Freed woke slowly. The first thing that he noticed was the lack of noise. Then he noticed the soft blanket that was wrapped around his almost naked body. Suddenly he was forced to take account the sharp pain right behind his eyes. He winced loudly at the pain and tried to reach up to touch his face, but there was a heaviness to his entire body. At the realization that he was immobile caused him to panic.
He tried to recall the events that led to that moment.
However, he heard a soft voice call out to him. "Mr. Justine, you have to rest. Your wounds need time to heal."
Beside him was a sweet looking nurse. Her large brown eyes were friendly, her brown hair was pulled away from her face by a white band with the royal insignia. Freed was then able to put two and two together. He was in the royal infirmary for a reason he still wasn't sure of.
"Why am I here?" He croaked out.
The nurse smiled softly at Freed. Then reached out and placed a cold hand against his forehead. Suddenly then pain against his eyes dulled down and his body was overcome with a feeling of fatigue. Freed then came up with another conclusion. She was a very powerful mage with very powerful healing magic.
"You were brought back here after winning the first battle of the day." Her voice growing softer and airier. Something in just the way that she spoke made Freed's eyes fall.
Somewhere far away, he heard a soft tap. He wondered where it was coming from. Before he was able to say anything, he felt himself slip under a current of warm magic.
As the nurse felt Mr. Freed slowly go unconscienced. She looked over her shoulder to watch the door slowly open.
Two people walked in, one wearing a grim look on her face and the other wearing a mask that hid his face very well. She stood up gracefully to greet the two mages. She scanned them quickly to make sure that they were not a threat to Mr. Justine.
"Is there anything that I am able to help you with?" She asked quietly.
The woman before her glanced down at the vase full of flowers that she was holding. Then she looked around the nurse to see Mr. Freed resting.
When she spoke, her voice shook, and the nurse noticed the water in the vase shake a small amount. "We just wanted to know how Freed was doing." The man behind her took a step forward and rested his large hand on her shoulder.
"We know that you have to be a guildmate to visit someone here, but he's our best friend and it's been seven years." Said the masked man. Even through his mask the nurse could tell the man was very worried about Mr. Freed.
The nurse thought for a moment to what he meant about seven years, she noticed the Fairy Tail mark on the woman's breast. Then it hit the woman that Mr. Freed was once a Fairy Tail mage. She looks again at Mr. Freed and felt for the man. How hard must it be to see ghost all around you?
She looked between them and thought that rules be damned.
"It must be very painful to see a dear friend like this." She said with sadness in her voice. "You can stay for a little, I don't want you both to get in trouble."
The man and woman sagged in relief and rushed to Mr. Freed's side.
The kind nurse silently walked towards the door leaving Mr. Freed in good hands.
When the nurse was gone, Bickslow reached out for the vase of flowers and placed them on the small table next to Freed's bed.
Evergreen took a seat as close as she could to Freed and reached out to brush his hair out of his face, any strand that caught on her fingers she would slowly untangle.
Bickslow let his eyes roam over his body and saw as bruises and cuts had already faded away to a yellowish color and small scratches. He, however, knew that his stab wound was going to take a long while to fully heal.
"He's changed so much." He whispered.
He then noticed the wrinkles that didn't smooth away when Freed was fully resting. He also noticed just how different he looked with short hair. Then there was his right hand that was resting over the blanket. Bicks was so used to seeing the Fairy Tail sign there that it was almost too much to keep looking at the naked skin.
"This shouldn't be happening," Bicks said lowly. His hands were at his side balled up to fists. The guilt that was forming in his heart clouding away any rational thought. "I should have pushed him to take the S Class trial. Then he would have been with us when everything turned to shit."
Evergreen took a deep breath before she turned her head enough to the side so Bicks could see the frown in the corner of her lips, "There was nothing either of us could do. We didn't know what was going to happen."
Bicks shook his head violently, causing his mask to bang against the sides of his head. "Regardless of the fact, he was strong enough to have gone."
"What do you mean you gave up your spot to Max?" Bicks exclaimed.
Freed rolled his eyes at his friend's dramatics. "Exactly what you heard."
"I still don't get it…" Evergreen jumped in.
Freed this time tried to keep from rolling his eyes again. All he did was take a long sip of his tea. "I require more training before I am ready for the S Trails. Please, respect my choice." Freed said calmly.
Ever grew annoyed with her Captain. "Is this because of Laxus?"
Freed's grip on his tea mug grew tighter. There was a flash of pain that crossed his eyes that only his teammates would catch, and they did. Evergreen knew at that moment that she had crossed a line.
Before Ever was able to come up with an apology, Freed was already talking in a calm and collected voice. The same voice he used when debriefing them on a plan.
"This has nothing to do with Laxus. I decided this because this is something I want to do for myself. Laxus decided to leave because it was the best for him. I am decided not to do the trails because it's best for me." Freed said. Towards the end, his tone shifted to something more pleading. He wanted to start to heal, to grow and finally begin to connect the dots for himself.
After what happened during the festival, Freed was hit with the realization that he wasn't living for himself. Ever since Freed had met Laxus he had been desperate for the man's praise. He had become a person living for the convenience of the other. If Freed had more of an identity, then maybe it wouldn't have taken him so long to realize that he wasn't alone.
With Laxus leaving it gave Freed a chance to figure himself out and the first step was growing his magic for himself and not for the benefit of being the perfect tool for someone else.
Bicks felt stupid for trying to push Freed now that he understood.
Evergreen was proud and understanding of Freed. Both guild members knew that Freed was hit the hardest by Laxus exile. Also, he was the one who was able to recover the quickest from it. It had always stunned Evergreen, but now it all made sense and, at that moment, knew what to do.
"We are behind you one hundred percent Captain." They both said.
There was a knock on the door, causing both Ever and Bickslow to rush and shield Freed from whoever had decided to show up (Freed would have been furious if found out that he was being treated like some fairy tale princess). Their bodies were ready to spring into action until they saw who it was that had knocked.
Laxus slowly came in looking around hoping that he wasn't going to find someone ready to kick him out. When he saw his team at guard by Freed's bed he smiled in relief. He rushed in, making sure to be careful of the door and pulled Ever and Bickslow into a hug.
"Fuck, I'm glad you guys are here with him," Laxus whispered roughly.
Evergreen pulled back and looked at Freed. "He looks like he's doing a lot better, but we don't know when he'll wake up." She said hopelessly.
Laxus was relieved to see that, yes, Freed was doing better, but he was angry at the fact that he had to sneak in to see his Freed.
Shit, there he goes again. Freed wasn't his, Freed was Freed.
Then it hit him, how was it that his teammates could be there with Freed?
"Wait, I thought only guild members could be in here with Freed."
Bicks moved around to get seats set up for him and Laxus as he spoke. "The nurse that's taking care of him said that it was okay. She said she knew that this was going to be hard. All she said was that we could only stay for a little. We're not sure how long that is."
Evergreen sat where she had been sitting earlier. "I say we leave until she comes back. I don't want to leave Freed alone. Who knows what Raven Tail can do."
Laxus agree on both counts, he wasn't going to leave Freed until he was forced out and he didn't have a single ounce of trust in his father's guild.
"As long as I don't have to deal with Lamia Scale, then I'm fine." Laxus' snorted.
Evergreen rolled her eyes. "Laxus, I want Freed back just as much as you, but they deserve to be here. Lamia Scale was there for him when we weren't able to."
"She's right baby, the quicker you figure that out the easier this can be," Bick said softly as he sat next to Ever. His hand coming to rest on top of Freed's shin.
Laxus' shoulders sagged when he heard his teammates. They were supposed to be on his side, feeling just as fiercely that Fairy Tail didn't feel like home until Freed was back. With those thoughts racing through his head he walked around the bed to take a seat right next to Freed.
There was a moment of silence between the 3 of them. All members of the Thunder Legion watching over their Captain.
It was strange for all of them because the seven years had yet to feel real. To all of them, it felt like a cruel joke that they soon hope would pass. Sadly, the more times goes by and the more they see the world at large has changed a drastic amount the more they are faced with the reality that they lost seven years.
"I wonder if Freed baby was happy while we were away," Bickslow whispered.
Evergreen's face grew sad because she knew that Freed hadn't been happy. She could tell in just his eyes. When they had been together they were filled with light. Now when she had seen them, even through a lacrima screen she could tell that the light had gone.
Before anyone had a chance to respond to Bickslow's question there was a soft knock at the door, Laxus caught their scent soon enough to reassure his team with a nod of his head that it was a friendly.
The nurse came walking in with a tray of light food. Her eyes fell first on Freed and then on the Thunder Legion. Her lips curled up in a sad smile.
"I'm afraid that you are going to have to leave now." She said with genuine sadness in her voice. "If it is any form consolation, Mr. Freed will be able to get back on his feet by tomorrow. Given that he has enough rest and is taking things slowly.
As the nurse said this, Ever and Bickslow made sure that Freed was covered fully by the thin blanket and that the flowers that they had brought him had enough water.
Laxus was hesitant to leave Freed's side, but a little part of him was relieved that he was going to be okay come tomorrow. So, he got up and watched as Evergreen bent down and pressed a kiss on Freed's forehead.
Slowly the Thunder Legion pulled themselves away from their Captain's side. They all thanked the nurse for giving them the chance to stay with Freed. As they were already at the door Laxus realized just how thin the blanket was.
Freed was going to be cold without something thicker keeping him warm. So, without a moment of hesitation, Laxus took off his coat and draped it across Freed's sleeping form.
"This is to make sure that Freed stays warm," Laxus told the nurse as he fixed his coat to make sure it covered Freed entirely.
The nurse ushered them out at their own pace which was very slow, but when the room was once again empty she let her heart full of sorrow for the Fairy Tail guild and for Freed Justine.
When the Thunder Legion was about to part ways. They turned to face each other.
Laxus gave his teammates a small smile. "I promise to kick Raven Tail's ass." He said.
Evergreen laughed and Bicks smiled "You better." They said in unison.
When they were both out of site, Laxus finally let the gravity of the situation hit him. He finally let sink that there really had been seven years between Freed and him. Seven years where Laxus hadn't been there for Freed the way he should have; the way he had never been. Laxus knew that he had treated his entire team terrible. He also knew that out of everyone, Freed had been treated the worst. He had used him as a dog, sending him to finish any dirty job that he didn't feel like dealing with.
Laxus took advantage of the light in Freed's eyes and his eagerness to please.
Laxus knew that Freed had turned himself into a fool for him. Freed had never been living for himself, he had lived for Laxus.
The more he would think about it the more this feeling of guilt began to fester. How could he have been so selfish? In what world did he ever deserve Freed.
Freed deserved to have the entire fucking world, not some piece where he loses himself.
With that realization Laxus let his head hang low. If he was serious, then he needed to understand that it was up to Freed if he was going to rejoin the guild after seven years.
He felt like he was admitting defeat, but Laxus knew that he had been doing everything for himself. He not once thought about Freed. Now he had to. If only to try and ease Freed as much as he could from everything that he had gone through.
He wasn't going to bring back Freed to the guild. He was going to reassure Freed that no matter what happened between them, Laxus plans to never leave his side ever again regardless of what guild he was in.
Again, Freed was able to wake up. This time with a lot less pain. He also couldn't help but noticed just how warm he was. For a moment he wanted to just bury himself in the warmth and soft fur that brushed against his face.
Wait…fur?
He didn't remember the sheets lined with fur.
That was when he decided to open his eyes to figure out exactly what was going on. Luckily his body was in better shape, so he was able to sit up slowly. As his eyes adjusted to the bright white light of his room, he first caught sight of something bright right on the table next to his bed. When he turned to look at what it was he was shocked to see a large vase of flowers.
There was large bright chrysanthemums at the center, around them were gladioluses and just put in were a few sunflowers. The smell was strong, but it did not bother Freed it actually help relax his tight muscles.
Then he turned his back and looked down to see the primary cause of his confusion. Draped over his body was a large black blanket with light grey fur lining. At least that was what he thought first. Then he noticed that the blanket wasn't a blanket but a coat.
It took Freed a few seconds to realize just who had left their coat with him. Then the answer hit him like a tuck. Not only did it give a name to the coat but also who had brought the flowers.
Laxus had come to see him and Evergreen and Bickslow had brought him the flowers.
His arms came out from under his makeshift blanket and rested atop of the soft worn felt of Laxus' coat. Then his fingers moved out to play with the fur.
A small smile grew on his lips and his eyes grew soft as he pulled up the coat to his face, so he could bury his face in the soft fur and for a moment forget the last seven years.
"I am very glad to see you awake Mr. Freed." Spoke a soft voice.
Freed fought the blush on his cheeks as he brought down the coat from his face.
"Yes, I am glad to not have to wake up to too much discomfort. I believe that is all thanks to you madame." Freed said politely.
Now it was the nurse's time to blush. "I am only doing what is needed to be done. To say that you look much better than you did hours earlier would be an understatement."
