Thunder God chuckled.

“But I don’t know any bigger number yet...”

“There must be millions and billions and trillions of stars!” Bickslow cackled and Felix gasped.

“That sounds like a lot!” he said and Chester nodded.

“It is”, the seith mage grinned.

“Why are some stars bigger and some seem so tiny?” Chester asked.

“Those that look bigger are actually closer”, Ever explained. “Did you boys know that you can use stars to navigate? So that even if you’re in the middle of an ocean or a desert, you know in which direction you have to go so you can get home.”

“Oh wow”, Chester said and he was impressed. “People can actually do that?”

“Well, not everyone”, Freed smirked looking at Laxus who glared back with a growl.

“Why can’t dad do that?” Felix asked and he was slightly disappointed.

“He knows some of the asterisms but he can’t find them”, Freed chuckled.

“There are enormous number of stars as you can see”, Laxus grunted and gestured towards the night sky. “How am I supposed to find some specific stars from there? And those asterisms are just stupid. No matter how much I look those stars, I don’t see a fucking dragon there.”

“You’re trying to see a whole dragon”, Ever said and she rolled her eyes. “You have to find just those few stars and when you connect them, you -”

“See just a few stars that won’t form a thing.”

“Fine, get lost in a desert or whatever.”

“I don’t have to, I have a perfect plan of finding my way out no matter where the hell I am”, Laxus smirked.

“What’s that, baby?” Bickslow asked curiously.

“I’ll just find Freed.”

“I’m not even surprised.”

“Whatever”, Laxus said and he stood up. “Let’s just go, it’s getting chilly here.”

“Dad, no! We can’t go yet”, Felix shouted. “We want to see more! We want to fly!” he pleaded while grabbing Laxus’ big hand.

“Fly?” Chester asked confused, finally lowering his gaze from the stars. “How can we fly?”

“Dad, mama, Bicks and Ever can all fly!” Felix explained with a huge smile. “It’s amazing! They can fly really fast and really high!”

“It could be fun”, Bickslow smirked but Freed frowned.

“It can be dangerous as well”, he reminded.

“We can make sure they won’t fall”, the seith mage cackled. “Come out, babies!” he called and five Tiki dolls appeared from under his cape.

Freed sighed but he smiled when looking how excited Felix and Chester were. With some belts they could make sure they wouldn’t fall from Laxus’ and Bickslow’s backs.

“Everyone ready?” Freed asked and they nodded. “Alright”, he said, writing some runes.

Felix laughed when a huge pair of lightning wings appeared both sides of him. The lightning was sparking and crackling all around and it felt ticklish. He looked at Freed and Ever who had wings on their backs as well and Bickslow hopped on his dolls that lined up. He had been flying only once before and only just a little bit, so this was really thrilling!

When they moved, Chester shut his eyes and grabbed his arms around Bickslow’s neck. Part of him just didn’t believe they could actually fly. He felt how wind hit his face and ruffled his hair, but soon he noticed that they didn’t hit the ground.

“It’s okay, baby”, Bickslow smirked. “You can open your eyes.”

Carefully Chester opened his eyes just enough so he could peek around. They were really flying! He could see how fast the forest was moving far beneath them! He looked around, seeing others as well and then he looked up, seeing the sky.

It was enormous! He could see even more stars when there wasn’t mountains around them! He was so amazed because of the sight, he didn’t even notice how they passed Magnolia while they were following a river, right towards the sea.

Little by little they flew higher, Freed and Ever staying close for Laxus and Bickslow just in case, always ready to catch Felix and Chester if they happened to fall.

“The ocean is so big!” Felix shouted when they could see the dark sea.

It was like a dark velvet coating, covering everything and twinkling as it reflected the lights from the sky. Far away in horizon they saw an orange line as they could see sunlight from far away even if it was already night here.

Laxus looked at Bickslow and others and they all nodded. Suddenly they dove right down and both boys screamed because of such a scare, but it soon changed into screams of excitement as they were heading down towards the water.

All four of them pulled up just in time before hitting the black surface, making water splash under them because of their speed. They headed back up, slowing their speed and finally stopped in the middle of air.

“This is amazing!” Chester yelled and he was absolutely enthralled. “I want to learn how to fly too! I just have to!”

“Sure, baby”, Bickslow grinned. “No one’s stopping you.”

“I want to learn too!” Felix said. “I’m gonna be a dragon slayer and I’m gonna learn how to fly too!”

“If you can use magic, only thing that can stop you is your imagination”, Freed smiled as he flew closer.

“Who is the fastest flyer?” Chester asked.

“Me, of course”, Bickslow boasted immediately and Ever snorted.

“Maybe in your dreams”, she said. “Obviously I’m the fastest, my wings are made for speeding up really quick.”

“Maybe for short distances”, Laxus said. “You all seem to forget how fast lightning can travel.”

“Sure, but if you can use only your wings and not just bolt right ahead, I doubt you can beat me”, Ever chuckled. “Besides, you would just get lost.”

“The fuck?” Laxus growled. “And don’t you even talk about how you can use teleportation”, he said when Freed opened his mouth. “That’s not flying.”

For a while there was a deep silence between them and they only heard waves from far below. Suddenly they all turned and Felix and Chester yelled loudly as they all sped up as much as they could. Obviously they had just fallen for a simple trick so Chester and Felix could just have more fun, but since they were all so competitive, they didn’t care. They just wanted to arrive at the camp as fast as they could to see who was the fastest flyer.

Chapter Text

The morning was chilly, quiet and still dark when Freed woke up in their tent. Felix was still murmuring something in his sleep but as the rune mage sat up, he noticed that his husband had already gotten up. That certainly wasn’t something that happened every day when there was no need to go to the guild...

He yawned, stretched and pulled his blanket over Felix who kept sleeping while he took his coat he had been using as a pillow and stepped out of the tent. Outside he shuddered because of the coolness and pulled his red coat over him without buttoning it up. He took out some wood they had covered with huge leafs from forest and started to make a fire. If Laxus had woken up already, why hadn’t he done it? Guess he had a reason, but Freed hoped it wasn’t anything bad.

Once the fire had been lit, Freed took his towel and other things he needed and headed towards the waterfall. It was still too cold to actually swim, but he had to clean his face at least. He hated it how scratchy and itchy his face felt always in the morning, he should probably finally come up with some runes that might help him to stop growing a beard or at least slow down the process as much as possible. His only comfort was that at least his facial hair didn’t grow fast.

After cleaning himself, Freed sat down for a while just looking at the clean water and listening how the waterfall roared. It wasn’t a big waterfall, but it was really pretty and even if it was loud, there was also something really soothing of hearing how all that water rushed down. There were small cliffs that were surrounding the whole area and only one path lead into this place that was covered with grass, moss, flowers and bushes. There was even one old tree growing at the other side of this area.

Relaxing was definitely something Freed needed and he groaned, ruffling his hair he had not yet even started to brush and there were few green strands pointing here and there. Maybe he really would need a cold swim in that water because right now he was feeling so goddamn horny he just didn’t know what to do! This mating season really was turning him crazy!

“Morning.”

Freed almost jumped up from the rock where he was sitting on and looked at Laxus who had walked beside him, him not hearing his steps because of the waterfall.

“Having a heart attack first thing in the morning, that’s nice”, Freed huffed but chuckled. “Good morning, Laxus. I was surprised to see you up already. Others are still sleeping.”

“Couldn’t really sleep”, Laxus said. “So I just wandered around a bit.”

“I see”, Freed said. He didn’t need to ask why Laxus couldn’t sleep. Maybe it really wasn’t such a good idea to come camping here together after all. “If you want, I can go home and you all can continue camping out”, Freed offered and he finally buttoned up his coat and wrapped his belts around his waist.

“No, Felix would just get concerned”, Laxus said. “He’s already worried because we’re sleeping separately.”

“You’re right”, Freed nodded. Felix really was such a smart boy and knew how to observe his surroundings. Even if he didn’t know why things were like they were, he knew that something was wrong with Freed and Laxus.

“I just want this fucking season to end”, Laxus growled and few sparks emitted in the air around him. “It’s turning everything upside down and I don’t like it. Right now everything feels just chaotic.”

“It won’t last long anymore”, Freed smiled reassuringly, lifting his hand but Laxus flinched away before he could touch his arm like he usually did.

“Don’t touch me, I’m like a ticking timebomb”, he grunted. “I’m seriously considering just leaving for the rest of the season, going to some desert or mountains where no one could get hurt if I go nuts and break some shit.”

“Don’t do that”, Freed said. “I don’t think that would help anything. We have gone through things much harder than this. As long as we work together, we can do this.”

Laxus huffed, letting his eyes travel around the little area they were in. It made him even more irritated when seeing few fireflies flying around the stream since the sun wasn’t even up yet and in any other day this place would be romantic as hell. Now it was just annoying.

Suddenly his gaze stopped and Freed halted from brushing his hair when noticing how the lightning dragon slayer tensed up. He quickly glared towards the other side of the stream but he didn’t see anything. Not until he lifted his gaze and saw someone standing on one of the cliffs that were surrounding this beautiful little place.

“Bicks-” Freed started but Laxus lifted his arm.

“That’s not Bickslow”, he growled and Freed looked at the figure again.

Definitely, he looked like Bickslow, but he wasn’t. He wasn’t Roscoe either as the man standing there looked older than them both. His black and blue coloured hair was waving around wildly like a lion’s mane and he had a long same coloured goatee. He had a wide grin over his face that was lacking Bickslow’s friskiness, instead it was more mad and twisted.

“If that man is not Yuidose, you can just thrust a stick through my eyes because I’m going blind anyway”, Laxus growled.

Low laughing filled the area and they could easily hear it even over the roaring of the waterfall. Freed quickly grabbed his sword, unsheathing it and stepped closer to Laxus. In his mind he created a connection, soon feeling the familiar power.

‘Umanor’, he called.

‘Is something wrong, Freed?’ he heard a low grunt. Obviously Umanor was aware that something was going on.

‘Yuidose is here, I want you and others immediately go wake up Bickslow, Evergreen and boys and head towards Magnolia as fast as you can’, Freed commanded.

‘Will you and Laxus be alright just the two of you against him?’

‘It’s more important to get them out of here. We don’t want Yuidose to catch Bickslow and we definitely don’t want him to hurt boys.’

‘...We understand. Stay safe.’

With that, Freed felt how the demons inside him left to fulfill their orders.

“Are they taking care of the others?” Laxus muttered when he could guess why Freed was being so silent and concentrated, even though he kept his eyes on Yuidose.

“Yes”, the rune mage nodded. “We just need to keep Yuidose busy.”

“Okay, sounds like a plan. But be careful.”

“Same goes to you”, Freed smirked.

Yuidose kept staring at them curiously, slightly tilting his head. Freed felt cold shivers running down his spine as he couldn’t shake off the confusion how much that man looked alike with Bickslow and Roscoe. He was even tall and slim by his built like them!

But unlike those two men, Yuidose’s irises were so light in colour they were almost pure white. It was almost scary when the more Freed kept staring them, the more his other figure seemed like blending in the darkness and only those white eyes remained, staring at them like trying to pull out their souls and snap them off from their bodies.

Laxus noticed this too and he felt really uncomfortable, shifting on his place and he heard how something rustled under his feet. When he looked down he saw how the grass under them had turned dry and brown. It was dead.

He quickly glanced around. How come it was still so dark? The sky should at least be brightening up by now already! But it was like all the shadows lurking in the forest had gathered here and wrapped around them in this tiny area. They were sucking out all the life from the plants that were drying and drooping, losing their bright colours. All bushes withered and Laxus could almost hear how their branches were snapping. The big old tree lost all its leafs and they slowly fell down on the dead grass.

He sneered.

“That’s not good”, he said. “I hope it won’t affect us too. Freed?” he said looking at his mate who kept staring at Yuidose. “Don’t keep staring at him!” Laxus roared what snapped Freed right awake and he looked at Laxus. “He’s using magic! He must know some Eye Magic as well.”

“Yes, of course, I should have realised that”, Freed said with a frown. It would explain how those eyes felt like they were pulling them closer and closer every second.

“He killed all the plants”, Laxus said and Freed looked finally around.

Yuidose chuckled and lifted his long arm, snapping his fingers and it was like pure white mist was gathering, finally forming something. Freed and Laxus were both surprised when they realised it was a pair of scissors. Almost as long as the man himself, sharp and beautifully carved.

“What the fuck?” Laxus grunted.

“Those things look dangerous”, Freed said. “So watch out. He seem to have a chain on them so he obviously can throw them as well.”

“Well, let’s just not give him a chance to do so”, Laxus said and he took a deep breath.

Freed squinted his eyes when a bright shot of lightning cut through the air right towards Yuidose. It seemed like the man wasn’t even trying to dodge. But when the lightning was gone and it got dark again, he was still standing on the cliff.

Freed lifted his sword starting to write runes, when Laxus grabbed his wrist and stopped him. He looked at his husband surprised.

“You focus on keeping yourself away from him, not attacking him directly”, Laxus commanded and Freed frowned.

“Laxus, we should fight together against him”, he reminded.

“We don’t know what he can do.”

“Exactly, that’s why we should stay together. Not fight separately. If he’s really like Bickslow, I’m sure he has lots of tricks up his sleeves.”

“I don’t want you to get hurt”, Laxus growled.

“I won’t get hurt because I know you will cover my back”, Freed smiled confidently and Laxus grunted, trying to calm his anger. It would have been best if Freed had left with others but he knew better than even suggest something like that. Like hell Freed would listen to his demands on something like that.

Finally he snorted slightly amused because he knew just how stubborn Freed could be.

“You better stay safe or I’m gonna kick your ass”, he threatened and Freed chuckled.

“You’re allowed to do so”, he assured and looked at Yuidose who was leaning against his scissors and seemed bored because they were just rambling something. “I don’t like it how he’s being so quiet. And he’s waiting for us to attack first.”

“Whatever, if he’s not gonna attack, we’re gonna do it instead”, Laxus said and the air crackled sharply before he let out a huge amount of lightning. Freed wrote runes and wings formed on his back and he followed after the Thunder God.

Cliff shattered when huge blast of lightning hit it and Laxus could swear he managed to land a hit on Yuidose. But instead he only shattered some rocks and he quickly looked around, seeing a swift figure moving around him.

Freed swished his sword prepared to hit those amazingly detailed white scissors. But he was surprised when his sword just cut the air and he wasn’t even sure if it was because Yuidose was too quick or if his sword was cabable to hit those scissors at all.

He had no time to think that more though since in the next second Yuidose was already coming closer, opening his scissors wide and Freed pulled his sword closer, ready to block an attack. Roaring thunder filled the air and lightning made Yuidose’s figure disappear. It was a clear hit!

Freed landed and Laxus appeared right beside him.

“What the...?” the blond mage muttered.

Yuidose cackled as he dropped to stand on one of the branches of the old tree. There was no sign of any attack being landed on him. His clothes weren’t even torn.

“He’s definitely using tricks”, Freed said.

“An illusion?”

“No, it would have shattered already.”

“What the hell is he then? A ghost?” Laxus growled.

“Considering how fast he moves and it seems like we can’t touch him, I wouldn’t say that’s impossible. It must be because of his netherworld magic.”

“But if he’s a ghost, he can’t attack us either?” Laxus asked looking at Freed.

The rune mage opened his mouth but suddenly Yuidose was moving again. He came right towards them and they hardly had any time to dodge. Yuidose smirked when passing them and Freed suddenly felt something on his cheek.

Quickly he touched his face and saw blood on his hand. Laxus eyes widened in shock and then the orange colour in them was filled with lightning and he glared towards the man who was again standing on top of the cliff, laughing at them.

“You fucker”, Laxus growled angrily and the ground shook when he bolted right towards Yuidose.

Freed looked around, trying to follow as Yuidose’s figure swiftly moved around and immediately it was followed by lightning. Bushes burned down, rocks fell from the cliffs and the waterfall was starting to shatter. This was bad!

“Laxus!” Freed yelled and again the lightning dragon slayer hit the ground harshly when trying to attack their enemy. “Calm down! You can’t catch him like that!” Freed said. Yuidose had purposely angered Laxus. He knew how Laxus would react when seeing his mate getting hurt. But how did he know that much about dragon slayers?

It happened faster than Freed could have ever believed. Suddenly he just felt how there was someone standing behind him and for a moment everything stopped. When that moment was over, his whole body jerked when sharp blades of scissors was thrusted through him.

Freed looked down, seeing the white scissors, though now they were covered with blood. His coat was torn and just as swiftly as they hit, the scissors were pulled out and Freed gasped. He didn’t feel any pain but his body couldn’t move.

Laxus had stopped and he saw the whole scene. It lasted only for a second or two, but it felt like forever. His body was quick to move, but it wasn’t quick enough. When he finally managed to touch Freed’s body, Yuidose was already gone. Laxus grabbed the rune mage before he would fall from his feet and his pale face was still in shock, looking at his Thunder God like he couldn’t yet understand what really happened.

“Freed!” Laxus shouted, more scared than he had ever been in his life. Freed was hurt. His precious mate was badly injured. All because he wasn’t fast enough to stop that attack!

“I’m sorry I was so careless”, Freed said, trying to smile.

“Don’t talk”, Laxus murmured pulling his mate closer, trying to soothen him. “We’ll get that healed.”

“It feels weird”, Freed said with a frown. “I don’t feel any pain.”

“I said don’t talk, I’ll take you home right now”, Laxus said. “Close your eyes.”

Freed obediently closed his eyes. He felt tingling and then a roaring thunder filled his ears. Laxus hold him tightly and just as suddenly as it started, it also ended and Freed opened his eyes.

They were at their backyard. Laxus had used his lightning to move them both here. Freed didn’t even know he could do that to someone else too! Or was it because they were mates he was able to do so?

Laxus stomped in the house and right in their bedroom, gently laying Freed on their bed. He instantly turned and went to fetch whatever the hell he could find that would help closing the severe injure until they would get Porlyusica or Wendy to come here. Freed took few deep breaths, staring at the ceiling and he heard how something dropped and crashed while Laxus was gathering their first aid items.

The green haired man frowned yet again. Something just didn’t feel right. He lifted his shaky hand and carefully touched his stomach, but instead of wetness of the blood he felt soft fabric.

Freed sat up carefully and he looked at himself. He wasn’t covered with blood. His coat was not torned. There were some dust because of what all happened but other than that there was no other evidence to show Yuidose had ever even appeared.

Laxus stumbled back in the room, noticing Freed had sat up.

“Don’t move!” he roared angrily as the rune mage was trying to move with that kind of a wound! A wound... That didn’t seem to exist anymore.

Laxus kept staring at Freed but he didn’t see a single drop of blood anywhere. He dropped everything he had brought over and stepped beside his mate. He grabbed that red coat, almost causing the buttons fall off when he opened it hurriedly.

“Laxus, calm down”, Freed said as the blond man kept looking for a wound but there was none. He sniffed the pale skin, but couldn’t smell any blood. “So it never happened after all?” Freed said touching Laxus’ hair softly, trying to calm him.

It had felt so real. For a moment he had been sure that was his last battle.

“That’s why I didn’t feel any pain”, Freed said when thinking about it. “But it doesn’t feel quite of an illusion either...”

“Don’t care”, Laxus growled and he was finally starting to believe Freed really was okay. “I don’t care what the fuck that was, I’m just so glad you’re okay.”

“For a moment I really was scared”, Freed said. “I really thought everything was over.”

Suddenly strong arms wrapped around him again and he was pulled down in a tight hold. Laxus pulled him closer, sniffing his green hair and being glad that his mate was alright.

“I’m so sorry... I let you down”, he murmured. “I couldn’t protect you.”

“I’m alright, Laxus”, Freed assured and smiled, letting Laxus keep him close even though it felt almost choking.

“This time we were lucky and that bastard was just using tricks. Next time he might attack us for real. I won’t let that happen”, Laxus growled and Freed got slightly worried. “No one hurts you as long as I can help it.”

“Laxus?” Freed said looking at him. The way Laxus acted...

They just stayed there for a long while. They didn’t talk and didn’t let go. Freed noticed how Laxus was finally starting to relax a bit and he looked towards him. His eyes were closed and it seemed like he was dozing off. But when he tried to move even a bit, Laxus’ hold tightened immediately, not letting him go even if he was sleeping.

Freed sighed. This would definitely bring troubles. He was really worried what might happen next, now that the dragon side was so strong again in Laxus.

Chapter Text

Freed was not sure when he fell asleep. Since Laxus wouldn’t let go of him, he couldn’t move so eventually he had just fallen asleep as well in his husband’s embrace. When he woke up, he grunted slightly when feeling lips against his neck near the mark.

He frowned slightly his brows trying to wake himself up more. When a hand suddenly groped his ass, he opened his eyes and jolted away from Laxus. Or he would have if Laxus wasn’t holding him so tightly but at least his hand moved away.

“Laxus”, Freed scolded looking at the lightning dragon slayer. “You know that’s not allowed.”

“It’s just been so long since I last time woke up beside you”, Laxus grumbled smelling Freed’s hair. “I just got a little bit carried away, that’s all.”

“You shouldn’t, it might easily lead us to do something we might regret later.”

“Weren’t you the one who said we could do at least something?”

“I can’t deny that, but the fact is we probably wouldn’t be able to hold back if we allow even something to happen. Let go of me, Laxus”, Freed commanded trying to wriggle away from Laxus who didn’t let go.

“Fine, fine, I won’t do anything”, the bigger man grunted annoyed. “Just stay there.”

“How late is it already? We have to inform others that we are back home”, Freed said, trying to see the clock on his nightstand. It was already noon. “Felix must be worried sick and I don’t want him to worry more than he already does because of us.”

“I already informed them, don’t worry”, Laxus said. “Geez, it’s not like I’ve gone mad or something, I know I have to tell them that we’re okay if I’m the first one to wake up. You would have also done it if you had woken up before me. Don’t think I’ve completely lost my mind.”

Freed blinked his eyes looking at Laxus who seemed annoyed.

“I’m... Sorry”, the rune mage said slowly, lowering his gaze. “I didn’t mean to sound like I’m thinking you’re not cabable of making any rational decisions.”

“Apology accepted”, Laxus said kissing Freed’s forehead. “I told them we’re gonna explain everything later.”

“Good”, Freed smiled. “You’re a good dragon, Laxus”, he smirked patting Laxus’ blond hair.

“Shut up, bitch.”

Freed just chuckled and leaned his head against Laxus’ shoulder, secretly happy that he didn’t need to get up yet. He had missed sleeping next to his husband, just the two of them in their own bed. He inhaled that musky scent he couldn’t quite describe. Sometimes it was like fresh coffee, sometimes like rain, or something it really reminded him of a storm. There just wasn’t any easy way to describe what it was, but he would definitely recognize it anywhere.

What he did know was that even if he didn’t want it, that smell made his blood burn hot and his cheeks blushed, but he tried to hide it so Laxus wouldn’t notice it. Like that would work, Laxus would smell everything with his sensitive nose, always immediately noticing changes in his scent that told him if he was scared, excited, angry, anxious and such. Or horny, like now.

Freed trembled slightly, shutting his eyes when a hand touched his side gently rubbing it and he knew this was bad. Yet he couldn’t help it that it also felt so good when Laxus came closer, kissing his neck and making him gasp because it felt ticklish. This was NOT good! He should shove Laxus away right now before this would go any further.

Suddenly he felt hot breath against his lips and Laxus kissed him, pushing his head against the pillow and he climbed over Freed, supporting himself with his other arm and his other hand slipped under Freed’s back, arching it up. Freed silently whimpered, trying to find some rationality from his mind and stop this yet his hands kept caressing Laxus’ back. His tongue found its way in Freed’s mouth and he let it in without a fight, letting Laxus claim his mouth as he pleased.

His whole body felt like it was buzzing. He could hear how blood rushed through his veins, making him sweat because he was feeling so warm and he was getting lightheaded. Thinking wasn’t easy, he didn’t want to think stupid things like if this was a good idea or not, he just wanted Laxus so badly he was almost going insane.

Finally they broke the kiss and gasped some air, Laxus immediately attacking Freed’s neck giving it some light nibbles, licking the pale skin and kissing it all over. His teeth scraped the skin where his mark remained forever, making the smaller man moan. He wanted Freed so much! He wanted to pleasure him, make him happy, assure him that he loved him so much it hurt.

Suddenly Laxus stopped. He wanted what was best for Freed... He wanted him to be happy and he would give him whatever he wanted... So he stopped, even though his body felt like it was on fire.

Freed noticed this – even though at this point his mind was almost complete mush – and he looked at Laxus who was panting heavily like struggling against something.

“Laxus?” he wheezed. He knew this wasn’t good but still he felt really disappointed how Laxus had stopped. Why didn’t he just continue? He wouldn’t mind. Maybe they did make a decision to just wait and see what would happen, but if Laxus really would want this to happen, he wouldn’t stop him.

Laxus grunted and suddenly he yanked himself up, rolling away from Freed and sat on the other side of the bed.

“You better leave right now”, the Thunder God growled gritting his teeth and not looking at Freed. “I won’t be able to control myself second time after this, so you better go somewhere away from me.”

It took a moment for Freed to finally collect himself and he carefully sat up, sneering because his pants were way too tight right now.

“Maybe... Maybe you’re right”, he nodded, though he was very reluctant to actually follow those orders. “If that is what you really want”, he added and looked at Laxus who flinched slightly. “I... Wouldn’t really mind... If we continued.”

“You’re saying that just because of the mating season and you’re horny right now”, Laxus reminded, not turning around.

“Might be true”, Freed huffed. He had no idea if he really was okay with them continuing or did he just desperately wanted to have sex with Laxus. It was so confusing. “I’m surprised you were able to stop.”

“Yeah, me too... But even if it kills me, I won’t continue this because you can’t be sure if that’s what you want.”

Freed frowned slightly.

“There’s something that has been bothering me for a while”, he said, trying to collect his thoughts properly so he could understand what was going on. “You said that you would be fine with whatever would happen, since we can’t be sure if I’m already pregnant or not. But are you really?”

“Why are you talking about this now?” Laxus growled. This was not the moment to talk about that!

“You didn’t say that just so I would be the one to decide what we should do?” Freed asked stubbornly.

Laxus stayed silent what made Freed more convinced that the blond had not been as honest with his feelings as he had claimed he was.

“Why weren’t you honest?” he asked and Laxus growled, standing up from the bed and still not looking at Freed.

“We already made this decision”, he reminded. “So we should follow it.”

“It was when I thought you really told me what you wanted”, Freed said and he stood up as well looking at the dragon slayer. He was a bit angry because Laxus had been hiding things from him, but he was mostly confused. Why would Laxus do something like that? “You told me it was your honest opinion of the situation, that you were fine with whatever would happen.”

“That’s because I know that whatever I would say, you would follow that wish blindly!” Laxus finally snapped angrily, turning towards Freed. “I know you do that, Freed. You push your own wishes and desires away so you can follow whatever the hell I want to do. And I will NEVER make you do something against your own will ever again!” he roared. “No matter what the fuck I would want or not want, that is the thing I will absolutely not do even if I would die!”

He wouldn’t be able to stand himself if he would do something like that! He had already made Freed do horrible things because of his stupid, childish behaviour! Freed did not deserve something like that!

Freed was surprised. Laxus wanted him to make this decision so he could be absolutely sure it would be what Freed wanted? It was really thoughtful, but...

“Are you still thinking about that time when we attacked Fairy Tail?” he asked. “You know that’s so far in the past there’s no need to -”

“I can’t forget it!” Laxus shouted and he clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white. He hated to even think about what had happened, no matter how long ago it was already. “I know you guys don’t hold any grudge against me, but I can’t forget it. I’m not going to forget it, because then I might hurt you guys again.”

“You won’t”, Freed said. “I know it. Please don’t feel bad about it anymore, Laxus. You have to let go of it finally.”

“It’s not like I haven’t partly forgiven myself”, Laxus grunted. “I know there’s no really point to still think about all that, but... I’m not going to just forget it either. As long as I remember what happened then, how much I hurt everyone, I can make sure I’ll never be such a dickhead again. I’m not the most friendly person even now who dances around and tosses candies for everyone and hugs every fucking person who can’t get away fast enough, but at least I’m not like I used to be once.”

Freed sighed. This was a thing that would haunt Laxus for the rest of his life, he knew it. When things went bad, it was their job to assure him again that everything was fine.

So the rune mage circled around the bed and stood in front of his Thunder God, looking at those orange eyes that were so stubborn that Freed almost found it amusing. He gently cupped Laxus’ cheeks with his hands and pulled his face closer, giving him a reassuring kiss.

“You will never be something like that again”, he said with calm yet adamant tone. “You never meant to be evil. You are not evil by heart, Laxus. If you were, your Fairy Law would have succeeded the way you planned and we wouldn’t be standing here right now. You were just lost and didn’t know who you were and why.”

He frowned and Laxus sneered when those gentle fingers suddenly turned more aggressive when rubbing his temples.

“You have a really annoying habit of always bringing this same thing up over and over again”, Freed snapped finally letting go. “But I do understand why you do it. You actually value us all so much you’re ready to torment yourself for the rest of your life so you wouldn’t cause any pain even by an accident to any of us”, he huffed crossing his arms.

“Whatever”, Laxus grunted brushing his temples. “I’m not going to repeat those same mistakes again.”

“I know you won’t, even if you won’t torture yourself like this. You are not the same person as you were then, Laxus. We all know you would never make us do something against our own will if there wasn’t a really good reason for it, something that would protect us all. And if you’re thinking that us having Felix because of the last mating season is something you caused against my will, that is not true.”

“You had no chance to say if you would want it to happen or not.”

“Neither did you. We had no idea what would happen. But I don’t regret it, I can swear you that”, Freed assured with a smile. “Do you regret it?”

“No fucking way! If someone suddenly came here and suggested they would change how things are now, I would probably end up in jail because of what I would do to them”, Laxus snorted and Freed chuckled.

“I feel the same way”, he said. “It’s good that you want to make sure you won’t repeat those mistakes again, but I’m sure you can do it even without kicking yourself all the time because of what you did in the past.”

The rune mage sighed and he looked at Laxus.

“What do you really want to do?” he asked. “And I want an honest answer. I need to know what you think or we can’t work this out together.”

Laxus grunted, staying silent for a moment and not looking at Freed, thinking what he should say.

“When I was a kid, I often wondered why things were like they were”, he muttered and crossed his arms. “Ivan being an asshole, even though I didn’t really understand then why he was like that, Gramps being busy with Fairy tail most of the time because he had to and my mom was gone... Sometimes I did wish I had a sibling, someone who would understand”, he said and Freed’s eyes widened. “It wasn’t easy. Even if I had friends, they would never really understand what it was like. It was... Lonely. I thought that if I had a sibling, I would have someone who to talk with when I couldn’t talk with Gramps or Ivan. Someone who would really understand how it was like to live in that house, how it was like to be a Dreyar, what all people would expect from you because of that name. I actually thought about it more than I want to admit.”

He looked at Freed and blushed.

“Is it wrong?” he said, almost with a challenging tone like he was waiting for Freed to laugh at him.

“No”, Freed just smiled. “There’s nothing wrong with it. I’m really sorry you had such a hard time”, he said gently touching Laxus’ arm. “I have to be honest, even though I was the only child in my family as well, I never really imagined how it would be like to have siblings. Sometimes, yes, but not that often. It could have been nice. Not all siblings get along always of course, but there would still be at least one person out there as well who understands where you come from and knows who you are.”

“Yeah”, Laxus nodded. “But with my luck, I would have ended up having a sibling who’s a total maniac”, he huffed. “Just like my parents.”

“Or not”, Freed said. “We can’t know that.”

He smiled.

“So, is that your opinion in this matter?” he asked. “Felix to have a sibling with who he can then complain about us?” he laughed and Laxus chuckled.

“Like Felix wouldn’t do that by himself anyway once he gets older”, he said. “Yeah, I really like that idea. I just don’t like it if you force yourself to this just because I said this.”

“You know, I can say no to you”, Freed reminded. “You’ve done mistakes, so have I. And just like you, I have learned from those mistakes as well. Even if my love towards you have not wavered even for a little bit – it never did and it never will – I won’t follow your orders like I did back then. Even then I had doubts, I hoped that you would stop it before it would go too far. But it was stupid of me to just let you do as you pleased. I should have tried harder to talk you out of it, but I didn’t. Instead I decided to follow your orders until the end. I hate to think of it, but I probably simply gave up finally to try and convince you that there was no need to fight.”

“Shit, I’m starting to hate myself again”, Laxus grunted.

“Your lightning didn’t hit me then, but you did hurt me, Laxus. But as a friend I let you down as well. I chose the easier way and just let you do whatever you wanted because I felt like I couldn’t help you more. I should have tried to help you more. You’re not the only one who’s to blame for all of that, don’t you ever think like that. Me, Bickslow and Evergreen are all to blame just as much as you, but you took all the blame to make things easier for us. That alone tells us how much you care”, Freed smiled. “And we care about you just as much.”

Laxus huffed.

“We’re going to still talk about this many times over the years”, he supposed.

“That’s true”, Freed agreed. “We can’t help it. But we can forget about it at least for now and think about other things”, he smirked playfully and Laxus raised his eyebrow.

“Are you sure about it?” he asked, still a bit hesitant. “You said -”

“Stop repeating what I have said or didn’t say, you’re the one who told me I’m not allowed to think too much. I might not know how things will end up, if everything will go just fine, but I know that as long as we’re together, there’s nothing to worry about. Don’t get me wrong when I say this, but I do enjoy deeply following your orders – when they are reasonable. I can talk back now freely if I so want. Just because I’m ready to do what you want or make sure you have what you need, doesn’t mean I have no backbone to go against your word if I feel it necessary. I only want you to be happy, because I know I will be happy too then.”

Laxus stared at him for a while, until he sighed.

“Shit, I just don’t know where to even start describing how damn much I love you, Freed”, he said. “You’re the most awesome person I have ever met. In every aspect!”

“I... I do have my flaws just like everyone else...” Freed said with a blush, but he was happy to hear those loving words.

“Yeah, like every Wednesday at the evening you pretend like you’re reading a proper book but inside it you actually have a newest Sorcerer Magazine you want to read without others realizing how much you love those gossips”, Laxus laughed and Freed froze.

“I... I don’t...” he stuttered but his face was already turning pink.

“Don’t even try to deny it, babe. You really thought I wouldn’t notice? I’ve known that for years already. By the way, Bickslow and Evergreen know that too.”

“Why haven’t you guys said anything?!” Freed yelled frustratedly punching Laxus’ shoulder and the bigger man just laughed more.

“We didn’t really care and you shouldn’t either. No one thinks you’re less smart if you read whatever magazines you want, you just want to always act so proper.”

Freed huffed.

“Well, I guess at least at home I don’t need to hide that anymore. It’s not like love reading those magazines, it’s just that even I sometimes do enjoy reading something that’s not really important or meaningful.”

“I know, you still have a big bookcase sealed with runes full of porn.”

“They are not porn!”

“They are books full of sex scenes, they are porn.”

“They are romantic literature.”

“Pooorn.”

“Fine, be childish if you want”, Freed snarled annoyed and Laxus smirked. Freed was still cute as hell when getting angry like that, looking like his green hair was ruffled.

There was a short silence as they looked at each other, both realising what they had decided and what would be the next step. They were really going to do this? There would be no going back after this and even though they might now both know what they wanted, it just... Felt a bit awkward and made them nervous?

“Well... Maybe we should wait until we get in the mood again”, Freed suggested finally with a slight blush. “I should probably make some tea for us and we should eat something, we didn’t even get breakfast -”

Arms wrapped around him, lifting him up like Freed wasn’t actually a grown up man with solid muscles. He yelped when he was tossed on the bed, making him bounce a bit and in the next second Laxus was already towering above him.

“We can catch that mood again”, he smirked and Freed gulped when seeing those burning orange eyes. They were almost intimidating, full of possessiveness that made his body burn hot again immediately.

He chuckled slightly, caressing Laxus’ neck with his hand and scratching his short blond hair.

“I’m sure of that”, he said pulling him closer to a kiss. They usually were very successful of getting in the right mood if they only had even a slightest chance to do so.

Chapter Text

Maybe it was because of the mating season, but getting in the right mood was definitely not a problem for them. Their kisses got quickly longer and messier as they got deeper and their tongues were wrestling while they struggled to breath while doing so.

Freed let his hands roam around Laxus’ body, opening the buttons of his purple shirt but as it took too long, he just started tugging the shirt up. Laxus took the hint and they had to break the kiss for a second so he could discard the unneeded cloth, immediately continuing from where they were left. Unlike Freed, Laxus was a lot less patient and the rune mage grunted disapprovingly when suddenly his shirt was ripped open buttons flying off.

He gasped some air, both panting already heavily and he was about to scold Laxus when suddenly those sharp canine teeth bit his neck, making him moan loudly. Well, it wasn’t like this was his favourite shirt or something...

Laxus let go and licked the pale skin that had slightly pink marks because of his teeth, but they would fade soon. He let his hands caress Freed’s slim body, admiring those lean muscles under his fingers. His lips traced down from the neck, kissed and nibbled their way lower until he could attack those pink nipples that weren’t covered by the shirt anymore. He smirked when hearing a soft, almost quiet whimper and he felt how Freed’s body jolted. It had been a while since they last time had sex so they were both a bit more sensitive than usually.

Laxus let his tongue swirl around the already perky button, giving it few gentle bites and few good sucks. He was really pleased when Freed squirmed and grabbed his blond hair, trying to pull his head away but not really even using any strength. He smirked and lifted his head, looking at Freed’s flushed face as he was panting and his turquoise eyes were full of lust, even if he tried to hide it.

He loved seeing that face. He had missed it. He was going to make his husband scream until his voice was hoarse and he wouldn’t be able to talk for a few days.

Freed tried to catch his breath and think what he should do next. He definitely wanted to give back at Laxus for such a sneaky attack and making him a mess already, even with such a little touch. Before he could even come up with anything, suddenly his legs were yanked up making his ass get up from the mattress. Laxus lifted his legs over his broad shoulders, smirking deviously as Freed had to support himself with his arms so he could stay in that position, thus not being able to do a thing for him.

Laxus hummed pressing his lips against the fabric of Freed’s pants, feeling his balls through it and how hard he already was. He scraped his teeth against that lump, hearing Freed wheezing because of the friction. He let his hands gently caress his sides and abs, moving until he found his belt and started to unbuckle it.

“L-Laxus...” Freed slightly protested as it was a bit uncomfortable being in this position. Laxus grunted and shifted just enough so Freed could lean more against the mattress but he kept nibbling his crotch, letting his fingers open the zipper of his pants and slide them down.

Freed adjusted just enough so Laxus could pull off his pants and boxers with one swift movement, tossing them somewhere on the floor. They weren’t needed anymore. The rune mage quickly shut his mouth, swallowing another moan when a hot tongue licked his thigh, but he let out a small whimpering gasp when suddenly Laxus bit down on his flesh, leaving a pink mark.

He was still recovering of the mix of pain and pleasure, when Laxus moved just enough so he could reach to his nightstand and he almost ripped off the drawer, grabbing a bottle of lube. He poured it on his fingers and adjusted Freed better against his chest but not letting go of his hips. Freed gasped when feeling kisses and gentle nibbles on his balls, how they traced up and finally he let out a shuddering moan when Laxus’ hot tongue slowly licked up his cock.

Laxus kept looking at the rune mage who had shut his beautiful eyes. He slowly moved his fingers, teasing him cruelly until he slipped one finger inside him and he smirked when he felt how Freed shuddered slightly. He pushed his finger all in, slowly pulling it back and pushing in again, all while kissing the dick that was right in front of him and he loved hearing how Freed enjoyed this. He was of course eager to just shove his dick in Freed, but he knew he had to be patient. He didn’t want to hurt Freed after all.

Freed let out another loud moan when a mouth sucked in his cock. The angle wasn’t really good for that but he still enjoyed it and it helped to withstand the fingers that were stretching him out. Laxus let go of his member and stroked it with his hand, making Freed blush deeper as he clasped his hands around Laxus’ big hand that was pleasing him.

“I can’t...” he wheezed. He was ready to come at any second! Laxus smirked and suddenly third finger appeared inside Freed, making him wriggle and when Laxus curled his fingers to touch his prostate...

Freed shouted loudly Laxus’ name and his back arched as he made a mess. Laxus pumped out every bit of cum on Freed’s stomach, amazed how tight Freed was around his fingers. He wanted his dick to replace his fingers as soon as possible, but right now he just watched how Freed slumped back against the mattress, panting heavily and his head still in clouds. He was pleased and Laxus liked seeing his mate pleased. He looked like he could fall asleep at any minute.

But this was far from over yet.

Once Freed started to calm down and had a moment to recover, Laxus took out his fingers and let his hips come down against the mattress. Freed opened his eyes just enough to see Laxus who moved to settle between his legs, lifting them up. It was probably too soon for him to come again but he didn’t even care. He wanted Laxus inside him. He lifted his legs better and Laxus leaned over him, giving him a passionate, loving kiss. He answered to it, draping his arms around his neck and caressing his blond soft hair. He moaned slightly against Laxus’ lips when feeling a hardness against him, how it slowly moved in, filling him.

He loved that feeling. It was true that they often switched who would top, but if Freed had to decide, he liked this better. It felt so good. He gasped when Laxus kept pushing further and grinned as Freed jolted with a hiss when he hit his prostate. He was a big guy with a monstrous length, it was easy for him to do that. Freed migh have came only minutes ago, but he would make him come again.

Slowly Laxus started moving, letting Freed get used to the feeling. Of course he wanted to move faster, but he had to keep in mind that this was a lot harder for Freed than to him. But he soothed his mate by kissing him, giving him more time. They had no need to rush.

Freed trembled slightly, letting himself relax more and feel the pleasure. As he got used to it, Laxus slowly started to move faster and Freed grasped a hold of the sheet under them with his other arm, while the other was still embracing Laxus tightly. He broke the kiss, panting and letting Laxus kiss his neck, feeling his teeth grasping his skin again and he knew he was getting a bit impatient because of the slow phase. He moved his hand up, slightly tugging the blond hair and giving a lick to the ear that was nearby, hearing how Laxus grunted and his hips started to move faster.

Freed shut his eyes, hitting his head against the mattress and let out moans of pleasure. He loved this feeling. He really felt like he was giving every bit of him to his Thunder God, even though he knew perfectly Laxus never even considered of owning him. He was not just a toy to fuck. He was a precious mate, a soulmate, and someone with who Laxus would spend the rest of his life. Freed was valued, loved, treasured and cherished. He was important to Laxus, just as much as Laxus was important to him.

Freed moaned louder when Laxus kept thrusting harder, now in need to fill him up. Freed tugged his blond hair tighter, panting heavily as his mind was starting to get hazy because of pleasure, not caring about anything anymore since Laxus was everything he would ever want or need.

Freed’s skin was tingling, though he hardly cared. He only cared about Laxus right now. But as they were getting closer and closer to the edge of utter pleasure, ready to be swept over and only feel satisfaction, the tingling got more noticeable but not uncomfortable. There was something familiar in it, but he couldn’t remember what.

All the pleasure hit him like a strike of lightning, making his whole body tremble, his toes to curl up and he clutched on to Laxus, afraid of getting too lost in the ecstacy he wouldn’t be able to come back. He felt how big hands were grasping him just as desperately, trying to keep him as close as possible so even if they wouldn’t be able to come back, at least they weren’t alone.

Freed’s body sunk against the mattress, his muscles relaxing again and he was exhausted. He slowly realised he was still panting heavily, but his tight grasp around Laxus was starting to loosen. It was okay.

Laxus grunted, letting go of Freed’s skin and the rune mage hissed as he hadn’t even realised Laxus had bit him. His neck would ache for a few days after that.

“Are you okay?” Laxus asked, worried because he had bit so hard.

“No need to worry”, Freed assured, kissing Laxus gently to show him he wasn’t mad. The lightning dragon slayer nodded, pulled out and dropped his head against Freed’s chest, feeling too sleepy to even move a bit. “We should rest for a while”, Freed suggested. He was too tired as well to do anything.

“Yeah, too tired to move for a while”, Laxus muttered closing his eyes.

“We can sleep for a few hours before going to the guild”, Freed said. Laxus grunted an approval and in the next second he was already snoring, making Freed chuckle.

Chapter Text

It was dinner time when Freed and Laxus were finally heading towards the guild hall of Fairy Tail. They had taken a shower, changed clothes and Freed was doing his best to look absolutely normal. He was envious to Laxus who only needed to scowl and growl and people would leave him alone, thinking that he was angry and they wouldn’t try to pry more. Usually that worked almost perfectly.

At least for now, until the season would end, they decided to keep their little secret all by themselves. Only problem was that Freed was terrible at lying, but as long as they would act normal maybe they would be lucky enough that no one would ask them any questions about the matter.

They arrived at the guild and opened the doors. There was a usual brawl going on and some of their guild mates were already drunk. Most of them didn’t even notice that they had arrived and those who did just greeted them happily and returned back to whatever they were doing.