Evergreen crossed her long slender leg over the other and pulled her white plush robe over her body tighter. Bickslow sat across from her at her dining table with his head folded onto the backs of his hands. He didn't speak, he didn't look up at her, it didn't even look like he was breathing. Evergreen sighed and looked to Elfman sitting beside her with a concerned look on his face. Bickslow never came to her shared apartment with Elfman. Back when they were in college, Evergreen stayed in the FSU dormitory. After graduating, she moved in with Elfman, and Elfman moved out of the house he shared with his sisters. This all happened around the same time everything started with Bickslow and Laxus. Elfman wanted out of his house, and Evergreen wanted Elfman closer to her…they were afraid.
"This ought to be good if you're willing to cry over it." Evergreen crudely jabbed at her friend. She pulled her coffee mug up to her lips in time with the cringe Elfman contorted. "What happened with Freed?"
"Freed found out we went to college with Laxus and Mirajane." Evergreen closed her eyes and continued sipping her coffee. She hummed softly, placed her mug on a golden coster between them, and then faced Bickslow.
"And?" Bickslow frowned down into the table.
"And something is going on between him and Laxus." Evergreen turned to Elfman, his face only looking back at her with a matching raised eyebrow.
"Bickslow." Evergreen started, "I told you years ago keeping this from Freed would bite you in the ass one day. I told you that the moment we found out Freed was going to be working at FHA." Evergreen placed the bridge of her nose in her hands and massaged a frown out. "I understand what happened is traumatic for you, and you don't want Freed to know, but Laxus was bound to take over the company one day. You knew they were going to meet, and before long, Freed would find out you two had history. Not to mention you took him to Mirajane's salon. What were you thinking ?" Evergreen sighed and dropped her hands to her lap. "On top of all of that, Elfman and I are planning a wedding. Obviously, Freed would be a part of that, and so would Mira, Laxus, and Lisanna. Bickslow…" Evergreen sucked in a breath and then let it go. "There were too many chances for Freed to meet them and figure things out on his own. That's why I urged you in the beginning to tell him."
The room got quiet for a long time before Bickslow let out a weary "I know."
"I'm not here to scold you, you know that. I just want you to understand this." Evergreen picked her coffee mug back up and brought it back to her lips. "Figure this mess out. I don't want any drama at my wedding! The last thing I need is for you and Laxus to fistfight again at the reception." Bickslow flinched, and Evergreen caught it, "I'm sorry. That was insensitive." Evergreen let out her thousandth-morning sigh and looked to Elfman for help.
Elfman spoke up nervously after clearing his throat. "Uh, did Laxus tell Freed anything?"
Bickslow shrugged. "We had a fight this morning, and he was still trying to figure out what happened, so…I don't think he did."
"A fight!?" Evergreen said in surprise. "In the eight years I've known you two, I would have never imagined you to fight. "Evergreen dropped her coffee mug and leaned into Bickslow, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"
Bickslow slapped his hands onto Evergreen's table and shot a glare at her. "Of course, I'm not okay! It's Laxus! He's there at his office, there with him at the salon, and in my house."
"Wait-" Evergreen cut in, "He brought Laxus to your apartment?"
"Walked in from work, and the bastard was standing right there in my dining room." Bickslow sneered at the memory, feeling his blood level rise. "Freed got all defensive, and everything then went into his room." Evergreen shot her eyes over to Elfman, the brute man looking back in similar worry. This wasn't good. Evergreen bit her lip, biting back the urge to tell Bickslow. She couldn't; it would only make things worse. She couldn't . She shut her eyes and focused on holding back her tongue. It was selfish, so so selfish to only be thinking about herself at that moment, but it was true. She and Elfman had been planning their wedding to take place fairly soon. The last thing she wanted was another falling out to take place between her and Elfamns' sides. Their relationship had suffered enough. Evergreen bit back tears. Why did everything have to be so conflicted between them?
The memories of them all having fun together back in college, her time falling in love with Elfman, and Bickslow falling in love with Lisanna; she was sure Mirajane and Laxus would end up together. It was almost perfect. The group of them shared everything together. Dates, birthdays, studying, and even graduation. They would all be a happy family. They would all be there for one another because they all had similar pasts. Evergreen used to daydream about their futures. One day they would all have children, and even their children would grow up together in such a closely fitted group of friends. They would never feel lonely in this world with the family they were forming for them. And then it all went to shit. What happened? What broke that golden future for their group?
Evergreen felt bad that Freed wasn't a part of it. She often wished the Strauss siblings had just one more sibling Freed would have fallen for, but it hadn't worked out that way. Bickslow felt so guilty that he didn't even tell Freed about his relationship with Lisanna. He was afraid Freed would feel left out, but the reality was, Freed was left out. It hurt her. It pained her so much to see Freed coming home alone, never finding a relationship, never dating in those years. It pained her to embrace her own happiness and watch Bickslow embrace his when all Freed could do was support them from the sidelines. Often times she wished she'd kept Elfman a secret too. But that was the problem. Secrets were never the answer to keep from hurting someone; the truth always came out. Sometimes the pain of being ignorant hurts more than that truth itself. Bickslow realized that now, the hard way.
But now, everything was changing. Bickslow had just dropped a bombshell that Evergreen had never expected. She and Elfman knew the truth. She had always wished she could find a way to include Freed in their family, in their group. She never expected her wish to come true. This wasn't the way Evergreen wanted Freed to be included. After all that had happened, there was no way Evergreen could trust Laxus, not with her precious friend.
Bickslow swallowed hard. "Freed said that Laxus was just taking him home from a dinner party with his company, but I feel like there's more. I went to the salon the last time Freed had an appointment with Mirajane, and she told me Freed was opening up to Laxus…That first time wasn't the only time Laxus saw Freed in make-up. He even brought an outfit to wear in front of Laxus! None of this makes sense." Bickslow pushed his head back into his hands, "I don't want to lose Freed to him, Ever. Laxus can't take another important person out of my life."
"Oh my god," Evergreen whispered. Elfman pressed a gentle hand to the small of her back and gave her matching gentle eyes. He was scared too. "Bickslow," Evergreen said softly, "I-" She thought over her words carefully. "I want to protect Freed. God knows I want to shield him from anything in this world that could hurt him. But Bickslow… We have to realize we can't. We won't always be the leading people in Freed's life. He's changing, he's growing, and we have to accept that. Of course, I would want Freed to be showing us his development, not Laxus. Of course, I would want Freed to go out to company dinners and get brought home by a friend, not Laxus. But-" Evergreen took in a breath, "But we can't control his life. Freed has to choose who he wants in his life."
"Even if they could hurt him," Bickslow grumbled.
"Laxus won't hurt him." Evergreen looked to Elfman for reassurance, and Elfman nodded. "I think it's time for Freed to know everything. We can't choose who stays in his life, but we can warn him of people's character. What he chooses to do after that is out of our control. I want Freed to blossom. I want him to grow independent. I want him to find someone that loves him. He can't do that if we're constantly sheltering him." Evergreen squeezed her hand, still pressed firmly into Bickslow's shoulder. "When I get married, Elfman and I are going to carry on. We're going to buy a house, try for a baby, maybe even get a dog." Evergreen smiled despite the lingering worry in the back of her head about her two closest friends, about her family. "When I'm preoccupied with my life, I want you guys to be doing the same. Moving on, creating families of your own. I don't want to worry that you are fighting. Bickslow, look at me." Bickslow reluctantly pulled his head up and looked Evergreen in her eyes. It pained her deeply to see the blood-shot redness in his eyes. "Fix this." She told him. "Tell Freed everything."
Evergreen watched Bickslow pull out of their apartment complex's parking lot with an ache in her chest. Elfman slipped behind her and pulled his girlfriend into his arms, settling his head on her shoulder.
"You're a real man." He said. Evergreen snorted and turned around to hug him fully.
"Did I give him the right advice?" Evergreen whispered. Elfman nodded and patted the back of her head like he always did.
"You gave him manly advice. You did the right thing. I'm proud." Evergreen smiled and hugged her partner tighter. She just hoped Bickslow would actually take heed to her advice.
She hoped her family wasn't falling apart.
"Ms. Heartfilla!?" Freed was utterly shocked, "You live here?" Lucy blinked back in matching surprise at the sight of the green-haired secretary. They were standing at the bottom of the first floor's staircase. Freed coming down, and Lucy coming up. After blinking away the surprise, Lucy laughed awkwardly and waved her hand in front of her face.
"No! No! Not me. Natsu lives here. On the third floor. After the company party Friday, I spent the night with him….." She laughed awkwardly again and rubbed the back of her head, "Well, I guess two nights."
Freed slowly nodded his head at this. "Ah, so it's Mr. Dragneel. How coincidental? I've been staying in these apartments for years now, and I've never seen him." Lucy hummed at this. How interesting was it to find Freed here at Natsu's apartment complex? On top of that, her mind flashed back to the previous night where Natsu claimed he'd seen Laxus. It didn't seem very possible but, maybe…
Lucy gave Freed a smile. "Natsu stays more at my apartment than his, so it's probably just a timing thing." Freed nodded at this. He remembered Natsu and Lucy were close friends from high school, so it made sense that they spent a lot of their time outside of the office together. In a way, it reminded him a lot of his relationship with Bickslow. Just the thought of his best friend and their argument moments before pained Freed. He didn't want to leave the house, but he needed time away from Bickslow. He was too hurt he and Evergreen kept something so vital from him. Freed felt so left out and alone. As someone who spent so much of his time alone, Freed thought that if one day (which he knew was inevitable) he and Bickslow had grown apart, he'd be okay. But the truth was, he didn't know if he could function without Bickslow.
Lucy saw that change in Freed's expression. How he'd gone from his usual monotone aura to a bit more glum and sad. "Hey?" She said softly, "Everything okay?"
Freed sighed, feeling the threat of tears pooling at his waterline. "No," He admitted, "I had a fight with my closest friend. I'm just feeling a bit displaced right now." Lucy gave him a sad smile.
"I see…Well, do you want to hang out with Natsu and me today?" Freed's introverted walls immediately shot up and made a line between him and Lucy. Lucy may not have been able to see them, but the barricade of thick, bricked anxiety formed the moment Lucy mentioned an outing.
"Ah, no… I couldn't possibly-"
"Oh, come on! We're going to go see Gray and Loke this evening. They sing together often at this karaoke bar, and we love going to support them." Freed's face twisted up in a slight panic at the mention of more people. It was one thing he'd hung out with them on Friday at the company dinner, but Cana had been there, and she was his source of comfort when it came to anything dealing with the office. Going alone just with them seemed impossible when he was shy and socially awkward. But then he thought of Gray and figured he was a bit more relaxed around the raven-haired man than the other three. Maybe if Gray was there, he'd be alright. Freed was admittedly nervous, but a big part of him was starting to overshadow his social anxiety, and he wanted to interact with his co-workers more like he had Friday. Freed had fun Friday, and he felt like his personality flushed well with the others. They didn't pick on him, laughed, and joked with him, and always included him in the conversation. It felt nice, starkly different from his so-called friends in elementary before he met Bickslow. Or the friends he had tried to make in his time working at his college's front office.
Then there was also the lingering pain from his closest friends excluding him from something important. Back then, Freed had started feeling like a third wheel as they entered relationships, and Freed hadn't. But with his co-workers, he honestly felt like a part of the group Friday.
Freed shifted in his spot when Lucy leaned in more, waiting on his reply. "Um…what time were you guys leaving?"
"Well," Lucy said pleasantly and sprung back up straight. "Natsu and I were about to head out to Gray's house now just to kinda hang out before the show. Loke always joins us later. Wanna come?" Freed sucked in a breath of courage and nodded his head. Lucy squealed in delight and clapped a hand around his wrist. "Oh my god! I'm so glad you said yes! Come on!" Lucy tugged Freed hurryingly up the stairs to Natsu's apartment door and flung it open. "Natsu! Guess what!" She called out.
Freed shuffled into Natsu's apartment, trying to camouflage himself in the clutter that was, he supposed, a living room. Even though their apartment layouts were precisely the same, Freed and Bickslow's apartment couldn't have been further from anything like Natsu's. There was a futon couch and a TV atop a red rug. Littered around were various cases of video games, gaming consoles, anime figurines, and comic books on display. There was a gaming set-up on the other side of the apartment where Freed and Bickslow had their dining table. Freed was in awe of the sheer amount of computer monitors one would need to operate a game, but he assumed if he had a gaming set-up, Natsu was possibly a streamer.
Lucy came back in then, dragging a surprised Natsu down the hall. "Oi!" He called out, throwing a hand up at Freed, "Who would have thought we lived at the same complex!?"
Freed smiled and waved back at Natsu. "Good morning, Mr. Dragneel."
"You can call me Natsu, ya know. We're not at the office." Natsu gave his new friend a toothy grin as Lucy pointed to herself.
"Same here. Call me Lucy!" Freed smiled with a tent of a blush and nodded his head.
"R-right," He mumbled. "Natsu…and Lucy." Lucy tackled Freed in a hug with a squeal of happiness.
"Oh my god, you're so cute!" Freed blushed harder as Natsu chuckled and walked over to his PC.
Natsu cut his computer on and rolled his chair around them, "Hey, Freed do you play games!?" Instead of answering, Freed took in a deep breath. On second thought, maybe hanging out with Lucy and Natsu was too much for him. He felt overwhelmed as the two continued talking; Lucy teasing him a bit more and Natsu giving him a detailed description of an action-adventure video game about a dragon slayer. Even so, Freed couldn't help but admit this was much better than the toxic and tense environment back at his apartment. And the idea of seeing Gray again still appealed to him.
"Uh," Freed said suddenly over them, gaining the two's attention, "Lucy said we were going to go to Mr. Fullbuster's house." Natsu nodded, "I was just um…wondering when would that be." Lucy glanced over to the clock on Natsu's computer and then turned back to Freed.
"Probably should go right now." She said with a chuckle, "It's going on twelve, and we wanted to hang out before the bar opened at five." She gave Natsu a look as the sound of his favorite game loaded up onto the computer screen. "Natsu! we're gonna leave you if you don't come on."
Natsu groaned and dropped his game controller before standing from his chair, "Fine, fine. Let's go." Freed followed Lucy as she led them onto the front of Natsu's apartment, and Natsu excused himself to shut off all his electronics.
"Is Natsu a streamer? Like on Glitched?" Freed asked after he shut the door. Lucy looked over to him and nodded.
"Yeah, he's got a rather small following, but they're loyal, and he more so just does it for fun rather than a career, obviously." She crossed an arm over her chest and propped the other a top, and waved her hand in the air, "He plays like these small upcoming games that his followers suggest. Most of the time, it's games they made specifically for him." Freed gaped.
"Wow, that's really cool." Lucy hummed back with a smile. Freed wished he had the charisma to get in front of a camera and make videos for people on the internet. He never liked video games, but he enjoyed watching Bickslow when he played with Elfman. He was familiar with the popular titles because that was mostly what Bickslow talked about and only had opinions that mirrored Bickslow. Now that Freed thought about it, that was pretty much with everything other than literature or food. Freed really did depend on Bickslow for even the simplest things, like what games he thought were good or bad. Seeing their relationship from that angle, it was rather sad how diluted his personal preferences were. The reality of it all was that Freed just didn't have much experience outside his little apartment; therefore, he was simply unable to form his own opinions. Thinking about it that way made him more lonely and sad.
Natsu came out then and threw an arm around Freed's shoulder. "Alright! Let's go! Freed, were you going in your own car?" Freed paled when he realized his car was still at the restaurant the company had been at on Friday. There he had been, storming out of his apartment to leave, and he couldn't even go anywhere.
"Uh," Freed placed a hand on his face and groaned. "My car is at the restaurant still."
"Oh, damn. Would you like for us to take you to get it, or?" Freed thought back to his conversation with Laxus and their agreement that Laxus would bring him to work tomorrow.
"No," Freed said with a smile, "My roommate is going to take me before tomorrow. Thank you." Natsu smirked back and patted his head.
"Well, then you can ride with us! I'll drive."
"-I'll drive," Lucy said with a roll of her eyes, "You drive like a maniac, and I'm not about to scare Freed." Lucy started down the steps, with the boys in tow behind her.
"I only drive like a maniac in the car with you." Natsu corrected, "I get scared you'll fall asleep, and I'll have to hear your snores." Freed chuckled when Lucy turned around and acted like she was about to hit him. Freed had to admit, he was warming up to the two and enjoyed their comedic duo-like dynamic. "Ha! See, even Freed laughed." This time, Lucy actually did hit Natsu, wildly swinging her car keys at him.
"Just get in the car!" Freed walked over to the backseat of Lucy's car and got in, Natsu climbing in beside him. Lucy gave him a look, and Natsu threw his hands up in surrender.
"You just attacked me with car keys; I'd prefer to sit in the back with Freed."
"Or, you sit in the back, and Freed sits up front." Lucy looked over to Freed, giving him a pointed look. "Right?"
"Uh, s-sure." Freed scrambled up to the passenger side awkwardly while Lucy started the car. Freed took in her pink seat covers, the cute disco ball hanging from her rearview mirror, the cute little Zodiac-themed visor covers above them. It screamed feminine energy and Freed quite liked it. "Do you like the Zodiac?" Freed asked her.
"Like?" Lucy said in a fake dramatic gasp, "I love the Zodiac! You should see my apartment. I decorated my living room with these peel and stick wall stickers, and I have all twelve signs on my walls." Freed found that horrifically adorable. "I really like all of the constellations. My mom was an astrologist, so she taught me everything she knew when it came to the stars."
"An astrologist." Freed repeated. Lucy nodded.
"When I was younger, my mom owned a planetarium. She held tours and showings for the neighboring schools all the time. I was homeschooled my elementary years and was with her all the time. Her speeches and teachings were practically embedded in my brain." Freed sat amused. He had never met someone who had also been homeschooled before. His mother had attempted to homeschool him for the first few years of his life. From what he was told from various maids and butlers, he was pretty rowdy, and she didn't have the patience to try and fight through his tantrums. Besides, as her career took off, she didn't have the time to commit to six hours of study with him every day. So off, she shipped him to a private school where he met Bickslow. Freed was glad his mother was impatient and easily irritated; if she hadn't given up on homeschooling him, he would have never met Bickslow.
Freed relaxed back into his seat and stared out into the neighborhood as they drove through. He's been living in this area for over four years, and as he rode in Lucy's passenger seat, there were houses and buildings he'd never seen before. He supposed he'd never really had the mind to pay attention, but after being the one in the passenger seat, he was able to look out more.
"What was your home life like?" Lucy asked, glancing over a bit to catch Freed in his dreamlike trance. "You're so refined and calm. You give off high society vibes." Freed cringed.
"My mother is a model, and my father is the founder of Outergram." Lucy immediately slammed her break at a red light, jerking everyone in the car forward.
"What!? Your father is the founder of Outergram!?"
"Wait," Natsu said in pure astonishment, "That means he owns Glitched too! They're under the same company." Freed sighed but nodded his head. "Holy shit!"
Lucy's eyes were the size of saucers staring a gape at her co-worker. "Outergram is the biggest photo-sharing app since Instagram! Your father put Instagram and Twitch out of business." Freed groaned, rolling his head away from the two starstruck adults.
"I know," Freed mumbled, "I grew up hearing all about it."
Lucy looked over to Natsu just as he looked back at her. "Wait, so why don't you work for Just Inc. Oh my god," She said in realization, "Just Inc…Justine. It all makes sense."
"Because," Freed started. God, he hated going through this spill. Anytime anyone found out that Freed was related to the founder of such a vast platform, he always got asked why he lived in a tiny apartment with his best friend and only had two years of college. The answer was simple. Those were his parents, but that's all they were. They raised Freed up until he was eighteen, and then it was like a switch was shut off. Freed had no interest in Just Inc., and he quite literally despised his parents. There was no need for them to continue portraying this life of fabricated love and support. They were perfectly fine with Freed moving away. They'd done their jobs raising him until he was an adult, but now as an adult, their "job" was over. They could retire from being parents and focus on the one thing they loved more than Freed, the spotlight. "My parents and I never got along. I disagree with a lengthy list of values they hold, so I moved out. I wanted to make my own life disconnected from being their child. I wanted to be my own person." As the words left Freed's mouth, he realized they were almost contradictory. He wasn't his own person; he was just a mirror of whatever Bickslow was, whatever was projected around him. Sure he had his own traits and quirks that made him Freed, but in the end, he was no more than what he'd learned from his parents and Bickslow. There was no originality in Freed's life; nothing he was proud to say was him. He felt hallow. He didn't know himself in the slightest.
"Well," Natsu said with a quick dip of his shoulders. "That's enough of an explanation for me." Freed froze.
Lucy nodded her head and faced back to the road as the light turned green. "I know the feeling of not really caring for a parent. They may be who raised and gave birth to us, but that doesn't mean we have to accept the treatment they put us through." Freed couldn't believe what he was hearing. They agreed with him? Out of all of the times, Freed had explained to people why he didn't want to live under the paved path his parents had carved out for him, he got looks of shock and disappointment. Yet he'd found people who didn't judge him and actually sympathized with his views this time.
Freed's mouth was open in a positive shock at his co-workers. "You really mean that?" Lucy looked over to Freed and smiled.
"Anyone in FHA would tell you the same. I think that's why we love our jobs so much. We may not act like it and hide from our clients, but we have compassion for them. There's magic in helping people who can't afford to take care of themselves and piece together a stable lifestyle. They have rocky backgrounds, may have been runaways, may live in an abusive household; everyone's story is different, but everyone, even us as the workers, have one thing in common. We want better for ourselves; we want peace and a warm environment we can call home. That's why we work hard and do whatever we can to help whoever comes in." Freed remembered the first day he worked there and Gildarts's introduction to the company.
"No matter what their background is, no matter what their income may be, no matter the clothes they have on, or the way they smell, or the way they look. Your job is to find a way for them and get them in a stable home. Everyone deserves a roof over their head. We do more than just place them in homes; we find jobs, we provide daycare for children, we help build credit, and we nurture broken spirits. That's what this housing authority stands for. No matter what, we will find a way for each and every client that walks through that front door." It all made sense to Freed now why they were all so passionate, why they all went out and partied together, why everyone was so close and could laugh and smile freely around each other. It was why Natsu always came back to ask Freed if he had missed anyone while he disappeared in the office and stay late if he had to catch up with them. It was why, no matter how aggravated Lucy got with her clients, she always came to the lobby with a genuine smile on her face. It was why Gray always felt bad when he realized he had clients desperately trying to get in contact with him. It was why everyone worked so hard. They all went through similar experiences. "And never forget." Gildarts had ended off, "We're a family."
"I get it," Freed's face slowly turned up into a bright smile. "You're a family."
" We're a family," Natsu corrected. "You work there too. And you're included just like us." Freed had never heard those words before. He loved the sound of it, that feeling of being included he was now becoming so familiar with, and the way Lucy gave him a warm smile. He loved being around Natsu and Lucy.
Gray was quite happy to see the green-haired secretary standing at his doorstep smashed between a grinning Lucy and Natsu. Although he didn't want any more people from the office to see him perform, he was happy it was only Freed. They stayed over with Gray for a while, talking and waiting around for Loke to show up. The whole time Gray couldn't help but notice how more relaxed and open Freed was versus when they were all together at the company dinner. He laughed and joked more freely with Natsu and Lucy and sometimes added to the conversation on his own. It was rare and only happened one or two times, but Gray saw the slight growth. A sliver of himself was happy to see Freed being more open and enjoying his time with his co-workers. Gray could remember back to the first week Freed was at the office. He stuck to himself, ate lunch in his car, and only came to the others if they had clients there to see them. At first, Gray had just thought Freed was stuck up with the aura of someone who had grown up privileged. Gray just figured Freed felt he was better than everyone else. However, last Friday, he saw Freed was only socially awkward and kind of shy. Those traits he used to find annoying in the other man, he found now to be endearing.
When Loke showed up, the group piled in their cars and started for the karaoke lounge. Freed rode with Lucy and Natsu again, and Loke rode with Gray. Freed had never been to a lounge before, so he was a bit nervous. He'd been to a bar, courtesy of Bickslow wanting to get him absolutely toasted on his twenty-first, but other than that one time, Freed drank with Bickslow and Evergreen in the comfort of his own home.
Freed looked over to Lucy as she pulled into the parking lot. "Hey," He asked softly, "Are there normally a lot of people here?"
Lucy put her car in park and turned to face Freed. "At opening, no, but eventually, people start to come in as groups go up and perform. So around six." Freed sighed, feeling a slightly faster heartbeat. Lucy noticed how tense he was and looked back to Natsu for him.
"After Loke and Gray sing, we typically leave and bar hop afterward anyway." Natsu quickly throws in. "So if you get uncomfortable, just know we'll be leaving as soon as they finish." Freed nodded but still couldn't shake the feeling of nervousness through his body. Lucy put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a smile.
"Trust me," She said softly, "Once you see them sing, you'll forget everyone else in the room. They're awesome, and they're great performers." Freed looked out of his window over to Gray and Loke exiting the car, laughing and joking amongst themselves. Gray looked over to Lucy's car, and Freed liked to think their eyes connected even through the tenting.
"Okay," Freed breathed. Lucy grinned, and they all piled out, meeting up with Gray and Loke.
"I'm actually a bit nervous." Loke said with a slight blush, "Don't judge me if my voice cracks, Freed. I promise I usually don't. "
Gray rolled his eyes, "You're just going to start singing and find some woman in the crowd to air hump for three minutes." Freed cracked a slight chuckle as Loke shot Gray a distasted frown.
"It's part of the performance!" They all walked into the lounge, and Freed immediately caught the sight of a familiar face in the corner behind the bar. He blinked a bit in surprise but knew he wasn't dreaming. Right there smiling and passing out drinks was Lisanna Strauss, Mirajane's sister. Freed couldn't figure out why notably he could remember her name, but the moment he saw her, he immediately knew who it was regardless of the minimum contact they've had.
Before he could get lost staring at her, Lucy pulled Freed away to a corner of the lounge where a set of tall tables were.
"This is where we normally hang out," She explained to him, "It's away from everyone and close to the stage, so you can see the boys perfectly!" Freed thanked her and grabbed a seat, scanning the area. Like Lucy had said in the car, there weren't many people. A group of friends at a pool table watched two play a game. A couple was sitting at the bar with Lisanna, talking and joking with her. Two women at the top of the stage were fiddling with a computer. It looked to be adjusting the picture on a large projector at the back of the stage. Freed assumed that was the projector they used to display the karaoke lyrics. Three or four more people were scattered around holding drinks and bobbing their heads to the idle music playing until the karaoke started. Freed relaxed a bit into his seat when Lucy came and sat across from him at the table. Gray and Loke walked over to the two ladies up at the stage, possibly discussing their song choice for their performance. Freed looked over Gray's body, the lean muscles in his arm as he flexed his hands in talk, the tight skinny blue jeans hugging his hips, and his loose-fitted, camo-green shirt.
Lucy caught Freed staring, and a grin widened across her face. "He's bi," She whispered across the table. Freed blushed, whipping his head around to her.
"I! Uh-He-" Lucy's grin widened.
"Oh, stop! I saw the way you were looking. Trust me, I've been looking too." Lucy leaned in a bit more, grabbing Freed's arm and pulling him closer, "I'll let you in on a little secret. You've got competition." Freed raised an eyebrow as Lucy pointed over to a woman standing at the bottom of the stage. She had on a flowery white dress, strap heels, and her long curly blue hair tied up into a high ponytail. Freed thought she looked familiar but couldn't place where he'd seen her. "You know Juvia, right?"
"Ms. Lockster?"
"From accounting. Well, she comes in every Friday and Sunday just to see Gray and Loke. We can't figure out who she's interested in, but I've a strong feeling it's Gray. Sometimes Gray performs without Loke, and even on those days, she's right there at the bottom of the stage waiting on him." Freed looked the woman up and down. He couldn't help but feel a level of intimidation. She was gorgeous and definitely seemed like she and Gray would compliment each other well. "But," Lucy said, "From what I could gather from Gray, he's not really interested. Honestly, in the two years I've worked and been friends with him, I don't think he's actually seriously dated."
Freed slowly nodded, "I see."
"Don't let that discourage you, though," Lucy quickly said to him. Freed opened his mouth, but Lucy only waved her hand to stop him, "It's okay to have a little crush." She giggled, "Gray is a sweet guy, and he's good-looking. God, just wait until you see him sing. His voice is to die for."
"How do you know he's bi?" Freed finally said. Lucy gave Freed a knowing smirk and then turned her attention to the stage.
"You'll see when he performs." What? Freed narrowed his eyes at his blonde co-worker. How would he know someone's sexual orientation just from their karaoke performance? As Freed plundered on the idea a bit more, Natsu walked up beside Lucy and handed her a drink.
"Did you want something, Freed? I can go get it for you if you want. I'm friends with the bartender." Freed subconsciously looked over to Lisanna, still laughing and chatting away with that couple at the bar. Freed found it interesting that Natsu knew Lisanna, and they were friends. Freed was really starting to see just how small his little world actually was. It was almost as if everyone around him was connected in some way.
To Natsu, Freed only smiled and shook his head. "Um, no. I think I'm going to pass on alcohol today." Natsu smirked.
"Yeah, you got pretty drunk from the company party." He laughed, "But at least you're not all whiny and annoying like Lucy when she gets drunk." Freed laughed as Lucy smacked the back of his head and chastised him for picking on her. Gray and Loke walked over then with their own drinks in hand.
"We're going up at around six-thirty," Loke told them, "They're gonna start at around five-thirty, calling people up."
Lucy took a sip of her margarita before setting it down on the table in front of her and Freed, "What song are you guys singing today?"
Gray sent her a smirk, "That's a secret you'll just have to find out when we go up." Freed's face dropped, and he turned away from the group as they changed subjects of conversation. He was grateful for Lucy and the others stealing him away and giving him a distraction, but the thought that his own friend group was on thin ice, scared him. Sure he liked Loke, Lucy, Gray, and Natsu, but this wasn't the same. They were friends that had been around each other far longer than he'd been with them. Freed couldn't help but feel a bit out of place when they talked amongst each other. Whereas they already knew one another extremely well, Freed was still learning each of them. It probably didn't help that people were starting to file into the lounge, and Freed was beginning to feel subconscious about himself.
Gray looked over to Freed, looking off towards the pool table and the withdrawn look on his face. He'd hate to call him out in front of everyone if he wasn't feeling okay, but he also wanted to make sure the other man was alright. Gray shuffled over to the green-haired secretary and bumped him with his shoulder, gaining Freed's attention. "Hey," He mumbled lowly. "You alright?" Freed looked up and gave a half-smile.
"Just a bit overwhelmed." Gray looked over the people starting to pile in loudly, exclaiming how excited they were for the karaoke performances and getting tipsy off of mixed drinks. Gray softly slipped his hand around Freed's wrist and tugged him out of the chair.
"Hey," He called out to the others, "We're gonna go run outside for some fresh air right quick." Loke looked over briefly and waved them away. To Freed, Gray smiled and pulled him out of the building. "I was thinking about smoking before I got up on stage anyway."
They walked out onto the night-lined crosswalk and stood off to the side of the front door. "You smoke?" Freed asked. As if on cue, Gray pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and slipped a single stick out of the white and gold-trimmed box.
"Unfortunately," He pushed out like a sigh. "I don't like to admit it, but everyone sees me smoking at some point, so it's not like I can hide it." Freed watched as he brought the white cigarette to his lips, lit the end, and took a drag all before rolling his midnight blue eyes over to his companion. "Please don't tell me you smoke."
Freed chuckled and shook his head. "No, I don't."
"Good, if you ever do, you'll die. Remember that." Freed puffed out a laugh, and Gray watched him with a smile. "So you wanna tell me the real reason why you're here, or you're just gonna force me to believe you magically agreed to hang out with Natsu and Lucy?"
Freed pressed his back into the red brick building next to Gray and sighed. "I needed some time away from my roommate," Freed responds honestly.
"Yeah? What happened there?" Freed frowned down to his feet.
"I… I'm not really sure." Freed sighed and dropped his hands to his sides. He looked up into the cloudy winter sky, liking the chill in the air around them. There were a few flurries sprinkling around, letting couples and other bystanders know that a bit of snow was approaching. "He's my best friend, but I found out he'd been hiding something from me for a long time." Freed dipped his head back down to his feet and watched a tiny white speck drop onto his shoe and melt away. Gray listened and didn't interrupt Freed, only taking quick and frequent puffs from his cigarette. "We've been friends since we were children, and we never kept things away from each other. I just feel like we aren't as close as I'd thought we were. Kind of betrayed."
"Well," Gray said, "Maybe it's not that he wanted to keep it from you; maybe it's more something that he just couldn't share. Maybe it was too painful, maybe it's embarrassing, or maybe it's just too personal." Gray dropped the bud of the cigarette down to the ground and pulled out another one. "Even as friends, we have rights to things we want to keep personal, whatever the reason. Then sometimes, we hold things back without even realizing it. Whether it's because it's just a subconscious thing we do to ignore it, or because we're just trying to protect ourselves, we hold back even our deepest secrets from the ones we love." Freed thought back to the burned look of pain in Bickslow's eyes when he saw Laxus. That look of hesitance, hatred, even a bit of fear. As Gray's lips formed his words, Freed listened and realized, maybe he'd been looking at the situation wrong. In the end, it was the same for him. He subconsciously held back from Bickslow about his progress and his forming relationship with Laxus all because he was afraid that Bickslow would look at him differently. Maybe it was the same for Bickslow. "We're all humans," Gray continued, "And at the end of the day, whether we like to admit it or not, we're all cowards. And that's okay." Freed smiled over to Gray as he finished the last of his cigarette and dropped it to the ground. "Or something like that." Gray finished awkwardly.
"Thank you, Gray," Freed said softly. They were quiet together for a long moment before Freed spoke up again. "Actually, I went out with Natsu and Lucy because I wanted to see you again." Gray's eyes widened, and a dark-colored blush lined his cheeks. Did he just say that!? Gray put a hand over his mouth to hide his blush and looked away.
"O-oh! Yeah? Why's that?" Freed looked over to the front doors as a couple walked into the lounge, arm in arm.
"I guess out of everyone, I feel the most comfortable around you." Gray's heart took another jab, and he quickly looked away, so Freed wouldn't see that even his ears were turning red. "I already like the sound of your voice, so I was interested in how you'd sound singing." Too cute! Gray took in a deep breath and clenched his shirt at his chest. God, Freed could kill him with words alone.
"You're not being fair right now," Gray mumbled under his breath. Freed blinked over to Gray with confusion as the raven-haired man straightened himself and turned his body back to him. "Alright," He said with a smirk, "I'll give you a good show."