Chapter 4! Thank you for reading this AU fanfic, thank you for the likes and thank you so much for following me! I hope you like it so far. This time there will be teensy-weensy progress hehe.

Soon enough it turned out that his hope was destined to just stay one. A hope and not reality. Even though Ever convinced him to go out and then dance with her, Freed wasn't able to just neglect that fact that he was here.

The blond man he knew from the café he worked at. Well, he didn't really know him. But he wanted to learn more about him so badly! Which was excatly why he had been so disappointed that he didn't message him after he had gathered all of his courage and gave him his number and his full name.

The shock must have been written so clearly on his face when their eyes met, he could see it in the blond's expression. Apparently neither of the two had expected to meet here again, but fate wanted it this way.

At the moment it was something bad in Freed's book. But who knows…perhaps it was bound to change.

Now he was fairly glad that the entire hall – and the dancefloor – were pretty crowded with people. Some seemed to have consumed too much alcohol already and others were dancing and talking cheerfully.

Including Ever. Actually, she used to be a lot more like him. More restrained and serious. She didn't go out and have fun regularly, but since both of them decided to work at the café things began to change. For the better, mind you. They had their reasons for working at this fairly humble but nice place, and in the end neither of them regretted this decision.

It gave them the chance to make new friends. Ever finally fell in love and lightened up, took more risks and allowed herself to have more fun.

Freed lightened up as well. It was the best he could do – to search a house to live just for himself and a new workplace.

"Freed really, I can practically hear you thinking!" Ever took his hands and squeezed them before letting go again and turned.

"I'm sorry, I just-"

"I know." She turned again and smiled, dancing up to him and tapping his chin. "Shut up and dance. Just dance. Have fun. If I can, then you can as well."

Her words were spoken so softly that the music almost drowned them. But he understood and sighed, not daring to throw another glance over at the bar. For quite some moments he was able to feel a particular pair of eyes on his back, but now this feeling was gone. Fortunately.

Uttering a sigh, he finally gave a small though kinda insecure chuckle and moved closer to her again. "Alright, then let me tell you how this really works."~

He realized he couldn't allow someone he pretty much knew nothing about to have this much control over him already. So he tried to focus on the thought that the plan was to have fun with his best friend.

So he would dance with her.

Keeping the chuckle, he took one of the female's hands and raised it before she lightly spun around until she faced him again and smiled what escalated into quiet laughter when both of them proceeded to make some wilder and untypical movements.

Twisting and turning, the amotsphere became lighter slowly but steadily.

Perhaps it had helped that the piercing gaze in his back disappeared. Or he just finally managed to ignore.

Now all that was left were the two of them, the crowded and heated hall and the sounding music.

Freed and Ever kept on dancing, and the man even took a shine to it after some time. Smiling at Ever, he took her hand once more and pulled her closer to her before he playfully moved his hips in rhythm with the music what at first looked a bit silly. Ever giggled but then took his other hand and dragged him further to the edge of the dancefloor. "Mira and Lisanna will arrive any minute! Let's wait at the bar!" The brunette almost had to yell due to the high sound volume.

Freed nodded and Ever let go of his hands. She turned with a smile still on her face and headed straightforward to the bar. The green-haired male at first didn't hesitate to follow her step, though then he froze. Was he still there?

Halting shortly he tried to glance over at the targeted counter to make out whether the blond was still present or not. Slyly focusing it out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the brunette woman he saw talking to his almost-date before already.

But there was no hint that the blond was still standing there as well.

Ah god, he was being dumb again! Shaking his head, Freed quickly followed his friend and finally came to stand beside her.

"I've already ordered a drink for us.", Ever winked and rested one of her elbows on the surface of the counter. "No saying no to alcohol today."

"Ever…"

"Nope!" Slinging her other arm around the male, she tugged him closer and smiled. "We are gonna have fun. Alcohol will help you loosen up even more." She lowered his voice. "And it is an easy way to distract yourself."

Freed still looked sceptcial. "I know…but it's not the most proper way."

"Freed, no one here cares if you are being proper or not. We are here to have fun and party. Alright? I like it proper too, but I learned that it really won't do any harm."

Man, at times he couldn't believe that this was Ever talking to him. She used to be so sad and reserved and now… It filled him with happiness. He was so truly happy that she seemed to live a better life now, and who could resist this smile anyway?

Sighing, Freed nodded. "Right. What did you order?"

Right on cue the brunette woman shoved two cocktails towards them with a grin. "For you. The Club's special mix. Enjoy." The waitress directed a wink at Freed and then at Ever before she was already shuffling away to a couple of men.

Freed raised a brow and eyed the drink for a moment, however then took the glass and raised it towards Ever's. "Well then. Cheers!"

"Let's drink to us!"

They did. Freed thought that the cocktail was indeed not bad, but he would still prefer his wine over anything else. Knowing that wine was not exactly an appropriate drink for such evenings however, he was more than happy to have this cocktail with admittedly exquisite taste.

It wasn't long after that Ever patted his shoulder and beckoned him to turn towards the entrance.

Two pretty much equal women came walked in. Both of them wore a similar smile and both had white hair. The only difference in this aspect was, that one had long and one rather short hair. Both were pretty, ocean blue eyes shining with glee as they approached and once Freed spotted them he couldn't help but give a small smile, too.

Taking the cocktail in his hand, he followed Evergreen who was already walking towards their friends and heartbeats later he got greeted with a cheerful 'Hey' from Mirajane and Lisanna. The owner of the café, Mira, pressed a quick peck on Freed's left and his right cheek before she went to hug Ever. Lisanna just gave him a cheeky smirk and hinted to go and ruffle his hair, but she didn't dare to actually do so before she hugged him quickly.

"Hey! Are you turning into a party animal now?", Lisanna teased and nudged the green-haired man with his elbow who just huffed but smiled. "Oh no. And I probably never will."

Chuckling at his response, Lisanna's features softened and she didn't hesitate to link arms with him, eyeing the drink in his hand. "Does it taste good?"

Freed nodded. "Very, I have to admit."

"Can I try it?"

"Go ahead.", he responded casually and handed her his drink.

Meanwhile, Mirajane was having a quite heated conversation with Evergreen. Freed wondered what they were so excited about, but perhaps…

Women issues.

At times he still didn't grasp what was going on in their heads. Then again he would never dare to claim that everything that was going on in his own mind was comprehensible and appropriate.

Shaking his head at the thought, Freed turned to Lis again and raised a brow. "And?" Though before Lisanna answered he could figure out the most possible reply by himself already.

She was happily nipping at the drinking straw, so Freed would guess that she did like it indeed.

"Yep! Can I keep it?"

"Oh please, get your own!", the greenet rolled his eyes though then shook his head and let a nod follow right after. "No, keep it."

Grinning, Lisanna poked his side as a thanks and then let go of him before she stepped over to Mirajane and Ever.

And Freed? Freed just kept standing on his spot and observed his three women chattering lively. A secret smile sneaked onto his features, and shaking his head once more he wondered. Ah man, what would he do without them?

xxx xxx

What was he even doing? Fleeing? Shit.

The man he had visited Café Strauss for for weeks, the man who gave him his number, the man he had avoided desperately for the last three days…Now he was here. At his club. And he was not prepared at all.

The last days granted him some time to think. Laxus figured that it was what he needed. Two days he had barely visited the club for some moments and then left again. Checked up on everything and then distracted himself and most of all, order his thoughts.

What did he want? Why had he visited the café for so long? And why did he suddenly feel confused and freaked out even when he finally came a step closer to the green-haired waiter? Laxus thought that he was aware of some answers now. Still, each factor of this situation was so…unfamiliar. Laxus despised the unknown.

Luckily he suspected – no, he knew – that it wouldn't get easier. Not for now at least.

He had withdrawn from the bar after he'd just stared at the greenet and his female companion for some moments. Once he almost knocked his cocktail glass over and Cana threw another questioning glance at him, the blond had to escape. So what did he have to do now? What did he want to do now? How would the greenet act towards him?

Sighing, Laxus ran his fingers through his hair and let a frustrated growl follow. The short eye-contact…it was as if everything else stood still at this very moment. The turquoise eyes he knew were full of surprise…shock, to be more precise. He himself must have looked as though he'd seen a ghost.

Goddammit, it so wasn't like him! Still, he made a decision. Watch cautiously and perhaps learn more.

So now, once he finished ordering some of the papers that were lying on the desk of his personal room, he had walked back to the bar and saw that by now Gray was attend again. He had a small grin on his countenance as per usual when he and Cana were chattering.

Good he had more than just one waitress. Cana was one hell of an amazing waitress but sometimes she got distracted easily.

"Gray.", he greeted brusquely and sat down on one of bar stools.

"Laxus." Gray turned once he heard the deep but familiar vox. Since Cana and Laxus had a fairly good bond, Gray had gotten to know hthe blond boss better as well and he was totally okay. At first he assumed that he was just some big, grumpy macho man. Turned out that it wasn't like this at all. "You alright man?"

"Yea, can't complain.", Laxus replied with a shrug. "You?" Just as he threw the question back at Gray the waiter stepped into his sight again. He hadn't noticed that they weren't on the dancefloor anymore but had moved more towards the entrance. Well, now he at least saw why.

Two white-haired ladies stepped up to the green-haired man. One greeted him with two pecks on his cheeks. He knew this woman. She was the owner of the café. And the other woman hugged him tightly.

Grimacing, Laxus turned away. Obviously he had overheard Gray's response since Cana's best friend was looking at him expectantly. "Sorry, was distracted. Cana, give me a beer please."

He saw how Cana and Gray exchanged a look but the brunette did as he wished without commenting something. Laxus merely scowled at them, assuming that they looked at each other like this because of his 'behavior'.

Thankfully though, Gray repeated his answer willingly after that and catered for some distraction.

"Glad to know that everything's alright I guess.", Laxus replied and nodded before he thanked Cana for the drink with another nod.

"Trouble's never welcome. Really hope it's gonna stay this way for your club. It's really gotten popular during this one months, congrats for that." Gray gave a smile, holding an ice cold cocktail in one of his hands.

This statement caused Laxus' expression to turn to a slightly smug one. He honestly was proud though. He always wanted to do his own thing, and now it finally seemed as if he had managed to organize something on his own. His own club. That was a big thing, wasn't it? "Yea, hope so, too." Swaying the bottle of beer in his hand, the blond man dared to let his gaze roam once more. This time however, there was no sign of the green-haired waiter.

Perhaps he was somewhere in the crowd.

His gaze wandered further, now focusing the secluded place where the couches were located. It was a quite typical place for couples. Or very very drunk people. Although they were probably better off on the restroom…

Snorting at his own train of thought, Laxus turned back with his features being slightly distorted. He shouldn't be glancing around so obviously.

If the greenet had figured out already that he was working here? That he was the boss of this club? Probably not. There weren't any signs for it, right? And why would it be important anyway…

"Oi, Laxy."

The voice caught him unawares. Huh? When he turned his head back, his orange eyes stared into Cana's deep brown ones and at the first moment he blinked before a snort left his lips. "I told you that you should stop ca–"

"What are you lookin' for the entire time?" Cana interrupted him bluntly but quite casually. "Or should I say, who are you lookin' for, huh?"

"What? Nothin'." Laxus gave another huff before he quickly added. "And no one."

"Ya sure are."

"Yea, and you know that because?" Glaring at her, the blond took a huge sip from his beer and rubbed his mouth with his fist afterwards. Had he been this obvious after all? When he looked aside he noticed that Gray was gone. Thankfully.

…wait no. If Gray was still here, Cana wouldn't be asking these things. Dammit.

"Why?", Cana arched up a brow barely able to suppress the smirk that threatened to curve her lips. She purposefully let another moment pass before she commented. "'cause you've been staring at that quite striking green-haired guy ever since he's entered the club."

Laxus almost choked. Cana noticed.

"You think I wouldn't noticed? Geez, Laxus.", Cana snickered but then shuffled away to serve a few guests, leaving Laxus with a dizzy mind.

Too dizzy for his liking. And the alcohol was not the reason.

Giving a low 'Tchz', the club's boss put down the half empty beer bottle and threw one last glance at Cana before he raised from the bar stool and headed towards the restrooms. Was there any chance that he would talk to Freed this evening? Would Freed possibly approach him? Or did he mess up?

At the moment all Laxus could think was that the latter was the case. Though then again… He wasn't able to forget this expression when their gazes met earlier. He had to use this chance.

But how…?

After entering the men's restroom and doing his business, Laxus went to wash his hands with a frown on his face. Casual glances got thrown over his shoulder and a couple of people got observed out of the corner of his eyes.

Since the incident with the drugs a few days ago he was a bit more careful, wanted to make sure that these guys didn't return even if he hardly believed that they would dare to do so.

Better for him. And for them.

Looking at the mirror over the sink Laxus looked at his reflection briefly before all of a sudden he saw flash of green in the background.

Immediately he tensed and his eyes widened for the spark of a second. At first he didn't want to turn around because he knew exactly that he was not sure what to do or say if… he was in here now.

Man, he was acting like a fifteen year old! He was a full grown adult!

Growling and unconsciously running a hand through his hair, the blond finally turned around and instantly noticed that he didn't just see a ghost or someone else with green hair. It was him.

Making sure that it didn't seem as if he was staring at him, Laxus glanced around shortly before he awkwardly cleared his throat. He didn't want it to seem as if he was doing this noise because of the greenet – even though he really only did it to catch his attention – so he fixed his orange eyes on the restroom floor striving for a neutral expression on his face.

And when the green-haired male noticed, the spark of shock flashed in his turquoise eyes once more.

Laxus saw how Freed's jaw almost dropped. He saw how a facade seemed to crumble for the briefest of moments and many thoughts were running over that handsome face. Saw how the man struggled in his movements.

And then he noticed how Freed wanted to turn around and probably leave. Shit!

He couldn't allow that! Sure, he could walk after him but that would look pathetic and he didn't want to run after anyone. Swallowing a hissing sound that threatened to slip between his lips, he made a step forward and glanced around one last time.

Luckily, they were almost alone. Still, if he could he would just shoo these two people.

Freed seemed to notice the movement and apparently wasn't sure what to do, to stay or to leave without another glance back.

But suddenly he halted, his back turned on Laxus who was left gazing at it and stood still again as well.

It felt like ages, ages of just standing there and merely staring at the back not exactly covered with green hair this time because the waiter wore a high pony tail today. Whenever he saw him wearing one Laxus silently had to admit to himself that it looked rather good on him.

Freed wasn't moving away. He seemed to be just as frozen on the spot as Laxus was, seemed to wait for something.

And that was when Laxus cleared his throat once more and got himself to open his mouth at last. Straightening his posture and turning his expression back into a serious one, hoping that his damn voice wouldn't fail him now, he uttered.

"Hey."

That's it for chapter 4! If you haven't noticed, I plan on updating the fic on each Friday. I really hope I can keep it up like this! Comments and likes are appreciated as always, I hope you'll have a great weekend!