"Makarov's grandson," Laxus muttered angrily as he downed his next shot, "Grandson of a wizard saint" he bit at his lip and grabbed at another glass, "I am my own person. I am more than just someone's shadow."

"Laxus!" Freed called out seeing his friend at the bar. The Raijinshuu made their way over to him, it hadn't been long since their gang had formed and he was still trying to get Laxus to warm up to them. The stoic teen wasn't really well known for getting along with people but Freed was determined to try. He thought they were getting somewhere with it, Laxus had allowed them to sit with him in the guild today so that was a massive leap.

"Mind if we join you?" Bickslow asked dropping onto the bar stool on Laxus' left.

"Um sure, keep me company." Laxus welcomed the trio with another round. Freed seated himself on his other side and propped his head up on his chin watching the dragon slayer intently.

"So what's with the lonely drinking? Seems more like that uncouth girl Cana's thing that yours Laxus." Evergreen asked, pushing away the shot and demanding something more feminine.

"Is it about your pops?" Bickslow asked, his creepy doll hovered beside him echoing 'pops, pops, pops'.

"If you don't mind, I appreciate the company but not the interrogation guys." Laxus grinned, "a guy's private life is private for a reason. The plan isn't to think about all my problems here it's to drink until I can't remember I have any problems."

"That, we can handle." Bickslow grinned. He hailed down the barmaid again and asked for the whole bottle to be brought to strongest team in Fairy Tail.

~many shots later~

Drunken laughter surrounded the booth in the corner of the four mages.

"That little brat Natsu challenged you to a fight?" Freed howled, wiping tears from his eyes, "that would've been the funniest thing to watch!"

"I've got to hand it to the runt, he landed a hit." Laxus admitted with a careful shrug, a few stories back he'd lifted his shoulders so high, he knocked his headphones flying and they landed in Ever's drink. "And he's already a hit with the ladies."

"You mean the Demon's sister?" Evergreen asked.
"Yeah, Natsu's got that girl wrapped round his little finger. Almost want to ask for tips on the Strauss girls because Mira, woo, I'd tap that."

"Laxshus...you're a braver man than me" Bickslow slurred, "that girl is...is...she's a...demon!" He had not long since animated a bottle with the soul he had in his keeping and was having quite a detailed conversation with it about how he wanted pudding but he was watching his figure.

"Laxus is brave!" Freed exclaimed leaping up in his chair and then dropping back down beside Laxus and shuffling closer to him. "Hey, you know how you're like, a dragon slayer of lightning?"

"Yeah," Laxus drawled, eyeing Freed suspiciously, "where are you going with this?"

"I have..." he hiccupped and swayed for a moment before continuing on "the best...idea to make you look more hardcore"

"I'm listening."

"We should carve a lightning bolt into your face." Freed hiccupped again and fell against Laxus who had sat up straighter and had a crazy glint in his eyes and his grin was so wide it threatened to rip his cheeks apart.

"That is the best thing anyone's said all night!" Laxus roared. He paused and then propped Freed back up, and pointed at him the crazy was tangible now, "but you have to do it too."

Freed yelped and scuttled backwards a bit. "I can't!"

"And why not?"

"Because...um...because I...uh...What if it disrupted my eye uh magic? Or...you...I'm not even a lightning mage, let alone a hardcore dragon slayer! AND it'd look way better on you."

"Well fine," Laxus smirked folding his arms over his chest and leaning back. "You ain't wrong. Evergreen, Bickslow care to join us?" He turned to the other two who were long gone racing out the doors of the guild. "I guess it's just us...you could get lightning bolts in your hair? I'm sure there's a spell for that somewhere."
"Well I am the leader of the Raijinshuu...I'll do it!" Freed pulled out his sword and sliced two strands shorter before writing runes in the air above him. As they settled over his hair the two shorter strands popped up on either side of his head in little lightning bolts. "They're permanent now! The only thing that can undo these runes is my death."

"OK! Now, cut my face!"

Freed unsheathed his sword and Laxus stepped back holding his hands out and spluttering. "No, oh god no, can we use something smaller?" He eyed the blade and could too easily picture it plunging straight through his eye instead of artfully around it.

"Fine" Freed sighed, "I'll go find one." He looked round to make sure Makarov wasn't looking and then ran and dove over the bar to hunt for a smaller knife.

Laxus lay back on the table they'd been drinking on earlier with his arms spread wide wiggling a bit to get comfy. Freed soon returned blade in hand and leaned over the dragon slayer.

"So where do you want this on your face?"

"Right over my eye, all the tough guys have scars over their eyes."

Freed bent down and positioned the knife over Laxus's eyebrow. He wobbled slightly and placed a hand on the table beside Laxus to steady himself. His vision doubled and then tripled, there were multiple versions of Laxus's face to cut all in slightly varying positions. He went for the one that looked the angriest thinking that was most accurate and in one swift motion stabbed the knife in and sliced downwards. The roar that came from Laxus could be heard throughout Fiore. Freed thought it might've been a bit longer than intended and slowly drew the knife back up to erase the end of the cut. Goddammit Freed that's not how knives work he remembered as he looked back at his handiwork and realised he'd gone way off the original line anyway. He shrugged and drew the knife back down and then grinned, there, now it's a lightning bolt, just as we planned. He dropped the knife and fell back into his seat. The world was spinning faster now and he realised those last shots may not have been a good idea.

"It's gonna look good once we wash the blood off." Freed slurred sinking into the chair, "are you all good to sleep here? Nah, nah. Come on I'll help you to a comfy chair." Freed lifted the unconscious Laxus up off the table and stumbled towards the stairs. "Don't tell Gramps you let me up to the S Class floor, mmkay Lax?" He placed him down on one of the couches and yawned stretching up towards the ceiling. "OK buddy I think I'm gonna crash so I'll see you tomorrow." He stepped backwards to head home and abruptly fell down the steps where he fell asleep sprawled out over the bottom few.

~The Next Day~

"Oh god" Laxus murmured, rubbing the back of his head gingerly, "why does my face hurt so much. How much did I drink? Oh god. This is the worst hangover ever, everything hurts."

Downstairs the guild was staring at the pool of blood on one the tables and the trail which led away from it.

"How did that get there?" Macao asked, "Mira do you have anything to do with this?"

"Why does everyone always blame me!?" Mira yelled, "I did nothing wrong!"

"Woah, woah, OK not Mira, it wasn't Mira. Gramps do you know anything about this?" Makarov looked at the blood puddle and made to make a comment but was interrupted by Freed standing inelegantly half way up the S Class steps and then falling the rest of the way down.

"Hey guys" He groaned leaning on the banister to drag himself up, "why's it so bright in here? What are you all looking at?"

"Freed, what's wrong with your hair?" Natsu asked staring at the green lightning bolts sticking out of the mage's head.

"What's wrong with my..." Freed started groggily lifting his hand up to pat his hair and feeling one of the prongs jutting upwards. "Oh god" he whispered the events of last night hitting him all at once, "oh no what have I done."

Before the guild had a chance to ask what was wrong, Laxus' roar was heard from upstairs. "Freed Justine I am going to kill you!" The lightning dragon slayer stormed downstairs, blood splattered down his neck and shirt and a fresh lightning bolt shaped cut, still bleeding slightly, running down the right side of his face. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and noticed Freed's hair poking out and grinned. "Those are forever you know?"

"Please don't hurt me." Freed pleaded throwing his hands up in front of him and backing away slightly.

"Those look...striking." Laxus chuckled. He walked over to his friend and drew his arm back landing a solid punch to Freed's face, the other mage collapsed and clutched at his nose which was bleeding almost as heavily as Laxus' scar had been. "Well at least we're in this current mess together sparky." He lifted his friend up and tossed an arm round his shoulder. "You know I think you're right, I do look more hardcore. You however not so much."

"Oh real charming scar-face."

"Hey come on, you're still on faulty ground."

"Please stop it."

"Never."