Hi all. I'm so sorry this took so long. I think i just needed some time away from the fic so I could write it well. I hope the wait was worth it. Also, the final chapter should be coming tomorrow. I've written, just need to edit it now. No warnings this chapter, just fluff.

As always, thank you so much for any comments and kudos you leave. They mean so much. Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading. ^.^

Chapter Nine – Training

"Again!" Laxus yelled.

He stood with his arms crossed, looking across the baron grass plane with a serious expression painted across his features. Standing across from his was Freed, bare chested and sweating. He was resting his hands on his knees in a pseudo-crouching position, breathing in and out heavily as he glared daggers into the ground.

"Come on," Laxus continued. "This ain't gonna work if we stop now."

The two men were outside of a small cabin owned by the royal family, a vacation home of sorts. It was secluded, only known of by a few people in the kingdom, and was perfect for what Laxus had planned.

Freed was learning to control his magic. After leaning his retainer had magical abilities over a week ago, it had been plaguing the prince's mind almost constantly. The most obtrusive thought was that Freed was ashamed of his magic. The very same Freed who exuded confidence in himself and unrelenting pride, was ashamed of something. Something that he couldn't help, no less, and something that was as much a part of him as anything else. It didn't sit right with Laxus.

So he had approached the man and explained as bluntly as he could that thinking of his magic in that way was fucking ridiculous. Just because people thought his magic was evil, it didn't mean it was. What he did with the magic decided if it was evil or not.

Freed had then confessed he was also ashamed he couldn't control it. He could change that by learning.

After Freed had agreed that learning his magic was the best course of actions, the prince had spoken to his grandfather and requested a week in isolation. The old man had put up no objections, probably assuming that Laxus needed time to come to terms with what had happened in the festival. It was far from the truth; the fact he would soon be king was something Laxus had consciously pushed to the back of his mind. Helping Freed with his magic was acting as a pretty good distraction as well.

"I know," Freed panted, standing upright.

The retainer raised his arm into the air, closing his eyes. He began muttering under his breath, and although Laxus couldn't hear him, he knew what he was doing. His emotions and his magic were linked in some way, and Freed was trying to overwork his emotions so that his magic would more easily start to form.

From where he stood, Laxus could see wisps of black smoke starting to form around Freed's raised arm. The grass started to shiver as if a large wind rushed through it, crashing to the retainer as if propelled towards him.

The sight was incredibly impressive.

The smoke around Freed's arm started to get thicker and thicker, becoming more of an inky fog that surrounded him. Despite the distance, Laxus could see that the shadow was starting to climb inside of Freed, crawling up his arm in thick black lines resembling veins. Freed had confessed that the process was painful, and the pain he was in was clear with how tense his body was. Every muscle was flexed, his free hand was clenched beside him, and his face a scowl that was unmoving and straining.

Laxus was fucking proud of him.

As the fog got thicker, and the wind got stronger, Laxus could start to sense magic forming around him. He kept his eyes trained on Freed, both so he could get a better understanding of how the magic worked as well as being prepared to intervene if anything went wrong.

The fog began to pulse with purple lights, and Laxus could see the vague mutation of the man's hand from under it. It had been disturbing to watch originally, but after days of the same, Laxus had become almost desensitised to what happened to the retainer. The black veins grew larger and thicker, extending their reach to across Freed's torso and perhaps his whole body. The extended hand started to warp faster, and Freed's mouth split open with a roar.

A moment later the fog dissipated, and a claw had replaced Freed's hand.

It reached above Freed's elbow, scales melding into skin as the retainer tried to catch his breath. Laxus didn't say anything, didn't move in fear that he might distract Freed and therefore interrupt the spell he was casting.

But this was good. Although he was clearly exhausted, this was the most stable Freed had been while attempting to transform himself. The first few attempts had been unsuccessful. The next had flickered out before Freed could do anything useful with it. the most recent had stayed for longer, but reduced Freed's mobility with the arm. But as Freed flexed the unfamiliar limb, and stretched out his fingers, he seemed to be in full control of it.

This was as close as they had gotten this far. Laxus had to trust Freed knew what to do next.

The knight was still muttering under his breath, and Laxus didn't know if it was to keep his emotions high or to act as a distraction from the pain he was in. It was tempting to step in, but when he saw flickers of black energy forming between the claws, Laxus stood where he was. Freed needed to do this himself.

There was a moment of silence, the calm at the eye of a hurricane.

A moment later, an ear shattering scream left the retainers mouth. It sounded distorted, as if underwater and ripped apart, and Laxus could only watch as Freed lowered his hand from the air and pushed it out in front of him. The energy built around his claw manically and seemed to make Freed's arm shake uncontrollably.

Then, without warning, a pulsating stream of pure darkness shot out from his hand. It knocked the man back, shooting his arm to the left and taking the beam with it. The attack only lasted a few seconds, and Freed's shouts died a moment later. He collapsed onto his knees, panting again.

Laxus ran towards him, looking to the side where the beam of energy had been directed. It had hit the edge of a forest, and the power had been incredibly destructive. Many of the nearest trees had been destroyed outright, and others that were further back had large dents in them or had fallen over by the force of the attack. All that damage had come from a spell that had barely lasted five seconds. This further proved just how strong Freed was.

"You okay?" Laxus asked as he got closer, and Freed looked up.

"Fine," The man replied, breath haggard. "Exhausted, but the pain is dying quickly. Help me up."

Laxus offered the man a hand, which was quickly taken. Freed was unstable on his feet, and Laxus quickly wrapped him in his arms, unbothered by the sweat drenching the retainer now spreading to Laxus' own clothes. The entire training process has been draining on Freed, and Laxus had quickly realised what Freed needed when he was like this. Silence, no judgment, and comfort.

They stood in the plane, arms wrapped around one another, Laxus stroking Freed's hair.

It was something that had happened a few times over the last few days, and it had always made Laxus think. As Freed had suggested, they hadnt chosen to define what exactly their relationship was, and instead focused on how they felt in the moment. Acting out of impulse, they had veered more and more to romantic actions. Kisses had occurred, ranging from the chaste to the passionate. The way they addressed each other in private had changed, as if the status difference no longer existed. The first night of being away, they had made love to one another. It had been slow, sensual, and infinitely better than when they first acted out of carnal lust months prior.

All of it had been perfect.

As he stood with Freed in his arms, Laxus thought about their decision to not define what they were. At the time it made sense, and it had worked out for them both, but Laxus adored the feeling of being intimate with Freed. It filled him with a warmth he couldn't define. Like every aspect of his life was being supported and protected by an unwavering force.

He wanted to define it; he had decided. He didn't want Freed to just be his guard and protector, he also wanted the man to be his lover. No, his partner. He wanted to share his life with Freed, to love him and be loved back.

It was a want that Laxus hadnt experienced in his life before. But he didn't mind it.

"That was fuckin'…" Laxus couldn't think of a word. Amazing, incredible, powerful. They all seemed to fall short. "You are so fucking strong, you know that?"

"I can barely stand," Freed chuckled.

"Your body ain't used to it yet. But you'll get there, and you'll be unstoppable," Laxus assured him. "I think you've done enough for the day. Unless you'd rather keep going."

"No, if I do any more I'll tire myself out and tomorrow will be a waste," Freed said, still catching his breath.

"Fair," Laxus nodded. "You need to get the rest out of your system?"

Freed had confessed to Laxus that, when he used magic, is entered his system in an unusual way. Power seemed to fester inside of him after using any powerful spells, and Freed had compared it to being on an energy high when you're trying to fall asleep. The prince couldn't exactly understand what that would feel like but understood that Freed found it incredibly uncomfortable and that was all he needed to know.

The process of removing the residual magic was simple enough, so Freed stated. He needed to put the magic to use without gathering any more energy. His rune spells, which he had greater control over, were relatively easy to perform. After practicing a more intense spell, Freed would spend time making runes in quick succession until his magic ran dry.

"I think so," Freed pushed his head off Laxus' chest. "You can go back inside. It won't take long."

"You sure?" Laxus asked, somewhat concerned. "I don't mind."

"I'll be fine," Freed gave a small smile.

Taking the man's word for it, Laxus carefully unwrapped himself from Freed. He seemed to have recovered enough so that he could stand without swaying slightly, and that inspired confidence in Laxus. He pressed his lips into Freed's hair.

"If you need help, just call," He instructed, and Freed laughed lightly.

"You needn't be so protective of me, Laxus," He smiled. "But if I need you, I will call for you."

"You better," Laxus grinned. "See you in a little while, yeah."

"Of course, your highness," Freed said, smirking.

The bastard had found another way to call Laxus by his title. He now used it ironically, apparently, as they were obviously more than just a prince and his guard.

"Or maybe just die out here," Laxus retorted, smirking back at him. "I can replace you."

"If you can live that long without me," Freed bit back.

Laxus laughed, pressed his lips onto Freed's head a final time, and started to walk towards the house.

When he heard the door open, Laxus stood up straight. He flicked some of the water off his hands and stood back from the metal bathtub that he had just filled with steaming water. He left the washroom to see that Freed had entered the cabin, shirt resting over his shoulder, looking just as dishevelled as before; perhaps worse. Laxus smiled at him, unashamed at the lovelorn expression on his face.

"You okay?" He asked. "Took a little while longer than before?"

"I'm fine," Freed assured him. "The spell required more magic, meaning I had more resonating inside me. I just needed to spend more time getting rid of it."

"Okay," Laxus nodded. "I ran you a bath if you want it. You looked pretty beat up, thought it could help."

Freed smiled. "Thank you. That's very kind."

Laxus shrugged, standing to the side as Freed slowly walked towards the washroom. Beat up was an apt description, as it really did look as if the man had been through a vicious fight, minus any actual injuries. Despite this, Freed hadnt once complained about the rigorous schedule that Laxus had made for him, nor the incredible toll that his body had been through. It was fucking incredible; Laxus wasn't sure if he could deal with it as well as Freed was.

The blonde followed Freed into the washroom, entering as the other started to undress. There was no shyness between either man, and Freed removed the rest of his clothes without hesitation. Laxus walked to a cabinet and picked up a wicker basket of toiletries as Freed climbed into the steaming water.

He audibly exhaled, his tightened muscles relaxing in the intense heat. He sat back with his eyes closed, the water covering everything but his face, and Laxus felt his heart swell slightly.

Damn, he had fallen hard.

"It ain't too warm, is it. Or too cold," Laxus asked, placing the basket in Freed's reach. "I can fix it, if it is."

"It's perfect," Freed assured him. "Although, I must admit the idea of a prince doting on me is rather endearing. At the start of the year I wouldn't have believed you were capable of running your own bath."

"Really, with the high expectations you had of me?" Laxus laughed, and Freed smiled. Laxus continued. "Gramps wanted me to be as self-sufficient as possible. And what kind of man can't bathe himself?"

"At the moment, I fear that man is myself," Freed chuckled. "Though I expect that is more out of laziness than actual ability."

Without hesitance, Laxus reached for a wooden bowl and dipped it beneath the surface of the water. Freed watched this with a slight frown on his face, quirking an eyebrow at Laxus, who responded by jutting his chin towards Freed's head. The knight seemed to understand what this meant and pushed himself off the back of the bathtub. Still without saying anything, Laxus began to slowly poor the warm water over Freed's scalp, wetting his hair. Freed's hair was a point of vanity, and washing it was the least Laxus could do.

After a few turns of pouring water over Freed's hair, he reached for the product that Freed tended to use. He lathered it onto his hands before slowly starting to massage the man's hair. It was a nice feeling, and Freed seemed to relax into it.

"I've been thinking," Laxus began, speaking somewhat tentatively. "About us, actually."

"Hm," Freed prodded after a moment, eyes opening but posture unmoving. Laxus continued to massage his head.

"And well, I get that where we're at is good. Great even. And it's not like I wanna fuck it up or anything, because I really love what's happening between us," Laxus began, and immediately wished he had thought this through. "But I think maybe we should…"

"Talk about it?" Freed concluded, and Laxus nodded. "I'd like that."

"Okay, great," Laxus nodded, feeling a little confident now. "So, I guess being forward makes sense, I want more than just this. I wanna make it serious. I don't exactly know how we'd do that. Maybe we'd court each other, maybe we could just decide to be in a relationship. I don't know how this works, kind of new to me."

He shouldn't have said that. it probably isn't good to mention how inexperienced in a relationship you are when you're trying to start one with someone.

"Well, I must admit that the idea of you courting me is rather delightful sounding," Freed laughed, and Laxus smiled at the reaction. "But relationships haven't been a big part of my life either, so I can't exactly be the voice of experience."

That shocked Laxus. Freed was a handsome man and didn't have the same social restrictions he had.

"But even if I had, I don't think it would have been applicable. Considering who we both are, both to each other and to the greater public," Freed sounded contemplative. "But we both want to be in a relationship, correct?"

"Yeah," Laxus nodded, starting to lather the lengths of Freed's hair. "That's what I want."

"Well, we should date then," Freed said simply.

"You say that like it's easy," Laxus laughed a little. The confidence in Freed's voice had been assuring, though.

"No, it probably won't be easy. We'll probably have to keep it a secret for some time, which will be difficult," Freed said, and Laxus nodded a little. "But I can imagine we've both been faced with more difficult tasks in the past."

"True. I had to deal with you," Laxus laughed. "You sure you wanna do this. I'm not sure what the politics of dating a prince are, let along a guy dating a prince."

"Politics has yet to stop me so far," Freed shrugged. "Although, if we are to date, there is something I need you to do."

"Sure?" Laxus questioned.

"You need to come to terms with the fact you're going to be king," Freed turned his head, Laxus releasing his hair as the man looked at him with sincerity. "While I can't imagine what it feels like, I expect it is incredibly intimidating, but you need to think about it. And discuss it. Because if you don't, all of this is going to come back to you eventually, and it'll most likely happen on the day you become king. And I expect you'll have enough on your plate that day as it is."

Laxus sighed. Freed was right, of course. He had allowed himself to push all his insecurities to the back of his mind while helping Freed. It wasn't exactly the smartest thing to do, but every time he thought about his upcoming responsibilities, panic and dread ran through him.

"We don't need to talk about it now," Freed continued, "Or with me, if you don't want to. But the more you discuss it, the more you plan out what you're going to do and think about it now, the less stress you'll be under when it's actually happening."

Laxus was silent for a moment.

"I know," He eventually mumbled. "And Gramps said he's gonna help me however he can. So it's not like I'll be on my own or anything. It's just a fucking daunting thing to think about."

"I imagine so," Freed said, resting a hand on Laxus'. "But you will be brilliant."

Laxus didn't say anything, just rested his forehead against Freed's. They stayed like this for a moment, and the prince felt himself grow a little more confident in himself. If Freed thought he could be a good king, then perhaps he could. His retainer seemed to be a good judge of character if nothing else. Perhaps that was why he had brought it up, to give Laxus confidence in himself.

"You're a smart man, Freed Justine," Laxus commented with a fond smile.

"As are you, and the world will soon know it," Freed smiled, before grinning. "And I imagine you'll look damn sexy in a crown."

"Fucks sake," Laxus laughed. He was glad Freed had broken the ice, even if he did so ridiculously.

"In fairness to myself, I avoided any double entendres about inspecing your crown jewels. So I still have class."

"Sure you do," Laxus grinned playfully, tilting Freed's head up and kissing him again.

This was good. This was what he needed. He could do anything if he had this to fall back on.

Perhaps it was naive, but at that moment, he felt like everything might end up okay.