A/N: Welcome to the modern Fraxus realm, created by the wonderful LastTimelordChild, who is also a Fraxus fan, and I. I came up with this idea while riding on the back of a motorcycle (I don't have my own yet) and listening to 'Born in the USA'. I thought that Laxus and Gajeel would make good bikers, and Bicks would never miss out... so... TIMELORD AND I CREATED THIS BEAUTY! Enjoy~
As Born in The USA blasted out of the radio, Laxus cruised down a back country road, his bike purring beneath him. He could hear Gajeel swearing behind him over the roar of the engines. Something about a bee up his nose.
He couldn't help by let a chuckle shake his shoulders. Next to him Bickslow had lost all sensibility and had his head thrown back as he laughed freely into the air. Poor Gajeel was still trying to get the bee out of his nose.
"I'm hungry!" Bickslow screamed over the sound of their roaring engines and Laxus's loud music. Surprisingly both men heard him and nodded in agreement. They had been riding for hours; it was time to make a pit stop. "I saw a road sign about fifteen minutes ago that said there was an Inn about twenty miles down this highway! I'm pretty sure that they're going to have a bar" He added soon after.
The idea of having a chance to unwind and have a good night's sleep put Laxus in a far better mood.
They rode for a bit longer, farm houses and road-side produce stands whizzing by. The country was nice, Laxus decided. The air smelled cleaner, there was a surplus of quaint houses, and most likely, quite a lot of cute barmaids.
Now with a goal in mind, Laxus was able to ride with a bit more purpose, instead of just going on mindlessly. Having company for the night was a rather pleasant idea.
When they reached the Inn they were surprised at the amount of people parked out front. A small bar was right across the street, the neon lights shining bright. Luckily when they inspected the Inn the 'Vacancy' sign was buzzing overhead.
Parking their bikes close to the back of bar, they dismounted and stretched out their stiff limbs.
"I am dying for a cold beer right now!" Bickslow said with a loud sigh.
Gajeel walked up to him and patted his shoulder roughly, the force making the taller man's knees buckle.
"All I want is a large order of chili fries! I'm starving!" He smiled, his voice roaring with laughter. Not waiting for the others he walked around the bar and made his way to the front door.
Approximately three seconds later, Gajeel was thrown out the door and landed on the pavement with a loud thud. He desperately crawled backwards as a person with long green hair stormed out of the bar's door, scowling and placing their hands on their hips while advancing angrily on Gajeel.
"Gajeel! What have I told you about starting bar fights?! That is not something you do! If one more table or chair gets destroyed, I will be fired for failing to regulate who comes into the bar!" The person whisper-yelled, waving their hands about in angry gestures. Then, in a bit of a softer voice, they added, "I-I'm also sorry for shoving you. Tell Levy I said hello."
And with that, the green-haired person, who Laxus now assumed was a woman, turned on her heel, and marched back into the bar.
Laxus slowly turned to look at Bickslow, who grinned at him through his knight-like helmet, before bursting into his signature maniacal laugh, Laxus quickly following. Gajeel scowled at the laughing pair from the ground and threw a pebble at them.
"It's not funny!" The metal head growled, dusting his clothes off.
Between fits of laughter, Laxus managed to get out, "You know that woman? Whew! She's a feisty little thing! Maybe she can keep me company for tonight?!" And then laughter overtook the blonde again, making him double over and clutch his stomach.
Gajeel gave a snicker at that and said, "Sure, Freed can be your partner, but I don't think you'll get what you were expecting," the black-haired man gave a sly grin before continuing, "And Freed isn't exactly... Willing."
"Freed? What a strange name for a chick." Laxus thought, but when he looked down at his friend and saw the mischievous light in his red eyes. He didn't think that it was anything bad, which was a horrible move on his part.
Taking it as a challenge he said. "Fine, but I'll prove you wrong when I get to leave with that babe wrapped around my arm." Letting a smirk form on his lips he saw the shock that passed over Gajeel's face, but then disappeared.
Gajeel's own smirk made his scarlet eyes dance with mirth, which Laxus foolishly thought to be harmless.
"I'll like to see that happen!" Gajeel laughed, brushing dirt off of his leather jacket as he stood and walked into the bar.
Bickslow had been able to calm down his fit of laughter and followed close behind. Laxus was still chuckling softly when he walked in.
Gajeel punched Laxus in the shoulder and the blonde shut up real quick. Gajeel was very glad he hadn't removed his studded biking gloves yet; they packed a mean punch.
Rolling his eyes, he shoved the other man away, the dull throb resonating from the punch's impact making Laxus roll his shoulder in a futile attempt to ease the ache.
"Now, let's get something to drink!" Bickslow screamed over the music. Moving to the beat, the tall made waded through the dancing crowd and towards the bar.
Behind it, Laxus caught sight of the green-haired woman. Her long hair had been put up in a high ponytail. A smile graced her lips and she talked to the patrons of the bar, a mug in her hand as she wiped it with a rag.
He noticed Bicks move closer to the bar and lean over the counter. Freed's eyes moved up from a customer to look at the strange man and friendly smile was thrown his way. At least he hadn't destroyed anything yet.
Laxus narrowed his eyes at his friend, not sure of his intentions. When it came to the masked man no one could be sure what he was thinking.
When Bickslow made it to the bar the first thing that he noticed was that the barmaid was not a maid at all. Despite the long hair, lustrous eyelashes and pretty face, the barmaid was actually a bartender. Bickslow mentally shrugged; he could still have his fun, he was bisexual, after all. He wondered how long it would take for Laxy to notice that his little barmaid was something else entirely.
"Well aren't you a pretty little thing…" Bickslow purred, giving Freed a seductive grin.
Freed's eyes widened in shock and he almost dropped the cup in his hands. He flushed a bright red and the smile on his face fell. Throwing an annoyed glare at Bickslow, which he had hoped would be enough to push the man away, but all he got was a boisterous laugh.
Raising his hands in a form of apology, Bicks smiled and said, "Now don't give me that look. I'm just here to get a drink, not a one-night stand, if you know what I mean." Bickslow winked.
The green-haired man rolled his eyes, leaning on the counter and placing the mug under it, before looking around the room. His eyes fell on Gajeel, who was sitting on one of the many booths. A large blonde man with a scar through his eye sat across from him.
Bickslow turned to follow Freed's gaze, and realized Laxus had abandoned him at the bar. Well wasn't that a low blow.
Freed turned his attention back to the man leaning against the bar and with apprehensive look he said, "Now, what can I do for you?"
"Well," Bickslow started, giving the green-haired man a sly grin. "You could always give your number." He couldn't help but let his eyes roam over the smaller man and appreciate the view.
Bickslow really should have been expecting that slap.
But the sudden stinging pain across his cheek still made him blink in surprise.
Laxus looked over in surprise as his acute hearing signaled to him that Bickslow was making a move on the green-haired lady. How dare he! Bickslow already knew that Laxus was interested! Laxus turned to look towards the bar and-
Slap.
The blonde struggled to hold back a bout of laughter as Freed viciously slapped Bickslow across the face, somehow avoiding his helmet and visor. Gajeel didn't even try to refrain from laughing, and let out a snicker as Bickslow stopped talking for once in his life.
"Did I just hear that?" Laxus said with a smile on his face. He turned to look over his shoulder and saw how Freed had a slight blush on her cheeks, she moved around the bar, pulling out three beers.
Gajeel was still shaking with mirth, and the little basket of chips was almost empty as he continued to munch away.
"That's Freed for you! She's not an easy fish to catch."
Laxus brought his attention back to his metal loving friend. He raised an eyebrow in curiosity, but then smirked as a thought struck him.
"Just imagine her in bed…" He nodded his head in approval and crossed his arms over his chest.
Gajeel looked at him in disbelief for a moment and choked on his own spit.
"I can't wait until he figures out what's in store for him." Gajeel thought.
Shaking his head of the first initial shock, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye and saw Bickslow walking up to their table.
The poor guy was already sporting a small bruise on the side of his face, but that didn't stop the smile that threatened to split his face in two.
When Bickslow finally made it to the booth, he placed the beers on the table and shoved Gajeel to the side to make room for himself.
"I like her," Bickslow announced, grinning widely.
Still a bit annoyed at the taller man, Laxus just threw a glare in his direction. Reaching out for his drink, he downed half of it in just a few gulps.
The metal head across from him raised an eyebrow and asked skeptically, "Planning on getting wasted before a ride? Smart move Sparky, smart move."
Laxus bit back a growl. "Shut up, bolts for brains. You're going to do the same thing the moment you're done with that beer. I've known you long enough to predict your drinking habits." Bickslow laughed at the blonde's words and began to nurse his own drink.
The music was starting to get louder as the night wore on, and with that so did the amount of liquor the three men consumed. The buzz of alcohol began to seep through their veins and the edges of their vision started to blur.
As Laxus sat there with his friends laughing and drinking, he couldn't help but let his attention be draw back to the bar. Freed was laughing and smiling at the patrons, tucking strands of long green hair behind her ear.
However, the longer he would look at her, the more he began to notice that something was a bit off.
"Hey~" Bickslow slurred drunkenly, and hiccupped a couple times before standing. "Gajeel - hic - and I are gonna go - hic - find us a room. Alright - hic - Laxy?"
"Dun call me Laxy," the blonde mumbled into the table as his two drunk friends stumbled off to find a room.
Now thoroughly intoxicated and lacking his usually not-very-apparent common sense, Laxus stood and staggered over to the bar, where Freed was putting various things away and wiping down the bar stools and counters.
"Hey there gorgeous..." The tall man began, looking Freed up and down. He still couldn't figure out what was off... "Care to join me for the night?"
"Sir, I'm sorry, but I'll have to decline," Freed replied curtly, trying not to look to irritated at the drunken biker.
"What? You're a pretty little lady. I'm sure you know what I mean."
"Sir," the green-haired woman stated, giving Laxus a disapproving look. "I believe you're mistaken, I am a man."
"Not with those hips you aren't."
"I am of the male gender. Now stop stereotyping me and go find someone else to harass," said the bartender, who Laxus still believed to be a barmaid.
A brunette turned around from the other side of the bar. She pushed her glasses up her nose and cast Laxus a glare that could've turned him to stone. "Sir, Freed is a man."
"MAN!" Shouted a tall white-haired man, who appeared to be part of the inn's security, judging by his uniform.
"No she's -hic- not! Have you seen that ass?! It is way too delicious to be a man's."
Freed blushed and hid his (or as Laxus liked to think, her) face in his (her) hands. "Elfman, can you please make him go away?"
"Uh. He's not actually harassing you yet, so there's nothing I can legally do," said the bouncer, scratching the back of his neck guiltily.
A string of muttered curses came out from behind Freed's hands before he said, "Fuck the law. He's still misgendering me."
The large man with white hair just gave Freed a pitied look. "You can handle him." He said simply.
Walking away, the large man left Freed to fend for himself. The woman with the brown hair also left, but she had an eye on Laxus. Letting his hands fall from his face he saw that the blonde had stopped staring at him like a piece of meat and was just staring aimlessly at his glass. A bit of worry made his anger diminish as he moved to stand in front of the large man.
"Sir, are you going to be okay?" He asked gently.
At the sound of his voice Laxus's head snapped up and he train her glassy eyes on the pretty face before him.
"Why the hell are you in a place like this?" He asked, the stupidity he seemed to have had vanished and a serious tone laced through his words. "With a face pretty face like yours, it would be easy for you to go to city and make big money." Laxus let his head fall to the side, very much like a dog struck with curiosity.
Freed was caught off guard by the question and was left with his mouth opening and closing a for a few seconds until his brain finally created a response.
"Well I want to, it's the only place that I can go that can make my dream come true. However the reason I stay here is because I've just never found the right time to leave." As the greenette spoke a small smile formed on his lips and contentment made his eyes soften. "I like it here; it's what I know best. Now why would I go and fuck it all up for a silly dream?"
His ending statement was said with a bit of sadness.
Freed looked at the blonde half expecting him to have passed out, but when he was met with bright grey eyes. His cheeks grew red.
Maybe it was the liquor in his blood, or the way Freed's eyes seemed to dim when Laxus realized that the man was giving up on his dream (whatever it was), but all he wanted at that moment was to see his pretty face light up with a smile. Drowning the last bit of his drink he slammed the cup down and leaned against the counter.
"I'll take you to the city baby!" He offered. Sadly, it seemed that at that very same moment, Laxus's body had decided to shut down. His words were coming out in a mess of slurs and hiccups, making his offer something that was impossible to make out.
The world started to spin and tilt on its axis Laxus tried to blink away the dizziness, but that didn't stop three Freeds from popping out of nowhere. He felt the bar stool vanish from underneath him and then he was crashing to the floor.
There was a scream and then his vision clouded black.
And that was all Laxus could remember.
A/N: Sooooo~ What'd ya think? Huh? Huh? *excited bouncing* please review~
Thank you wonderful readers!