A Certain Kind of Sense

"I just don't get it," Bickslow groaned. "They're just- why him?"

"The heart wants what the heart wants," Evergreen mused, before frowning. "And apparently Freed's heart wants a creep."

"Leave 'em alone," Laxus grumbled. "Even if it is weird."

Everything about Freed's new relationship with Mard Geer Tartaros was weird. They'd gotten together not because of a meet-cute, but because Mard had been killed and only lived in Freed's mind rather than on the mortal plane. They had not broken free of those constraints because of love or effort, but because Mard was apparently too turned on to stop himself from touching Freed. And now that Mard was back on Earthland, they hadn't actually seen him, and instead the man had barely left Freed's house.

Freed had been open about it. Ever since Laxus found out, Freed has made no efforts to keep things secret. He talked about Mard, explained the situation to his team, and informed them that it was a serious relationship and he was expecting their respect.

They were trying to respect it. But it was so weird!

It didn't help that none of them had seen Mard since his death. Freed had swore that he was a new man and that if he showed signs of returning to his more demonic tendencies then Freed would leave him, and they believed him. But it wasn't easy to see how the brutal killed or the war was the same man who made Freed blush and smile privately. Evergreen had spoken to Freed about meeting him, but had been turned down.

Something sketchy was happening, they were all pretty sure of that. If they could meet the guy then maybe it would make more sense, but that apparently wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

"Maybe we should just go over to his house," Evergreen suggested. "Force the issue."

"Could work," Bickslow shrugged. "And if Freed is hidin' anythin' then we'll see it."

"No," Laxus said firmly. "We all trust Freed, and we gotta respect him. He ain't the type of guy to get taken advantage of - it takes an age to get him to trust you no matter how pure of heart and virtuous you are - so Mard's probably just grown. We gotta just sit back and let 'em come to us."

"But-" Bickslow began,

"That's enough," Laxus snapped. "He told me first, he knew we'd think all these things, he assured me he loves the guy. We gotta leave em alone, okay?"

Both Bickslow and Evergreen nodded. All three of them had made a promise. All three of them broke it within a month.

Evergreen snapped first.

In her defence, it was hardly intentional. She had just been walking down the market street of Magnolia, minding her own business as she looked for a new feather boa, when she happened to see a shock of familiar bright green hair walking towards some of the more boutique stores. She went to shout out to him, when he saw that he was arm in arm with another man. Mard Geer Tartarus, out in the open!

Now, she wasn't proud of what she did next, but she was worried about her friend. Without thinking, she ducked behind a nearby postbox and hid behind it. A shop vendor looked at her funnily, but she ignored them.

For a few moments, she was forced to duck and shuffle forward, trying to get closer to her friend and her new boyfriend. It was hard to remain unseen, but she was a well trained damage who had done her fair share of stealth focused missions in her life, and she was quickly close enough to see them better. Hiding behind a small fence, she pressed her ear against the wood and tried to focus on the conversation.

"I'm not a doll, you know," An unfamiliar voice said, obviously Mard. He sounded peeved. "You can't force me to wear whatever you please."

"Actually, you agreed that I could," That was Freed. He was grinning; Evergreen knew Freed's grinning voice.

"I agreed that I should have some clothes that I wasn't borrowing from you, and that I'd appreciate your help," Mard corrected. He sounded amused too. "I assumed that you'd help me find the stored that would suit my personal style, I did not assume you'd drag me throughout the town and force me to wear everything that you think I'd look good wearing."

"I'm sure it's very arduous for you," Freed chuckled. "And I've been correct every time, you've looked handsome with every outfit I've chosen."

"That is testament to my natural beauty, not your fashion sense," Mard huffed.

"I'm sure that you believe that," Freed laughed. "I'm not going to deny your natural beauty, though I am chagrin to do so. But you must admit, you look better in the clothes I've picked out for you than you do when you're wearing what is essentially my hand-me-downs."

"If you think that, then why do you insist of me being naked so often," Mard teased.

Evergreen had to gag. She didn't want to think about Freed like that. She'd never seen Freed in a relationship before, and while she knew that he must have been with men, he'd never been obvious about it. Freed being with a guy, having sex with guys, felt weird.

But it was also hard to look away. Freed had been almost lovesick about his new boyfriend whenever she'd seen him, and it was hard not to know what it looked like when they were together. Evergreen and Freed had been friends for so long and she needed to know what kind of man had such an obvious effect on Freed, and what they were like when they were together.

"Come," Freed ordered, and Evergreen peaked her eyes over the fence. She saw them both walking towards an expensive looking store. "You'll need a tuxedo and a dinner suit."

"For the devil's sake," Mard whined, but followed Freed. "I'm a king. I should have servants and tailors to do this for me."

"You did, then you died and now you're stuck with me," Freed chuckled.

"A fitting form of hell, really," Mard mused, linking his arm with Freed's as if it were a natural and normal thing to do. Maybe it was; was this how Freed performed PDA? "Stuck on the arm with a beautiful man, the memories of him writing under me fresh in my mind, and the only thing I can do is walk from store to store, being used as a man's plaything,"

"You truly are being punished for your crimes," Freed drolled.

"Some would say that this is torture too cruel for any man," Mard hummed.

"Well, perhaps I'll allow you some revenge," Freed said, smirking. "Once you've purchased the suits, you can take me to any store you wish and choose things for me."

"More shopping, now utterly divine," Mard said sarcastically.

"You seem to be misunderstanding me," Freed laughed. "I will be at your mercy, my dear. I will wear anything you wish, no matter how degrading and revealing that may be."

There was a moment of silence - in which Evergreen scrunched up her nose, she didn't need to see this side of Freed - before Mard chuckled. He whispered something into Freed's ear which made him chuckle, but blush madly. They walked into the tailor's shop arm in arm, leaving Evergreen hiding behind the fence. When she turned around, she saw the owner of the house she was hiding in looking at her confused. She smiled at him, before rushing out of the front garden to the house and walking back to the market.

Freed and Mard were… cute? Was that the right word? They certainly seemed to have fun with each other, and Mard brought out a side of Freed that Evergreen hadn't seen before. Maybe the relationship wasn't as weird as she thought.

She walked back to the guildhall dormitories, her worry fading away. Freed would be fine.

Bickslow went next, two weeks later.

Nobody had seen Freed for a week, and it was starting to get to Bickslow. He knew that people in new relationships would want to spend all their time together, and that it was probably just the two of them in their love nest. Evergreen had told him that the new were pretty openly flirty and sexual, so in all likelyhood Freed and Mard were probably screwing until the cows came home.

But there was a nagging doubt. Bix had never seen Mard, but he'd heard the stories about what he used to be like. Maybe Mard had snapped and done something to Freed. Maybe they'd broken up and Mard had taken revenge. Or maybe they were just screwing like bunnies.

The reality was weirder.

Not knowing what was happening finally got to Bickslow, so he'd sent Pippi to Freed's house, had him sneak in through the back room window that was always open, and tuck himself up on one of Freed's many cluttered shelves. When Bickslow got home that night, he activated his spirit eyes, and saw Freed's living room through his babies eyes.

Freed was alive, which was nice. Bickslow would have been sad if he was dead.

He was also sitting in his normal arm chair, tucked into a mess of blankets and sitting by the fire. Bickslow squinted a little to see Freed's face, and saw he was red in the cheeks, with tissues scattered throughout the room. He was clearly sick, which explained where he had been. Freed very rarely got sick, but whenever it did happen, Freed was essentially incapacitated with how hard it hit him. It normally took the whole team to look after the guy - he was a stubborn, snotty son-of-a-bitch when he was sick - so why hadn't he called and requested they help.

The answer came when the door next to Freed's chair opened, and in walked Mard Geer Tartarus. He was wearing an apron, and holding a bowl of soup as if it were poison.

"As I've stated many times, I have literally never cooked before," Mard said, handing Freed the bowl. Bickslow couldn't ignore how gently he did that. "So of this kills you, you only have your self to blame."

"I'll remember that," Freed said, voice hoarse and flegmy. "Though, you did do this on your own volition. Nobody asked you to."

"Well…" Mard hummed, tutting. "Your sniffling was getting on my nerves."

"I'm sure," Freed said, then a splutter of coughs. Mard was at his side within a moment.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm fine," Freed tried to argue. Bickslow rolled his eyes at the same time Mard did. "Coughing is a byproduct of being sick, don't put any more thought into it. Now tell me, how did you handle a supermarket? I'm hoping it was a travesty and that you'll have a humiliating tale of kingly humility to entertain me."

"Enjoying my pain and humiliating is rather unbecoming for a lover, don't you think?"

"That is perhaps the most hypocritical thing anyone has ever said," Freed laughed,

"Eat your soup, consort," Mard snapped, and Freed smiled and did as instructed. After a moment, Mard sat at the chair opposite Freed's. "So tell me darling, what kind of sadistic spell was cast over you all that makes you go to supermarket week after week."

"It can't have been that bad."

"There were people everywhere, children everywhere," Mard complained. "And they all seemed to be insistent on getting in my way every time they could. An issue that wasn't helped by the supermarkets insistence of putting everything in the least convenient places possible. They put the vegetables at the entrance, allowing them to be crushed by everything else you place in the basket."

"Welcome to the struggles of being a normal person," Freed sniffled.

"It was considerably easier when you have a castle of people working for you," Mard agreed. "How is the soup?"

"It's lovely," Freed said. He didn't sound truthful.

"I'm somewhat offended you didn't even try to sound convincing," Mard huffed.

"When I'm feeling better, I can teach you how to cook," Freed promised.

"I'd appreciate that," Mard said quietly, and almost honestly. Bickslow suddenly felt like he was intruding, but Mard quickly was smirking again. "I'll make you some tea for your throat. I can do that at least."

"You're an angel," Freed said.

"How dare you," Mard snapped, but was smiling.

Bickslow decides that he should stop watching now. He knew that Freed was okay, and that Mard was actually pretty sweet when he wanted to be. Maybe he wasn't the most altruistic person, but neither was Freed, so they had something in common. And if Bickslow had a list of things he wanted in a boyfriend for Freed, someone to look after him would be on top.

Who was he to get in the way of their feelings for each other. It didn't make sense, but lots of things didn't. He'd just let them take things at their own pace, and maybe he'd understand Freed's love for Mard later. Now though, he'd let them have their love nest in peace.

And, if Mard ever became part of the group, the two of them would be getting teased to oblivion.

Laxus broke down last.

He was standing in front of the door to Freed's house, trying to convince himself that everything was okay. Both Evergreen and Bickslow had confessed about their spying on Freed and Mard, and had all but convinced him that Freed had actually found someone that suited his needs, and that just because it was unconventional didn't mean it wasn't right. Laxus wanted to believe them, he really did, but there was something still bothering him.

Why hasn't they met him yet? If Freed and Mard were as solid as he was being told, then surely they should meet him at some point. So why hadn't Freed introduced the, yet? It didn't sit right with Laxus. Something wasn't right!

He just needed to walk inside. People did that. Natsu did it all the time, why couldn't Laxus?

With a push, Laxus opened the front door to Freed's house. He would just walk into the room and force them both out of their privacy, and hopefully it would all end up well. At least then he'd hopefully have an understanding as to why they hadn't been introduced yet.

Almost immediately, he was assaulted with magical force. Tentacles of dark magic wrapped around his waist, arms, and throat, pushing him up against the closest wall. Laxus felt lightning creeping up his skin to fight back against the attack.

Just as he was about to let out a roar, the tentacles disappeared, dropping Laxus,

"What the devil were you thinking?" A voice snapped.

Standing at the top of Freed's staircase was Mard Geer, wearing nothing but a velvet robe. He was a little sleep disheveled given the late hour, and Laxus suddenly saw him as a human being rather than the monstrous figure of intense power that he'd been in the war. Laxus gaped at him for a moment, before remembering what had just happened.

"You fucking attacked me!" He growled.

"You came into my home unannounced in the middle of the night," Mard snapped. "What did you want me to do? Applaud you for your lack of intelligence."

"Why didn't Freed come down?"

"He's not here."

"Where is he?"

"Dead," Mard huffed. "I killed him and buried him in the garden under some rather beautiful roses. I was cleaning the blood from the carpets when you came in," Laxus growled at him, and Mard rolled his eyes. "He's in the guildhall library, helping someone named Lucy with translating a book for a mission of some kind. If you need him, he'll be there."

"Wanted to speak to you," Laxus lied. He had wanted to speak to them both, but it made sense to speak to Mard.

"Very well," Mard sighed. "Give me a moment."

Mard turned and walked towards Freed bedroom, and Laxus saw a glimpse of him removing the robe. Laxus averted his gaze and walked to the kitchen, sitting at the table and waiting for the other man. Mard joined him a moment later, now wearing satin pyjamas under the robe. He wordlessly placed the kettle onto the heat, and took a seat opposite Laxus.

"You good to him?" Laxus said. He wasn't going to piss around.

"Of course I am," Mard snapped. "Why would you think otherwise?"

"Because I only know about you through what Freed says, and what you did in the war, and Freed is biased," Laxus crossed his arms. "Maybe you have changed and become good like Freed is sayin', but since we never actually see ya then how are we to believe him?"

Mard was silent, then sighed. "May I be candid with you, Laxus?"

"I'd recommend it," Laxus grunted.

"I believe that, morally speaking, I have improved greatly with Freed's help. I was raised to be king of demons, to destroy and slaughter. Not only was I given magic to utilise that, I was raised in that environment. I wasn't taught about forgiveness and empathy and kindness, they were vacant in my life. This isn't an excuse, mind you, but it is an explanation," Mard sighed. "When I lived in Freed's mind, I was filled with a brightness that I'd never felt. It was balancing, eye opening, and it has changed me."

"The hell does that have to do with anything?"

"Because I haven't changed enough," Mard admitted. "I requested not to meet any of you because I'm not ready. There are people in that guild who I have hurt, and if I showed up then they would be furious. Perhaps they'd attack me," Mard averted his gaze. "Logically, I know I would deserve it. But I picture the fire mage or demon slayer attacking me and I know that I'd fight back. I know that I'd…"

"Fall back into old habits?" Laxus completed, and Mard looked up. Retaliation seemed to hit him.

"Of course, I hadn't considered you might know how I felt," Mard said, and Laxus nodded. For a moment, they looked at each other. "I understand that you don't trust me, and I know why. Perhaps spending time with me might change that, but it might make it worse. I love Freed too much to allow that risk."

"You love him?" Laxus asked.

"I'm besotted with him," Mard said, as if it were a simple statement of fact.

Before Laxus could really process that, the kitchen door opened and Freed walked inside. He was clearly tired and walking without thinking, as he walked to Mard and pressed his lips to the crown of his head. Mard smiled and Laxus caught the look. Besotted was the right word.

Freed looked up and saw Laxus, and seemed to blank. Laxus raised an eyebrow with a small grin on his face, and Mard simply sat back.

"Laxus," Freed said. "What are you doing here?"

"Just leavin', actually," Laxus said, standing up. "Got what I needed already."

"What did you need?" Freed asked.

"Just a bit of assurance, but it's fine," Laxus dismissed the argument. "I should leave before I fuck up your night any more than I already have."

"What else has happened?" Freed said, placing a hand protectively on Mard's shoulder. Laxus had never seen Freed being protective as someone's lover, it was kind of adorable.

"Nothing big, just your boyfriend was wearing a robe and nothing else when I came by. That was probably for your enjoyment, not mine," Laxus grinned, clapping Freed on the shoulder. "Have a nice night, gentlemen."

He walked to the front door, and heard the two men following him. Perhaps to see him out, though he suspected that it was probably because they'd be going upstairs the moment Laxus left. He couldn't blame them for that and, now that he knew that Mard was working hard to become a better person, Laxus felt confident that their relationship was a solid one. As he opened the door, he turned back and looked towards Mard.

"I get what you were saying about the rest of the guild, but me Ever and Bix get what you're going through, so we can forgive mistakes," Laxus assured him. "So long as you don't hurt him, we can look past things."

"Thank you," Mard said, honestly. He then smirked a little. "Although, grammatically speaking, it should be Ever, Bix and I."

Laxus blinked, then rolled his eyes. "You two are going to be a fucking nightmare together, aren't you?"

They both grinned, and Laxus sighed. That shared smugness, if nothing else, had put Laxus' doubts to rest. Freed had somehow found a man who could be as annoyingly arrogant as himself. Laxus had to feel happy for the idiot. In some way, they made a certain kind of sense.