Risenfromash: You know how it is when you get a new OTP… the couple hijacks your thoughts for a good while. It's like this with me and Freed/Laxus. I'm not even a big fan of BL and yaoi because I tend to find it too OOC for my taste a lot of the time, but I am a sucker for the hopelessly devoted. So here is my tribute to Fraxus. It's intended to be a one-shot but is going to be split into parts (maybe four in total?- not quite sure yet). You can assume this story takes place sometime after the Grand Magic Games, but I don't intend to have any spoilers in it so no worries if you aren't caught up on the latest canon.

Part 1:

Freed sighed and looked into the bottom of his empty pint glass contemplating whether or not he should succumb to his urge to have another. It would help to numb the irritation he felt at watching Laxus with that woman. Freed really disliked her. She wore too much makeup and her laugh was obnoxious, but the worst part was how she constantly had her hand on his arm as though Laxus was hers. She'd known him for how long now? Two days? No, Freed thought. This is day three. We got here on Tuesday and it's Thursday now, so three days. Three whole days and she thinks she knows what's best for him. Just thinking about her agitated him, but he knew that even if it hadn't been her it would have been some other woman. Some other woman who saw Laxus as a piece of meat she wanted to sink her fangs into. They're all the same, he thought. The power that the Lightning Dragon Slayer so effortlessly wielded in combination with his muscular, well-built physique meant that anywhere the Thunder Legion went on missions there was at least one obnoxious female who tried to dig her claws into Laxus.

As though you're any different than those girls, the rune wizard told himself. It was at least the twelfth time today that he had internally struggled with his desire for his friend. He told himself that his attraction for Laxus was different than that of the floozies that would latch onto him within moments of meeting him. Freed liked to think his attraction to Laxus grew out of Laxus' less obvious attributes: his loyalty to his friends, his dry sense of humor, and his live and let live attitude. But a part of Freed tore himself apart daily because despite his appreciation of those deeper, more private aspects of Laxus Freed couldn't help but enjoy the same things that attracted the man's female admirers: his bulging biceps, his unwavering self-confidence, that deep, sexy voice… Sexy?!, Freed thought. Oh, gods, I must have had too much to drink.

"Laxus, I'm going to call it a night," the green haired man said to the lightning mage who was sitting across the table, a blond woman hanging off of him.

"Really? It's so early?!" Laxus' companion laughed. "Laxus, you're not going to let him turn in this early are you?" The woman did not wait for Laxus' reply, but continued. "You're supposed to be celebrating your victory!"

Freed shrugged as he stood. "Thank you, but it's just a day on the job for us. Besides, I don't believe I was of that much assistance today. Sometimes, there is a great need for rune sorcery and some days it proves itself to not be that useful."

Laxus shook his head and spoke to the woman beside him. "Freed isn't much of a partier, but I assure you he feels pride in our successes." A small grin appears on the lightning mage's face. "He's just far too humble for his own good."

"Yeah, Freedie totally saved my babies' asses with that quick swashbuckling," Bickslow shouted from across the bar where he was playing darts with some of the locals. "Hey, you got a spell for dart throwing success? I'm sucking tonight."

Freed shook his head and excused himself, heading upstairs to his hotel room. He was sharing a room with Bickslow, as was tradition. Evergreen got her own room owing to her different gender and Laxus got his own room because… well, he was Laxus. He was their leader and as such the team extended to him certain benefits that they didn't allow themselves, such as the privacy required to bring a 'guest' to their room. If asked Freed and Bickslow would claim that this sleeping arrangement was because the lightning mage snored incurably, but it was really because ladies liked Laxus and the group felt that, at times, Laxus deserved to partake in the attention his fan girls offered him.

Bickslow also liked girls, but he didn't seem to crave the release like Laxus did who would periodically invite a girl to his room for the night. It seemed to the others that this behavior kept the dragon slayer sane and so all of them, even Ever, encouraged it never once suggesting that perhaps Laxus should settle down with someone rather than sleeping with random women he met in the towns and cities they visited while on missions.

Freed entered the hotel room he was sharing with Bickslow and began to undress. He had a couple large bruises on his back where he had been thrown backwards by an air magic blast from one of the bandits they had fought. Freed didn't pay the unsightly purple blotches any mind. He believed that if a Fairy Tail wizard wasn't covered in lacerations, abrasions, and bruises he wasn't working hard enough. He slipped into plaid pajama pants, performed his evening toilet, and went to bed.

As his head hit the pillow he heard the obnoxious cackling of the woman who had attached herself to his Laxus. He couldn't make out any of the conversation she was having with his friend, but he knew where it was going. If she was on this floor it meant Laxus was going to sleep with her. The thought made Freed sick to his stomach and he was sure this woman would be a loud one which meant if Freed stayed here the upset in his gut would only worsen. Freed had once had the unfortunate experience of having a room that shared a wall with Laxus' room and the things he had heard and felt as his bed rattled from the vibrations coming from the other side of the wall had been distinctly unpleasant.

On second thought, maybe I'll go have a bath, Freed thought, not wanting to have to listen to what seemed like the inevitable coitus between his friend and the woman he disliked. He grabbed a robe from the closet, tied it around his waist and exited the room to go to the hotel's bathhouse and spa. It was late on a weeknight, so the bath house was empty except for a couple old men in one corner of the bath. Freed nodded politely to them as he removed his clothing and entered the water. The sensation of the warmth and steam immediately relaxed him till he almost forgot why he was uptight.

You have no right to be jealous, Freed reminded himself. Laxus isn't like you. He likes girls. You want him to be happy don't you? It was the exact same conversation he had with himself every single time Laxus had a lady spend the night in his room. Freed took a deep breath and plunged his entire body beneath the surface, his emerald hair forming a shape on the water reminiscent of an octopus. Then he raised his head above the surface and smoothed his sopping wet hair back from his face. That helped him to clear his mind and focus less on his jealousy and more on why he disliked Laxus' one night stands. For one thing, he felt Laxus deserved far better; none of these women really knew Laxus. The grandson of Fairy Tail's current guild master was an extremely challenging person to get to know and in Freed's mind that made none of these women worthy of his… what was it? It wasn't love, and he was pretty sure that Laxus and the women knew that, too, but there was still something special there that they weren't worthy of in Freed's eyes, even if he didn't know what to call it. Freed fought the part of him that made images pop into his head of a half-lidded, lust-filled Laxus sweating and panting over him. Freed groaned, and the men in the corner of the bath looked over at him.

"Sorry," Freed said. "Indigestion."

The men nodded and returned to their quiet conversation.

He deserves someone who really understands him and loves him, Freed thought. But was Laxus unhappy? Freed wasn't sure. Having one night stands was obviously far easier than the difficult business of maintaining a relationship. All he had to do was think of Gray and Juvia to think of why sometimes just having sex and nothing more could be appealing. He was sure that Gray wasn't even having sex with Juvia yet the two spent what seemed like an endless amount of time bickering and trying to please one another and having misunderstand after misunderstanding. They spent more time attempting to sort things out their feelings for one another than they did moving forward or so it seemed.

Maybe I just need to find someone to sleep with, Freed thought. I only have these feelings for Laxus because I have no one else who's that close to me. But Freed couldn't think of anyone else who interested him or made him feel remotely how he felt about Laxus. I could have sex with a random guy. Maybe having that release would clear my head, he told himself. Having sex was, after all, a biological need. But this thought angered him even more because it reminded him of the other reason he didn't like Laxus sleeping with women. Freed was terrified that Laxus might get one of these random women pregnant and then his friend's entire life would be forced to change, because knowing Laxus he would insist on 'doing the right thing' which would mean marrying the woman and settling down with her to raise the child. Freed knew that Laxus would never abandon his child the way Laxus' father had abandoned him. Freed respected this, but he feared that it would mean Laxus would end up committed to someone he didn't love and Freed considered that to be nothing short of tragic because more than anything else he wanted his friend to be happy.

Freed felt like ripping his hair out, starting with those lightning bolt shaped wisps that insisted on sticking right out of his skull like some kind of insect antennae. Ugh, thought Freed. I can't continue to live like this. Maybe I'm going to have to leave the team. The thought of leaving the team he and Laxus had founded was such a foreign idea to him that he struggled to visualize an alternative to the Thunder Legion. Maybe Shadow Gear could use some support? Or maybe that new girl, what was her name, maybe she would feel more comfortable if an experienced male wizard accompanied her on missions.

Freed spent a long time considering the possibilities, but the thought of leaving Bickslow, Evergreen, and Laxus made his chest ache as though someone he knew had died. I'll just have to tough it out, Freed told himself. What alternative do I have?

What continued to nag at Freed's heart was that no matter what he did these feelings for Laxus didn't ever seem to go away, and he should be a mature adult and move on from it. But despite Freed's apparent maturity moving on didn't seem like something he could do. When it came to Laxus he was like a child with a crush. He idolized him. Only because he's so damn godlike, Freed murmured thinking of the way Laxus walked into a room, not showy like an egomaniac and not timidly like Freed himself. There was nothing timid about Laxus; self-confidence oozed from every pore of his body.

Freed dipped his head into the water again and when he reached up to brush the hair from his face and open his eyes he saw that Laxus had entered the bath.

As Laxus removed his robe and towel and approached the edge of the water, Freed took in the image of his teammate's body, rippled with muscles, and then, fearing he had too obviously been gawking at it he looked away.

"I see you weren't actually retiring for the evening, just wanting to get away from my date," Laxus said before letting out a satisfied groan as he descended into the warm water.

"I went to my room, but couldn't sleep," Freed replied. "I'm surprised you're already done," Freed found himself saying before he considered that it might be rude.

Laxus grunted. "We didn't." Those two small words made Freed's heart leap for joy, and he immediately felt shame for it.

"Why?"

"She was kind of trashy," Laxus said sounding more than a little annoyed. "And she dances like a retard."

Freed laughed. He had also noticed that the woman's movements lacked grace, and though he would have chosen a much more diplomatic way of describing it he chose not to lecture his friend. One of the things Freed really appreciated about Laxus was that Laxus didn't try to change people; he let people be who they were and tried not to judge them. The Lightning Dragon Slayer felt that each person was responsible for their own actions and that those actions were what said the most about a person. That was why even though the guild had long since forgiven him for his transgressions against them at the time of the Miss Fairy Tail contest he still hadn't fully forgiven himself.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Freed lied and immediately felt a pang in his chest. He was never good at lying especially to Laxus.

Freed closed his eyes enjoying the bath and trying to calm the guilt he felt for lying to his friend, and while his eyes were closed Laxus settled in to the vacant space at Freed's side. When the green haired Fairy Tail member's eyes opened he was startled by the close proximity of his love. For a big guy, Laxus could be quite dexterous at times and it amazed Freed how he could manage to move through the water so quickly without having made a sound.

The two men sat there in silence, allowing the mere presence of the other to provide them with comfort. Laxus considered himself to be a loner, but hanging out with the Thunder Legion brought him a great deal of joy. They were the family he had chosen for himself and while he would never admit it, he felt lost when they weren't around. Those months of exile when he was excommunicated from the guild had been more difficult for him than he admitted to anyone. At that time he had done a lot of soul searching and had come to realize that his dependence on the others was not the weakness he had previously thought it was. It was then that Laxus noticed that even the other tough guys he knew allowed themselves the fragility of relying on other people for support. Gajeel had Levy and Salamander had that damn cat of his… and Lucy. There was no way you could convince Laxus that Lucy's celestial spirits were useful enough to justify her accompanying Natsu on practically every single mission. Clearly, it was something else she offered the team and Laxus was pretty sure he knew what it was. He knew that Natsu and Lucy weren't officially boyfriend and girlfriend, but relationships between Fairy Tail members tended to always proceed at an odd pace. Two members would start spending time together either at the guild hall, while on missions, or both and that could go on for years and then one day all of a sudden it would be like a levy breaking and the couple would be all over each other like they just couldn't take the sexual tension anymore. Thinking about it made Laxus grunt. He couldn't image that happening to him. He'd slept with Cana a time or two, years ago when he didn't know what he was doing, but none of the women in the guild really excited him. He couldn't cope with anyone as emotionally vulnerable as Lucy, Juvia was fucking crazy, and he barely knew those purple haired chicks. He found himself wanting to call them by each other's names so he avoided talking to them at all costs. Erza had a kinky side, but most of the time was too preachy about honor and values and what it meant to be a guild for Laxus to ever be able to relax around her. Levy was too into Gajeel to notice anyone else…

No wonder I don't have a girlfriend, Laxus thought. I must be too picky. The women he'd spend the night with while on a mission all seemed shallow, which was fine for a one night stand, but even the women he fought beside and admired weren't his type. This woman tonight, Brisha, had been all wrong for him. She had talked way too much and she had said the phrase, "You know?" way too many times. It had driven him nuts and when she told him that she was gonna 'make him feel good, you know?' it was more than he could stand. His mind had been flooded with images of her talking nonstop during sex, and he knew he couldn't handle that. Didn't the woman ever shut up? Even Bickslow didn't talk that much.

Maybe there's something wrong with me, Laxus thought, embarrassed that he had feigned a migraine to get out of bringing her back to his room. Maybe I'm destined to be like Guildarts, a rolling stone. But hadn't he even fallen in love and gotten married once? Laxus could have sworn the crash magician had said that he had been married to Cana's mother at one point.

"Something wrong?" Freed asked him and Laxus realized that he must have been shaking his head as he thought.

"Nothin' important," Laxus answered crossing his arms and closing his eyes.

"I know you're lying," Freed said gently.

Laxus opened one eye to look at the rune mage. "Like how you lied about liking Brisha."

Freed sputtered.

"You never like any of them," Laxus said flatly. "I'd feel a lot better if I could find a woman you approved of, but I can't seem to find one. Or is it that strong moral compass of yours that can't accept my one night stands?"

Butterflies were swimming around inside of Freed. Laxus rarely talked about stuff like this and this conversation was getting dangerously close to uncovering a truth Freed preferred to have hidden.

"I don't have an issue with you having sex," Freed said trying to laugh easily and unsure whether or not he had been successful at it. "It's not my place to judge, but I can't help but feel like you deserve a lot better than any of the women you pick up." Freed had to fight the urge to say more. It was hard for Freed to keep his desire for Laxus locked up inside of him, so challenging that he was getting aroused simply by sitting next to him. Thank the gods it's dark out here, Freed thought.

"Hhhmmm," Laxus murmured and Freed couldn't determine if it was in response to what he had said or simply a reaction to the relaxation caused by the soothing water.

The two were silent for an immeasurable period of time simply enjoying the comfort offered by the stillness of the water and the quiet of the night. At some point the old men exited telling the Fairy Tail mages good night and they had, in turn, wished them pleasant sleep. This had left only Freed and Laxus alone together. It crossed Freed's mind how close he was to Laxus' naked body, and immediately Freed scolded himself for thinking this about his heterosexual friend.

Out of nowhere, Laxus suddenly said, "That was one hell of a spell you cast today against the wind bastard. What'd you name it?"

"'Total Encasement Trap Sword Technique'," Freed answered.

"That's a mouthful," Laxus commented.

Freed laughed. "What about your 'Lightning Bolt Hemisphere Crash Embodiment'?"

"Yeah, I probably could have done better."

Freed nodded. "The new attacks you come up with midbattle always suffer from ridiculous names."

"I'm not as good with words as you are," Laxus said. "But, damn, I thought we were done for when they pulled out that cannon! Who the fuck has a cannon laying around?"

"I know," Freed said. "It was an antique, too. It should be preserved in a museum not used! They're lucky they didn't blow themselves up."

"It's morons like that that keep us in business." Laxus pauses. "Did you see that one staring at Ever's tits?"

"Yeah, that's what left him open to my attack, so I guess it was for the best, but he should really be ashamed of himself," Freed commented.

"Not to defend the bandits we pummeled today, but most men enjoy looking."

Freed felt hurt. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing, just that you have amazing willpower… or amazing peripheral vision or something. You never check anyone out."

"I'm not inhuman. I check people out," Freed said.

"Really?" Laxus was fascinated. "When?"

"Just today," Freed said and then immediately regretted his words.

Laxus began to list all the women they had crossed patches with throughout the day starting with the waitress who had served them breakfast and ending with Brisha. In turn, Freed denied having been attracted to any of them and mumbled things about how it didn't really matter who he had been checking out.

"No, Freed. I genuinely want to know what your type is," Laxus said laughing. "I've never been able to figure it out. And if I can figure out your type maybe it'll help me figure out what my problem is and why I can't bring myself to take Mirajane out like I told you I was going to."

"I don't have a type. I find such things distract me from my work," Freed said.

"Freed, you can't work twenty-four seven. I won't let you. You need to have some down time, some fun. You know what I mean?" Before Freed had time to answer Laxus blurted out, "Wait a second… are you and Bickslow?"

"No!" Freed shouted.

"Oh, ok. For a second I thought maybe there was a reason you two told me I needed my own room."

"You snore," Freed said simply.

"So people tell me," the lightning mage said and the two men returned to sitting in silence.

Eventually, Laxus yawned, "Well, I'm beat. I'm gonna go to bed."

"I'm going to stay in for a few more minutes," Freed said knowing he couldn't very well leave the bath with his friend without Laxus noticing that Freed was terribly aroused something Freed was confident was a major bathhouse taboo, especially when it was only two men in the bath together.

Laxus walked through the water, stepped out of the pool, and stood there drying off. The man had an enormous penis and the sight of it made Freed feel weak in the knees and his cock even more rock hard.

"See you tomorrow," Laxus said wrapping a towel around his waist.

"The train leaves at seven forty-five," Freed reminded him and Laxus grunted as he pulled on his robe.

"'Night," the lightning mage said as he exited.

Freed remained in the water and tried to think of anything besides the Lightning Dragon Slayer, but nothing he did could deter his brain from the image of Laxus' chiseled body glistening with sweat and bath water. Freed groaned. It seemed like his attraction to the dragon slayer grew worse every day and today he would have to break one of his rules. He was going to have to pleasure himself and he knew that all he would be thinking of the entire time was of his friend. Tomorrow he would carry the guilt of having objectified his Laxus, but Freed had to do something. He couldn't go on like this, and so with a sigh, the rune wizard resigned himself to going to his room and fantasized about the man he loved while touching himself.