This piece is Fraxus (Freed x Laxus) and was written for the FT Reverse Bang 2022, hosted by @ftguildevents ! I signed up with a different account ( @furidojasutin ) but I’m having troubles with the E-mail and the password because I’ve been absent for so long, so... I’m glad I’m one of the admins here haha.
My partner for this was the amazing @artd-nsfw ! I was super glad to be paired up with her. I absolutely love her art and also the Fraxus piece she drew for this event. You can find the matching art piece >right here<. Please go support her wherever you can!
“Are you not going to join them?”
“Why's that? Is it not classy enough for you, Mr. Justine? I would understand why a man like you wouldn't want to participate.” With his chin resting on the back of his hand, Hibiki leaned forward in question.
Some members of the Blue Pegasus guild and some of their guests had decided to engage in a drinking contest. Ren, Master Bob, Bixlow and Laxus were participating, among others. Though Bixlow already seemed to be out of it.
Freed smiled, amused. He had long gotten used to the flirtatiousness in the way all of the Trimens often interacted with lots of people,Hibiki especially. It was all in good spirit. When the Fairy Tail guild disbanded they'd had plenty of time to get to know each other better, and appreciate one another. “It's not that, exactly. I'm not in a particular rebellious mood right now.”
“And that's all?” Hibiki questioned, sensing that there was something else.
There was a small pause. Freed's eyebrows quirked and he took a sip of his beverage of choice. “I know I wouldn't stand a chance. Had I participated, I would already be lying on the floor. That wouldn't be a fun competition, now would it?”
The response was a chuckle and Hibiki nodded in agreement. “That's fair.”
“What about you, Hibiki?”
“Oh, I feel the same. That, and I feel like we might have a different purpose tonight.”
Just on cue, there was a loud crash from the other side of the guild hall. The drinking contest went on, not caring about anything other than the own havoc they were creating with it. Instead, the sound originated from a table that had been moved too strongly and both Hibiki and Freed turned their heads towards the scene.
Evergreen and Jenny were throwing some passionate sentences at one another, fire in words and eyes, though nothing truly vicious. Apparently they had engaged in an arm wrestling match, and Freed wondered if this party had turned into a tournament instead. And if that was the case, he might have to find something to participate in after all. He too wanted to put somebody in their place.
As the boisterous discussion between the two confident women continued, Hibiki and Freed exchanged a look.
“Do you want to check on them, or should I?”
It wouldn't hurt to make sure before the table got destroyed completely, especially as it seemed that the two of them had consumed quite some alcohol as well.
And Evergreen was a lightweight, too. As was Bixlow. And himself. A pattern there, huh.
“It's alright, I'll go look after them.” Of course, chivalrous as ever. And he was sure that Hibiki actually worried, as there was a heart full of care behind all that playfulness he displayed. “I'm sure you'll be fine on your own.” So Hibiki excused himself with a wink and Freed shook his head before taking another sip, a faint smile on his lips.
As he did that he couldn't help but wonder; if looking after Evergreen and Jenny was Hibiki's purpose of the night, what was his purpose tonight?
Freed didn't have to wait for his question to be answered because it didn’t take long for a certain someone to grace him with his presence, a drink still in his hand and his walk not exactly straight.
“Hey,” he greeted his new company, looking him up and down and watching how he didn’t hesitate to enter his personal space and make himself comfortable. That was completely fine.
“Are you drunk?” A rhetorical question, really. There were a few indicators for Laxus' current state.
Firstly, the way Laxus was leaning into him with his arm loosely wrapped around one of his shoulders. Most of the physical closeness they shared were shown in private rooms, no matter the kind. Not because one of them was ashamed or for any other similar reason, just because they simply preferred it that way. So while public display of affection was rare, it wasn't completely non-existent.
Alcohol altering some patterns was one of the possible triggers.
Secondly, going hand in hand with the proximity, the strong scent of alcohol wafting from Laxus. When he approached, Freed involuntarily crinkled his nose at his boyfriend's breath. He himself had mostly abstained from drinking tonight and although the scent of alcohol was filling the entire hall, it was definitely more intrusive when right next to his nose.
But it only bothered for a second.
“Eh? Nah, just a little tipsy.”
-the way Laxus half-heartedly tried to deny it and the way he had a light sway in his voice.
“Okay,” Freed tipped his head a little, deciding that he would indulge in his boyfriend's answer for just a moment. A treacherous little smile had already formed on his lips and he didn't bother to try and not let it show in his tone of voice. “I've had one mug of beer and I doubt I'll drink more than this second one right here. Now, I know that you've got a high tolerance but I also watched your little debacle with Master Bob over there and eventually I stopped counting how many mugs of beer were involved. Can you tell me, perhaps?”
The candid smile that had previously been on Laxus lips, and Freed already missed because it was so heart-warming, changed into a frown within a split-second. “No and 's not important anyway. I tapped out, the old man would've kicked my ass.”
“Yes, and we both know you don't like having your ass kicked.”
“Only if it's you who's doing it,” Laxus grinned and it actually managed to catch Freed off guard. Cheeks tinted red from the surprise but then he let out a quiet laugh and shook his head, leaving his boyfriend's statement pass without a comment for the time being. The time they had spent as part of Blue Pegasus and as hosts had initially shown that Laxus sucked at any kind of flirting – he was neither interested in doing it nor did his social awkwardness help in those situations, although Freed knew that he had begun working on this issue.
Turns out Laxus was able to flirt, well or clumsily, under two different circumstances – when he had consumed enough alcohol and when he was genuinely interested in the other person. Or just the latter. Because then he actually tried to make an effort.
“Right, right. Why did you start a drinking competition with Master Bob anyway?”
He could have claimed 'yes' because there was a time when alcohol consumption certainly didn't bring out Laxus' best sides. The tendency for testiness had decreased over time and Freed liked to think that it was thanks to the dragon slayer finding his inner peace.
There was less stress all around and Laxus had taken lots of time to rediscover himself, reassess his values and who he wanted to be. It was all still a work in progress – did this journey ever truly end for anyone anyway? - but it was impressive how much progress his boyfriend had made and how much had changed in the course of just two years.
So he could've claimed 'yes' some time ago, but now he could just brush it off and smile because it didn't matter. Laxus was relaxed and despite the drinking contest being a lost cause, he also looked happy as he continued to lean into him.
“No, you're right, it's not.”
“Good.” Laxus exhaled softly and his fingers fumbled their way along the front of Freed's shirt until they found his chin where they lingered. There was immediate tension when he softly caressed the skin and Freed felt the pleasant tickle along his spine, warm and pleasant. “Can I kiss you?”
Laxus didn't flinch at his voice, he knew he could sense him walking up. He still figured that it would be best to be considerate with his approach to test the waters. After all there was a good chance that Laxus wasn't in the mood for company.
And the dragon slayer didn't turn his head when Freed came to stand next to him, he just shrugged and pinpointed something invisible in the distance, staring ahead. “Just needed some fresh air.”
“Okay,” Freed nodded and fixated the same spot as Laxus for just a moment before slightly turning his head. Perhaps he would spot anything on Laxus' face that revealed that he's had a nightmare again even though he of course hoped that this wouldn't be the case. His friend wasn't particularly good at communicating his thoughts and feeling... But he supposed he himself wasn't one to talk.
Laxus shifted his stance slightly, maybe he was feeling some discomfort after all. “I could ask you the same.”
That was fair. “I was feeling uneasy for some reason, so I too figured that some fresh air might help.” That wasn't the whole truth. After noticing that Laxus was gone, he had been a little worried and decided to look for him. The night sky was very beautiful and even though the fresh air hadn't been his true priority, it immediately had a soothing effect on him. The quiet peace and Laxus' presence calmed him and his mind and part of him hoped that he could be the same for the other man right now.
The two of them stood in silence for a a few minutes before he decided that he should at least ask if Laxus wanted to talk about whatever was keeping him up that night, and what had troubled him in the last couple of weeks. He had a good guess what it was. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Laxus exhaled slowly. “Talk about what?”
The nightmares, the fear, the worries... There was a lot he could say because there was just so much at the forefront of their minds. The guild's disbandment had hit them all very hard and Laxus' sickness... Laxus' sickness hit even heavier. He was sure that Ever and Bixlow were just as worried as he was, but he was thankful that Laxus had decided to confess to them after all. Nobody else knew about the current situation. Nobody but the four of them.
There was a long pause before Freed sighed. “Has it gotten worse?”
“You're clearly not fine, Laxus.” The words sounded harsher than he had intended for them to be and he immediately regretted it. There shouldn’t be such fire in his voice. “I apologize.”
“Tchz...” For the first time in minutes Laxus actually turned his head to look at Freed and his eyes betrayed what was burning inside him. Something was clearly racing in his mind. “You should know me better than to think that I would let some shitty sickness beat me. I'll go down fightin'.”
Freed decisively shook his head. That wasn't something he wanted to hear. It immediately triggered the fear that had found a home somewhere deep within. “You won't go down at all.”
“No,” he cut in, almost angry. “I promised that we would find a solution.” A cure. Even if that was the last thing he would be doing, there was no way that he would let Laxus... disappear. Die. “And you should know me better than to think that I would break a promise, I-”
“Dammit Freed!” Emotion flooded Laxus' exclamation and Freed was taken aback by the sudden outburst. The dragon slayer was making direct eye-contact with him now, orange colors sparkling under the moonlight. It was beautiful, like a golden flame almost. “This is different. Fuck, we don't even know if there is a fuckin' way to heal this shit.”
The scene had escalated so quickly that Freed was overwhelmed by his own mind, and that wasn't something that happened often. He liked being the master of his own thoughts and emotions, of the things that happened around him. But this situation demonstrated perfectly how that wasn't always possible.
Worry, fierce ambition, fear... love. It all was clashing together at once. It was too much. And while he was all wound up in this spider web in his mind for a moment, Laxus continued to talk and he suddenly sounded calmer than ever.
It was a rarity. It caught him by absolute surprise and he found himself mesmerized.
“I won't go down without a damn good fight, you hear me? And I know that Ever, Bickslow and you, you'll be fightin' with me.” There was a pause and Freed wasn't sure if he just imagined the shiver in Laxus' exhale. “Especially you. Look... Fuck.” Raising his hand Laxus scratched the back of his neck in what seemed to be tinge of awkwardness. Freed was still captured as he examined Laxus' features and listened to his voice. Something was... different. “It's not the... the fucking nightmares or the curse or the old geezer or the damn disbandment. Not this time. There has... been somethin' else and I wondered if it will be too late for me to say somethin' sometime.”
“What?” Freed tried to ignore that, again, Laxus was talking as if his death was inevitable. He despised thinking about it and he didn't want to envision the scenario. It was simply not an option. But instead of saying something, he figured he would try to ease the mood a little. Something was up and it was rare that the dragon slayer opened his heart like this, even towards him. His best friend. “Is it about the horrible host skills you've been presenting? Are you worried that there is something you will never improve at?”
Laxus blinked, caught off guard. He had previously been avoiding Freed's gaze, now he was looking at him again. Perhaps this helped a little to ease the tension. “What? No, I don't even wanna be good at it. It's a useless skill anyway,” he snorted and Freed's lips curved into a faint smile. “Ichiya has his new Aces already, been tellin' me that Bixlow and you are pretty popular.”
“Oh, he did? Well, you never know when you are going to need a skill of this kind.”
“Tchz yea, well. Anyway,” Laxus muttered and scratched the back of his neck again. Was he getting more nervous? Had it not been in the middle of the night then he would have spotted the light red tint on the dragon slayer's cheek. “I was wondering...”
Freed's smile disappeared. He furrowed his brows instead when there was no continuation of Laxus' sentence, at least no immediate one. Laxus was looking away still and he could see the inward fight on his face clearly. What was the matter?
“Laxus?” He decided to ask, cautiously. “What is the matter?”
Was he... dreaming? For the second time this night, Laxus had made him go speechless and with so little words, too. Had his best friend just asked him if he could kiss him? His best friend who he's had feelings for for a very long time?
And he had always thought that Laxus was the oblivious one. Just now he had been just as oblivious and it had him rooted on the spot. Unable to move, unable to reply. Even though he wanted to, so badly. He could feel his heart beat harder in his chest, he didn't think it had ever beaten so vigorously before.
At this moment it was as if no battle he had fought, no injuries and fear he had endured could compare to what Laxus' question was doing to him right now.
“Fuck... I'm sorry.” Without glancing at Freed Laxus turned around, ready to flee from the situation. The nervousness seemed to get the better of him after all. That he would experience such a moment; Laxus willingly fleeing. “This was a bad idea, I'll just...”
“Laxus!” And it was his fault that Laxus wanted to flee. What was he thinking, just standing here and torturing his best friend, his love, with no answer? He would have gone crazy too. And he was going crazy right now, but for an entirely different reason. A wonderful reason. “Wait!”
The dragon slayer stopped dead in his tracks, his shout had been effective. Watching that, Freed finally found himself able to move again, thawed from his frozen state. His hands suddenly felt a bit sweaty but he didn't care. The sound of his heartbeat was overcoming the thick and heavy silence around them as he made his first step towards Laxus, and then the following ones.
And after that, there were just fireworks. Beautiful, unique, unforgettable fireworks.
Freed smiled and thought back to the first time Laxus had asked him this particular question. He would forever cherish the moment, and every moment in the future Laxus would initiate intimacy like this. “You may.”
His boyfriend didn't need to be told twice. He closed the few inches of distance between them and joined their lips in what was a slow and soft kiss. Freed immediately tasted the alcohol on Laxus but that was as little of a problem as the scent was. The kiss was all but rough, he felt how Laxus' fingers wandered from his chin down to his collarbone and he relished in the feather-light touches. After all the times they had kissed since they had become a couple, he still couldn't get enough of the sensation of kissing Laxus and how it made him feel.
As light as a feather, as intense as the night, as stormy as the ocean and as powerful as thunder. All at once. It was an all-consuming experience, something so heavenly he at one point thought he would never be allowed to experience.
At moments like these, Freed was especially thankful for how everything turned out. He was thankful for his friends and for the families he had found, because Blue Pegasus had certainly grown on him as one as well even after Fairy Tail had reunited. He was glad that nothing had happened to Ichiya and that his best friends, Ever and Bix, were still here and alive with him. He was glad that he had been able to keep his promise towards Laxus and that Laxus was cured. And not only cured, but happier. Happier and his boyfriend. What else could he wish for now, except for continuous health and peace?
Laxus was the one to move the kiss from his lips to his neck and he could feel him hum against his skin. It was hard not to lean into this tempting touch so Freed decided to indulge for just a moment and closed his eyes as the dragon slayer kept spreading little dwelling kisses on the exposed skin of his neck.
“I love you,” he sighed and opened his eyes again, tilting his head just enough so he could make eye-contact with his boyfriend.
The lopsided grin Laxus wore was contagious and so Freed smirked in return, nodding towards the mug of beer that was still resting in the dragon slayer's other hand. “Didn't you want to put this down?”
“What?” Laxus blinked as though he had sincerely forgotten about the drink in his hand. The grin made a quick comeback, however. “Nah, would be a waste. That's the last one.”
“Ah,” Freed hummed and decided to tease his boyfriend a little more. “And what is the deal with your unbuttoned shirt, anyway? Are the buttons broken?”
Once again he seemed to have surprised Laxus and once again the grin widened quicker than anticipated. The dragon slayer leaned in, his cheeks red from the alcohol and redder than before thanks to the moment of intimacy. “Don't even act like it's a problem. But if yer jealous, how about we make your shirt match mine?”
It hadn't been his intention but now Laxus actually felt prompted to put his mug of beer on the counter next to them. Why? Because of course he needed to fumble with the rune mage's shirt now and Freed couldn't help but laugh when Laxus' sneaky fingers tried to go to work. “Laxus, I'm fine, thanks.”
“Oh, what? Don't ya think it's unfair that you get a show and I don't?”
“A show? You standing here with an unbuttoned shirt is supposed to be a show? Or do you mean the drinking contest that you miserably failed at?”
“I take that personally.”
Both men smirked at each other in challenge, Laxus' fingers still grabbing at the fabric of Freed's shirt lightly. The dragon slayer's gaze was a tad bit cloudier due to the beer but he was still holding the eye-contact until he leaned in to steal another kiss.
Freed welcomed the touch and gladly reciprocated, his lips moving in natural rhythm with Laxus’, feeling electrified yet again. “You know what,” he muttered into the kiss while grabbing Laxus' wandering hand and intertwining their fingers.
“I actually do feel a little left out. How about we find another challenge for tonight's party. I'm fairly certain that there's something we could team up for.”
They both moved apart and Freed knew he was going to get approval when he spotted the sparkle in Laxus' gorgeous orange eyes. “Let's kick ass together.”
“Let's kick ass together.”
And so both mugs of beer were left on the counter as the two men returned to the crowd to find a, probably ridiculous, challenge and their opponents. Time had proven that, together, they were invincible.
Except for too much alcohol, it seemed. A drinking contest was absolutely out of question in the future.