"Please, stop. It-" Swallowing down bile and blood, body wracked with pained shudders, it was all he could do to remain upright. Seated in that oversized chair, wrists and ankles strapped into place with bindings so tight he would bruise from it. "It hurts, please Fa-" The slap of flesh hitting flesh reverberated across the room, effectively silencing his agonising pleas. He felt the slice of metal and stone against his cheek, the sharp ring gauging a deep cut across his cheekbone, as the back of his father's hand caused his head to snap to one side.
"Weak, pathetic." His father sneered, the hand which had hit him clenching into a tight fist, knuckles turning white under the pressure. "We stop when I say we stop, do you understand me?" What choice did he have? He bit down on the next pained moan, as his body was again assaulted with power it had no use for and did not know what to do with. "Answer me, boy!"
"Y-yes, sir." When the next rolling wave of agony came, he bit down, tasting blood.
"Laxus?" Freed shot Evergreen a look of concern when the blonde did not respond, eyes distant and expression contorted into a frown. Ever shook her head minutely, warning him - if not with words - to leave it be. She slid from her seat, wandering over to the bar to sit with Cana and Mira for a while, knowing better than to antagonise the lightning dragon slayer when he was in one of those moods. Even Bickslow was nowhere to be seen, having thought up some lame excuse on the spot that morning as soon as he had seen the expression on Laxus' face.
Not that she could blame him. It was Bickslow who came off worst, the last time he had worn that look.
"Hey, Laxus?" Despite his better judgement, Freed slid around to the other side of the table, taking a seat next to his far larger friend. Laxus had not so much as touched his drink, which was unusual in itself. It was a mistake, he realised a moment too late, to place what he had hoped was a comforting hand upon Laxus' shoulder. The blonde span in his seat, eyes narrowed and lips curled up in a snarl, and for one short moment Freed was certain the fist flying around towards him was about to impact with his face.
"Freed?" The fist stopped, uncurled, lingering in the air for several long seconds before dropping down into Laxus' lap. He looked so lost, it was enough to make Freed's heart clench in his chest, even as adrenaline continued to surge through him from the near miss.
"Yeah, it's me." A quick glance around the room assured him that no one was watching them, pointedly avoiding them really, and he slid a little closer on the bench so that he might take Laxus' hand within his own without it seeming too obvious as to what he was doing, giving it a small squeeze. "Did you want to talk about it?"
"No, s'fine." Laxus had flinched at the contact, before squeezing back, holding on to the smaller hand as though it were a lifeline, and Freed knew things certainly were not 'fine'. "Just not been sleeping, is all. Had some messed-up dreams, you know?"
"Yeah." Freed offered a reassuring smile, and received a small quirk of lips in return, though the expression could not touch the darkness that had settled over Laxus' gaze. "Yeah, I understand." He paused for a moment, feeling Laxus beginning to slip away again, gaze fixed on the polished tabletop and fingers loosening. "If you ever want to talk. About anything. We're family, right?"
"What use is 'family'? You're a tool to be used, boy. Nothing more."
"Yeah, family." Laxus swallowed, Adam's apple bobbing in his throat, and Freed did not miss the slight flinch. "Listen, I'm gonna head out, this place is giving me a headache." Unlikely, given the time of day and considering how few patrons had arrived to disrupt the mid-morning peace, yet Freed was not about to call him out on it. If Laxus wanted to leave, he could do so without saying a word should he wish.
"Would you like me to join you?" It seemed as if, for a moment at least, Laxus contemplated it, and Freed could not help the way his heart dropped in his chest when the dragon slayer shook his head and walked out without a word.
"You will never be anything more."