Freed entered the guild, looking around for Bickslow, Evergreen and Laxus. He spotted Ever at one table. She was in the company of Juvia and another woman who wasn't part of the guild. She had long pink hair, red eyes and wore earmuffs despite the hot weather. He wondered who she was. He hadn't seen her before but it looked like she was good friends with both Juvia and Ever.
Juvia saw him and leaned towards Ever, most likely informing her about his presence. The brunette turned around and waved at him. She left the other women alone and quickly approached him.
"Hello, Freed. You're unusually late today. I thought you wouldn't show up." She sounded somewhat relieved.
"Fear not, milady. Your knight is here." He bowed dramatically.
Ever crossed her arms and gave him a displeased look.
"Pardon me," He continued his theatrics with hand over heart. "I meant 'Your Majesty'."
The brunette still didn't look impressed though. "Cut it out, Freed."
"Alright." The rune mage became serious again. "Are Laxus and Bickslow here?"
"Bickslow is, but Lisanna dragged him somewhere." Ever said, a sly smile appearing on her face.
"Those two seem to spend a lot of time together." Freed's expression mirrored his friend's. "At least Elfman didn't drag you somewhere this time." He added, watching as her smile was replaced by an angry look.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" She asked, a little louder than necessary, drawing the attention of the few people that were there.
"I feel like I'll have to negotiate visiting hours with the Strauss family." Freed was happy for Bickslow and Ever. He just missed spending more time with his friends.
"But then you'll have Laxus only to yourself." There was that look again. As if she had caught him red-handed. Recently Ever didn't miss an opportunity to bring the blond into the conversation.
"Is he here?" Freed asked, ignoring her remark and the knowing look she gave him.
She shook her head. "He hasn't arrived yet."
"He should've been here already. Maybe something happened." He felt a knot in his stomach at the thought. "Maybe we should go look for him."
"Relax, Freed." Ever opened her hand fan. "Laxus can take care of himself. Don't you remember how he took on the entire Raven Tail team? Or how he defeated Jura, one of the Ten Wizard Saints?"
"Of course I remember. How can I forget?" Laxus had been amazing back then. He had fought in the name of the guild along with his comrades and had looked stronger than ever.
Ever dropped her fan. When she bent to pick it up, his wrist started glowing. He pulled his sleeve up a bit to see what was happening. Something appeared on his skin. Some sort of seal that looked like a heart. It was magic. That much he could tell.
Suddenly he felt something. It was as if he had grabbed a fistful of some furry clothing. Then there was another sensation that started from his wrists and moved up his arms to his shoulders. It felt as though something soft wrapped around his arms. What was going on? It was that damned magic for sure. He had to find the caster or at least gather some information about it.
"Freed!" Ever's worried voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Are you alright?" She asked when he finally paid attention to her. "You just spaced out. What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I'm fine." He glanced at the seal on his wrist one last time and quickly pulled the sleeve down to cover it.
Even if she had seen it, Ever didn't say anything. Freed thought it was better not to tell her. He didn't want to worry her even more. Besides, the magic didn't feel threatening. He only felt subtle sensations that didn't really bother him. The only problem was that he didn't know why he felt them.
He noticed that Ever was looking over his shoulder, at something behind him. "Laxus!" A smile spread on her face.
Freed's heart started beating a little faster. Just like every time when Laxus appeared. It felt different though. As if he was feeling two heartbeats and they had both quickened.
Freed turned around to greet him but something in Laxus' appearance gave him pause. He had actually put on his coat instead of only throwing it on his shoulders like he usually did. Normally, the rune mage wouldn't give it much thought but it reminded him of what he had felt when the seal appeared. Could he be feeling… No, that notion was ridiculous. It must have been a coincidence.
"Freed," Ever nudged him, "you zoned out again."
"Is something wrong?" Laxus, who was now standing next to them, asked. "I'm usually met with more enthusiasm." He frowned. "And more people. Where's Bickslow?"
"Lisanna kidnapped him again." Ever's eyes sparkled mischievously.
"What's going on? If it's not you, it's him. I can't see the three of you together anymore."
"That's exactly what I said." Freed joined the conversation.
"Someone finally came back to the planet Earth." Ever teased him.
"Is everything alright?" Laxus gave him an inquisitive look.
"Yes, everything's fine." Freed could see that the blond was already bothered by something even though he was trying to hide it. He didn't want to burden him with his problems too. "Should we go search for Bickslow?"
"No, I suppose we can wait for him. It's not like we're in a hurry." Laxus sat at one of the tables, not very far from Juvia and the pink-haired woman.
"That's gonna take forever." Ever complained as she followed him and sat next to him.
Freed took a seat opposite of Laxus. "Well, that's enough time to tell us about your new friend." He took the opportunity to ask some questions. He didn't want to throw accusations but he had the feeling that the woman with Juvia had something to do with the mysterious seal on his wrist. It couldn't be a coincidence that it happened exactly when she was visiting.
Laxus gave him a questioning look.
"The woman with Juvia." The rune mage motioned in their direction with his head.
The blond turned slightly to look at them. Freed didn't miss the way that Laxus' collar brushed against his neck and the tickling sensation in his own.
"That's Meredy. She was one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory until Juvia defeated her at Tenroujima." Ever explained. "She's a nice girl."
"Can we really trust her?" The green-haired mage asked, still observing Juvia and Meredy. They were laughing.
"Juvia and Gray trust her." Ever paused for a moment, studying him. "I do too."
Freed nodded. They were probably right to. She didn't look like someone who would hurt them. He still couldn't silence his suspicions though. He had to know for sure. "What kind of magic does she use?"
"Why all the questions, Freed? Interested in her?" Ever smirked but the playful twinkle that he usually saw in her eyes when she teased him was missing. Besides, after all her implications that he had feelings for Laxus, her questions didn't make sense. Was she trying to avoid his question?
"Of course not. I'm just curious." He tried to sound as indifferently as possible.
"You can tell me, Freed." The brunette purred.
He was about to tell her to drop it when he felt pressure in his fingers. As if he were clenching his fists which wasn't the case. He instinctively looked at Laxus but his hands were under the table.
"You've gotten really close with Juvia lately." The blonde turned to Ever.
"Don't be jealous, Laxus. I still have time for you. You can come cry on my shoulder about the impossible crush you have at any time." She retorted.
Laxus laughed at that. But it wasn't his usual rumbling laughter. It sounded somehow hollow.
A piercing shriek startled everyone. Lisanna came in running. Bickslow followed, practically breathing down her neck. He was carrying a half-full bucket of water which was the reason why the girl was running from him. He was trying to splash her.
Freed immediately jumped to his feet. "Bickslow, stop!"
The seith mage came to a halt, nearly spilling the water. "We're just having fun, Freed. I'm not trying to kill her."
"One would think you're trying exactly that if judging by her cries."
"You're such a killjoy!" A manic grin appeared on Bickslow's face. "Maybe a nice cold bath will help you relax." He swung the bucket backwards, ready to empty its contents at his friend.
"No! Don't–" Freed was interrupted by the water that hit him in the face and filled his mouth. He spat it out and rubbed his eyes. "Bickslow!" He turned towards the seith mage, expecting to see the self-satisfied smile of his friend.
Bickslow wasn't looking at him though. He was staring with concern at Laxus, who seemed to be in shock.
"Laxus?" Freed reached out for him but the blond moved away, avoiding him like the plague. He pushed past them and headed towards the exit.
"What happened?" Freed's voice echoed through the now quiet guildhall.
"I don't know." Bickslow looked confused. "He blinked a few times. I didn't think I had splashed him but maybe I had."
The pieces fell into place for Freed. He had been right after all. He was feeling the same things that Laxus was. And judging by the blond's reaction that was true the other way around too.
"Laxus!" The rune mage ran after him. He caught up with him just outside the guild and grabbed his hand. He felt ghostly fingers wrapping around his own wrist too. "You feel it too, don't you?"
The dragon slayer turned to look at him. "W-What?"
Laxus was stuttering. Freed might have found it endearing if they weren't in the situation they were in. Right now he didn't pay any attention though. "You also have this on your wrist, right?" Freed pushed his sleeve up to reveal the seal. "That's why you're wearing your coat like that. To hide it."
The blond took his coat off and Freed saw the same seal encircling his wrist. "Does that mean that you're feeling everything that I'm feeling?"
The green-haired mage nodded. "I think so."
"Not exactly."
They both turned towards the guild entrance looking for the owner of the voice. A small crowd had gathered. Bickslow and Ever were there. And so were Lisanna, Juvia and Meredy.
"That's my magic." Meredy spoke. It's called Sensory Link and it connects two people with strong feelings towards each other. It allows them to 'share' senses and sometimes even emotions." She shared a look with Juvia. Apparently, they knew that from experience.
"Why did you link us?" Freed didn't understand what she gained from that.
"I asked her to do it." Ever crossed her arms. It turned out that she had been trying to dodge his question about Meredy's magic after all. "You have feelings for each other and it's so obvious that even a blind person would see it. It didn't look like any of you would do anything on the matter though so I decided to give you a little push."
"How did you link us?" Freed turned to Meredy again.
"In order to link two people I have to make one of them think about the other."
The rune mage looked at Ever. "That's why you dropped your fan. You signalized that it was done." It had been an intricate plan worthy of Evergreen. Even Bickslow and Lisanna had participated. "You were leading us towards a trap and we unsuspectingly fell into it."
"A trap is a bit of an overstatement." Ever tried to defend.
"You can say it was a love trap." Juvia chimed in.
"You're not helping!" The brunette scolded her.
A love trap? Where did that leave him and Laxus? He was in love, he knew that. But what about Laxus?
He looked at the blond who hadn't said anything since Meredy spoke. He seemed lost in thought. "Laxus?" Slowly, the dragon slayer looked up and their eyes met. Freed's heart started racing again and he felt a second heartbeat once more. It was just as fast as his if not even faster. It looked like the other man was nervous too. Naturally so. It was the moment of truth. "I–"
Laxus cut him off. "I don't think we should be having this conversation here."
"You're right." Freed smiled at the chorus of disappointed groans that came from their public. "This wasn't any of your business anyway. You can think of it as your punishment for sticking your noses where they don't belong." He turned to them.
"We only did it to help you, Freed–san." Juvia protested.
"What would you do if you were me?" Out of all of them she was the one who could understand him the most. And yet, their situations weren't exactly the same. He could lose a longtime friend. A change in his relationship with Laxus would also affect Raijinshuu. As leader of the team it was his responsibility to keep it going but his feelings could demolish everything.
"I'd be happy to get an answer." There was that determination he had seen in her when she sacrificed herself to give Cana a chance to defeat him.
"Even if it were a negative one?"
"At least I would know." Tears started falling from Juvia's eyes but she continued. "Not knowing is the worst kind of torture. And no matter the answer, Juvia would never stop loving Gray–sama." The smile she gave him was so radiant that it could have outshined the sun. Juvia truly was a woman to be admired.
"I'll deactivate the Sensory Link." Meredy spoke.
Freed looked at his wrist and saw how the seal faded. He looked at Laxus. Without uttering a single word the dragon slayer started walking and Freed followed him.
After a while, they found themselves outside Magnolia. Neither of them had spoken during their journey. Laxus stopped and Freed patiently waited for his words.
"You're an idiot, Freed."
That definitely wasn't what the rune mage had hoped for.
"How could you ever think that I would reject you? How could I reject the one that has always been there for me? The one that has always loved me? The one that… I have always loved?"
"Laxus!" Freed hugged him and felt the arms of the blond wrapping around him. This time it wasn't a faint phantom touch caused by sharing senses. It was a real, powerful touch because they shared love.