This was based of a request by tumblr user allnalufraxus, who asked for something with both Fraxus and Nalu. This took a lot longer than it should have, but I'm quite happy with the result. This is also the first time I've properly written Lucy and Natsu, so please forgive any OOC behaviour.
As always, thank you so much for any comments and kudos you leave. They mean so much. Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading. ^.^
The Training Retreat
If you were to ask Laxus what he expected his week to entail, it wouldn't be this.
He found himself standing at the kitchen of an old cabin in the middle of a forest, chopping carrots beside Lucy Heartfilia of all people. The two weren't exactly the most friendly of members in Fairy Tail with one another and their interactions had mainly been born more of politeness and obligation rather than out of actual fondness to each other. And yet there they were, cooking side by side in relative comfort.
They both looked out at the large window, to a small clearing in the forest. Bost Freed and Natsu were outside, engaged in a fight that seemed heated and vicious. The view was slightly distorted by Freed's runes, but it was clear that they were both giving it their all.
Laxus felt a small swell of pride run through him.
The entire thing had been Freed's idea. The Grand Magic Games were coming up fast, and there had been a rumour that all four of them would be participating. Training was an obvious necessity, and Freed had been the one to propose that the four of them have a short retreat where they would train intensively with one another. He had justified it by saying that being less familiar with each other's fighting style would help them deal with unforeseen foes, as well as bringing them closer which would help them if they were placed on a team together.
Freed had approached Natsu before he had Laxus, and the Fire mage had jumped at the chance. Almost everything had been organised before either Laxus or Lucy knew about it, no doubt so that neither could stop their plans with any objections they may have.
"I had no idea you could cook," Lucy commented as she took a pot of boiling water off the heat.
"Most people don't," Laxus shrugged. "I learned when I was travelling, needed something to do and eating out wasn't an option since I had no money. Got a cook book, started to do some recipes and found out I liked it."
"Well that cottage pie thing you made last night was amazing," Lucy grinned, carefully pouring the chopped vegetables into the pot. "D'you cook often?"
"When I can, I try to," Laxus placed the knife down, stepping back to allow Lucy access to a cutlery draw. "Freed's a pretty good chef as well, so we always eat well. He does most of it on the missions since he knows how to work with an open fire better than I do, so whenever we're at home I'm usually the one making food."
Lucy chuckled, and Laxus quirked an eyebrow at her un confusion.
"Sorry," She smiled. "It's just weird, you know, to think of you two being so domestic. I kinda think of you as actions heroes, funny to think of you scheduling meals."
"Well, if you wanna know a secret, we also do laundry," Laxus said with a small grin, and Lucy laughed. "We sometimes even polish our silverware."
Over the few days that they had been in the cabin, Lucy and Laxus had gravitated towards each other in a small way. There was something of a friendship forming between them, and Laxus found himself happy about it. He was still not comfortable with his new place in the guild – years of antisocial behaviour had left an impact on him – but had found he enjoyed having platonic relationships with people outside of the Raijinshuu.
"And you're one to talk," Laxus continued. "You dating Dragneel. There was a theory going around when he was younger that the only feelings he had were being hungry and being angry."
Again, Lucy laughed. "He's not that bad."
As if to disprove her point, Natsu screamed 'I'll kick your ass' as he charged at Freed with a raised fist.
"That's not helping my point," Lucy said after a moment, and Laxus smirked. "But he's actually a lot more emotionally intelligent than people give him credit for. He can actually be really sweet when he wants to be."
Laxus didn't doubt it, Natsu was definitely an emotional person, so it made sense. Still, it wasn't an easy task to envision the brat being romantic.
"Give me an example," Laxus challenged, slowly adding the chopped mutton to the pot of vegetable.
"Well, okay, a couple of weeks ago!" Lucy said, smiling. "I got home from a pretty bad mission with Erza late in the night, and I was exhausted and starving, and he was in my apartment waiting for me having cooked us both a curry and some rice. Then he ran a bath for me once I'd eaten and let me read to him until we fell asleep. It was a nice night, actually."
It did indeed sound like a nice night, and undoubtedly more thoughtful than Laxus would have expected from the other Dragon Slayer. But still, in some twisted way, he saw the younger man as something of a younger brother. And what is a pseudo-older brother for if not for teasing.
"How did he get into your apartment?" He smirked. "And if it's anything other than breaking in, I'll give you two thousand jewels right now."
Lucy was silent for a moment.
"I said he was more thoughtful than people give him credit for. I didn't say he was a completely different man."
Laxus laughed, placing the stew he was making back onto the heat. He reached up to the crockery cupboard and started to set the table. Lucy had pulled out the remainder of the cutlery and began placing it down beside the plates. It was a small thing, but Laxus was thankful. Even in such an inconsequential action, they were working well as a team. It was a lot better than what Laxus had expected when Freed informed him about their retreat.
Both of them quickly looked from the table and towards the open when a sudden rush of orange spurted up. It was clearly Natsu's fire, and Lucy frowned as she watched as the flames in the area cordoned off by Freed's runes died down.
"I thought they weren't using their magic?" She questioned, watching as Natsu's charged forward with his fists alight. Laxus walked beside Lucy to watch.
As he did, runes plastered themselves over Natsu and he fell to his knees. "It was. They're just fucking idiots, apparently."
The two mages watched their respective lovers through the windows for a little while longer. Natsu managed either to overcome Freed's runes, or just ignore them, and charged at Freed again. Freed used some quick walls of runes to protect himself from the attacks, before slamming the sole of his boot into Natsu's stomach. He piled another rune onto the man's chest, and the dragon slayer was shouting in pain again.
"Freed can be pretty vicious when he wants to be," Lucy commented. "More scrappy than I thought"
"Suppose you've only seen him when he's had time to plan out a fight, huh," Laxus frowned a little. "When he's on a mission and there's impromptu fights, he's always like this. He's just as good without his magic as he is with it."
Lucy looked up to the blonde with a teasing grin. "It's cute how proud you are of him."
Laxus didn't say anything, but his cheeks reddened. "Fuck off."
Lucy laughed again, leaning on the counter to better watch the fight happening between the two men. It was oddly mesmerising to watch; despite his desires to fight almost every member of the guild, Natsu rarely managed to actually have full on fights. Well, he did, but those fights were often in apocalyptic moments, and appreciating his fighting style wasn't an option when that was happening. It was fun to see him go all out on a foe who wasn't an actual danger, and Lucy was going to make the most of it.
Even visually, the fight was beautiful. The combination of Natsu's flickering flames and Freed's shimmering runes was oddly entrancing. Almost hypnotic. But, as they watched the two men get more and more heated, Lucy noticed something.
"Why doesn't Freed use his sword like a… sword?" She asked, frowning.
"He tries not to when he can avoid it," Laxus explained. "It's mainly used to channelling his runes, it makes his casting quicker and spells more detailed. Don't exactly know how, but he seems sure it helps. And if he can fight with his fists, he'd rather do that. Stabbing someone is pretty…"
"Permanent?" Lucy offered, and Laxus nodded.
"He used to use it more liberally but changed after the harvest festival. Something of an atonement I think," Laxus shrugged. "Speaking off, I haven't thanked you for using that spirit to grow out his hair. It was good of ya, after all we did."
"That's no problem," Lucy smiled, almost mischievously. "You like guys with long hair huh?"
Was she teasing him? That wasn't something he had expected to happen. But he could deal with that too.
"Yeah," He agreed. "Gives he something to hold onto when I fuck him."
Lucy's reaction was fucking hilarious. There was a moment of disbelief where she slowly turned towards him, an expression of shock, small amount of horror and a hint of respect on her face. Laxus cocked an eyebrow at her, silently challenging her to bite back, because he had more than enough ammunition to tease her right back. She decided not to say anything.
"It was a nice attempt, but there's something you don't know," Laxus continued, smiling. "I've been a dick longer than you've been breathing."
"No arguing there," Lucy replied, seemingly having recovered. Laxus let her have it. "Should we stop them?"
At Lucy's question, they both looked out of the window. Natsu no longer had any runes on him and had punched Freed with enough force to send him flying into the back of his own runic walls. The resounding thud of Freed hitting his magic, a clearly painful act, made Lucy wince, but Laxus didn't seem bothered by it.
"They can handle themselves," He went back to dressing the table. "You wanna put some salt in the stew?"
Lucy watched as Freed stood up, wearing a determined grin not unlike Natsu's. "Sure."
When Natsu awoke the next morning, his limbs were tangled up with Lucy's. The cabin had only king-sized beds, but the lovers had somehow managed to curl up against one another in the centre, with their covers thrown to the floor. This always happened when they shared a bed; Natsu was warm naturally and apparently hugging him was like hugging a heater, so Lucy had stated. It apparently made summer unbearable.
The dragon slayer carefully removed himself from his girlfriend, holding a snort when Lucy let out an undignified snore. That was something he would have to bring up later; hopefully in front of Freed and Laxus, just to make it more embarrassing.
He grinned at the thought and left the bed.
After going through his usual routine of stretching, cracking his back and lighting his hands for a quick second, Natsu threw on his clothes from the day prior and left the bedroom. The hallway of the cabin was still dark – which made sense as it must have been about six in the morning – but he managed to make his way to the kitchen without bumping into anything.
He got himself a glass of water and leant on the back of the counter. He had always woken up early, there was probably a reason for it but Natsu didn't care enough to figure it out. He liked the mornings, it was relaxing. People assumed he didn't like the quiet, but he did. Just in moderation.
As he drank the water, he frowned. Every few seconds there was a sound of something being hit. A dull, repetitive sound.
Alarmed, he turned to the window and readied his magic, but calmed when he saw the source of the sounds. It was Freed, standing outside of the cabin with a large axe in his hand, which he slammed down into a chunk of wood. The dragon slayer frowned a little, he hadnt expected anyone else to be awake this early in the morning, let alone doing something so physical. He placed the empty glass on the counter and walked to the kitchen door, not caring for his coat.
"Morning Freed," He greeted, voice chipper but still tainted by sleep. Freed snapped his head around and replied with a polite smile.
"Natsu," He greeted. "I didn't wake you up, did I?"
"Nah," Natsu assured him, walking to Freed as he raised the axe again. He placed his hands behind his neck, watching as another log was cut. "I always wake up this time, didn't expect to see anyone else. You normally cut wood this early?"
"No. After our fight yesterday I crashed early," Freed confessed, moving the cut logs into a basket. It was half full. "As such, I woke up early and thought that I might as well do something productive. Laxus said that it seemed as though storms would be hitting us soon, so we'll probably want fire wood, so this made sense."
Natsu nodded, sitting on the grass and looking up at the sky. Clouds were forming, so it probably would start raining pretty soon, so getting firewood was a good idea. Not that Natsu was worried about being cold.
"Y'know, I sometimes forget, but you're a badass," Natsu commented with a grin, and Freed glanced towards him. "I guess I always forget because when I wanna fight someone in your team, I default to Laxus, but you're really fucking strong. Haven't had an actual stalemate for a while."
"I'm glad I could be a challenge to you," Freed smiled, bringing the axe down on the wood again. "And I agree, it was nice to spar with someone I'm not familiar with."
"We should do it again some time," Natsu suggested, grinning. "Then I can learn how to kick your ass faster."
"You're implying that you won," Freed looked back at him, posture almost challenging. "The only reason you lasted so long was because I showed mercy. I could have crushed you by increasing the influence of gravity with a literal click of my fingers."
"And I could have burned off your nuts, try fighting after that," Natsu grinned, unaffected by the threat.
"Well, if that's the case we should fight again some time, but with less restrictions than we had before," Freed offered. "Make it a real challenge."
Natsu grinned wide and made a note to remember the offer; he was never going to turn down an opportunity to spar with someone when he didn't need to wear down their will. Honestly, he shouldn't have to bother people that much to train with them. They were in a damn guild; they should want to improve how they fought and increase their magical skills. How was Natsu the only one who saw it like that?
The dragon-slayer leant back on the cold grass, looking up to the still visible stars. He knew some of the constellations now, thanks to Lucy teaching them to him. It was nice to look up at the stars while he could, it made him feel close to his girlfriend, weirdly.
With Lucy in his mind, Natsu clicked his fingers.
"Hey Freed, you like to read right?" He asked, and he heard Freed's movement stop.
"I do," Freed nodded. "Why?"
"Well, I don't know if you know this or not, but Lucy really likes to write. And she's been writing this novel for like, years and she's finished the draft. And she wanted me to read it, so I did and it's really good, and I told her that but she's still putting off sending it to a publisher," Natsu explained, hands moving around as he did.
"That's understandable, it can be a nerve-wracking experience."
"Yeah, I get that, but it is really good. So I was thinking that maybe you could read it," Natsu sat up again, grinning enthusiastically at his idea. "Then you'd see how great it is and you could tell her. She knows you've got good taste and you won't just say it because you have to. Maybe it'll give her a confidence boost."
"I'll certainly offer when we get back to Magnolia," Freed assured him, and Natsu brightened further.
The dragon slayer grinned and leant back against the grass again, letting the wind slowly cool him as the sun started to rise. After all the fighting of the day prior, it was nice to have a moment to calm down and look at the sky. And Freed was a pretty calming presence, when he wasn't making everyone fight each other through the town. Maybe they could be friends; someone who could calm him and nearly beat the shit out of him was something Natsu was always looking for.
Although, despite knowing each other for years, he didn't know much about Freed as an actual person. In the past, he had been standoffish to the point where even Natsu had given up trying to be friends with him. But now he was more open, and this was a good enough time to try and get to know him.
"How did you and Laxus get together?" He asked. Better to dive right in. If Freed didn't want to say, he wouldn't.
"We just sort of… did," Freed replied, looking deep in thought. "We have always been close, and after Laxus returned from his exile, we got closer. One night we kissed, we talked, and the next day we had our first date. And now we're here. How about you and Lucy?"
"I realised I liked her, then I asked her out and she said yes," Natsu shrugged. "Why make it complicated."
"That's an admirable attitude to have," Freed smiled a little. "It turns out Laxus and I had feelings for each other long before we kissed, so perhaps if either of us had that attitude then we would have gotten together quicker."
"Maybe, but I sometimes think I rush into things, y'know," Natsu shrugged. "I charge in, don't think things through. Wanna change that, be a better boyfriend."
"Well, your 'charge in and to hell with the consequences' attitude has saved a lot of people a lot of times," Freed said, placing the axe down and sitting on the log he had been chopping wood on. "And I wouldn't worry about your relationship. You're very open about who you are as a person, and Lucy is a smart woman. She would have known what she was getting into, and I expect she rather likes it."
Natsu tilted his head in thought but smiled. "Thanks Freed. Oh, and Laxus just woke up."
"You can tell?" Freed asked, placing the chopped firewood into the basket.
"Well, heard a thud and then a load of cussing. So either he stubbed his toe and it hurt, or he just moves around in bed and tells side-dressers to fuck off in his sleep," Natsu grinned, jumping up with too much energy for the time of day that it was.
"I wouldn't put it past him," Freed laughed. "But if he is awake, I expect he'll still be tired enough that we can convince him to make us breakfast without him putting up a fuss."
"You're devious, Justine. I like it," Natsu laughed, putting his hands behind his neck again as he walked to the cabin.
"I'm glad," Freed smirked. "Because you'll see just how devious I can be when I pound your ass into the ground next time we fight."
Natsu grinned. "Looking forward to it!"
"We should do this again some time," Lucy smiled.
The four mages were standing outside of Magnolia train station, having just returned from their training retreat. Natsu was leaning across her shoulders, partly to be closer to her and partly because the motion-sickness still was leaving him queasy. Laxus also seemed affected by the journey, though to a lesser extent. He was refusing to maintain eye contact with anyone and kept wincing when he moved his head too fast.
"We should," Freed smiled, raising his bandaged broken arm. "Though hopefully with better results."
"Sorry about him," Lucy laughed. "He goes all out."
"I knew what I was getting myself into," Freed laughed, smiling good naturedly. "And I like to think I gave as good as I got, even if all his bones remain intact."
"You did," Natsu groaned, looking up to reveal the bruise on his jaw. "You've got a good right hook, anyone ever told you that."
"It has come up, hasn't it Laxus?" Freed smirked, looking to his boyfriend with a glint in his eye.
"Once or twice," Laxus muttered, having been on the receiving end of Freed's punches whenever they sparred together. "But yeah, this was good. Nice to spar with someone I'm not used to. Especially you, Blondie. That whips a pain in the ass, you could beat half the assholes we'll be fighting without your spirits."
"Thanks. I doubt they'd want that, but that's a good compliment coming from you," Lucy smiled, before looking to Freed. "I can bring the manuscript over to the guild tomorrow, if you still want to read it."
"I'd love to," Freed nodded. "From what I've heard, its rather good."
"He's biased," Lucy laughed off the compliment, but Natsu frowned.
"Doesn't mean I'm not right," Natsu shouted, but covered his mouth a moment later as vomit threatened to leave him. He continued to speak through his hands, which muffled his words. "You'll see. It's great."
"Well, you can make up your own mind," Lucy said, pushing Natsu away. "We should get home before he pukes. I don't think Aquarius will appreciate being summoned to clean it off the sidewalk. Again."
"Of course," Freed nodded a little. "I look forward to reading your manuscript, and to doing something like this again if we ever get the time."
"Me too," Lucy smiled. "See you both soon."
"We shall," Freed agreed, and Laxus made a small noise in place of a goodbye.
The two men watched as the younger couple began to walk towards Lucy's apartment, Natsu swaying slightly as he tried to walk without Lucy's assistance. Freed didn't say anything, knowing Laxus was just as bad as the other dragon-slayer was – albeit hiding it better – and would need some time to recover.
After a few moments, they began to walk to their shared house in silence. It was a nice moment, the two of them appreciated silence between each other, and Freed allowed a small smile to grace his features. It had been a nice week, actually.
"So," Laxus said after a while. "You and Natsu have some weird rivalry going now. Didn't expect that to happen."
"Me neither, but he is good to train with," Freed laughed.
"Say that again when he's beating down your door in the middle of the night because he wants to fight," Laxus chuckled, and Freed smiled.
"I'll set up runes to stop me from hearing it," Freed grinned. "And as you find it so funny, I'll make sure the runes don't affect you. Just so you have something to laugh at when you wake up."
Laxus chuckled, wrapping an arm around Freed's shoulders.
"And speaking of things that I didn't expect to happen, you and Lucy have something of a friendship forming," Freed continued, and Laxus shrugged. "It's nice you're starting to make friends with other kids your age."
"Fuck off," Laxus laughed, nudging Freed with a grin.
"And such language. Maybe she's a bad influence," Freed smirked.
"You know that sounding like my grandfather ain't exactly a turn on," Laxus deadpanned.
Freed didn't reply, instead laughed and leaned further into his boyfriend. Laxus grinned, tightened his grip on Freed, and continued to walk with a smile on his face. This had been a good week.