After watching Freed leave and cleaning up the make-up studio, Mira headed into the main salon for her appointment with Lucy. She had never met this woman before, but being this was someone Laxus had brought to her, she wasn't feeling very happy about it. Laxus came to her the day before asking if she would book an appointment for one of his co-workers, which was unusual for him. In the four years she's had her salon Laxus had only ever visited. He never brought anyone to Mira for an appointment. In fact, if Laxus had ever fooled around with anyone, he never made them known to her.

So the moment she laid her eyes on the blonde chatting lightly with Kinana in a salon chair, her body burned with envy. She was gorgeous. Long golden hair, big brown eyes, and a dazzlingly bright smile.

Mira fixed a smile on her face and walked over. "I'm so sorry!" She said with an airy sigh. "I had a make-up client!" Lucy peered over to Mira and sent her a smile back.

"That's okay! I wasn't waiting long." Mira ran a hand through Lucy's hair and turned her away from the mirror.

"Kinana already washed you up and blow-dried it?" Lucy nodded. "Great! What kind of style were you looking for?" Lucy sighed, blushing lightly.

"Well, I didn't really have an idea for anything. I was just going to let you do whatever." Mira had a few ideas, but none of them were pleasant. "Honestly, I just wanted to come and meet you. I heard so much about you from Laxus and Freed." Freed? Mira hummed at that. Was she possibly a friend of Freed? Maybe Laxus was just being nice by helping a friend of a friend? Then again, Laxus was a sucker for a pretty face. There was no way he'd ignore that busty blonde if she was a co-worker. Mira gave her another fake smile and ran her fingers along her hair again.

"I think you would look amazing with a blowout. But since Kinana has already washed and blow-dried, I'm just going to curl it and put it up for you. If I set the curls, you could wear them tomorrow when you go to work." Lucy smiled back and nodded her head.

"That would be amazing! I'll be back, so we can always try the blowout another time." Mira grinned and started sectioning off Lucy's hair. She had to find out more about the other woman, but Mira wasn't sure how to approach her. Lucy seemed bubbly and sweet, so it wouldn't really be a problem talking to her; the problem was finding the right words to say.

"Your hair is so beautiful," Mira started, "And it's really healthy. You don't really need a stylist." Lucy waved her hand at the flattery.

"Thank you! I don't do much to it. I just kind of wash and go. I did do a lot of research on like harmful products and stuff, so I know my shampoo and conditioner are good for my hair. I also do a protein treatment every now and then."

"Wow! You take such good care of your hair. That must be why it's able to grow so long. Next time, I can help you with a keratin treatment and give you these biotin drops that will help make your hair fuller." Lucy sighed with a wave of happiness.

"That would be perfect. I've always struggled with my hair not being very thick." Mira smiled again, plugged in her two-inch hair curler, and prepped her rollers.

"You're so pretty. I bet your boyfriend is thrilled." Lucy blushed, covering her hand over her mouth.

"Oh-uh...Well, I don't really have a boyfriend." That piqued Mira's interest.

"Oh?" Mira started at the bottom of Lucy's hair, curling and making her way up. "Then you must get all of the attention at the office. Are you at least seeing anyone?" Lucy's face seemed to darken in color as she thought about her little flirty relationship with Natsu.

"Ah…well, I guess you can say I'm seeing someone from the office." Mira's face completely falls. That would make sense. Laxus wasn't her boyfriend, but she saw him from time to time. Mira knew Laxus wouldn't commit to anyone. This only confirmed for her that Lucy was messing around with Laxus . Her Laxus. "Um, what about you, Mira?"

Mira would rather not tell Lucy about her personal life, but she didn't want to come off as rude…just yet. "No," Mira said, picking her smile back up. "I've only ever dated one person."

"Really! You're so gorgeous, Mira! There's no way! I would have thought you were already married." Mira giggled. Even though she didn't particularly like Lucy, she couldn't help finding her awestruck behavior endearing. "I've only ever dated one person as well. It was terrible." Mira pinned up a curl and looked up to Lucy with a raised eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Lucy cringed as thoughts of her first relationship clouded her mind.

"He was an absolute asshole. Probably one of the worse people I've ever met. It took everything to get him off my back.." Mira's gears started to turn as she listened to Lucy ramble on about how horrible of a man he was. This could be something useful if she played her cards right.

Freed was completely spaced out the following morning. He woke up that morning late, made it to work late, accidentally skipped breakfast, and nearly got into an accident on the way to work. And it was all because of Laxus. When Laxus dropped Freed off at his car back at Mira's salon, he had backed Freed up to the side of his vehicle and kissed him. So much passion, so much emotion. It was so intense. Far more passionate than the first kiss they had shared. Freed was an utter mess. He was actually looking forward to moving boxes because he couldn't concentrate on anything else.

He worked for about an hour before Lucy joined him. When she waltzed in through the storage door, he blushed a little. Lucy was sporting a black body con dress and white tennis shoes. Her hair was beautifully curled, draping elegantly down her shoulders. She looked gorgeous. "L-Lucy! You look amazing today!" Lucy blushed herself at Freed's compliment and played with a strand of her hair.

"Thanks, Freed. I went to Mira's salon last night; she was so sweet! I guess I was feeling a little excited about my hair and dressed up a little." Freed smiled at how embarrassed she got.

"Mira did a wonderful job; curls really suit you." Freed set down a box and sighed. "It's quite stuffy in here today. I hope the humidity doesn't affect your beautiful hair." Lucy sent him another smile.

"It'll be fine. I more so just went to meet Mira anyway. The hairstyle doesn't really concern me." Lucy grabbed a box and started labeling whatever was inside. "But I guess it is a little hot in here today.

Freed slicked back the sweaty hair stuck to his face and pulled out a hair tie. "It's a good thing I keep a hair tie with me sometimes." Lucy looked up just in time to watch as Freed gracefully pulled up his hair into a high ponytail and tied it. For some reason, that caught her completely off guard. Freed had always been extremely cute to her, but more like a younger brother (Even though Freed was older). Seeing him as he wrapped the small black band around his long green hair made her blush. What the hell was wrong with her!?

Lucy quickly tried to focus back on the boxes, but once again, Freed got overheated and decided he'd remove his cardigan. Oh my god! Lucy couldn't believe she was actually gawking at her friend as he pulled the black cardigan off and placed it on a filing cabinet in the corner. Then he proceeded to roll the sleeves of his button-up shirt up to his elbows. Lucy gulped, and she gulped hard. Hard enough to catch Freed's attention.

"Are you alright, Lucy? Should we take a break?"

"Y-yes." They walked over to the board room, where there was cool air and a small fridge with water in it. Freed grabbed two and handed Lucy one. She thanked him softly and sat with him over to the side.

Lucy peeked at Freed from the corner of her eye, watching as he pulled the bottle up to his lips and took a few gulps. She couldn't believe how she was acting today. As far as she could remember, nothing had happened between them that would have garnered her to start seeing Freed in this way. Then again, she had never fully paid attention to him. This was the first time she was able to watch him work like this, so she supposed it was only natural that she would be a bit more conscious of him. She found his little mannerisms- like how he'd squint his eyes in concentration- attractive. If Laxus was interested in Freed, it was no wonder. Freed was incredibly hot! Thinking about Freed and Laxus's possible relationship reminded her of her talk with Mira the previous day.

Freed put the cap back on his water bottle when Lucy called out his name. He looked over to her and hummed in response. "Is there anyone you're interested in right now?"

That caught him off guard. "Uh- um…I- Well…." Freed blushed as last night with Laxus popped back in his head. From the soft swaying on the rooftop to the slightly more aggressive kiss back at his car. He was finally getting over it, and now he was flustered again! Yet unexpectedly, another face appeared in his mind. Raven hair, handsome smile, lean built. He couldn't forget how interested he also became in Gray recently. Lucy waited for Freed to answer, watching his face go crimson. "Well… I'm not really open to date right now. But I do find a few people attractive," Lucy slowly nodded.

"What about marriage?" Honestly, marriage had always seemed so foreign to Freed. He was getting older, never dated anyone, and wasn't the best at talking with people. He never really thought that he would fall in love and get married. Until Evergreen announced that she and Elfman were engaged, Freed had never really paid much mind to weddings. For some reason, he pictured his whole life would be in that apartment with Bickslow. But now he realized how foolish that was. Bickslow was openly dating, and although Freed hadn't seen him with anyone in quite a while, he knew his friend would eventually fall in love and get married like Evergreen. And now, with them not even speaking, it could be sooner than he thought.

Freed gave Lucy a sad smile and shrugged his shoulders gently. "Maybe one day someone would love to marry me. As of now, I can't really see it in my future." Lucy frowned at how…sad his response was. Lucy hoped that if he already wasn't in a relationship with Laxus, Freed would find someone that found him as remarkable as she did. He deserved the utmost love the world had to offer.

Elfman called Lisanna a few days later to discuss what had taken place a couple of days prior. Lisanna was a bit nervous to talk to her brother, hoping that he wouldn't try and talk her out of her plans with Bickslow. But to her surprise, Elfman never tried to sway her mind. Instead, he asked about their plans for after May and whether she was going to tell Mira. Lisanna confessed that she was more leaning toward keeping everything from Mira and Laxus just because she was afraid of what they might do to try and stop her. She figured she'd let them know after it was done; that way, she and Bickslow would already be married.

Lisanna struggled with telling her brother about Mira's scheme or not, but she really wanted to tell someone. Lisanna sighed, swapping which side she had the phone on, and decided she'd tell him. She wouldn't be able to stop thinking about it if she didn't.

"Elfman-nii." The other man grunted, and Lisanna closed her eyes. "It's about Mira. She's been pushing for Freed and Laxus to get together." Elfman stayed quiet for a second before chiming in.

"What do you mean?" Lisanna cringed.

"She…She was the one who introduced them. At first, I wasn't paying attention and helped her get them alone time, but that was before I realized Freed and Bickslow were friends." Elfman got quiet again, so Lisanna continued. "Mira knows how close they are, right? Bickslow was the one who introduced Freed to Mira. So…" She drifted off, trying to piece everything together herself. "I don't understand what she's doing."

Elfman finally heaved a sigh on the other line. "This doesn't sound good. I don't know what she's doing either. Maybe we should let Bickslow and Freed know what's going on," Elfman caught himself. "But then Bickslow would have to talk to Freed about what happened in the past for Freed to understand." Elfman sighed again, this time more exasperated. "This is a sticky situation. We can't do anything too rash, or someone will end up hurt." Lisanna sucked in a breath, thinking about her own decisions with Bickslow. Maybe now isn't the time. There's too much going on right now, and Elfman was right; history could repeat, and instead of her and Bickslow getting hurt, it could be Freed.

"Maybe I should talk to Bickslow first."

"I think that's a manly idea, sis." Lisanna looked down to her lap. Was it really okay for her and Bickslow to run off and get eloped when more problems could arise?

"You're leaving the shop to me!?" Romeo couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I can't even blow yet! How the hell am I supposed to run the shop!?" Bickslow took his hand and smacked the back of Romeo's head to calm him down. "What the heck, man!? What was that for!?" Wendy watched the two and giggled as Bickslow rolled his eyes.

"Can you let me finish talking first before you freak out, dumbass? I'm only leaving for the weekend. I'm going on a short trip with my girlfriend. I'll be back Tuesday." He looked over the two and smiled. "I know you two can keep the shop running while I'm gone. I trust you two."

"Of course, you can trust us, Mr. Ohler," Wendy said with a bright smile. Bickslow's heart warmed. He knew these two better than anyone. He'd watched them grow and work hard even if his little vase shop was considered a "ma and pa" shop. He appreciated them.

"Yeah," Romeo grumbled, rubbing his head. "You can trust us."

"Alright, well, you two go ahead and head home. I'll see you all tomorrow." Romeo and Wendy called back to him with farewells, but before they completely left, Bickslow reached out and grabbed Romeo. "Hold on, I need to talk to you right quick." Pulling the younger boy off to the side, Bickslow returned to his serious face. Romeo's eyebrow shot up at seeing it and waited for Bickslow to explain what was going on. "I know I told you this time will only be a weekend, but in May, I plan to leave for a little while." Seeing how serious Bickslow had gotten, Romeo didn't crack a joke.

"How long? What's going on?" Bickslow's face softened a little.

"I'm getting married." Romeo's face hardened. "I'm not sure how long I'll be gone. Maybe the whole summer."

"Married?" Romeo repeated. "I didn't even know you had a girlfriend." Bickslow chuckled.

"Our circumstances are…rather difficult."

"What? Is she pregnant?" Bickslow blinked back down at him.

"N-no…well, at least that I know of."

"But you're getting married." Romeo gave his boss a long look. Bickslow may have tried to mask what he was genuinely feeling, but Romeo could sense something was wrong. Something had been bothering Bickslow for a while now. You can even see it in his work; most of his vases were either dark, in hues of blue, or completely clear. Nothing creative. "You don't seem very excited to be getting married."

"I am, asshole. I'm just concerned, that's all." Another look from Romeo. "Look, none of that matters. I just need you to buckle down and grasp glass blowing when I get back, alright?" Romeo didn't answer. He only stared at Bickslow with an uneasy expression. "Hey, I'm serious. You're going to be the boss around here while I'm gone. I'm gonna be counting on you to make vases people will want to buy."

"That's easy." Romeo finally said. The boy gave his boss a smile and put his fist out for a bump. Bickslow obliged, bringing his fist up and bumping it into Romeo's "You can count on me."

"Here we are!" Lucy said excitingly. Freed looked up to the double doors of Ulta Beauty and gulped back a wall of anxiety threatening to form in his throat. Lucy snatched his hand and tugged him inside. He didn't even have time to feel any kind of worry. "I'm so excited! What's your budget? How much can we spend? Actually, don't answer that. I'll spot you whatever! As long as you get everything you need. This is going to be so much fun!" This was what Lucy had been reduced to after talking all day about their plans for that afternoon. Freed felt like he'd throw up the moment the doors shut behind him, and he could hear the employee's happy chirp of, "Hello! Welcome to Ulta!"

"Um…Lucy. Maybe you shouldn't be"

"Okay first things first!" Lucy said with a grin. Lucy pulled him over to a foundation wall and set him in front of the various shades. "We need to figure out your skin tone." Freed blinked over the fancy names scribbled over the bottom of the bottles. Sandy tan, butter beach white, mocha caramel, deep toffee. He didn't understand anything he was reading. "You look like a good blushing beige."

Freed lifted an eyebrow when Lucy held the bottle up to his face. "L-Lucy…maybe d-don't-"

"You're right." Lucy cringed as she set the bottle back in its rightful spot on the rack. "You're way paler." Freed felt his heart race as people passed through the aisles. He could practically feel them staring at him from across the store. This was so embarrassing to him. He could only imagine what those people were saying about him in their heads. "You're actually almost ghostly white. You need some sun."

Lucy skimmed over the shades dancing her finger across the names before landing on one of the brightest bottles. "Here we go; this one might work." She held the color up to Freed's face again, with Freed practically hyperventilating, and grinned. "Yep! Porcelain snow is totally you. "Freed steadied his breathing as Lucy trotted off to the concealers. Did that woman in the other aisle just scoff at them? No, but that teenage by the hair straighteners totally laughed. He couldn't do this; this was way too much for him. He felt horrible. Here Lucy was so excited to help him buy his own make-up products, and he couldn't even form a complete sentence.

Lucy looked up to his face and gave him a smile. "Look! I found a concealer and contour stick that would be perfect for you!" Lucy took one glance at Freed's face, and her whole mood changed. "Freed? Are you okay?"

"I-I'm…I can't. They're…looking…." Lucy looked around. There wasn't anyone looking at him or even around the aisle they were on. But maybe to Freed, a hundred people were staring at him. Lucy placed the two make-up products into Freed's handbasket and clasped his free hand in hers.

"It's okay," Lucy said gently. "I'm right here. No one is looking at you. Um…maybe we can pretend everything is for me, and you're just my boyfriend tagging along." Freed blushed at that but nodded his head. "I'll just explain everything when we get back to my place. Okay?" Another nod. "Okay. Let's see. What else do I need?" Lucy said loud enough for anyone around them to hear. It made Freed smile despite how nervous he was feeling. "I need eyeshadow, make-up brushes, setting powder, setting spray!" Lucy squeezed Freed's hand tighter and led him around to another aisle with similar products but different brands.

Lucy grabbed a couple more things and then tugged Freed up to the register to pay. When they made it to the counter, Lucy forgot that these were all for Freed, and he was paying half. Freed seemed to remember the same as he froze, staring out at the cashier as she smiled brightly and started scanning their items.

"Okay, your total is going to be $76.34. Are you paying with cash or card?" Freed could feel his whole body itch. Surely, if he paid, this woman would know all of this was for him and not Lucy! What face would she make when Freed took out his card and paid for everything? She'd probably bust out and start laughing at him. Humiliating! He couldn't do it, he couldn't-

"I knew I was gonna spend a bunch, babe! " Lucy said with a light giggle. Babe? Freed looked down at Lucy, pulling out her wallet and taking out her card. "I know you said you wanted to get me some stuff for my birthday, but this is a lot more expensive than I thought." Freed's face shot to bright pink as he realized Lucy was acting! How clever was she!?

"Ah! Oh…no, it's okay." Freed said. He pulled out his wallet and took his card. "F-for your birthday… I wanted to treat you…babe." Lucy's face turned beet red, and her body pulsated at Freed calling her babe. Wait no! He's just a friend Lucy. What the hell!?

Lucy was too fixated on Freed's boyfriend act that she hadn't realized he paid for the whole thing. "Ah! F-Freed! You didn't have to pay for the whole thing!"

Freed blinked down at her with confusion. "B-but It's your birthday. I don't want you to pay. When you're with me, you don't have to worry about anything." What!? Lucy felt like completely melting! Where did Freed come up with that on the spot!? She got that he was acting, but…she wasn't expecting him to be an utter natural. Even the cashier blushed. (In reality, Freed just stole that line from a novel he read recently).

"And here you go!" The chair said, handing Lucy the bag. "Happy Birthday! You two are such a cute couple! You look like models!" Freed and Lucy both blushed all the way to Lucy's car.

"S-s-sorry I made you pretend to be my boyfriend," Lucy said sheepishly.

"Oh, it was alright," Freed said with a smile. "It was actually kind of fun. I always wanted to use lines like that but was too shy." Lucy looked over at him as she started out of the parking lot a grinned back.

"You're a natural!"

Lucy drove them back to her apartment and charted the make-up bag up to her bedroom. "Alright, before we get started, let me grab popcorn and some drinks! I went shopping for tonight the other day with Natsu." Freed laughed lightly as Lucy raced into her kitchen. She waltzed over to a cabinet and pulled it open. "This cabinet is officially Lucy and Freed's BFF snack cabinet!" Freed smiled.

"Bff's?" Lucy smirked back at him, opening up a box of microwavable popcorn.

"What, you don't wanna be my bestie?"

"Of course, I'd love to. That really makes me happy that you'd want me as your best friend." Lucy slid the popcorn into the microwave and keyed in the correct amount of time. Then she peeked back at him.

"You're part of the housing department group now. And everyone is super close. Everyone would love to have a BFF like you."

"You're flattering me," Freed said with a slightly nervous chuckle. Lucy walked over to her TV and cut it on, swapping it over to YouTube.

"I'm thinking we watch a couple of videos, help you get a general idea of how to apply everything, and then we just attack it head-on." Freed nodded and took a seat beside her on her pink velvet couch. "Any question you have, ask away! I'm no Mira, but I think I can answer a few things. If not, we have the power of google on our side."

Freed nodded. "Thank you for doing all of this for me again, Lucy. It honestly means a lot." Freed didn't know how many times he would have to say that this week. Between her, Mira, and Laxus, Freed felt incredibly overwhelmed with love and compassion. Everyone around him was doing so much for him, and he could feel his tiny beating heart swell with happiness.

Lucy smiled back and placed her hand on his. "Stop thanking me. We're besties remember? This is what we do."

That evening consisted of thirteen YouTube videos, twenty make-up packages to open, four bags of popcorn popped, and two bottles of wine drunk between the two of them. Freed was having the time of his life. He was honestly enjoying his time with Lucy, messing up the make-up, laughing at how ridiculous they looked, and then scrambling to find a video on how to correct it. This moment with Lucy was none like he had with Evergreen nor Bickslow. It reminded him a little of their nights sitting on the floor watching reruns of The Office. But with the bright hues of pink all over Lucy's living room, the red wine instead of beer, and the happy, giggly mood, this was far unlike his times with Ever and Bickslow.

Freed leaned forward and fluttered an eyeshadow brush over Lucy's eye. "Okay. I think I've got it now." He said as he concentrated on dusting a light purple color over her eyelid. Lucy giggled, trying to control the rumblings of laughter from shaking her body, but it wasn't working. Freed laughed himself. "You have to be still, or I'm going to mess up again!"

"I'm sorry!" Lucy cracked out in between laughs, "But I just keep picturing this shade of purple with the lime green, and I just know it will look horrible together." Freed snickered as he held up a mirror, and Lucy gasped dramatically at her face. "See, I told you!" They both burst into laughter as Lucy's phone chimed beside them on the coffee table. Lucy composed herself and grabbed it, pressing the call to her ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, Luce. It's Gray. Just wanted to see if you were going to the dinner tomorrow?" Lucy flickered her eyes over to Freed, who cocked his head to the side as if to ask her what was wrong. Lucy mouthed "Gray" before responding.

"Oh yeah, I'm going," Lucy replied back. "Natsu wants to go, and you know I gotta go and keep an eye out on him. Why? Everything okay?"

"Oh…yeah. I just wanted to perform Friday, so I'm most likely going to the lounge."

"Oh…Is Loke going?"

"No, I'm going alone." Lucy looked over to Freed, still eyeing her with curiosity.

"Are you going to the dinner tomorrow?" Lucy asked Freed. Freed nodded, setting the make-up brush he had back down on the coffee table.

"I promised Cana I'd go with her tomorrow. Is that Gray?"

Gray picked up Freed's voice on the other line. "You're with Freed?" He asked Lucy. Lucy swapped Gray onto speaker and placed her phone between her and Freed.

"Gray said he wasn't going to make it to the dinner party tomorrow and that he wanted to perform at the lounge." Freed slowly nodded.

"Alone?"

"Yeah." Freed didn't want Gray to have to perform alone. Lucy had told him before that sometimes he went without Loke, but if everyone was going to the dinner, there would be no one there to watch Gray.

"U-um. Gray?" Freed called out into the phone. The line cracked a little, and Gray responded back. "What time…were you going to perform?" Lucy's eyebrow shot up at that.

"Oh…maybe around like seven, or seven-thirty." Freed gulped back his nervousness and nodded firmly to himself.

"Okay, I'll be there."