Nightly Routine

It was good to break the routine.

Freed knew what people thought of him. He knew that most of his guildmates expected him to have the strictest of timetables that was meant to streamline his day in the most effective way possible. He knew people expected that, if his non-existent timetable was interrupted, he'd become a panicky mess that couldn't be consoled or talked to until his day was back on track. Of course, this was all ridiculous.

People seemed to forget that he was a mage. A Fairy Tail mage, at that! You couldn't survive in a place like Fairy Tail without the ability to act on your impulses and take on whatever was thrown at you. Freed may like order and routine, but he certainly wasn't reliant on it.

However, sometimes this reputation he had gained could be used to his advantage. For example, mere hours ago he had been sitting back as Natsu explained, in great detail, why Freed should come to the impromptu campfire the guild was hosting that night. Freed did nothing but cross his arms and watch as the fire mage tried desperately to explain how the event would be unmissable, eventually ending up by spouting some nonsense about how the ashes of the fire would be good for his skin.

In fairness, Natsu's skin did look very soft.

Eventually, it was Bickslow who put the poor boy out of his misery. After being assured that Freed and Laxus would come, Natsu scuttled off towards the next table. The encounter gave the Raijinshuu a small chuckle for the afternoon and something to look forward to later that night.

Both Freed and Laxus were glad of the distraction for the night. Freed had been tasked with translating an entire book of magical properties from an annoyingly complex language. Usually translation was relaxing for him, but the pages of meticulous grammar rules was driving him to near insanity. Not to mention, he and his Fiancé's time at home had been spent almost entirely in different rooms for the last week. They both agreed that Laxus would distract Freed and that, once the book had been fully translated, they'd spend as much time together as humanly possible.

Although, as the days passed, the need to spend time together grew stronger and stronger.

"You're bein' quiet." Laxus commented as the two walked beside one of Magnolia's many canals, the path lit up by flickering streetlamps. "Anything wrong?"

"What? No, nothing." Freed smiled gently, stepping slightly closer to his fiancé as if to reassure him. "I'm just lost in thought, I suppose."

"The book?"

"No, definitely not." Freed chuckled at the idea. "I can assure you that that book will be the last thing on my mind tonight. I was just letting my mind wonder. I sometimes forget that Magnolia is known for its beauty."

And rightfully so. At night, the streets were lightly covered by tiny fireflies, their small illuminations flittering across the sky and often merging with the stars if the night was clear. The gentle, calm atmosphere gave the street a relaxed and nurturing ambiance that was unrivalled by the larger, more raucous cities. It shocked Freed that such a calm, quaint town allowed such a noisy and often obnoxious guild like Fairy Tail in the middle of its town centre.

But both men practically relied on the tranquil atmosphere of Magnolia to keep them sane. Compared to the majority of Fairy Tail members, they were quiet and reserved; Freed more so than Laxus. They both needed a place to relax and Magnolia offered that on a silver platter.

"Why'd Natsu say this thing is goin' on, again?"

"There's not a specific reason, I don't think. He said that, given recent events, we could all use some time off."

"Really?" Laxus grinned. "Cause I heard him say he's running low on food a couple days ago. Now suddenly he's suggesting that the whole guild has a bonfire with a crap ton of burgers, hotdogs and any other food he can think of."

"Perhaps that might have been the catalyst for his idea."

Both men chuckled as they approached the guildhall, walking past the main entrance and towards the back of the building. After the hall had been destroyed yet again, someone had the idea to make the building itself smaller and have a fairly large training area around the back. Apparently, Natsu and Mirajane had decided that this was the perfect place to hold their last-minute bonfire and barbeque.

As the two walked in, they both took a moment to take the sight in. Any form of training equipment had been hidden from sight, tables and chairs were scattered around and two separate barbeques were already in use. Guildmembers were sitting at tables and standing around, some eating, some drinking and others talking; all seemingly having a good time.

But the obvious centrepiece of the event was in the middle. A large pile of wood, mainly consisting of destroyed wooden furniture, was sitting ready in the middle of the yard. It had yet to be set alight, the couple suspecting that they were waiting for everyone in the guild to arrive before they did that.

"They've certainly made this look more impressive than it should be." Freed chuckled.

"Yeah." Laxus nodded as they began to walk into the yard. "I'm gonna get a drink, want one?"

"Er, yes please. I don't mind what."

As Laxus walked to the store room that had been converted into a makeshift bar for the night, Freed found a small table in the back corner. It was slightly further away than most, giving them a small amount of privacy but also allowed them to be involved in the celebrations and activities of the night. But for now, Freed was going to focus on the private time with his finance.

It didn't take long for Laxus to return, holding two mugs of frothing beer in one hand and a large bowl of peanuts in the other. He placed them all on the table, pulling up a seat beside Freed so they were both looking at the unlit bonfire.

"Thanks." Freed smiled, taking a swig of the cold beer. "Why do we have nuts?"

"T' make sperm." Laxus grinned, getting a playful nudge. "Mira gave them to me. It was either this or she cooks us a meal for our date night. To be honest, I just want a burger tonight."

"Fair enough. And a bowl of peanuts seems like a completely reasonable exchange for a full meal." Freed chuckled, taking some peanuts from the bowl. "Although we should take her up on that deal, she's a good cook."

"Maybe. But not tonight."

The two fell into a comfortable silence as they watched their guildmates go about their business. Natsu and Elfman were standing beside the barbeques, handing out food to whoever wanted it. Laxus suspected that one of two things would happen: Natsu would be caught sneaking food to take home try to defend himself, or Gray would take over from Elfman and a stupid grilling competition would occur between him and Natsu. Laxus wouldn't really mind that, the smell of cooking meat was good.

Right beside the unlit bonfire, some of the tables had been pushed together. A group of the girls had bunched up together, though were having small conversations with each other. What shocked the couple the most was that Evergreen and Erza were having a very friendly looking conversation. Perhaps they had become friends without the rest of the team knowing. Good for Evergreen.

Beside the makeshift bar, a small group of tipsy people had formed. Cana had somehow convinced Bickslow into a drinking contest, which was happening on the floor as the store house didn't have a bar top.

"We'll have to take him home, wont we?" Laxus sighed.

"Someone else can handle him tonight." Freed smiled, patting Laxus' thigh with a smile. "I'm sure he'll be fine."

Laxus began to gulp down his beer as he and Freed watched the rest of the guild, keeping to themselves in their corner. They watched as Makarov walked in front of the unlit bonfire, seemingly sober, and gather everyone's attention. The yard hushed, a small murmur of finishing conversations and the crackling of the barbeques the only thing stopping the party from dissolving into complete silence.

Both men watched as Makarov explained that everyone should appreciate these moments of calmness and enjoy the breaks that life gives them. He explained that not every celebration needed a reason and that you were allowed to be happy for the sake of it sometimes.

Freed was somewhat taken aback by how eloquent the speech was. Makarov was pretty good with words, but today he seemed to have a certain kind of rhythm. He voiced his confusion to Laxus, who chuckled.

"I got him a book about public speaking for his birthday a couple weeks back. Guess he's been using it."

"I thought that you took him to a vineyard. Or whatever the beer equivalent is." Freed smiled. "I remember because you both turned up at midnight. Singing. Loudly."

Laxus groaned and rubbed his face. Freed had taken a lot of enjoyment in teasing him for his small duet with his grandfather. Apparently Freed was intending to tease Laxus about this until the joke was completely worn out. Laxus just hoped something equally embarrassing happened to Freed soon, so they could call it even. But so far, Freed was annoyingly good at not being in embarrassing situations.

"Yeah. That did happen." He groaned. "But I got him the book as well. I like giving him something to unwrap on the day… don't look at me like that."

Freed laughed when Laxus' large hand shoved his smiling face away. He leant against his fiancé and pecked his cheek with a smirk, grinning when Laxus groaned again and went red in the face. But he did wrap his arm around Freed's shoulders.

They watched as Makarov invited Natsu to the front of the yard so he could set fire to the bonfire, because it was his idea to have a bonfire after all. The whole guild chuckled when Nastu realised everyone was looking at him, he hadn't realised yet and was scoffing down a freshly cooked leg of chicken. As usual, the fire mage wasn't put off and happily walked to the front of the yard, swallowing down his food with hands already on fire.

It didn't take long for the mountain of wood to be fully engulfed in Natsu's flames, crackling loudly and eating up the yard immediately. The fireflies that populated Magnolia at night flittered around it. The entire guild watched at the fire in silence, it really did look beautiful. Elegant; in a burning kind of way.

The guild went back to chatting, drinking and playing gamed with each other. The girls had also begun to roast marshmallows and make s'mores, which was getting much more attention than the barbeques were now. Seeing this as an opportunity, Freed stood up.

"Do you want anything to eat?"

"Yeah. A burger. Oh, and one of those chicken legs, thanks." Laxus smiled.

"Careful, you might get a tiny amount of fat on your body. Would you be able to cope?" Freed teased, Laxus flicking a peanut at him for that.

Freed walked over to the barbeque that Natsu was behind again, the smell of cooked beef and chicken a welcome assault on his nose. He had forgone any kind of afternoon meal so he'd be able to eat some of the food served, not realising just how hungry he would be at nine at night.

Natsu grinned when he saw Freed approach, turning over a burger and pressing it down with a spatula. "Hey. Tonight's better than you though, right?"

"I am enjoying myself, yes." Freed smiled. "Can I have a hotdog, a burger and a chicken leg."

"Sure." Natsu grinned, taking out a large paper plate and starting to put Freed's order onto it. "I convinced gramps to let us have a couple fights after we put the fire out, winner gets free drinks at the guild for a week. Y' couldn't do me a favour and make Laxus join in, could ya. I wanna kick his ass in front of everyone."

"I don't think I could. He wants a relaxing night." Freed smiled, Natsu looking at him with pleading eyes. "However, it's been some time since I've been involved in an interesting fight. So if your foods good enough, I'll enter myself."

Freed relished in watching Natsu's face. Natsu was almost definitely someone who thought Freed couldn't do anything impulsive, his expression showed it. First, visible confusion as to why Freed would consider doing anything not in his imaginary routine. Next, a smile of realisation that his invitation to fight someone had actually worked for once. Finally, excited determination that he was going to have a fight with Freed.

Fists clenched and wide smile on his face, he handed Freed his food. "Hope you're ready to have your ass kicked."

"You'll have to prove you can cook first." Freed chuckled. "And I can assure you, that won't be the outcome."

Freed walked back to the table Laxus was sitting at, finishing what remained of his second beer of the night. The dragon slayer grinned when Freed placed the food down on the table, picking up the burger and taking a large bite out of it. He let out a loud, satisfied groan as he chewed on it, he'd also not eaten through the afternoon.

"He's pretty good behind a grill." He nodded to Natsu. "Why's he smiling like that though."

"I agreed to fight him."

"Why?"

"If I didn't he'd spend hours demanding it off other people. The night will be considerably more relaxed without his shouting." Freed smiled. "And we haven't been on a worthwhile mission for a month. It'll be nice to expel some of my magic."

"So basically, you just wanted a fight as much as he did."

"I'd rather you not shout it, I have a reputation to uphold." Freed laughed, taking a bite from his hotdog.

"Deny it all you want, but you're just like the rest of us." Laxus grinned, wrapping an arm around Freed's shoulders again, who laughed and nodded. "You better win."

"Oh, I intend to."

They both fell into silence again as they ate, relaxing as the impromptu party happened around them. For the rest of the night they drank, ate and had an overall good time. Occasionally, someone would come up to them and hold a conversation, but for most of the night they were left in each other's company.

Sometime before midnight, Freed had dozed off on Laxus' shoulder. He fought it at first, claiming that he didn't want to let Natsu down with the fight. Of course, the real reason was that Freed avoided sleeping in public like the plague and claimed that it was a sign of weakness that he couldn't afford to let people know about. Laxus suspected that was only the original reason for his disdain for sleeping in public and that now he just was clinging to that belief out of stubbornness.

However, now Freed was resting against Laxus' shoulder in a seemingly happy slumber. He wasn't snoring, he never did, but his heavy breathing was therapeutic to Laxus' ear. Which didn't make much sense, because until being with Freed he hated the idea of hearing someone's breath. But maybe love made him blind to weird things like that.

Natsu had rushed over to them in hopes of dragging them away from the table so he could fight Freed, but stopped when Laxus glared at him. The fire dragon pouted, but seemed happy enough when Laxus promised that, if he left them alone, either Freed or Laxus himself would definitely fight him in the morning. He scuttled off quickly after that.

Eventually, Laxus concluded that Freed wasn't taking a quick nap and that he was basically out for the night. Laxus removed his coat and made a makeshift pillow on the table, laying Freed down on it so he would be comfortable. The thunder mage jogged over to his still sober grandfather and waited to get his attention.

"Ah, Laxus, there you are! You and Freed are having a good night, aren't you?" He grinned. "I know your team are."

Laxus looked over to see Cana and Bickslow drunkenly laughing on the floor beside each other, seemingly having a conversation made out of giggles and drunken slurs. Evergreen wasn't any more sober, having a sloppy arm wrestle against Levy; even when she was drunk that woman was competitive.

"Yeah, I'm gonna have to leave them to you." He chuckled. "Freed's pretty tired so I'm gonna take him home so he can have a good nights sleep. Y' don't mind dealing with Ever and Bix, do you?"

"No no, they'll be fine. The girls can take Evergreen to the dorms and Bickslow's pretty easy to control when he's drunk. Usually it's the other way around." Makarov chuckled. "You go home. And tell Freed he doesn't need to put too much effort into that book. I thought it would be nice to have translated, but it shouldn't be a priority."

"He already knows, just doesn't listen." Laxus smiled slightly. "See you tomorrow. And get some bandages, Natsu's gonna have his ass handed to him by one of us."

Makarov cackled and nodded. Seeing this as the end of the conversation, Laxus walked back across the yard to the sleeping Freed. He placed his hand on the smaller man's shoulder and shook it gently. Freed was tiredly lifting his head a moment later, groggily looking around his surroundings.

"Sorry, how long was I out for?"

"About an hour. C'mon, I'm taking you home." Laxus smiled, picking his coat up again and wrapping it around his shoulders. Freed stood up slowly, blinking away the tiredness.

"What time is it?" He asked as they left the yard and walked into the quietness of Magnolia's streets.

"Nearly one, so we'll be home by one thirty."

"It's late, then. I had hoped to sleep for a few more hours tonight."

"Then don't wake up at six to do push-ups and shit."

"It's part of my morning routine, Laxus. You know I like to stick to it."

Laxus scoffed slightly. They kept walking, the silence of the streets only broken by their shoes clicking against the cobbled ground. They found themselves holding hands, something which they didn't often do in public. They both preferred to show their affection for each other in a private way, be that at home or occasionally at the guild.

They remained like this until they got to their shared home, a small house on the outskirts of magnolia. It had originally been only Freed's but when they chose to move in, Laxus had sold his tiny apartment and moved in with him. It was a great place, enough space for guests and a huge garden to train in whenever the mood struck them. It was one of the few things that reminded Laxus of just how wealthy Freed was.

"Y'know, you blew off tonight's schedule like it was nothing." Laxus said as they walked inside. "If you wanna be a real badass you could do that with your morning schedule and sleep in."

"Really." Freed chuckled. "Well, what would a supposed badass do in the mornings, then?"

"I dunno. Maybe he could cuddle with his fiancé, I guess." Laxus blushed.

"You guess. I don't think I can rework my precious schedule on a guess." Freed grinned, Laxus glaring at him.

"Fine. I want you to sleep in so we can cuddle in the morning. Happy?"

Freed didn't answer, instead leaning up and planting a small, slow kiss on his fiancé's lips. He rested their foreheads together and stared tiredly into the taller man's eyes, an exhausted yet pleased smile resting on his lips.

"I suppose that can be arranged. If you're okay with being engaged to a badass, that is."

"I can live with that."

They both walked upstairs, Freed jokingly suggesting he talk to Gajeel and get some piercings to go with his new 'badass' persona. It was at the suggestion he should buy a leather jacket and learn to ride a motorcycle to get to their missions that Laxus broke down into laughter at Freed's ridiculous, tired ramblings.

"Get in the damn bed, idiot." He grinned, turning around to see Freed had already fallen asleep on the bed again, fully clothed and breathing heavily. "Yeah, such a badass."

"More badass than you." Freed mumbled. "Mr cuddles."