I'm back! Sorry for the wait, life has been shoving a rusty iron rod up my ass lately. Hope you enjoy the new chapter! It's a bit longer than usual :)
It was late afternoon by the time Lucy finally awoke, a headache being the first thing she noticed. She let out a groan and turned over so she could curl around her husband, only to find that he wasn't there. She frowned. Usually he would gently shake her to wake her up when he got out of bed, but it seems that he didn't do that this time.
With a heavy sigh, she lifted herself from the bed and rubbed at her eyes. She had fun last night, but she didn't know if the hangover was worth it. Being carefree and giddy made her feel good. Feel alive, like she was finally in control of her own life. The hangover sucked, but at least it was her own decision. A small smile graced her face at the thought. She was well and truly free.
She finally climbed out of the bed but before she left, she noticed a glass of water, two pills, and a small note sitting on the nightstand. Lifting the note and reading it, she had to let out a small snicker at Freed's beautiful writing.
'Laxus said that this will help you, I am willing to bet my father's fortune that he has lots of experience with drinking.'
Lucy shook her head before placing the note down, grabbing the pills and water. After swallowing them and the rest of the water, she finally made her way out of the room. Hearing quiet banging coming from the kitchen, she wondered if Laxus was awake as well. She looked down at her clothes; a huge shirt wasn't very elegant, but it was extremely comfortable compared to the frilly dresses. She would rather run around the country naked than put on another one of those torture devices.
She couldn't believe Laxus wore shirts this big, was he a monster? She had worn Freed's shirts before and they were a bit big on her, but she wasn't swimming in it! She had never seen a man that large. The one who tried to kidnap her was pretty big, but not the same. Remembering that she insulted him just hours ago made her a little nervous.
He's gonna crush my skill with one hand! She internally screamed.
Rounding the corner at the end of the hallway, she sighed in relief when she didn't see the beast. She walked closer to her confused husband and stopped just behind him, peaking over his shoulder to see what he was doing.
"What is that?" She asked.
Freed moved away from the counter so she could get a better look at the paper cup. "There is a meal inside of this."
Lucy lifted her eyebrow and grabbed the cup, bringing it closer to read it. "Instant ramen? Does that mean the noodles are pre-made?"
He shook his head. "I am not certain. I believe there are cooking instructions on the side."
Sure enough, turning it around showed that hot water was needed and a wait time. "Should we try making some?"
He crossed his arms and hummed. "Laxus does not have very many items for cooking, mostly alcohol and those ramen cups. We shall make just one to try until he returns from shopping."
Freed watched as she grinned and started rummaging through all of the cupboards to find a kettle. She looked quite exhausted this morning, but that didn't stop her genuine happiness from showing. They could finally wake up at their own time and not be nagged as soon as they left their room.
He had chose to let Lucy sleep longer instead of waking her up because she deserved it. They both were tired from staying up for so long, but it was worth it. He met Laxus in the kitchen and the blonde had told him that he would buy some food and some more fitting clothes for them so they could leave the house without being stared at. He should be back soon, but Freed's stomach was screaming at him for not eating in almost twenty-four hours.
"Done!" Lucy smiled brightly as she removed the lid. She had found a pair of chopsticks as well and used them to separate the noodles and mix the seasonings. "It smells pretty good."
"Yes, lovely." It wasn't something he had smelled before, and it wasn't anything special. Their fathers only fed them high quality meals prepared by professional chefs after all, so it's not like he could have had it even if he wanted to.
She picked up some noodles and blew on them to cool them off. Wrapping her lips around the chopsticks, she was pleasantly surprised that it was actually not that bad. "Wanna try?" She looks up at the nonchalant face of her husband.
"Alright." He grabbed the sticks from her and ate some as well. It was very salty and the broth seemed to have a weird texture. It wasn't the best but it was still better than escargot. Snails gave him the chills. "It is edible."
She rolled her eyes and took the cup. "Just say you don't like it you weirdo." She smiled when he chuckled and placed a hand on her back.
"How did you sleep?" He gently rubbed her back as he watched her eat.
"Best sleep of my entire life." She hummed when he dipped his thumb into a small knot on her shoulder.
"Yes, it was quite nice." He heard the door open and looked up to see a huffing Laxus walk inside. "Welcome home."
"Hey, Laxus! This commoner food is pretty good!" Lucy waved.
Laxus rolled his eyes and glared at the smaller blonde. "Well excuse me for not having a buffet ready for you, Princess."
She lifted up her middle finger as she slurped the noodles. "I expect one tomorrow, Servant."
Freed sighed as the two blondes glared at each other. "I hope that your trip went well, we greatly appreciate your help."
Laxus placed the bags on the floor and shut the door. "Nothin' special." He grabbed a bag with clothes and tossed it to Freed. "There's a single change of clothes for both of you so you can wear something to do your own shopping."
Lucy's eyes shown as she placed the cup down and peaked inside of the bag. "Real clothes?"
"Uh, sure." Laxus picked up the groceries and brought them to the kitchen. "It's just a tank top and pants." He started to unpack the food as the other blonde excitedly pulled out her new clothes. "Hope one of you knows how to cook, 'cause I don't."
Lucy hugged her clothes to her chest and swiftly made her way to the guest bedroom, calling out "I do!" as she left.
Freed pulled out his clothes as well, black pants and a white dress shirt. "Women are taught to cook at a young age because it is seen as a duty of the wife, even if she doesn't actually cook for the family." He said before making his way to the bathroom to change as well. "I shall return."
"You rich people are weird." Laxus sighs.
Lucy stares at herself in awe, her arms and chest bare and there were no skirts. All her dresses had sleeves on them, even her wedding dress had gloves that reached her biceps. It was just a simple white tank top and black pants. The pants had such a nice fabric on them, they fit comfortably on her and actually showed her legs. They were flexible and easy to walk in. She couldn't help but admire how nice it made her backside look. She felt so open and exposed, and she loved it. It made her feel like she could see herself. And she gets to go outside with it on!
She excitedly made her way to the door and flung it open, coming face to face with her husband as he opened the door across from her. She watched as his eyes widen slightly. She glanced down at his clothes and they were very nice; a white dress shirt and black pan-
Lucy blanched and she turned towards the snickering Fairy Tail mage. "You purposefully made us match, didn't you?"
He shrugged with a shit eating grin. "Must have not noticed, whoops."
"You're such a pain in the ass!" She pointed at him.
Laxus gasped and placed a hand over his mouth. "Are you saying you don't like matching with your own husband? That's cruel, Blondie, and Freed was so happy too."
Her eyes widened and she quickly looked at the man next to her, who was shaking his head slightly. "I'm sorry, Freed! I didn't-"
"He is just teasing you." Freed sighed, cutting her off before she got upset. These two were going to be the death of him, and it has only been a few hours. He wondered if he should decline Laxus' offer of them becoming a team, he didn't know if he could handle the bickering. Two potty-mouthed crazy blondes might be too much for his poor heart.
"Whatever," She huffs, looping her arm with Freed's. "I think we look good." She tugged him along back to the kitchen, passing the snickering Lightning Mage. She was relieved that they were still joking around with each other, which meant he wasn't upset about what she said at the train station. It felt good to be able to talk to someone who wasn't all prim and proper, excluding Freed of course, he was the only one she could tolerate talking like that. It felt good being able to speak freely without worrying about how other people might see her, how they might view Freed for having such a 'vulgar' wife.
She heard Laxus mention multiple times how Freed was a lucky man, but she was the one who felt lucky. Her husband didn't judge her for the way she acted and it made her so happy. Her father always told her that she was far from ladylike and it was embarrassing for him. She felt like she could be herself around Freed, and she wouldn't trade that for all of the money in the world.
Lucy grinned widely as she turned to look at herself in the mirror; she loved the way she looked in the small black skirt and pink tank top. She felt so open and she loved it, she had to stop herself from buying one of each skirt and shorts in the store. She could only buy a few outfits for now until her and Freed made some money on missions.
The three had decided to split up since Freed wanted to look for books about runes in magic shops while Lucy was too excited about clothes shopping. Laxus stayed with Freed because he found clothes shopping to be boring. She didn't mind shopping alone, it meant that she would be able to see how shocked Freed will be when he sees her in the revealing clothes. Maybe he would get all flustered, that would be pretty funny. The least amount of clothing he had seen her in was Laxus' shirt, even her nightgown had sleeves and reached her knees.
After picking out a few outfits that was within her budget, she gleefully left the shop with bags in her hands. It felt so good to walk around in public without any guards, they never let her speak to anyone. She couldn't stop herself from saying hello to almost everyone that she passed, giving each of them a bright smile. She had passed by children playing, couples holding hands, even a drunk guy passed out in an alley, and she loved every moment.
Her head turned when she heard loud squealing and cheering, her eyes landing on a crowd surrounding someone. She wondered what everyone was so excited about. Her feet brought her over to the crowd before she could stop herself and she took notice that they were all women. Peeking through the heads, she spotted a man waving to all of the women around him. Ah, just some playboy. She thought, turning to leave.
When someone called him Salamander, she stopped. Salamander? She really wanted to meet him, but at the same time it upset her that he was such a womanizer. Maybe this is what Laxus meant when he said that Salamander was annoying. The man's eyes stopped on her and he sent her a wink, causing her to frown.
"Igneel, it's you!"
She huffed and finally walked away as some weirdo with pink hair jumped in the middle of the circle and everyone went quiet. She didn't care for men who fool around with women for fun, no judgement, she just preferred not to talk to them. She had met plenty of them during the gatherings that she attended with Freed, and she couldn't even look at them without them flirting with her. Freed always stepped in when she got too uncomfortable, and she was more than grateful for him. Maybe being around Laxus would scare off the guys, the idea made her snicker. A lot of men didn't care even after they saw her wedding ring, and it sickened her, so perhaps having a big scary brute around would help.
Making her way over to a bench, she took a seat and sighed. Her feet were starting to get sore from walking around in heels, she should have bought a pair of shoes too since the heels were all that she owned. Curse high class for making women wear these death traps.
"Well hello there."
Lucy jumped at the sudden voice beside her, looking at the blue haired man in shock. "Hey, you're Salamander." Great, let's see how long it takes this creep to put the moves on me.
He smirked and brushed his hair away from his face. "I'm honoured the have such a beautiful lady know who I am."
There it is. She sighs. "Only because I overheard the other girls say your name." She didn't want to be talking to him, but her feet say otherwise. She noticed that he kept flicking his hand with a confused look on his face. "Is something wrong?"
He blinked and looked away nervously. "Oh no, nothing at all."
Her eyes caught the ring on his finger and she frowned, so that's why the girls were crazy about him. "You used a love spell? That's cruel." She moved a few inches away from him.
He quickly hid his hand. "Of course not! It's just for show." He awkwardly laughed. He really wanted to know why it wasn't working on her. Then he saw it, a wedding ring. "I see that you're married?" Maybe changing the subject will help, he just needed her on his boat. He recognized her when their eyes met, she is Lucy Justine, and worth far more than the other bimbos that would be there. His comrades had come back from their mission empty handed after escaping the mansion. They failed once before, but not this time.
She unconsciously grabbed her left hand. "Yeah, why do you think your spell doesn't work on me? I'm already in love." Maybe she should walk to a shoe store with bare feet, it seemed like a better option then talking to this loser.
"Tell me;" he crossed one leg over the other, "What is his name? Is he a mage?" He needed her to say that his name was Freed, then he would be absolutely sure that this was Lucy.
She supposed that it would be alright to tell him his name since they'll be in the same guild and he would learn it eventually. "His name is Freed, and yes, he is a mage. Laxus was going to take us to Fairy Tail today to join."
He almost sobbed when she said that she knew Laxus, one of the strongest members in that crazy guild. He needed to sneak her off with him without Freed or Laxus knowing, but what should he say to convince her? "O-Oh, you know Laxus?" He silently cursed himself for stuttering.
"Yeah, he's been a great support for me and Freed when we got to Magnolia. He's a good friend of ours." She wondered why he seemed nervous, maybe he and Laxus got into a fight?
A good friend. He internally cried, if Laxus found out his plan, he could shock him to a crisp. It was like a lightbulb went off above his head as he got an idea. "Yes, well, good ol' Laxus actually planned a surprise for you guys. He wanted us to welcome you in a grand Fairy Tail greeting to celebrate your adventure to Magnolia." He grinned when her eyes widened in happiness. "He wanted it to be a surprise, but I say let's shock him instead by showing him that he can't trick you." He winked.
She hummed in thought. It would be pretty funny to show Laxus that he couldn't one-up her, but what if they got worried when she didn't show up at their meeting spot? She didn't have a communication lacrima on her as Freed had forgotten to give his to her. "I don't know, I don't want them to worry when they can't find me."
Bora chuckled and flipped his hair. "Fear not, My Dear, I will have one of the members wait in your stead to inform them that you discovered Laxus' secret."
"Don't call me that." She frowned at him. Freed made her feel like she was special to him when he called her that, it was just creepy coming from this pervert. Though, it would be funny to watch Laxus walk in to the party all grumpy because he couldn't surprise her. "Alright, I'll go with you."
A malicious smile almost spread on his face, but he was able to stop himself. "Shall we be off then?"
Freed glanced around anxiously, keeping an eye out for blonde hair. It was now twenty minutes passed their meeting time and he was beyond worried. Lucy is a very punctual person, so when they were waiting for ten minutes, he had started panicking. "We should look for her, it is not like her to be this late." He fidgeted, taking another look around.
Laxus crossed his arms. "You're probably right, I can't even pick up a hint of her scent." He didn't want to admit it, but he was pretty worried too. This was her first day in Magnolia and she was already lost. Well, he hoped that she was lost and not kidnapped. He remembered them telling him about how two guys went undercover to their house and tried to take her, there's a chance that other people know about her and took her to sell her off.
Freed turned to start walking to a clothing shop to ask about Lucy when the back of his shirt was suddenly grabbed to stop him. He looked back in confusion at the older man. "Laxus, what-"
"Shut up." He whispered, trying to listen in on a conversation. He had heard them mention Fairy Tail, and he was always ready to put people in their place for shitting on his guild.
"Did you hear? Salamander is hosting a party on his yacht and he invited a bunch of girls to join!"
"Really? Aw man, I wish I was invited!"
Laxus frowned. Natsu would rather be zapped a hundred times by his lightning than go on any transportation. This fake Salamander had invited a bunch of girls to his boat while posing as a Fairy Tail mage, he could have tricked Lucy too. "I think I got a clue for where she might be."
"Where? Is she alright?" Freed asked desperately, his eyes wide.
"I don't even know if she's there, but it's worth a shot to look." He looked out into the ocean and spotted a yacht pretty far out in the water, that had to be the one with the fake Salamander. "She might be on that." He pointed at the boat. "Apparently some guy is posing as a Fairy Tail mage and brought a bunch of chicks on board."
That was all of the information that Freed needed. He quickly grabbed the magic pen from his pocket and wrote runes on himself, feeling his magic pulse through him as wings sprouted from his back. "Let us go. Even if Lucy is not on that boat, there might be other women in danger."
Laxus shuffled in place and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, me and vehicles don't really work well together."
Freed gaped at him. He must have motion sickness, but what if these mages were strong? Freed wasn't very experienced with fighting. "How will I defeat them on my own?"
"If you can't beat a few mages on your own, how do you expect to take missions? I can't do all the work." He said flatly.
The green haired man groaned. Laxus was right, he needed to prove that he was ready to join the guild. He didn't want to hold back Laxus, and he knew that his friend would come if it was something he couldn't handle. "Alright, I will signal you if something happens to me." When the blonde man placed a hand on his shoulder, he gave the Slayer a confused look.
"Just wait a sec, I have something that might help." Laxus said before disappearing in a flash.
Freed was growing impatient. If Lucy really was on that boat, then they didn't have a second to waste. But, if whatever Laxus was grabbing for him would help him, then he would wait.
Laxus appeared once more, a thin sword in hand. "I remember you telling me that your father put you in lessons, so I figured a magic one would be perfect for you." He grinned, handing the shocked mage the weapon.
He carefully grabbed it from the large hands, pulling it out of its sheath to get a better look. "Thank you, Laxus, this is wonderful." He was pleasantly surprised when it attached to his belt like it was made for him, but he supposed that since it was magic, it would fit anyone. With his sword secured at his hip, he finally took flight. Giving a final nod to the man below, he shot towards the boat.
This was his first time actually flying with his rune wings, and he prayed that they wouldn't fail him. The wind blew harshly at his face as he grew closer to the boat, his hair flying wildly in the wind and his hand on his sword. He hoped that Lucy was on the boat, but at the same time he didn't want to find her there. If this man really was kidnapping women, he didn't want Lucy anywhere near that monster. He knew that she would be able to handle herself, she had her keys after all.
He finally made it to the boat and hovered over it to scope it out. He didn't want to rush in and get attacked, he needed to know if the man was even evil in the first place. When his eyes landed on a dozen sleeping women, his question was answered. He didn't see Lucy though, which relieved him but stressed him out that they still didn't know where she was.
There was suddenly a loud crash as a man was sent flying out onto the deck to land on the floor. A scream was followed after and he recognized it as Lucy. With fury coursing through his veins, he swiftly flew down and landed heavily on the deck, a fierce glare directed towards the men.
"Freed!"
His eyes landed on his crying wife being held by two men and he snarled. He had never felt this angry, and the feeling almost scared him. He was a calm and collected man that always thought things through. But there was no thinking here, all he knew was that he needed to save Lucy.
"You get your filthy hands off of her!" He yelled, kicking a man that ran at him. He unsheathed his sword and pointed it at them. "Release her or you will regret it."
Bora walked out of the room and smirked at Freed. "Why would we let someone so valuable go? You should know, Mr. Justine, just how much that whore is worth." He shook his head and spread his arms to gesture to his crew. "Besides, what can one nobleman do against all us mages? Little Lucy here told us you're a mage, but I have my doubts about your power."
Freed's grip tightened on his sword as the insult towards Lucy spilled from his lips. "She is no such thing."
"Freed! These guys are the ones that came to the mansion to-" Lucy was cut off when a hand pressed over her mouth.
Freed finally shot forward when the small cry of pain came from her as they roughly pulled her arms behind her back. He sliced his blade towards a mage and cut his chest, spinning around just in time to dodge a magic covered punch directed at him. A quick knee to the enemy's stomach had him keeling over, and Freed used the opportunity to bash the back of his skull with the bottom of his sword's handle.
A kick landed on Freed's back and he gasped, stumbling forward. He caught himself on the ground, sweeping his leg to the side to knock down two men. Jumping up, he pointed his sword at them and yelled, "Pain!" The men on the ground screamed in agony as Freed turned to take on the last mage that was on the deck, Bora and the two men holding Lucy still watching in surprise from inside.
The man in front of him grinned, six small daggers between his fingers. "Dodge this, Pretty Boy." He cackled before throwing them straight at Freed.
Freed hissed in pain as they cut his cheek and shoulder, one stabbing into his hip. This was his first time getting stabbed and holy shit did it hurt. But that didn't matter, his adrenaline made him focus on Lucy. "I do not need to dodge when you are incapable of aiming." He spat, pulling the dagger from himself and tossing it to the side. They were fast, he assumed that the man used his magic to make them faster.
The man sneered, grabbing more daggers from his belt. "You won't be saying that when you're dead on the ground, Asshole!"
With a swipe of his sword, Freed was able to write runes faster than he thought possible. This magic sword was truly amazing. A barrier was made and the daggers clattered to the floor when they collided with it. Freed felt like a true mage at that moment, the look of shock and slight fear on the face of his opponent had the thrill of the fight finally hit him.
The barrier disappeared and he charged towards the mage, swinging his sword to swipe at his stomach. The man cried out in pain and fell to the floor before Freed's angry eyes landed on Bora.
"Release her." He pointed his weapon at the stunned Fire Mage. "Or you shall feel my wrath."
Bora took a step back. "How are you able to fight? You're just a nobleman, you can't fight mages!"
When he took another step back, Lucy used that as her chance to kick Bora in the back of the knee to make him fall. One of the men holding her pulled at her in anger and she leaned down to bite his arm, not pulling away even as she tasted blood. The man screamed and pulled back, freeing one of her arms. Before she could round on the other man, he had already pulled his fist back and slammed it against her face. She whimpered as it collided with her nose and she could feel a trickle of blood slide down her lip. Before he could hit her again, he was suddenly screaming in pain, and Lucy took that chance to finally free herself from them.
Bora sneered and made a grab for her arm, barely missing as she ran passed him. He watched in anger as she ran into the bastard's arms. "This isn't over!" He let his fire burn brightly in his hands. "I'm far stronger than these idiots!"
Freed didn't want to stick around to find out just how true that was. Another wave of his sword, and his wings appeared once more on his back. He held Lucy to himself tightly and shot up into the air before the angry Fire Mage could reach them. He was able to dodge most of the fire shot at them, but some of the streams managed to hit them. The pain was starting to catch up to him but he couldn't stop, not until they were back with Laxus.
"We need to save the other women!" Lucy pleaded, holding on to Freed desperately so she didn't fall.
"I do not know how strong that last man is." He panted heavily. "We must get help from... Laxus." There was searing pain in his hip, and he felt his magic faltering. "Lucy, I-" He gasped when his wings suddenly disappeared, and they started falling. They both flailed in their panic, shouts of fear coming from both of them before crashing into the water. It hurt pretty bad from such a high fall, but at least nothing was broken.
Lucy held her breath just before they hit the water, and fuck did it hurt. She already knew there would be bruising from such a force. She opened her eyes and choked on water when she saw her gate keys that had been tossed into the water. Lucky Lucy for the win! She internally cheered as she swam towards the keys. Scooping them up happily, she finally started to swim up before her eardrums exploded from the pressure.
Freed gasped as he breached the surface, coughing up some water that had gotten into his nose. With a quick glance around, he started to panic when he didn't see her. "Lucy?" He called, trying to see in to the water but it was just too dark out. Before he could dive under and look for her, he heard a gasp behind him. He whirled around and sighed in relief at the sight of his panting wife. Swimming over to her, he couldn't stop himself from wrapping his arms around her. "Thank goodness you are alright."
Lucy smiled and wrapped her own arms around him, kissing his cheek. "Only because you saved me." She whispered, giving his cheek another kiss. "I was scared, for myself and the other girls. They took my keys and-"
Freed hushed her and placed a kiss on her forehead. "You are safe now. We shall head back to shore and inform Laxus of the kidnappings. We will need his help to defeat that Fire Mage."
"I have a better idea." She grinned, holding up one of her keys.
Freed stared at the golden key in curiosity. "I don't think I have met that one yet."
Lucy sighed. "Yeah, there's a reason for that." She placed the key into the water and let her magic flow through her. "Open, gate of the Water Bearer; Aquarius!"
In a flash of gold, the mermaid spirit appears with a scowl on her face. "Why did you summon me?"
"I'm sorry, but there's some women being kidnapped on that yacht! Please, we really need your help to get it back to shore!" Lucy pleaded.
Aquarius eyed the boat before her gaze landed on the green haired man. "Who's this?"
"That's my husband, but that doesn't matter. Please save them!"
The desperate look in Lucy's eyes made Aquarius' heart melt. She had an angry exterior, but she really did love Lucy. "I'll help, but I expect answers later." At the blondes fervent nod, the spirit lifted her urn. "I'll even give you a trip back there so you don't gotta swim." She grinned.
Lucy held on to Freed tightly and shut her eyes. "Hold you breath."
Freed didn't have time to question when he was suddenly being lifted by a wave, his arms quickly holding on to Lucy. He held his breath as they started rushing towards the shore under water, his grip tightening on his wife.
Air filled their lungs as they tumbled out of the water and on to the sandy beach. They couldn't even take the time to catch their breath before a much larger wave was rushing towards them with the boat. They quickly scrambled to their feet and ran out of the way so they didn't get crushed. The boat crashed on the land, and all of the women who were on the boat frantically tried to get off after they were jolted awake from the sudden movement.
Lucy let out a laugh when she realized that they were finally safe. She turned her head and her eyes locked on to the beautiful eyes that she had fallen in love with. "You were amazing, thank you for saving me." She leaned forward to wrap her arms around his neck, her lips pressing against his. She smiled into the kiss when she felt him relax, his hands resting on her waist. His lips tasted of salt water, but they had never been so sweet.
He pulled away and gave her a soft smile. "I am happy that you are safe now." He brushed her hair from her face. "You were amazing as well, you saved all of those women."
Lucy blushed at the compliment. "I guess I did." She chuckled before standing. "We should find Laxus."
Freed groaned and placed a hand on his injured hip. "In a moment, this wound is starting to hurt quite a bit."
Just as Lucy dropped down to help him, there was a loud crash. She looked over and her eyes widened when Bora emerged from the boat, fire blazing from his hands. "Oh shit." She whispered. She didn't know if she was strong enough to fight him, but she had to try.
"You ruined it!" Bora yelled, jumping down from the boat. "My yacht, my plan, everything!" He spat as he stalked towards them. "You'll pay."
Lucy moved to stand in front of Freed protectively. "I won't let you touch him!" Her breathing became heavy as her heart hammered in her chest. Before her fingers could grab Taurus' key, his flame was wrapping around her ankle to pull her away from Freed. She heard Freed shout for her as she was thrown away from him, slamming into a rock nearby. The air left her lungs when her back hit the jagged rock, and she was left gasping and coughing in the sand. She slowly pushed herself up after landing, even though her body protested. She had to protect Freed, he was too hurt. Her eyes shown with unshed tears, her arm wrapping around her stomach as she dragged herself towards her husband. Please, please, let me make it in time! Her eyes widened when a large ball of fire formed above Bora's head and a deathly glare was directed towards the injured man. "No!" She screamed, trying to run to him only for her knees to give out.
A bright flash was seen before a loud clap of thunder sounded in the area, Bora screaming in pain as lightning coursed through him.
Freed let out a breath when he looked up to see the familiar fur lined coat standing a few feet in front of him. "Laxus." The said mage turned to look at him and he gave the taller man a smile. "Thank you."
The tears finally fell from Lucy's eyes at the sight of the Lighting Mage. He was here, and he saved Freed. Pulling herself up once more, she shuffled her way over to the pair before collapsing by Freed. She threw her arms around him and sobbed. "I-I thought I was going to lose you!"
Freed wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her hair. "You cannot get rid of me that easily." He chuckled softly.
Laxus knelt next to them. "You guys are pretty roughed up, are you alright?" He threw his ego to the wind, he didn't mind showing how much he cared every once in a while, and the look of worry on his face was proof. "Anything broken? Poison? Lucy, did he touch you?"
Lucy sniffled and looked up at him, a teasing yet watery smile gracing her lips. "I didn't know you could not be an asshole."
Laxus chuckled and placed a hand on her head. "I'll take that as everything is good. Let's get you guys some help."
As Laxus bent to help Freed stand, Lucy leaned forward and pressed a gently kiss to his cheek. "Thank you for saving him, Laxus."
A small dust of pink appeared on the blonde man's cheeks. "Yeah, don't mention it, Blondie."
"You're blonde too, Sparky."
