A/N: My friend, the amazing BeautifulTendencies, created a genius plot line that was just too good to pass up. I have BT's permission to write and post my own take on the plot line, so here it is.

Disclaimer: Mashima owns FT, and the plot line was created by the brilliant BeautifulTendencies. You can find that take on the prompt over in Archive Of Our Own, or here, under BeautifulTendencies. The name of the story is Out.

Set Me Free

Laxus swore, pressing the gun harder into the struggling boy's head and trying to force the thin stack of bills from the delicate hand. Despite the cold gun pressed to his head, the smaller boy was squirming and trying to push the blonde away, almost like he wanted Laxus to shoot him. The boy tried to push himself off the graffitied alley wall he was shoved against, clenching his fist even tighter, knuckles turning white. Honestly, did this kid not understand that this was a mugging? It was three in the morning, he had a gun against his skull, and there was no one to save him. This kid was either very brave, or a complete idiot. The blonde grunted as he crushed his victim closer to the brick of the alley wall, finally managing to wrench the crisp bills from gossamer hand, before pocketing them and tucking his gun away.

"Please! You have to give that back! I need it!" The green-haired boy cried, tears forming in his eyes.

"Really, what is the fuss about?!" Laxus replied, sighing exasperatedly. "From the look of you, that couldn't cover a fourth of one of your meals, and if I'm cautious, it could last me a whole god damn week."

"No! Please!" The boy whimpered, resisting Laxus's strength and trying to squeeze out from between the massive blonde and the rough brick wall. There was the sound of tearing fabric and panic bloomed across the boy's face, turning his features an ashen color. "Oh god," he whispered, aquamarine eyes widening in fear.

"What? Your pretty clothes ripped?" The blonde asked, voice dripping with sarcasm as he stepped away.

The boy slid down the wall of the alley, mouth open in shock. He curled forward, exposing his back to Laxus' eyes as he wrapped his arms around his knees and let out a strangled sob. "Don't look. I'm ugly. Please, please don't look," he rasped, tears streaming down his cheeks.

There, beneath the ripped fabric of his crisp white shirt and red jacket, was a battlefield littered with pearly scars and blooming a sickening combination of yellow and purple with bruises. Old scars that were silver-colored, new scars that looked puffy and raised, like they were trying to heal. Fresh scars that had small droplets of blood welling up from them.

"Man," Laxus breathed. "What the fuck happened to you?"

The kid just choked down a sob and tried to push his long hair over his shoulder so it would cover his back. He couldn't arrange it right, so he replied, "My dad."

"Fuck."

"Th-that money was for a bus fare. I was going to run away," the green-haired boy looked up, smiling sadly. "Guess that isn't going to happen. I thought it would come to this. I have one way out. One."

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Shoot me."

"Hell no! I may have robbed you, but I ain't no murderer!"

"It isn't murder. Kill me. I don't have the courage to do it myself, and death can't be much worse than the hell I'm living in," the green-haired boy sniffed, tears beginning to leak out of his eyes again. "By the way, my name is Freed. You should know, considering what I hope you're about to do."

"I can't kill you! Damn! I have to mug people to survive, not because I'm some sick bastard."

Freed was sobbing in earnest now, shoulders trembling and voice quavering with desperation.

"Please..." He begged, looking up at the larger man with a pleading look in his eyes. "Please, just do it for me..."

"No! You don't deserve to die, and if anyone does, it's that asshole who calls himself your dad!"

"PLEASE!" prayed Freed, looking up at Laxus like he was some kind of god. "Please..." He trailed off, voice quieter now. "You have a gun. Use it. Please use it. It will be quicker this way. Set me free."

A/N: I hope you liked it! I know it's short, but in all honesty, I felt like that was a good way to end the first little teaser chapter. Go check out BeautifulTendencies's version; it's amazing!

What are you still doing here? GO! Go experience the wonderfulness of BT's version!

~Blue