How relationships change

Eventually Freed stopped by their apartment. Laxus knew this because he had heard him talking to Bickslow and Evergreen from his room. He avoided him though. In fact, they avoided each other. When Laxus was with the two friends, Freed was locked in his room, and when Freed did, it was Laxus who locked himself away not wanting to have anything to do with him. Or rather, unable to bear the presence of the old friend.

For three whole years they hadn't heard from each other, Freed hadn't even sent him half a text, no calls. He had just gone and apparently had told Bickslow and not him. And Laxus still remembered how bad he'd been when he found out.

He remembered all the calls he had made, calls that had been ignored by Freed. He remembered all the unanswered messages. He had made a fool of himself for someone he considered his friend, for someone who treated him exactly like his father did, just by walking away and not giving a damn about what he left behind.

And that's just for a… Laxus didn't want to think about it, because if he thought about it, he realized that maybe, maybe, it was he who had ruined everything. That didn't mean Freed didn't blame him. The bastard was gone, and he hadn't even given him the opportunity to explain himself.

Laxus felt the irritation rise again, especially as he listened to the voices of the three boys on the other side of the wall. From what he understood, Freed intended to find another apartment, but Laxus knew it wasn't going to be easy. By now all the students must have already booked, so either Freed took one himself if he had the money - and he probably gave it that he had decided to go to rich daddy in Germany - or he would settle for cheap shit. Laxus just hoped he'd leave quickly so he wouldn't have to see him again.

Or that Freed would make up his mind to talk to him, explaining what the fuck was going through his head. He quickly pushed that thought away, not wanting to delude himself. Evidently, if he had been ignored for three years, Freed didn't give a shit about him. He certainly wasn't going to start now.

There was a knock on the door, and shortly thereafter Bickslow's head appeared from behind the door.

"Hey, would you like to take a walk downtown?" he asked.

"No" the answer came immediately. Laxus didn't want to go out with Freed. He seemed to have made it clear, but apparently the two friends were meddles who didn't understand shit, or didn't want to understand. Why the hell couldn't they just go about their business and leave it alone? He had almost forgotten Freed, and because of them, now he couldn't do it anymore. Because Freed was under his own roof.

"There isn't Freed. He goes out with Ever," Bickslow said.

"Anyway, I don't feel like it."

"Not even if I buy you dinner?" the friend asked. Laxus didn't answer, honestly, he wasn't in the mood. He hadn't been for days, precisely since Freed had set foot in that apartment. No matter how hard he tried to avoid him, it was difficult to do so in such a small space. He was fortunate that Freed spent a lot of time in the library and that he never dined there.

"Come on," Bickslow insisted.

"I want the double cheese pizza," Laxus said, standing up.

"Gone," Bickslow replied.

Soon after, the two went out downtown, heading towards the park where he and Freed always played hooky to skateboard. Not that there was a place that didn't remind him of Freed in Magnolia. They had spent years there, going around all corners, having fun like the kids they were. But if over time Laxus got used to it and managed to push those melancholy memories into a corner of his mind, now that Freed was back, he couldn't do it anymore.

The mood hit him again and as soon as they arrived at the park, Laxus lit a cigarette, hoping that it would help him calm down. It didn't work the way he wanted, unfortunately. Bickslow kept talking until two people caught his attention. Freed and Evergreen, at the bar in the middle of the park.

"Bickslow... I said don't get in the way," the blonde told him, interrupting whatever his friend was talking about.

"They don't know we're here and we can leave if you want," Bickslow said. "Can I just know what happened? You were inseparable…" he tried.

"No".

Bickslow was silent and Laxus let his gaze wander towards Freed, feeling a new nervousness rise. The boy had taken an ice cream croissant, the same one he always took even in high school. Why did he have to get hit by those things? Laxus looked away but when he did, he saw the skatepark he and Freed spent hours on.

He fucking hated him. Why the hell was he back? Couldn't he have stayed in Germany with his rich daddy instead of going back there? Maybe because it had all been a game for Freed. Or maybe because a three-year journey was enough to forget him and move on. Or maybe he was still pissed about how Laxus had behaved three years ago.

In any case, whatever had happened, Freed had moved on. He didn't want to see it, he didn't care, he didn't even want to discuss it. It was just Laxus still thinking of him, pathetic as ever. And he hated himself for it. And he hated Freed for it.

"You two should talk," Bickslow said.

"No".

"I'm saying it for you," the friend insisted.

"Maybe I wasn't clear," Laxus began letting all his irritation shine through, because he was sure he would punch Bickslow in the face if he continued with that pantomime. He was unable to continue though because a third voice woke him from his thoughts.

"Guys, I finally see you" Gildarts greeted them "You arrived at just the right time. I've these packages to unload," he said pointing to the truck full of cartons, probably full of drinks. Laxus snorted but forced himself to get up, knowing full well that complaining would do no good. Better get the job done right away and then get some free beers.

"You're a profiteer," Bickslow said instead, but Gildarts smiled at them friendly.

"And you spent your whole adolescence getting me damned like a madman," the man recalled.

The three each took a package and walked towards the bar. Laxus carefully avoided Freed's gaze, hoping the boy would leave as he always did, but Gildarts obviously screwed it up.

"Freed? You're back? Nobody told me anything" the man asked surprised, placing the cardboard on the ground to greet the boy. Laxus was forced to stop and only because he didn't have the keys to the warehouse, which were in the hands of the man. He just hoped Gildarts would hurry.

"Hi," Freed greeted him. "I've only been back a few days ago," he explained kindly.

"I'm not surprised to see you here, I remember that you and Laxus spent hours skating and getting me damned like a madman" commented the man. The two concerned stiffened but said nothing. Laxus reached out to get the keys from Gildarts but he couldn't. "Maybe I should get you to work too, so as to take revenge for the swing you and Laxus destroyed."

"Can we go into the warehouse?" Laxus asked slightly annoyed. The last thing he wanted was to start a chat about old times.

Gildarts handed him the deck, while Freed replied to the man telling him that at the moment he had other things to do. The blond thus managed to get away from there, not without hearing Gildarts remembering the old days, unaware that Laxus and Freed no longer spoke to each other. The warehouse wasn't far from them, so the blonde could hear the whole conversation.

"So, you live with Laxus, I'm not surprised. Some things never change" the man said cheerfully.

"Everything changes" was Freed's somewhat cold reply which, despite everything, sent a pang of anguish to Laxus's stomach. "And I'm looking for another apartment. Indeed, if you've to recommend me some places I'd be grateful".

Laxus couldn't see how Gildarts reacted, but he bet he must have a pretty surprised look on his face. Obviously. Like anyone who knew them in high school. If someone had told him three years ago that he was going to fight Freed he would never have believed it.

"You can't handle alcohol at all," Laxus laughed almost with tears in his eyes. Freed was trying to read something, but he was constantly swallowing the words and getting them wrong. The boy snorted and put the paper on the ground. Indeed, the friend wasn't completely wrong. His head was spinning terribly, and he knew he wasn't at the height of his mental faculties. Laxus's fault, however, he had proposed a drinking challenge.

"You're drunk too," Freed said pointing a finger at him. Laxus laughed and Freed chuckled, he wasn't sure why he was doing it, but it looked funny.

The two were at Lucy's house. The girl had organized a birthday party for her, and she had invited all of her friends. Cana had brought a couple of bottles of vodka and dipped the gummy candies into a bowl by soaking them in alcohol. Freed had eaten a lot of them, found them good, and Bacchus, a guy who had sneaked into the party, had brought more drinks. And Freed had drunk them, perhaps stupidly.

"Shall we go out for a moment?" Laxus proposed, standing up. Freed nodded and stood up, but as soon as he did, his head spun and almost fell. Almost, because Laxus caught him on the fly but he too must have had little balance because they fell on a nearby sofa, bursting out laughing again.

"You're drunk" Evergreen said disgusted pushing them away and the two fell to the ground, still embraced and with their legs intertwined.

"And you're boring," Freed said trying to sit up again, and avoid thinking about how good it was to be so attached to Laxus. With alcohol in his body, however, it was difficult not to, and drunk Laxus was much more physical than normal. In fact, as soon as they were both seated on the floor, the blonde leaned on his shoulders with a grin.

"Exactly. Boring," he repeated. Freed nodded with conviction and Evergreen rolled his eyes.

"And you two are unbearable when you team up. Get out of here, go annoy somebody else," she told them. Laxus stood up and held out a hand to Freed, who immediately accepted it so as not to fall again. The two stood up and giggling at something that only they understood, came out of the sitting room.

They walked down the hall, passing Gajeel and Levy who were making out great in a corner thinking they weren't seen, and passed Loke who was doing a striptease on a table trying to attract the attention of as many girls as possible.

It took them longer than expected, because they both had little balance and leaned on each other. Before they could leave Jenny walked over to Laxus and took his face in her hands.

"You're drunk," she said worriedly. The blonde chuckled and leaned even more against Freed.

"And you're boring," he replied.

"Hey," Jenny complained, but she wasn't particularly offended, probably realizing that Laxus didn't understand what he was saying. "Really, you can't walk around like this alone."

"I'm with Freed," the blond objected.

"He's drunk too," she said.

"We're just tipsy" retorted the person concerned. Jenny looked at him skeptically but Laxus nodded in agreement with his friend.

"Exactly. We're just tipsy," he repeated and chuckled. Jenny rolled her eyes.

"Where are you going?".

"Where are we going?" Laxus asked, turning to Freed, still with his arm wrapped around him to stand upright. Freed smiled.

"To get some air".

"To get some air," Laxus repeated turning to Jenny, who was looking at him worriedly. But then Hibiki grabbed her by the arm and told her that they were organizing a dance competition and she had to participate. He dragged her away without her being able to complain and Laxus and Freed walked back towards the exit.

They reached it but as soon as they were there, Freed forgot about the steps and slipped, dragging Laxus with him. The two found themselves lying between the steps and the grass of the lawn. The blonde laughed in his ear and Freed felt his face flush, but he too burst into uncontrolled laughter. They struggled to their feet.

"Where do we go?" Laxus asked.

"Let's go get ice cream in the park," Freed replied.

"Nice idea," the blond said and the two set off.

Luckily Lucy didn't live far from the park, and luckily there were no cars on the streets. They reached it and as soon as they got there, they realized that the Gildarts' bar was closed. The two, however, had already lost interest in ice cream, and in agreement, without even speaking, they headed for the skatepark. Unfortunately, they didn't have skateboards, so they sat on the ground on the grass. They were silent for a few seconds, trying to recover from the hangover, at least as much as they could.

"Have you already had sex with Jenny?" Freed asked suddenly, morbidly curious and hoping the two hadn't done anything. Laxus turned to him and shook his head.

"Nah," he replied. Freed felt the relief in his stomach and smiled as he lay on the ground, placing his hands behind his head and staring at the dark sky above him. Now that he was out in the open air and that he had walked, he was already feeling better. He didn't know if it made sense, but it seemed to him that the hangover was a bit over. Just a little, because he was still dizzy.

He turned to Laxus and watched as he tried to light a cigarette with little success. Freed found himself staring at him more than he normally would, completely in love with the sight. Good heavens, Laxus was so beautiful it was impossible not to fall in love with him.

'Crush' thought the boy. Being in love was too much. Freed wasn't in love, he just had a huge crush on his best friend. And a crush passed in no time. And even though it had been going on for so many months now, Freed persisted in telling himself that it would pass. Because obviously it would pass. Laxus was dating Jenny, and even if his friend didn't seem very interested in her, another girl would come anyway.

Laxus finally managed to light his cigarette and turned to Freed.

"But she gave me a blow job," he said. Freed forced a smile but when he was drunk, he couldn't lie. He therefore remained silent not knowing what to say. "Has anyone ever done it to you?" Laxus asked.

"No".

"Well, you should find a girl to do it for you," Laxus commented.

Freed found himself blushing when the idea of the friend doing certain things to him crossed his mind. He chased it away, he couldn't think of Laxus like that! That was already too much.

"A boy," escaped his lips. Laxus turned to him in surprise and Freed found himself blushing even more. Damn alcohol. "Nothing," he laughed embarrassed. Laxus didn't answer and continued to smoke in silence, without looking at him. For a couple of minutes Freed tried to recover, trying to control his heartbeat and not linger too long to look at his friend. He just hoped that Laxus was so drunk that he couldn't remember anything the next morning.

"Maybe a boy would be better," Laxus said after a while. Freed turned to him with wide eyes. Had he heard right or was it his imagination?

Laxus finished smoking and crushed the cigarette butt under his shoe. He lay down beside him and turned to look at him. Freed became aware of their proximity, he could feel his friend's thick breath of smoke and alcohol on his face. Again, his heart began to pump faster. Perhaps for the alcohol or perhaps for the speech, he was able to take courage and ask what he wanted to ask him for too long now.

"You like boys?" he asked in a low voice. Laxus shrugged.

"You?" he asked and Freed almost felt his heart burst in his chest. Maybe… maybe he had a chance.

"Yes," he replied in a whisper. Laxus looked at him without saying anything. Freed hoped the blond would tell him something, maybe tell him he liked boys too. The friend, however, didn't speak. He kept staring at him strangely, and Freed didn't know what to think.

That was until Laxus pushed towards him. Uncertain and awkward he put their lips together and Freed immediately felt a rush of excitement rising from his stomach. For a moment he remained motionless and incredulous, and only shortly after he closed his eyes and went towards his friend. He moved his lips slightly, and Laxus cocked his head without moving away. They kissed for only a few seconds, and when they parted, they both looked surprised and red in the face.

Freed didn't believe it. Laxus had kissed him. A whirlwind of emotions was running through him, so strong that he was feeling high. Even more than it had been up to two seconds before with alcohol in the body. The blonde reached out and gently moved his hair behind his ear. Freed dared neither move nor speak, lest he break the moment.

Then Laxus pushed back towards him and again their lips joined in a second kiss.