Happy Friday! If I didn't mention it before, part of the reason for the slow ramp-up is that there are a total of 14 chapters in Victory Gala. We're starting to move beyond setup and we're going to get to see our chain of events unfold. I'm really excited about this week's chapter in particular as the two relationships here are ones that I haven't gotten to play with before. Hope you like it!

- K. Chandler

Freed ran his thumb along the edge of his jacket, waiting for Master Bob to finish his remarks.

The ceremony had been quite the grand to-do with all the guild masters making speeches and the entire Allied Coalition lined up behind them.

It was nice that, even after all these years, Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus still got together to celebrate the friendship the guilds had forged that day.

But it was an awfully long ceremony. As much as Freed appreciated traditions, he was glad when the last speech had ended. There were things he needed to attend to tonight, and all of this waiting was making him restless.

"You're looking awfully serious."

Freed jolted, his hand flying to his chest. Laxus had startled him as badly as a zap of lightning would have.

"And jumpy too," observed Laxus. "What's the matter with you?"

"It's nothing. I just have a lot on my mind," said Freed, adjusting his cuffs again.

"All right. Well, I'm going to go check on Bicks and Ever. Try not to have too much fun," said Laxus.

"Actually, Laxus, if I might have a moment?" asked Freed.

"Yeah. What's up?"

Freed cleared his throat. "It's about Mirajane."

"Okay…" Laxus arched a bushy brow, folding his arms over his chest.

Freed's mouth was dry. The nerves were really starting to get to him. He waited for Laxus' permission to continue.

And finally, his commander sighed, and asked, "What about Mira?"

"I was hoping to speak with her tonight," said Freed quietly, his eyes dropping to the floor.

"You can talk to her whenever you want."

"That isn't quite what I had in mind," Freed sighed, his shoulders slumping.

Laxus snorted. "Enough with the guessing games, Freed. What are you getting at?"

Freed hesitated, searching for the right words. "I… have feelings for Mirajane," he mumbled, the heat surging to his face.

"Oh. Okay… And you're telling me this, why?"

Freed's head snapped up, taking Laxus in with wide eyes. "What do you mean by that?"

His commander gave an easy shrug. "Mira's the one you need to talk to, not me."

"Laxus, don't." Freed grimaced guiltily. He didn't understand why Laxus insisted on making this so difficult. "I know that the two of you were very close once. I've seen that photograph that you're still hanging on to."

Laxus turned away, a huff of breath leaving his lungs. "What does it matter? Are you saying you don't have old pictures laying around?" he asked defensively.

"Are you saying that you don't still have feelings for her?" challenged Freed softly. Anxiety was a vice around his ribs as he waited for Laxus' response. He didn't know that he wanted to hear the answer, but he needed to hear it. He needed to know.

Laxus was silent, mouth pressed into a thin line. When, finally, he spoke, he met Freed's eye steadily. "Sometimes the past needs to stay in the past."

"Then, with your permission, sir?" asked Freed tentatively.

"You don't need my permission," said Laxus with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Do whatever you want. I don't care," he said, sweeping past as if to walk away.

"Please, Laxus," Freed called after him. He took a shuddering breath, resigning himself to the possibility of heartbreak. "I consider you to be my commander first and foremost. If you still regard Mirajane fondly, then I won't bring up the way I feel to her."

There. He'd said it.

The Lightning-Dragon Slayer stopped. He turned stiffly, his eyes narrowing critically. "What's that supposed to mean?" demanded Laxus.

"Just as I said. If you still care for her, I'll hold my peace," said Freed. He'd made up his mind. He loved Mira, but he wouldn't have her at the expense of his friend's happiness. He respected Laxus too much for that.

Laxus' jaw went slack as he blinked. Then he sighed, shaking his head. "You have my blessing. Is that what you wanted to hear?" he asked impatiently.

Freed's eyes widened as overwhelming joy hit him. "Thank you, Laxus. Thank you!" he breathed.

Laxus gave a curt nod, his features emotionless.

Laxus' reassurance had lifted a weight from Freed's fluttering chest. He let out a sigh of relief, a slow smile spreading across his features.

"Freed."

"Sir?" Freed looked back, bringing himself to stand at attention.

"If you truly love her, then love her with all you're worth." A spark of something fierce, yet unrecognizable, flashed in Laxus' eyes.

"Yes, sir."

"I'm serious, Freed. There's no half-ways here. Not with Mirajane. Don't screw this one up."

"No, sir."

With a final nod, Freed set off to find Mirajane. He scanned the room, trying to catch a glimpse of the Take-Over Mage.

Freed's gaze caught on a pair of eyes the color of the sky. His heart pounded.

There she was. Mirajane Strauss.

Mira looked stunning in a shimmery, pale-coral dress that brought out the natural flush of her cheeks. Her wavy hair was pulled back into a high ponytail that draped fetchingly over one shoulder. Around her neck, she wore a thick, black ribbon, tied into a neat bow. Freed was certain that if perfection had a name, it would be Mirajane.

But Mira was more than just a pretty face. She was easily the kindest, most understanding person that Freed had ever had the pleasure of meeting. She may have had the magic of a demon, but she had the heart of an angel.

Freed willed his pulse to still. He took a breath, collecting himself, his gaze still holding hers as he approached.

"Hello, Mira," he said, his voice low. Being around her always filled him with a sense of peace. Mira's gentleness was one of his favorite things about her.

"Oh, hey, Freed," she said. Her sweet smile made his breath hitch.

"You look lovely tonight," he said.

"Thanks! Same to you," said Mira brightly. Then she sighed, her gaze trailing across the room. "Aren't they adorable?" asked Mira absently.

"To whom are you referring?" asked Freed.

"Gray and Erza…" she sighed. Mira pointed, a starry expression crossing her flushed face.

As the former members of the Multi Guild Alliance filed off the stage, Gray had caught Erza by the elbow. He whispered something in her ear that made the fearsome Requip Mage blush like a schoolgirl.

"I know we're not really rivals anymore, but it makes me a little jealous of her sometimes. You know?"

"Jealous?" repeated Freed, frowning. What on Earth did Mirajane have to be jealous of? Unless… A cold feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. "Mira… you don't… have feelings for Gray, do you?" he asked slowly, trying not to look too obvious.

"What? Oh, gosh, no! Whatever gave you that idea?" Mira giggled. "I mean, he's not bad. And Erza could certainly do much worse. He's not my type though," she said, crinkling her nose.

Freed let out the breath he was holding.

"They're so cute together," sighed Mira. She twirled her hair around her finger. "How can she not see it?"

"Love is like that," observed Freed. "It isn't always easy to see, especially for the parties involved."

"But look at the way he looks at her," insisted Mira. "You can see it in his eyes. She's his everything."

"Then maybe he should come out and say it," suggested Freed.

"What if she says no?" protested Mira. "She might not be ready."

"Then at least he'll know."

"Do you really think it works like that? I mean, as a guy."

Freed didn't hesitate. "I do." It wasn't easy to make the first move, but it was the honorable thing for a man to do.

"Do you really think any guy wants to put himself out there like that?"

"If he's worth anything, he ought to," Freed declared.

"I wish I had someone like that…" sighed Mira. "Someone who looks at me the way Gray looks at Erza… She's so lucky."

Freed shook his head. He licked his lips, trying to piece a sentence together.

"What if… What if you already have a Gray, but you're too Erza to see it?"

"What?" Mira turned to blink at him, her blue eyes startled.

"Never mind."

Maybe he wasn't quite ready to put himself out there yet either.

Talk about irony...

So MiraFreed. I don't know that I ship them. But it always bothered me that they had a really cool moment of connection in Battle of Fairy Tail, and then nothing. This is my (shippy brain's) attempt at explaining that, among other things. Nothing against Miraxus, I like them too (I might actually like them better than MiraFreed, TBH), but this is my one chance to see how the MiraFreed thing would have played out and (bonus!) get some really good Miraxus angst out of the deal. I have this theory that we're going to play out to see which ship holds up in this universe.

As for Laxus and Freed's relationship, there are a lot of ways one could call it. Some people ship them, others see them as brothers. I always saw a bit of leader-subordinate there, which I haven't seen a lot of writers use in fanfic, so I wanted to play with that dynamic here.

Next time, in [Mazeverse] Victory Gala, another poor, lovesick fool. He gives away one girl, then another: "I suppose part of learning to love is… learning to lose," he sighed. "And learning to let go."

Stop back next Friday for the next installment, or just follow me, Karine of R011ingThunder.