A/N: So. Another chappie! Yay! Guess who finally stopped procrastinating! Meeeee~ Feel free to throw rotten tomatoes at me for being so horrible at updating. I have to admit, I probably deserve it. Anyways, I hope you guys don't mind that I've added an OC to the story… I just like to have all the characters stay as true as possible to their canon personalities as they can with my REALLY out of character portrayals of them, and I couldn't find anyone who would be hanging out with Lyon and act like the OC does, so…. *rubs back of neck awkwardly* I may or may not have put in an OC. Rant at me in the comments if you want, but please make the criticism constructive.
Disclaimer: The lovely show/manga of Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima, and my OC belongs to me. Any spelling mistakes are purely my fault, although I would love to blame Mashima like the sneaky person I am. Please spare me the embarrassment and tell me if you see an error!
IN RESPONSE TO GUEST REVIEWS:
Evan: Your English is fine, dear. I mean, there are probably typos littering my work like snowfall, so…. You're just fine. And thank you for the compliment Cx sorry my update took so long!
I am terribly sorry for how short this is! I hope you like it anyways XD
Laxus stands there, jaw slack, as Freed's eyes roll back in his head, and he slumps onto the cold cement of the alley floor.
"Great. So now you've passed out on me," the blonde mutters to himself, crouching down to pick the green-haired boy up bridal style.
Laxus stands, adjusts Freed so as not to drop him, and turns back down the alley. He walked briskly, and tried to avoid the shady characters, the ones that were shadier than him at least, as he made his way down the backstreets of Magnolia and towards a building he knows he shouldn't enter until tomorrow.
"Hey there boy," rasped a voice.
The 19-year-old whipped around, clutching Freed closer to his chest instinctively. "Who's there?" Laxus demanded.
"Just me. Say, would you be willing to share that prize you've caught? It seems pretty," said the same voice as a figure leaned out from behind a dumpster. The person appeared grungy and unkept, their hair matted and greasy beneath their filthy hat.
"Stay away from us!" Laxus growled, backing away from the strange man.
The stranger held his hands up in surrender and leaned back again, disappearing from view. "Alright then, be on your way, if you aren't willing to share," he said, and chuckled in a way that suggested he should be in an asylum by now.
Laxus took the stranger's advice and turned tail, power-walking away as fast as he possible could. "Damn creeps," he grumbled.
Soon enough Laxus was standing in a dark alley way, not unlike the one he had attempted to mug Freed in. Laxus glared at the black-painted metal door in front of him, and fished a key out of his pocket, momentarily having to shift Freed's weight so he wouldn't drop him. He jammed the key into rusty door knob, turned it and winced as it let out several protesting squeaks. He yanked the door open, removed the key, and ducked inside quickly. He glanced behind him suspiciously, shut the door and locked it.
Laxus had to resist the urge to sneeze when he stepped into the room. Everything was covered in a thick layer of dust, and what wasn't coated in dust was underneath white sheets. He briefly set his companion down on a sheet-covered armchair, lifted a white, dusty sheet from the couch, and shook it out. Laxus lazily draped the sheet over the back of the sofa before picking his companion up and setting him back down on the furniture.
He sat down on the armchair across from Freed, and rested his jaw in his hand. "And now, I wait," he mumbled to himself.
The hours ticked by slowly, and eventually Laxus got up to go to the bathroom and then find something to eat. When he returned, he found Freed with his eyes open, staring at the white-washed ceiling.
"So," Freed started, eyes never leaving the ceiling. "You probably think I'm a freak, huh." He smiled softly in way that told Laxus he is trying his best not to cry, and chuckled in an attempt to mask his despair.
"I'm Laxus, by the way, and you're not a freak, you dumbass! I mean, sure, your hair is a weird color, but a couple of friends of mine have naturally blue or pink hair, so who am I to judge?" Laxus shrugged and continued. "Besides, I need to bring you up to the safe house and get you patched up."
Freed flipped himself around so that he's lying on his side and rested his head in hand, bracing his elbow against the seat of the couch. "Safe house?" He asked, brows furrowed in curiosity.
"Safe house," Laxus confirms, and begins to start another sentence, but stops when he hears a key being shoved into the door knob. A couple of rusty screeches echoe in the room as the knob turns and the door swings open with a creak of objection.
We should really oil the hinges… He thinks to himself.
Freed jolts into a sitting position at the sound of the door, legs crossed, posture perfect, hands folded neatly in his lap. The blonde just observes silently before turning his head towards the opening door.
"Sil, why didn't you tell anyone your keys were stolen?" A silver-haired boy asks, holding the door open for a shorter boy with fluffy, powder blue hair.
The blue-haired one, which Freed correctly assumes is 'Sil,' is looking at the floor and fiddling with the edge of his pastel yellow sweater.
"Sil?" the taller of the two asks, shutting and locking the door behind them. Neither of the two have noticed Laxus and Freed yet.
Sil sniffs a bit and starts to talk in a volume barely above a whisper. "I- I- I was scared and-" he stops talking and freezes in horror when he looks up and sees Laxus.
Laxus seems oblivious to the fact that Sil is frozen in fear, and gets up to approach the silver-haired one. "Lyon, we have a new mess to fix up," he begins, but Lyon makes a hand motion that screams SHUT UP YOU IDIOT and Laxus stops dead and snaps his mouth shut.
The bluenette stares fearfully at Laxus with wide blue eyes and his hands are visibly shaking as he whispers, "L-Lyon? Y-you said that L-Laxus wasn't here o-on Wednesdays..."
Lyon glares at Laxus and says, through a clenched jaw, "He's not supposed to be."
Laxus throws Lyon an annoyed look in response, and starts walking towards the pair again. "Yeah, well, I'm here, and there's nothing you can really do about it, Frostbite. So fuck off."
Sil flinches at the blonde's words and shrinks back, breathing out a sentence softly in a heart-shattering, broken voice. "P-please… N-not the wrench…" his eyes glaze over with a memory, and Freed knows that Sil isn't seeing Laxus anymore; he's seeing some tormentor from his past.
The silver-haired teen next to the bluenette sucks in a sharp breath, slowly turning to look at his friend. "Basil?" He pleads, reaching out to gently pull the smaller to him. He looks at Laxus and hisses, venom staining his words, "Now look at what you've done, Laxus! You know he can't handle blondes! That is why we specifically agreed that you were to not be here on Wednesdays, the day that Basil frequents the group most often!" Lyon doesn't even give the blonde a chance to reply, instead opting to take Basil by the hand and guide him across the room and up a staircase.
An uncomfortable silence settles over the room, and it seems thicker than the layer of dust coating everything, making it feel like the world has stopped turning on its axis for a moment. Freed is almost afraid to break it, but before he can get the chance to, Laxus sighs and runs a hand through his spiky blonde hair, muttering some sarcastic comment to himself. The silence shatters like glass on a sidewalk and Freed suddenly feels like a weight has been lifted from his chest and the world has started to move again.
"Who were they?" He asks, in desperate need of a conversation after that horrible, paralyzing silence.
His companion sighs again and turns around, sitting back down in the armchair, still carding his hand through his blonde locks. "That was Basil and Lyon, some friends- er, acquaintances -of mine. They're both members of the support group, but Lyon mostly comes here to see his brother and Basil. You've probably already guessed the Sil is the one with the blue hair. Don't ask what he's here for, or you might set him off again, and then Lyon might rip your throat out. You know what, don't ask anyone here what they're in for, unless they ask you."
Freed nods in understanding, relaxing his posture again and slumping back against the couch.
"I see you've got the pretty-boy posture habit."
"What do you mean by-"
"Don't worry. A lot of us have it… Speaking of the rest, you gotta meet 'em. After I patch you up, 'course," Laxus muses, standing and pulling Freed up with an amount of strength that Freed really should of expected. He leans in close to Freed's ear, whispering what comes out of his mouth next, "Now, Greeny, I'm gonna need you to not say a damn word about that mugging incident, alright? I'll explain it later."
Freed nods again, eager to escape the closeness of the situation.
Laxus steps back, and Freed nearly sighs in relief. "Alright, follow me, Greeny," he says, spinning on his heel and sauntering towards and up the stairs, hands in his pockets and headphones swinging aimlessly around his neck.
Freed follows behind him, really wishing the back of his jacket and dress shirt weren't ripped.
A/N: THANK YOU FOR ACTUALLY FINISHING MY BADLY WRITTEN CHAPTER! I'm pretty sure I switched tenses here at least three times…. *dodges rotten fruit* Okay anyways, since I gotta hurry up so I don't end up playing fruit ninja up here, reviews and constructive criticism are always welcome! And please give me feedback on my OC…. Although I can name a few people who already know him…. But yeah. *dodges more rotten fruit* I'll see you all next time!