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eryiss · 3 years ago

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Ship: Freed x Laxus

Rating: Teen

Prompt: Two Bros Chilling in A Hot Tub/Lightning Struck

Summary: Freed knew he had a lot to learn about being a professional wizard, and when he was paired up with Laxus for a mission he expected to learn a lot. He didn't expect to spend a day with him in a hot tub, and he certainly didn't expect to get an entirely unrelated education about life and about love.

Notes: Hello everyone, happy Fraxus Week. For the two bonus days, I've murged the prmopts together to make a two-shot. The second chapter will be uploaded on July the 22nd. I hope you all enjoy it, and head over to @fuckyeahfraxus to see all the other content for the event.

Links: Chapter Two ||| Event Masterlist ||| Archive of Our Own, Fanfiction

Chapter One

Year: X782

Location: Magnolia, Fiore

Professional Wizardry was still new to Freed. He hadn't wandered into the profession without the expectation that he'd be forced to do things that previously would have been unthinkable, or that his life wouldn't change entirely the moment he had joined a guild, but he felt like he was learning a new aspect to his profession every day. His expectations of the job and the reality of the job was almost entirely different, and Freed found himself enjoying the challenge.

He'd thought he'd be on missions near constantly. He'd go to some place in Fiore, use his magic to fight off a monster or dark wizard, and get paid for it. He hadn't expected there to be a community attached to it, that they'd be such a rigid tier system of missions, and how missions could be anything from finding a lost item, to being on a team attempting to disband a cult. There was so much more, and it was all fascinating.

After his eighteenth birthday three months prior, the jobs that he was allowed to accept had greatly opened up. They were more difficult, presented him with a greater threat to his life, and he was relishing the challenge. He could have gone on those missions earlier, but he much preferred working alone. While he was accepting that being in Fairy Tail meant there was a certain level of comradery with fellow guildmates, and that with that comradery there also came obligations, he didn't see the point in splitting his finances with others while he was powerful enough to perform these missions on his own and take home all the money himself.

The exception to this was Laxus Dreyar.

Master Makarov had approached Freed on his birthday with a proposition. He was worried for his grandson, wanted someone to look after him, and wondered if Freed would mind occasionally attending missions with him. He claimed that, while officially the money would be split between them, Makarov himself would make up the difference for Freed so that he would be paid in full. Freed had agreed, and that had been that.

Up until that afternoon, Freed had not gone on any missions with Laxus. They'd hardly spoken, even with Makarov's assurances that they'd get along. Freed would only be on certain missions and that afternoon's mission was apparently one of them. Makarov told Laxus Freed needed training in more advanced missions, and that he should be the one to do it. Laxus hadn't argued.

Somehow, while attending to a supposedly A-Class mission, they found themselves in Magnolia's hot spring and spa resort.

It was surveillance, so the mission stated. The Rune Army themselves had place the job, stating that they believed that members of a potential dark guild were using the site to host meetings and plan attacks. The resort had been trying to get rid of the suspects but couldn't do so without putting their staff in danger, and having an army presence suddenly appearing would tip the dark guild off and give them time to hide all evidence. The Rune Army wanted mages from Magnolia who could plausibly be in the spa for leisure time, but could also defend themselves from attack, to watch them for suspicious activity. Freed had a feeling that Laxus had taken the job to have a day relaxing in a spa, rather than because he felt the Rune Army needed the help.

None of this would have been a problem for Freed – he'd long since accepted that what constituted a job was a wide array of things – if it weren't for the elephant in the room. Or to be more precise, the Adonis wearing nothing but swimming trunks in the room.

Freed was a professional, but he was also eighteen years old and in the presence of an undeniably handsome man. Nobody, no matter their opinions on Laxus, would state that he was anything but sexy. Tall, blonde, square jawed, barrel chested with a scar over his eye and a tattoo over his pecs. His abs looked to be cut from steel and his legs comparable to tree trunks and, well, Freed was only human. Laxus was distracting.

"So," Laxus suddenly spoke as he slung a towel over his shoulder. "I don't exactly know what Gramps wants you to learn from this, but I'll try and teach ya some shit. Surveillance rule number one: fit in with yer surroundings. You seem pretty good at that."

It was only a moment, but Laxus' assessing gaze over Freed's body was exhilarating. But unprofessional.

Laxus didn't seem to notice, and instead started to walk out of the locker room they'd both changed in, and towards the area where they were meant to be watching. Freed followed, making sure to look straight ahead, rather than give into temptation to check out the man's back and his ass, and it wasn't a difficult task. While Freed had no qualms admitting his attraction to the blonde, he knew where his focus needed to be put. The mission was important, not his hormonal desire for his guildmate.

"That's the door we need to watch," Laxus said as he tilted his head to the door. Freed knew that of course, but Laxus was speaking again before he could say anything. "Pretty open room, lots of vantage points. Where should we go?"

Ah, it was a test then. Good, a worthy distraction and hopefully it would nip any ideas that Freed was in some way Laxus' inferior in the bud. Freed looked around the room quickly, glanced towards the door that they needed to keep in their sights, and quickly made a plan of how the rest of the day would go. Strategy was his strong suit.

"The hot tub," He said firmly. "At least for now."

"Why only for now?" Laxus asked. There was no condensation in his tone, he was simply asking for Freed's reasoning.

"Staying in the same place throughout the afternoon would be suspicious. We know who the suspects are, but that doesn't mean they're the only people involved, so we need to look like regular customers constantly," Freed explained, speaking quietly as they walked further into the room. "As we've only just got here, it makes sense for us to use a facility instantly. Going to sit by the pool or at the juice bar would be odd, at least for now. The massage tables and spa treatments are too distracting, but the hot tub allows us to sit and watch without anyone questioning it. It'll give us the lay of the land without drawing any attention on us."

"And we both have to do it?" Laxus probed. "Wouldn't it make more sense to split up and cover more ground.

"Later," Freed dismissed. "We came in together; we'll need to do things at the same time at least once in a while. As I said, the treatments are distracting and as such we should do them one at a time rather than simultaneously. If we spend the whole day apart after we've arrived together, it'll raise suspicion. The hot tub is a good vantage point, and so a good way to be seen together while not losing an advantage."

Laxus thought for a moment, before nodding, clasping Freed on the bare shoulder, and giving him the smallest of grins. "Yer good at this."

"Of course I am," Freed retorted, and that seemed to make Laxus grin wider.

They walked towards the hot tub, which was at the back wall, attached to the main pool. As it was a Tuesday afternoon, only a few people were loitering around the resort and the hot tub was empty. Freed placed his towel on the handle provided and walked into the hot tub, soaking his entire body sans his head in the hot, bubbling water. His muscles relaxed instantly, and he felt himself slinking down ever so slightly.

"You ain't here to relax," Laxus said in a voice almost teasing as he climbed the stairs into the tub. "Eyes on the mission, remember."

Freed went to point out that, given Laxus was looking at him rather than at the door, he was just as distracted. But Laxus chose that moment to sit down, submerging his chest in water and spreading his arms wide. His left hand was close to Freed's shoulder, and Freed felt that it was an act of great resilience that he didn't give into base urges and watch Laxus as he adjusted to his relaxed, wet – very very wet – state.

"I will if you will," Freed eventually said back, looking towards the door. He missed how Laxus' gaze lingered on his body just a little too long.

They fell into silence, and Freed made a genuine effort to keep his gaze away from the man who shared the hot tub with him. He truly hadn't thought this through. He hadn't realised that, as good as Laxus looked from afar, he looked better up-close. Maybe he should have denied the request to join the mission. And maybe he should have worn a looser swimsuit…

"So," Laxus said after a while, looking up at the ceiling for a moment to crack his neck. "How much is the old man paying you to spy on me?"

Freed halted, and removed his eyes from the door and looked towards Laxus. His face only, of course. "Excuse me."

"Rule two, you gotta trust the guys you're working with. So don't bullshit yer team members," Laxus said with a little grin. "Answer the question."

"For every mission that I do with you, he'll cover all the money you take from it, so I'm fully paid," Freed explained. He saw no point in lying.

"Guess we're gonna be doing some well-paying missions together then, if we wanna bleed the old bastard dry," Laxus smirked, and it was an oddly alluring look on the man. Freed looked away from it, and towards the door again. "You gonna tell him that I'm onto him?"

"I'd rather keep the deal up, I can get good money doing this," Freed shrugged, and he saw Laxus grinning a little from the corner of his eye. He tried not to pay attention to the expression, and instead focused on a man who could fit the description of a suspect. The man walked past the door, but that didn't mean he wasn't who they were looking for. "Why did you agree to this if you knew your grandfather wants reports on you?"

"Because it's gonna happen anyway, might as well accept it," Laxus shrugged. "I knew he was gonna get someone to do it, kinda glad that it's you."

"Why?"

"Because yer interesting," Laxus said, looking up at the ceiling again and closing his eyes as he lowered himself deeper into the water. Freed's gaze flickered low on the man's abs for a moment before looking to the door again. "We get a hell of a lot of mages joining Fairy Tail. Lots of people who think they're tough shit and wanna become the next powerhouse. Yer the only person I think whose got a chance of actually doing it."

The compliment was flattering. Laxus had something of a reputation for being generally rude and selfish, and either they were exaggerated or Laxus was making an exception. Freed felt it was a combination of both, but he accepted the compliment without complaint.

"You know my magic?" He asked.

"I've been keeping tabs on you since you came here, yer interesting," Laxus nodded, wading a hand through the water absently and sending ripples through the bubbles. "People give the darker magics a lot of shit. They're idiots. You can kick ass, and you're not bad to be around. Pretty much the opposite of a Fairy Tail mage right now."

"Does that opinion extend to you?"

"What d'you think?" Laxus asked with a cocky expression that Freed found himself enjoying.

"I wouldn't be here if I thought you weak."

"Good."

They fell into a silence, with the bubbling water warming Freed and making his muscles loose and relaxed. He kept a steady gaze on the door, making sure to avert his eyes when someone walked into the room, so his staring wasn't too obvious. It was a worthy distraction, and one well needed now that Laxus had apparently been watching him for all of eight months. That, combined with the fact that Laxus was wearing swimming trunks and was less than five feet away, could all become rather an issue if Freed didn't focus on anything else.

"Okay, your turn to relax now," Laxus said, cutting through Freed's thoughts. His voice was a little more relaxed. "You can't stay lookin' at the door all day. You'll get a crick in the neck."

"I'll be fine," Freed dismissed.

"Doesn't matter," Laxus stated, shifting slightly to get closer to Freed. It was to get a better view of the door, but the body heat that rivalled the warmth of the water was a noticeable feeling and Freed tensed. "Rule Three: lean on yer teammates. Sometimes you'll need to slack off, that ain't something to fight against. So long as someone in the team is on full alert it isn't too bad a problem. So sit back, close yer eyes, and let me take over for a while."

Freed was hesitant, but Laxus was clearly taking over keeping his gaze on the door, and Freed eventually found himself sliding down to further cover his body in water, and closed his eyes as relaxation flowed through him.

When his mind began to slip, Freed found himself thinking that Laxus was actually rather helpful. Freed wasn't quite so arrogant to think he knew everything about wizarding work, and an S-Class mage would have things to teach. Laxus especially would be useful to learn from, given their apparently similarities in working styles. Freed would need to learn how to work in a team, even if it wasn't fond of the idea, and Laxus might know how to offer actual advice rather than pointless mantras like 'your team should be your family' and other nonsense he'd heard from Fairy Tail. Without lying about why he was there, his team-ups with Laxus might be mutually beneficial.

Perhaps relaxing wasn't too bad an idea, either. Freed's mind had been somewhat consumed by his work. Finding a place to live as a seventeen-year-old had been difficult, and he'd put in a lot of effort in getting rent on time. But now he got better paying jobs, that urgency could fall away a little.

With a bit of effort, he tried to push the fact he was on a job to the back of his mind.

Once this whole thing was dealt with, maybe he would invest in a pass for the resort. In his preliminary research for the mission, he'd heard good things about the facilities, and even though he'd only been in the hot tub as of yet, he felt inclined to agree.

Though perhaps Laxus' company was partially to blame for his mood.

Fairy Tail had sometimes felt like a lonely place. Their focus on friendship, family and their revoltingly sentimental ideas about goodness were nice in principle, but when you were on the outside looking in it could get under your skin. Freed knew he was at fault for his lack of relationships with his guildmates, but perhaps Laxus might be a good starting point. Ironic, given that nearly everyone had told him Laxus was off-putting and rude.

The bubbles sent a pleasant chill over him, and Freed felt his tenseness ebbing away. When he got a pass for the resort, he'd have to explore the idea of a massage. He'd never thought it appealing, but perhaps he could be convinced.

There wouldn't be much convincing needed if Laxus were the one massaging him.

"Shit," Laxus hissed, and Freed's eyes whipped open. A rush of panic filled him that somehow he might have said that aloud, but the idea was ridiculous. He looked to Laxus to see worry flickering over him. "The suspect saw me looking, I think he went to get backup."

"Are you sure?" Freed asked, mind suddenly back on focus again.

"No, but we made eye contact. He's suspicious of me," Laxus was clenching his teeth, seemingly annoyed at himself. "We can't fuck it up, the Rune Army don't take shit like this lightly. We need a distraction or to get out."

"A distraction will be easier," Freed concluded. "Does he know for sure that we're looking out for him?"

"I wasn't being careful. I was watching him for about a full minute without being subtle. Pretty sure he knows it's not a passing glance."

"But that doesn't mean you know what he's doing, it just means you were looking at him," Freed mused aloud. "What if we throw him off the scent, give him another reason for why you were so focused on him."

"The hell would that be?" Laxus growled a little, and Freed scanned the room. They were the only two people in there now.

"Maybe you wanted him gone," Freed thought, plans forming in his head. Many of them he had to dismiss outright. "Perhaps if he sees something he wasn't meant to see, he'll think you were looking at him because you wanted him to leave."

"What the hell would I wanna do that I wouldn't want him seeing?" Laxus snapped, agitation rising. An idea came to Freed. It was good, it would get them out of the situation no doubt, but it might have a few repercussions in the future. Many arguments both for and against it flung through his mind, and his indecision must have been obvious, as Laxus continued talking a moment later. "Rule four, if a mission's going to shit and you think you can salvage it, you do it. So if you've got any ideas, I'd love to hear them."

Freed went to open his mouth to explain his idea, but he heard movement from across the room and glanced towards the door. It was opening, and two more suspects were walking through it, stone-faced and angry.

Before he could second guess himself, he launched himself onto Laxus and began to kiss him.

It was a sloppy, energetic, and passionate kiss. Laxus was frozen for a few moments, but Freed forced himself to push on in the hope that Laxus was trying to understand what was happening. Laxus quickly started to kiss back, and a hand ran down Freed's back, pulling him close. Freed began to mess his hands through Laxus' hair, heart pounding and a ringing in his ears cutting through his panic. He couldn't think of how bad an idea this was, about how there were probably hundreds of other ways to deal with this, because rumours stated that the dark mages were powerful, and he didn't want to get into a fight he could avoid.

Kissing wasn't enough for his plan. People kissed all the time. They needed to get… intimate. Freed began to run his hands over Laxus' torso – damn was he strong – and he felt large hands groping at his ass in return. He gasped into the kiss, and forced himself to remember that it was just for the mission.

The sound of a door closing snapped him back to reality, and he glanced to the side without breaking the kiss to see the suspects had left. He pulled himself off of Laxus, to find he'd been dragged so he was straddling the man's thigh at some point, and turned away with a blush, panting quietly.

"Good plan," Laxus said, voice also breathless. "Think it threw them off."

"Yes," Freed agreed. He couldn't look towards Laxus now. He simply couldn't. "I'm sorry for doing-"

"Don't, you did what you had to do," Laxus cut him off, voice somewhat stern, which wasn't helping the situation. "I would've done the same if I thought of it, and you fixed my fuck up. So no complaints."

"Okay," Freed didn't feel any better. He stood up and reached for his towel, still not looking at Laxus. "I think I should sit at the juice bar for a while, we've been together for long enough."

"Wait," Laxus began, shifting slightly but Freed was climbing from the hot tub before he could reach for him. "This ain't- you don't have to leave on my account."

"I'm not," Freed lied. Because of course he was. Laxus might be straight, he might not like Freed, and he might not appreciate being kissed like that at random. "If we spend all out time in the hot tub, it'll look odd. It was overdue, more so now they've seen us."

Laxus looked ready to argue, but sighed and nodded. Freed walked towards the juice bar, fighting the urge to touch his lips. Electricity danced over them.

Kissing Laxus… it felt like being struck by lightning.

#Fraxus Week #Fraxus #freed justine #laxus dreyar #Fairy Tail #Fanfic #Writing #Two-Shot #Chapter One #canon divergence #Word Count: 3.5k

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human-person234 · 3 years ago

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UPDATE UPDATE UP DATE U P D A A A T E

I'm sobbing with relief, you guys. I've been so stuck on this. I can't believe it took me two months to update. Things were getting better, over the last week or so I managed to write a few sentences here and there, but today it just clicked and I banged out the whole chapter like nobody's business. It feels so good. I don't have the next one written, but I have it outlined, and I have a tentative outline for the rest of the fic--not that we're too near the end, yet. It's just a good sign.

I have some thoughts about the chapter, the fic, and its effect on my mental health, but I have a feeling this will get long so I'm going to put a break. Click if you want to read my rambling about all that, I guess.

Writing this fic ended up being a bigger part of my personal mental health journey than I anticipated, so it's natural that they'd be intertwined. I only wrote it because I was so obsessed with the Suicidal Midoriya Izuku tag I ran out of fics to read and had to make my own. Not exactly "mentally stable" behavior.

If you read Wish I Hadn't Got So Much Better, esp my notes and comments, you know that suicidal ideation is a very real issue for me, both in my past and (surprisingly, like for the Izuku of that story) my present.

I'm not opposed to talking about it, so if anyone wants to chat about that kind of stuff, my DMs and asks are open, seriously, I love talking about mental health and any excuse to talk about myself is welcome. But I won't get into it too much here.

Basically, I was depressed, and dealing with some other physical health issues (TURNS OUT I'VE BEEN BREATHING MOLD FOR MONTHS NO WONDER I'M EXTRA LETHARGIC), and when I started to fall behind on updates, that only exacerbated my anxiety and guilt and, thus, depression.

Something else that came up for me was that I don't totally feel qualified to write about suicide recovery, because I never experienced it in the way I'm writing it.

I basically dumped this on Izuku in Wish I Hadn't Got So Much Better, but essentially, I do have experience with being suicidal, just not the "getting help" part. I do see a psychiatrist for my disorders, but no one ever found out about the suicidal part.

So, like Hizashi and Shouta say in Chapter 13, "Who do I think I am? Why do I think I could take care of a child?" I have no idea what guided recovery looks like, because I did it alone. I kept thinking, what if I'm doing it wrong, what if I'm missing something important, what if people who really had these experiences think I'm taking it lightly?

So that's part of the source for my end note for this chapter--I realized that as long as I'm doing my due diligence, I don't have to feel guilty about getting it wrong, because real people get it wrong too. Also, it's fanfiction, I'm allowed some wiggle room. I've read and loved and recommended fics with far looser basis in reality, and never considered complaining. I'm just a harsher critic of myself than I am of others, as are most people.

On a more technical note, I also struggled with pacing the story. I kept feeling like I was stuck in a real-time pace, and I couldn't figure out how to stop describing literally every action my characters took. How hard is it to zoom out and do a fucking timeskip, for goodness' sake?

For me--very hard, it turns out.

So I kind of gave up, gave myself permission to stop trying. I even stopped reading MHA fics for a little while (no way I could stop reading fics, though). I went back to one of my all-time fave fics, from what might be my favorite anime--Run With the Wind. The fic is Beyond the Wind by kstar2091.

Honestly, I thought my first fic would be in this fandom. I figured it would be a poor homage to this fic, a continuation of canon events finally giving us the romance that had been simmering all 23 episodes. My pfp is best boy Kiyose Haiji for a reason.

Uh oh, that was a bit of a tangent.

My point is, re-reading my fave fic (with delicious new chapters) inspired me, bc kstar is legit VERY GOOD at exactly what I was struggling with--passing a lot of in-story time without sacrificing content or intensity.

So, the little interlude in Izu's POV covering a week or so in the chapter I just posted--that's thanks to kstar2091, Beyond the Wind, and ofc my best boy Haiji. Once I got through that bit, it all started flowing like chocolate sauce at a Golden Corral.

There's a lot of juicy bits upcoming, some of which people have been eagerly awaiting. One of them is obvious. Others, you might hate me for?? But also I hope you'll love them, because you're all screwed up like me.

So yeah, I'm not promising weekly updates anymore, but the juices are flowing, the sun is shining, the mold is blooming in my bedroom, and I'm slowly getting back on my mood stabilizers.

If anyone wants to talk about mental health, or ask me anything personal, feel free, you won't offend or upset me. Or, don't say anything, and just keep reading! Or stop reading, idk, it's your life.

#ao3 #bnha fanfiction #suicidal izuku #tw suidice #author's note

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xianglingslesbian · 4 years ago

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Hiii, if you're still doing the writing ask: 2, 5, 7, 12, 15, 22, 29, 30, 31-32, 37, 39, 40, 50 and 54 I am absolutely Incapable of asking just a few when there's such a good list present & such an interesting person to ask, thank youuu and I'm sorryyy <333

AKJSDJKDSF VEE NO NEED TO BE SORRY UR AN ANGEL 💖💖💖💖💖 this got VERY long so i’m putting it under a cut

2. Favorite part of writing.

the writing process itself!! i love when the words start to flow and sew themselves together, when i know exactly where a scene is going and manage to be surprised by how it’s turned out anyway.

5. Books or authors that influenced your style the most.

hmm... i’d say khaled hosseini, his simple but powerful use of language is smth i rlly try to emulate!! i’m also greatly influenced by brandon sanderson’s stormlight archive series, i love the way he manages to take the simplest of things and derive powerful imagery from them. neil gaiman and nikita gill inspired me too haha

7. Favorite author.

samantha shannon!!! if you haven’t read ‘the priory of the orange tree’ READ IT it’s so good

12. How do you deal with self-doubts?

i look at my writing once more and try to figure out what bothers me about it and why i’m doubting myself. if it’s more a general self-doubt thing then i try to distract myself because i don’t wanna dwell on it too much haha

15. Where does your inspiration come from?

anything and everything! right now i’ve got a long ruler and pencil next to me, so when i look at that i imagine... what sort of live commentary they’d give if they were sentient, or what i could use them as metaphors for, things like that!

22. How many drafts do you need until you’re satisfied and a project is ultimately done for you?

depends on the project, bc there’s always something that can be better. usually i do just one draft, then rewrite scenes i’m personally not happy with and send it off to the beta lmao

29. Who do you write for?

myself. there’s nothing better to me than an empty document and an idea, it sets me free.

30. Favorite line you’ve ever written.

is it cheating if it’s more than one line

Then again, whatever takes you away from something you love is often what brings you back to discover it painted freshly in hues you never could have imagined back then. To find it the same as ever, warm and familiar, and yet…

Born anew.

this is the last line of ‘eagles’ and i think its rlly impactful bc it encapsulates what change means to me personally. also i like the imagery in it lol

31. Hardest character to write.

akashi is really tough for me to write bc on one hand he has a lot of negative traits, but on the other i don’t wanna trivialise his mental illness so figuring out that balance is always tough ahhh!!

32. Easiest character to write.

gray fullbuster from fairy tail! he was my first anime bby and i greatly identify with him so it’s just *insert projection insert projection insert projection*

37. Most inspirational quote you’ve ever read or heard that’s still important to you.

“Sometimes a hypocrite is simply a man in the process of changing.” -- Dalinar Kholin, Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson

39. Do you base your characters of real people or not? If so, tell us about one.

yes haha!! my current WIP’s MC is based off of this one girl i used to know when i was really young. i don’t remember her name, but i do remember that she was tenacious and free-spirited and an amazing friend. the character, dhruva, isn’t a complete copy of her, but there’s some pretty heavy influence there

40. Original Fiction or Fanfiction, and why?

as much as i love fanfic, i’m gonna say original fiction. playing in others’ sandboxes is amazing, but once you make your own, it’s just... it’s this bliss that you can’t substitute with anything else, for me at least!

54. Any writing advice you want to share?

don’t write because you ‘have to’, write because you want to. it should make you happy to create, or it’s a waste of your time. if you don’t feel like writing at a given moment, then don’t. don’t force yourself. it will come. you are no less of a writer than those who write 6000 words a day.

#vee #answered #writing #THANK U SM I HAD A BLAST DOING THESE

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abeautifulblog · 5 years ago

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Hi! do you think someone who knows nothing about the Dresden Files could follow the story of your Enemy Mine fic? asking for a friend. Jk, it's for me , I love your writing so much and I've read all your other works on AO3 (dont let me get started on how much I love your Robert) and I'm desperate for more. Enemy Mine is just... 145k. sitting there, mocking my ignorance of the Dresden Files. so my question is : fueled by enough desperation, can I read it as an original work? and understand?

Possibly...?

I mean, I'd love for you to read and enjoy it, but there's no mistaking Enemy Mine for a standalone or an original work -- it's VERY tightly tied in with the Dresden Files canon and builds on ten books' worth of plot and character developments. Readers have commented that it feels like an installment in the series, so you'd basically be picking up the Dresden Files on book eleven, with no idea who any of these people are or what their history with each other is. (And the "everyone in the cast gets a cameo" tag is only a slight exaggeration.)

However, I don't recommend actually reading the Dresden Files, because -- make no mistake -- it is not good. Butcher has some fun world-building ideas, and his characters frequently have fascinating potential, but his execution ranges from underwhelming to staggeringly terrible, garnished with liberal applications of unexamined Straight White Chauvinist Bullshit. The prose is amateurish, Harry is an obnoxiously male-gazy protagonist, and Butcher is very bad at female agency that isn't located in their tits. Enemy Mine was written in no small part as a way for me to engage with the elements of the series that pissed me off.

...And also to write Dresden/Marcone slash, because Marcone is a joy. 😍

Butcher set out to write a cliched mob villain, but wound up with a brilliant, badass, very attractive older man who is fascinated with Harry and relentless in his attempts to woo him. Marcone flirts, pulls Harry's pigtails, gallantly steps in to rescue him on occasion, and gets scary-sexy-possessive when anyone else tries to fuck with his favorite frenemy. He shows up a few times per book (always the highlight) so he and Dresden can bicker like they're in a romance novel and have seething sexual tension. All I wanted from the books was MOAR MARCONE -- and that’s what fanfiction is for, right? :D

So, all that said, you probably can't go into Enemy Mine cold, but reading relatively detailed summaries of the books (the chapter-by-chapter kind, not the whole-book kind) should equip you with everything you need. You'd get Butcher's ideas (which, as I said, can be pretty nifty) without having to put your eyeballs on the passages that will make you want to throw the book at a wall.

And yeah, reading detailed summaries for ten books of a series that I have not exactly talked up is still a big ask, but I hope you're desperate enough that you give it a shot. Because even nine years later, I still really really like Enemy Mine -- it’s fast-paced, it's funny, it's probably the best-plotted story I've ever done. It's got a mature and realistic romantic arc (I’ve said before that my kink is people walking into difficult relationships with their eyes wide open) and I got to draw in so many elements from canon and put my own spin on them.

Oh yeah, and bonus: if you acquaint yourself with the DF canon, then you can read not only my fic, but OTHER PEOPLE'S fics as well, and my friend, you are in for a treat. The Dresden Files fandom was small, but it produced so much amazing fic, and I am happy to give recs if you want them.

So -- happy reading? :D

(Lastly, if anyone wants to argue with me about the merits of the Dresden Files -- don't. Seriously, it's fine if you like them, we're all allowed to enjoy things that are problematic, I'm just not interested in talking about it anymore. I did all that ages ago, it's archived over on livejournal if you want to read the discussions I was having with people as I was posting it.)

#dresden files #harry dresden #marcone

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killjoy-3000 · 5 years ago

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A Battle of the Elements: Chapter One

AO3 Link:

Word count: 2024

Warnings: A few bad language words, I think thats it.

So this is my second official fanfiction, and I think it turned out okay? For chapter one, at least. I will try to post more chapters, but no promises, as I am a major procrastinator. Leave a comment, reblog, or a like if you enjoy!

Patton took a deep breath, filling his lungs with air. Walking through the front doors of Sandy Grove high school, he pasted on a smile. With luck, this would be the last school he ever attended. Waving at a few students that walked past, Patton started towards the front office. He had already registered in the school a few days prior, but he didn't yet have his locker combination or list of classes.

Once he grabbed everything he needed, the cheery-looking boy found his locker and placed his things into it. Adding a few animal pun stickers to the sides of his locker, he gave a firm nod. This was his new school, and he wouldn't mess up. Not like all the other times.

Patton stood after grabbing the things he needed for his first period. Turning around, he attempted to walk to his first class. As he sat on the floor, his things scattered around him, he realized that he had ran into someone. Looking over, he discovered that someone was a boy with dark purple hair, black eyeshadow under his eyes, and a baggie hoodie swallowing his skinny frame.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention! Let me help you! Are you alright?" Patton jumped up as he said this, ignoring the bruise he could feel forming on his arm from hitting it against the locker. Holding his hand out, the shorter boy offered to help the other.

Flinching at the hand, the boy scooted back. "I-I'm fine." He stood, glaring at Patton. "Watch where you're going." The mysterious boy grabbed his book that he had dropped, and walked away. Patton stood in the middle of the hall, confused. He decided to brush it off, thinking that the boy was having a bad day, and began to pick up his books.

A few hours later, Patton found himself in his fourth period class. In his nervousness for his first day of school, he had forgotten to eat breakfast, and was counting down the minutes until lunch. He had yet to make any friends, and hadn't even talked to anyone besides the teachers and the strange boy in the hall.

The bell rang, signaling the end of fourth period. Only one class to go until lunch , Patton thought. Then, he realized that he would have no one to sit with. Maybe I can go outside. Walking into the classroom, he sat down in his assigned seat. This was the first class that had assigned seating, but Patton wasn't complaining. It just meant that people would actually sit near him.

Looking around, he examined the people sitting around him. To his left, there was a serious looking student who wore a tie and glasses. His black hair was gelled back, and there wasn't anything out of place on his body. It was kind of scary how neat and tidy this guy looked.

Glancing to his right, Patton did a double take. The guy he had run into earlier was scrolling through his phone, not taking notice of anything around him. He didn't look very happy to be there, and his fingers kept tapping the desk and fiddling with his hoodie as he held his phone. He looked anxious about something, though Patton didn't know what.

Finally, Patton glanced behind him, and saw a guy dressed in a white shirt with a little golden crown on it and blue jeans. His hair was gelled back as well, but it was in a messier fashion than the tidy guy. He was laughing at something his friend had said, and looked like a fairly popular dude. Maybe Patton could become friends with him?

As the class went on, Patton tried to initiate a conversation with the other students. He got scolded by the teacher once or twice, but no one seemed eager to talk to him. The bell rang for lunch, and he hadn't gotten anywhere. Resigning himself to his fate, he walked to his locker and put away his things, grabbing some lunch money. He would just sit outside and eat alone.

Virgil sat in the bleachers, taking no notice of anything around him. It was late October, and he, loving the weather, often ate outside. He ate outside the rest of the year too, but he enjoyed it more this time of year. People didn't tend to be very nice to the dude wearing all black sitting in the back of the classroom, so he didn't bother trying to eat in the cafeteria.

As he ate his sandwich, the boy watched a short, curly haired kid walk outside, lunchbox in hand. Upon closer inspection, Virgil realized it was the boy he had knocked over earlier in the hall. He looked pretty happy, and skipped over to the bleachers. Cursing, Virgil ducked inside of his hood, hoping the boy wouldn't recognize him. The universe didn't seem too keen on listening though, because as the boy looked up and saw Virgil, his smile got even wider.

"Hey! You're the kid from my English class! And the one I bumped into in the hall!" Rushing up the steps, the blue-eyed boy smiled at Virgil, and raised a hand as a greeting. "I'm Patton, nice to meet you. Officially, anyway. Sorry for knocking you down in the hallway earlier, I wasn't paying attention. You weren't hurt, were you?"

Virgil raised his eyebrow, genuine confusion written on his face. Patton was… apologizing? For something that wasn't his fault? Realizing that he'd better say something, as it had been a few seconds, and Patton had asked a question, Virgil gave a small wave. "Uh, I'm Virgil. And I'm fine. Sorry I snapped at you earlier, I'm, ah, not much of a morning person."

Patton shrugged, his smile somehow getting even wider. "No harm done." Seemingly pondering something, he paused. "So, uh, why aren't you inside? Do you not have anyone to sit with?" He looked sad at this, as though Virgil's loneliness was the worst thing in his life at the moment.

Virgil considered the questions, and shook his head. "It's not that I don't have anyone to sit with, it's that I don't have anyone I want to sit with." He shrugged, showing that it was no big deal, and returned to eating his lunch. "What about you? You seem, uh, friendly. Has no one invited you to sit with them yet?"

At that remark, Patton seemed to deflate a bit. "Well, not exactly. Everyone looks like they already have their friend groups, and I wouldn't want to intrude." He sat down, and picked at the weird mush on his plate that resembled mashed potatoes. After a few seconds, he blinked, and looked up. "Do you have a friend group, Virgil?"

Virgil stared at Patton for a moment. "Wh- Of course I do! What's that supposed to mean? They're just… preoccupied right now. They like to sit inside, and I don't. That's all." He looked away, staring at the school. While part of what he'd said was true, it wasn't the entire story. Remus and Dee were more popular than him, so even though they liked to hang out with Virgil, they didn't tend to eat outside with him very often.

After a few minutes of silent eating, Patton seemed to grow uncomfortable at the lack of conversation, and spoke up. "So, um, what's Sandy Grove like? I just moved here with my mom and grandmother, but I don't know much about it." He picked at the sleeves of his sweater, and bit his lip, as if asking Virgil these questions would harm either of them.

"It's a fairly boring town. We've got one store, an old, broken movie theater, and a cafe with cockroaches. There're 200 kids at the high school, and 300 at the elementary, which has grades K-8. There's nothing to do, nothing to see, and, quite frankly, I have no idea why you'd move here." Throwing his trash into his lunch sack, Virgil stood, and prepared to go inside.

"So have you lived here your whole life?" Asked Patton, still trying to make conversation. Giving a small nod, the darkly-dressed student began to walk inside. The other followed, rushing to keep up with Virgil's long strides. As they walked inside the building, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.

The bell rang, and Logan gathered his books up for his next class. He had spent his lunch period in the library, as he usually does, and was now prepared for his Calculus test in his seventh period. He was walking through the halls, making his way to his sixth period, when he hit something. That something appeared to be a short boy with round glasses, curly blond hair, and freckles.

As the shorter boy fell, Logan grabbed his arm, stopping his descent. He stumbled over his feet, but managed to catch the other. They stood there for a few seconds, each of their eyes wide, until Logan came to his senses and straightened up. He let go of the small boys hand, and grabbed the books that fell to the floor.

"Are you alright?" He asked in a calm voice, though his heart was racing. He felt bad, as he hadn't even noticed the boy in front of him until they had almost fallen on each other. The other nodded, taking his books from Logan's hands gratefully. "Thanks," said the freckled student quietly. "Sorry for running into you."

He looked ... scared. Almost as if he thought Logan were going to yell at him. "It's fine. No one got hurt. Just watch where you are going next time." He told the boy, looking over him once more to make sure he was okay. When the boy nodded his understanding, Logan turned away to walk to his class. Unbeknownst to him, the short boy watched him leave, awe written all over his face.

For the rest of the day, Logan questioned why the boy he had run into looked so fearful and timid. Surely he hadn't looked that mean, had he? While people told him all the time he had a "resting bitch face", he didn't ever think it was that mean looking. Maybe he should work on softening it, so as not to scare anyone else.

Later that day, when Logan arrived at his house, he began on a project due in a few weeks. Better to get a head start than to never start at all. After working on it for around an hour, he got out his planner and looked over it, checking to make sure he had done everything he needed to that day. When it seemed like he was ahead on all of his assignments, he slumped back in his chair, staring at the ceiling.

The stars on his walls and ceiling had been there since Logan was in fourth grade. His best friend at the time had helped him stick the small, glowing stars everywhere they could think of, and even now, seven years later, they all remained unmoved. His father thought they were foolish decorations, but he couldn't bring himself to get rid of them. They represented a large part of his childhood, and he would sooner get a B on an assignment than trash them.

It was funny, he supposed, that he loved space. The sky full of stars and far away planets was one of Logan's greatest passions. He had even considered becoming an astronaut when he was younger, but he knew it would never happen. As terrified of heights as he was, even thinking of going up there, thousands of miles above the ground, made him feel physically sick.

He got up and walked out of his room, careful to be quiet. It was around nine p.m., and his father didn't like him to be outside after it got dark. Stepping carefully, Logan made his way through the large, empty house, and finally arrived outside. He went over to his favorite spot in the large yard, and lay down, letting the feeling of the grass and the cool night air wash over him.

#sanders sides #sanders sides fic #roman sanders #logan sanders #deciet sanders #virgil sanders #remus sanders #patton sanders #myfic #human au #powers au #highschool au #hopefully this doesnt flop #halp

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eryiss · 3 years ago

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Ship: Freed x Laxus

Rating: Mature [References Bullying and Homophobia]

Prompt: AU Rivalry Teamup

Summary: Sent away to a delinquents academy, Freed knew life wouldn't be easy. That was proven to be the case when he met Laxus, a cocky, aggressive arse who used his fists over his words. At least, that's what he thought when they first met, but things can change over the span of a year.

Notes: This is the sixth submission for Fraxus Week, hosted by @fuckyeahfraxus. This one has a brief descrition of bullying and period typical homophobia.

Links: Event Masterlist ||| Archive of Our Own, Fanfiction

The London School for Delinquent Boys

Year 1890

Location: London, England

"We've a new boy in class today," The teacher – Mister Porland, that's what he'd called himself – said as Freed stood before the blackboard. "Freed Justine. I expect you all to behave and not cause any trouble with him."

Freed would have picked another way to be introduced if he'd been granted the choice. He would have much rather not had an introduction at all, and instead he'd slip into the back of the classroom, wave off all the questions that would be aimed at him, and try and get through the first day without any complaints. Instead, he'd been forcibly marched to the front of a class of about thirty sixteen-to-seventeen-year-old boys – all of whom had been taken from regular education and placed in a disciplinary academy – and been served up almost on a silver platter.

He had to wonder if this was a punishment in and of itself. A hazing from the teachers.

It wasn't that he was intimidated by them, of course. He'd earned his place in the school just like them, and he could more than handle himself, but he didn't care for the fuss. This was as close to jail someone of his age and social stature could undergo and, due to an enthusiast habit of reading and a slight flare for the dramatic, he'd decided prison rules might best serve him. Rule number one was to keep your head down.

A few jeers, exclamations and a patronising whistle filled the room, quickly quietened by the teacher. Freed made an effort not to pay attention to it. Animals, all of them. At least he could be safe in the knowledge that he held moral superiority over them, not that he'd state it out loud. Idiots tended not to like being told that.

Keeping his head down would be harder than he thought.

After he was allowed to take his seat, he was forced to walk through the lot of them to the back of the classroom. The jeering continued, albeit quietly, and someone tried to trip him as he walked. He ignored them, and nearly got to his seat when a particular classmate caught his eye. He wore an arrogant sneer, had a scar running down his face, and had shoulders larger and broader than a student their age ought to have.

Freed would have thought the boy attractive were it not for the look of challenge in his eyes, one Freed knew all too well. This boy was testing him, wanting to see if he would be a victim in the school or someone to be respected. To show him, Freed halted his step, made eye contact with the boy for a few moments, and then continued walking to take his seat.

A little 'hm' was the blonde's only response, but Freed paid it no mind.

Two weeks passed before the blonde actual did anything. The two weeks consisted of Freed getting used to his new surroundings, idiots trying and failing to one-up him in the hopes of looking tough in front of their idiot friends, and the blonde's presence being constant but in the distance. That changed when the blonde approached him in the dinner hall.

"Hey," The blonde grunted in greeting, storming towards Freed. His body was tense, coiled up and ready for a fight. "You think you're better than me or something?"

Freed didn't know why the blonde thought that, exactly, but his response was instant. "Better than you, yes."

He felt that was a fair way to think. The blonde had proven himself to be nothing of note intellectually, he barely spoke in lessons and when he did it was usually to make an unwarranted joke or to get an answer wrong, and he seemed quick to anger. More than once, he'd lurched at another student, looking ready for a fight he'd probably win. The fights never happened exactly, but they seemed like a constant risk. So yes, Freed did think he was better than him.

"This whole thing might 'a worked out in yer old school," The blonde growled, taking another step forward. Freed didn't flinch. "But actin' like yer hot shit and that yer smarter than everyone here ain't working. You're here like the rest of us, and you ain't better just because your pa's got money."

"I don't think I'm better than everyone here," Freed retorted, also taking a step forward. "But I am better than an idiot who can't shut up and takes his hobby by rolling around in the mud, somewhat like a little pig. My betterment was never in question."

The insult wasn't his best. The reference to the blonde's position in the rugby team tenuous at best, and Freed's supposed superiority complex might have shone through – but it annoyed the blonde, so it served its purpose.

He would have rather not been shoved in the chest, though.

Stumbling back slightly, Freed made a choice. He had been told in no uncertain terms that he wasn't to get into another fight, it was partially the reason he was there in the first place, but the blonde deserved a punching. He seemed to be something of an unofficial head-boy, and the fear of him was obvious to anyone who would look, and as such Freed felt a punch to the face was long overdue. He was a student like anyone else, and while others might want to lie down and take it, Freed didn't.

That was why he punched him. It hurt more than he thought it would.

Their fight was hardly that. It lasted less than a minute, and anger overpowered its elegance. Freed perhaps got another two punches in, and received one in return. Teachers were storming over the moment it started, and were dragging them away before it could get out of hand, but Freed felt good to hit the bastard.

"Laxus Dreyar, Freed Justine," Their head teacher yelled, voice filled with a rage that Freed felt was slightly exaggerated given the situation. "My office, now."

As Freed was dragged – literally dragged, which again was an overreaction – into the office, he was sure of three things. He'd already completely failed in his goal of not bringing any attention on himself; his father was going to find out and want him thrashed for getting into a fight again; and Laxus Dreyar had perhaps the most interesting name he'd ever heard.

---

"You heard what he did?"

"Nearly killed him."

"Apparently they're gonna kick him out."

"Nah, he's the team captain."

Freed didn't pay attention to the conversations happening around him as he ate. After three months of being in the academy, he'd learned it was best not to. Most of the people had nothing of interest to say, and the people who were interesting were the ones likely to try and start a fight with you if they knew you were listening. He'd learned that when a younger boy, Natsu, tried to punch him and Freed had ended up dumping a bowl of cereal over the man's head and temporarily strangling him with his tie. The detentions and lack of breakfasts for a week had been worth it.

In truth, he'd forged a comfortable place for himself in the school. He was known as the boy who gave Dreyar a black eye, and that title came with its perks. Mainly that most people would leave him alone. He and Dreyar had… something. He couldn't tell if it was a truce, or simply a stalemate. But either way, Freed would enjoy the calm and only reignite the fight should Laxus need another punching.

Other than that, Freed was forgettable in the school. People ignored him, he ignored them, and everyone went on as if he hadn't arrived. The school was fine – teachers were far too happy to punish, but that was to be expected – and their lessons were as good as his old schools had been. Had his parents been scammed, the tuition fee had been high?

His parents were an issue. They hadn't visited, but they were in constant communication with the head teacher, and apparently their 'donations' meant Freed was put under a spotlight by the staff. Maybe that was why they were so quick to punish: they were being paid to do so. Annoying, but it could be worse.

The food, however, was abysmal.

Mashed potatoes and sausages would be a good meal, but the potato was half cooked, and the sausages were tiny. He'd eaten as much as he could stomach within a minute, so he absently played with the food with a slight huff. The rain, as tended to happen in England, was heavily pouring and Freed knew the moment a teacher saw he'd stopped eating he would be forced into the yard for recreational activities. The eating hall was at least partially warm, and he had to admit that the conversation behind him was of interest.

"What's that got to do with anything?" One boy shrugged.

"They don't wanna piss off the rugby team, they all worship him," The other explained. "If they kick him out, everyone gets angry about it, and they fight back. They'll never do it."

"You didn't see the kid," The first dismissed. "Half dead. They've gotta do something."

"Doesn't seem like Laxus to just beat a kid up for no reason," The second argued, and Freed did have to agree. Laxus was an argumentative and aggressive man, but he did tend to stick to people his own age. Mainly those who knew how to fight back, as well. "The kid must have pissed him off."

"Romeo, nah," The first laughed, and Freed frowned. "Kid's nothing. Wouldn't bother Laxus."

Romeo. Romeo Conbolt. It took Freed a moment to put a face to the name, and when he did his fork stalled and his body tensed. He had heard the rumours of a kid being beaten half to death, of course he had, but he hadn't heard who it was. He wouldn't have cared, were it not for the fact he had seen days prior the beating Romeo had endured. Laxus hadn't been the one to beat the kid, it had been a group of six of his classmates.

Freed had stopped it, of course. They were all thirteen, he was seventeen and the boy who got into a fight with the school's toughest figure, so they scarpered when he yelled at them to stop. He told the kid to go to the nurse, and saw the issue as finished with.

Had the kid used Laxus as a scapegoat? Or had it been the group of brats?

Either way, Freed was a man of principles. As much as he wouldn't mind seeing the back of Laxus and his insistence of approaching problems with his fists, it wasn't fair to have him blamed for something he hadn't done. Especially when a grown man beating a kid was something that could get him taken from the school and placed into an actual jail. That wasn't fair. He stood, and quickly started to walk towards the head teacher's office.

"Enter," The headmaster, Mister Fernandes, said once Freed had knocked on the door. Freed entered, and waited in silence. "Mister Justine. It's rare you're here voluntarily."

"I suppose so, sir," Freed agreed, ignoring the insult. "Sir, I have a complaint to make."

"Of course you do," Mister Fernandes sighed, removing a pair of spectacles, and leaning forward in his chair. "You do know that this is a disciplinary institution, and I don't act on the word of my students. If you have issues with your treatment then it's not my concern."

"I understand that sir," Freed assured him. "But my complaint is more about the treatment of another student: Laxus Dreyar."

"You needn't worry about that," Mister Fernandes dismissed the complaint, despite the fact Freed had yet to make it yet. "I know that you and he have something of a… personal vendetta against one another, and I'm sure that the rumours about what he has done have reached you. I will be following a strict set of procedures which will likely end up with him incarcerated for what he did to a younger boy. He'll be out of your hair soon, so don't concern yourself about it."

"That is not my complaint."

"If this is something to do with your silly feud then I'm really not interested by it," Mister Fernandes sighed. "As I said, he'll most likely be out of here within the month. If you can't be civil for that long then that's a bad reflection on your own character. And boys your age really should be fighting their own battles."

Freed bit back a retort, wanting to point out that the time he did try to fight his own battle he was dragged away and reprimanded. Instead, he calmed himself and spoke again with the level of respect a teacher believed they deserved.

"Laxus wasn't the person who attacked Romeo, sir," He said, and the headteacher paused. "It was a group of his classmates. Six of them, I believe."

"And you know this how?" Mister Fernandes asked.

"I walked in on them doing it, sir," Freed admitted, not flinching when the teacher looked at him with sharpened poise. "They stopped when I approached, Romeo went to the nurse's office and I expected him to tell you who actually was responsible, rather than placing the blame on Laxus. Had I known earlier what he'd done, I would have spoken to you sooner."

Mister Fernandes took a moment, thinking before sighing. "He did, actually. He gave me a list of names, before returning a day later stating that it was actually Laxus to blame, and that he'd lied initially as he was worried about the consequences."

"And you believed him?" Freed asked before he could stop himself.

"Are you questioning me, Justine?"

"No, sir."

He was.

"You're dismissed, Justine. Thank you for speaking with me," Mister Fernandes waved a hand in his direction, and Freed nodded curtly and went to walk away. "It was big of you to do this, Justine. Well done."

"It's what's expected of me, sir," Freed dismissed.

"Good man," Mister Fernandes nodded, before waving Freed off again.

Freed left, closing the door behind him. He immediately turned to the right and started walking towards the courtyard, which was still being battered by the heavy rain. As he walked, he was completely unaware that Laxus was leaning on the wall outside of the office, looking at Freed with an expression of mingled bewilderment, disbelief, and belligerent respect.

---

The idiom that the enemy of one's enemy was one's friend was a complicated one. It was limited, didn't work for all situations, and seemed to fall apart under any scrutiny. Freed had long since decided that it didn't make much sense when thought about, and yet he found himself subscribing to the idea when it fitted him.

That was the reason he found himself walking into the rugby team's changing room.

Laxus seemed to notice him approaching the moment Freed walked into the room, and stopped mid-way through changing into his kit to stare Freed down. Freed wasn't put off by the intense and lingering gaze of the man, walking towards him without hesitation. The room seemed to quieten around him, and Freed couldn't be sure if it was because of his presence in the room or because Laxus apparently changed in the back corner away from most of his team. That worked well for what Freed wanted, at least.

"The hell are you doin' here?" Laxus said, voice growly and angry sounding. He always sounded like that with Freed, but it seemed more intense today. Perhaps this how he acted before a match.

"I have a favour to ask of you," Freed stated.

"No," Laxus rebutted immediately.

"You might enjoy doing it."

"Wouldn't be a favour, it'd be an opportunity," Laxus smirked, seemingly proud of himself. Freed had to give him credit, it was somewhat clever. "So, what's the great and powerful Freed Justine need from a man like me? Lessons on how to be an idiot; that's what you keep calling me. Or is it a few tips on rolling around in the mud? Y'know, because that's all rugby is, right."

"The captain of the team you're playing," Freed began, rather than rising to the bait. "Hurt him for me."

"What?" Laxus asked, a laugh tainting the word.

"Hurt him," Freed repeated. "Kick him, punch him, give him a concussion if you're able to. Or perhaps accidentally kick him in the balls, that'd be rather nice to watch. Just do whatever you can to make him cry."

"Why?" Laxus grinned, clearly enjoying this.

"You're playing my old school's team, and he's the reason I got sent here in the first place," Freed admitted, ignoring the quirked eyebrow he got. "He deserves more pain than he gets, I suspect. I want you to remedy that."

"And why should I?" Laxus said, voice a little taunting as he continued to change into his rugby kit. Freed forced himself to ignore the strong body that was revealed to him when Laxus removed his shirt. "We ain't exactly friends, are we? Maybe I'd have more in common with him than I do with you."

"Do you need an excuse to hurt someone?" Freed asked, and Laxus held his gaze. Freed eventually relented. "I can tell you the team's weaknesses. The coach wont change tactics and so they can be exploited."

Laxus thought for a moment. "Nah, you don't need to. I'll do it."

"You will?" Freed asked. He… honestly hadn't expected that.

"Yeah," Laxus nodded. "So long as you watch. If I'm gonna put on a show, I wanna know I'm gonna have an audience."

Laxus pulled on his shirt, much to Freed's quiet disappointment, and sat on the bench before his locker. He leant against it and looked at Freed expectantly, who was looking back with confusion and disbelief. His arrival in the changing room was stupid at best – he'd seen the man who had gotten him there in the first place and old resentment bubbled up faster than Freed would have liked – and as such he had thought Laxus would dismiss him. It's what Freed would have done were the situation flipped.

"Why?" Freed asked.

"This place is shit, anyone would wanna punch the guy who put 'em here. I don't get to do it, but it'll be fun to do it to some other guy," Laxus shrugged, standing up and cracking his back when the coach called for the team to leave for their warmups. He stepped past Freed, but halted once they were all alone. "Be there, pretty-boy."

"What?" Freed stammered slightly. Had Laxus just…

"You think I don't know the reason you're here?" Laxus chuckled a little, but it lacked the edge it normally did. He lowered his eyes slightly and spoke softer than Freed was used to. "You two get caught? Or did he catch you with some other guy and squealed on ya?"

Freed shouldn't answer. He and Laxus weren't friends and admitting anything to him was stupid, but he found himself whispering, "The latter."

"Fucker," Laxus growled, equally quietly. Freed didn't know what to think of it. "Yer right, he needs a kick in the balls. I'll handle it."

"Thank you," Freed whispered.

"Don't worry about it," Laxus dismissed. "Besides, I guess I kinda owe you for stopping me from getting expelled, don't I?" Freed frowned a little. That had been half a year ago, and he didn't know that Laxus even knew of it. Laxus didn't seem to notice Freed's change in body language and continued talking with a smirk. "And, you never know, having a pretty little rich boy watching me might make me play better."

That was all Laxus said before slowly dragging a knuckle over Freed's cheek in a gesture so light but so intimate that Freed felt a shiver run over him completely. Laxus grinned at him, pushed his knuckle against Freed's lips for a split second, before leaving Freed alone in the locker room, heart racing and eyes wide.

---

"How did you know?"

"How'd I know what?"

"The real reason I'm here."

Both Freed and Laxus were sitting on the school house's roof. Laxus had been taking a drag of his cigarette when Freed had approached him and sat bedside him, and the blonde absently offered Freed one. He didn't take it, and for a few moments they had been sitting in silence before Freed had broken it.

It was the last day of the school year. Freed would be dragged back to his home, where his parents would no doubt have a list of grievances about his behaviour throughout the year. His father would make threats about how if his behaviour didn't improve immediately, he would be punished off the back of the man's belt. Nothing would come of it, of course – the elder Mister Justine stopped punishing Freed that way the moment Freed was of an age where he could fight back – but the yelling would be near consistent. It always was when Freed met with his parents now.

He wasn't going to complain. There was no point. Instead, he was going to tie off the loose ends of his school life, particularly with Laxus. Because, when it came to the beautifully, and now somewhat flirtatious man, Freed really didn't know where he stood.

"It's obvious, when you've been here for long enough," Laxus explained, puffing out a stream of smoke. "Yer not obvious, I don't mean that, but when you've been here for years you look out for the signs."

"And what were the signs?"

"You never spoke about why you're here other than saying you got into a fight. I'm guessing it was with the guy who told on ya," Laxus shrugged a little, shifting slightly so that his side was pressed against Freed. "Everyone here wears their story like a badge of honour. Getting into fights, beating kids up, stealing from places. They're all good stories and get's you a lot of credit in a place like this. The worse you were, the more respect you get," Laxus chuckled. "There's only one thing that gets you in here that you don't talk about. Yer queer, and you get found out."

"You don't talk about why you're here," Freed pointed out, and Laxus turned to look at him with a lazy smirk.

"My dad saw me with the neighbour kid," He laughed. "He wasn't even good looking, felt sorry for him really and wanted to know what it's like to kiss a guy. But dad walked in, threw a fit, and I've been here since I was thirteen."

"That's awful of him."

"Maybe, but this place ain't so bad once you get used to it," Laxus shrugged again, leaning back against the wall he was resting on. "Kinda funny, really. I'd say about a quarter of the guys are here for the same reason we are. If you know what to look out for, you can have a pretty good time."

"You could have told me," Freed laughed a little. "I've been rather bored."

"If I told ya, I wouldn't have you all to myself," Laxus grinned, and blew a puff of smoke directly into Freed's face. Freed simply quirked an eyebrow. "I've been spending the last couple of weeks showin' off to ya on the field and I think it was working pretty well. Hardly fair on me if I got you all excited only for ya to use it on some other guy."

"You're a manipulative man when you want to be, Laxus," Freed smirked, leaning just a little closer to Laxus. "But you haven't done anything yet, have you?"

"Maybe I want ya to be desperate for me," Laxus whispered, voice low and rumbling. "Maybe I'm waiting for you to make the move on me."

"If that's true, then maybe you've waited long enough."

They were close now, and Freed wanted to be closer. Laxus' hand was resting against his thigh, and Freed leant further in. He could smell the smoke on Laxus breath, see the slight dilation of the man's eyes as he grinned, and slowly brought their lips together in a slow, tentative kiss.

His first kiss. A beautifully electric, smoky kiss that set Freed's very soul on fire.

He tangled his hand into Laxus' short hair, tugging at it slightly and relishing the slight groan that he was given in return. Laxus pushed into him further, and Freed practically melted.

Eventually, when a harsh gust of wind flew over them and shook them from the spell of their kiss, they pulled apart. They were quiet for a moment, the gravity of what happened only just hitting Freed. He had just kissed the brutish, angry, brilliant man he had once expected to hate, and had felt more alive than ever before.

"You better be here next year."

"Nothing could stop me."

"That's right, pretty-boy."

They shared a smirk, and leant forward to reignite another perfect kiss.

#Fraxus Week #Fraxus #Freed Justine #Laxus Dreyar #Fairy Tail #Fanfic #Writing #One Shot #1800's AU #Rivalry AU #Boarding School AU #Word Count: 4.2k

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eryiss · 4 years ago

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Fraxus Week 2020: Day 1 - First Meeting

Summary: After a crappy post-college first year, Laxus jumped at the opportunity to leave town for a week for a road trip with his friends. He intended it just to be a week away with his friends, but when he meets an unfamiliar stranger, the vacation turns into something much more. [Fraxus Multichapter]

This was written as part of the annual Fraxus Week event hosted by @fuckyeahfraxus. This year I’ve decided to make an eight-part multi-chapter fic out of the prompts. They might not be in the correct order, but I think the end product will be worth it. Hope you all enjoy it.

You can read this on Fanfiction, Archive of our Own, and under the cut. Read the other chapters from this masterlist.

Chapter One – Getting Aboard

It had been Bickslow's idea.

Nobody would think it, but the blue haired idiot was perhaps the most caring of the group, the mother figure, in a way. He wasn't the most conventional 'mom friend', and it certainly didn't diminish his enthusiasm to get drunk off his ass when the opportunity presented itself, but he was always the one keeping an eye out on his friends and knew when something was wrong. Apparently he had seen something was wrong with all three of them, and had come up with this plan on how to fix it.

A road trip to the Grand Canyon. None of his friends knew where the idea had come from, nor did they know why he insisted on renting an RV and driving there instead of getting the train. But the man had this enthusiasm about him that was cast upon them like a spell, and they couldn't find a way to fight it. Perhaps they all knew they needed the break.

Laxus was damn sure he did.

It had been just shy of a year since his graduation from college, and his plan had been to get a job in a gym being a personal trainer. That hadn't happened. He'd gone to many job interviews and nothing had come from any of them, and each rejection had been like a punch to the gut. He knew he couldn't just use his grandfather's money for ever, so had gotten what was meant to be a temporary job in an office while he looked for more appropriate employment. That had been nine months ago, and he hadn't been near to an interview for his chosen career in over half a year.

So far, his post college life had been a failure. Perhaps he had been naïve to think good things would happen instantly, perhaps he just needed to be patient. But the idea of getting away from everything for a week was what he needed.

Even if it was in what he could only assume was a crappy van.

Even if he had to wake up at five thirty to get on the highway before the majority of traffic, for some reason.

Even if one of the people he was traveling with was a stranger.

He had known Bickslow for the longest. They had been friends since they were kids and, although Bickslow moving away for college had meant they weren't as close as they once were, Laxus still considered the man his closest friend. He was chaotic, loyal, and overall just a fun guy. He could be obnoxious, but who couldn't?

Evergreen had come later, when she transferred into their high-school and Bickslow had dragged her into their small group. She was a little haughty at first, but that was clearly a defensive state she took on as the new girl. As they got closer, she showed a snarkier and quick-witted side. She fit in with the two men like the missing piece of a puzzle, even if she had a stupid insistence of hitting them with a fan when annoyed.

But now there was Freed.

Laxus didn't know all that much about Freed. He knew that he went to the same college that Bickslow and Ever did. He knew that he lived a few towns over, about half an hour's drive. He knew that he was a literary and science major. That was it. But both Bix and Ever thought well of him, so he was probably a good person.

"What time is he coming?" Makarov asked, cupping a mug of coffee while sitting at the kitchen table.

"Should be a few minutes," Laxus shrugged, biting into the toast he'd made for himself.

"I don't get why you have to leave this early," Makarov commented, glancing at the clock handing on the wall as sipped his drink. "You're going to be driving for days on end, you'll get caught in traffic anyway. You might as well sleep in to an appropriate time."

"Nobody asked you to see me off," Laxus quirked an eyebrow. He agreed with the sentiment though, he'd much rather leave later and deal with the traffic.

"No, but you seemed determined to bump into everything as you were getting ready and to make as much noise as you could. It's hard to sleep through that," Makarov grinned, clearly trying to get a reaction out of his grandson. "Besides, it's been years since I saw your friends, it'll be nice to see them again. And that new boy you'll be travelling with, I want to mee him too."

"We're picking him up later," Laxus said, crunching another bite of toast; he had burned it.

"Ah," Makarov nodded.

The two men fall into a comfortable quiet, the silence being accompanied by the radio Makarov had insisted turning on despite complaining about all the music they played. Laxus ate his breakfast while his grandfather read the newspaper. Once Laxus was finished, he checked the small suitcase that he had packed for himself to make sure it had everything he needed, then sat back at the kitchen table and waited for his friends to arrive.

A few minutes later he got the text saying that Bickslow was outside. He cracked his back and walked to the front door of the house he shared with his grandfather, and looked upon the large RV that had been parked at the foot of the driveway.

It was an impressive looking vehicle, and probably a good model. The idea to go on this road trip had been made in March, giving the four of them four months to save up enough to hire something relatively luxurious. Bickslow was hanging out of driver's seat window with a wide grin on his face, clearly happy that his plan was starting. Laxus found his enthusiasm infectious, and a small smile graced his lips as he approached.

This was exactly what he needed to put aside the disappointment of the year.

"Hey man," Bickslow greeted with a voice too loud for the time of the morning. He looked past Laxus and grinned wider. "Hey Mr D."

"Morning Bickslow," Makarov greeted from the doorframe, smiling. "Is Evergreen not with you?"

"She's in the back, sleepin'. Told her that it'll take a hell of a lot of beauty sleep not to make her look like that, but she didn't listen to me," He cackled at his own joke, and Laxus chuckled as he saw a hairbrush hit him in the back of his head. "The big guy wake you up, Mr D?"

"What do you think?" Makarov laughed, and Laxus glared at him. Since when was it a known trait that he couldn't keep quiet in the morning?

"See you in a week-old man," Laxus waved his hand, hoping to stop the taunting conversation between his friend and relative. "Try not to die while I'm gone."

"Cheeky brat," Makarov retorted with a grin. "Have fun kids."

Bickslow gave a response in the affirmative while Laxus pulled open the door of the RV, climbing up the steps. It was as nice inside as it was outside, with a small table and seating nook, a cooking area, a bed at the back and a small room that Laxus assumed would be the washroom. Laxus absently wondered if either he or Bickslow would manage to fit in the shower, given their size. But still, it was a nice vehicle and would be more than enough for their week inside of it.

Laxus walked to the front of the vehicle and took the passenger's seat, grinning at the sight of Evergreen with an eye mask on while buckled into the seats surrounding the table. The seat was comfortable enough, and Laxus found himself smiling at the vehicle.

"She's nice, right," Bickslow grinned in reference to the RV. "Best one they had. Turns out four of us not having any fun for months means we save a lot of money."

"Glad to hear it," Laxus chuckled. "I half expected you to pull up in some crappy van with a piss stained mattress in the back."

"Oddly specific there Dreyar. Speaking from experience?" Bickslow grinned, and it was clear that his excitement was going to make him completely obnoxious throughout the week. As annoying as it was, Laxus wouldn't have it any other way. "So, just gonna put this out here. Sleeping situation. The bed at the back fits two, and the table folds away and makes another single bed. Obviously, they'll be two of us in the back. So we can either have Ever and Freed sharing the single bed 'casue we won't fit-"

"Like hell I'm sharing," Ever snapped from her seat. "It'll be cramped enough as it is."

"Or we take turns each night with one of us in that chair," He nodded to the seat Laxus was sitting in. "It reclines and turns slightly, so they'll be enough leg space. It's basically like a plane seat without anyone behind you."

"I'm sure we can manage with that," Laxus nodded. "Wouldn't wanna piss of medusa," A hairbrush hit the back of Laxus' head this time. "How many brushes do you have?"

"Five, they each do different things," Evergreen grunted from her seat, and Laxus chuckled when he saw her put the mask over her eyes again.

"How can they do different things?" Laxus asked.

"They just do, it's why they're all different shapes and have thinner and thicker prongs," Evergreen sighed. "Ask Freed when he gets here, I'm sure he'll know. And that way you won't be talking to me and I can get some sleep."

Laxus decided not to push his luck, knowing that his friend had enough strength to throw a hair dryer at his head, as well as the morality to do so. Instead he leant over to Bickslow, who had pushed the key into the ignition, and spoke softly.

"Why would he know much about hair brushes exactly?" He asked, and Bickslow looked at him with confusion before realisation hit him.

"Sorry, I keep forgetting that you know basically nothing about him," He laughed, turning the key, and starting the engine. It was a powerful machine, and Laxus appreciated it. "Freed's got really long hair, keeps it pretty well looked after too. Goes down to his ass, don't know when he last had it cut. It looks good on him though. Oh, and it's green. Like, bright green."

"Really," Laxus furrowed his brows. "Everything you've said about him makes him seem pretty… strait laced I guess."

"He is, kinda. He's just got green hair," Bickslow shrugged, smiling wide. "He's kinda contradictory when you get to know him. You'll love him, I know it baby."

Bickslow revved the engine unnecessarily, waved out the window with an overly loud 'Bye Mr D!' as he did so, and started to pull out from Laxus' neighbourhood. Laxus gave his grandfather a small wave in goodbye, and saw the old man return the gesture. He leant back in his comfortable chair and allowed the gentle vibrations of the vehicle moving to calm him, closing his eyes softly as the warm sun hit his face through the front window.

This was exactly what he had needed after the year he'd had, and even the idea of being in the RV with a stranger didn't put a damper on his mood.

~~~

It had taken about forty minutes to get into the town Freed had lived in, and only a little while longer to get to his apartment. The building wasn't the nicest looking place in the world, and Bickslow explained that Freed lived by himself and financed his own life through his student loan and a job. Laxus didn't judge him; that was an admirable thing to do and he couldn't look down on his because he lived in a slightly crappy apartment building.

Honestly, for some reason he had expected a spoiled kid.

"Could you go up and get him?" Bickslow asked, looking towards Laxus.

"Can't you text him?"

"Nah, he takes hours to answer any texts, so I never know if he actually reads them quickly or not. Don't wanna be waiting down here for ages," Bickslow shrugged, and then grinned. "Besides, it'll give the two of ya a chance to get to know each other before you get trapped in here with us. Makes it less awkward."

Laxus sighed, but nodded. He was almost certain that getting to know Freed was the only reason he had been chosen to find the man, but he couldn't prove it as he didn't know if Bickslow's claim about his texting etiquette was true or not. He shifted his way out of the RV, Bickslow shouting the man's apartment number and the code for the door as he did so. Once he closed the door, he could swear that he heard the two speaking in the van, but ignored it.

The apartment building wasn't run down, but it was lacking luxury. Paint was peeling off some of the walls and the elevator opened with a horrid creak. Laxus walked into it and pushed the button for the ninth floor.

A ridiculous bubble of nervousness entered his stomach as the elevator started to ascend. He had never been talented socially, and his communication skills were both blunt and often uncared for. This had meant he never truly got used to being around new people, and it took him a while to warm up with most people. And now he was going to be stuck in a pretty small RV for around a week with a man he didn't know. He knew that his friends were good judges of characters and they assured him that they'd get along, but Laxus still could be nervous about meeting him.

Once the lift had found the right floor, Laxus looked around and settled on the sixth apartment's door. He knocked it curtly, the sound echoing awkwardly in the hallway. Laxus fidgeted for a moment before it was opened, revealing Freed.

"Oh," The man said in a velvet smooth voice. "Hello."

"Hey," Laxus greeted. "I'm Laxus, Bickslow might have told you about me. He said to come get you."

"Of course," The man said, and offered him a smile.

It was a nice smile. In fact the entirety of the man was nice to look at. He had long green hair, as Bickslow had said, and it was tied up in a high pony tail. A few green strands had fallen down to frame his face, accenting his sharp features, and pronounced bone structure. His outfit portrayed a fit body, and the unassigned top button showed a small slather of a firm chest. He had piercing blue eyes, a small black mark high on his left cheek, and thin lips.

When his eyes flickered down, he saw that the man had two large sports bags at his feet, clearly his own luggage. Laxus was suddenly reminded of why he was there, and snapped out of his split-second trance.

"You need help with them?" He offered.

"I'm fine," Freed assured him. "Although you could hold this if you don't mind."

He reached for a shelf in his apartment and picked up a small plastic thermos, handing it to Laxus. The blonde took it and looked at it with confusion. "Doesn't it make more sense for you to hold your own drink. I really don't mind taking a bag."

"It's not for me," Freed explained, lifting his bags out of his apartment, and placing them down to lock the door. "I shared a morning class with Evergreen, and she was snappy enough at eight in the morning, let alone half six. I assumed she might need some caffeine."

"Yeah, both me a Bix got a hairbrush thrown at us already," Laxus laughed. "Probably a good call."

"I would have made the two of you one as well," Freed stated as they walked down the hall. "But I don't know what you drink, and I don't believe that Bickslow needs any help in being overly energetic."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure my grandpa's neighbour is gonna complain because of the shouting," Laxus grinned a little as he called the elevator. His friends were a topic he could handle.

"I'm surprised he didn't try and get my attention by yelling from the sidewalk."

"Well, I'm pretty sure that the only reason he sent me up here is so we can talk without them being there," Laxus admitted, before wondering if it was appropriate to say so. Was it meant to be a secret?

"It makes sense," Freed nodded. "They haven't really told me too much about you. I know your name, that you're a year older than us, and that you went to college to become trained in sports science and physiotherapy. That's essentially it."

"Well, that's all true," Laxus said as he walked into the open elevator. "I haven't gotten a job in my field yet, so I took a temp job. But I'm still looking. Bix said you've got a job as well as going to college?"

"I'm a waiter at Blue Pegasus, a restaurant a few blocks away," Freed explained. "It's not the most interesting work, but the pay is enough to keep me stable. And sometimes I'll get a meal at the end of the shift for free, so I can't complain."

Laxus nodded, understanding the conflict of working at a job that doesn't thrill you without having the option of quitting. The elevator started to slide down, and a repetitive tone began to play in the small box. Neither man spoke, and Laxus would have expected the urge to fill the silence, but it didn't come. For whatever reason, he felt comfortable with not speaking when Freed was around, something that didn't happen to him often.

Thinking back, the last time he had been okay in silence with a stranger had been Evergreen.

They reached the bottom floor hallway of the building a moment later, and Laxus held open the front door for Freed so the man could walk out without dropping his bags. When they walked into the morning sun, Laxus found himself momentarily transfixed by the sight of the man under natural light.

He looked radiant.

His slightly paler skin seemed to glow in the sunlight, and his perfectly brushed hair shimmered in the light. His eyes even seemed to sparkle as he approached the comparatively dull vehicle that was their home for the next week. Laxus' grip on the thermos tightened slightly as he walked forward.

"Just opened the storage," Bickslow commented from the window. "Put your bags in there, so we have space."

Freed nodded, walking to the small storage cubby that was opened from the side of the truck. He placed his bags down and opened it, and Laxus walked beside him. Freed placed one of the bags into the RV's trunk equivalent, and Laxus lifted the other to do the same. It held a fair amount of weight to it, and Laxus found himself impressed that the man had managed to lift this and another bag without any difficulty. Maybe the bulging in his sleeves wasn't just vanity muscles, as Laxus had assumed.

"Thank you," Freed nodded towards Laxus, closing the storage space.

"It's fine," Laxus assured him.

The two men climbed inside the RV, being greeted by a still too cheery 'welcome to the party bus' form Bickslow. Laxus saw that, in his time in the building, Evergreen had taken the front seat and was reclining in it with the eye mask on and a blanket covering her body. He rolled his eyes, placed the drink in a cup holder on the dash, and looked back over the RV's interior. The only place you could sit while it moved were in the table booth that Freed was sitting at. Laxus took the seat opposite him.

As he got into the leather booth, he saw that Freed had taken out a novel and was scanning the paged with quick moving eyes. The sun was hitting his face just right and illuminated it in a damn impressive way. Annoyingly, Laxus blushed

"All aboard," Bickslow yelled. "Next stop, the Grand Canyon."

And, with a pleasant nervousness in his stomach as he looked at Freed, Laxus found himself excited for the journey.

#Fraxus Week #Fraxus Week 2020 #fraxus #freed justine #Laxus Dreyar #fairy tail #fanfic #writing #Event #multichapter #Modern AU

22 notes · View notes

eryiss · 4 years ago

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Fraxus Week 2020: Day 6 - Tarot

This is the sixth part of my Fraxus Week admissions, hosted by @fuckyeahfraxus. This year I’ve made the prompts into a single multi-chapter fic. You can see all the chapters in the Masterpost linked below. Hope you enjoy.

You can read this on Fanfiction, Archive of our Own, and under the cut. Read the other chapters from this masterlist.

Chapter Six – A Carnival Reading

Bickslow had claimed it was an accident, but Laxus called bullshit. To Laxus, this seemed as though it was Bickslow and Evergreen's way of giving their new relationship their blessing. But Laxus didn't particularly care, because he had woken up sharing a relatively small bed with Freed, arm wrapped around the man's waist while pulling him close, and the man nuzzled into his chest as he slept. And, although Laxus had no intention on trying, he couldn't think of a better thing to wake up to.

With a soft smile, he shuffled slightly and pulled Freed closer. The sleeping man hummed and moved his head, revealing a small smile on his face.

This was rather a charmed life, and Laxus could get used to it.

But that was wishful thinking. They'd had their first sober kiss only a day prior, and it had exhilarated Laxus to a point no other relationships had. After that, they'd spent some time atop the RV's roof, Laxus looking up at the stars while Freed continued his book. That too had been exhilarating in a way Laxus couldn't put into words. After that, they'd eaten with Bickslow and Evergreen, spoken about how they were something of a couple but hadn't yet put a label on it, but they certainly weren't platonic.

Their friends had been supportive of that. They knew both men weren't the most emotionally vulnerable people, it seemed.

And now Laxus had woken up in the small double bed at the back of the RV, with Freed in his arms. Seeing as the man was sleeping softly, Laxus leant down and pressed his lips against the crown of Freed's head, smiling down at him.

"That was adorable," Evergreen's voice cut through the silence, and made Laxus' head snap up. He didn't think she was awake. "I didn't know you had it in you to be sweet."

"Shut up," Laxus groaned, voice a tired croak. He quickly glanced through the rest of the RV and his eyes settled on Bickslow, who was curled up awkwardly in the passenger side seat snoring and drooling onto the pillow he was spooning. He was glad that only Evergreen had seen that, as Bickslow would have gone into an overly dramatic meltdown. Which would have woken Freed up and ended the situation.

Huh. Laxus really meant it when he said he cared more for Freed than his dignity.

"I won't say anything more," Evergreen said with a smile. It was annoyingly kind. "I just think its nice. Besides, after you fell asleep we took loads of pictures," Laxus glared at her, and she laughed. "I'm joking. Well, I think so. I fell asleep before Bix so you might want to check."

"Thanks for the warning," Laxus said softly, perhaps sarcastically.

"Well, I'm only really being nice because I have something else I need to tell you," Evergreen said with a small trace of guilt in her tone. "I found that we're pretty close to a well-reviewed circus carnival, and I mentioned it to Bickslow. As you can guess, we're spending the day there."

"Why d'you need to butter me up for that?" Laxus said, not aware that he was running his hands through Freed's soft hair.

"Well, Bickslow made it pretty clear that we'd be leaving the two of you alone," Evergreen sighed. "Essentially, we're forcing you on your first date. Which might be a tad annoying to your plan of not putting labels on what you are."

Laxus glanced down at the sleeping man in the bed with him, and smiled softly. While they were taking things as they came, it certainly wasn't a bad thing that they would be spending the day together.

"I'm sure we can handle it," Laxus said softly.

"You're a hero," Evergreen laughed quietly. "Well, since you're awake now, I'm going to go for a little morning walk. See you later; oh, and keep up the kisses because it's adorable."

If he weren't wrapped around Freed, he might have thrown the pillow at the woman's retreating figure. Instead he did his best to raise his middle finger at the woman without moving Freed to a point where he would awaken. Evergreen let out a quiet laugh as she left the RV, leaving Laxus as the only person awake in the truck. As he was essentially alone, he looked down at the man wrapped up against him.

Freed really was a man of many faces, all damn appealing. Right now, his contented sleeping expression was pretty damned cute. But the night before, on the roof of the RV, he had been more handsome than any man Laxus had laid eyes on. Even the smug and cocky expression he had given Laxus when challenging him to a race at the waterpark had been hot.

It was really quite unfair that he got to be that attractive in that many ways.

"Urgh," Freed murmured quietly, and Laxus looked down at him with an expression of quiet contentment.

"Morning," He greeted.

"Morning," Freed parroted, eyes fluttering open softly. He smiled when he made eye contact with Laxus. "Well you're rather cuddly, aren't you?" Freed chuckled, but cushioned the tease with a soft kiss against Laxus' jaw.

"People always get shocked by that," Laxus commented quietly. "I've never understood why."

"Oh I fully expected you to enjoy hugging, why else would you have a body like this," Freed chuckled, moving slightly so his head was level with Laxus'. "I just expected that being in the presence of the human embodiment of annoying gossip might make you a little hesitant."

"With another guy, maybe," Laxus said the words before he could think. Was that too far for their relationship?

"You're charming too," Freed replied with a soft chuckle. "I thought that was going to be my thing."

"I gotta keep you on yer toes somehow," Laxus said with a grin. "Speaking of, Ever warned me that Bix's been plotting and apparently they're taking us to some carnival or something, and they're gonna ditch us and basically put us on a date together. You okay with that?"

"Of course," Freed nodded a little, and his nose gently traced Laxus'. "Spending time alone with you is quickly becoming a pastime of mine that I love, so you can safely assume I'll enjoy any dates we might go on. Forced on us or otherwise."

"I'm glad," Laxus smiled, jutting his chin forward so he could press his lips against Freed's in a chaste kiss. It sent a shock through him. "And I'll get to kick your ass at carnival games."

"Rather cocky attitude there, Laxus," Freed chuckled. "Misplaced, too."

"You said something similar when you challenged me to the water park race," Laxus grinned. "And remind me, who's got their lock screen as a picture of them on a waterslide screaming like they're about to piss themself."

"True, but in a carnival, you can't repeatedly push me into water and trip me up just to get your way," Freed said with a good-natured smile.

"You're really underestimating how much I like winning," Laxus grinned. "But if your so confident, we can make a bet."

"You truly are a competitive man, Mr Dreyar. I like it," Freed chuckled. "How about the loser pays for our first real date, and the winner choses what the date is."

"Sounds fun," Laxus smiled, leaning down, and pressing their lips together.

It was a slow and somewhat sloppy kiss, and both men melted into it without any difficulty. Laxus brought up one of his hands to cup Freed's cheek, smiling as the man in his arms pushed further into the embrace. Even in his half-awake state, Laxus felt a thrilling rush of excitement flow through him. Freed really did have some kind of effect on him that he couldn't describe, nor did he care to try. Because that moment was perfect.

Well, it would have been perfect. But then they heard the sound of Bickslow's phone taking a picture, followed by a loud cackling.

~~~

"I feel this is what Bickslow's mind must be like."

At Freed's comment, Laxus let out an undignified snort. The two men were walking side by side in the carnival, looking forward at the large and flashy spectacle before them. Multiple stalls lined a long pathway leading towards a circus tent, of which Bickslow was dragging Evergreen towards. Past the tent were large attractions and rides, each blurting out energetic music. It was somewhat overwhelming, but was helped by the fact the mass crowds had yet to arrive.

"I always thought it'd be a nightclub," Laxus commented, grinning. "A really loud and tacky one."

"I can see that," Freed agreed, and Laxus felt a chill run down his spine as Freed's hand grazed his own. "I haven't been to a carnival like this in years. The town I grew up in used to host one once a year."

"You used to enjoy it?" Laxus asked, looking down at the other man with a smile.

"Not exactly," Freed said with a chuckle. "It only started when I was a teenager, and I deemed myself too educated and adult to enjoy myself. So I mostly spent them in my bedroom reading, and wishing death on the people who turned the music up so loud that I could hear it half a mile away."

"So you were an edgy teenager huh?" Laxus asked with a teasing grin. "You know if you had a goth phase then you have to show me pictures so I can laugh at ya."

"Fortunately, I didn't," Freed said with a smile. "But the same goes for you. If you've any embarrassing childhood photos then it's required I see them."

"That's fair, I guess," Laxus nodded. "But don't think I didn't see what you just did. I asked for goth pics, you asked for embarrassing pics. So if I show you anything embarrassing, you gotta compensate."

"I had hoped you hadn't noticed that" Freed chuckled good naturedly.

The two continued walking down the row of stalls, eyeing the food vendors. It was a little after when they usually ate lunch, and they had decided that they'd get something to eat before playing any of the games or visiting any other attractions. That way there were nothing to distract them from the bet they had made, and neither man could blame their losses on being hungry. Laxus paled a little when Freed suggested that, as feigning weakness from hunger had been an option if he lost at a game he should have won.

After eventually settling on a food vendor with sweet smelling meat wafting from their stall, they had a quick meal and further discussed the rules of their gamble. They would both play every game available in a clockwise pattern, and would work with a points system. In the event of a draw, they would flip a coin.

The first game they played was an archery range, which was relatively simple. Laxus had gone first, claiming he had earned that by winning their race at the water park. He had done okay, managing to hit the target with each of his arrows, though with a wide range of points. He ended up with sixteen over his four arrows, which was a serviceable score. But the look on Freed's face told Laxus that the man was confident that he could win.

He did.

He got eighteen points, and even Laxus could see that there was a lot less luck in Freed's performance. Laxus would have focused on that, had he not been distracted by the confident posture, determined expression and flexing arms as he pulled the string back and took aim.

"That was," Laxus began when Freed returned with a satisfied expression. "Kinda hot, honestly."

"I'm glad you think so," Freed said, and his voice was just slightly deeper than normal. He leant forward so that their faces were almost touching, but stopped just short. "Consider it a consolation prize, as I'm winning."

The smug expression on the man's face drove Laxus almost as crazy as his teasing had. And he could do was let out a muttered 'asshole' before following in his footsteps.

They continued making their way through the games at a leisurely pace, playing each of them and teasing each other as they did so. They fell into a quick pattern where the winner of the individual game would flaunt their victory in a flirtatious and teasing way, and the loser would have to stand there and take it. Laxus felt a rush every time, because the ease at which he could be his competitive self with the other man shocked him. The fact Freed was just as confident in himself was an added bonus.

None of his past attempts at relationships had been like this. In fact, he had been so busy trying not to show the more flawed side of himself that he often forgot to be himself. With Freed, it felt like the inverse of that.

After the archery game, they had moved onto a game where they had a minute to score as many points with a basketball hoop. They had been relatively evenly matched, but Laxus' high school year as a basketball player gave him an edge. He gloated his victory by rolling up his sleeve and flexing his bicep, with a teasing 'these ain't just to look at' aimed at Freed. He didn't miss the other man's smirk at the movement.

Next was a game wherein you threw darts at balloons, and each balloon you popped had a certain score inside of it. They had five darts each, and Laxus managed to win that too. He had wrapped an arm around Freed's shoulders and made a gloating show about how he had won two games in a row, and Freed had not.

The next game had them both aiming water pistols at moving targets. The person who inflated their target's balloon fasted would win, and Freed proved to have better aim. Rather than gloating, he had twisted his water gun to the side so that a cold splash of water hit Laxus on the side.

"I'm gonna get you back for that," Laxus promised, grinning.

"Why," Freed feigned innocence. "I thought you might need some cooling off. Losing that badly got you rather heated."

"So, you thought I looked hot, huh?" Laxus said, crossing his arms.

"No," Freed said, not shying from Laxus' gaze. "I thought you looked warm. You looking hot is a… continuing issue."

Laxus grinned at the compliment, but shunted his own water gun to the side so a stream of water hit the other man. Freed let out a small noise of protest, but laughed it off as the owner of the stall asked them both to move along for the next customers. Laxus wrapped an arm around Freed's shoulders as they walked, and murmured into his ear.

"You looked pretty hot yourself," He said with a grin.

"I'm aware," Freed snarked back, and Laxus laughed with a grinned.

This was new as well, the ease of flirtation. It was ridiculous to think that a day ago, Laxus had been beating himself up for the idea of having some kind of crush on Freed, and now he was openly calling the guy hot in public. It was a testament to how comfortable Freed had managed to make him, Laxus supposed.

As they walked to the next stall, they noticed how different it was. Whereas the others were open and painted with bright colours, this stall was a small purple tent with dark colours and candles surrounding it. A sign beside the door claimed 'Mistress Cana Alberona's Tarot.' Laxus rolled his eyes.

"You don't believe in fortune telling?" Freed asked, apparently having seen the eye movement.

"Nah," Laxus shrugged, then looked down at Freed curiously. "Do you?"

"No, I think it's absurd. The idea that some cards magically know the intricate futures of everyone, or the fact your personality and what you'll do is written on your hand is ridiculous," Laxus chuckled a little at Freed's dismissal of the subject. "For whatever reason, it seems like everyone I know believes in it though."

"I know," Laxus grinned. "Ever once dragged me to a psychic. We got kicked out when I found her 'one of a kind crystal ball' on Amazon for twelve dollars."

"A merciful escape for you, then," Freed smirked.

Laxus agreed, but was then struck with an idea. He reached into his pocket and fished out a coin, flipping it in the air and catching it quickly. He covered it before he or Freed could see which side it had landed on, and looked to the other man with a challenging smile. Freed looked back at him with confusion.

"Heads or tails," Laxus demanded. "You get it right; I'll get a fortune. Get it wrong, you have to get one."

"Okay," Freed nodded. "Heads."

Laxus revealed the coin, and deflated at the sight of a clear head facing upwards. Freed sent him a grin that rivalled Bickslow's for its enjoyment of suffering, and he had the balls to pat the man on the shoulder in a faux comforting way. Laxus looked at the tent with a pained expression; he really couldn't be bothered to deal with the overly dramatic lies of someone with a deck of cards and an inflated sense of self-importance.

"Have fun," Freed taunted, giving him a gentle push towards the tent.

All but trudging towards his destination, Laxus placed the money in the bucket outside and rolled his eyes at the overly mysterious sounding demand that he enter the tent. He walked in, and saw a heavily cushioned room with a low table, and a woman mainly covered by purple scarves sitting at it.

They weren't scared of stereotypes, it seemed.

"Hello, lost one," The woman greeted, still forcing a weird voice. "Take a seat, my child."

Laxus did as he was told, biting his tongue when he realised that he was probably older than the woman performing the reading. He was glad this wasn't a palm reading, having a stranger grope at his hands would be too weird.

"You wish to have your unlived days laid before you?" The woman asked.

"Sure," Laxus said without enthusiasm, not entirely wanting to play along.

"You don't believe in this stuff, do ya," The woman asked suddenly, her voice a lot more normal now. Laxus, momentarily shocked by the sudden change in atmosphere, took a second to reply.

"Not really," Laxus shrugged. "Made a deal I'd come here though."

"That's fair," The woman said, and started to remove the scarves from her face. She was certainly younger than Laxus. "You don't mind do you. This place is hot enough without the candles surrounding it and the scarves. You have no idea how sweaty it gets."

"No, that's fine," Laxus said, at a loss for words when the woman pulled a beer from behind one of the cushions and took a swig from it.

"Okay, so you don't believe in this stuff, so there's no reason to lay it on thick," She said after taking her drink. "But you did pay, and just because you don't believe in something doesn't mean it's not true. So, you wanna do this without all the added on stuff that makes the experience better, get it over and done with?"

"I guess," Laxus frowned. He wasn't entirely sure what was happening.

"Okay," The woman began, picking up her tarot deck and shuffling it like a poker player. "I'm gonna spread these you, you have to pick three. Usually I'd say there's spirit guardians guiding you, which there is but I doubt you'll care about that. Once you've picked them out, we'll turn them over and I'll explain what they mean. First individually, then as a whole."

Laxus nodded in understanding and watched as the woman laid out the cards in a smooth curve. With more care than was probably needed, he looked over the cards before picking three of them at random. Or maybe it wasn't random. Maybe it was a spirit guide.

He almost laughed at the thought.

Watching absently, Laxus saw the woman turn the left most card over, revealing an image of someone in odd clothing standing at the end of a cliff.

"The fool," The woman explained, and Laxus felt slightly offended by it. "Each card has a wide range of interpretations. In its most pure form, it can mean you'll make an ass out of yourself soon," Laxus glared at the woman for that. "But in a more spiritual sense, it speaks of a greater acceptance of the self. You will embrace the fool within you, becoming more of your real self and less burdened by your anxieties. You will find that you don't second guess your actions. You'll be as much a fool as you need to be."

Laxus almost scoffed, and tried to ignore the fact he had been considering just how much his interactions with Freed were devoid of his second-guessing nature. He didn't say anything as the woman turned the next card.

"The sun," She commented. "In its most literal sense, it means brightness is coming to your world. There will be light and growth and nurturing in your future, a new sense of happiness perhaps. But it also means the start of a new cycle. Rebirth if you will. It seems to be that you might be starting a new chapter in your life."

It was annoying, but Laxus found himself wondering if Freed would play a big part in this new chapter. He remained silent as the final card of his choice was flipped over.

"The world," The woman said, and she was smiling now. "This can mean a lot of things. Often it's further a signifier of growth and nature. But it also means that the world is literally open to you. New pathways, new experiences, a new life. That's all coming towards you, and coming soon."

"So, err," Laxus began, embarrassed that he was even entertaining the possibility of this being real. "What do they all mean together."

"I think something big's happening in your life, and pretty soon. It might have already happened. Something life changing. Something that'll open up a whole new world of possibilities, that restarts your life with something new, that allows you to be your true self in a way that you've never been before. Maybe it's an event, maybe it's a revelation or an epiphany. Maybe it's a person. But you're in for some change, and I think it's for the better."

Laxus mind forced him to think of the man waiting outside of the tent for him. The handsome stubborn man that had already had an affect on Laxus that nobody else had. The man who allowed him to have fun, and seemed to energise Laxus in a way he couldn't describe.

Maybe Freed was the change in his life.

He dismissed the thought instantly; this whole this was pointless, and wrong. He bid the woman a goodbye, and started to leave the tent. Even with his surety that fortune telling wasn't real, Laxus couldn't help but notice the similarities of what he'd been told.

Not could he help the smile that those similarities caused.

#fraxus week #fraxus week 2020 #fraxus #freed justine #Laxus Dreyar #fairy tail #fanfic #writing #event #multichapter #Modern AU

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eryiss · 4 years ago

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Fraxus Week 2020: Day 5 - Friends To Lovers

This is the fifth part of my Fraxus Week admissions, hosted by @fuckyeahfraxus. This year I’ve made the prompts into a single multi-chapter fic. You can see all the chapters in the Masterpost linked below. Hope you enjoy.

You can read this on Fanfiction, Archive of our Own, and under the cut. Read the other chapters from this masterlist.

Chapter Five – Talks at The Canyon

"Okay, what is up with you two?"

Laxus looked towards Bickslow with a guilty expression. He had hoped that he'd hidden the awkwardness between Freed and himself better, but obviously he'd failed. In retrospect, Laxus probably should have been suspicious when Bickslow insisted that Freed be the one to fill the RV with gas this time, rather than doing it himself. Still, just because Bickslow knew about how awkward he was behaving, it didn't mean Laxus had to explain why.

"What d'you mean?" He asked, voice a little too timid for his liking.

"I mean you two slunk out of the motel room this morning and wouldn't even look at each other, and you've not spoken to each other all day," Bickslow listed off, and Laxus realised they really hadn't hidden their awkwardness well. "So what exactly happened?"

"It's nothing," Laxus insisted.

"Bull crap," Bickslow snapped. "Look, if you two had a fight or something you can't keep it a secret. Ever's gonna get it out of ya if I don't, so you might as well tell me now."

That was probably true, both of his friends were annoyingly talented at getting information out of someone when they needed to. But Laxus felt it was probably for the best that he kept the events of last night to himself, and accomplished that by looking straight ahead out of the front window in a childish attempt to bore Bickslow to a point where he would leave him alone. Bickslow raised both of his eyebrows in disbelief at Laxus' actions, waiting.

They both sat in silence for a few moments, and Laxus almost thought that he had won. Bickslow let out a huff of annoyance, and Laxus practically prayed that the man would leave him alone so that he wouldn't have to relive what he'd done.

"Laxus," Bickslow said in a slightly pleading voice; he too was being childish then. "We're gonna be at the canyon today. It's gonna be really awkward hiking around a big hole if you two are arguing. I can't even make big hole jokes because I'll be scared of making things worse somehow. Just tell me."

"It's…" Laxus thought for a moment. "I did something stupid."

There. That was something. Perhaps it would placate the man.

"Stupid how?"

"Just stupid," Laxus sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

From the corner of his eye, Laxus could see that Bickslow was looking at him with more concern than interest now. Maybe it was best to tell him; the guy was pretty sympathetic when he wanted to be. Hell, the only reason they were on this road trip was because he wanted his friends to feel better. Maybe he could offer Laxus some advice.

"I kissed him last night," Laxus admitted with an exhale.

"Oh," Bickslow said, and he was clearly not expecting that. "And… he didn't kiss back. He pushed you off?"

"No, he kissed back," Laxus closed his eyes as he spoke.

"And that's bad because…"

"We got drunk, raided the mini-bar," Laxus confessed, and he saw Bickslow's brow furrow at the admission, but he didn't say anything. "We watched crap TV and then started talking. And he told me that his ex'd cheated on him, that's why they broke up, and that he's feeling crappy. And I was kinda buzzed, y'know, I kinda…"

"Kissed him?" Bickslow finished.

"Yeah, basically," Laxus sighed. "I mean I said some shit about how I would have treated him if I were him, and how he didn't deserve to get cheated on. Then I kissed him, and he kissed me back."

Bickslow seemed to be thinking, as his gaze went a little distant. This had always been something that Laxus had appreciated about the other man; even despite his hyper personality, he was actually quite a thoughtful person, and Laxus knew that he was thinking of the best thing to say. And any advice that he might have would probably be helpful, even if the feeling of waiting for him to say something was making Laxus feel sick.

"Right," Bickslow eventually said. "Well, kissing a guy while drunk isn't your best move, it's probably not your worst either. I mean if he kissed ya back then he's probably interested, and he's been stealing glances as much as you have. What happened after?"

"I pulled away, went back to my bed, turned my back on him and pretended I was asleep," Laxus muttered.

"Laxus," Bickslow snapped, and slapped his bicep.

"I ain't proud of it," Laxus tried to defend himself. "But it was just like, when I kissed him I got sober. Like someone poured cold water over me. And I realised that I barely know the guy, that he just got cheated on, and that the last thing he's gonna want is some random guy kissing him. and then being trapped with the same guy for days."

"You think maybe he might have had an opinion on that?" Bickslow asked incredulously.

"I panicked," Laxus groaned. "I was embarrassed. I felt like I took advantage of him or something. Shutting myself off seemed like the best thing to do."

"Well you're gonna have ta talk about it, baby," Bickslow said soothingly. "Because if you don't, you're gonna end up regretting it, and the rest of the trip is gonna be really fucking painful for us all. Especially the two of you."

"I know," Laxus sighed.

He glanced out of the window to see that Evergreen and Freed were talking outside, no doubt having a similar conversation, and Laxus deflated slightly. He would talk to the other man, because he really would regret it if he didn't. It had been quite some time since Laxus had felt like this with a man, and he knew better than to just throw the feeling away because of embarrassment, and that he shouldn't give up.

And when Freed happened to glance up, and they caught each other's eyes before both turning away, Laxus knew that he had to talk to him soon.

~~~

"It's erm," Bickslow began. "It's kinda breath-taking."

"It is," Evergreen said, and both Freed and Laxus nodded in agreement.

They had arrived at the Grand Canyon, and had been given the unhindered view of the landscape. They could see it all, and the cloudless blue sky only added to the majesty of the place. There was something oddly humbling about the view, as if it were putting everything into perspective for Laxus, and the blonde couldn't help but release that his embarrassment about the previous night was so utterly stupid that he physically cringed at himself.

He had turned his back on the man. Literally looked away from him because of his stupid decision to kiss him. He had acted like a damn kid in a crappy high school TV show. It all seemed so pathetic now, Laxus could barely handle it.

His gaze fell on Freed again.

God was he handsome.

"Well, we ain't getting any younger, so we better start walkin' if we wanna get around the place by the end of the day," Bickslow proclaimed. "Come on Freedo Justineo."

"Oh please don't start calling me that," Freed requested, and Laxus jolted at the sound of his voice.

"You and I are gonna forge ahead and leave those assholes in the dust," Bickslow grinned as he slung an arm over Freed's shoulder. "Because Ever is stupid and she decided to bring only heeled shoes to a damn canyon, and Laxus is a muscle head who doesn't have any stamina and he'll be exhausted by the time we're out of the parking lot. So off we go, into the pit."

Bickslow was marching off, essentially dragging Freed with him, before the man could make any real complaints. That left Laxus with Evergreen, who was looking at him expectantly. When he glanced down, he noticed she was wearing flat shoes.

"Those ain't heels," He commented.

"So you're not completely stupid," Evergreen said, a little harsher than Laxus liked.

"What's that tone for?" Laxus asked indignantly.

"You kissed him, didn't say anything for the rest of the night and then pretended to be asleep," She huffed, crossing her arms. "You even turned the damn lamp off. What were you thinking?"

"I was drunk," Laxus tried to explain.

"You've been drunk a lot of times around me and you've never been so stupid before," She chastised him, and Laxus had half a mind to walk off. He would have, had Evergreen not been right. "I get that you might have panicked, or that you even regretted it for some reason, but is that really the best thing you could think of doing. Just ignoring him isn't going to get rid of the problem, if anything it's going to put a massive focus on it because of how much effort you're putting into ignoring it."

"I know," Laxus groaned. "And I'm gonna talk to him about it. Gonna apologise to him."

"And say what exactly?" Evergreen asked.

Laxus hadn't actually thought of that. After speaking with Bickslow, the rest of the trip to the canyon had been spent convincing himself that he had the courage to speak to the man despite the bubble of nervous embarrassment that filled him when he so much as looked at him. He had been so focused on getting the courage to say anything to him, he had almost forgotten that what he said to him had to be meaningful and impactful.

Evergreen apparently saw the struggle Laxus was going through, and her posture changed to something less annoyed. She placed a hand on Laxus' arm in a comforting way, patting it softly. Laxus was glad she didn't seem angry at him anymore.

"What am I gonna say to him?" Laxus mused aloud.

"I don't know," Evergreen said carefully. "But I think that, before you start thinking about that, you need to be sure of what you actually want with Freed. If you wanna be friends with him, go out with him, never see him after the week ends. Because if you don't know that then talking about it isn't going to help anything."

Laxus knew that. He knew he had to know what he wanted. And he basically did know what he wanted. But he probably couldn't have that, because of one big problem.

"The guy was just cheated on-"

"I know," Evergreen interrupted. "But I'm not asking you what the gallant thing to do is. I'm asking you what you, Laxus Dreyar, want with Freed. What the ideal end to the week would be for you."

Laxus sighed to himself. "I'd wanna be with him, I guess. But I don't have a clue if he's ready or not-"

"That's his problem, Laxus," Evergreen assured him. "If he wants to start dating someone or he doesn't, that's nothing to do with you. But if he is ready, and I think that he might be, then you need to let him know you're interested. He's not broken, and he's not fragile. If anything he's pissed off, partly about being cheated on and partly because he knew exactly why you closed yourself off last night."

"You think?" Laxus asked, deflating.

"He's a smart guy, Laxus. Smartest one here," Evergreen shrugged. "Look, I'm not saying that you have to have a wedding planned out or anything, but I think it'll be good for you to think about what Freed might be for you. And now's as good a time as any to think, because as nice as this place is, walking around it is going to get very boring very quickly. So just take today, think about what you want, and think about how you're going to tell Freed about it. The rest is up to the two of you, okay?"

"Okay," Laxus nodded.

He already knew, in his gut, what he wanted from Freed. Now he just had to convince himself that it was the right thing for the both of them.

~~~

It was dark now, but they were still at the canyon. Multiple lights illuminated the landscape, and stars shimmered down on them all. Laxus looked at the RV with a small amount of trepidation, nerves bubbling in his stomach as he walked forward.

All day he'd been thinking about what Evergreen and Bickslow had spoken to him about. He'd thought about what he might want with Freed – if it could be something serious or casual, if it was just a crush he could get over or something bigger than that, if he could get past the embarrassment of the previous night and get over his pride to explain that sometimes, when it came to his emotions, he was a fucking idiot. His entire mind had been a mess of possibilities, and most of the day Laxus had felt almost sick.

And then an image stuck him, and image of a possible future. He thought about him and Freed, watching TV together in a similar way they had the night before. They were sharing a pizza, and when Freed leaned up and kissed him, Laxus had kissed back happily.

After that, more possibilities hit him. Each just as tempting as the last.

The two of them at the beach. Freed would have been reading for hours, and Laxus would have slung him over his shoulder and taken him to the water, making some joke about how he wanted the man's attention.

Or the first time it snowed in Magnolia one year. They might have gone to a Christmas market, eating the Russian food that was served and enjoying themselves.

Or a lazy breakfast together, eating in Laxus' kitchen side by side as they struggled to keep their eyes open.

It was then that Laxus had been left with no doubt, and all his questions had been answered. He didn't want something casual with Freed, he wanted a full and loving relationship. It wasn't just a crush, it was more akin to infatuation, and Laxus didn't care that he had only known the man for a short time. And he didn't give a damn about his pride because Freed was worth more than Laxus' dignity. And hopefully, if Freed knew that Laxus wasn't just an emotionally incompetent idiot, he might give him a chance to make his desires come true.

All he had to do was approach the man.

They had all decided that, after spending the day hiking, they would spend the night at the canyon's parking lot. As the night was still warm, Freed had chosen that he would read his novel outside. Well, that's what he claimed, what he actually meant was he was going to read on the rooftop of the RV. Taking a breath to steady himself, Laxus took the ladder in hand and climbed it.

"Hey," He greeted, and Freed looked towards him. "Mind if I join you?"

"By all means," Freed made a motion towards Laxus.

After stepping off the small ladder, Laxus shifted so that he was sitting beside Freed. If the man looked radiant in the sunlight, he looked positively gorgeous in the moonlight. The darker and cooler colours seemed to just accent everything that was perfect about the man. From his striking features to his slightly paler than normal skin, it all seemed to be just a little more beautiful in the moonlight. It made the conversation Laxus wanted to have both harder to start, and more important to have as soon as possible.

"Look, I just wanted to say, I'm sorry for what happened last night," Laxus began. "Not that I kissed ya. Well, kind of actually. Not that I'm sorry about kissing ya, more that I'm sorry I kissed ya in the way that I did. That's not what I'm trying to say. What I'm trying to say… what I need to say is…"

Laxus cussed himself silently. He had known what he had wanted to say, how come it was so hard to get the actual words out.

"I think what you need is a minute to gather your thoughts a little better," Freed said, a pleasant teasing tone in his voice.

"Yeah," Laxus nodded. "Sorry, I thought that I knew what I was gonna say. Turns out I don't."

Freed chuckled, placing the book down and turning so he was looking at Laxus face on, sitting cross legged with a patient expression on his face. Laxus wasn't entirely sure that he had earned such an expression, given how he had treated Freed the night before, but Evergreen had insisted that Freed understood his actions and wasn't angry at him. Well, nothing that he couldn't fix if he acted quickly at least.

"Okay, what I meant to say was, I'm sorry I kissed you in the way I did last night," Laxus began after thinking for a moment. "We were both drunk, and my judgment wasn't great. You had just been pretty emotionally vulnerable with me, and for some fucking reason I thought it was the right time to try and kiss you. And I'm sorry about that."

"You don't need to-"

"I do," Laxus cut him off, making eye contact with him. "Look, I ain't good with feelings and crap. I normally get panicked and awkward, and I apparently sometimes do stupid stuff like this. And the only reason I can get away with it is because people call me out on my bullshit. You seem like the kinda guy who can do that, so don't be kind when you don't need to."

"Asking me not to show restraint can be a dangerous thing, Laxus," Freed said with a chuckle in his tone. "But I understand that. I have a habit of closing myself off and not discussing things. Bickslow's words, not mine."

"They been givin' you the third degree today too?" Laxus asked.

"They're annoyingly good at it, aren't they?" Freed laughed, before smiling at Laxus pleasantly. "I do forgive you, Laxus. Admittedly, ignoring each other isn't what I would have wanted the end of our first kiss to be, but I can't deny I've done idiotic things when overwhelmed. And I understand it, so don't worry yourself about it."

"Thanks," Laxus nodded a little.

He looked towards the other man, and felt something of an ache in his stomach. The fact Freed could forgive him in such an understanding way made Laxus feel warm inside in a way he couldn't describe. In Laxus' past attempts at relationships, often his clumsy attempts at understanding and dealing with his emotions had left to arguments. Rightfully so, Laxus knew that in hindsight. But the fact that Freed was willing to understand that it hadn't been malicious was something of a comfort that Laxus couldn't help but crave more of.

"There's a little more," Laxus confessed. "It's erm, well, the reason I acted like I did after I kissed you is that, well, I didn't just feel like I'm taking advantage of you. It felt like I kinda, I dunno, wasted my first kiss with ya," Laxus blushed, and averted his gaze. "I don't… the kiss wasn't just a drunk impulse. It's erm… it's something I wanted to do while sober but didn't have the balls."

God, he really needed to get better at talking.

"And the fact I kissed ya at such a bad time, kinda scared me. Because if I was thinking I'm a dickhead for kissing you at that time, I thought you'd think the same and-"

Freed interrupted Laxus' ramblings by leaning over, cupping Laxus' chin with his thumb and finger, and bringing his closer. Laxus' eyes widened, and a moment later he was being kissed.

It was magical.

Laxus' memory of their drunken kiss was hazy at best, and was overshadowed by the regret and embarrassment. But in this moment, he felt engrossed by Freed. As if the two of them were the only people of importance, and he was almost overwhelmed by the sensation of Freed. The movement of Freed's lips against his chapped ones, the calloused hand on his thigh Freed was using to keep balance, the sight of the man's eyes closing softly in a fluttering motion.

At the movement, Laxus closed his own eyes and allowed himself to be dragged further into the lure of Freed's kiss. It was perfect.

When they eventually pulled apart, they both were a little breathless. They kept their faces only an inch apart, and Laxus was blushing slightly. He had kissed Freed while sober. Freed, the man who had captured Laxus' attention and seemed reluctant to let it go, had just kissed him. And it had been perfect.

"Does this mean that-" Laxus began, but Freed shushed him with a smile.

"We can discuss things after the trip is done," Freed promised. "Right now, I think we've earned the right to enjoy each other."

Freed was kissing him before he could argue. Not that he would have anyway.

#fraxus week #fraxus week 2020 #fraxus #freed justine #Laxus Dreyar #fairy tail #fanfic #writing #event #multichapter #modern au

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eryiss · 4 years ago

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Fraxus Week 2020: Day 4 - Drunk

This is the fourth part of my Fraxus Week admissions, hosted by @fuckyeahfraxus. This year I’ve made the prompts into a single multi-chapter fic. You can see all the chapters in the Masterpost linked below. Hope you enjoy.

You can read this on Fanfiction, Archive of our Own, and under the cut. Read the other chapters from this masterlist.

Chapter Four – Out of the Rain

The contrast between the two days was ridiculous.

Laxus almost couldn't believe that it had been a day since he was lounging in the hot summer sun, whereas now he was narrowing his eyes as he drove the RV through the onslaught of rain. The storm had come from nowhere and according to the weather forecast, it would be sticking around for the rest of the night. The clouds were thick and covering the stars, meaning it was almost pitch black on the empty roads.

Unlike the day before, everyone was still awake as evening turned to night. They had spent the entire day driving, trying to catch up for the time they'd used at the water park. Bickslow had driven through the morning and early afternoon, and then had switched with Laxus.

At that moment, Laxus was fighting off sleep. They needed to find somewhere to park soon.

Not that they'd have a good night's sleep, though. The sound of rain battering down on the RV echoed loudly, and Laxus knew that it would sway and creak in the wind. It would be safe, but not anywhere near easy to sleep in. All he could do was hope that the forecast was wrong, and that the storm would end a lot quicker than they had stated.

He also hoped that he didn't fall asleep at the wheel.

"We have some money left over from renting the van, don't we?" Evergreen asked Bickslow, looking up from her phone.

"Yeah, a little over a hundred dollars. Why?" Bickslow asked, yawning into the thermos of coffee he was drinking.

"Well, there's nowhere close that'll let us park up and stay in the truck," Evergreen said, and Laxus cussed under his breath. "But there is a motel at the next rest stop. We should be able to get two double rooms with that."

"Sounds good," Laxus nodded. "Nobody's got a problem with that?"

When everyone agreed it was the best use of their spare money, Laxus got the directions from Evergreen and started to drive towards the motel. It was clearly a good choice, as soon after they made it lightning and thunder started splitting apart the sky, with even heavier rain following it. With his tired state, Laxus knew that it was best to get off the roads as soon as they could. It was certainly the safest thing to do.

Eventually they pulled off the highway and followed the illuminated signs to the motel. It was a nice enough looking place, which probably was a lot more welcoming in the day and when it wasn't a storm. It would certainly better than staying in the RV though the night.

Bickslow, who still had the money saved for the RV in his account, was the one who went to the reception. It took him a short while, but he eventually returned to them all with two keys from two double rooms, soaking wet with the water dripping off him. As he dried himself off with a beach towel they had brought yesterday, he claimed that he wished to share a room with Evergreen for the night.

"Why, exactly?" Freed asked, packing the clothes he would need for the night into a bag.

"Because I've had sleepovers with the two of you and you're both really boring," Bickslow claimed. "Evergreen lets me paint her nails and we gossip. You two just like sleeping."

Laxus was almost certain that it wasn't the real reason as to why he wanted to share his room with Evergreen. Given that both of them knew that Laxus had developed a crush on Freed, it seemed likely that this was some way for them to torture him by making him sleep in a room with him and nobody else. If the room they shared only had one bed, he was going to kill the bastard.

"It is appalling how we want to sleep at a sleepover," Freed commented, and Laxus sniggered.

"And that's the kind of boring attitude that makes me and Evergreen the best friends and you two the boring people on the side-lines," Bickslow grinned as he tossed a room key towards Freed, who managed to catch them without difficulty. It was an annoyingly attractive feat. "Room 203. Top floor."

Apparently leaving no room for argument, Bickslow turned is back and started to pack an impromptu overnight bag. Laxus and Freed shared a glance before picking up their own bags. They opened the door to the RV and winced at the rain they needed to walk to.

Despite the fact it had taken less than a minute to get under the protection of the building's veranda, both men had been drenched by the heavy rain. They quickly found their room and unlocked it, and Laxus let out a small breath when he realised that there were indeed two beds waiting for them. It was a nice enough room, with a small kitchenette – if a coffee machine, mini fridge, sink and microwave could be considered that – and a large enough TV mounted onto the wall. The large beds were rather appealing, given how Laxus had been curled up as he slept since they'd left Magnolia.

"It's better than I thought it'd be," Laxus commented, placing his bag at the foot of the nearest bed. "Kinda nice actually."

"It is," Freed agreed, walking to the bathroom and looking into it. "And a shower that might actually fit you inside of it."

Laxus grinned, mainly at the teasing tone in Freed's voice, and glanced into the bathroom to see that there was indeed a large shower. He reached over Freed and picked up one of the towel's hanging up. He started to dry himself off as Freed shucked off his jacket.

"I think I might have a shower before I go to sleep," Freed commented. "I need to wash my hair, might as well do it now."

"Sure," Laxus nodded, then he chuckled. "I get what Bickslow meant when he said we're boring."

"So do I," Freed said thoughtfully. "It's quite annoying that we're proving him right, isn't it," He sighed, and Laxus couldn't help but smirk. Freed really was quite a competitive person; Laxus enjoyed seeing it. "Why don't we try and prove him wrong instead?"

"How d'you suppose we do that?" Laxus asked with furrowed brows. He expected Freed wouldn't want to prove Bickslow wrong in any way Laxus was thinking.

"Well, our judgemental friend payed for this on his card, and all charges from the room will be his to pay," Freed commented absently as he walked towards the small kitchenette, and opened one of the cupboards. "And this place has a rather well stocked mini bar."

Laxus grinned when Freed pulled out a bottle of tequila.

"Sounds like fun."

~~~

"Oh come on," Laxus proclaimed with a slight slur in his voice. "That's bullshit."

"I told you, she's vicious," Freed said with a tipsy laugh. "It's why she always wins her fights."

They had gotten drunk. Well, maybe not drunk. But they had passed tipsy.

After they'd taken shots of the tequila, something that Laxus hadn't done since he was in college, they had both finished bottle of high percentage beer each. That was when they had turned on the TV, looking for something to watch to put off sleeping. That was how they had gotten where they were: sitting side by side on Freed's bed, a bowl of hot nuts, chips, and chocolate between them, watching The Real Housewives of… somewhere.

"She threw a plate at the guys face," Laxus argued. "It's bullshit."

"It's what she's paid to do, be stupidly annoying and start fights with people. It was probably staged anyway, so I wouldn't worry about it," Freed argued, reaching into the bowl of food between them. His head snapped up when the woman on the screen threw a champagne glass at the man she was arguing with.

"Bet that hurt," Laxus said with a grin. He was winning this argument.

"You can't be sure," Freed said indignantly.

"I can throw a mug at your face and we can see if it hurts ya," Laxus threatened with a grin.

Apparently, the alcohol in Freed's body had made the false threat hilarious, as he let out a loud and boisterous laugh. Laxus joined in, watching the shorter man as he almost doubled over as he laughed, the handful of food dropping onto his bedsheets.

"How often do you watch this crap," Laxus asked with a grin.

"Ever makes me watch it. Every night we went to one of our dorms common areas and watched something. Ever got obsessed with it, and then got Bickslow into it too," Freed laughed, shifting himself so he was sitting up again. "I would have complained about it, but Bickslow used to make me watch awful kids' films, so this is better."

Again, Freed started to laugh, and Laxus found himself unable to resist the charm of it and joined in too.

That was how they spent quite a lot of the night, eating the snacks that Bickslow would be overcharged for while watching crappy reality TV. They got a little bit more sober as time went on, as the only thing left in the minibar was champagne and they weren't going to be so cruel as to make Bickslow pay for that as well.

Part way through the night, Laxus had taken note of how close they were to each other. Their sides were pushed together, shoulder to shoulder and thigh to thigh. In his drunken state, Freed also seemed to be just a little bit more physical. He gesticulated a lot more, and Laxus often found himself with the other man's hand on his shoulder when he was making a point. At one point, Freed had even grabbed Laxus' wrist to get his attention, and it sent a thrill through Laxus that set his blood on fire.

On their third episode of rich people fighting, Laxus found his gaze on the man beside him. He was watching the show with contentment, a tipsy smile on his face as he made comments about the people on screen. It was endearing, and Laxus was left with an equally happy smile.

His smile faltered when Freed's did.

For a second, Laxus had thought that the other man had noticed him looking and was uncomfortable with it. But he didn't move away and Laxus realised he was now almost glaring at the TV. Laxus looked towards it to see that they were on the 'next time' part of the show. One of the women was shouting at a man, and it took a moment for him to realise that she was accusing him of cheating.

"He cheated on me," Freed commented, with a smile that was most likely sad. "My ex, not the man on the screen."

"Oh," Laxus mumbled, not sure of what else to say. "Sorry."

"Don't be," Freed sighed, closing his eyes. "I shouldn't be sad about it; I don't understand why I am. I wasn't in love with him, I'm not even sure if I particularly liked him by the end of the relationship. I was actually going to leave him, for heaven's sake. So I shouldn't feel bad that he found someone else, but I do."

"Well," Laxus began again, not sober enough to think of anything eloquent to say. "He cheated on ya. It's a shitty thing to do. You get to be pissed off at that."

"I suppose so," Freed sighed, almost as if he was disappointed in himself. "What does annoy me is how it happened, though. I didn't walk in on him, or find out myself. He just told me," He laughed bitterly at that. "Just sat me down, said he was seeing someone else and that we weren't together. I didn't get to be a dick about it, really. I didn't yell, or really react at all. It just sort of ended, and then I came back home again."

"Should have punched the fucker," Laxus commented indignantly. "Sent him to the other guy with a black eye."

"It wouldn't have been productive," Freed waved the idea off, eyes still closed. "It's a tempting thought though, I must admit."

"You can punch me if you wanna. Get it out of yer system, y'know," Laxus suggested, and it was clear the booze in his blood had made him suggest that. Freed looked to him with a small smile.

"You're far too good a man to be compared to him," Freed commented.

Laxus blushed a little at the compliment, even if it wasn't much. He looked down at the man, who was watching the TV and clearly trying to act like he wasn't affected by what he had just said. But even drunk, Laxus could tell that the man had lost his easy posture and his hands were clenched at his sides. Laxus frowned at this, reached for the remote and muted the show they were watching. Freed frowned and looked up at him.

"I'm sorry the bastard cheated on ya," Laxus said with as much seriousness in his tone as he could show. "I know that you said you wanted to leave him, and that ya think it's stupid you feel bad about it, but the guy betrayed ya. And you didn't deserve to feel like that, or to be treated like that. So, I'm sorry."

"As I said, you don't need to worry about it," Freed said with a sigh. "It's not your fault, and I'll get over it."

"But you shouldn't have t' get over it because you shouldn't have been cheated on," Laxus said with an insistent tone in his voice. "I mean if I were dating a guy like you, I wouldn't even think about looking at other guys. I mean who fucking would. Yer hot, you're and interesting, and know how to make a guy enjoy himself. Who wouldn't want that?"

"Well, it seems that my ex disagrees with you."

"Then he's stupid," Laxus said firmly. "Seriously, this guy is clearly a dick head. Because if he looks at you and thinks he wants something more, or different, then he's an idiot. Cause you're fucking… just look at yourself. Can't think of anything I'd change."

"Oh," Freed said, a little shocked. Was he blushing as well? Probably not. "Well, thank you. That… that's nice of you to say. I appreciate it."

Freed turned and looked towards him, and only then did Laxus realise just how close they were to each other. Their noses were almost touching, and Laxus' mind screamed to him that it would be easy to close the gap and press their lips together.

"Well, I mean it," Laxus shrugged.

With the booze flowing through him, and his good sense all but gone, Laxus listened to the voice in his head. He pushed his face forward, cupped Freed's face, and kissed him.

#fraxus week #Fraxus week 2020 #fraxus #Freed Justine #Laxus Dreyar #fairy tail #fanfic #writing #event #multichapter #Modern AU

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eryiss · 5 years ago

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FRAXUS: Eight Days In Transit - 2 of 2

Summary: Laxus' life had always been hard. His life was shaped by hardships and troubles, and he knew he needed to keep on moving to survive. But when he is forced to stowaway on a luxury train to Paris, he is given a small respite in his troubles in the form of Freed Justine, a confident writer unlike anyone Laxus had ever met. The man offers him space in his cabin just for the story of how he got there, an act of kindness that changes Laxus' life completely.

But a lot can happen on a train journey. And getting on the train might have been one of the best things that could have happened to Laxus. All it takes is eight days of transit. [Fraxus | 12.5k Words]

Hi all. I hope you liked the first part and enjoy reading the ending. Just to warn you there’s a smut scene, which is skippable. It starts at the headding ‘Day Seven - Night’ if you want to avoid it.

You can read it on Archive of our Own, Fanfiction and Under The Cut. Also you can read the previous chapter here.

Eight Days Of Transit - Part 2

Day Five: Morning

When Laxus woke, there was a ball of guilt in his stomach.

Whatever Freed wanted to do with men was none of his business, and it was unimportant. What was important was that he and Freed were friends – or at least on good terms with each other – and Laxus had been a jackass. His silence had led to Freed to believe Laxus judged him for his preference, and that wasn't right.

Worse still, Freed had faced rejection on his novella due to it being a romance between two men. He must have already been feeling shitty about himself, and Laxus' silence would have been another kick to the teeth.

He had acted like a dick and needed to make amends.

Blinking open his eyes he looked to the side and his guilt increased tenfold. Sitting on the desk was a steaming bowl of porridge, three sliced of toast and a singular glass of orange juice. Freed had left him the breakfast he'd had throughout the week despite their argument. So he was still making good on his promise to look after him, not even punishing him slightly by lessening how much he was going to eat, and it made Laxus feel sick with his guilt.

Laxus jumped down from the bunk, stretching his back as he paced the room slightly. The first thing he needed to do was to apologise, then assure Freed that he didn't care about his homosexuality. Hopefully that would at least be a start at making things right.

As he paced, he heard the sound of water sloshing behind the closed door of the washroom.

So Freed was cleaning, rather than having left for the morning. That was good, that way he wouldn't have to wait until the night for Freed to return so he could apologise. If Freed had another day without him, then he would have more time to believe Laxus thought his lifestyle was wrong and his resentment would grow.

Although hearing Freed moving in the washroom made Laxus nervous.

He was never good at apologies. But this had to be different, because he truly was apologetic. In the past, most of his apologies were either because someone had forced him to say sorry or because he had a social obligation to do so. With this, he just had to be honest.

After a few moments, where Laxus nervously wrung his hands together, the door to the washroom opened. Laxus snapped his head towards Freed, who was fully dressed in his waistcoat and jacket, clearly intending to leave their cabin as quickly as possible. Freed hadnt yet been self-conscious about changing his clothes in front of Laxus other than in their first day together, so the fact he had dressed himself in the washroom was clearly related to their argument the day before. It made Laxus feel a little dull in his stomach.

"Wait," Laxus said, standing up and putting a hand on Freed's chest to stop him from leaving. "I need to talk to you."

"Make it quick then," Freed snapped icily. "I'm surprised you can bare to touch me. You might think I'm infectious or something absurd of the sort."

"That's actually what I wanted to talk about. What we spoke about last night, I mean," Laxus grinded his teeth, he should have planned this out. Freed looked at him expectantly, and impatiently. "Look, the fact that you're…"

"Gay," Freed spoke clearly. "I'm gay, Laxus. You can say it."

"The fact that you're gay, it ain't my business," Laxus continued, trying to maintain eye contact. He had never been good with eye contact. "Where you wanna put your dick… it ain't anything to do with me. Women, men, it's your choice. And let's be honest, I'm not in a place to judge you on anything. I snuck onto a fucking train and you didn't judge me."

"Correct," Freed said, still a little hostile. Laxus removed his hand from Freed's chest and sighed.

"I'm sorry," He said clearly, looking to the ground now. "You're a good man, and you've been more than decent to me. And this isn't me scared about you speaking to someone and getting me kicked off, do that if you want. It's your choice. But, I just want you to know that I am sorry for not being better to you."

Freed's posture changed a little. Laxus hadnt noticed it before, but Freed had been tense. Not out of fear – he couldn't imagine Freed being scared – but out of restraint. Perhaps he would have punched Laxus if he said the wrong thing. Perhaps he would have deserved it.

"Its fine," Freed said, and Laxus deflated.

"You sure?"

"Yes, I accept your apology," Freed sent him a small smile. "If you can believe it, your reaction was probably one of the best I've gotten; other gay men not withstanding of course."

"Seriously?" Laxus frowned. "I've been feeling shit about it, how much worse could it have been?"

"I've been beaten, spat at, yelled at. Most recently I got that letter from my publisher," Freed laughed a little, and it was clearly cynical. "It's a funny world we live in, where the best reaction I can get for telling someone about the gender I wish to love is a confused and somewhat judgemental silence."

That made Laxus feel like shit. He had no idea how much it must hurt Freed.

"But that's the reality of the world, and I can't change that," Freed sighed. "Speaking of unfortunate realities, we had some new passengers aboard and society dictates I must be polite to them."

The speed in which Freed changed topics almost gave Laxus whiplash. It highlighted just how well-versed Freed was in keeping his sexuality – and the feelings and opinions that came with it – under the surface of his personality. It was honesty jarring.

Laxus stood out of Freed's way, looking down at the floor again; perhaps he was ashamed of himself, or just shocked at the reality of Freed's life. The writer chuckled a little at the reaction, gave Laxus a solitary pat on the shoulder as if to say he understood what Laxus was going through, and started to walk to the door of their cabin.

"I really am sorry, Freed," Laxus said a final time.

"I know you are," Freed said, almost kindly. "Good day, Laxus."

~~~

Day Five: Evening

"I wanna tell you everything."

Laxus was lying in his bunk, looking up at the wooden ceiling. Freed was in the bed below him, and the room was dark without the candle or sunlight illuminating it. Laxus had no idea what the time was, exactly, but could assume it had been hours since the sun had set. The only reason he knew Freed was still awake was because he could hear him moving slightly in the bed.

Throughout the day, Laxus had been thinking. Freed had been open with him, about something that had gotten him injured and degraded in the past no less. And Laxus was still holding onto why he was on the train in the first place; something comparatively inconsequential.

"If you're ready," Freed replied slowly.

"Yeah, I think I am," Laxus nodded to himself. "I don't know if you wanna get a notepad or something…"

"I can remember," Freed assured him. "Speak when you feel comfortable."

Again, Laxus nodded. He took a moment to try and arrange his thoughts, wanting to be as honest and as open Freed had been with him. The story as to why Laxus needed to get on the train was literally the only thing Freed wanted in payment for becoming an accomplice in Laxus' crime, he needed to be as clear headed as he could. Out of respect for the man who had saved him.

"I guess, in a way, it started when I was a teenager," Laxus began. "I lived in Paris, with my grandfather. It was just the two of us most of the time, my mom had died and my dad… we'll get to him. So basically my grandfather raised me, and I had a pretty good life with him, but we argued a lot. It got worse when I was around sixteen.

"My dad had gotten in contact with me, we sent letters to each other a lot. Gramps found out and went insane, started yelling at me. Telling me to cut him out of his life, that he's a lowlife and scum. Didn't believe him, of course. Which only made things worse."

Laxus sighed, running a hand through his hair. He didn't like being reminded of the last time he saw his grandfather; the screaming matches were something he wasn't proud of.

"I ignored my grandad and kept in contact with my dad. He seemed like this perfect guy. He was rich and powerful, made himself out to be one of the most influential people in Athens," Laxus sighed. "And of course I fucking lapped that up like an idiot. I lived with this weird old man and then my dad showed up, acting like he was this man of power who everyone respected. Made his life look perfect and I wanted to be involved in it."

"That's understandable," Freed replied, mainly to show he was listening.

"I guess," Laxus sighed. "Me and Gramps argued more and more. I got closer to my dad, complained about Gramps to him, and then one day he showed up. Out of the blue, he was on the doorstep. Some rich guy dressed in designer clothes and expensive watches just was there. He seemed charming, like a good dad, so of course I fell for his bullshit.

"Gramps came home, went fucking mad. Tried to kick him out, say he wasn't welcome and to stop contacting me. I backed my dad up, like a fucking dickhead. And clearly my dad saw this as an opportunity, because this was the height of me and Gramps' arguing, he offered to take me with him."

Laxus sighed. He remembered how hopeful he had been. Ivan seemed to promise him the world, and he stupidly believed him.

"And I said yes," He said, eyes closing. "Gramps begged me not to, said Ivan was lying to me, but I wouldn't believe him. I packed up my shit, got on the train the same day."

"I assume," Freed said cautiously. "That it wasn't like you hoped."

"Fuck no," Laxus almost laughed at the idea. "He wasn't anything fucking like what he said. He was just a crappy wannabe thug, sucking up to anyone who could help him. And he was in debt to the Tartaros family, a group of hardcore gangsters who fucking ran Greece. And it wasn't like he owed him some spare change; he'd taken fucking thousands from them. Which they wanted back.

"That's why he got me in Greece, actually. He needed money, and I was a way to get it. Started off as menial work, heavy lifting and crap. Then it got worse, like selling guns and drugs to other thugs, and booze, during prohibition. He even tried to whore me out to any girl who'd pay."

"Jesus," Freed whispered.

"That was the limit for me," Laxus sighed. "I didn't wanna do any of that shit, but I wasn't going to fuck old women just to get him out of trouble. I was sixteen for fucks sake!"

Laxus took a breath to calm himself. The resentment he had for his father still ignited anytime he thought about him. Who fucking pimped their own son out, when they were a kid no less? That was just who Ivan was. Even his first letter to Laxus had a clear agenda, Laxus realised later in life. He was asking how comfortable he was with his grandfather and if he was living well; if Laxus had spoken about any riches Ivan would have no doubt tried to guilt him into giving them to him.

"I told him he couldn't make me do any of the shit he wanted me to do," Laxus continued after a moment. "He went insane at me. Said that I would do exactly what he said, and that everything I had in Athens was because of him, and he could take it away. I called his bluff, and he did. Threw me out with nothing but what I was wearing."

"Shit," Freed cussed, and Laxus laughed.

"Honestly, as shit as it was, I was glad. I didn't have much to begin with, and all he had to offer me was a place to live, so I didn't miss much. And I couldn't live with him anymore," Laxus sighed. "It was shit, for a while. Had to sleep on the streets, got mistaken for a drunk. But I eventually got some work, it was at a brothel as a guard, but landlord gave me a room in payment. And then I just grew into my own man from there."

"It sounds like it was a blessing in disguise then," Freed commented. "Your father kicking you out, I mean."

"Oh definitely," Laxus nodded. "Anyway, I'll actually get to why I'm on the train. So, yesterday I got a letter from Paris. I hadnt spoken to Gramps since I left, so it was weird. Turns out, Gramps is sick. Pretty badly, actually."

"I'm sorry," Freed said, and it sounded genuine.

"Thanks," Laxus nodded to himself again. "The letter was from the doctor, and it explained what's wrong with him. He probably won't die from it, but life ain't gonna be easy for him. His mobility is fucking ruined, he won't be able to get his own food and look after himself for much longer. It's pretty shit. And, I know we argued a lot, but I love the old fucker. And if he's going through hell, I'm not gonna let him do it alone. So that's why I need to get to Paris as soon as I can."

"That's an admirable stance to take," Freed commented, and Laxus chuckled.

"It would be if I hadnt basically spat in his face the last time I saw him," Laxus grinned a little; he wasn't sure why.

"I won't write about it," Freed said suddenly, and Laxus frowned. "I didn't know that it was so personal, if I'm honest. It would feel as though I'm taking advantage of you if I were to publish the intimate details of your life."

"No," Laxus said quickly. "I've gotta pay you back for your help somehow, I don't mind."

"Well, I suppose we can discuss it at some point," Freed concluded, before speaking again. "I'm glad you feel comfortable speaking to me like this."

"It's nice to have someone to talk to," Laxus admitted, flushing a little. "I've… I've been on my own for a while now. Even if the situation is pretty unusual, it's nice to have someone who I can talk to about this shit. I missed it."

"Well, at least for the rest of the week, I'll be here to listen."

"Thanks, Freed," Laxus smiled a little. "G'night."

"Goodnight, Laxus."

~~~

Day Six: Morning

Laxus woke with a start. There was a loud banging coming from the door to their cabin, clearly someone knocking who wasn't willing to be patient. Laxus' eyes shot open and he looked to Freed, who had just stood up from where he was sleeping. They looked at each other for a moment, not sure of what to do. Nobody had knocked on the door as of yet, why they were doing it now?

"Mr Justine, open this door at once," An authoritative voice demanded, and Freed winced.

"The conductor," He explained with a whisper. "Get in the washroom."

Laxus nodded and climbed down the small ladder of the bed, trying to make as little noise as possible. He closed the door to the washroom with a soft click and leant his ear against it in an attempt to listen to whatever was happening. He felt a ball of nerves form in him as Freed opened the door.

"I must say, I think this behaviour is completely unacceptable," Freed said sternly, and Laxus could hear footsteps. "This is my private quarters and you have no right to disrupt me in this manner."

"Well, Mr Justine, I have reason to believe you're harbouring a stowaway."

Laxus' eyes widened, and panic flooded through him. He rested his forehead against the wall as quietly as he could. This was it; he was fucked. It wasn't as if Freed could physically stop them from opening the door, not without being suspicious enough to show he was hiding something.

"Excuse me?" Freed said, acting shocked. "Why would you think that, exactly."

"One of our maids came to your room this morning to make sure any laundry was collected. When she entered your room, she saw that there was someone sleeping in the top bunk of the bed," The conductor snapped. "And by the looks of the sheets, she seems to be correct."

"I made it explicitly clear that my room was not to be entered without my direct permission," Freed almost shouted, now sounding genuinely angry.

"And now I can see why, Mr Justine," The conductor said replied with as much hostility. "I'm sure you're aware that smuggling someone into a train is a serious crime. More so when this train travels across multiple countries."

Laxus snapped. They were threatening Freed, and it wasn't right.

The blonde opened the door to the washroom. Both Freed and the conductor snapped their heads towards Laxus at the sound of the door opening. Freed looked at him like he was mad for revealing himself, as if Freed had been handling the situation. Despite the confidence that Freed portrayed, Laxus knew what was going to happen. They would find him, and either both of them would be punished, or just Laxus. One outcome would be better than the other.

"He didn't smuggle me in," Laxus said before anyone could speak. "I snuck on without him. He didn't know I was here until we left the station in Athens."

"And would you like to explain why he wouldn't inform us of a stowaway?" The conductor said with venom in his tone, face red. He clearly wasn't happy with the situation.

"Because you would have police waiting for him at the next train station," Freed said before Laxus could speak. "The punishment would greatly outweigh the crime, if it can even be considered that. I wouldn't accept that."

"Fucks sake Freed," Laxus whispered. "Saying that shit incriminates you."

"The stowaway's intelligent," The conductor muttered sarcastically. "And you're correct, the police will be called and waiting for your little friend when we arrive in the next station later today. I imagine they will want to talk to you as well, Mr Justine."

Laxus deflated; he wouldn't get to Paris now. He had no idea what damn country he was in, let alone the actual town or city they would end up in, so there was no chance of him finding a way to his grandfather. And that was being optimistic, it was more likely that he would be locked in the closest jail until he could work off the money he would owe. He was fucked.

"Now, the two of you can either follow me to my office for the rest of the day, or I can have my man take you through in handcuffs," The conductor continued. "What would you rather-"

"What if I paid?" Freed interrupted.

"Excuse me?" The conductor snapped his head towards Freed again.

"Your only legitimate legal complaint is that Laxus didn't pay to be here, correct," Freed said, voice stern and almost authoritative. Laxus looked at him with a frown. "If I were to pay for his ticket now, then you would have nothing to be concerned about, correct?"

"Well…"

"Legally speaking, the problem would be over. There is nothing stopping him from paying at a slightly later date," Freed continued, eyes determined. "And I know your boss. Personally, too, as it goes. It's how I was able to get a private cabin. He would rather have another paying customer than a controversy, so allowing me to pay now is the better option, no?"

Laxus frowned, not knowing if this would work. When he looked over to the conductor, he looked enraged, and Freed was smirking. Laxus then understood what was happening; the conductor wanted to have him kicked off the train – most likely to fuel some sort of ego – and Freed had quickly come up with an idea to stop that. And apparently the conductor was trying and failing to come up with a way to counter Freed.

"I should warn you, Mr Justine, that it won't be cheap," The conductor eventually said. "We have to make sure we are in profit, and we can't know for sure how much he has cost us since he boarded. So, the bill will consist of a full price ticket from our first stop to our last, it will include the costs of three meals a day, as well as making accommodations for any miscellaneous costs that may arise."

"Oh for heaven's sake," Freed complained. "You're clearly taking advantage of our situation to take more than you are owed."

"Much like he would have if we hadn't found him, no?" The conductor taunted, and Freed clenched his jaw.

"I don't have that much money in cash on me," Freed said quietly, anger flaring in him.

"Well, that is a shame," The conductor was smiling wide now. "So, if you'd like to follow me-"

"But I do have proposition," Freed said before the conductor finished. "I'm a writer, as you know, and I write under the pseudonym Albion Raijin. You've heard of that name, correct?"

Laxus' eyes widened a little at Freed's admission. The name was familiar, and when Laxus looked towards the closed book on the desk, and the name was printed onto it under the title. So Freed had written the books that Laxus was enjoying? That… made sense, actually. That would be why Freed wanted to know what he thought. It also explained why he had a copy of each book in the series with him; it would have been something to do with the press tour.

"Well, yes, of course I have," The conductor grunted. "But I hardly see how that matters."

"I have a book being published later this year. It's been predicted that it will sell well. My proposal is that a percentage of the profits made from this book for the first year will be sent towards your employer. Within a month Laxus' debt will be paid; by the end of the year it will be more than fulfilled."

"And how do I know you won't deny such a deal existed the moment you leave this train?" The conductor crossed his arms. "You've proven yourself not to be trustworthy, Mr Justine."

"There's a lawyer aboard, a Miss Heartfilia. She can write a contract that would enforce this deal, I'm sure," Freed said with certainty. He looked at the conductor, and then he sighed. "I'm sure she could also write a clause that would direct a further percentage directly into your wallet."

There was a moment of silence.

"Five percent," The conductor muttered.

"No," Freed stood firm. "The most you'll get is three."

Laxus looked at Freed in disbelief.

He was just giving away his money for Laxus' sake. The worst punishment Freed could get for 'harbouring' Laxus would be a fine, he was rich and could pay bail after all. The fine wouldn't be nearly as much as he was willing to give away just to keep Laxus on the train. It was… kind. So kind. It was perhaps more kindness than Laxus had been given in years. It felt unearned.

"Freed," Laxus muttered. "You don't need to do this."

"Quiet," Freed demanded. "Your grandfather is a good man, correct?"

"Yes," Laxus mumbled.

"Then you should be there for him," Freed said, before looking at the conductor again. "Do we have a deal?"

The conductor took a moment to think again. "I'll try to find Miss Heartfilia."

The portly man turned on his heel and left the room, not bothering to close the door behind him. Freed ended up closing it, and Laxus sat on the bottom bunk with his head in his hands. He deflated as relief flooded through him; both the anxiety of their conversation with the conductor and the underlying stress Laxus had felt since the moment he entered the train station in Athens leaving him. It was an odd feeling; he couldn't define it.

"You did not need to do that," Laxus said into his hands, looking up to Freed. "That's a fuck load of money you just gave away for a guy you don't know. That's really generous. You didn't… why did you do that?"

"Most of my family have disowned me, after they found out about my sexuality," Freed explained, sitting at the desk. "The only person who didn't was my uncle. He died, and I wasn't there to say goodbye to him. Thinking of it makes me ache, and if I can make sure it doesn't happen to you then I will."

"Well, thanks," Laxus didn't know what else to say. "So… You're the author, huh? You were pretty hard on him- well, yourself I guess. I didn't see you as the self-loathing kind."

"I'm not," Freed chuckled. "I just found it amusing you hadnt figured it out and wanted to play up to it."

"So you just did it to amuse yourself?" Laxus laughed when Freed nodded. "You are…. the oddest man I think I've met."

"I take that as a compliment," Freed smiled. "I assume you'll be looking forward to leaving the cabin and eating three meals a day again."

"You have no damn idea," Laxus groaned at the thought.

"Well, with how vastly we're overpaying for our time here, from this point on we will both live and eat like kings," Freed smirked, and Laxus copied the action. So this was how Freed was going to get this money back? Laxus could more than get on board with it.

"Looking forward to it," The blonde grinned.

~~~

Day Six: Evening.

"This actually doesn't fit me that badly," Laxus said as he looked at himself in the mirror.

He was wearing a suit that didn't belong to him fit with a waistcoat, pocket watch and tie. Freed had taken it from one of the suitcases stored in the luggage cart, giving it to Laxus so that he could be dressed correctly as they went to dinner.

When Laxus had asked why Freed had a suit of this size, he had explained that, while in Greece, he had collected a selection of clothing for his friend Bickslow. Bickslow was apparently a fashion-conscious man who knew of a designer who only sold his clothes in Greece and he had all but begged Freed to get him as many suits as his trunk could contain. He was also relatively similar in stature to Laxus, meaning that the blonde could wear these clothes without looking absurd. They were a little snug, but okay.

And Laxus was glad to be wearing something other than the ratty outfit he'd worn over the past few weeks.

"High class clothing rather suits you," Freed commented as he began to tie his hair. "You should consider investing in some suits of that type."

"If you've got a way for me to pay for it, then by all means," Laxus chuckled. After a moment of silence, he spoke again. "I'm a little anxious about going out there, if I'm honest."

"Why so?" Freed asked with a small frown.

"Everyone's gonna know who I am," Laxus sighed. "The stowaway bastard who got caught sneaking around. They're all gonna be fucking looking at me – judging me – and I don't know if I can handle it."

"Well, that is ridiculous," Freed said, almost sternly. "You have just as much right as anyone to be in that dining cart. If they disagree, to hell with their opinion. You're here with me, not them."

"I guess but…" Laxus sighed. "It's fucking embarrassing, okay. I'm a charity case in a train full of snobs."

"You are not a charity case, I can assure you of that," Freed said, voice firm and unwilling to accept any other interpretation of the situation. "And after dealing with these people for six days, I can also assure you that they are nothing. A mess of socialites, idiots with money, and inflated egos. Their opinions are redundant, as they don't have the intellectual capacity to understand anything that they haven't lived through. And for the few exceptions to those rules, they will undoubtedly find you charming."

"Do you find me charming?" Laxus asked. He didn't know why, exactly.

"Of course," Freed replied honestly. "You're different to most people I've met. They consider a minor tax increase as an afront to their human rights. You, on the other hand, are a real person with his feet firmly attached to the ground."

"You sound pissed off at the people you know," Laxus laughed, and Freed sighed.

"Some of them are tolerable. Others try to commission me to write a letter of complaint to the tax office because they lost a minuscule amount of their yearly earnings," Freed smirked a little. "He was not happy when I wrote perhaps the most sarcastic letter in history and then demanded my payment."

"Sounds like a good read," Laxus grinned.

"I've framed it and hung it above my fireplace. It's one of my most prized possessions," Freed grinned. "If you have time, I could perhaps show it to you when we get to Paris."

Laxus smiled a little at the invitation. He hadn't considered the possibility that he and Freed would remain in contact after they left the train, but if they were both going to be living in Paris then there was probably no reason as to why they couldn't. Even if it was something as little as a monthly trip to a café together, Laxus would probably enjoy it.

"Now," Freed continued, voice harsh. "Your anxiety about this is worthless. If any of those people do have a problem, they wouldn't dare say it in fear of making a scene. So as long as you don't allow yourself to be affected by it, it's not there."

"I guess that's true," Laxus nodded, though wasn't convinced.

"Of course it is," Freed nodded. "You ready?"

Laxus nodded, and Freed left the cabin with the blonde following him. It was weird to leave the cabin after being trapped inside of it for nearly six full days. It was almost therapeutic for the blonde to walk down the corridor of the sleeper cart, both in that it allowed him to see things that he wasn't already incredibly familiar with, as well as allowing him to properly stretch his legs. He hadnt realised how cooped up he had felt in the cabin. Though, the cabin was a lot more appealing when he didn't have a choice about leaving it.

Freed led him through the train and to the dining cart, which was partially filled with people. Laxus hadnt taken time to appreciate just how lavish the train was when he first entered it. The cart was decorated with gold ornaments, it had waiters pouring expensive wine, and had a general feeling of wealth.

When the two men entered, a fair amount of people looked towards them. The stowaway and the famous author; what other reaction could Laxus have hoped for?

Freed didn't seem affected by the gazes and glances they were receiving, instead walking through the rows of tables to one at the end of the cart. Freed sat at the table and motioned for Laxus to do the same with the chair opposite him. Laxus did so, wondering if Freed had purposefully made it so that Laxus had his back to the rest of the dining cart. If he did, Laxus was thankful of the action, because he did feel more comfortable without seeing people looking at him.

"Take your time with the menu," Freed said, tapping his cigar against the case before lighting it.

"You know what you're ordering?" Laxus asked, frowning a little.

"The menu is the same every night, I've become quite familiar with it," Freed explained, beckoning a waiter over. The waiter filled both of their glasses with red wine.

Laxus quickly looked over the menu, to see a number of luxury dishes for him to try. His stomach growled at the prospect of eating any of them; a small part of Laxus wondered if he would have had time to try all of them if he had been found out earlier in the week. He didn't say that, of course, as Freed was being kind enough to pay for all of this out of his own pocket. Complaining about not getting enough luxury food would just be too far.

"Is it nice to be outside of the room?" Freed asked when Laxus placed the menu down, having made his choice.

"It's great," Laxus smiled a little, taking a sip of the wine. It didn't taste that different from the crap wine that he served to drunks in Athens. "I think if I had to stay in there any longer I might have gone a little stir crazy."

"Really, I thought a man of your size would have loved being trapped in a relatively small space," Freed chuckled, placing the cigar on an ashtray and taking a sip of the wine. "And I'm sure you would have managed if you had to. You survived off half of a breakfast for your entire daily intake; you're clearly quite a resilient man."

"Thanks," Laxus ducked his head a little. "But it was more than half of the breakfast. Thanks for that, by the way. Especially when I was acting like a tool, you didn't need to do it."

Freed paused, looking at Laxus inquisitively. "You have issues with taking compliments, don't you Laxus?"

Laxus paused for a moment, taken aback by his observation. One of the many waiters approached them before Laxus could reply to what Freed said, and the author gave his order without blinking: a beef wellington with a side of fried potatoes, gravy, and mixed vegetables. Slightly blindsided, Laxus ordered as well: a steak with a cheese sauce, garlic mushrooms and mashed potatoes. The waiter left a moment later, promising that their food would be out soon. The fact he would be eating something other than breakfast food made Laxus' stomach growl again.

As they waited for their food to arrive, they spoke almost constantly. Freed was apparently a natural conversationalist and managed to make Laxus feel comfortable in a situation that was completely foreign to him.

The wine might have helped with that.

When their food did come, it looked incredible. The portions were larger than Laxus had expected, and it looked cooked to perfection. Laxus shouldn't have expected anything else, and he picked up his fork immediately to start eating. As he brought a forkful of steak to his lips, he glanced towards Freed, who was looking at him with a smile.

"Should I have waited?" Laxus asked, eyebrows furrowing.

"No," Freed shook his head slightly, cutting up his beef wellington. "It's just interesting to see you outside the confines of the cabin. And to see you smiling; I didn't want to say anything, but the stress of the situation was showing. It's nice to see you a little relaxed."

"Well, it's thanks to you. I really am grateful for what you did earlier," Laxus smiled, a little guilty.

"You've said. And you really don't need to thank me so often. If I hadn't acted I would have been a hypocrite and I refuse to let that happen," Freed smiled. "So, I propose that we toast the situation, and then speak no more of it."

"I guess," Laxus nodded, raising his wine glass. Freed did the same and clinked it against Laxus'.

After that, conversation began again. It was loose and easy, the two joking with each other. Freed did most of the talking, as Laxus was focusing mainly on the food before him. His stomach was more than grateful for having a real meal, and he was going to enjoy every damn bite of it. Freed seemed to notice this, and had a waiter bring an extra portion of potatoes and mushrooms. Laxus would have argued, but his stomach wouldn't allow it.

By the time dessert was served – a small chocolate pudding alongside a bowl of apple pie and custard – Laxus had almost entirely forgotten about his previous misgivings and anxieties about entering the dining room. If people did look at him, he was no longer bothered by it.

Again, the bottle of wine they shared between them might have helped with that.

They ate and drank deep into the evening, and by the time their meal was completed the sun had set and the train was illuminated by candlelight. It was atmospheric, and rather nice to look at. A fleeting thought said that it was almost romantic, but Laxus dismissed it immediately. Before he could dwell on it, Freed suggested they retire for the night and return to their cabin. Laxus agreed.

The walk back down the train was a little hazy, again due to the wine. The fact the train's cabins were almost identical didn't help either.

"Hey Freed," Laxus said, voice a little bedraggled as Freed opened the door to their cabin.

"Yes?"

"So, being… gay isn't just fucking guy's right? It's romance and kissing too?"

"It depends on the person," Freed explained, frowning a little at the sudden question. "For some people, romance is a big part of it. Other people are too afraid of being found out, and only act on their base desires rather than romantic. But yes, for me it's more than just sex."

Laxus thought for a moment, watching as Freed closed the door.

The second it was closed, Laxus pushed Freed up against it and started to kiss him.

It was an unfamiliar feeling – the women Laxus had kissed in the past had softer lips – and the feeling of Freed against his was unusual but not bad. Instead, it was actually better than his experience with women. When he kissed back, Freed had a little more bite to his actions, was less passive than the women Laxus seemed to attract, and Laxus found himself liking that a lot more than he thought he would. It was good.

After a few seconds, Laxus felt Freed's hands on his chest, pushing him away slightly. When they pulled apart, Freed had an almost concerned expression on his face.

"What are you doing?" Freed whispered, both confused and worried.

"I need to see something," Laxus murmured, voice unsure. "Just, I need to- let me do this."

He kissed Freed again, and Freed kissed him back.

~~~

Day Seven: Morning

When Laxus woke, it was with Freed in his arms.

A momentary flood of panic filled him, and the memories of what he and Freed had done came to him. He had gotten a little drunk over dinner, and Laxus had started to see Freed in a different light that was less than platonic. When they returned to their cabin, Laxus had felt weirdly confident in his confused feelings and had pushed Freed against the door and kissed him before the confidence could leave him.

Kissed him. Nothing more.

They had moved their kissing to the lower bed, and Laxus had a vague memory of running his hands over the man's body. It had been strong, powerful, almost intimidating but equally inviting. It was different to what Laxus was used to in a lover; perhaps better. But other than slight groping, nothing more happened. Freed had stopped him, claiming Laxus wasn't thinking straight, and the blonde had fallen asleep before he could protest.

Laxus was really fucking thankful for him doing that. Because, as he looked at the man sleeping in his arms, it felt as if the ball of nerves that had been slowly building inside of him had burst. Panic started to fill him.

He and Freed had kissed.

A lot.

Laxus had wanted to take the man to bed for god's sake! He wanted to have sex with a man!

His breathing started to get shorter and shorter, eyes widening at he looked down at Freed again. The man who he nearly had sex with. Panic flooding him, he removed himself from Freed's bunk as quickly as he could. He probably could have been more careful, but as he paced around the cabin with a level of fear rushing across him, whether Freed was awake or not was the last thing on his mind.

He ran his hand through his hair, walking towards the washroom. He filled a bowl with cold water and dunked his head into it, the shock of the temperature change momentarily freezing him. His panic lessoned a little, but not enough to calm him down.

"Laxus," Freed's tries voice said, but the blonde ignored him. "Laxus, look at me."

When Laxus payed no mind to the man, Freed walked to him, took his head between his hands and forced eye contact with him. Despite the fact that Freed was essentially the reason for this panic attack, it was weirdly calming to see his face. His breathing calmed slightly, and Freed gave him a soft smile.

"Take your time," Freed continued, voice calming. "When you're ready, I want you to lie down and close your eyes. It'll calm you down."

Laxus allowed Freed to guide him to the bed, laid down and closed his eyes. As Freed had said, it was a weirdly effective remedy for his panic attack. The slight juddering of the train moving was therapeutic, along with the pseudo-silence of the passing sounds of nature coming from the open window of their cabin. Still making an effort to keep his breathing steady, Laxus felt the brunt of his anxiety fade away. He was still thinking about what had happened and had no idea what was going to happen going forward, but he was at least not on the brink of having a breakdown.

When he opened his eyes, he saw that Freed had turned the desk chair around and was looking at him with an expression that was either regretful of pitying; perhaps a mixture of both. He offered Laxus a glass of water, which he took.

"If it makes you feel better," Freed began, voice calm and soothing. "I promise what happened will remain between the two of us. Nobody will know, and you can work on forgetting it."

The promise should have been more comforting than it was. Because, knowing Freed, he would make sure that nobody knew, and it would end up being something Laxus would only have to push to the back of his mind. And yet, the feeling left a dull sensation in his stomach. Something akin to disappointment…

He had enjoyed kissing Freed. And he had wanted to take it further.

Where that thought had scared him before, it now left him confused.

"I don't want to forget it," Laxus said, sitting up. "At least, I think I don't. I don't really know what I'm feeling about it."

"Well, as someone who has been in that situation, I might be able to help," Freed offered, and Laxus let out a small, tentative nod. "I can imagine that was at least your first time doing such a thing with another man. Have you ever considered the fact you might have an interest in men before, or is this the first time?"

"No," Laxus shook his head. "It's all new. I'm kinda scared, honestly."

"That's okay, it's natural," Freed said, patting Laxus' hand. "I don't know if this will help, but there is categorically nothing wrong with being gay. The people who say otherwise are incorrect, bigoted and simply cruel."

Laxus wished that helped more than it did.

"Furthermore, the concept of being attracted to men is not as… binary as you might think," Freed patted his hand. "For example, just because you might want to kiss a man, it doesn't mean you don't want to kiss women as well. It is different for every person, to some extent. It might take some time to discover who exactly you are, and that's okay."

"Thanks," Laxus murmured, nodding a little. That was comforting, actually. "How did you do that?"

"Experimentation, predominantly," Freed explained. "I tried to engage in romances and sexual encounters with women, and with men when I could. I could be platonically close to women, but not romantically nor sexually. But with these men, it was different. It felt better; both exhilarating and comfortable."

"Right…" Laxus nodded.

Experimenting, as Freed had called it, seemed like the right thing to do. But it wasn't as if Laxus knew how to find these men. He knew that, if you looked in the right places, there would be a tavern where you could find a man to take to bed. But, if he was honest, Laxus wanted to date. To marry, at some point.

Admittedly, doing that with a man would be difficult, but the point was that he wanted a life partner. He was a romantic traditionalist; ironic given the situation he found himself in.

Freed looked at him with a concerned expression. "I have a suggestion."

"Go ahead," Laxus mumbled.

"Well, you only kissed me last night after I told you that men could be romantic together as well as sexual. So you seem to want to date someone. And you have some kind of attraction to me, and I to you," Freed explained slowly. "So what if, for the rest of the time we're here, we act as a couple. When we go to dinner tonight we class it as a date rather than simply a meal between friends, we can kiss at the end of the night if you wish, and perhaps even share the bed again if you feel comfortable. And then tomorrow, when we leave the train, we can discuss how you're feeling. If you wish to forget it, we can. If you wish to break contact with me and not speak again, we can. But if you wish to continue something romantic between us, we can do that too."

Laxus thought for a moment. "Are you sure you wanna do that? I mean…"

A lot of reasons as to why Freed wouldn't want to do that came to mind. For one, it would almost feel as if he were leading Freed on if he decided men weren't where his interests lay. And even if they were, would Freed want to be with someone going through something this big? Hell, would Freed want to be with someone so under his station? Freed was a gentleman and a scholar – literally so – whereas Laxus was a homeless criminal.

"Laxus, I've been where you are and I know how hard it can be," Freed smiled. "And, I'm attracted to you. You're a handsome man, with a brilliant personality and, honestly, you're a good kisser."

Laxus laughed. "You really think so? Nobody ever said that before."

"Well, the women you have kissed clearly don't appreciate a good man when presented with one," Freed said firmly.

"I'm a good man, huh?" Laxus said with a small frown.

"I'd be proud to have you on my arm," Freed said, unblinking.

It was a minor compliment, but it made Laxus feel… giddy. Laxus couldn't remember the last time he had been given a compliment like that, not one by someone who didn't have some kind of ulterior motive at least. It was almost pathetic how wide his smile was at the small phrase, and the blush on his cheeks didn't help.

"Well," Laxus said, smiling a little nervously. "Tonight I will be."

~~~

Day Seven: Evening

Sitting at the bar with Freed was a really good feeling, actually. Laxus had initially been a bit nervous, not entirely sure what a 'date' would be like with Freed – he wasn't comfortable kissing Freed in front of people, and he didn't know if Freed would want to do that – but he was actually enjoying it. Freed was respectful, and although there wasn't a particularly big difference in how they were acting around each other, it did have a different feeling. A little more charged.

Freed was more happy to give compliments and did so openly. Mainly they were about his personality, but there was a few on his looks. He said them confidentially, and Laxus had been a little concerned the first few times, but nobody seemed to care. Laxus wondered if Freed had perfected what personal compliments he could say before they were found out.

Honestly, despite how utterly stupid it was to think this way, Laxus kind of liked the risk.

He didn't know what would happen if they were caught and refused to let it happen. He was honestly terrified by the idea of someone other than Freed knowing about his potential feeling for men.

But, some small and twisted part of him was excited. They had a secret, and they were kind of flaunting it.

"You know, I was thinking actually," Freed spoke with a glass of gin in his hand. "It's sort of ironic that I agreed to help you because I wanted an interesting story to write about, and I'm considering actually writing about our time on the train."

"Really?" Laxus frowned.

"I think it would make for a good story," Freed shrugged. "I'd of course have to make some changes, add more suspense to everything. Other alterations to make it more marketable."

The emphasis on the word marketable made Laxus relax. From what he knew about Freed's publisher, he wouldn't consider two men dating in any way marketable, so Freed was probably trying to suggest that the romantic part of their journey wouldn't be involved in Freed's writing. That was good because, despite it being almost impossible to tie Freed's writing to Laxus, he didn't want to tempt fate in them being found out.

"Well, I mean I ain't a writer, but if you need any help from me then just ask," Laxus offered, and Freed smiled.

"I might just do that," He said as he emptied the rest of his drink. "It's a little warm in here. There's a small outdoor area where we boarded, it acts like a balcony in transit. Would you like to go there before we retire for the night?"

"Sounds fine," Laxus nodded.

The two men walked through the drinking carriage and to the door at the end, where they entered a small metal platform at the rear of the vehicle. The night sky was cloudless, and stars shone brightly, illuminating the tracks. The wind was a little choppy, and after Laxus closed the door, Laxus understood why Freed had taken him out here.

The wind would block out any conversation to anyone trying to listen in on them, making it perhaps the most private part on the train. Freed leant on the metal railing, the wind flowing through his hair as he looked to Laxus.

"So," He began. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," Laxus nodded a little, joining Freed while resting on the railing. "The meal was good, and the drinks are pretty nice. And you know that I like being around you-"

"I more meant how you are doing in general," Freed corrected, smiling softly. "It can't be overstated how stressful a situation this can be for a person. You seem to be taking it well, and I just wondered if you're actually okay or just internalising it."

"It's messing me up, honestly," Laxus sighed. He hadnt wanted to admit it to Freed; it was rude to interrupt a date with his own problems. "I don't really know what I'm feeling. It's kinda like I'm numb. I feel like I should be really freaked out by all of this, but I'm not. But I am panicked, just not as much as I should be. I was more panicked about getting caught by the police in the train station even though this is kinda worse so…"

"That seems good, I think," Freed said, comfortingly. "You've always seemed rather pragmatic about yourself. Perhaps you've realised that this is part of who you are, and you've accepted it on some level."

"Maybe I have," Laxus shrugged. "Or maybe I'm just taking it as it comes. Acting on instinct, it's what I've always done."

"It seems to have worked for you so far," Freed grinned a little. "So, as I interrupted you before, how do you think this date is going?"

"I'm really enjoying it actually," Laxus admitted, a little flushed as he spoke. In his past relationships, his opinions of things weren't overly considered. "It's a little weird knowing you're another man, but honestly, it's been fun. You're a good guy to go on a date with."

"I try my best," Freed laughed.

"Well, you're good at it," Laxus muttered. "You enjoying it? I kinda think this is more about me than you, feel a little guilty."

"Well you shouldn't. You're going through a lot. Besides, I'm enjoying myself. You're good company," He grin took a small wicked glint. "And you really shouldn't feel guilty. Because right now, those trousers are shaping around your arse to perfection and I am more than making the best of it."

"Shut up," Laxus muttered, flushing red. Nobody had ever given him a compliment like that before!

"Oh don't get coy now, Laxus," Freed chuckled. "I know a man who does squats when I see one. You've cultivated your arse to look like that, at least let me enjoy it."

Laxus laughed a bit, unable to meet Freed's eyes. He was unashamedly complimenting him on his body, something that had never happened with any of his relationships with women. Honestly, as weirdly pathetic as this felt, Laxus enjoyed having this amount of attention on him. While he was blushing, he did allow a smile to grace his features.

"Well, you ain't bad looking either," Laxus mumbled. "At least to me, but I'm no expert on what makes a man look good."

"You've managed to make yourself look incredibly handsome, don't be so hard on yourself," Freed chuckled.

Laxus couldn't say anything, out of fear that he would stutter and make a fool of himself. Freed simply let out a small and teasing laugh, which Laxus didn't mind; over the last week Freed had proven himself to be non-judgmental on the important things. They stayed out for a little while longer before the chill got too cold to take, and they both agreed that it would be best to return to their cabin for the night. It was getting late, after all.

As they did, Laxus did something he wasn't particularly proud of. Freed was walking in front of him, and Laxus allowed his eyes to stray down to the writer's ass. It was weird, and Laxus felt his stomach flip a little. He knew what the feeling was. He was turned on by the man and was confident about it. He didn't say anything until they reached the door and Freed unlocked the cabin.

"Don't stop me this time," Laxus whispered into his ear before they entered the room. "Because I know I want this."

~~~

Day Seven: Night (N S F W)

Kissing Freed was amazing, Laxus had concluded.

He was rough and strong with his movements, almost as if he saw the kiss as a challenge. His hands were resting deep in his blonde hair, tugging at it occasionally and making Laxus groan at the feeling. Whenever he had kissed someone before it had felt like he was doing all the work, but right now he was feeling great. There was so much more going on than in his past kisses; so much more to feel and enjoy.

Freed dragged him to the bottom bunk of the bed. Freed sat, and Laxus lowered himself to maintain the kiss. Again on instinct, Laxus found his hands roaming the other man's body, and it ignited a fire. There was so much power in him, so much strength.

God it was hot.

Freed didn't stop him this time, instead his hands started to roam over Laxus' body. He pulled the dinner jacket off Laxus, throwing it to the floor, and the act of having a piece of his outfit being taken off him sent a thrill down Laxus. It was happening, he was going to fuck another man, and the idea of it was exhilarating. His dick strained in his trousers.

Laxus was just as eager, pulling off Freed's jacket with less elegance than Freed had. He quickly unbuttoned the man's waistcoat, and that was thrown to the floor as well. Freed pulled his lips away from Laxus, looked at him for a moment, then grinned.

He had been checking if Laxus was truly into this. He definitely was.

Freed's lips were suddenly on his neck, and an unfamiliar sensation of sucking and nibbling sensation overtook the blonde. The skin on his neck was more sensitive that he thought it could be, and the feeling of Freed almost attacking it with his tongue and teeth was incredible. This was all so fucking overwhelming in the best damn way.

"Shit," Laxus let out a whine.

"Laxus," Freed whispered, pulling his lips away from his neck. "You know idea how much I would love to hear your moans and watch you lose control, but I need you to be quiet. We'll get caught otherwise."

"Yeah, of course. Sorry," Laxus whispered.

"If it helps, I could gag you with one of my ties," Freed teased, and the threat sent a pulse of intense arousal straight to Laxus' dick.

He had never been with a lover like this before. One who had a little bite to them, who could challenge Laxus and make him feel good. This wasn't going to be just him pleasuring another person, it was going to be the two of them making each other feel good. And Laxus was so fucking ready to make himself and Freed feel good.

With slightly stumbling hands, he worked on undoing the buttons to Freed's shirt and pulled it off. The expanse of strong muscle was so fucking hot to Laxus in a way the blonde didn't understand, and Laxus felt overcome by instincts.

He moved them both fully onto the bed. Freed was lying face up, Laxus was over him on all fours.

Laxus ripped open his shirt and tossed it to the side before kissing him again, their strong bodies pushed against each other. The feeling of Freed's abs and pecs rubbing against his own body was almost orgasmic, and the blonde relished every moment of it. How he was so turned on by something so unfamiliar with was beyond Laxus, but he didn't care. He was following his instincts on this, and they were screaming at him to ravish this man.

With slightly unsure movements, he began to grope the other man over his trousers. The feeling of another man's hard cock against his hand was unusual, but the fact it quivered in his hand spurred Laxus on. He was making Freed feel good, and Laxus loved that.

His eyes shot open a moment later when he felt hands on his own tenting crotch. Freed was taking his trousers off for him; a feeling so incredible that Laxus felt a small trickle of pre-cum leak from the tip of his dick.

God he wanted this so much.

After Freed had pushed the blonde' trousers down as far as possible, Laxus kicked them off to the floor. Now only in his briefs, he started to work on Freed's belt and pulling his own trousers downs. Laxus didn't have the same level of subtlety – nor patience – that Freed had, taking the man's briefs down with his trousers.

Laxus looked at the naked man before him. He was sweating, his strong muscles flexing, dick straining hard. He was looking at Laxus with a small smirk, clearly knowing how much Laxus was enjoying this.

Fuck: looking at Freed like this confirmed one thing. He definitely wanted to fuck this man.

Laxus was kissing him a moment later, his underwear-clad cock rubbing against Freed's. The feeling was unusual and incredible, and Laxus was running more and more out of patience. He pulled away from Freed, cheeks red as he looked deep into his eyes. God, this was a form of intimacy that he had never felt with another person, and he was loving it.

"Can I- I mean do you mind if I-," Laxus didn't know how to phrase it.

He gestures to the hard dick in his briefs, and Freed smirked. He reached down and slid the man's briefs down his legs again, tossing them to the ground and giving a single, hard tug. Laxus grinded his teeth together so he didn't moan loud enough to be heard.

"There's some lotion in my suitcase," Freed whispered. "Give it to me."

Laxus reached over to Freed's suitcase, climbing off the man. His pupils dilated as he got a better look at the man he had just been on top of. He looked fucking incredible, with his stomach expanding slightly with every breath and showing off his gorgeous abs. His chest was perfectly defined, his thighs shockingly strong looking, his dick hard and long with two equally large balls below it. The sight of another man naked was so unusual to Laxus, but fuck did he love it.

He found the lotion and handed it to Freed, who emptied a large amount of it into his hand. Laxus watched with wide eyes as Freed brought his hand to Laxus' dick, slowly stroking it and lathering it with the lotion. His movements were purposeful and drove Laxus wild.

He was pushing his forehead against the top bunk, trying desperately not to moan.

"I can finish you off like this," Freed whispered, voice a little ragged. "But if you want, we can go further. I assume you know how men would fuck."

Laxus nodded and climbed atop Freed with a grin. He had gone this far and knew that if Freed did finish him with his hands, it would be the best orgasm he had had in years. But Laxus wanted to make Freed feel as good as he was feeling, and if buggering him was the way to do it then Laxus would gladly do so.

Freed turned himself over so that he was face down in the bed, and Laxus was presented with the fucking faultless sight of Freed's strong back and firm, round ass. It was incredibly enticing.

"Before you start, I need something to cum into," Freed whispered, and Laxus frowned. "Unless you want explain stains to the maid."

Laxus nodded, looking around for something in arms reach. He saw that his own briefs were close, and the idea of Freed jizzing into his underwear filled Laxus with an almost animalistic lust. He wanted to see that happen, wanted to be the one responsible for that happening, and picked up his briefs to hand to Freed before he could stop himself. The other man took them and slowly began to pump his dick with them on his hand.

"Start slowly," Freed instructed. "But once you get a rhythm, the speed is up to you. I can take it."

Laxus nodded, looking at his lotion covered dick. Taking a breath to ready himself, he placed his dick in front of Freed's ass and slowly pushed inside.

It was orgasmic.

The tightness of the man around him was indescribable, and was the most overwhelming, intense feeling the blonde had ever gone though. The further he pushed in, the better if felt, and the slight moan from Freed – who had been restrained up until this point – made everything so much better. This was so good.

He slowly started to move his hips back and forth, getting used to the feeling. It was insanely erotic, intense to a degree Laxus had never felt before. His nerves were on fire, and his mind went numb. It was brilliant.

Lowering his body to get closer to Freed, he started to get into a rhythm with his thrusts. He got faster, gyrating his hips carefully. Freed was pumping his own dick with Laxus' briefs, and the feeling of Freed jutting against him was incredible. It was so good, so much better than he had ever felt.

He was getting faster and faster, the intensity of the brilliance of the situation spurring him on.

The orgasm was already threatening to overtake him, but he wanted to hold on. Freed had been so good to him, so kind, and he was so fucking sexy like this. Laxus wanted to make this as good as he could for the man, and his hips started to thrust with great speed. When he looked down to Freed, the man looked at him with a grin, a tiny moan leaving his lips.

Both turning their heads, Freed pulled Laxus into a kiss. Laxus' thrusts still got faster, and Freed pushed against it while he wanked himself off.

Suddenly, Freed moaned into their kiss, eyes widening. Laxus knew what was happening.

Before he could come to terms with the fact he had brought Freed to orgasm – the fact he was spilling his seed in Laxus' briefs was a sickly incredible feeling – Freed seemed to clench his entire body. The feeling of increased tightness around his dick finally sent Laxus over the edge, and the orgasm filled all his senses.

It was like the world itself had been rocked. It was incredible.

Laxus had never felt so good, so turned on, so satisfied. It only lasted a few moments, but it was fucking insane.

Exhaustion suddenly overtook him, and Laxus felt himself collapse on the man. Freed brought Laxus' briefs to his own ass, helping Laxus remove his dick without spilling any of their cum on the bed. They shifted slightly in their positions, and Freed tossed the cum stained underwear into his open suitcase, so they were out of the way, but not able to stain anything in the cabin itself.

As they lay in the same bunk, Laxus couldn't say he was sure if he was attracted to all men.

But he sure as hell knew he was attracted to Freed. And if he got his way, that wouldn't be the last time they fucked. Because they were doing that again!

~~~

Day Eight: Morning

Getting off the train was weird. Laxus was confronted with the cold air of Paris in the wintertime, the brisk chill of a wind going through his hair as he walked through the train station, and his legs slightly unstable on unmoving ground.

He stood beside Freed, holding one of the man's two suitcases as they walked side by side; Freed had said that he didn't need to carry his luggage, but Laxus insisted that it was the absolute least he could do. Freed went to argue, but Laxus pointed out that Freed had even given him one of Bickslow's suits to keep and that doing something as small as lifting his bags was nothing in comparison to that. Freed hadnt been able to argue after that.

"So," Freed said as they left the train station. "What are your plans now?"

"Well, I sent gramps a letter the day I left, so hopefully it got to him by now," Laxus shrugged. "So go to his flat, see how I can help out. Then try and get a job, see what happens from there."

"So you'll live with your grandfather then?"

"It's the only place I've got," Laxus shrugged. "It ain't exactly the biggest flat in the world, only got one bedroom which he gave to me as a kid. Obviously he's gonna need to keep that, so I guess I'll be on the sofa. But I can deal with that."

Freed hummed contemplatively. As the writer thought, Laxus looked around Paris again. It looked different form the last time he had been there; with more decorations on the streets and a general feeling of luxury living. He doubted that the part of Paris he lived in would be as nice as this – it had never been an affluent area – but it was better than he remembered. And weirdly, it almost felt as if he was coming home.

He vaguely remembered where he was going, and Freed seemed to be going in the same direction as him. They walked the cobbled streets side by side, walking past cafés and eateries, watching painters beside the river. It felt like a postcard version of France.

"Where does he live?" Freed asked.

"Erm, the building's called Rosemary Court," Laxus frowned a little as he tried to remember his grandfather's address. "It's in Square de la Couronne."

"I know it well, actually. I have an apartment in Boulevard Gambetta. It's about half an hour's walk away from your grandfather's house," Freed commented. "We could meet up sometime, if you'd like."

"Sound's nice," Laxus looked to him, smiling a little. "In… the same way we did last night, right?"

"I'd like that," Freed smiled, and a warm feeling flooded through Laxus. "You know, I do actually have a spare bedroom, if you ever need a night away from your grandfather, or wish to sleep in an actual bed, I'm more than willing to accommodate you for the night."

"I might take you up on that," Laxus said with a smile.

When he thought about that, a sudden rush of confidence flooded through him. At the start of the week, he and Freed hadn't known one another and Laxus hadnt considered the possibility he might be attracted to a man. And now, he was in some kind of relationship with him. And that was a fact that Laxus loved. Because he really cared for Freed, despite how they had only known each other for a short time.

While they were on the train, Freed had always been making accommodations for him. He helped him stay safe in the cabin and walked him through the realisation he wasn't as straight as he first thought. But now Laxus knew what he needed to: he was attracted to Freed and enjoyed his company. And now he wasn't trapped with him, their relationship had changed slightly.

And now it was Laxus' time to pull his own weight.

"But, you know, if I were to come to yours then I wouldn't wanna put you to any trouble," Laxus shrugged. "I imagine making up a whole other bed would be a lot of effort."

Freed raised an eyebrow, a little taken aback by the sudden confidence from the blonde.

"It would be quite troubling to do that," Freed agreed with a small smirk. "Perhaps we could find a way where only one bed would be used."

"Maybe we could," Laxus said with a small smirk. That was the first time he had flirted with a man, and he enjoyed it. He also enjoyed the fact Freed had flirted back; he was almost like a verbal sparring partner. That was good. "But, it could take some time. We should dedicate some time to, y'know, thrash everything out."

"I was counting on it," Freed smirked, having picked on the double entendre. "A full night at least, no doubt."

"Maybe a couple days," Laxus shrugged, grinning.

They looked towards each other, both with grins on their faces. They continued to walk side by side further into Paris, and Laxus felt a chill run down his spine when their knuckles grazed one another. He couldn't believe that this was how his life was progressing.

He couldn't believe how much he liked it. Because, even though he knew his life would be harder from now on, he didn't care. Because he felt whole in a way he hadnt before. Maybe it was being back in Paris where he felt he belonged, maybe it was because he had come to terms with something he had never considered before, and maybe it was because he had a romantic partner that thrilled him like nobody else had.

But one thing was certain. Despite everything that had happened, this had been a good week. Perhaps the best week he'd had in years, and Laxus was cautiously optimistic as to what the rest of his life held.

The rest of his life in Paris. With Freed as both his friend and perhaps his lover.

#fraxus #freed justine #Laxus Dreyar #freed x laxus #writing #fanfic #fairy tail

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