Tuesday, 7th April
"Who's next, please." I call from behind the counter of the Strauss Sister's coffee shop. A tall, muscular man with a long, messy mane of raven hair and glinting piercings adorning his hard and angled face approaches the counter. He wears black jeans and a grey sweatshirt with the sleeves rolled up, clearly showing two tattoos: one on each wrist. His right is adorned with an iron dragon; the tattoo he was born with. On his left, however, is the delicate form of a small blue fairy: his soulmate's. He shows his tattoos off proudly, unafraid to show the world that he has found his soulmate.
"Hi Freed." The man says with a smile that I notice wasn't there until recently, "Just the usual and um... when does Lev's shift end again?" I smirk.
"Oh, hello Gajeel." I reply before sending back an order for a strong black cappuccino, "And her shift ends at two." Gajeel nods a thank you as his drink is prepared in the background. My colleague, a boy still in university called Rogue, hands me Gajeel's drink. I nod to him before handing Gajeel his drink and charging him. Gajeel hands over the cash, picks up his drink and turns slightly, ready to go, but stops.
"Freed," he asks tentatively, "How are... things?"
I freeze, take a breath and reply, "Things are... fine, thanks. Enjoy your drink."
My stomach churns and I quickly make my way to the back of the shop and find my friend Rufus.
"Freed? What's wrong?" he asks.
"Cover me."
Rufus nods and hurries to take my place as I walk out the back door and lean upon one of the walls enclosing the coffee shop's small yard. I hide my eyes with my forearm and sink to the floor, burying my head in my knees. Things are not fine. I roll up my sleeves, just a little bit. On my right wrist is a deep purple rune, and on my left rests a lightning bolt. I have found my soulmate in the form of none other than Laxus Dreyar. That's a problem. Our population is steadily declining, and everyone needs to reproduce. Apparently, for that reason, homosexuality is something that the Council of our city want to purge, even though it's a load of crap. In our society, the only thing worse than being gay is being Blank. The Blanks are "anomalies", the one thing the Council wants to purge: the Blanks have no tattoos and no soulmate. There are stories flying around about how the Blanks are broken and inhuman. We are the exceptions, and the Council hate exceptions.
The thing is, if we get found, the Council's men come in the night and take us away. To most, it's just whispers and rumours, but for us it's real. Close friends, even family, have been snatched in the darkness and never been seen or heard from again. There's one more problem: everyone that matters to me is considered illegal. Mira and Lisanna, the owners of the coffee shop, are Blanks; as is Dobengal, another co-worker; and Bickslow, a close friend of mine, who works at Fairy Tail, the club that Laxus inherited from his grandfather. Gajeel, the man from earlier, is a tattoo artist and part-time bouncer at Fairy Tail and has drawn tattoos for them: a crime punishable by death. Rufus, Rogue, Laxus and I are homosexual. Finally; Levy (the last of my colleagues and Gajeel's wife), my childhood friend Evergreen, and her soulmate Elfman have been secretly running a propaganda movement against the Council. Strauss Sisters' and Fairy Tail provide work and a safe haven for those suffering persecution. The Council perform raids every now and again, but so long as they don't have information on an individual, we're okay.
I gently kiss the lightning bolt tattoo before rising and making my way back inside. Once in, I swap back with Rufus and take some more orders. I see Levy remove her apron as she finishes her shift. Gajeel, who has been waiting for her since I made his drink, approaches her and envelopes her in a hug that sweeps her off her feet. They share a single sweet kiss before Levy turns to me.
"Oh Freed!" She chirps, "Gajeel and I are on our way to Fairy Tail tonight. It's an anniversary thing. We were wondering if you'd like to come with us? I've invited everyone else." She smiles, and I smile knowing that I'll have a chance to see Laxus.
"I'd love to go! I'll see you there."
"Great! See you at nine!"
"I'll be extra early." Levy and Gajeel smile, knowing exactly what I mean. I wave them off and they leave, hand in hand. I smile as they leave, and as I take the next orders I hope and pray for the day where Laxus and I may also walk holding hands without fear of being taken away. I sigh as I take the last few orders before my shift ends and I wave goodbye to the others. As I walk the city streets, I see the uniformity that is the city. There are security cameras at every angle, but if you look for them, you make yourself suspicious. I keep walking and I finally reach the residential sector of the city. The residential sector is where everyone in the city lives. It's made of identical apartment blocks, all filled with an identical number of identically built apartments. It's a pain when you're figuring your way around the place, but after a while you learn your way. I finally stop at my block, block 273, and show the scanner at the front of the building my ID. A door opens and I walk inside. I cross the lobby and find the lift, pressing a button asking it to take me to the sixth floor. I find my apartment, 273 R, unlock the door, and walk inside. I change out of my work clothes and take a shower, feeling the hot water flow down my back and through my hair. I wonder if there are cameras in here. There seem to be cameras everywhere, so I wouldn't be surprised if there were some in everyone's apartments. It is precisely that fear that stops Laxus from moving in here. We can't meet up any more often than best friends would and we can't do anything in public places. It's been three whole months since his lips last graced mine. Finishing my shower, I dry and brush my hair and change into my nice clothes: beige slacks, a crisp white shirt and my best red coat. I look at the time, it's 7:15. It takes about an hour to walk to Fairy Tail and I don't want to be late. I grab a bag from underneath the table: it's filled with my clothes and my photo album. My photo album is my prized possession, but in the hands of the council it could get both me and Laxus killed. I always take it with me when I go to see Laxus, just in case I get to stay the night...
I take one last peek in the mirror and head out the door.
As I reach the leisure area of the city, I notice that the area is very quiet. It seems almost foreboding, but I know for a fact that raids are usually carried out on loud, busy days. We should be okay. As I reach the familiar building, I see Gajeel at the door.
"Yo!" He calls, "You're here early."
"I did say I would be." I chuckle in return, "Working right before your party?"
"It's a tough life." He shrugs, "I finish in ten minutes anyway."
I smile, and wish him a happy anniversary as I step inside. The club's already bright lights are illuminated further by a very tall, mint-haired man decorating the place for the occasion. I notice a familiar face aiding him.
"Hey, Rufus!" I call. Rufus turns to see me and approaches, smiling.
"You're late! Considering it's you." Rufus smiles. "Orga, come here a sec!"
The mint-haired man makes his way towards us.
"Freed, this is Orga. Orga, this is Freed."
"Nice to meet you." He grunts. He runs a hand through his hair before brushing it ever so slightly against Rufus's. I realise that they must be soulmates. I give them a smile and make my way to the bar. I'm approached by a blonde boy with indigo eyes. He wears a t-shirt and I can easily see his wrists. On one wrist is a white dragon, and the other is a tattoo I recognise as Rogue's. It seems like Laxus has hired all the soulmates of the workers at Strauss Sisters'!
"Welcome to Fairy Tail," The boy says, "What can I get you?"
The boy is evidently new, and I'm sure he's not siding with the council, so I show him my wrists. He gives me a look of understanding and invites me behind the bar. I walk to the back room and approach the door I know all too well. The boy knocks on the door.
"What is it?" My heart skips a beat as I hear the voice I have been desperate to hear for far too long.
"Yo, Bossman, there's a guy here to see you. I think it might be worth your time."
"Sting I swear if this is just another-" The door swings open and I watch the instant that Laxus's eyes snap from bored to ecstatic.
It's magical.
The boy, Sting, gives Laxus a quick salute before leaving.
"Laxus." I whisper.
Laxus just grabs my waist and pulls me into his office, slamming the door. He presses his lips to mine, hungrily taking in each detail of my mouth as I do his.
"Freed."
We break apart, reluctantly, and Laxus takes a seat in a leather two-seated sofa. I go to sit by him, when he grabs my waist again and places me so I'm straddling him.
"Laxus! This is-"
"It ain't risky. I've searched every corner of this office. No cameras, no bugs. Just you and me." He kisses me again and I melt into his arms, running my fingers through his hair.
"It's been so long." I whisper as I take a breath.
"Too long." Laxus replies in kind. "I missed you." I pull away slightly and press my forehead to his.
"I missed you more."
Laxus tangles my hair in his fingers and pulls me in for another kiss.
"I love you." We both blurt out at the same time. We laugh, kiss once more, stay in each other's arms for just a minute, and finally decide to go and join the others. By the time we reach the crowd, the party's in full swing. Everyone's singing, dancing and enjoying the company of their friends. Everyone from Strauss Sisters' is here, including Mira and Lisanna. Bickslow and Evergreen give us a smile and a brief embrace. As we begin to lose ourselves in the party, Laxus and I stay close. We sneak in sly kisses. The club is empty aside our party, and Laxus has downright refused to have cameras inside the club. Everyone's happy and, for the first time in what seems like forever, I feel like everything's going to be okay.