From across the restaurant, Wakaba skimmed back to Freed's table with a light chuckle, then peered over to Gildarts, hunched over his drink. Wakaba's table had been drinking and talking for the past hour until the housing department started getting rowdy. "It's no doubt that's your daughter over there causing a commotion." He jabbed.

Gildarts sighed and looked up just in time to see Cana cheering as Freed downed a shot and immediately slapped a hand over his mouth from the taste. "Yep, that's my girl."

"She's probably over there doing something crazy like challenging the table to a drinking game." Gildarts grunts, knowing that was exactly what was happening but also knowing he had no say in whatever Cana did. All she'd do was snap at him that she was grown and Gildarts was a helicopter dad again. Of course, that didn't mean she didn't have to uphold a standard as the CEO's daughter. Usually, she managed to hold herself together appropriately, but maybe it was something about the green-haired man that accompanied her this evening. Gildarts knew this was the infamous Freed she had been chatting about whenever she came over to his house for a visit. She talked about their first meeting, how bashful he was, and how adorable she found his mannerisms. She'd talked his head off all last week about Freed finally coming out and attending a company dinner. Gildarts knew his daughter was excited, and it made him excited to see her so happy to have company. Honestly, Freed had never stood out to Gildarts before he and Cana had become friends. When it came down to Freed getting hired and his say-so, Gildarts hadn't really cared; he just needed an admin to replace his previous one. Originally it was going to be Macao's son, Romeo, but his college schedule clashed too much with operating hours, so there was no way for it to work out. Freed had a decent resume and experience as a receptionist. So Gildarts figured teaching him about the program and learning gradually how to merge in skills and traits of a secretary would come easy, so he'd been the second choice. From what Gildarts could tell from his side of the office, the housing department was flowing more smoothly. Regular tasks sprinkled among the social workers had all been taken on and done flawlessly. Even Erza, of all people, would gush time from time on how helpful the boy was. Yet, anything unrelated to work was flushed out of Freed's concern. He came in, did his job, and left to go home. Freed didn't attend company projects outside of work. He didn't participate in Macao's going away party, and he definitely didn't mingle with co-workers outside of work.

Maybe it had been a shock that Cana had taken a liking to someone so uptight and reserved, but Gildarts could see there was more to the younger man than a stern face, and Cana had seen that. It was no doubt someone like his daughter would be perfect to help bring out a more welcoming side in the secretary, and Gildarts couldn't help but feel excited about the growth.

It was only natural that Gildarts gave Wakaba a warning scowl when he had mentioned something along the lines of, "Your daughter sure has weird taste in men." Gildarts knew Freed and Cana weren't an item, but he also wasn't really one to clear up misunderstandings among co-workers. Today's news was tomorrow's history. They'd all forget it in due time anyway.

Wakaba continued, "Freed Justine is who she picked for an office fling?" He commented, noting as she snuggled up next to Freed and laughed at how he wobbled in-between her and Gray. Gildarts narrowed his eyes at the other man.

"Hey! Freed's a good kid." He snapped back. "He works hard, on time every day, and does his work quietly!" The older CEO pouted, bringing his drink to his lips, taking a long drag, and downing his anger.

Erza beside them pitches in on Freed's defense. "He's a huge help as well, never complains and offers to help around even in other departments. I couldn't have imagined a better partner." Laxus tuned in, taking in everything said about his green-haired interest. So, Freed and Cana were fooling around? No way. Sure they seemed close, but Laxus knew better. It was even more confusing when Laxus caught sight of Freed leaning onto Gray, and the other man, laughing at how drunk he'd gotten so quickly. Laxus found it amusing that Freed couldn't hold his liquor, but kinda irritating that he was all over Gray and Cana. Laxus couldn't help but be skeptical of their relationship as he watched Cana playfully poking Freed's nose. She mumbled something, and the man's face tented darkly with a blush. To calm Laxus's growing aggravation, he chopped it up as Cana being a close friend and possibly Freed and Gray flirting. Which either didn't help.

Wakaba still doesn't give in his debate with Gildarts. "He's such a stick in the mud!" Wakaba was saying about Freed. "This is the first time he's ever been out with the company." Laxus found that easy to believe. Freed was snide and easy to poke fun of, but he was bashful and obviously found it difficult to interact with other people he wasn't comfortable with. That's why it was so confusing to watch how he interacted with Gray and Cana. Laxus found everything with Cana more interesting. He wondered what wound the two of them so close together? Who made the first move? It had to have been Cana, but what appealed Freed to her? She was a looker, flashy even; definitely, the kind of woman Laxus would have gone for. She could have easily gotten any of the other guys at that table. So why Freed?

"Yeah, yeah." Gildarts was saying with a roll of his eyes. "Say whatever you want, but my girl adores Freed. He's just a little reserved." He says as Freed takes a shot with his arm linked in Lucy's.

"So you'd be okay with him as a son-in-law!?" Wakaba said in mock astonishment. Gildarts knew the other man was joking, but he gave him a thoughtful look and smiled.

"You know what!" He said happily, "I would be completely okay with that! I know he'd treat my baby right!" Laxus growled to himself. Now he was in a foul mood. It didn't help that Freed hadn't even looked his way at all that night. Freed looked happy and content with his co-workers throwing drinks back. It made his skin itch. Laxus wasn't used to seeing Freed interact with other people, and he damn sure didn't enjoy it. He could admit that it was rather selfish, considering he and Freed had no romantic connotations to their relationship. Sure they had had a very intimate moment a few days prior, but they hadn't even seen each other since then, and Laxus wasn't sure where Freed stood with his offer. He told Lauxs he needed time, and Laxus would respect that even if he was growing impatient and wanted to pry an answer from the other male.

Initially, Laxus's desire for Freed extended as far as the fact that he was someone who wanted to wear feminine clothing, and Laxus was someone who enjoyed seeing it. Laxus had a strong affinity towards men who wore women's clothing. He'd had partners in the past that he'd ask to wear something for him and was swiftly rejected. Or, in other cases, they would say yes. After seeing them in the said outfit, Laxus would get completely turned off and uninterested. He found it rather annoying that the one thing he found himself attracted to, he couldn't find someone to capture it perfectly for him. By the time he had met Freed, he'd started growing over his little kink, and then Freed went and opened that desire right back up. Laxus was immediately attracted to Freed's look, how effortlessly sexy he looked with just a little makeup. How innocent, how adorable, how gorgeous Freed was. Even now, as he looked at Freed barefaced and in that hideous vest, Laxus found the other man attractive.

All Laxus wanted from Freed was to seduce him, possibly even make it a recurring thing if he could. Nothing about Freed made him want a relationship at first. Sure, it was fun to tease him and watch his reactions, but that was all it was supposed to be. Nothing more, nothing less. Freed liked looking feminine, and Laxus was attracted to men with that trait. All Laxus had to do was seduce him into bed. Simple enough, and no feelings were necessary. Yet here he was with a foot up his ass, watching said man shamelessly flirting with one of their co-workers.

God, it irritated him, and he blamed his previous interactions with Freed. Every time Laxus teased Freed, he found himself getting excited to see his reactions. Whenever Laxus bumped into the other male at the office, he was happy that he'd gotten to see his face. Even when Mira brought Freed up outside the salon, a light futter would flicker in his chest. It was clear he'd gotten smitten with the green secretary; there was no doubt about it. He'd grown more interested and definitely wanted more. And that's why he'd offer what he did to Freed. Laxus did want to help Freed. He wasn't kidding when he said he could help Freed build his confidence, and for some reason, that excited him to watch Freed grow. Laxus's desire for Freed only deepened when he realized this all wasn't just a game for Freed. He could count all the times men said they would wear women's clothes for him, just to sleep with him, or they thought Laxus would stop associating with him if they didn't. All for them to put it on and the magic be wasted. There was no heart in it, it was only something they did to please a lover, and Laxus found nothing attractive about that. Freed stood firm in his stance with Laxus. Freed stood up to Laxus's remarks about him, and God was that so attractive to him. Not only was Freed passionate about it, but he was doing it for himself. That was all it took for Laxus to want Freed in more ways than one. So watching him cuddle up with Cana and Gray pissed him off. They weren't good for him. Laxus was sure they knew nothing about that side of Freed. Freed made it very clear he wanted his private and work life separate. Cana and Gray couldn't fulfill that goal Freed had created for himself, only he could, and he'd be damned if anyone else so as thought they could.

Lucy threw a hand up, stopping herself as she gripped the table for support. "You guys are literally drinking me under the table." Loke pulled her thin body closer to him and brushed a clammy strand of hair out of her face.

"Alright, I think it's time we take the princess home." He said with a light laugh, "If she drinks anymore, she's gonna call out of work all next week."

Cana looked over to Freed, slumped completely over her shoulder, grumbling to himself. She leaned forward a bit to roll his body where she could fully see him and wiggled Freed's shoulder, causing him to groan. "Freed!" She called out, "Come on, you're drunk. I'm gonna take you home."

Freed waved a hand up with a groan and brushed her off. "Go screw Laxus."

"Operation: get in Laxus's pants is terminated for the day. I gotta get you home." She grabbed underneath Freed's arm and pulled him up and to his feet. "Time to leave. I'm in trouble for even letting you get this drunk."

Gray watched as Cana threw Freed's arm over her shoulders and hiked him up from the table, all while he grumbled nonsense back. Natsu helped Loke get Lucy up and get them started for the door before turning to Cana, trying her hardest to hold up Freed's dead weight.

"Hey," Natsu said with a slight chuckle, "If you need me to carry him, I can." Gray stood then and sighed, stretching out his muscles.

"I'm the one that convinced him to take all those shots," Gray grumbled, "so I can carry him. Natsu, you just go make sure Loke doesn't kidnap Lucy. Cana, you can throw him over my shoulder. I'll walk him out to your car." Natsu told his friends goodnight before jogging off to track down Loke. Cana slowly passed Freed to Gray and eased one of his arms over the other man's. When Freed was semi-situated, Cana ran off to grab her dad, and Gray started out of the door.

Once the cool wintery air hit him, Freed twisted his face up and turned away, trying to shield himself from the breeze. He pushed his face into Gray's shoulder, hiding from the wind. "Mr. Fullbuster?" He mumbled. His hoarse voice was muffled from the other man's jacket.

"Yeah, what's up? You good?" Gray asked towards him. Freed puffed out a sigh jarring Gray a little at the feel of his breath on his neck.

"I can call my roommate to come get me."

"Oh yeah? You think you can handle that?"

"Don't wanna pull Cana away from this chance to screw Laxus." Gray laughed, walking over to a corner of the street, still in view of the front door to the restaurant. If Cana and Gildarts walkout, they should still see them.

"I think Cana's gonna be alright if she doesn't get laid tonight, Freed. You should worry about yourself."

"Wanna get Laxus off my back." Gray raised an eyebrow.

"You wanna get Dreyer off your back?" Now that Gray thought about it, this wasn't the first time, Freed mentioned Mr. Dreyer that night. After Freed took his second shot and started to feel it, everyone gossiped around the table.

"I heard there was a thing going on between McGarden and the lead inspector!" Lucy had said with a devilish grin. "Those two are always sharing googly eyes, and Juvia said she saw them leaving in the same car together last Friday!"

Loke snorted and shook his head, "Nah. That's probably just hearsay. I can't imagine Gajeel with someone like Levy. Quite the pair." Lucy turned her nose up at him and shoved his arm.

"I'm serious! It's almost as shocking as Yukino and Sting!" Lucy joked with a grin. "What do you think, Freed?"

Freed tilted his head in confusion, "Who?"

"Dead cause," Cana told them with a giggle, "Freed knows like no one's name."

"I know faces."

Natsu started signing random things in the air with his hands. "Yukino is about this tall, pretty, hair is about this short, choppy white hair." Freed furrowed his brows together, trying to make sense of Natsu's description and hand gestures. All he could think of was Mira's sister, but he doubted she worked with them.

"See." Cana said, "Dead cause. You lost him at 'Yukino is'." Freed laughed and waved his hand a little.

"I thought you were describing my stylist's sister."

Lucy perked up then, "stylist!? I knew it! I knew you had a stylist. It's no way you have such pretty hair and do it all by yourself."

"Oh," Freed blushed and subconsciously pulled a strand of his hair, "Um, Mira's not my hairstylist. I do my own hair."

"No way! What products do you use?"

"Wait-" Gray said with a raised eyebrow, "Then is she like your stylist clothes-wise?" Freed shook his head.

"No, that's what she does for Laxus." To Lucy, he started listing out products he used, much to the blonde's delight. Gray was still confused now, not only about why Freed needed a personal stylist but also why he had the same stylist as Laxus. Gray looked to Cana for help, but she and Natsu were in the middle of ordering another drink, so they hadn't heard him say Laxus's name. Loke would have been the only one who could have heard beside Lucy, but he was fiddling with his phone, and it didn't seem like he had picked up on what Freed had said. Even Lucy didn't seem to catch on. Had he heard him wrong?

Now, as he waited for their co-workers to come out of the restaurant, he knew for sure he had heard him correctly. What was his relationship with the COO? Why was he comfortable using his first name so easily when he referred to everyone else (Besides Cana) by their last names. Gray found it rather interesting. Were they friends? Did he know him outside of work?

"Mr. Fullbuster." Gray snapped out of his thoughts, glancing over his shoulder as Freed shot up, quickly pulling away from Gray. "I feel like I'm gonna throw up."

"O-oh! Shit…Sorry." Gray said, reaching a hand out to steady him as he faltered on his own feet. "Hey, you can lean on me for support. I don't mind, you don't have to try and walk on your own. You're pretty toasted."

"Thanks, bu-" Freed quickly slapped a hand to his mouth and turned away, leaning over to the side of a building and letting his guts out. Gray sighed and walked over, placing a comforting hand on his back. Freed groaned in discomfort as he continued to let out the contents of his stomach. "You weren't kidding when you said you had a low tolerance."

Freed gasped for air when he felt finished and leaned against the wall. "I-" He breathed, "I really don't feel good." Gray nodded his head, patting the small of Freed's back.

"If you want me to call that friend of yours, I can. Cana's taking forever."

"No need. I can take Freed from here." Gray peered up from his phone and turned right into Laxus, looking back down at him and Freed. Gray blinked back with surprise, swapping his gaze to Freed, finding the other man standing just as stunned next to him.

Freed couldn't explain his feelings whenever Laxus's form started walking towards them. He just felt a lightness, a fluttering released in his chest, and this feeling of…excitement? Laxus's gaze washed over Freed, obviously disheveled from all his drinking before he sent him a relaxed smile. Slowly bringing a hand up, Laxus latched it onto Freed's hand pressed firmly into his chest. "Come on, I'll take you home."

Gray watched Freed follow without hesitation and said nothing as Laxus marched the two of them away towards the parking lot on the other side of the string of buildings. It was as if the timing was perfect, with Cana and Gildarts filing out of the front of the restaurant. They looked over to Gray with confusion. "Yo," Cana said, slowly spinning around in place and looking for Freed. "Where'd he go?"

Gray gulped, knowing there was definitely more to the story than he initially thought. "Dreyar…took him. Said he was taking him home."

"What!? Laxus did!?" Cana openly gaped, putting her hands on Gray's shoulders and giving him a little shake. "Like COO Laxus Dreyer just came and said he was taking him home!?" Gray silently shook his head but couldn't say anything to Cana. "Holy shit…" Gray swallowed hard, trying to make sense of his new friend's relationship.

"Don't you think something's going on there?" Gray mumbled. Cana lifted an eyebrow at Gray and let him go.

"What do you mean? Like they're seeing each other?"

"I don't know," Gray crinkled his face up just as Gildarts cleared his throat at them.

"Laxus knows relationships within the company are forbidden. He's Makarov's grandson, therefore he was raised knowing company values. We're probably overthinking everything." Gildarts looked from Gray to his daughter and clapped his hands with a smile. "I trust both of them wouldn't go behind the company's back. Now, then, let's enjoy the rest of the night without worrying. Okay?" After a hesitant nod from Gray and a smile from Cana, Gildarts grinned and whirled the two back into the restaurant.

Laxus peered over to Freed after setting his car into park. Freed was leaning against Laxus's truck window with his eyes closed and his lips parted slightly. Laxus couldn't help the smile creep onto his face as he gazed over the other male, sleeping so peacefully in his presence. It was probably due to the alcohol, but Laxus liked to think Freed was growing comfortable around him. Laxus took his hand and gently placed it on Freed's shoulder, giving him a soft shake."Oi. We're here." Freed's eyes flickered open, and she peered over his surroundings with a tent of confusion.

"My apartment complex?" He said with a look of confusion. Freed looked over to Laxus as he cut the car off and opened his door. "How did you know where I live?" Laxus raised an eyebrow back at Freed and chuckled.

"You're that tipsy you forgot you gave me exact directions before passing out?" Freed frowned before the memory fluttered back into his head.

"Ah." He groaned. "That's right." Freed unbuckled his seat belt and pushed himself out of the car and onto the pavement. "Thank you for bringing me home. I appreciate it."

Laxus walked around to Freed's side of the truck and extended his elbow for the other man to lean on. Freed waved him away and started for the staircase leading to his shared apartment.

"What time do you make it to work on Monday?" Laxus asked, following closely behind him.

"Around seven."

"I'll pick you up around 6:30, so you can get your car from the restaurant." Freed made it to his doorstep and paused by the door before turning back to Laxus.

"Laxus- It's okay, you don't have to."

"How would you get your car?" Freed opened his mouth before quickly closing it back. "Six-thirty."

Freed sighed in defeat and nodded his head. "Okay."

They were both silent for a long time as Freed fiddled with his house keys. His heart started beating all of a sudden. Why was Laxus still standing there? He didn't expect to come inside his apartment, did he? What if Bickslow was home? What if Bickslow was in the living room? How embarrassing! He hadn't even told Bickslow everything about Laxus yet! He didn't want to upset him.

Freed shakenly pushed his key into his keyhole and twisted it before slowly inching his front door open. "D-do you want to come in?" He whispered towards Laxus.

Of course, Laxus wanted to come in. Laxus was dying to have time alone with Freed, no one else around to interrupt them. Maybe if they were alone, Freed would give Laxus a solid answer. That was something Laxus wanted more than anything. However, Freed was drunk. No matter how much Laxus wanted to spend time with him, he didn't want Freed to feel pressured and do something he'd regret while sober. Laxus knew he wouldn't be able to keep his hands to himself and would instead want Freed to be sober. The last thing he needed was for Freed to act like he couldn't remember anything they'd done together.

"No," Laxus said with a soft smile, "You go in and get some rest." Freed was honestly surprised. He was sure Laxus would have jumped on the opportunity to come inside, but instead, Laxus turned on his heel and started back down the stairs.

Freed didn't want to admit it, but he actually wanted Laxus to stick around. He was sobering up, so it wasn't like the sloppy drunk as he was back at the restaurant. He didn't want Laxus to go… Just a few minutes wouldn't hurt. "Laxus!" Freed called out. Laxus stopped at the flight right below Freed's apartment and looked up towards the other male. "I-um…Please? You can come in. really." Laxus sucked in a breath. Too damn cute! "Uh, hold on." Freed shuffled into his apartment really quickly and peered over the living room. No sign of Bickslow. He crept down their hallway and to Bickslow's bedroom door. The door was slightly ajar, allowing Freed to push it open a bit and peek inside. Bicklsow's bed was made, his desk was empty, and his window that he usually kept open was closed shut. Freed pulled his door back and looked over to the bathroom door, closed and no light emitting from the bottom. And sure enough, when Freed made it back to the front where their key rack was, Bickslow's car keys were gone.

Freed opened his front door back with Laxus was standing there, waiting with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Trying to hide your girlfriend?" Laxus teased down at him. Freed gave him a frown before opening the door wider to accommodate Laxus's larger frame.

"I wanted to make sure my roommate wasn't asleep." Freed grumbled back." It is rather late, and he sometimes works during the weekend." Laxus nods taking in Freed's apartment. From the light-colored furniture to all of the greenery surrounding the area. Laxus almost thought he was in a greenhouse rather than an apartment.

"I see, understandable."

"Would you like something to drink?" Freed asked as he closed the front door and locked it.

"I'll be fine." Freed fumbled with what else to say. He'd never had company over before, so it was a struggle to know what should come next. His parents had never allowed him to bring over friends, have sleepovers, or even visit friends at their house. They were very adamant that people always had undermining intentions. They were paranoid that something would happen if he'd ever tried to stay with families they weren't familiar with. His mom was also pretty strung on the notion that other families would brainwash Freed into thinking his home life was nothing but perfect. Freed knew now that he was an adult; that was all just a ploy to get him into thinking the other families were the weird ones. Because of that, Freed never tried to make a lot of friends. He was embarrassed that he couldn't have sleepovers or go to birthday parties or that he never even had a birthday party. He was scared they would judge him and then make fun of him. So Freed preferred to stay alone rather than to be bullied. He often wondered if he had a normal childhood, would he have been so introverted? Would he have been so awkward around other people, or would he have been able to find what to say when an acquaintance came over? He'd never know.

Laxus looked over to Freed and gave him a smile. "Maybe you should drink some water. You'll probably have a bad hangover in the morning." Freed waved his hand at him and laughed a bit.

"Well, thankfully, it's the weekend." Silence again. Laxus walked over to a tall monstera plant sitting on a stool close to the kitchen. He gently rakes his hands through the leaves, feeling a light dew on the pads.

"Is it you or your roommate that's a plant hoarder?" Laxus asked.

Freed walked over and noted the light mist on the plant before turning and inspecting all the others. "They're all mine. I like the look of having a lot of plants around the apartment. Though, it's Bickslow who keeps up with them. I'm no good at taking care of plants." When he glanced back over to Laxus, he noticed the other man was frozen; his fingers paused at the base of one leaf. Freed narrowed his eyes about to open his mouth and ask if he was okay when the sound of a lock turning bounced through the air. The front door opened, and Bicklsow came in freezing at the sight of two silhouettes shadowing from the kitchen.

Freed's heart started hammering again. Nobody moved. He could almost feel Bickslow standing by the door but not coming into frame. Freed could also feel the intense anger radiating off Laxus, but he couldn't understand why. His head flickered back to Cana and Gray's conversation from before and the revelation he'd had knowing Laxus and Bickslow had attended the same college. Then Freed thought back to the day he had told Evergreen and Bickslow about his first day at the salon. Bickslow's face had flashed with a look Freed couldn't understand. He'd sensed something was wrong, but he didn't want to bring it up in front of Evergreen if it were personal. And then, with all the following events, Freed had forgotten all about it. Even a few nights ago, when Bickslow stayed up waiting for him to come home, Freed knew something was wrong. They were all signs Freed had seen, but he subconsciously ignored them because he'd been too selfish to see they were signs at all.

Everything became clear when Bickslow stepped into the kitchen and caught sight of Laxus standing beside Freed. Freed saw it, a flash of anger, pure pain, and hatred. Freed knew Bickslow; that was his best friend. Every emotion, every expression, he knew it all when it came to his blue-haired companion. But Bickslow stifled it down and gave Freed a warm smile, masking everything he was feeling, "you made it home safely?" He said. "I didn't see your car, so I thought you were still out."

"Ah." Freed's voice was trembling, and he'd hoped no one had noticed, "Yes…Laxus brought me home." Bickslow ignored Laxus's presence and nodded, starting for his room.

"I see. Well, I'll be heading to bed. See you in the morning." Bickslow walked away so fast that Freed didn't even have time to tell him good night. All he heard was the shutting of Bickslow's door sounding down the hallway.

Laxus looked over to Freed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Well, I can't talk to you with him here." Freed frowned up at him with a quirk of his eyebrow. "Come on. Let's go for a drive. There's something we need to talk about."

Mira knocked a few times on her sister's door before hearing her call out that she could come in. Mira opened her door and sent her yonder sibling a cute smile. "Hey!" She said, pushing through the door and coming to sit beside Lisanna on her bed. "I just wanted to check on you and see how your classes were going." Lisanna sighed, pushed her laptop out of her lap, and threw an arm over her eyes.

"Well," she griped, "They're anything online classes should be." Mira gave her a comforting smile and placed a hand on her knee.

"It could be stressful sometimes, but I know you'll do great." She told her sister, "you always do." Lisanna nodded back and then moved her arm away from her eyes.

"How'd everything go with Laxus and that guy.?" She asked. Mira smirked back.

"Well," she sang, "Thanks to us, those two are getting close! When I came back to the room, Freed and Laxus were standing really close, and Freed had changed clothes!" Lisanna giggled, pressing her red-painted fingers to her cheeks.

"Oh, my gosh!" She gushed. "Our plan actually worked!"

Mira bumped her sister with a giggle of her own. "What do you mean? You almost messed it up!"

"Yeah, but if Freed is anything like you described, he's totally Laxus's type!" Mira nodded and smiled.

"That's exactly why I wanted them to have time alone." Mira got up and started out of Lisanna's room. "I shouldn't stay too much longer; you do need to concentrate." Lisanna smiled and waved her sister goodbye.

"Thanks, nee-san." Mira got as far as the door before Lisanna called back out to her. Mira turned around with a tilt of her head as her sister took in a deep breath. "On the day Freed first came into the salon…." Lisanna caught the slight break in Mira's smile, confirming what she had already figured. His hair was cut differently, and his dressing style was all wrong, but she knew for sure that was him. "That was Bickslow, right?"

Mira walked through Lisanna's door and started closing it behind her. When all that was left was a small crack, Mira's voice slithered through. "It's okay," she rasped shortly, "You don't need him."

Then the door shut.