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soukokuwu · 4 years ago

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➤ @fyowyn-writes said: okay clarifying that, s/o’s ability basically makes them immortal, but they can die it would just take several centuries to die from old age so they joined fyodor in order to find a way to get rid of their ability because you know that’s kinda his thing

➤ genre: angst

➤ pairing: fyodor x reader

➤ warning: death

➤ synopsis: fyodor has to choose — loving you or to love you?

➤ word count: 2.1k

➤ a/n: hi i know this came out super late and i’m very sorry ma’am, but i really hope you like this gwynn!! 🥺✨ sorry tumblr deleted your ask djsjds let me know what you guys think hope y’all enjoy this too!

The moment of separation

Forever is a long time.

Fyodor remembers thinking what a sin it is — immortality. You do too, over time. And so you wish you could end it.

But a wish is just that — an expression of desire. Never something that can be guaranteed. Though rumours have it that if there’s one thing that Fyodor can guarantee you, it’s death.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Fyodor always had a house; a roof over his head. But never a home. It changed — only because of you.

You are the comfort in his chaos, the still in the waves, the knowing that some thunder might come with rain. It is weird, how Fyodor thinks he always knows what’s to come, but he doesn’t with you. With you he always anticipates, looks forward to the next day. And not for himself, but for you.

Everything has an explanation, but this emotion he feels? The small warmth inside his chest — the one he tries so hard to deny, the one he never expected to feel in this life — it grows every second he spends with you; subtly, slowly, just as the best things do.

The first time he lays eyes on you — he doesn’t bat an eyelash, doesn’t do a double-take. Only when you let your voice escape you, only when you offered to help him with his plans, give him all of your extensive knowledge. Only then did he offer you an ear. You vow to give him all you are in return for one thing, a simple prayer.

Death. Instantaneous, painless. Then cremated and thrown out to sea.

You played right into his wheelhouse — you tell him of your sins, of your ability. You tell him that you wish for him to grace you with the powers of god, to give you the salvation you needed. Fyodor has never had anyone that brave, that... foolish to ask anything like that of him. Which is why he agrees. Not only are you useful, you are an interesting one.

Maybe he will find more use out of you. Maybe.

He does.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

People are made up of their own sins, be it greed, lust, envy. Fyodor tries to figure out what you’re made of.

But his own answer frustrates him. When he tries to put a word to it, he remembers you getting up early to brew him coffee. He remembers you putting a blanket over him when he falls asleep in front of his blueprints. He remembers you holding your own when he talks down to you. He remembers you protecting him in missions, even over the littlest things.

Even domestic things. A pill on his pillow when he’s sick and refuses to acknowledge it. A tray of food (healthy ones too, because he’s anemic and you know that) in the microwave when he comes back late from surveying an area. A plan drafted up for the next mission when you know he’s too tired to do it by himself.

Sunshine.

That’s what you’re made up of. Warm, soothing. And he hates his answer. This... affection towards you. He can’t explain it either. He hates it too.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Slowly, but surely.

That is you — fitting into your position in his life. One of great importance, one that pains him to deny to himself. It is bound to end in ruins anyway. And still, Fyodor can’t control it. No, no, he can. Could it be — he doesn’t want to?

The subtlety of inching closer to each other while looking over the details of the next mission. You on his left side, right hand taking refuge on the surface of the table for no purpose whatsoever. He on your right, left hand brushing against your arm, heartbeat drumming in his ears. Pinkies intertwined. But no words about that exchanged. Fyodor notices the goosebumps that form on your skin though, and for a second, he guesses — is this what hope feels like?

Late nights where he used to bug you to go to sleep — he prefers planning by himself after all — he doesn’t anymore. What is he wishing for? He’s puzzled himself. But then you remind him — every time the old grandfather clock against the wall strikes midnight, when your eyes automatically get a little droopy. Every time each minute passes after that, when your voice gets thick with sleepiness and you drawl out your words. And every time you try to stay awake and fail, when your head drops on his shoulder as you drift into sleep. And Fyodor feels... oddly blessed. Is this what he’s wishing for? A simple gesture such as being your shoulder to sleep on? Isn’t this silly? No, says his mind, not if it’s you. And he takes a closer look at you in your slumber.

Since when did you become so beautiful?

Conversations about your ability where he usually shows a distaste for it — he freaks you out when his disdain turns into praises. And the sweet moments in his mind vanish whenever he hears you say anything in relation to your coming death. His voice gets louder, tongue gets sharper, until it drives you away from the room, in tears. And it takes him but a while to find out why he’s acting this way now. He doesn’t want you to go.

Fyodor bangs the table as hard as he can, frustration taking over him, tears falling from his eyes in a silent cry. The last thing he wants is for you to know how deeply he cares. It would just cause more problems for both of you. And you would feel bad for him, won’t you? The guilt would eat you up, wouldn’t it? He doesn’t want you to feel that way. But he’s never felt this way before. He doesn’t know how to do this right.

And in the next room you lean against the door and fall to the floor. You drown your cries in polyester, hearing the bang that is undoubtedly caused by you. You thought everything was going well... were you wrong?

But the days after, when he apologises and gets the courage to call you names? He treasures them. No, not harsh names — but pet names. “Moya dorogaya (my dear),” he’d always call you. And you’d play along with a whisper in his ear, “moy dorogoy (my dear).” He doesn’t tell you, but it consumes him with happiness and relief when he hears you say the words with such tenderness. Fyodor always acts like he’s joking, and you always let him believe you think he is. But you both know the other is hiding something, and yet neither of you press on the matter. Some things are better left unsaid.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Live in the moment, they say.

If that’s the only way to distract him from the horror that would be his future without you, then he figures he may as well take it.

“It’s the first time I’ve been with an older lady,” he jokes.

“Hey, I’m not that—”

Fyodor seals your words with his lips that night. As the alcohol seeps into both your systems, he makes the decision to cross the line. The promised time is soon, and he’d rather know every inch of you rather than spend the rest of his life wondering, guessing what you feel like. And he ignores the logical voices in his mind telling him to stop as his fingers dance across every single surface of your body, as his ears tingle hearing your moans that he is responsible for, as he smells the coconut of your hair, as he tastes the wine lingering in your tongue and the sweetness of your essence.

That night isn’t his first time ever, but he’s never felt passion that can mirror his experience with you. The way he doesn’t want it to ever stop, the way you look as you enjoy his each and every thrust, the way you blush when you realise he’s soaking in every ounce of you; the way you look — he wants it imprinted into his memories.

For a moment, after the deed is done, when you are lying bare against his chest, hearts beating as one — for that moment, he wonders if he’s able to change your mind.

But “thank you, Fyo,” you murmur. “You’ve made these past few months of my life more worthwhile than the previous centuries I’ve lived.”

In your words he hears the answer. And he realises.

The foolish one... is he.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

You taught him how to love, but you never taught him how to stop. Death already had you in its grip. But death cannot kill what never dies.

Whatever Fyodor felt — and still feels — for you, he wishes will disappear to the void, along with you and the memories of you. But he’s more rational than that. This will never go away. The warmth he knows he felt, the pain he still feels, and the sorrows that he has yet to felt. None of them will ever vanish.

Never. Unlike the light in your eyes as he presses his palm to your forehead, unlike the gratitude in your voice as you whisper a “thank you” to him before you fall lifeless in his arms.

Fyodor used to pride himself in being the leader of his organisation, in being a god of sorts. And now, with you gone — he doesn’t know who he is anymore. Every little thing that made him him, they’re all tainted with you. From his morning cups of coffee to the additional meticulousness in his planning, each and every part of his life you’ve invaded, and unlike you, they’re here to stay.

“We’re here, lyubimaya (honey),” Fyodor mumbles, holding up the urn.

It’s a beautiful day. The sand under his shoes, the ocean breeze singing past his ears, the sun slowly setting, reminding him of his sunshine. His sunshine who, after all those months, still sought death. And he didn’t want to be the reason you continued to resent life, so he gave in. He gave in to his love for you.

As he looks out at the horizon, he lets his mind wander aimlessly for once — to think irrationally for the first time in so long. Was it possible that you were watching over him? Rationality be damned, he wishes you are. It is lonely once again, without you. He doesn’t want to let you go, he thinks as he uncaps the urn. He doesn’t want the last remains of you to leave his side, he thinks as he tilts the urn sideways over the ocean. But “farewell, radost moya (my joy),” he bids to you as your ashes disperse themselves into the vast sea.

“I love you,” he mumbles, hoping it gets to you wherever you are. The words he’s never said to you, they suddenly come so easy now that you’re gone. He chuckles in self-deprecation. Oh, how human you’ve made him feel.

Fyodor acts as though the tears aren’t real. He doesn’t wipe them away as he watches the last of you slip away from him. He curses the tears for not blurring the vision of you flashing in his mind, for not marring the smile he remembers.

Love leaves memories no one can steal, and this love exists beyond worlds, this feeling won’t be separated from Fyodor no matter how much he begs for it to. And trying to forget you would be trying to forget the only home he’s ever known. It will be impossible, he is sure. And for the first time in his life, yet another first you have cast upon him, he does what he never thought he would.

Fyodor falls on his knees, the now empty urn falling in place right beside him. He doesn’t care for the sand staining his white pants or the water that runs across his legs. Gods aren’t supposed to feel this way, are they? Helpless, pathetic, and yearning for something they can’t have? Or is it normal to be a slave to love?

The tears now blur his vision completely. Not like he can see anything clearly anymore. Everything is murky with you gone. And he lets his sobs out this time. What a capable woman you are, he thinks, in life and even in death, because how amazing must one be, to be able to bring a god down to his knees?

He peers out at the sea, knowing your spirit is free. There is nothing left between the two of you now but an ocean of silence.

Fyodor is drowning in it. Forever.

And forever is a long time.

tags: @yokelish @gogolparadise @fyowyn-writes

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kazaa · 3 years ago

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lets talk about what happened. (lots of system talk, /srs and also /neg to some degree)

i didnt know for years how to put my feelings into some label. i didnt know what a system or dissociation was, i got the word 'anxiety' drilled into me from a young age.

i thought that missing hours or entire days, waking up in clothes you dont remember putting on or being in the middle of some other game (without the influence of medication or sleep deprivation) was just a normal symptom of anxiety.

alters have formed over the years and everything was going great. however, because of a lot of stress coming together in the last weeks from everywhere (flood risks, general discourse, shit going bad in my own country) and the dread i feel for my up-and-coming new diagnosis (because i fear my therapist is gonna say nothing is wrong with me like all the others before him), something drastic happened.

for those unaware, alter&alter or alter&host integrations can happen as well as alters going 'dormant' (inactive or become 'background noise'). both experiences are very painful (integration more than dormancy) mentally and sometimes the mental pain can go physical.

in the almost 10 years (as far as i can remember), i never had alters integrate. however, yesterday. it happened. two of my beloved alters have been reported missing and someone else took their place. i'm a total mess today to say the least and if youre a mutual of me, i've appeared 'fine' and 'happy' when i'm really not. i've been very in and out of actually being here, i do have cat pictures from awesome cat pic provider fyo, have been having the best time playing games with a long-time lovely friend (you dont wanna be tagged but you know who you are <3) and been having awesome spiritual talks with an awesome mutual (thank you helv 🐸💚) and it grounds me, keeps me here and focused. if i appear off or just not well, i want to assure you that its not caused by you, whoever i'm talking to. if there are any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

#please dont reblog this its obvious but i thought i'd mention it #now onto the tws #medical tw #flood mention #medication mention #therapist mention #i think thats everything #personaltext.txt

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sapientiaethumanitas · 4 years ago

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@flaminggildedrose

🌹 It was an interesting concept for Maria, still devoting yourself to the person you love but making sure that your people stayed thriving. Not that humans had that problem, they were like rabbits after all. A couple could live like that and just be open and free, which it was like that here in Toussaint. Small villages held almost the same ideas as well but human genetics were weak, sickness leached into bloodlines after a while.

“At least you were able to be with your beloved though…….slave. That sounds unpleasant. With there not being many of your kind how can something even be a thing? Or….was it for punishments or debt? Is that to rude to ask?” They both seemed to try and stay kind to one another in their conversation. Soft chatter and apologize from both sides of the table, Fyo on the other hand could only speak loudly trying to join in.

“My brother? Oh it’s no problem at all, um……young females are usually promised to weather men of villages or the ones that hold a better luck at bring her family honor where……where she can not. I was promised to a fellow knight that took to many great battles along side my father. Same age his senior but he was……..he was not a kind man but was a serpent enough to fool man. Not my brother though. My brother knew he laid hand on me several times and one day when i knew it involved more then hitting he sprited me away into the forest.” There was a moment were the honey-haired maidens features softened as she took another sip of her tea.

“I hid out in an old tree like a fairy in a story for the whole day. Father wouldn’t push my brother for his actions but my brother had right to object to the engagement if he seen it wrong. So that’s what he did……coming back to me with news and food. The strawberry jam we shared that day was the sweetest once he told me I was free. A true knight my brother…..he didn’t like many of the men I was caught up with…but none of them hit me or forced me to do what I didn’t want to. Got poisoned once but it was an accident.” There was a chuckle from her that was light-hearted causing Fyo to mimic .

“Though I did well in moving up, I was a mistress but Fyo’s blood is the noblest a women could as for. Though he’ll never claim it and that’s for the better…I hope that your brother has been kind to you , not in same manners but i knowing love and kindness even with mistakes. Were imperfect beings after all.”

She knew she was saying far more then she should to a ‘stranger’ but it felt right. After all he had shared very intimate details about himself that the women felt it wrong if she did not equal it out.

“Tw-twenty-seven!” Maria stammered almost choking on her tea, “ I…..I couldn’t imagine …….” 🌹

"Well, slavery's actually more unusual in our world than it is in yours. It is not necessary to keep slaves unless - unless you are without a tribe, that is, without family. I had no parents, no brothers or sisters, nor did I obviously belong to a tribe. Our world consists of a surface and the underground is where the real life takes place. On the surface there is only grass, big stone pillars and disgusting animals: Manticores are from our world, did you know that?

A cold shiver ran down Ezekiel's spine - as toddler he had once met a manticore, he still had respect for these creatures today. His eyes fell on Fyo again and he was happy that manticores were a rarity in the human world.

"What I really wanted to say is that only those like me have fallen into slavery. I was found and sold by so-called ,,seekers”. I was also only a torture toy for my masters, I rarely cooked or cleaned.” Fyo made a loud squeak, apparently to make his point. "Don't worry, you can always ask me anything, it's not about politeness with my past or the peculiarities of my own kind.

"What a remarkable story with you and your brother - I thank you for telling it to me. It's a sign of trust and I appreciate it." She beamed when she talked about her brother - and Ezekiel could understand this well: "My brother also protected me very much, even if I couldn't protect him in the end."

He looked at his bare feet. "Yes, twenty-seven. Imagine having this little sunshine so often. But in our tribe, every woman is the mother of all children. You are responsible for all of them. That makes it easier."

All the rapture in the past suddenly sent him a flash of inspiration: "With all our wonderful stories and your hospitality, I have completely forgotten the reason for my visit to Toussaint. I have to go to the court tomorrow. If I keep the most gracious lady waiting, I too will be a head shorter. “

#°her hair shone like gold in the hot morning sun: maria #°stories have to be told or they'll die [RP Threads]#I am so sorry to start a new thread again but tumblr wont let me reblogg :(

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a-frozcnlight · 5 years ago

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@diverse-hearts asked: 🎊 👭 👍 👌 💞💭 ~ teehee - Munday interactions

🎊 I’m happy to have met you. 👭 Can we roleplay together? 👍 You’re doing great! Keep it up! 👌 Your character portrayal is amazing. 💞 Do our muses have the potential to become romantic interests? 💭 Your thoughts on our threads?

OKAY. LISTEN HERE: First of all, thanks so much <3

We already roleplay since two years you dork, what do you mean with ‘can we roleplay together’?! XDDD Not like you’re getting rid of my love for you, brobro. Until the day I freaking leave RPing and stop writing or I end up being blocked for keep talking about the same ship over and over and over and over and over again! >:c ( you regretting the mistake of introducing me to this ship yet? LOLOL )

If our muses have the potential to become romantic interests? Nah, absolutely not. I absolutely ship Miran with your Chu ( for example ), but how would you get the idea of them having potantiel to become romantic interests? :thinking: Sounds totally out of the world! Even if they are married and got the cutest twins ( I absolutely adore Taru and Eiji even though we never wrote them so far, LOLOL ). Same with the others. Miran and Oda? Miran and F... okay, Miran and Fyo really share no romantic interests in each other despite being married XDD But I still enjoy their ship a lot too!

I MAY DON’T TALK ALL TOO OFTEN ABOUT OUR OTHER SHIPS BUT I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THEM TOO! ; U ; And even if I’m not one of those who are shipping from one second to another, I’m always open for more ships ; u ; I swear one day I’ll also focus on our other ships- and also focus on our ships with Sehun and Ella, Ashley and Seven. I’m just in hell with the Guardian Angel ship currently and whenever I try to escape it catches up with me again and I fall deeper, WWWWHHHHHH.

AND YES HELLO I ABSOLUTELY LOVE OUR THREADS. We have too many so I can’t count them all down seperately without making a fool out of myself ( because I’m sure I’d forget some ) and making this text even longer than it is already. But ( on this blog ), from the three way thread with Cassi, to the highschool!AU with Chu, the Orphanage!AU with Oda and all the other AUs and threads, I love all of them and I absolutely adore your OCs and the threads with Annastacia and Stre too ; u ;

I’m glad Miran has such a good friend and such a cute, little, indoor-plant-making sister in her life! And I’m even super thankful for making Daichi a part of the Lee family, even if he’s an absolute asshole, wwwhhh. I adore him just as much as the rest, even if I honestly suck in showing it.

#{ Message of the sock ( OoC )}#long text tw #This became a bit too long ops #XDD #diversehearts #diverse-hearts

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sleepinelysium · 5 years ago

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“Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” for Hal and Cate?

I changed the quote a little bit, but here it is! And Happy Birthday, Fyo!

--------------------------------

Henry was happy to find that Catherine was acclimating well to married life. She seemed to be more comfortable in his presence--- and more ravenous, not that he minded. She was still quiet, but he found that her silence told him as much as her words did and gave him comfort and strength. Having her at his side made him feel like he wasn’t alone, and it gave him a solid foundation to rule from; no matter what orders he gave, she would still be there at his side.

He hadn’t realized how well he would suit marriage.

The court did not necessarily agree with his sentiments. Having a French Queen did not agree with his decidedly English court. His barons and lords could be absolutely cruel to her in the most shaded of ways and it made his blood boil. His brothers tried to assure him that her English was not good enough for her to understand their slights, but they didn’t seem entirely convinced of their arguments, themselves. He knew they were wrong because he felt how she stiffened when his lords spoke of her or laughed loudly. He hated that she wasn’t comfortable in all of her life in England, but it was hard for him to address the issues, himself.

He lounged on their bed as he watched her, the light piercing through her thin shift. His heart skipped watching her stretch before she walked over to choose her dress for the evening. With only a few steps, he was behind her, his arms around her waist, his nose pressed against her shoulder. “My, you are heaven, mon couer.”

She smiled and leaned into his touch. “You are one to speak, mon amour.” Her brow crumpled as she looked at her clothes. “What will I wear tonight?”

“I quite like what you have one,” he smirked.

She smacked his hand and twisted in his arms to face him. “Mon diable,” she said giving him a kiss. He smiled devilishly and kissed her back as Alice walked in.

“My lady, you must get dressed,” she said.

He released her and watched Alice dress her. He took the pleasure of draping her neck in jewels and pearls before taking her arm and walking down to the hall. She stopped for a moment, straightening and preparing herself. He recognized what she was doing; she was preparing for battle, in her own court, and it broke his heart.

Dinner was… uneventful. Talk of the continent kept his lords busy while his brothers chatted about horses and their estates. As dinner was finished and more wine was poured, conversation turned towards France. He had become more uncomfortable with talk of the war in France in front of Catherine. The war was necessary and right, but he knew it still must hurt Catherine to hear of the violence he would be exacting on her birth nation.

He shifted, uncomfortable at the turn of conversation, but he said nothing. His own words were coming back to his ears; defiling shrill-shrieking daughters, fathers reverend heads dash’d to walls, naked infants spitted on pikes, mothers with their howls confused. He looked to Catherine who had turned a shade of white he didn’t know a person could turn while still living. She stood and the rest of the court stood.

“Perdon, mon seigneur, I am not feeling well; I am going to retire.”

He reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. “I will be with you shortly, my love.”

She dipped into a low curtsey and turned away, Alice following close behind.

When she was out of the room, he turned his sharp eyes on his lords, particularly the offending men. They had the decency to look sheepish. He was incensed at how they treated his wife.

He remained standing. “I would remind you that your Queen has French family and is much attached to them. Should anyone speak so in front of her again, they will be lucky if I am magnanimous enough to simply toss them out of my house on their ear. The next time, I may even take such talk as an attack on England’s Queen, and I will not take such an attack lightly. All are dismissed.”

Everyone looked at each other, unsure if he was serious. As his words sank in the room, practically in one motion everyone rose from their seats and started towards the doors. When the room was empty of everyone, save his brothers, he leaned forward, his hands on the table as he tried to control his temper.

“Henry, was that really necessary?” John snapped at him.

Henry grabbed his arm tight, something in his eyes desperate. “Whatever our souls are made of, hers and mine are the same,” he said, trying to get his brother to understand.

John looked into his brother’s eyes for a minute then gave a sharp nod. “Alright then. We won’t let it happen again.”

“Thank you.” Hal left his brothers and went upstairs. He gave a light knock on the door and stepped in. Catherine was already down to her shift and Alice was wrapping up. Alice gave a deep curtsey with a mumbled, “mon siegneur,” and left him alone with his wife.

“I’m sorry for them. They…can be thoughtless.”

“They do not like me, Henry,” she said turning around to him.

“I don’t care if they like you, so long as they respect you, and they haven’t done a great job of that, either,” Henry said, closing the gap between them.

“I care if they like me.”

“I like you enough for the whole of England, it doesn’t matter if anyone else likes you.”

Her eyes looked hurt and she turned away from him.

“Catherine---”

She sunk down to the floor, her face in her hands, breathing slowly. He followed, pulling her into his arms. “Do you love me, Henry?” she asked looking up at him.

He was taken aback by the question. “Do I not tell you that I love you?”

“Henry---”

“Catherine, I love you with all of my soul, save what already belongs to God. And, where I not rightly dreadful of the fires of Hell, I do not know that I would save so much for Him.”

“Henry---!”

He took her face in his hands. “We are the same, you and I. Whatever God used to make us, whatever dust of the earth he breathed into, we are the same. We are one body, one heart, one soul. I swore I would forsake all others for you, Cate, and I do. I cherish you more than anything else in my life, Cate. If you do not how I love you through my actions, through the worship of my body, then I have not upheld my vow, Cate. You must believe me when I say that you have healed me in ways I did not know I was broken and that for your love I would got to the far ends of the earth, I would go to Hell itself if that’s what you required of me. Cate---”

She stopped his mouth with a deep kiss. He was surprised, but he soon sunk into the kiss, pulling her body closer against his.

She broke away, pressing her forehead to his. “Mon couer, thank you. I do not doubt your love or truth, I simply needed to hear it.”

He nodded. “I am glad.”

She sat back, her smile absolutely devilish. “However, I may need to be reminded of how you worship me with your body, mon mari.”

He smiled in return. “Mon diable, what a temptress I have for a wife.”

She tilted her head. “Your accent is getting better, mon couer.”

He chuckled as he gently tackled her to the ground, nipping her ear. They both laughed as he joyously did his duty, worshiping her body with his own.

#writing stuff #my writing #histories #shakespeare #shakespeare fandom #henry v #catherine valois #henry and catherine #fanfic

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eryiss · 6 years ago

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Blade of the Wanderer - Chapter Three

Summary: Laxus’ life was fine. Not comfortable, not as good as it could be, but fine. Then a stranger entered the walled town of Magnolia, a stranger named Freed Justine, and everything changed. [Fraxus Multi-Chapter | T for Violence]

Hey all! Here’s a new five-chapter fic for you all, and it’s a samurai AU. It’s part of the @ft-bb event, in which I’ve been signed up with @fyo-schiiwho’s made this amazing art!

You can read it on Fanfiction, Archive of our Own, or under the cut. And you can see all chapters right here. I hope you all enjoy it!

Chapter Three – Swindling Cities

Year: 1539x. Luna-cycle: 9. Day: 9.

He wouldn't admit it, but Laxus found himself incredibly intimidated.

A month had passed since Laxus had been exiled from Magnolia, and three weeks had passed since he had agreed to travel with Freed until they reached a city that Laxus could make his new life in. It had taken twenty-two days of near constant traveling – with only one night spent in an actual bed after they had stumbled across a town with a vacant inn – but they had finally arrived at the city nearest of Magnolia. And Laxus found himself very taken aback by it.

After spending his entire life in a village, a city was an entirely foreign experience. The buildings seemed to expand indefinably; the shadow of the towering castle located in the centre of the city was cast over half the buildings; and even from the entrance Laxus knew that the multiple alleys would make for a hellish labyrinth for anyone new to the city. Including Laxus.

"We should find somewhere to sleep for the night."

Laxus snapped his head to look towards Freed after he spoke. The other man seemed more at home than Laxus, though that wasn't surprising. Over the three weeks together, it had become very clear that Freed hadn't just travelled to Magnolia on a whim; he was a well-versed traveller and had probably seen every corner of Fiore.

Over the three weeks of traveling, their relationship had become almost exactly what Laxus had expected. They couldn't be categorised as friends, that would be too far, but the hatred that Laxus still slightly wanted to feel towards him wasn't right either. Tolerance was probably the most accurate term, but even that seemed a little too clinical for Laxus' taste. They could hold a conversation as they had three weeks prior, but it had felt like they were just filling silence whenever they did.

They were civil to each other. That's all Laxus could be sure of.

"I know of a cheap tavern here, the owner's fond of me so I can perhaps negotiate some long-term habitation for you," Freed continued, looking over his shoulder. "Unless you have any objections, of course."

"No, that'd be fine. Great actually, thanks," Laxus nodded a little. "You really think you can do that for me? Not exactly sure when I'm gonna get some money to pay for it. Probably not an easy sale for ya, is it?"

"If you're willing to do some physical work for them until you get a job, lifting beer barrels and such, I'm sure it'll be fine."

Although he wouldn't say it, Laxus was thankful. Not only was he completely overwhelmed by the city and knew he wouldn't be able to adapt on his own – not immediately – but he had also worried about what he would actually do when he found a place to live. If Freed could make good on his promise, then Laxus would not only have somewhere to stay for a little while but, if he did end up working for his stay, he could potentially turn that into a full-time job. It wouldn't be glamourous, but practicality was all Laxus needed.

The way Freed had offered his help was something Laxus was appreciative of as well. Despite Freed outwardly admitting he was taking pity on him before, Laxus felt a silent respect had formed between them. Nothing near admiration, just respect. So, while he could have been patronising towards him, he had simply offered Laxus a way to survive on his own.

"The tavern is a fairly long walk away," Freed continued. "There's a market on the way and I'm running low on supplies. I can point you in the right direction form there if you don't want to watch me shop."

"No, if I'm gonna spend time here, might as well get to know what it's like soon," Laxus said, not admitting that he also expected he would get lost in the city even with directions.

Freed nodded and started to walk towards one of the many alleyways that Laxus could see. They soon had merged into the busy crowd, something Laxus was thankful for. Even in the town's they had come across, they stuck out, so it was nice to have some anonymity. Well, they weren't entirely faceless in the crowds, Laxus only had one outfit other than the kamishimo that he had been exiled wearing, and it consisted of barely fitting clothes that were unwanted by the town's tailor as they couldn't be sold. The black pants, purple shirt and fur lined coat was a mismatch of colours that attracted the eyes of some passers-by.

Laxus hadn't yet admitted to himself that he had grown fond of the cape-like coat. This hesitance to admit it was only partially because Freed had insisted that he buy it whereas Laxus had been resistant to it.

They walked in silence, and Laxus tried to memorise the streets as best he could for future use. The seemingly endless rows of almost identical buildings made this difficult, as did the copious amounts of side streets and alleys that Laxus had lost count of multiple times. Laxus assured himself that he would get used to the new place in time, but something in his gut said that he was only kidding himself. He tried to shut that voice out.

After what Laxus guessed was fifteen minutes of walking, the relatively cramped streets opened up into a fairly large town square. It was shadowed by a cathedral and the cobbled ground was covered by a busy, bustling market town. People were eating, buying whatever wears they needed and talking with each other.

It brought a smile to his face. Although the memories faded slightly, this reminded him of how market days in Magnolia used to be before Ivan. Full of chatter and happy people. Looking across the almost familiar sight, Laxus found himself missing Magnolia for the first time since joining Freed.

"It shouldn't take long, I know my way around this market-" Freed stopped himself as he looked to Laxus. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine," Laxus looked towards him, snapping himself out of the daze he didn't know he was in. "Just got caught up in my thoughts. What are you looking for?"

"Not much. Some food, and my knife's starting to dull," Freed continued to walk again, going towards the busy market with purpose in his stride, as if he'd been there before. He probably had. "Is there anything you need, I can direct you to wherever you need to go."

"No, think I'm fine," Laxus replied, looking around with a small amount of intrigue.

The market, though slightly resembling the one that had taken place in Magnolia, was on a much grander scale. White stalls seemed to fill the entirety of the town's square, people seemed to cover all of the cobbled streets, and the intoxicating smell of the food vendor's goods wafted across the air and towards the two men. Laxus tried not to let his stomach grumble, he'd been hungry since leaving and this was the first-time real food had been attainable.

He shadowed Freed as he walked throughout the market, not seeing any point in interacting with anyone. The food was nearest the clocktower, then it faded into wears such as knives jewellery and such; and ended up with clothes and fabrics. Fairly easy to remember.

As Freed inspected a selection of knives that would make both a butcher and a warrior feel inferior, Laxus found himself tempted by the suddenly domineering scent of a roasting pig at a stall only meters from where he stood. He'd only eaten the cold food that Freed kept with him, not having requested anything cooked on the few instances where it was possible. Freed would have had to pay for that, as Laxus had no money, and the blonde refused to be in the man's debt any more than was completely necessary.

Soon the smell would get too much, and his stomach would start grumbling, so he tore his eyes aware from the food market and looked back to Freed. He had picked up a small dagger and was holding it against the tip of his finger, inspecting the blade with slightly narrowed eyes and a frown across his features.

"I'll have this," Freed eventually settled, looking to the vendor. "How much is it?"

"Three gold," The vendor's voice was gruff, leaving no room for argument. Freed clicked his tongue but reached into a coin pouch and handed in the money; obviously the dagger was worth it in his eyes.

"Thank you," Freed nodded. The vendor just nodded and looked away.

Again, Laxus only watched as Freed slid the newly acquired dagger into his belt. Freed seemed to be perfectly content with not speaking and allowing Laxus to follow him as he made his way around to the food part of the market. The blonde tried to focus on anything other than the pig slowly being turned atop an open flame, which was practically screaming at his senses and begging to be devoured… ignoring it wasn't going well.

Thankfully, a distraction from the food was offered in the foreign sound of a laugh. He looked towards Freed to see that, yes, Freed had indeed laughed. Furthermore, it seemed as though he had laughed at Laxus, if the amused expression aimed towards him was to be believed.

Before he could ask his travelling companion what he thought was so damn funny, Freed started to walk again. This time, he walked in an entirely different direction to where he had been going before, this time walking straight towards the hog-roast that was the subject of Laxus' desire. Confusion now undeniably obvious on his face, Laxus followed Freed and allowed his question to die on his tongue.

Almost as soon as they reached the food stall, Laxus' stomach got the better of him. An annoying grumble sounded and Laxus winced, purposefully not looking towards Freed as he almost knew he would receive a patronising smirk if he did.

"Two rolls, please," Freed said after a few moments, causing Laxus to look back towards him.

The vendor of the stall made quick work on their order, hacking away at the meat and filling bread rolls with generous helpings. He handed them both to Freed, and Laxus found himself unable to look away from the cooked meat that would – unless Freed truly was sadistic – soon be eaten by him. The idea of eating any hot food seemed fantastic after living off the bare essentials but having flame cooked pork was simply faultless.

"Fifty silver," The vendor requested, and Freed paid for it without complaint.

Soon, one of the rolls was handed to Laxus, who looked down at it with a small amount of confusion despite his desperate want to eat it like a wild dog. But he and Freed hadn't acted like this with each other; there had been no small favours, so why now.

"Eat it before it goes cold," Freed instructed with amusement in his voice. "It's not poisoned, if that's your concern."

"No. Erm, thanks," Laxus still was frowning towards the food. His confusion got the better of him. "Why?"

"To be honest, I was wondering how long you could go without asking," Freed said, annoyingly not answering Laxus' question. The smirk on the man's face was grating against Laxus' nerves as well. "Subtlety is certainly not one of your strong points, Laxus."

"The hell are you talking about?"

"Your looks whenever there's hot food nearby, the little sighs whenever you have to eat the same food for a third time in that many days, and a whole assortment of small things that you've been doing to show how much you need something hot to eat. You thought I hadn't noticed?" Freed chuckled. "I just wanted to see how long your pride would get in the way of you asking me to buy something for you."

Against his will, Laxus' face reddened a little. He hadn't realised he had been so obvious with his want for something other than cold meat pies, bread and the occasional fish. To be caught out and mocked because of it was not enjoyable.

"You know I would have brought you something if you wanted, don't you," Freed continued, still obviously amused. "To be honest, I thought about stretching your limits. I was half tempted to get a full meat breakfast at that inn to see if you'd want some for yourself or if you'd just sit and watch me eat. But perhaps that would have been too cruel."

Laxus knew he should have been annoyed, but he wasn't. He didn't waste time wondering why.

He simply brought the food in his hand to his mouth and took a large bit, savouring the flavour of heavily buttered bread, perfectly cooked meat and crispy wisps of fat as he ate. He all but moaned as the warm food set his taste buds alight, the first thing to do so since his last evening meal in Magnolia.

The two ate as they walked, and were back on track to where Freed was initially leading them before their detour. By the time the foot had been completely demolished by the blonde, his stomach felt more satisfied than it had in over a month.

"Worth the wait?" Freed said almost immediately in a mocking – or perhaps teasing was the better word – tone. Laxus was pretty sure he had been waiting to say it, with how quickly the words left his mouth.

"Asshole," Was his only reply.

"Perhaps," Freed agreed, still smirking a little. "But you brought it upon yourself for not being forthcoming. And, if you can handle me in a fight as well as you did, I think you're more than strong enough to handle some gentle teasing."

Ah, so teasing was the right term. Good to know.

They continue to walk through the market, Laxus no placated by the warm food he had tasted as well as the promise of something of a regular life on the horizon. He still found himself slightly intimidated by the busy market as they walked – the contrast was near impossible to believe – but he hoped he did a better job at hiding it than he did his need for a real meal. Freed didn't mention it, so he expected that he wasn't doing too bad of a job.

Still focusing on memorising the market for future use, Laxus saw a stall that Freed was walking towards and almost rolled his eyes. It was a preserves stall, therefore a jam stockpile. So Freed wouldn't be staying in the city for long then. Laxus probably should have expected that.

As they got closer, Laxus saw a young man standing at the stall who seemed to gauge their approach and smiled widely towards them. He could also see what he thought was Freed frowning a little, but it was from the corner of the blonde's eye, so it was entirely possible that he had misinterpreted what had happened. Either way, they continued to walk forward, and the stall's owner continued to look at them.

"Mr Justine, a pleasure to see you," The man greeted with a smile and fondness in his voice. "And a guest, fantastic."

"Rustyrose," Freed said, voice almost monotone. Laxus' brown furrowed a little. "Isn't your father here?"

"He's retired, I'm afraid. You can't expect an old man like that to work the cold mornings of the winter, that's practically medieval," The man – Rustyrose, apparently – said with an unneeded amount of flair. "I'm sure I'll make more than a good enough replacement."

"I doubt it," Freed said, picking up a jam and inspecting it. His voice sounded uninterested. "Your father is a man I respect. You're an intolerable cretin."

It took a considerable amount of self-restraint, but Laxus managed not to snigger. The expression on the stall-keeper's face was priceless, and it soon faded from a look of shock to one of annoyance. Freed looked up from the jar of jam and made direct eye contact with the man, almost challenging him to be offended. Rustyrose didn't take up the challenge.

"So," Freed continued. "I assume your prices are the same as last time?"

"Oh," Rustyrose suddenly perked up, voice overly dramatic again. "I'm afraid times are hard, and with father-dear not working we need all the money we can get just to keep him alive," Laxus had to doubt that. "So our prices may have inflated a little. I am sorry."

He wasn't. Neither Freed nor Laxus thought he tried to be sincere.

"How much are they?" Freed sighed. "And without the theatrics, if at all possible."

"The small jars are one gold and fifty silver, the larger ones three gold and twenty-five silver."

Laxus faltered a little. The same size jars from his town would have been more than half the price in Magnolia. He perhaps had expected a small price rise in the city, but certainly not this much. And, by the almost full glare on Freed's face, the other man hadn't expected the prices to be increased by this much either. At least that meant that Laxus wasn't completely naïve to the world outside Magnolia in this respect.

"Yer kiddin', right?" Laxus said, possibly cutting Freed off.

"Ah, he speaks," Rustyrose gleamed, looking towards Laxus with a grin on his face. "And I think the prices reflect the quality of the product."

As he spoke, Rustyrose motioned towards a sign that had been nailed against the back of the stall, which claimed 'the best preserves the imagination could conceive.' Laxus almost snorted at the claim; assuming he had been eating the man's products while traveling with Freed, he could prove quite easily that Mirajane's products were considerably better quality. He wasn't going to voice that though, as Freed's actions caught him off guard.

The other man pulled out his coin pouch again and fished out the appropriate money for two of the large jars. Laxus didn't exactly know why, everything he knew about Freed lead Laxus to believe that he wouldn't entertain the idea of paying for such an obvious scam. He couldn't really think it was worth the money.

"Raspberry and apricot," He demanded, voice portraying his annoyance.

"A fine choice, sir," Rustyrose sneered, and turned to pick up the correct jars.

Laxus watched, trying not to let his mouth drop a little at the interaction. Surely Freed wouldn't just accept that fact he was being grossly overcharged for some jam. It wasn't possible that this was the only place in the city that sold the damn jam he wanted. And why was he getting those two flavours? He always seemed to favour the strawberry one, Laxus had noted.

Why had he noticed that?

Despite Laxus' disbelief, the situation played out as if it was any other transaction. Rustyrose gave Freed what he wanted, Freed paid for it, Rustyrose gave them both a clearly snide goodbye, and they walked away. It took exactly seven steps before Laxus let his curiosity out.

"You seriously happy paying that much?" He grunted. "And from that guy? He was clearly an asshole."

"He was," Freed agreed.

"Then why the hell d'you let him win," Laxus turned towards the other man. "Guy needs an ego boost even less than you do."

"I know," Freed smiled a little. Laxus noted he didn't seem bothered by the insult. "That's the point. His ego got in the way."

"Yeah, this vague bullshit ain't explaining anything," Laxus muttered.

"He was too busy feeling proud of himself because he thought that he'd won our interaction, he wasn't paying attention enough to see a slight depletion of his stock," Freed said, fully smirking.

Laxus looked down when Freed opened the small bag that he kept. Sitting beside the two glass jars that he had paid for were two other jars, both filled with strawberry jam. Laxus continued to look down, processing the fact that Freed had stolen them, before he looked at his travelling partner with a small frown on his face.

He really hadn't expected Freed to be the stealing type. Sure, Rustyrose deserved it, but that didn't make it any less unexpected. Still, Laxus knew that the money didn't come from nowhere and a traveller could only do so many small jobs. Cutting costs down needed to occur, Laxus just hadn't thought about it until that point. It led him to wonder if Freed had stolen anything else while they had been traveling together. He obviously was good at it, given Laxus hadn't noticed and he was standing right beside him.

"I'd recommend we keep walking," Freed continued. "They tend not to like it when we don't pay."

Laxus didn't say anything, but he nodded slightly and the two continued to walk towards the nearest exit to the market. The blonde wanted to increase his pace, but Freed made sure not to let that happen. Most likely so they didn't look suspicious, they didn't need to stick out any more than they already did.

Their exiting nearly went well. They had managed to make it nearly out, but eventually heard the shrill exclamation that obviously belonged to Rustyrose; his voice really did carry. Laxus, probably against his better judgment, looked over to see the man looking directly at them.

"Shit," Freed whispered, looking forward.

Following his gaze, Laxus could see three men who were obviously guards looking towards them. He looked back over his shoulder to see another guard looking at them, as well as Rustyrose pointing at them furiously.

The guards started to walk towards them before either could do anything. The stalls made barriers either side of them, and the crowd was parting to let the guards through, so there was practically no escape that Laxus could see. The blonde looked down towards Freed to see the man's teeth were clenched and his expression slightly stressed, so obviously he couldn't think of a way out of this situation either.

This wasn't good. And the guards were getting closer.

"Show your hands!" One of the guards yelled. "NOW!"

It took Laxus a few moments to process the instructions, and he was only snapped out of the small trance when he saw Freed's hands raised in the air, the bag on the cobbled streets. The blonde slowly copies the action, not expecting this to have been their plan of action.

The guard's moved quickly after that. They went for Freed first, with the closest guard storming forward and slamming his fist into Freed's stomach. As the man was winded, the guard quickly brought him to the grown with neither finesse nor mercy. The traveller's head was brutally slammed against the cobbles, enough to cause a nasty bruise by Laxus' estimations.

But he had no time to think, as he was soon given the same treatment. One of the guards punched him in the stomach, hard. He then was given a kick to the back of the legs – from the guard that was behind them, probably – and he was then forced to the floor.

He blinked a little, head slammed against the cold stone. The force left him dizzy, and he was almost sure a bruise would be there to commemorate it.

Soon, he felt frayed rope wrapping tightly around his wrists, tying them together with no wiggle room. He was still being held down, both his stomach and his head being pushed against the cobbles as he tried to make sense of what was happening. From his position, he could only see the bottoms of the stalls and some boots of people who were watching, but he could hear that Freed was also getting his hands tied together by the guard.

As he heard the guards talking to each other, they said that the two prisoners – the name given to him and Freed didn't fill Laxus with hope – were to be taken to the local jail and their fates would be decided by the lawmaster. The blonde felt his stomach drop.

Freed was right. Shit, indeed.

-~—~-

Laxus had observed that many things in the city were more luxurious when compared to Magnolia. The market was bigger and had considerably more stock, the buildings were presented as spotless and clearly designed with an artist's eye, and the atmosphere just seemed to be more pleasant. Almost everything was an improvement, with a few small exceptions of course. One of which was the jail cells that Laxus found himself in.

Because of course that's where he would end up on the first time in a city.

The walls were damp and made of cracking, moss covered stone. The wooden benches were worn away and purposefully uncomfortable. The light flittering through the small, barred window highlighted the heavy layer of dust in the room. It was the antithetic of luxurious.

Laxus had been taken to the jail cells of Magnolia a few times, though never having been a resident of them. Ivan had taken him there to both intimidate the prisoners and to show Laxus is superiority over the rest of the town. Magnolia's cells were almost identical to the ones that Laxus found himself in, only the city had significantly more of them. He and Freed had somehow managed to be placed into the same cell though, which acted as a little comfort to the blonde as he sat and tried to rationalise the situation that he was in and calm himself down.

It didn't work. But it was nice to give himself the illusion of any control over what was happening.

He glanced to his left to see that Freed was sitting on the bench beside him, eyes closed and posture more relaxed than he should be, considering the situation. Laxus quickly got the impression that this wasn't the first cell that Freed had found himself in. Given his reaction to the guards back in Magnolia, Laxus probably should have guessed as much.

The blonde had to wonder if Freed was actually planning to do something. The moment he and Laxus had been shoved into the cell – with all the care someone might give a rabid dog – Freed's eyes were everywhere. He focused on the lock, the bar-covered window and the long corridor of cells that they had just walked down. And now his eyes were closed, and his expression suggested that he was in deep contemplation.

But he couldn't be sure. And the possibility of Freed somehow dealing with the situation didn't do much to calm his nerves. Not after the delighted way that the guards informed them both that the lawmaker of the town was close friends with Rustyrose, and that she was incredibly unhappy with their apparent disrespect to him.

Needless to say, the situation wasn't looking good for them both.

"So," Laxus eventually spoke, the quiet getting to him. "You wanna tell me how many times?"

Freed frowned and looked towards him. "Excuse me."

"How many times you've been in here, or bee in any fucking jail," Laxus grunted a little, still looking forward. "You ain't panicked at all, just kinda acting like it's just a nuisance that'll pass in a couple hours. So, how many times?"

The traveller beside him seemed to think for a few moments. Laxus watched from the corner of his eye as Freed leant the back of his head against the cold stone that made up the walls of the cell. After a few seconds, still with his eyes closed and expression filled with contemplation, he looked back towards Laxus with a neutral expression.

"I assume it won't be a comfort to tell you I may have lost count," Freed chuckled a little.

"Not really," Laxus laughed with a small amount of humour. "How did you manage to get locked up that many times. Other than today, you ain't really done anything that'd piss off a leader. Well, my dad I guess, but he gets pissed at anything."

"Really? He seemed like such a level-headed man when we met," Freed chuckled. "And I don't make a habit of breaking the law, but it sometimes becomes needed."

"Huh?" Laxus looked towards Freed, still wearing a frown.

"I started to travel when I was thirteen, and I haven't spent any substantial amount of time in the same place since I left," Freed looked emotionless as he thought back. Laxus wondered why. "I took some funds with me, but they could never last me forever. I try to do small jobs in towns and cities whenever possible, but sometimes I won't have the time for that nor the money to get myself food, so I sometimes had to steal it.

"It didn't go well at the start, and I got caught most times. Thankfully, lawmakers can be easily manipulated by a teenager who they think is down on their luck – which technically wasn't a lie – so I never spent more than a night in a cell. As I got better, I was caught less, so the cell time depleted."

Laxus nodded a little, glad that there was at least justification to Freed's breaking of the law. Although, it probably wouldn't matter if Freed was just a criminal for the thrill of it – or any other similar reason – as they probably wouldn't see each other after Freed left the city and Laxus started to create a life for himself here. So he wouldn't be traveling with him, knowing that he was a criminal for fun.

Although, he had to admit the idea of doing that was interesting.

Wrongly, Laxus had assumed that Freed was pretty much a square. Sure, he had pissed off Ivan when they had met, and had obviously proven himself to good fighter, but Laxus had just assumed that Freed was adapting to the situation because he had to. Knowing that Freed had a habit of being imprisoned, that put a different tint on their time together.

Maybe Freed had been behaving himself, for Laxus' sake. If that was true, the blonde had to wonder what their travels would have been like with this other side of Freed being shown to him. It was an amusing thought, one he kind of wanted to explore.

Huh. He was second-guessing himself.

But no, that wasn't the plan. The plan was to get to a city and live there from now on. Freed almost defiantly wouldn't want him for any longer than needed; he'd probably diminished the mans food reserves more than he realised, as well as making him spend twice as much on the inn they'd stayed at. No, he couldn't travel with Freed for any longer than needed, he would simply have to unleash his curiosity when they had the chance. And locked up together was as good a time as any.

"When was the last time you got arrested, then? Not including Ivan," Laxus asked, body now shifting towards Freed.

"A while, actually. Over a year," Freed smiled a little. "Shockingly, I'm not nostalgic about it."

"Shocking," Laxus mimicked with a small grin. "I'm gonna guess that part of the reason we ended up here today is because of me, if it's been that long."

"I couldn't possibly say," Freed chuckled a little, standing up and walking to the bars of the cell. Laxus couldn't see a reason for his sudden movement, so just assumed he needed to stretch his legs. "Would I have acted differently if I were alone, perhaps. Would I have been caught, almost definitely not. But don't feel like you're to blame for this."

Laxus rolled his eyes a little when he saw the smug, teasing grin on the traveller's face. The blonde was grinning a little as he muttered. "Asshole."

Well, at least he was teasing and willing to joke about the situation. Laxus would rather that than have Freed angry at him for getting him there. He wasn't entirely sure what would happen if Freed was genuinely angry at him.

Conversation trickled off a little, wit Freed still leaning against the metal bars and Laxus looking around the cramped cells. The fact that Freed had said he'd only spent the night in a cell when he was a kid as if it were a small amount of time, it probably meant that they would be there for considerably longer than that. He might as well get used to the place that would be his home for a short time. Hopefully not too long, though.

Eventually, Freed walked back from the bars and sat down on the cell's bed; well, is a wider wooden bench with a ratty pillow and a blanket could be considered a bed. He sat opposite Laxus directly and grinned.

"Well, I think we've been in here long enough to learn our lessons, don't you?" Freed was smirking.

"I guess," Laxus frowned. "You just gonna walk out? Don't think they'll like that."

"Probably not," Freed chuckled. "But I can get us out, if you want."

Laxus frowned and sifted a little so he was leaning forward. Why wouldn't he want that, unless there was a risk of making things worse for them both. "The hell are you talking about?"

"There's two things we can do, from what I can tell," Freed begun, Laxus leaning forward a little further. "We can stay here for as long as it takes, probably have some kind of punishment from the lawmaker, and we'll eventually be released. They'll also probably keep everything they confiscated from us and, somewhat ironically, we'll probably have to steal some food to survive. Adversely, you can go along with my idea and we'll be out in less than an hour."

"And I'm guessing there's a risk," Laxus sighed.

"There's a chance it wont work. Minimal, but a chance," Freed looked down a little. "And, for the first few weeks of living here, you might need to keep your head down. You will have escaped from a jail, so making yourself known will bring you back here."

"I can do that," Laxus nodded, leaning back against the wall. "So, what do you need me to do."

"Just follow my lead," Freed smiled. "And, in advance, you have my apologies."

With a frown at the last sentence, Laxus watched as Freed stood up again. Confusion was painted in the blonde's expression as he watched the other man shrug off his coat and placed it on the wooden bed, undid the buttons of his cuffs and pulled his sleeves up to his biceps. His confusion doubled when Freed instructed him to do the same, but he did as he was told, placed his coat alongside Freed's, and slid his sleeves up as well.

As he went to sit down on the bench again, Freed grabbed him by the arm and stopped him. Still confused, he allowed Freed to position him in the middle of the cell so that they were facing each other. Laxus really wasn't sure how removing their coats was going to get them out, and he was starting to think that Freed was just playing with him to pass the time.

"Again," Freed said, voice quiet. "I'm sorry."

And then the fucker punched him in the face.

Laxus staggered back a little, grabbing his jaw where Freed's punch had landed. It had been merciless, and Laxus shouldn't have been shocked by the power that was behind it. He knew the guy was strong, evident from both their fight upon meeting and the obvious muscles in his bare arms.

"What the fuck!" He yelled, looking to Freed while still cupping his jaw.

Freed didn't reply, instead he walked forward quickly and planted another vicious punch, this time in Laxus' stomach. Again, he stumbled back, this time winded. Now slightly hunched over and grabbing his stomach, he looked towards Freed with a mixture of anger and confusion on his face. Freed waited for a moment, and then he rolled his eyes a little and stormed forward, his expression going from a small amount of exhaustion to one of anger. It was honestly almost terrifying to see the expression aimed at him.

"So now you're quiet!" Freed suddenly yelled back. "But when a guard's around, you just love making noise!"

He grabbed Laxus by the throat and pushed him against the wall, the anger still in his eyes. The blonde grabbed the arms that were clasped around his neck, not sure if Freed was actually intending to crush his windpipe. By the strength he was holding him, there was every chance that was his intention.

However, when he looked back to Freed's face – which was uncomfortable close to the point where he could feel the man's breath on his lips – he saw the expression of anger was gone. In its place, Freed was looking directly into his eyes with a clear expression of purpose. When his eyes flickered towards the bars of the cell, Laxus followed them and saw a single guard sitting at the end of the corridor.

Just follow my lead.

When a guard's around, you love making noise.

Ah. Okay. They were getting the guard's attention. He could do that. Maybe this could be some overdue catharsis for when they first met.

With a small nod to show he understood, he placed his hands-on Freed's chest and shoved him back; he made sure not to hold back in the same way Freed had. The two looked at each other, both panting a little, and Laxus could have sworn he saw Freed smirking before his expression turned back to the look of anger. He decided not to think too much about why that happened, and instead got his mind back on the task at hand.

He thought back to how he felt when he first met Freed. The expression his father had worn when he lost the fight. His fucking father.

The punch was flying before Laxus knew it.

Slamming his fist into the side of Freed's jaw was weirdly satisfying, but he only felt that happen when he saw Freed grin again. Yeah, this was certainly going to be cathartic, even if it wasn't against the man he thought it might.

Mind now on the 'fight' occurring, Laxus grabbed the other man's shoulders and pushed them down, bringing his knee up at the same time to slam it directly into Freed's gut, winding him in the same way that he had previously been through. Again, once he saw that Freed had recovered, he felt a sense of enjoyment flow through him.

"Loud?" Laxus yelled again, hoping to get and maintain the guard's attention. "Maybe if you stopped fucking about being cocky, we might get shit done!"

"At least one of us has something to be cocky about," Freed retorted, voice a little croaky. Laxus was sure that it took a few seconds longer for Freed's smile to slip away than it had before. "Unless you think stumbling around is something you be proud of, you fucking ogre."

Throughout the jail cells, it was quiet. Previously, there had been the quiet sounds of other conversations or movement of other inmates. Now, all attention was on them. Laxus decided not to reply to Freed, instead listening to the row after he thought he heard the sound of wood scraping against the stone floor; the stool the guard was sitting on. In the silence, Laxus could hear boots walking towards them.

"He's coming," Laxus muttered, taking the break to catch his breath.

"He'll try splitting us up," Freed whispered back, chest heaving slightly. "When he's in the cell, focus on him."

With a nod, Laxus launched himself forward again and wrapped his arm around Freed's neck, pulling him down into a brutal headlock. He felt Freed struggle a little but kept his grasp firm as he heard the guard getting closer.

After Freed slammed his elbow into his stomach again, Laxus released him and stumbled back again. The elbow had landed in exactly the same as the punch from before, leaving him winded and trying to catch his breath. When he saw Freed glance outside of the cell and watched his pupils dilate a little, Laxus knew that he wouldn't be given this break and the fight would have to continue immediately if it were to look real at all.

The punch delivered to his face confirmed his suspicions.

"Asshole," He yelled.

This time, he grabbed Freed's hair. With a firm grasp, he dragged the other man to the wall of bars and forced his head against them. Now with an unhindered view of the corridor, he could see the guard only a cell away. He was looking directly at them. Good.

As Freed broke out of Laxus' hold again, Laxus stepped back to see the guard reaching for his keys. When he saw that the two men had stopped fighting for a few seconds, he obviously hesitated in unlocking their cell. Freed must have seen that, as he lurched forward again. Laxus only had time to wince before he felt the clenched fist against his cheek again. The fucker had a good punch.

"Hey," The guard yelled, key in the lock now. "The hell d'you think you're doing?"

"Giving this moron what he deserves," Freed practically spat. "Just leave us alone, you'll have one less person to deal with at the end of the day."

The door to the cell swung open, and the guard opened his mouth to speak again. Freed and Laxus, however, simply shared a glance and an almost unseen nod. A moment later, they lurched forward and Laxus slammed his fist into the guard's stomach. He stumbled back a bit, and couldn't stop Laxus from grabbing his head and slamming it into the bars with more viciousness than he had with Freed.

Huh. He didn't have to wait to see if the guy was okay before he felt satisfaction from the attack like he had with Freed.

As Laxus kept the guard occupied, Freed had reached around and grabbed the key that was still in the lock. He then quickly reached for the guard's belt as he was grabbing his stomach and pulling out the knife that was kept there. Laxus could only watch as Freed moved quickly, forcing the blade against the man's adam's apple, which bulged at the blade that was now in danger of cutting it. The speed in which Freed had moved reminded Laxus of how they had fought back in Magnolia.

Looking back to the guard, he saw the young man's eye dilate and his posture turn rigid. It was pretty clear that he wasn't going to put up much of a fight.

"This is what's going to happen," Freed spoke with the same tone that he had used when addressing Ivan. Velvet smooth yet somehow threatening in a way that was hard to describe. Laxus hadn't been able to appreciate it before. "We're going to walk very calmly and quietly to the inventory room, we'll get our belongings, and we'll be on our way without so much of an issue.

"However, if you have any ideas of trying to fight back, I'll cut your throat. Then I'll lock you in that cage and we can see how caring your colleagues are," Freed smiled a little and forced the knife up, making the guard look directly at him. "Do we understand each other?"

The guard nodded, and Laxus was left to wonder if Freed would carry out that threat if needed. He thought it best not to ask, instead he picked up both their coats and simply stayed silent.

As the three men started to walk down the corridor, with the knife still resting against the guard's, Laxus could see the other prisoners watching them. He tried not to pay any attention to the eyes watching them as they passed, instead looking straight ahead and following the directions of the guards; even if they were stuttered and said out of fear. The blonde just wanted to get out of the place as soon as he could; the situation was just too foreign for him.

Thankfully, they soon found themselves in what Laxus assumed was the inventory room. Laxus quickly grabbed everything that he recognised was there's that had been taken when they were arrested. After he'd taken anything back, he looked to Freed for guidance.

"Well, my friend, I think it's time for us to depart," Freed chuckled, looking to the guard as if he was enjoying this. He probably was. "I assume that you won't cause us any further trouble."

"N-no," The guard stammered a little.

"Good," Freed smiled, and then released the knife from the man's throat and handed it back to him. "I wish you a good day."

Freed was quick to leave the room, and Laxus followed suit. The confidence in which Freed moved was somewhat comforting, and it seemed the other man had no worries about being caught by another guard so Laxus tried to replicate that.

Apparently, that confidence was not misplaced, as they soon left the building without any trouble at all. Either the guards in a city just happened to be lax on that day, or maybe Ivan was more regimental in his treatment of the guards than Laxus had thought, because walking out of the jail was easy. Perhaps it made sense, without being able to trick the guard into walking into their cell, the two of them would still be there and no guard would be required outside.

As they walked away from the building – at a pretty quick pace, Laxus noted – the blonde found his mind wondering. Wondering about how he would manage to live here after escaping jail, about how he was still a stranger to real society, about how he would probably not see Freed again after he left. It all left him feeling… wrong.

"Hey," Laxus muttered after they merged into a crowd, allowing them to slow down their pace. "I know you said you'd get me a place here, and I'm thankful for this," The blonde's cheeks were slightly red as he spoke. "But, I dunno, maybe this place ain't for me."

Freed paused and looked towards him, a small frown on his face. "You don't?"

"Just doesn't seem like my kinda place, y'know," Laxus found his hand had reached the back of his neck, and he couldn't seem to look Freed in the eye. "And, if the guards are gonna be looking for us, doesn't make sense being here. Not exactly the most subtle guy, am I?"

"I suppose not," Freed chuckled.

"Yeah," Laxus looked down. He knew he was just going to have to ask, dignity be damned. "Look, d'you mind if I stick around with you for a little while longer. I know you probably don't want me hanging around you or anything, but-"

"I enjoy the company," Freed cut him off. "Besides, it's a large choice to make, you shouldn't rush it. I'm sure you'll find a place you're comfortable with soon enough."

"Yeah," Laxus said, though he found himself unsure of his words.

Freed gave him a small nod, and they both continued walking down the busy street and towards the inn that Freed had spoken about. Again, as they walked, Laxus found his mind wondering. This time, however, his mind was entirely occupied by the man he was walking beside. And, unlike before, the feeling in his stomach was that of warmth.

A month ago, this man had turned his life around for the worse. Now he was traveling with him, and glad of it too. In fact, Freed really wasn't that bad of a person to be around; he was good company and pretty similar to Laxus. And, if Laxus was honest, not bad looking too.

Huh. That was new.

#ft bb #fairy tail big bang #fraxus #freed justine #Laxus Dreyar #fairy tail #fanfic

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fandom-glazed · 6 years ago

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music asks!

FAVORITES 1. what are your favorite bands? Lord Of The Lost, Porcupine Tree, Nightmare, Frost*, newer: Scarlet Dorn 2. what are your favorite singers? Lady Gaga, Steven Wilson, Zia, Lorde, newer: Down To Eden 3. what are your favorite albums? Thornstar by Lord Of The Lost, In Absentia by Porcupine Tree, To The Bone and Transience by Steven Wilson 4. what are your favorite songs? Six Feet Underground by Lord Of The Lost, Trains by Porcupine Tree, What I’ve Done, In The End and Numb by Linkin Park, My Demons and Ricochet by Starset, From The Flame by Leprous, Lovesongs (They Kill Me) by Cinema Bizarre, Would It Matter by Skillet, Hyperventilate, Experiments in Mass Appeal and Snowman by Frost* 5. what do you think the best popular song of the year is so far? I honestly don’t know. 6. which genres of music do you tend to like the best? Prog, Metal and any heavy stuff (not including “brutal” Death Metal - on a daily basis), Indie, Alternative, Soundtracks 7. what is the best concert you’ve ever been to? Either the Steven Wilson To The Bone Tour concert(s) in Hamburg 2018, or the Lord Of The Lost MEGA tour concert in Munich 2016 8. song of the year? My personal songs of the year (not released in 2019) at the moment: Kiss Me by Rob Vischer, While This Way by Árstíðir .2: 2019 still has to deliver! 9. album of the year? See 8.2 10. what are the best songs your parents have gotten you into? Anything by Keane, Evanescence, Depeche Mode,... 11. how did you first find out about your favorite band/singer? My own, like, nothing I inherited from my parents, favorite band was probably Cinema Bizarre and I found them through their first single being played 24/7 on Viva. 12. when/where do you first remember having heard your favorite song? I don’t remember anymore, sadly. I first heard Trains on a train station. 13. about how many times have you listened to your favorite song? I have absolutely no idea, any number I’d name would be too low. 14. if someone asks you what music they should check out, what are your go-to recommendations? I always assume my taste in music is nothing most people would care to listen to, but I’d say everyone should check out Steven Wilson(’s projects) at least once. And I’d promote my favourites in Lord Of The Lost till I die.

NOSTALGIA 15. what songs give you the most nostalgia? Anything by Evanescence, Keane, 80s music in general, The Corrs, Kylie Minogue, HIM... 16. what kinds of music were you raised on? Mostly 80s stuff, some rock, much pop, my mother brought some jazz as well, unfortunately. 17. what are your favorite songs that have ever been popular? See 15., probably :D I love almost every song by Gaga, I’d say she’s definitely popular! 18. who were your favorite musicians as a kid? I adopted my parent’s favorites, mostly The Corrs, specifically their drummer Caroline. Eisblume. Cinema Bizarre. Though that was already in my teens. 19. how did you feel about music as a kid? Music is and has always been my love and a great hobby. 20. what was your first concert? if you haven’t been to one, what do you want your first concert to be? I was six years old and I remember my dad telling me to say I’m seven so the security would let us in. It was The Corrs and I think it was either in the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle in Stuttgart, or in the Olympiahalle Munich. We went to several concerts in that year. (So that’s where I got that from!)

PERFORMANCE 21. how do live performances, whether they’re from your friends or professionals, tend to make you feel? Like in another dimension. 22. singing in the shower or singing in the car? I don’t drive, so, rather in the shower. But mostly at my desktop, extremely loudly. 23. if you were to become a musician, what kind of musician would you be? I am a pianist/multi-instrumentalist, but I think I’d never want to be a professional. 24. if you could pick one instrument to learn how to play, what would it be? If improving on the piano doesn’t count, like, learn something completely new, I’d say, maybe the harp, the cello (though I tried it some years ago). 25. what is your singing voice like? what singers do you remind yourself of? I don’t have a super special singing voice (I’m told otherwise), but I hit all the notes thanks to my trained hearing. I don’t really remind myself of someone particular, but I can make my voice sound like different singers like Scarlet Dorn, Lorde or the singer of a band, I just discovered, Trees Of Eternity. 26. have you ever been involved in any music programs? which ones and for how long? I have been member of my music school’s programme/ensemble. 27. which instruments do you know how to play? what’s your skill level? I’ve been playing the piano for 13 years, if I’d kept up the hard work I put in it until 2016, I’d be rather high-skilled, I started to play the guitar some years ago, but I was never really sufficiently active. I also began playing drums and even cello, but due to price and neighbours I couldn’t continue. I am an autodidact singer and I can play the bodhran. 28. if you took music lessons as a kid, are you glad you did? if not, do you wish you had? I am glad I took piano lessons, but I wish I had started taking guitar lessons sooner. I’d be much better by now and I also adored my teacher as a person. He kinda reminds me of my actual mentor now.

SOUNDTRACKS 29. how do you feel about video game soundtracks? I love video game soundtracks. 30. what soundtracks do you enjoy listening to the most? It changes from time to time, but at the moment I love the Mass Effect: Andromeda soundtrack and also the Dragon Age soundtracks, as well as most of the Marvel movies’, Ghibli movies’ and Game Of Thrones’. 31. which soundtracks do you think are objectively the best (or what are some that you think deserve appreciation)? I’d say check out Trevor Morris, Joe Hisaishi and Ramin Djawadi and you’re on the right scent. 32. how do you feel about musicals? I absolutely love musicals and used to visit some as often as I could with my aunt. 33. do you have any favorite composers, including classical ones? See 31, as for classical ones, I love Rachmaninov, Bach and Chopin. 34. are there any soundtracks or kinds of soundtracks that you just can’t stand? Can’t think of any at the moment. 35. what are your favorite songs/soundtracks from movies? I stared to obsess with Under Stars by AURORA from the ME: Andromeda credits, I love the Misty Mountains, The Marvel Avengers theme and the Harry Potter soundtrack, actually I can’t possibly remember everything to write it down.

LYRICS 36. what are some songs whose lyrics you relate to? Ou, that’s a personal one. There are many. But to name a few: Would It Matter by Skillet, Covered In Gold and Walls Of Utopia by Oh Fyo!, Don’t Hate Me and Prodigal by Porcupine Tree, Pariah and Hand Cannot Erase by Steven Wilson, No Me No You by Frost*, almost everything by Scarlet Dorn as well as Black Halo and most of all Cut Me Out by Lord Of The Lost 37. pick a song and analyse its lyrics. Can’t do, shouldn’t do, probably. 38. which songs do you think have the best lyrics? There’s just SO many. 39. what are some songs whose lyrics you think most people just don’t get? Six Feet Underground by Lord Of The Lost, not your typical love songTM, Harmony Korine by Steven Wilson, also so much by Steven Wilson. 40. are there any musicians whose lyrics you particularly tend to like? Steven Wilson. Next! :D 41. do you prefer songs that have good melodies or songs that have good lyrics? Good melodies, generally. But once I got hooked on by the sound I live for good lyrics.

CHALLENGES 42. name five songs you like that were released in the 90s. Join Me In Death by HIM, Walking In My Shoes by Depeche Mode, Rosier by Luna Sea, Viva Forever by Spice Girls, Enter Sandman by Metallica 43. name five songs you like that were released at least 50 years ago. I could name you some classical compositions... 44. write a parody of at least a verse of any song you’d like. Reign, reign on me, reign on me, reign on me. Reign, wash away, triangles and tears, blur all your plot and reign on me. 45. name 5 songs you can’t stand. Despacito, Despacito, Despacito,... 46. look at your country’s song charts, listen to the first unfamiliar song you can find, and share your opinion on it. I didn’t know and didn’t like any of the first eight I looked at. That’s how much I love chart music! 47. turn a song lyric into a pickup line. Until the end of night... (listen to Blood For Blood by Lord Of The Lost. I won’t explain any further.) 48. name the last 5 songs you listened to. While This Way by Árstíðir, Loreley by Lord Of The Lost, Ten Feet High by Andrea Corr, a song I mixed and mastered, Sinking Ships by Trees Of Eternity

RANDOM 49. what are your favorite album covers? In Absentia by Porcupine Tree, Thornstar by Lord Of The Lost, Hand Cannot Erase by Steven Wilson, Resist by Within Temptation, Milliontown by Frost* ... 50. any cover versions that you think are better than the original? I mostly like the cover version and the original. 51. how often do you listen to music? 24/7 52. do you collect vinyls? if so, what have been your best finds? I do have some by Lord Of The Lost and Steven Wilson. 53. if you could meet any musician you’d like, who would it be? Steven Wilson. By faaaar. 54. how do you feel about classical music? I love classical music. 55. would you ever want to have a career in music? I am, in fact, an aspiring audio engineer. 56. if you had a stage name, what would it be? My stage name for audio productions and art is nadzumi. 57. on a scale of 1 to 10, how important is music to you? 11. 58. how do you feel about rap music? Don’t like it. Only a few songs. I like Eminem. And I found the influence in Linkin Park very interesting. But I’d rather stay away. 59. what do you think the best “era” for music was? I’d say the 80s, some of the 90s and now, because there’s such a diversity, everyone will find something they can love. 60. how has music affected you as a person? I’d say I am music. (Music has affected everything.) Feel free to ask away any number if you want me to answer it in more detail!

#other #tagging games

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goodailynews · 7 years ago

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KIM Kardashian may have given fans a huge clue about the family baby boom when she shared a cryptic snap of herself with her pregnant sisters Khloe and Kylie Jenner last month. The reality star uploaded a snap of the trio on holiday together just weeks before it was revealed all of them are having babies, reports. .................................................................................................. [HOT] Kim not buying robber's grovelling apology note : ♫ https://youtu.be/dX_44PAok-U [HOT] Can Playboy survive without Hugh Hefner? : ♫ https://youtu.be/k6rORfP-Fyo [HOT] Why Debbie Gibson Says DWTS Healed Her More Than Any Doctor : ♫ https://youtu.be/7G9uzsfuygs [HOT] Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Son Thank Fans After Breast Cancer Diagnosis : ♫ https://youtu.be/zWsV8J-udZo [HOT] Harry gives Meghan a cheeky kiss : ♫ https://youtu.be/zxLuFK5AvOU .................................................................................................. SUBSCRIBE: https://goo.gl/Gd5aaC FACEBOOK: https://goo.gl/ybp8jQ TWITTER: https://goo.gl/o24hEF ✖ Follow GOO Daily News channel(SUBSCRIBE) to look for that. GOO Daily News - New videos evreyday! MONDAY - SUNDAY. Thanks for watching! Background music video is allowed by FreeBackgroundMusic. Please visit their channel to view more: FreeBackgroundMusic: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzdbJ_mnXo5tf-4hVNgJ5Wg Thank you! .................................................................................................. ...[continued]... th one writing: 'Are all having a child.' Another added: 'Omfg the caption, such a hint.' A third wrote: '3 preggers.' Kim went public with her baby news in the trailer for a new episode ofKeeping Up With The Kardashians. The mum-of-two, 36, was seen telling Khloe the big news in the new trailer for first instalment of the new season. With Khloe on video link, Kim asks her: 'What happens every time I say 'guess what?' Khloe replies: 'You're either pregnant or a person is pregnant.' Kim then squeals: 'We're having a baby!' The reality star and husband Kanye West are already parents to a daughter, North, four and son, Saint, who turns two in December, and the new baby is said to be due in January. Kim's sisters Khloe and Kylie are also pregnant, although neither have publicly confirmed the news. According to T MZ, Kim and Kanye decided to have a third baby via surrogacy because of Kim's well-documented health problems during her previous pregnancies. Another source told People: 'The entire family is over the moon. Given her health scares in the past, Kim felt the need to hire a surrogacy agency that helped serve as the liaison in finding a healthy woman who would be a great surrogate option for her and Kanye. Both of them have been super involved in the process.' Kylie was revealed to be pregnant last month as she is expecting her first child with her rapper boyfriend Travis Scott, while divorcee Khloe is expecting with partner Tristan Thompson, a basketball plater. After dropping unsubtle hints on social media, Khloe had her pregnancy confirmed when a producer congratulated her online. This story originally appeared in The Sun and has been republished here with permission. Originally published as Kim's cryptic pic 'hinted at pregnancies'

#IFTTT #YouTube

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eryiss · 6 years ago

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Blade of the Wanderer - Chapter Five

Hey all! Here’s a new five-chapter fic for you all, and it’s a samurai AU. It’s part of the @ft-bb event, in which I’ve been signed up with @fyo-schiiwho’s made this amazing art!

You can read it on Fanfiction, Archive of our Own, or under the cut. And you can see all chapters right here. I hope you all enjoy it!

Chapter Five – Favours Returned

Year: 1540x. Luna-cycle: 8. Day: 11.

"How are you feeling?"

It was a loaded question. Laxus felt a lot of things as he and Freed walked through the forest side by side, many of those feelings being contradictory. Nervousness and determination. Worry and excitement. Dread and anticipation. But, above all these clashing feelings, one emotion was driving Laxus forward above all else. Anger.

He and Freed were in the forests near Magnolia, getting closer and closer to Laxus' old home with each step. It had been a year since Laxus had left his home after exile, a year to the day. Them being there wasn't coincidental, nor was the timing. Over the year spent with Freed, Laxus had learned a lot about the real world, and about himself, and now he was going to put that to good use. He was going to do something he should have done before, something he now felt was his duty to do for those who cared for him.

Standing up to Ivan. Usurping him from his power and brining Magnolia back to what it once was.

"Little nervous," Laxus' words were an understatement. But he wasn't going to let his nerves stop him, this was too important. "I'll be fine, though."

"If you're sure."

Laxus was thankful that Freed wasn't pushing the matter, nor was he forcing the conversation. He had been inside his own head for the past few days, thinking through all that could happen when he came face to face with his father again, as well as the people who he had been forced to leave. There was a lot to think through, and Laxus wanted to sort his thoughts entirely before it begun.

He expected a mixed reception. Some people would be outraged – Ivan had dedicated followers, and he would be breaking exile by returning – but he also hoped some people would be glad to see him. Ivan wouldn't be one of them, of course, and Laxus couldn't begin to imagine how he would react. But that idea didn't scare Laxus, not anymore. The blonde knew what his father was now; a petulant little man who liked to lord his power and status over those he considered below him. Laxus was the better man, there was no doubt in his mind about that, and by the time the sun had set, that would be proven.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Laxus nodded a little, pushing his was through some shrubbery. "Need to do it. Gramps'd be pissed if he found out what'd happened."

"Was it that different when he was in charge?" Freed asked, looking up to Laxus with soft eyes.

Throughout their time together, Laxus had become less restrained about explaining how he felt. After their kiss, they had talked for some time and chose to pursue a romance between one another, and the blonde had found himself confiding in Freed more than he had anyone else.

Their relationship worked better than one might expect. They still had the same kind of friendship that had been forged before the kiss – they still had their strengths and weaknesses that compensated each other, and they still had their duties while traveling – but the romance had added a new layer of intimacy between them. They often seemed to act as one, there was more trust and joy shared between them, and although he wouldn't readily admit it, Laxus found himself smiling a hell of a lot more with Freed than he had years prior.

It was good. Great, even. And Laxus was glad that it had happened.

"Like another place entirely," Laxus said, thinking back to his early childhood. "Lot more communal, and friendly. The crappy walls were only there to keep animals and shit out, and the gates were never closed. We traded a lot as well, instead of being 'self-sufficient' or whatever he calls it."

"Is that what you'll make it again?" Freed asked, walking beside Laxus and ducking under a branch.

"Definitely wanna try," Laxus said, voice resolute. "Bastard's been pissing on Gramps' honour for years, wanna change it."

Laxus was determined to get the town back in to good hands. It wasn't an unfeasible goal; Ivan's pride would be dented enough just by seeing Laxus return despite his orders, and getting him into a fight could be achieved simply by calling out his cowardice and insulting him until he fell for the manipulation. Then, if all went as planned, Laxus would win the fight and Ivan's pride would be destroyed, meaning he would either flee the town himself or Laxus would be able to demand he leave.

It was a good plan. Laxus just hoped it would work.

"I'm sure you'll make a wonderful leader," Freed said, apparently having sensed a small amount of doubt seeping into the blonde's thoughts. "You'll be fine, Laxus. I'm sure of it."

"I know. I know it'll be fine," His tone didn't match what he said. "It's just that there's a lot of things that could go wrong and-"

"They won't," Freed said, his voice carrying authority. "I've been in your father's presence for less than a day, and even I know that he'll be easily manipulated into a fight and that, once he loses to the man he berated for being weak, he won't be able to show his face. And if you're worried about losing the fight, then you needn't be. I suspect you were stronger than him then, and I know you're stronger than he is now."

Freed's words comforted him. He was right. Ivan was a weak, overly proud coward who Laxus could defeat in his sleep. He could have done it then and, now with Freed's training and the occasional practical experience he had gained when traveling, he could defiantly do it now.

"Mind you," Freed continued, voice serious. "It might be a little awkward if we can't get through the gates."

Laxus paused for a moment, before snorting. He glanced down to see Freed was smirking, so it was obvious he was joking, and the blonde was thankful for it; he certainly had lightened his mood a little. The image of him and Freed awkward standing around the large metal gates, waiting for someone to open them so they could get in was amusing. Laxus found his lips tugging upwards a little as they walked.

"If there a secret knock or something you might remember?" Freed continued, and Laxus chuckled. "Maybe a back entrance with a rusty hinge?"

"Piss off," Laxus chuckled, wrapping his arm around Freed's shoulders. He pressed his lips against the man's head before whispering. "Thanks."

Freed didn't reply, but pushed into Laxus a little to show he had heard. Laxus decided not to remove his arm from around Freed's shoulders until needed, enjoying the proximity he had to his partner as they walked. He could feel the strength in the man who had gotten him here, could smell the light dusting of cologne that was slightly overpowered by the smells of the forest, and could hear the soft breathing coming from his lover as they made their was through the undergrowth. It all worked to calm Laxus down as he walked.

The closer he got towards Ivan's territory, the more he felt the need to latch onto Freed. The reality of what they were doing became more apparent, and the silent support he was getting from his partner was helping him rationalise the situation.

Despite having his nervousness quelled somewhat by Freed, something made him pause as they walked. It was a small flowing stream, parting two sides of the forest and rushing across a small stone path. It seemed inconsequential, and Laxus could see that Freed had a small amount of confusion written across his features as he looked towards Laxus. The blonde stared at the water for a few moments, eyes a little wide.

"Laxus," Freed eventually spoke up. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, sorry," Laxus said, voice a little distant. "Sorry, it's just, Ivan always said the stream was the border of his land. So, when we go over it, kinda like we ain't going back."

"We don't have to do this now, if you don't want to," Freed said, voice more comforting than it was stern. "We can spent a little time getting ready, or camp out for the night, if you think it'll help you or make this easier on you."

"No, I need to do this," Laxus tried to convince himself of his words. "If I don't do it now, I'll keep putting it off."

"Okay," Freed said, placing a hand on Laxus' cheek.

Laxus allowed his face to be turned slightly, taking his gaze away from the stream and instead directing it into Freed's eyes. They were the same shade of fresh water, and just as calming as the pool that formed at the end of the stream. Laxus found himself relaxed by the soft gaze he received, an expression that he expected Freed only gifted him. The man was the personification of calm and collected, and Laxus knew that it was rubbing off on him, and felt his pulse even out and his anxiety lessen slightly.

He wasn't doing this alone. This wasn't him fighting against his father. It was him and Freed, reclaiming what was owed and making Magnolia what it once was. Something fuelled by passion and romance. Freed and him were one, now, and that gave him a hell of a lot of comfort.

"You can do this," Freed whispered gently. "You are stronger than he is. You are better than he is. And this town will one day be as great as you are."

That was right. He was his father's superior, he always had been and now Freed had allowed him to flourish and realise it. All the traveling, every decision he had made after his exile had lead him to this situation, and now he needed to make good on his promise. Knowing Freed shared the same confidence in him that he shared in Freed, Laxus found his anxiety flowing away just as the water flowed down the stream.

He could do this.

Leaning down a little, he brought his lips against Freed's. They shared a slow, loving kiss with one another that meant so much to Laxus. It was a testament to how much he had changed, a perfect personification of how he was now. A changed man, a more open man, a better man than Ivan could have possibly made him.

"Ready?" Laxus whispered after they pulled apart, lips resting against each other.

"Yes," Freed whispered back, giving a final chaste kiss before pulling apart.

Laxus took a final breath to gather his nerves. He looked back to the stream, now feeling a renewed sense of purpose and confidence in what he was going to do. He walked to stream, closed his eyes, and took the step across the water.

"Stay here," The guard all but spat as he spoke. "I'll get the chief. If you move, you're dead."

Laxus didn't pay attention to the man who addressed him, nor did he pay attention to the other man who had a sword aimed towards him. He was in a daze, looking around Magnolia's town square after a year of absence was almost nauseating. It felt both familiar and completely foreign, and Laxus couldn't collect his thoughts on the matter.

After entering Ivan's territory, he and Freed had begun to walk towards the town with the intent of entering on their own terms. It had taken a few minutes for a pair of guards – some of Ivan's more devout followers, as well – to find them and recognise Laxus. Neither Freed nor Laxus cared about being captured, it simply meant that the rest of the walk towards Magnolia was to be done at the end of a sword rather than how it had been before. At least they could be certain they would get there as soon as possible, rather than having to work only with Laxus' memory of the place which was vague at best.

The short walk had been a little awkward to say the least. A few vague threats had been made, as some jokes about how Ivan would react and what he would do when he saw Laxus, but nothing other than that had happened. Still, Laxus and Freed had been prepared if needed.

"You, keep 'em here," The guard continued, looking towards a pair of guards who had just turned a corner. "Quickly."

The guard who was apparently the leader quickly started to walk away and towards Laxus' old home, being replaced with the two guards who he had summoned. Laxus looked at the two men with slightly wide eyes, recognising them both as they got closer. Bickslow and Gajeel, although they looked a little different than when he was here last. More haggard, tired and regimental than they had been before.

Laxus hoped that Ivan hadn't broken their spirits. But, as Bickslow flashed him a split-second grin that looked practically gleeful, Laxus realised that couldn't happen. Bickslow had an ocean's worth of spirit, a year wasn't nearly long enough to break that.

Waiting for Ivan to appear took a few minutes, and nobody talked as they waited. Laxus accredited the silence to the lingering presence of one of Ivan's henchmen; he hoped that Bickslow and Ever perhaps Gajeel, who he had been amicable with when living in Magnolia, would try to strike up a conversation with him. But instead, there was just silence and the growing worry that the situation might not end up as Laxus had hoped.

Freed must have noticed this and brushed his hand against Laxus' for a moment. It calmed him.

As time elapsed, it was obvious that the guard hadn't just informed Ivan of Laxus' presence. A small crowd of people formed – as they had done with Freed, a year prior – to see if Laxus truly had returned. For the most part Laxus tried to ignore them, as they were made up of a mixture of Laxus' friends and Ivan's followers. He did give small nods to Evergreen and Mirajane, upon seeing them.

"Oh dear god," A raspy, gravely voice brought Laxus' gaze upwards. Ivan. "You do understand what exile means, don't you? That thick little skull hasn't let it leak out."

Hearing Ivan's voice again after a year produced exactly the reaction that Laxus had hoped for. A mixture of anger at how the man had treated him throughout his childhood years, anticipation to wipe away that smug fucking expression in a long overdue fight with the bastard, and disgust at the idea that he tried to warm Laxus into another version of himself. Any doubts about what he was doing melted away; everything he planned to do to the smug bastard was completely deserved, and he was not going to get any sympathy.

The grip that Laxus had on his sword tightened a little. Perhaps it was sadistic to think, but the idea of holding the sword against Ivan's body and making him concede defeat was incredibly satisfying. Hopefully the reality would be just as good.

"And, if my memory serves me well, your little friend is the mongrel who got you exiled in the first place," Ivan continued, laughing as he approached them. "You made friends. How cute."

Ivan's cocky attitude was evident in his very being. The way in which he walked, how openly his expressions conveyed his supposed superiority, and even his clothes were gaudy enough to suggest he thought he was above any form of judgment. Laxus found his grip on the sword loosening slightly; punching the old man and brining him into unconsciousness seemed as though it would be just as satisfying.

"I expect you're here to grovel," Ivan laughed again, now only a few feet away from Laxus. "Your little stint outside left a bad taste-"

"Oh fuck off," Laxus growled.

"The hell did you just say to me?" Ivan demanded.

His face turned dark, and he took a step towards Laxus with clear anger in his eyes. Although the small crowd seemed shocked and nervous, Laxus stood his ground. The guards who had surrounded him parted so that Ivan could get through. The blonde didn't mind, as long as he wasn't restrained then he could look after himself.

"I told you to fuck off, Ivan," Laxus spat, stepping forward with a glare. "But what I should have said was you should stick that blunt toothpick of a sword down your fucking throat, and don't remove it until you've skewered yourself. Finally give it some fucking use."

"I don't know what happened to you after getting kicked out, brat, or why the hell you're talking to me like-"

"I'm talking to you like this because I ain't your fucking lapdog anymore," Laxus growled. "I'm a better man than you, and I'm gonna prove it."

"Oh are you now," Ivan chuckled, though Laxus could see a slight expression of concern flicker across his face. "Well, if you're so certain that you have become a man better than me, which is unlikely, then you can prove it in a fight. Acnologia."

Laxus followed Ivan's gaze towards one of the guards, and although Laxus didn't recognise the man it was obvious that he was high ranking given his uniform and the fact that he had been called upon. He was tall, muscular looking and had long blue hair with an expression of hated painted upon him, so he was obviously one of Ivan's more devoted followers. Previously, Laxus would have been called upon to fight for his father's honour, so it appeared this man was his replacement as Ivan's inferior.

It would be satisfying to beat him in a fight, as it was clear he was just as intolerable and as his father, but Ivan would simply punish him and maintain his claim over Magnolia. Laxus needed to fight the leader himself, so gave a short nod towards Freed.

With an audible swing, Freed managed to unsheathe his sword from its scabbard, swing it directly towards the advancing guard and stop it so it's end was placed exactly against the man's throat, pushing forward just enough to make its presence known. Freed looked directly into Acnologia's eyes, which had dilated a little at the sudden blade being pressed into his neck. He stopped in his place, but Freed kept his sword in place.

"I believe the gentleman claimed he was a better man that you," Freed said calmly, moving his gaze to meet Ivan's. "He should fight you, if you wish to dispute this."

"Unless you ain't got the guts," Laxus continued, also looking towards his father.

Ivan's face flickered from annoyance, to hatred, and then to anger. Laxus knew that nobody had challenged his father directly before – the closest thing to this had been Freed – and the fact that it was coming from his own son meant his reputation would be destroyed if he backed down. It was something that both Freed and Laxus had been relying on in their plan and, although Ivan knew he was being manipulated, his pride wouldn't allow him to back down. Laxus found himself smirking as he saw his father fall for the trap.

Without warning, Ivan removed his sword from its scabbard and advanced on Laxus. His movements were slightly rigid and untrained, nothing compared to the fluid and fast paced fighting style that he had grown used to with Freed.

Laxus quickly brought his own sword out and blocked the oncoming blow in the same movement. He was stronger than his father, so could easily push his blade back and make Ivan lose footing. He saw his farther grimace and allowed a grin to paint itself on his face, after only a single blow he already had his father rattled.

Continuing his movements, Laxus shifted his stance and brought his sword to Ivan's leg and slashed it just above his ankle, ripping open his clothes and leaving a small amount of blood dripping form the wound. It was more satisfying than Laxus cared to admit.

"Bastard," Ivan growled, looking to his injury.

The older man charged forward again, raising his sword and slamming it down towards Laxus' shoulder. The blonde didn't have time to bring his weapon up to parry the blow, so could do nothing as a large gash cut apart his shirt and his skin. He grunted at the pain, though had been through more and knew it was easily overcome. With gritted teeth, he looked towards the slightly gloating expression of his father and tensed his body.

He charged back towards his father, swinging his sword with speed and ferocity. Ivan managed to block the onslaught, though his movements were just slow and his swordsmanship sloppy. He only just managed to stop Laxus' sword form breaking the skin, and the blonde knew he could keep it up for so long.

Clashes filled the air as the two sharpened weapons slammed against each other. With each swing of his sword, Laxus took a step forward and Ivan took a step back. Ivan's façade begun to slip as his grip grew looser and reactions slower.

Laxus knew this was the turning point. This was the moment he would regain his life.

Freed's training focused on practicality, and resilience was a large part of that. Although his muscles ached and his hands all but blistered with the grip on his sword, he knew that he could keep going and work through the exhaustion that was setting in. Ivan, on the other hand, had the swordsmanship of an egotist and could only last long enough to put on a show, meaning he was getting closer and closer to his limit. He would rather dominate the man but winning was more important.

With an expression of determination, Laxus swung his sword with as much force as he could. Ivan's grip was weak enough for the blow to send the weapon flying, making a few people move to avoid getting hit. Ivan followed the path of his weapon, eyes widening as he saw his defence fly away. The look on his face had the blonde grinning.

"Scared?" Laxus taunted.

He slammed his sword into the dirt, rolling up his sleeves as he advanced upon his father. The crowd had created a circle around the two men, meaning if Ivan wanted to escape then he would have to push through them; he and Laxus knew his pride couldn't handle that.

Ivan glanced around, looking for some kind of help. His sword had been enveloped by the crowed and Laxus stood in front of his own abandoned weapon; his guard was still being held at the tip of a blade by the mongrel, who was also glaring at the rest of the guards as if daring them to intervene; and the majority of the townspeople he had alienated through his intimidation, so they were enjoying his public humiliation and were not intending to help him.

Laxus smirked as his father looked from side to side, hoping for a saviour that wouldn't come. It was gratifying to see his façade drop in place of the squirming, weak man that Laxus had always known he was.

What was more gratifying, though, was the feeling of the man's jaw after he slammed his fist into it.

The punch to the face was quickly followed by another, the latter delivered to his stomach. Ivan doubled over where he stood, clutching his bruising torso and trying to keep it from further harm. Laxus stormed forward and grabbed the man by his collar, pulling him up and slightly off the ground so that he was forced into eye contact. He went to deliver another punch, one intended to knock the guy out, but stopped himself.

He couldn't go overboard. As cathartic as it would be to beat the ever-living shit out of the man who had fucked over his life, he couldn't. He was going to make Magnolia a new town, he couldn't start that with more violence than what was needed.

"You're pathetic," Laxus hissed, eyes hardened. "A waste of a life."

Before Ivan could speak, Laxus reached for his belt and pulled out a small dagger. He quickly brought it up and placed the tip against the underside of Ivan's chin, forcing him to look up and strain his neck slightly. Ivan wouldn't dare move, unsure of whether Laxus would actually use it against him or not.

"You're gonna leave," Laxus demanded, voice leaving no room for arguing. "You and anyone who thinks what you do here is right, you're all gone."

"This town is mine," Ivan tried to retaliate. "It is owed to-"

"It ain't owed to anyone. Definitely not some bastard like you," Laxus growled, pushing the dagger up slighting in a similar way that Freed had done in the past. "It deserved someone better than your stupid ass."

"And that's you," Ivan laughed despite the position he was in.

"Damn right it is," The blonde spat.

He moved quickly, positioning himself behind Ivan and grabbing his wrist in a tight grasp, the dagger still pushing against his chin. Laxus slowly began to walk him towards the still opened gates of the town, the crowd parting for them and watching them as their leader was marched through the buildings and towards the walls.

Under the arch of the portcullis, Laxus removed the knife from Ivan's chin. He pushed him forward, making him stumble slightly. The older man turned back, his expression a mix of anger and disgust at his son. Laxus still held no sympathy for him.

"Get out of my property," Laxus demanded, voice stern. "And let me make something clear, if I ever see you in my fucking town again, I will make your life hell. Just like you did to me."

The blonde turned, turning towards the crowd that seemed to have grown since he last paid attention to them. Many of them seemed to be in shock, a few of them seemed to be angry at Laxus' behaviour, and he could see a few of them seemingly happy with the situation. Most of them were unsure of what was happening though, and Laxus couldn't blame them. But he was their new leader, and it was his responsibility to assure his townspeople that they were going to be safe, happy and enter a new age.

He took a step forward and felt all eyes on him. Glancing towards Freed, he saw his lover smile at him for a split second before retuning to his usual stoic expression. The small, wordless confidence his partner could give him gave Laxus all the confidence that he needed, and he stood proud as he addressed the crowd.

"There's going to be some changes here," He begun, voice proud. "I'm gonna take this place back to what it used to be. Make it something my grandfather could be proud of. If you've got problems with that, if your loyalties will never be with me, or if you have sympathy for him, you are to drop your possessions and leave."

There was silence for a moment. Laxus stared down the people who he knew were loyal to Ivan, and eventually heard the clattering of a sword being dropped. He looked towards the source of the sound to see a young guard walking towards the gate. He pushed past Laxus as he left.

It started a small chain. Everyone who left was a guard, young enough so that they could hardly remember a life before Ivan. They had probably been manipulated by the man since their birth and could easily harbour the same aggression and sadism that he had. They could perhaps one day be welcomed back, but the fact they were willing to follow Ivan out of their own lives showed the toxic influence he had over them. For now, Laxus couldn't allow them anywhere near Magnolia, not when he was doing his best to heal it.

Acnologia was the last to leave, sending a poisonous expression towards Laxus as he passed him. Laxus turned to see the men walking away, before looking towards a small group of the guards who had stayed by his side. Bickslow, Gajeel, Elfman and Natsu; Laxus had been fond of them all when he lived there, even if he hadn't admitted it.

"Make sure they leave the territory, please," He asked them.

After saluting to him – something that would have to stop, he wanted all comparisons of him and Ivan to be disproven – the small group of men started to walk out. As Bickslow passed him, he clasped him on the shoulder and whispered 'Nice to have you back, man.' Laxus could only smile.

"Titania," He spoke to the crowd again, and a redheaded woman stepped forward. "Always thought you would be a damn good guard. Take that," He nodded to his sword. "And keep the boys in check."

The woman nodded, picked up the sword and started to walk towards the gates as well. As she passed Laxus, she thanked him, and Laxus found himself smiling a little wider. Erza Titania had been destined to be great with a sword and, during her childhood, had been one of the most promising guards-to-be. After Ivan took over, women had been banned from any form of combat. The gesture of putting Erza in charge was not only to distance Laxus' approach to running the town from Ivan's, but also to act as a promise to her that she was allowed to live up to her potential.

"I understand that some of you might be overwhelmed, or even scared," Laxus said to the crowd. "But let me assure you of this. I will keep you all safe. I will keep you all healthy. I will keep you all happy. I apologise for making you watch what happened, but please return to whatever you were doing before."

It took a few minutes, but the crowd dispersed and started to go about what they were doing. Laxus knew they weren't entirely sure of what to do, but had expected that. He would gain their trust given time, he was sure of that.

He looked through the gates, still able to see the group of his own guards as they escorted them out of his land. As he watched, he felt Freed walk beside him and stand next to him. He glanced down to his partner with a soft smile on his face, shoulders untensing for perhaps the first time since they had crossed the little stream in the forest.

"Congratulations," Freed said, voice soft. "You must be happy."

"I am," Laxus nodded. "Finally get to take this place back to what it used to be. Make my gramps proud." There was a silent moment between the two men. Laxus broke it a few seconds later. "I get you ain't the kind of guy to stick around, and that we only met like a year ago and that ain't a long time but… I'm gonna need help. You're a damn capable guy, smart, strong and knows how the world actually works. And…"

"And?" Freed asked, smiling a little.

"You really gonna make me say it?" Laxus chuckled a little, cheeks reddening.

"I've no idea what you're talking about," Freed teased.

"Asshole," Laxus grinned despite his words. "I don't wanna leave ya yet. I think we can do more, and I don't want it to end yet. Us to end yet, whatever we are. And I get that you're a traveller and you ain't settled down since you left-"

"I haven't settled anywhere because I haven't had a reason to," Freed said, looking towards the forest. "You've given me a reason, I think. And quite a nice place to settle in, too."

"So?"

"So I'll stay, Laxus," Freed promised. "For as long as you'll have me."

Laxus didn't reply. Instead, he grabbed Freed's waist and pulled him into a strong kiss, illuminated by the setting sun and bordered by the large open gates. It was a perfect encapsulation to what Magnolia was going to be; the sun was setting on Ivan's influence and in its place was something better. Somewhere that allowed you to be who you were, somewhere emotions were flaunted and encouraged, and somewhere Makarov would be proud of.

They pulled apart after a few moments, lips resting against each other and both wearing a small smile as they took in each other. Laxus was finally home, he finally was doing what he needed to do, and he finally had someone to love and cherish.

"Besides, I can't imagine you running a town without help," Freed chuckled. "How would you deal with any negotiations? You'd somehow manage to trade the value of the land for a single grape."

A man to love and cherish, even if he was an asshole.

"Shut the fuck up," Laxus laughed, bringing him into another kiss as the sun set below them.

#ft bb #fairy tail big bang #fraxus #freed justine #laxus dreyar #fairy tail #Fanfic

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