Chapter Nine – The Hike
"As I have stated multiple times," Freed said through gritted teeth. "I have no obligation to work during my time away."
The lawyer was pacing through his home, an agitated expression contorting his features. His left hand clenched and unclenched as he walked around his living room, and he was holding his phone to his ear with enough strength he though it possible he might damage it. He'd been on the call for around twenty minutes at this point, and his patience was wearing very thin.
"And I've told you that your loyalty should be to the company," August, Freed's boss, spat down the microphone. "And you are to be in the office on Saturday to start with your work again. You have been slacking off your duties for too long, and I'm sick of it."
"I haven't been slacking," Freed snapped. "I have been using the contractually obligated time off which I have gathered, something which your HR manager has been insisting I do for months now."
"He didn't mean for this long," August growled. "Taking months off work for some… whim of a project, it's unprofessional. It's selfish."
Freed didn't pay attention to his pacing picking up speed, more agitated anger flooding him in the form of adrenaline. The entire phone call had been like this, and it was pissing Freed off. Because it was Christmas Eve for god's sake, and his boss had called him demanding he cut off his vacation time to work on a project that he had nothing to do with. Not only that, but he had expected Freed to start working on the day after Christmas, which should have been a day off for the entire company no matter what.
The arrogance of the man bothered Freed more than anything. He'd called Freed early in the morning, practically demanded he come into the office, and almost hung up before Freed could deny the request. It was like he felt Freed had nothing to do other than work, an insulting presumption that struck a nerve with Freed.
Because, until recently, it was true.
And, up until August's last comments, that had been the most aggravating thing that his boss had said. But his dismissal of the work he was doing on the house sent a hot flush of anger through the lawyer, as did the insinuation Freed was being selfish. Because in this conversation, Freed was not the selfish one.
"My work on the house happens to be very important to me," Freed said, forcing his voice into a practiced calm. "But that doesn't matter. What matters is, I have legally obtained time off, and you have no ability to demand I work during that time. I will return to the office in January, as I have stated."
"You will mind your place and do as your told," August snapped back, and Freed narrowed his eyes. "How long does it take to fix a damn house anyway?"
"Unimportant," Freed sniped back. "What is important is that I have time off, which I intend to make the best of."
Freed didn't think it would help his case to admit that there was hardly anything else left to do on the house. After moving to Magnolia full time, he and Laxus had been able to prioritise their work on the house and had made good progress with it. The only room left to be modernised and decorated was the bathroom, and that was only because Laxus had been putting off tiling the walls, claiming he had never been good at that.
Furniture had also been moved in, most of it being from what the hotel used before Makarov had renovated it. The purpose of the furniture was so that, when it came to selling the place, it looked more lived in and less sterile. Freed did enjoy having a full house to live in, rather than a few rooms.
"The fact of the matter is, Freed," August continued, and Freed ground his teeth at the sound of his voice. "You're an employee, and you have duties to fulfil. You haven't been doing that, and if you continue to refuse then I might have to rethink your position at our company."
"That would be wrongful dismissal," Freed said firmly. "I have a legal right-"
"Take me to court, kid," August laughed, and it grated on Freed's nerves. "We can see who'll win that. The bratty little fucker, or the respected veteran lawyer who's practiced law in and has earned the praise from every court in the city."
In another situation, Freed would have held his tongue. But he had a limited time left in Magnolia, and he wasn't going to have it cut short. So he spoke.
"If you were that proficient in your job, you wouldn't be begging for my help."
He probably should regret saying it. He didn't.
"How dare you," August snarled, shouting now. "You ought to remember your place in this company, Mr Justine. And while you're doing that you should think about where you want your career to go, because your haviour of the last few weeks has been nothing short of awful. You commit to your job or you lose it."
"I suppose so," Freed growled back. "I wouldn't want to end up in a dead-end job, dictating my ego on people destined to be better at my job than me. Looks what that's done to you."
There was a pulse of silence. Freed still didn't regret his words.
"Be in the office on Saturday or you're fired."
The tome of the call ending rang in Freed's ear, and he lowered his phone to his side. He was still pacing around the living room, filled with anger and adrenaline and annoyance and a lot of other things that he didn't care to identify. Instead, rather than focusing on the threat of dismissal he'd just gotten, he focused his mind on getting rid of the energy that was flooding through him. Because pacing around his living room wasn't helping.
He considered a few things, mind racing as he did so. He thought about going for a jog around the village, but remembered the high street was having a winter market that was blocking off most roads. He considered going to the gym, but didn't know if it was open or not. He momentarily considered punching the tree in the back garden and pretending it's August.
Instead of doing any of that, he pulled out his phone and sent a text.
To: Laxus
How busy are you today? I need to move, and you said that you'd like to take me on a hike at some point, correct? How about later today?
It took a few minutes for Laxus to reply.
From: Laxus
I'll be at the house in ten minutes. Wear something warm.
The view from atop Magnolia's mountain was beautiful.
It really highlighted how small the village was, with individual houses seeming like small dots of grey from the distance. The midday sun shone down, highlighting the remaining winter dew on the grass, and flowers that surrounded the two men. Vast expanses of large, green fields could be seen from all angles. It really showed just how incredible the countryside could be. Freed understood why Laxus had been so insistent that Freed summit the mountain before he left.
They two men were alone, leaning against a small stone plinth that marked the top of the mountain, as well as pointing to all points of the compass. Laxus was eating one of the sandwiches that Freed had made for them both, while Freed sipped tea from the plastic mug attached to his flask.
Sitting in silence, Freed felt himself relaxing.
When he'd arrived, Laxus hadnt asked what was wrong with Freed despite clearing sensing there was something. Instead he looked Freed up and down, laughed, and said that god must be real because Freed was wearing something other than a suit. Freed had rolled his eyes, pointing out that he was only wearing jeans and had removed his jacket. Laxus didn't say anything at that, instead grinning and shaking his head slightly. Freed decided not to think too hard at what that meant.
They'd only discussed what was happening with Freed when he had brought it up himself.
And Laxus had given him good advice, though not exactly what he wanted to hear. He said that, given how little work Freed needed to do, maybe he should return to work to keep his boss happy. It was probably the right thing to do, but Freed was hesitant to accept it.
Because once he started going back to work, it felt like the end of his time in Magnolia. He wasn't ready for that yet.
But now they were just enjoying their time together, alone. With just the sound of nature surrounding them, it was relaxing. Freed hadn't noticed until that point how little of his time with Laxus had really been relaxing. How they'd always had a task to complete, or something to distract them. But this was nice.
"Why did you come here?" Laxus asked after a while, and Freed looked towards him slowly.
"You insisted the view was important to see," Freed explained, frowning. He trusted Laxus' opinion, did he not know that.
"No, I meant magnolia," Laxus laughed. "I'm not gonna pretend I know much about the law, but I'm pretty sure that if you don't want an inheritance you can deny it right?" He shrugged. "I mean I'm glad you ended up coming here, but it would have been easier not to have a load of debt."
Freed sighed. This was something he had kept to himself since he had attended the reading of the will, and hadn't intended to explain his reasons. But, well, Laxus seemed to be the exception to that. He'd made it clear that he wasn't going to judge Freed or change his opinion of him, so he felt a level of safety with the man.
Laxus was security.
"I never really understood my mother," He admitted. "She was always an anomaly to me, never really made sense. I think she might have felt the same way about me, that was why we were never close."
He could feel Laxus looking at him, and was shocked to feel that he didn't feel uncomfortable about it.
"When Natsu was reading the will, I expected to just dismiss it all and say I didn't want it. He started with the debt, you see, and most of her belongings were sold to diminish it slightly," Freed placed the half empty cup of tea on the grass they sat on. "I was willing – well, perhaps resigned was the correct word. I was resigned to admit that I would never really know who she was, and that I'd have to live with that. And then, there was a house."
Freed laughed at himself, a little self pityingly. He could remember sitting in Natsu's office, almost blind sighted by the fact that his mother had property that nobody had heard of. A flash of romanticised ideas had flowed through Freed, as if his mother had a secret life she had kept hidden from me.
"I thought that it might fill in some of the blanks, allow me to feel closer to her," He shrugged. "It was stupid, in retrospect. It wasn't a secret life or unfulfilled potential; it was a bad investment. So I learned nothing about her and ended up with a large amount of debt."
"I'm sorry you feel that way," Laxus said quietly.
"Please don't be. You're one of the few good things that has come out of her death, don't feel bad about it," Freed chuckle weakly. "I just wished she was more than the somewhat closed off woman with an apparent gambling addiction."
Laxus was quiet for a moment. "How d'you think you'll handle tomorrow without her? You said that Christmas is the only time you'd get together, right?"
"Yes. It'll be… I don't know, really," Freed admitted. "I'm spending most of the day with Ever and Bickslow, so I won't be alone at least. And our Christmas dinners together were always awkward anyway, we'd go to expensive restaurants and make small talk for hours. Arguably this might be a better day, but who knows how I'll be when it starts."
"You can call me, if you want," Laxus offered. "If you wanna talk or anything."
"I might," Freed nodded slightly. "Thank you, it's kind of you to offer."
Laxus smiled a little, and Freed closed his eyes softly. He was tired and, maybe against his better judgment, he slid down and rested his head on Laxus' shoulder. The other man didn't react to it in a way Freed could see, and the lawyer let out a long breath that clouded in the cold air. He felt his muscles relax and his tenseness dissipate.
"I wish I'd met you at a different time in my life," Freed admitted, eyes still closed. "When I was in a better place, not all… fluctuating like I am right now. I feel like all I do is force you to deal with my problems."
"You do a lot more than that, and I think you know it," Laxus had a small smile in his voice. "And if I didn't meet you like this, then I probably wouldn't have met you at all. So I'm fine with it."
"I expect I'd be a lot easier to like had we met a year ago," Freed laughed to himself.
"I like you as you are Freed," Laxus assured him, patting his knee. "I promise you; I wouldn't change it. No matter what."
Freed didn't say anything. He let his eyes remain closed and the cool wind to flow over him.
They spent most of the day at the mountain together, and by the time Freed had driven Laxus to his home it was early evening. The sun had started to set, and it left a beautiful orange covering the elegant village. As Freed slowed his car to the front of Laxus' house, he had a soft and uncynical smile on his face.
He'd been wearing it for most of the day, now. Ever since Laxus had said… what he'd said, Freed had been fighting a losing battle against a feeling of contentment and comfort.
Really, it was probably an overreaction.
But Laxus wasn't the most emotional person, even if it seemed hypocritical of Freed to think that. Despite that, Laxus' claim that he liked Freed as he was, and that he wouldn't change the way they had met, seemed honest in an almost raw way. There was a weight to the words and, although Freed couldn't yet understand what the weight actually meant, he felt a flush overtake him every time he looked back to the moment. It didn't help that, every time he looked towards Laxus, he was illuminated by the setting sun and looked beautiful in a way Freed couldn't put into words.
The car stopped and, rather than getting out of it, Laxus looked to Freed with a soft expression. It reminded him of his first night living in Magnolia, where they'd sat in the car together and Freed had spent the rest of the night feeling this same level of safety and comfort that he felt now.
"You know what you're gonna do with your job?" Laxus asked.
"Not really," Freed admitted. "I'll think it through tonight, and I can ask Ever and Bickslow for their advice as well."
"Don't stress yourself out too much, the guy probably didn't mean he'd fire you," Laxus grinned slightly. "He was just pissed off you insulted him. You're really not meant to do that to your boss."
"You've never worked in law," Freed chuckled, looking into Laxus' eyes. They were closer than Freed had thought. He swallowed before speaking. "Thank you, for all the things you've done for me. I know you were dismissive about it before, but it really means something to me that you help me as much as you do."
"You help me a lot, too," Laxus said, smiling again. "I mean you might not have noticed it, but I used to kind of just get through each day without really caring about it. Working on the house has been helping me get a bit of purpose. And y'know, I like spending time with ya. That counts for something. So don't act like this is some one-sided thing."
"Perhaps," Freed nodded. "But, you really have helped me. So thank you."
"No need to," Laxus smiled. "But you're welcome."
Freed could feel Laxus' breath on his face, and flashes of memory hit him from the incident at the carnival. He swallowed again, but this time he felt Laxus' eyes looking over him. Scanning his features, as if realising the closeness of the two of them just as Freed had.
His heart pulsed faster.
Seemingly every moment of their friendship hit him. Their first meeting, their shared meals when working on the house, their pseudo-date at the carnival, their almost kiss, their conversations shared in vulnerable moments, how Laxus had somehow become the person Freed relied on when he needed support and comfort. Then, the two of them sitting atop the mountain, Freed with his head resting on Laxus' shoulder, became a memory that he couldn't rid himself of.
He could still feel Laxus' breath on him, and there was a slight tilt in Laxus' head. They were so close.
Almost tentatively, he moved forward. Laxus did the same.
Then another inch. Then another.
Their lips touched, and it was magic.
Elegance was lost on them, as they slowly moved their lips together. Teeth occasionally butted against teeth, the angle wasn't quite right for them, but Freed practically melted into it. The feeling of Laxus' slightly chapped lips against his against his own was euphoria in a way he couldn't believe. He'd kissed men before, and it had always been good, but never like this. There was never anything as… overwhelming as this.
But it was over as fast as it began.
Laxus had pulled away, and they looked at each other in silence. Their lips still red, eyes slightly wide at what they had done. They took a moment to catch their breath, and Freed felt a warm swirl fill his stomach at the tingling sensation on his lips. But it couldn't last long, and Laxus spoke soon after.
"We shouldn't," He spoke so softly, almost regrettably. Freed's stomach clenched slightly.
"Shouldn't we?" He whispered.
"I want to, don't think I don't because I really do," Laxus assured him, and his forehead pressed against Freed's. "But we can't do it. You've only got a few weeks here left, and I know that when you go back things are gonna be different. You won't be able to come back here as often and I might be working more and it just… I can't do that. We can't do that."
"I-I suppose not," Freed admitted, trying to fight the growing dread in him. "But, we could have tonight."
"What?"
"This is selfish and short sighted, and I understand that," Freed whispered. "But I adore you Laxus, more than I thought I could, and I think you might think the same of me. So, even though this might be a mistake, I think we owe it to ourselves. If only for one night."
Laxus surged forward suddenly, pressing their lips together and kissing Freed stronger, with more passion this time. They were already more comfortable in their actions this time, and they pressed into one another. It was incredible, but Laxus pulled away from him. He had a clearly conflicted expression, and Freed closed his eyes.
"We can't," Laxus repeated, regret filling his tone. "I'd love to, but if we kiss again then I don't think I'll be able to stop."
Had he been in any different mood, on any different day, Freed would have left it there. But the comfort and support that Laxus gave him was overtaking his senses, and all he could think of every time he closed his eyes was the feeling of Laxus' shoulder under his cheek as he sat on the mountain. Laxus was addictive to Freed, and he felt as though he deserved to indulge himself.
He leant forward, and kissed Laxus again.
Laxus moved against him, kissing him strongly and placing his hand on the back of his head to pull him in closer. Freed groaned softly as every sense was assaulted by the delightful power that Laxus exuded. His scent, the feel of him, the presence of the man.
"Only tonight," Laxus parroted softly.
"Only tonight," Freed promised.
"Well," Laxus whispered. "Better start driving again."
Freed did just that, leaning away from Laxus with slightly swollen lips and an expression of contentment on his face. He shifted the car into drive and began the journey towards Albion House. As he did, there were two things that he couldn't ignore.
One, Laxus' hand occasionally grazed his when using the gear shift, and each time it sent a thrill down his spine and into his stomach. It was just as magical as their kisses.
Two, the weight of his phone in his pocket, and the heaviness of the unsent email that he had drafted on his phone, which he had written as they walked down the mountain.
A letter of resignation.
One he was undecided if he should send or not.