Laxus grumbled to himself as he stomped up the stairs of the apartment complex. It was way too late for this. Damn Mira and her insistence that this couldn't wait until morning. He could have sworn that woman was scheming something, but he was yet to place his finger on exactly what. And now, because of her, he was about to bother Freed, friend of Bixlow and recently joined member of Laxus' MMA gym, at 11 o'clock at night. The chances that the quiet, serious, green-haired fighter would be less than pleased were high.

Laxus didn't know much about Freed yet. He had showed up with Bix one day, chatted to Ever and Mira briefly, then left again. A week later, Laxus had arrived to find him there again, showing Ever how to hold a knife properly. Laxus had nearly fallen over in shock before they had been actually introduced. Freed had been polite, but soft-spoken. It clashed confusingly with the way he spun a sharp blade in his hand like it was an extension of himself. It had taken another two weeks for Laxus to spot him again, though he wasn't sure when he had started actively looking. Natsu, the wild, fiery little brat that was one of Laxus' top students, had tried challenging Freed to a bout. Laxus hadn't expected Natsu to lose. He definitely hadn't him to lose so quickly. Laxus had stared slack-jawed until Ever had come and elbowed him and muttered something that had him glaring at her and storming out. Him? Crushing on Freed? Bullshit. He barely knew him. The guy was just an impressive fighter… and really hot. Damn it.

Okay. So Laxus had admitted that much. And he would like to get to know Freed better. Which is why being sent to deliver some document that Mira swore was vital, this late at night, was a terrible idea. Freed probably did not want to be bothered by him of all people, in his own home, with some stupid piece of paper. So, Laxus was grumbling and complaining the entire way. He was allowed to be a little childish when noone was looking, and he was personally punch anyone who said otherwise in the face.

Taking a deep breath, Laxus knocked on the door to the correct apartment. And hoped to hell Freed didn't answer. He was out of luck, though. The door creaked open to reveal the surprised (and cringingly adorable) face of Freed, framed by long, loose hair that Laxus had only ever seen in a ponytail.

He stared. Freed was wearing loose boxers and an oversized T-shirt. A T-shirt he recognised.

"Is- Is that my shirt?" Were the first words out of his mouth before he could stop himself. Shit. Way to go, idiot. But that shirt had disappeared from his bag only yesterday.

Freed blinked at him and glanced down at the offending item, still wide-eyed.

"Oh. Is it? Mira gave it to me yesterday, said it was a spare from the gym. It was too big though so I decided to wear it to bed..." He trailed off, apparently suddenly realising something.

"Oh! Laxus! Um, sorry. Can I help you? Would you like to come in?"

It was Laxus' turn to blink. What? He'd shown up at some random hour, come out with that, and was still being invited inside? Was this guy even human? He must have nodded though, because Freed was turning to move back inside and motioning for Laxus to follow. So he did.

"Uh, Mira sent me." Laxus finally found his voice enough to attempt an excuse. "She said it was necessary that this get delivered tonight and it was on my way, so she asked if I could drop by. Sorry that it's unannounced." He waved the manila folder the devil-woman had forced into his hand to emphasise the point. Only to realise that Freed had disappeared.

"Would you like a coffee? Tea? Biscuit? They're homemade!" Freed's voice floated from what Laxus assumed to be the kitchen.

"Homemade?" He repeated to himself. "Coffee would be great, thank you."

"Black? 1 sugar?"

"Uh, yeah. How did-?"

"I know? I didn't; just an educated guess." He had returned from the kitchen with two mugs, interrupting Laxus' question. He handed one to Laxus as he explained further.

"Based on what Bix, Mira and Ever have mentioned, plus seeing you drinking coffee at the gym, it wasn't hard to work out. Now, what were those documents?"

Laxus was sure he was gaping again. Not only could the guy fight, he was also a genius. Laxus handed over the folder and finally took stock of his surroundings while Freed flicked through the papers.

The first thing he noticed were the bookshelves. They were everywhere and packed to the brim. The second thing he noticed were the weapon racks. Mostly filled with a variety of swords and knives. Woah. Freed was clearly a) smart as fuck, b) terrifyingly badass, and c) very very hot. Laxus was screwed. Ever was right. He was totally crushing on him. And was now in his house. While Freed was wearing nothing except boxers and Laxus' old t-shirt… Oh. And god, that sight was now registering in his brain and igniting a very uncomfortable fire. Not good.

"Laxus?" Freed was looking at him with a strange expression, but all Laxus was getting from it was how good his name sounded on Freed's lips.

"Oh! The shirt! Lord, how rude of me! Like I said, Mira just gave it to me, because mine had somehow gotten damaged, and so I must have assumed it didn't belong to anyone. I can give it back, it's still clean." And with that he made as if to remove it right then and there.

Laxus nearly choked on his coffee.

"No! No. I mean, it's fine, don't worry about it. It's an old one anyway." He didn't think he could handle shirtless Freed. He had gotten a glimpse of the toned body underneath and he was seriously considering leaving as fast as possible so he could go have a cold shower.

This wasn't fair, no one else had ever affected him this way. He was so distracted that he nearly missed the twinkle in Freed's eyes. But Laxus had mischievous friends and had learnt how to know when they were up to something. His brow furrowed in suspicion.

Freed noticed and chuckled. "Are you sure? Because I'm starting to suspect Mira gave me this on purpose. She probably wants me to return it."

A wry smile settled on Laxus' face.

"I'm sorry Freed. I have meddling friends." He coughed, now embarrassed. "I will be honest, I showed... interest in you and apparently they saw fit to get involved. I'll be having words to them."

He was caught off guard when Freed grinned. "I don't mind."

"What?"

Freed laughed. "Laxus. I am, surprisingly, a full-grown man that can look after myself. I'm also not blind. I didn't miss the look in your eye when we were first introduced. I held back because I was unsure what I thought of you myself and we were in front of others. But since talking to the others and watching you work at the gym, I've come to the conclusion that despite the gruff attitude you put on you're kind, patient, humourous, and highly talented at what you do. The reason Mirajane, Bixlow and Evergreen were so insistent on setting us up is because they saw both sides and therefore knew we were both interested in the other, even though we didn't know it."

Laxus wasn't sure whether his night had just gotten better or worse. Was he going to have to thank meddling friends? Yeah, that was never happening. But…

"Wait, hold on. Y-you're…" Oh god. He had never been good at talking. Especially about this sort of thing.

Freed smirked. Actually, smirked. And Laxus realised he was way more complex than he knew. It was starting to dawn on him that Freed was actually friends with Bixlow before he had shown up at the gym, which meant that they were friends for a reason.

"Laxus…"

He was drawn from his thoughts to find that Freed had scooted closer and leant forward.

"Want to give our friends something to talk about?"

Laxus raised an eyebrow before a wicked grin split across his face. With a smooth movement he closed the gap between them and kissed the man in front of him. Freed relaxed into it quickly, deepening it enough so that when they broke apart they were both left panting slightly.

"I do." Laxus responded to the earlier question, pulling Freed onto his lap. "But I'm going to torture them by not giving them any information at all."

Freed chuckled. "Fair enough. Want your shirt back now?"

"Oh hell no. Leave that on. You look fucking hot in my clothing."

Laxus smiled sleepily at the man curled against him. It had been a good night. They had indeed done things that would make Mira, Bix, and Ever insufferable when they eventually found out, but Freed and he had also spent hours just talking and getting to know one another.

And Laxus had ended up staying the night. The thought still made him grin and growl softly.

"Laxus?"

He pressed his lips to the crown of Freed's head and mumbled into his soft hair. "Yeah?"

"Are you purring?"

Laxus froze. "No! The fuck?" He did not purr. He was Laxus. The huge, strong, MMA gym owner that everyone was scared of. Purring was definitely not something he did. Much…

Freed chuckled, obviously not convinced, the sound vibrating through Laxus' chest.

"What were those documents anyway? Were they actually urgent?"

Freed accepted the change in topic with grace.

"Mm. They're documents I need for my translation work. I would have panicked if I'd not been able to find them tomorrow. I now believe Mirajane or Bixlow took them from my bag."

Laxus made a disapproving noise, but Freed continued before he could say anything.

"On the other hand, I should probably thank them. They also added a few extra photographs of yourself, shirtless. And they also sent you here. I find little reason to complain."

"Oh? You're right. Very important documents. Good thing I brought them."

And with that, Freed shifted and kissed Laxus again, restarting the cycle all over again.

In the following months, Mira, Bixlow, and Evergreen, watched with glee as Laxus and Freed started officially dating. They saw the occasional shoulder or hand brush, the small smiles they gave each other, and the lunch dates they often went on.

What they didn't manage to pick up on was the brief comments and suggestions that flicked between the two. They didn't catch the hidden meaning that lay behind Freed asking if he could talk to Laxus in his office briefly. Didn't realise that behind the serious, professional faces, more primal desires were at the forefront of the minds.

They didn't know that the pair were long beyond shy hand-holding and chaste kisses.

And they had agreed that their secret language and trips to the gym's back rooms would remain a secret for a little longer yet.