Gray and Loke hopped onto the stage and walked over to the two ladies from before. Loke walked over and whispered in one's ear and then grinned as she nodded and started typing on her computer. Then he walked over to Gray, already adjusting his microphone stand to his height. Freed watched with great curiosity as the screen in the back flashed, and a song name popped up behind the two men. Immediately knowing what song they were about to perform, the lounge went crazy. Lucy even hooped and hollered beside Freed, pumping her fists through the air all excitingly. Freed didn't know the song nor the artist, but judging by the Korean hangul next to the song name, he assumed it was possibly K-pop.

Oh, how greatly mistaken Freed was.

At the sound of the soft RnB instrumental that started up, Freed blinked back his tingling excitement as the two men started slowly tapping and bobbing their heads as the music began. Gray grabbed his mic and looked over the crowd with a smile. "Can I sing to you?" He asked, the rasp of his voice echoing all around the lounge. The ladies amped him up, all cheering as Loke walked to the edge of the stage to start off.

" Friday night, 10:30, Don't even have work tomorrow. A small room, just you and me, phones turned off. We won't rush, no. Let time take a rest. You don't have to talk. You can act how you feel. It's okay. " Freed was genuinely surprised by the higher pitch in voice Loke sang in. He enjoyed how he drug out syllables to create a beautiful melody with the instrumental. Freed noticed how the lyrics they were singing weren't the lyrics on the screen behind them. In fact, the lyrics were incomplete Korean. Freed wondered if they were singing the translated lyrics or perhaps lyrics of their own and just used the instrumental.

Gray walked to the opposite edge, looking down to Juvia, still standing firm by the stage. He crouched down, took her chin in his hands, and sang his lines to her. " You're where my gaze stops, baby. You're looking at the same place as me. " Freed blushed for her if, Juvia wasn't already blushing. Lucy wasn't kidding when she said Gray's voice was to die for. It was beautiful. His voice was dark, very manly. Freed loved the harsh raspiness and husky tones of Gray's singing voice, which didn't differentiate much from his regular speaking voice.

Loke met Gray back towards the middle of the stage, singing into his microphone with his eyes closed. " I love it, I Like it. Your lipstick darkly staining your lips. "

" You love it, and you like it. When you unbutton my shirt and toss it to the side. " Gray sang along with Loke. Freed's blush intensified to the sound of the lyrics. Freed was never really one to listen much to the lyrics of a song and more so enjoyed music for its instrumental, but it was definitely too hard not to hear every word that came out of their lips.

Together, the two slowly rocked back and forward, singing in unison, " Making love & love, we make love. Making love & love, and you love it " They danced in perfect synchronization, their hips swinging in time with the rhythm, Loke adding his own personal flair to it but bringing his free hand up and snapping it in time to the beat. Lucy screamed out beside Freed, cheering her friends on their cursed sexual lyrics. It didn't help that the two danced provocatively, giving all the ladies (and Freed) quite the show.

Gray pulled his mic from the stand, pulling the mic closer to make his voice resound louder around the lounge, " You're biting your lips, even without me having to ask; it tells me everything. You don't have to be nervous, so lower your hands. " Gray and Loke made their way off the stage and into the crowd of people, their cheers and catcalls taking over the music. Freed tried to catch where the boys had gone but could only see Loke walking to a group of ladies closest to the stage.

Loke grabbed one of their hands and began his part, " Just lose yourself to me, show me just who you are. " The woman looked as if she'd melt at the sight of Loke so close and singing suggestive lyrics to her. Loke gladly took it, spinning her and pulling her back flush against his chest as they rolled to the sound of the music. " Oh bae, bae, our eyes keep meeting. "

" The sound of our hearts make loud tremors ." Freed couldn't see Gray but could definitely hear his voice swirling throughout the room.

Loke slipped away gracefully from the woman he was dancing with and slowly stroked his way to another sitting in the tables beside Freed. " You can't hear the music over our breathing. "

Gray finally came into the picture, sliding his way up to Lucy on the other side of Freed. She squealed in delight, earning an eye roll from Natsu next to her. " I hold you close, oh " Just as Gray said, he pulled Lucy in close as the hook started again.

" I love it, and I Like it. Scratches messily left everywhere. " Loke made his way over to Freed, smiling at his new friend, and tugged him out of his seat. Freed awkwardly stumbled to his feet as Loke slid around him dancing, and he just stood there watching. Freed felt utterly embarrassed, feeling everyone watching him as he essentially got a standing lap dance from his co-worker and all he could do was stand there in shock and horror.

Gray noticed and dipped away from Lucy, making his way over. " You love it, and you like it. Drenched in sweat, I won't let you relax. "

Freed was completely frozen as the two men danced in sync again right in front of him, their voices melding together in harmony as they sang the chorus. " Making love & love, we make love. Making love & love, and you love it " The instrumental took over, leading them to break strictly into dance, the cheers booming throughout the lounge as they grinded into the air and slid their hands all over themselves. Lucy was a hollering mess next to Freed, who still stood utterly shocked. Freed couldn't take his eyes off of Gray. He could tell this came naturally to him like this was second nature. Gray danced and performed like it was as easy as breathing. Gray looked like he was having all the fun in the world, dancing in time to the beats alongside Loke. Whereas Loke was good at dancing and obviously enjoyed what he was doing, it didn't hold a candle to Gray's sharp movements and fluent gestures. His stage presence was through the roof; Freed couldn't understand why this was only a pastime for Gray. He could have easily made it big.

The music slowed to a soft drum as Gray took over the hook again. He stood directly in front of Freed, his hands moving to the sound of his voice as he sang. " I like it, and I love it, Your long hair, and even the freckles under your eyes. " Freed stood mesmerized as everything else in the room evaporated. Freed no longer felt mortified by the other women's looks in the lounge. He no longer felt subconscious that he could only stand there in front of Gray and not move or dance with him. He could no longer hear the clutter or clanging of glasses at the bar, Lucy's cheers, nor the soft, slow beat accompanying Gray's voice. All he could see and hear was Gray as he softly ran his fingers through Freed's hair. Freed didn't blush, his breath didn't hiccup in his chest, and his heartbeat didn't skyrocket. He felt relaxed, just staring into Gray's dusty dark blue eyes as the words left his lips . So this was what Lucy meant. " I want nobody but you, babe. The two of us as one, this dissipating moment. " Gray gave his all on the last note, drawing it out in a high note as the music amped up and Loke joined him in the chorus one last time.

" Making love & love, we make love. Making love & love, and you love it " As the song ended, the crowd screamed for the boys. Loke threw an arm around Gray's shoulders, pulling him away from Freed and back up to the stage to return the microphones.

"Bet you fell in Love," Lucy purred, pulling Freed into a hug. Freed blushed and turned his head away from her, only making his blonde friend laugh. "I told you he was a great performer! Gray's amazing." Lucy's voice dropped down to a whisper, "personally," she said as they both watched Gray and Loke make it back over to them. "Gray outshines Loke by a long shot." Freed couldn't have agreed more. Loke had a lovely voice, but it wasn't particularly unique. Gray, however, had a majestic-like voice. It was perfect for RnB, the kind of music supposed to make you swoon. Husky, sexy, dark, and airy were all words perfect for describing the sound of Gray's voice. Freed wanted to hear more and more of it.

"So," Loke said, making it over to Lucy, Natsu, and Freed, "How was the show?"

"Amazing as always!" Lucy cooed with a smile, "You guys are awesome; it's only a matter of time before someone scouts you guys out and drops a deal." Gray lifts an eyebrow at his blonde friend and chuckles.

"I can hardly imagine an agent scouting for talent in a karaoke bar. Maybe if we had participated in contests or were actively looking for gigs, we would bump into an agent."

"So why don't you?" Freed cut in. "You guys have the talent and the stage presence. I don't see why you shouldn't at least try."

Gray gave Freed a warm smile and shrugged his shoulders. "Our hearts are with FHA. If we spent any time chasing a dream, we couldn't give our full attention to our actual jobs. Besides, we like it where we are." Loke nodded in agreement, "We're content."

Freed wanted to retort back, but the thought of him saying that very same thing to Bickslow a couple of weeks ago struck his mind. Even though he was branching out and beginning to blossom out of his comfort zone, there was no way he could urge someone else to do the same. Besides, they were two separate matters. Whereas Freed's crossdressing was more of a personal change, Gray and Loke's would be a whole career change. Freed always had the option to stop and bail out if things got too difficult for him, but if gray and Loke pursued music full-time, they would have to persevere through even if things got tough. The music industry was cutthroat, and they could seriously impact their lives if things didn't go well.

Natsu broke through the happy chatter as more people began pushing in through the lounge, "It's getting packed in here, and Freed's not good with big crowds. So how about we go ahead and swap over to the second part of tonight. Bar-"

"Nope!" Everyone looked over to Lucy with her hand up, stopping Natsu. "No bar hopping. We all have work in the morning."

Natsu gave her a frown, "We always bar hop every Sunday! What difference does it make this time!?" As if everyone had a telepathic connection, all eyes shifted to Freed.

"Maybe," Loke said with a chuckle, "We carry on a new tradition with the new member of our group. We can still have a drink or two, but we should do it in home comfort. I say we crash Lucy's place and drink up her wine collection!" Gray's face perks up at that, and he slaps a hand in Loke's.

"I am a hundred percent down for that. Everyone to Lucy's house!" Gray and Loke cheered, marching out the lounge doors. Lucy groaned and slapped a hand to her face.

"Why is it always my place!?" She whined, following after them. Freed still stood watching the others leave when Natsu looked over to him.

"Is that okay for you, Freed?" Natsu asked, looking into his green-haired friend cautiously. Freed gave him a smile and nodded his head. He was, in fact, thrilled that the others reconfigured their night around his silly little social anxiety. It really made him feel like a part of the group.

"Yeah," Freed said softly, "Thank you, guys."

Bickslow pulled his visor back as he slowly stopped spinning his blowpipe, looking up to his assistant standing close by with the punty in his hand. "Alright, Romeo," Bickslow said, "You can bring it over now." Romeo made his way over and carried the large stick to the end of the formed vase. Bickslow applied a bit of water to his end of the blowpipe and slowly broke away the vase. "Thank you," He mumbled as he capped the top of his blowpipe.

"We're almost done?" Romeo asked, twirling the vase around the tip of the punty.

Bickslow looked back at him, "Be careful." Bickslow dunked the blowpipe into a small bucket of water at the end of his workshop and started back over to the younger boy. "But yes. We're almost done." Romeo hummed at this as he passed Bickslow the punty, and he walked it over to the furnace and pushed the opening part of the vase to heat it up. Romeo watched tentatively as Bickslow pulled it back out and walked it back over to the bench, where he dropped the punty and started using his jack priers to form an opening in the vase.

"I'll never get over this," Romeo marveled softly. "I love watching you make vases." Bickslow smiled to himself. It was a sad smile, and he only cracked it out for a brief second, but it was there. It'd been a long time since he heard someone watch him work with such admiration. It had only been four months that he'd been training Romeo and took him as an employee for his shop, but the boy never failed to be utterly mesmerized by Bickslow's craft.

Four months ago, Bickslow was sitting in the front of his shop, reworking a display on the corner of the small room, when the chime of his front door sounded through the room. "Welcome," He had called out, not even turning around to look at the customer.

Romeo shuffled over to him, a flyer in his hand, and pushed it out onto the glass counter between him and Bickslow. "Um…Excuse me, sir?" He said softly. Bickslow turned then, looking down to the blue-haired younger boy and then down to the flyer in his hand. "You came to my college, right?" He had almost whispered.

Bickslow had actually visited a couple of schools for their career day. He set up a booth, held up flyers, and had been completely ignored by all the male students. Bickslow knew glass blowing wasn't something people were interested in anymore, but he still worked hard to recruit a team. His shop had been in business for over three years at that point, and he was the only employee. He worked long nights and long days in the back where his workshop was, forming and creating vases to display at the front. His business was fairly popular; many women came in looking for cheap yet expensive looking vases and sculptures for their homes. He even got quite the buzz around Valentine's and Mother's day. Yet, he knew the more popular he'd get, the more help he would need to keep up a decent inventory. That's when Romeo came into the shop, looking up into his eyes twinkling with young excitement.

"I want to learn how to make glass!" he had proclaimed. Bickslow was taken aback by the determination in his voice, yet he found it refreshing to see someone excited to learn. Glass blowing was special to him, and he loved the idea of taking on an apprentice, so he had. He immediately hired Romeo, worked around the boy's college schedule, and gradually taught him what he knew. A little later down the line, Bickslow hired Romeo's cute girlfriend, Wendy, to work the front while the boys stayed in the back working on creating vases. The three of them ran the shop, and for Bickslow, that was enough for him. The two worked hard, and he trusted them more than anything. Over the four months, they had become younger siblings of a sort, and Bickslow adored them. It reminded him too much of his college years, watching the two of them together. Too much of his own time in love and planning a future with his college girlfriend.

Bickslow applied water to the end of the punty, then walked to the annealing oven and dropped the vase in. "Alright," Bickslow breathed with a smile, "Now we're done." Romeo smiled and took off his gloves, throwing them over to a table in the far corner of the workshop.

"Awesome!" He cheered, causing Bickslow to chuckle at him a bit.

"Let's go to the front and check on Wendy so we can close down the shop." Romeo nodded and followed his boss out of the door leading to a small and short hallway to the store. Romeo looked over to Bickslow's stern face and tapped his shoulder.

"Hey," He said softly, "You okay today? You seem a little distant." Bickslow's face hardened as the thought of Laxus in his apartment rang in his head again. After he argued with Freed that morning and his conversation with Evergreen, all he wanted to do was come into his workshop and work off the steam. Romeo and Wendy were the only two who worked on weekends with Bickslow in the back, always creating vases. When he texted the two and told them he'd be a bit late today, they offered to open independently, and Bickslow trusted them to do it well. He felt better after talking with Evergreen, but the lingering worry Laxus was up to something constantly clouded his mind.

"Yeah," Bickslow quickly told him, "I'll be alright." Romeo wasn't satisfied with that answer. As Bickslow went to open the door to the back of the shop, Romeo cut in front of him to stop him.

"Be honest, you look like shit. And on top of that, you came in late. That never happens. Me and Wendy can handle the front part on our own…so if you need a break, we can take care of things." Bickslow gave him a look and then laughed him off, pushing the younger boy to the side.

"That's not necessary. I'm good, squirt. Let's just focus on getting you and Wendy home." He said, dismissing anything else Romeo had to say.

Wendy was at the register, wrapping up a vase for a woman on the other side of the counter. Bickslow gave her a quick greeting before turning to his employee. "You can shut down when you get finished, okay?" Wendy gave Bickslow a smile and nodded as she passed the bag with the vase over to the woman across the counter. They exchanged money, and after a farewell, the customer was gone. Bickslow pulled down the garage doors to the shop for security as Wendy began counting her drawer and talked lowly with Romeo.

Bickslow sighed when all the doors were shut, locked, and all closing duties had been completed. He walked to the back door leading out to his car with Romeo and Wendy at his hips. "Good work today." He said, clamping a hand to either of their shoulders.

Wendy laced her arm into Romeo's, and they turned in the direction of the closest bus stop. "We're going to catch the last bus to our apartment," Romeo told Bickslow. His boss slowly nodded, dropping his hands down to the sides of his body. Ever since he'd hired Romeo, he had been picking up and dropping the younger boy off at his apartment. He'd gotten so used to having to leave early from work every morning or added in the extra time it took to detour to Romeo's apartment when riding home.

"Alright," he said with a smile. "Text me and let me know you two have made it safely." Bickslow watches the couple leave, picking up on a discussion about dinner being the last thing he could hear as they trotted off to the bus stop. Bickslow turned then and started for his own car when he caught her. He could see the white lining of her hair, her tall and slender legs pressed into the side of his car, the small puffs of hair she breathed out creating clouds all around her. And then her starry blue eyes when she heard his slow rugged footsteps shuffling through the light bits of snow forming on the ground. "Lisanna?" He whispered.

Lisanna pushed off the side of his car and met him where he stood, stunned and too scared to move. She lifted her soft red mittened hands to the scarf around her neck and pulled the black and white checked garment off before draping it around Bickslow's neck. "I knew that was you," Lisanna whispered back, keeping her hands at the base of the scarf. "You grew out your hair and changed the way you dressed…But I know those eyes anywhere."

Bickslow broke then, snapping her small body deep within his own, and held her as close as possible into his chest. Tears immediately clouded Lisanna's vision, distorting the world around them, until all she could see was a watery reflection of the cold business center streets. Bickslow cupped the back of her head, scared if he let her go, he'd wake up; this would be a dream, and he'd never see her again.

Lisanna let herself relax into his body, balling the fronts of his jacket into her hands smashed in between them. "You never dress warmly enough," she mumbled softly.

Bickslow matched her tone and shook his head, "I need you there to make sure I dress properly."

"Silly… I'm not your mom. You have to learn how to do these things on your own." Lisanna closed her eyes and took in the smell of a campfire-like musk on Bickslow's chest. Faintly she could smell him, his natural manly scent, and she craved for it more. If only she could pull his jacket off, take away the layers of clothing separating their skin-to-skin contact, she could breathe in Bickslow, the familiar scent she loved so many years ago.

It's been four years since they had even seen each other, possibly longer since they'd last touched. Bickslow longed to feel her short strands of hair against his fingertips again and the warmth from her body. He was terrified he'd finally gone crazy, and she wasn't really there in his arms. He was frightened that he hallucinated her image after wanting to be near her for so long.

"I can't tell if this is a dream or reality." He admitted breathlessly. Lisanna hummed and buried her head farther into his chest.

"I wouldn't mind either one," She said, "Even if this were a dream, I'd finally get to touch you again. That's enough for me. Even that could make me die from happiness."

"It's not enough." Bickslow fought back, "I'm greedy; I want more. I have to have more of you." He clenched her tighter. "If this is a dream, I want to be greedy and take all that I can." Lisanna could feel her cheeks lightly flare with a blush, yet her face was dazed. She'd become drunk off the feeling of Bickslow against her and the sound of his voice. Even the frigid cold air made her feel warm. She felt hot and dizzy, as if she'd been sitting in a sauna. She didn't want this to end.

"Bickslow?" She whispered. "Can I go home with you?" Bickslow croaked a soft whimper at the sound of her voice pleading for more time with him. How could he reject her?

Bickslow gently let her go and looked down into her eyes. "You won't get in trouble?" Lisanna chuckled and shook her head.

"It's not like I care anymore. Please, Bickslow?" That was all Bickslow needed to hear. He quickly led her over to his passenger seat and settled her inside before climbing in on the other side himself.

Lucy sighed, blinking back in slight irritation at the two drunk boys leaning against her shoulders for support. "I have no idea how it even ended up this way," She grumbled to herself. Gray sat next to her and chuckled as he put their C ards Against Humanity deck away.

"I think Natsu has the same level of tolerance as Freed." He joked, rapping the bottom of the cards onto the floor to align them

Loke walked from out of Lucy's kitchen, his hands still a bit damp from washing their glasses in her sink. "Cana's gonna kill us for getting Freed drunk again." Lucy groaned, shoving her pink-haired best friend off her shoulder and fighting the temptation to do the same to Freed.

"Did you happen to know which apartment number was his?" Loke asked, "I could drop him off when I got to drop off Natsu."

"Unfortunately, no. He was already heading down the stairs when I was going up. I didn't see which door he came out of." Lucy said with another heavy sigh. Gray helped the blonde pull Freed off her shoulder and lifted him up on his feet.

"I could just bring him to my house. Let Gildarts know in the morning he's out sick or something." Loke nodded, but Lucy put her hand up and waved Gray's offer away.

"Freed could stay here. It's really not a bother. He's already half-asleep, so it'd probably just be best to keep him here so he can sleep off the alcohol. Just dump him in my bed." Loke gave Lucy a quirked eyebrow and a sneaky grin.

"What would Natsu think knowing another man slept in your bed?" Loke teased. Lucy shot him and look before rolling her eyes.

"Natsu's not gonna know another man slept in my bed because you're gonna keep your mouth shut about it." Loke laughed and threw his hands up in surrender.

"I'm joking, joking."

Gray drug a half-conscious Freed down Lucy's hallway and over to her bedroom. Kicking the door open, Freed jolted a little at the sound of the frame hitting the wall and looked around cautiously.

"You're alright," Gray said with a faint laugh, "Lucy gave me strict orders to make you go to bed. So you're gonna we staying with her tonight." He brought Freed over to Lucy's bed, depositing him in her already pulled back sheets. "You're okay with that, right?" Freed didn't respond. He laid back into Lucy's pillows and sighed; his hooded eyes flutter closed. Gray looked over him for a minute, waiting to see if he had fallen asleep already. He leaned over to Freed and poked a finger into his cheek, making the other man's face contort a bit in discomfort. Fucking precious. "If you can tell me what your apartment number is, I could bring you home…." Gray muttered, feeling sure Freed was already too gone to hear him. "Or you could sleep here." He said lowly with a chuckle. "Get some rest, Freed." And with that, Gray gave his friend one last smile before walking back into Lucy's living room. Loke was already halfway out the door with Natsu tugged over his shoulder. He gave Gray a wave goodnight and shut Lucy's door behind him.

Lucy turned then to Gray and smiled. "Did he put up a fight?" She asked.

"Nope, was out the moment he touched the covers." Lucy laughed and handed Gray his playing cards. "If you need anything, just let me know."

Lucy gave him one firm nod and a thumbs up. They walked over to her front door, and Gray slipped past, stepping onto her front steps. "Of course, of course! But I'm sure housing a drunk Freed isn't too much different than a drunk Natsu. Just don't tell Cana!" Gray smiled.

"You get some sleep as well, Lucy. I'll see you in the morning." Lucy waved Gray goodnight and watched him climb down her apartment's stairs before closing and locking up for the night.

The happy chirping of birds outside the window cradled Freed into consciousness. There was a think lingering smell of feminine perfume around the room, and warmth nestled into his chest. Freed groaned and rolled towards his left, smacking right into whatever was pressing onto his body. Very slowly, he opened his eyes and made out chocolate orbs gazing back at him and blonde hair. Freed jerked himself into a sitting position in a moment of pure panic, jolting his blonde co-worker beside him.

"Well," Lucy said with a soft giggle, "safe to say my face didn't grace your morning."

"Ms. Heart- Lucy…" Freed gasped down into her pink bedsheets. "What…?"

"What…?" Lucy echoed, waiting for Freed to finish his statement. Freed didn't say anything, just stared down top his hands. "What happened?" She offered.

"Why am I in your bed? I-" Freed pushed out a growing headache at the bridge of his nose. This couldn't be happening. "Please don't tell me-"

"Oh my god," Lucy doubled over in laughs and rolled over on her back. "Do you have like memory loss or something?" She snickered, "No, we did not have sex."

"Well, that's a relief." Lucy looked over to Freed with a snort and sat up next to him.

"Boy, you sure do know how to make a gal feel good." She grumbled. Freed looked over to her with a gentle, polite smile.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way. I just didn't want things to become awkward for us, considering…." Freed trailed off as suddenly last night's events crowded back in his brain. "Oh, that's right, I got drunk and fell asleep." Lucy giggled, tugged her comforter off her legs, and paddled over to her bathroom.

"You can camp out here for the day if you'd like. We were going to tell Gildarts and Erza you were sick so you could rest a bit." Lucy called out from her bathroom. "Help yourself to whatever you'd like from my kitchen." Freed fumbled with his hands, feeling the forming's of a headache crowding his forehead. He honestly didn't know if he felt comfortable calling out of work because he'd gotten drunk and had a slight hangover. How immature of him would that be? He sighed, pulling himself out of bed as well, and began carefully making up his side of Lucy's bed. A soft blush tented his cheeks at the thought of sharing a bed with his gorgeous co-worker and their very intimate positioning.

Lucy walked out then gave him a slight frown, "What are you doing?" She snapped. "You're supposed to be resting!"

Freed took a pillow and pressed it to the back of Lucy's headboard before grabbing another. "Yes, but I couldn't possibly call out of work without reason." Lucy rolled her eyes.

"Don't be all goody. People call out of work for dumbass reasons all the time. And you don't even have your car still. If you wait until after work, I'll drive you over to the restaurant to get it." Freed froze.

The restaurant.

His car.

Work.

Laxus!

Freed snapped his head up and darted his eyes around Lucy's bedroom. "W-where is my phone?" Lucy gives him a curious eye.

"Probably still in my living room. What's wrong?"

"I-um…What time is it." Lucy grabbed her phone from under her pillow and flashed the home screen.

"6:47. We have plenty of time to make it if you're worried about being late. Wait, what the hell are you gonna wear!?" Freed couldn't hear a word Lucy was saying. All he heard was that he was late, and Laxus had probably gone to Freed's apartment alone. What if Bickslow was there!? Would they get into a fight? What would Laxus think when Bickslow told him he wasn't home? Freed groaned, sinking his head into his hands. He couldn't even call Laxus and clarify everything because they still hadn't exchanged numbers. Laxus was going to be pissed, and Bickslow was going to be even more pissed if he already wasn't.

Lucy saw the look in Freed's eyes and the glimpse of pure frustration flashing his features. "Freed, are you okay? If you need your car, I don't mind going in late to take you."

"No," Freed sighed, "It's not that. Um… I'm just going to go to the office for now." Freed figured it would be best to see Laxus in person and talk to him about everything. Luckily Bickslow would be gone already for work and wouldn't have bumped into him, and maybe he wouldn't be so angry if he knew Freed was just out with Friends. But then it crossed Freed; why was he so worried what Laxus would think? Freed couldn't help thinking back to his kiss with Laxus, the first one being such a pleasant surprise only to be followed up by the much more welcoming and gentle second. When he thought of Laxus's chapped whiskey lips, it made him blush ferociously. Freed was afraid Laxus would think there was something between him and Lucy. He didn't want that, not because of Lucy, but because he didn't want Laxus to stop his advances.

Oh god, was he falling for Laxus? No way! They just met!

No, it wasn't love. Freed knew the only reason he wanted Laxus to keep pursuing him was that he craved that attention. Laxus gave him the feeling of being desired, something Freed had never experienced before. The idea that someone wanted to help him other than Bickslow, the idea that someone was expecting more from him in an intimate way, sent his heart running. Laxus was a devilishly handsome man and someone who accepted both sides Freed had to offer; of course, Freed wouldn't want anything to jeopardize that. He had to talk to Laxus and clear up any misunderstanding.

Lucy paddled over to her dresser across from her bed and crouched down to a drawer at the bottom. "If you're worried about clothes, I have a few of Natsu's clothes for when he sleeps over. Maybe you could fit something of his." She dug around throughout the articles of clothing, humming in concentration. "You're a bit taller than him…a little less buff, though." Lucy pulled out some black slacks and then walked over to her closet, pulling out a blue collared polo. "Worst-case scenario, the pants flood, and the shirt is too big." She handed Freed the clothes and gave him a smile. "But at least you won't be naked!"

A few quick knocks sounded throughout the apartment. Bickslow cringed and slowly shifted his eyes open up into the familiar setting of his bedroom ceiling. When the knock sounded through again, he slowly peeled himself out of bed and onto his feet, careful not to disturb Lisanna. As he rounded the corner into the hallway, he quickened his pace before eventually making it to his front door. He opened it, greatly vexed to see Laxus standing there with his arms crossed over his chest and face quickly flashing into a frown. A lingering stab of fear coursed through the back of Bickslow's mind, knowing Lisanna was only a few feet away, shielded only but a couple walls and a bedroom door. Was he here to come and get her? He had to be; she'd stayed out all night. Mira must have called Laxus out of worry. But how did he know she was with him?

Laxus stepped in rudely and looked around the apartment. Bickslow didn't shut the door, only turning and facing laxus. "Where is he?" He boomed

"Keep your voice down," Bickslow snapped, "We do have neighbors. And who?"

"Freed." Bickslow blinked back in surprise, the tension in his shoulders dissolving.

"Uh…His room?" Now that Bickslow thought about it, did Freed even come back home? Bickslow hadn't thought to check on his best friend with Lisanna straddling his hips when they walked through the threshold. Bickslow blushed at their previous night's activities and hoped Freed hadn't heard all of that. Bickslow hadn't seen nor touched Lisanna in years. So the moment he saw her, the only thing he wanted to do was literally feel every inch of her body. Nothing mattered. He'd forgotten all about their argument and Evergreen's advice. All he could think about was Lisanna. Embarrassment was welling in his chest as Laxus walked back in with a harsh scowl on his face.

"This some kinda joke?" He barked at Bickslow. "He's not even in there." Bickslow blinked back in confusion, pushing past the blonde brute and into Freed's room. Sure enough, Freed wasn't there.

Bickslow peered over to a silver clock hanging on Freed's wall and caught the time. "It's already 6:40. He's probably on his way to work now."

"Yeah?" Laxus snapped back, "And how did he get there? I brought him home from the restaurant. Unless," Laxus gave Bickslow a deep glare, "You took him to get his car."

Bickslow looked down to his feet, his head dancing with anxiety as the realization something was possibly wrong clouded the room. This wasn't like Freed. Freed told him everything. Maybe they'd had a spat and were obviously holding things back from each other, but Freed would never stay out all night without telling someone.

"No," Bickslow said slowly, "He left yesterday morning, and I went to work. I hadn't seen him since."

"Call him," Laxus growled. "Now." Bickslow raised an eyebrow but dipped away from Freed's room and retreated into his own. As he shut the door, Lisanna peeked out from under the covers, a worried look on her face. Bickslow scurried over and threw the blanket back over her head, but Lisanna pulled it back down.

"Stay under there for right now!" He whispered frantically. "If he sees you, we're both screwed."

"Why is he here?" Lisanna hissed back, "Is he still bothering you!?"

"No-" Bickslow could hear Laxus walking back into the living room, so he spoke up a bit more. "It's a long-ass story, I'll tell you later." Bickslow grabbed a pillow beside her and threw it over her face, and pushed her back into the bed. "For now, just hide!"

After grabbing his phone, Bickslow stumbled back into the living room and dialed Freed's number. Laxus stood, his body turned away from him, and tapped his foot irritably onto the ground. The phone rang but Freed never answered. Bickslow's heart dropped as the dial tone cut and the answering machine picked up. Bickslow cut the call and looked over to Laxus.

"Give me his number." Laxus snapped. Bickslow narrowed his eyes and instead tucked his phone into his pocket.

"Why are you here anyway?" Bickslow sneered back, "Sure, you dropped him off Friday, but what's the point of you being here now?"

Laxus snapped right in front of Bickslow, cutting his eyes down at him with a threatening glare. "You didn't even know he was missing. You didn't take him to get his car. You can't get into contact with him. Do you have any right to question any motive of mine? My reasoning is none of your concern, so piss off." Laxus's eyes cropped up to the bedroom door on the right side of the hallway, slowly creeping open. Laxus could see her peeking from the small chink, and he knew exactly who it was. He saw her shoes pressed up against the wall by the front door. "I'll tell you what," Laxus said with a smirk. "I'll turn a blind eye to Lisanna being here if you give me Freed's number."

Bickslow gritted his teeth together. So Laxus did know Lisanna was here. "This some kind of trade-off?" Bickslow barked back.

"I'm trying to help you. You don't want Mira finding out Lisanna played hooky to come screw her ex-boyfriend. I'll keep quiet, and you give me Freed's number."

Bickslow looked down to his feet, clenching his fists so tightly he was sure he was puncturing his palm. "What the hell?" Bickslow grumbled. His body trembled. It was dread, disgust, pain, and rage all melting into his body. Bickslow didn't know what to do with all of these emotions; he didn't know how to react whenever he was around Laxus. He hated him. He wanted Laxus to know he utterly despised him. His body wanted nothing more to fight against him, against his voice, his presence, his relationship with Freed, everything. But he couldn't make his body move. He couldn't bring himself to fight Laxus again. All he had to say was for Laxus to stay away from him and Freed, that's it. So why? Why was he so scared?

"That's fine." Bickslow's eyes quickly darted to his left to find Lisanna giving Laxus a hard stare. "Whatever you want, Laxus, we'll agree to it."

"Lisanna!" Bickslow hissed at her, but she only put her hand up to silence him.

"But," Lisanna quickly cut in, "You say a word to Mira, and we'll do the same. About Freed." Laxus looked down at them with an arched eyebrow. He was thoroughly amused; it even cracked a laugh out of him. How bold was she to come out and face him like this? Years ago, Lisanna would have only cowered and done what she was told, but here she was putting her foot down against him. Laxus could have cared less about Bickslow and Lisanna's relationship. Yet, seeing as Lisanna made it clear she would retaliate herself, it showed she knew just as much as Laxus knew about dealing with her sister.

"Whatever you say," Laxus cracked out with a lopsided grin, "We have a deal."