Random creep on discord: every story needs a good sex scene.

Me: ...

Me: ...well, shit.

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"...I hate to see you cry, your smile is a beautiful lie...I hate to see you cry, my love is dying inside..."

-Edward Maya, "Stereo Love"

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Laxus POV

After Bickslow rudely interrupted Freed and I, I was both disappointed, shocked and dismayed. Disappointed because we were so close to kissing and it had been completely ruined by Bickslow's sudden presence. Shocked because everything had gone by so fast and I simply could not bring myself to believe that Freed really and truly thought the world of me, it was such a vast concept. And I was dismayed because he and I both knew we couldn't tell anyone about this.

Hell, we probably can't even be official, whatever the hell that's supposed to mean... I thought to myself as I walked into the open cafe. And I really did want that kiss. Seems I'll have to get it from him another time. Maybe today, if I can get him alone...

I realized how creepy that sounded and shook those thoughts out of my head. For now, it was time to join our usual table and be friends. Just friends.

I was running a bit late, so Ever, Bix and Freed were all at our usual table when I made it there. Even from where I was standing, approaching from a distance, I could immediately tell that they were a strange bunch. Bix was playing with one of his possessed dolls, using his magic to make it fly in tight, elegant patterns over his head, watching with an amused smile as it did. Evergreen was sitting beside him, as always, doodling in a sketch book with one hand and messing with her hair with the other. Lastly, Freed was sitting with his legs criss-crossed on top of the table, munching on a carrot as he read one of his precious books.

As I walked up to the table and said, "Hey, guys." Bickslow's doll swooped over my head.

"Hullo." Freed replied, glancing up at me and smiling before returning to his book, thoroughly engrossed in the text.

"Hey, Laxus." Evergreen waved her hand in greeting.

Bickslow didn't respond, he was concentrating. I watched, amused, as his doll floated around in a neat circle, hesitated, and then darted out to attack Freed (Bix liked to use his dolls to steal Freed's books from him). The doll nearly made it, but suddenly crashed into an invisible wall.

"What the hell!" Bix exclaimed, bewildered.

A wall of runes flickered into existence around Freed, glowing purple symbols extending up from the table and going on forever. He smirked playfully and gestured to the wavering, shimmering runes. "Seems I've gotten smart enough to know how to evade your 'babies', Bickslow." he remarked, looking thoroughly pleased with himself. "It's an enchantment I put around myself, and you're not allowed in it. Those are the rules."

The way enchantments worked was the rune-writer had to write a set of rules, such as "none may leave this area until one has risen victorious" (an example gleaned from the enchantments I made Freed use against all of Fairy Tail when I was drunk on power). Enchantment rules were absolute, and the enchantment could not be lifted unless the spellcaster changed his mind, or the rules were completed. As such, Freed was always so well-mannered and self-disciplined simply because he behaved like his magic. He always followed the rules.

"Huh. Smart." I said, as the wall of runes flickered once and disappeared. Enchantments were invisible until something ran into them and revealed their existence.

Bickslow howled with dismay and scooped up the little wooden doll that had crashed into the enchantment, cradling it protectively whilst glaring at Freed. "You hurt my baby!"

"I'm sure your baby will get over it. I didn't want my book to be stolen, I'm trying to finish it." Freed didn't even look up from his book.

"That's... Kinda cold of you, Freed." Ever said, with a hint of admiration in her voice. We all knew that if Freed wanted to, he could pin us all against each other and take over. He was terrifyingly powerful. Yet he was so small and harmless-looking.

It was hard to wrap my head around the fact that tiny, shy, sweet, adorable Freed was capable of extremely dangerous things that the rest of us could only ever hope to do.

"I think it's neat." I told her, waving my hand through the runes. They flickered into existence, but didn't stop me. I managed to pass through the wall as if it weren't even there, which surprised me. "Nani? Hey, I made it through!"

"It would seem so." Freed turned a page in his book.

"Huh???" Bickslow ran over to my side and tried to get his hand through, but his palm slapped into the invisible barrier and the rune wall appeared again, glowing brightly and flashing at him, as if annoyed by his attempts. "What the fuck! How come Laxus got through it??"

"Language. And it's simple. You just have to know the rules." Freed finally looked up at him as he tried to break down the enchantment with brute force, which was impossible because rune walls were unbreakable. "The runes state that you or anything possessed by you is not allowed to pass within this area, small though it may be. Laxus is not you, nor is he possessed by you in any way, shape or form, so he can get in just fine. In other words, the rules don't apply to him."

"How fitting." Evergreen mumbled, I threw her an amused look.

"That is so cool." I praised. "Is this why you're sitting on the table, not at the table?"

"Yes. It's easier to set enchantments within a very small area when there are no objects in the way." Freed nodded, beaming with pride that he had found a way to successfully evade Bickslow's habit of stealing from him and messing with him. "It's rather efficient. Additionally, I can leave it here as long as I wish, since it's not getting in anyone's way. Bickslow just can't touch the middle of the table, and that's not the worst thing that could ever happen to him."

"What if it is? I like that part of the table." Bix growled, giving the little rune mage a death look. "And as soon as you leave that enchantment of yours, I'm gonna throttle you!"

"All the more reason for me to stay within the enchantment and finish my book." Freed grinned and returned to his book.

"Clever. Very clever." Evergreen nodded her approval.

"Oh shit, I forgot to grab my jacket out of my room." I turned around, then abruptly realized I had said a swear word. "Sorry, Freed." I quickly added and he waved me off.

"Did you? Which jacket?" The jade-haired rune mage asked, giving me an odd look over the edge of his book.

"The big heavy one, with the fur trim." I replied, absentmindedly.

I started walking away, but suddenly Freed sprang to his feet with inhuman speed and darted past me, saying, "Don't worry about it, Laxus, I'll get it for you!"

"You really don't have to." I told him, but he was already halfway across the room. I sighed and returned to my seat, smiling a little.

"His devotion to you is adorable." Evergreen remarked. "I'm pretty sure if you ever turned down his help, he'd be absolutely heartbroken. Asking him to not do things for you is like asking him to stop breathing."

"And that's why I've never turned down his help before." I agreed, a proud smile crossing my face. "It really is nice having his help with certain things, but even now I feel like he shouldn't have to make a whole bunch of extra work for himself because he wants me to be happy, or have an easier life, or whatever goal he hopes to accomplish with this."

"Just tell the damn pipsqueak to stop helping you. Boom, problem solved." Bickslow grumbled, poking at the wall of runes that was still planted in the middle of the table.

I threw the beefy marionette mage a glare that clearly communicated the message: don't talk about my Freed like that but let it go.

Freed returned with my coat only a moment later. It was large and heavy, nearly as big as he was, so he had it all bunched up in his arms. Even though he looked absolutely overwhelmed by the huge mound of fabric he was carrying, he was still grinning from ear to ear, which reminded me just how happy it made him to do things for me.

"I got it!" he announced, cheerfully.

Bickslow kicked Freed's legs out from under him all of a sudden, right as the smaller boy was passing by. With a little yelp of alarm, Freed tripped and fell on his face, hard. Fortunately, my coat was there to cushion his rough landing, but I still jumped to my feet to make sure he was okay.

"Bickslow!" I exclaimed, scoldingly, as I crouched down and helped Freed get up.

The little rune mage dusted off his red coat before drawing himself up to his full height, which wasn't very intimidating, bristling with fury, hazel eyes flashing with a dangerous, angry light.

"Oh, so you think it makes you all big and strong just because you can push around someone who's less than half your size and utterly useless?" Freed snapped, with more spite in his voice than I had ever heard. The black ribbon at the end of his long hair had come loose when he fell, so now his jade hair was strewn across his face, an absolute mess. "Well, I'll show you useless! I'll show you weak! How about I put an enchantment around you that won't let you out until you rip your own arm off? Let see how tough you think you are then!"

"Freed," I said, not unkindly. I put my hand on his shoulder. He was trembling all over. "I know you're upset and he was wrong for tripping you up, but that's going a bit too far."

Freed didn't respond, he was too upset. He huffed and pivoted sharply, turning and storming off in the general direction of the dorms.

Ever, Bix and I were speechless. None of us had ever seen him get so angry before. Usually Freed was so calm and quiet and peaceful, very slow to anger. What had made him get so upset? Was he okay?

"Whoa. I didn't know he had it in him. Eh, it's a good thing he's all bark and no bite." Bickslow shrugged uncaringly.

And then it hit me. Bickslow's always being so mean to him, taking his books, pushing him around, calling him names and just generally being a bit of a bully. Freed must be so tired of it.

"Well, this wouldn't have happened if you treated him better. Now he's all upset." I glared at Bix.

"Hey, why are you so mad at me? I didn't even do anything!" he got all defensive and folded his massive arms, glaring right back.

"Oh, it's not like you're always belittling him, calling him names, stealing his things and tripping him up. Hell, you make his life miserable and you don't seem to care." I rolled my eyes, absolutely exasperated. "He's so sweet and helpful, and you have to go and make everything ten times harder for him."

"Maybe I wouldn't have to if he weren't always following you around like a clingy puppy." Bix shot back, and refused to say anything more afterward.

I decided to give up the fight and go check up on Freed, who probably wasn't doing so great right now. I hurried down the hall to the dorms, ignoring the curious stares of guild members as I went. Freed's room was at the end of the hall, on the left. I paused at the closed door, and waited for a minute, allowing my enhanced hearing senses to kick in. I just wanted to make sure I wasn't going in at a bad time.

I quickly picked up an unfamiliar sound. A soft sob. Freed was... Crying? I'd never seen him cry before. Based off how quiet and muffled it was, he must've had his face buried in a pillow. The poor thing couldn't even stand to let himself cry. I knew I had to go in and check on him. It broke my heart, knowing this whole thing with Bix had always bothered him so much, but other than defending him when things went too far, I had done absolutely nothing to protect him.

I hesitated before raising a hand and knocking on the door. "Freed?"

"G-Go away." his soft voice replied, slightly choked.

"It's me. I'm coming in whether you like it or not." I decided, pushing the door open. It wasn't locked.

Freed was curled up in a little ball on his bed, hugging a pillow to his chest, hiding his face as I expected. "L-Leave me alone..." he mumbled, obviously trying to hide the fact he'd been crying.

"No, you're really upset right now and it's my job to be there for you when you need me." I closed the door behind me and sat down on the edge of the bed, reaching out and putting my hand on Freed's shoulder. He was still shaking like a leaf. "C'mere, nerd." I slid my arms under him so I could gently raise him to a sitting position, scooping him up into my arms. "There. Much better."

"Laxus, I..." Freed stammered out, trying to wriggle away from me. "I-I don't think..."

"Shhh. Please don't push me away. You need this." I gently nudged the pillow out of his grasp, revealing his tear-streaked face. Seeing his wide, glassy eyes that seemed so innocent and heartbroken made me want to cry too, I had never seen him so upset before. I slowly ran my fingers through his soft green hair, keeping my other arm around him. "What's wrong, Freed?"

"I-I just... S-Sometimes, I... Get tired of..." the more he spoke, the closer he got to bursting into tears again, and I could tell he was really trying not to do that.

"It's okay, you can tell me how you feel. I'm here." I said, trying to help him. I pressed a gentle kiss to the top of his head as I began stroking his hair.

The touch caused him to come completely undone. It startled me when a soft sob broke out of his chest, followed immediately by another. I could tell how hard he was trying to hold it back, but the flood of emotion was too strong for him to stop. He buried his face in my chest as a fresh river of tears began making their way down his face.

"I-I'm sorry..." he whispered, muffled by my shirt.

"No, no, don't apologize. It's alright. You're allowed to be human." I told him, fingers dancing across his scalp, sliding through his silky hair that was so long it was like a rippling emerald and jade river. "What's bothering you? Can you tell me?"

Freed hesitated before reaching down and tugging on my arm, pulling it tighter around him. "B-Bix... He really gets to m-me... Sometimes..." he said, slowly, as he wiped his eyes and tried to stop crying. Even when he was sobbing out loud, it was so quiet and soft, which amazed me. "I-I can't stand it when he treats me like that because it... Reminds me of..." he could get no further and broke down again. I could feel his tears seeping through my shirt, which he was clutching tightly with one hand, like it was the only thing keeping me there. His shoulders were heaving and his chest was shaking. He seemed so fragile in that moment I felt as though I could break him in half on accident.

I held him even tighter, murmuring soft reassurances into his hair, making sure he knew that I was there and he was safe. "Shhh. It's alright. I've got you." I really wanted to ask what it reminded him of, I was sensing some backstory to this, but I didn't want to rush him. I was sure he'd tell me as soon as he was ready. "Freed... I hope you know you can tell me anything. I'm here for you. You can talk to me."

There was another choked sob. "I-I know... B-But... It... It has something to do with... W-Why I don't like people touching m-my... My hands..."

My eyes widened slightly. There really was a backstory here, and it must've been brutal. I had always known something terrible must have happened to him to cause him to not want his hands touched, even by people he trusted, people he loved.

"That's alright, you really don't have to tell me if you don't want to." I reassured, running my fingers through his delightfully soft hair again. "You're important to me. I want to help you. And if that means just holding you, being here for you right now, then that's what I'll do."

There was silence for several minutes. I kept stroking and playing with his hair as I held him close, letting him cry into my shirt, drawing out more tears which each gentle pass of my hand. The poor thing was falling apart. I hated seeing him like this, he was always so strong and determined. Now, I was the only thing keeping him from crumbling into pieces. I began to think he wasn't going to say anything else once enough time had passed, and I was okay with that. I wasn't going to let pry for answers. He was hurting.

Finally, he drew in a shaky breath and said, "I-I wasn't always like this..."

"Oh, Freed, you're perfect just the way you are." I started to say, but he waved me off.

"No, no, l-let me explain." he replied, quickly. "I-I was... A happy little kid. Never thought anything was w-wrong with the world." he continued, and I realized he was about to open up a little and explain some things.

Yes. I inwardly celebrated this victory. He was about to tell me things he had never told anyone else. That, to me, was a sign of true love.

"My parents were very religious," he continued. "But I was far too young to fall under their strict rules, so it didn't bother me at all. I didn't care much for it, instead being more concerned with petty toddler things, like which building blocks I wanted to play with and which I didn't. When I was four, I was already able to read simple sentences fairly efficiently, and my parents praised my ability. They agreed that I was academically gifted and they were lucky to have a son like me."

I whistled in admiration. "You've been reading since you were four? That's damn impressive right there."

"Hehe..." Freed chuckled halfheartedly. "I guess I'm just good at it. Anyway, my parents come from a branch of Catholicism that considers ancient runes and any other dead language with magical significance evil, demonic, black magic, satanic... You get the idea. So they tried to raise me to be the same way. When I was five, everything changed, though."

I inhaled sharply. Five. Just a year before he showed up at Fairy Tail. I could already sense where this was going.

"My mom and I... We were in a bookstore, I can't remember what exactly we were looking for. But she let go of my hand to look at something, and I wandered over to a book that was written in runes." Freed began trembling, and I could tell he was trying not to cry. This was where the story went bad. "I could read the title perfectly, and it interested me. I asked my mother about it, asked her why I could read the strange symbols, and she was horrified when she realized they were runes. Absolutely horrified. She dragged me out of there as fast as she could, and I wondered why she wouldn't stop crying and praying out loud. Something was wrong and it bothered me."

I could practically smell the way this was going to go. But I stayed silent, letting him finish.

"On the walk home, I asked her what she was praying about. She blatantly told me that I must be been possessed by an evil spirit to be able to read such a demonic language. She called me evil to my face. I just didn't understand why." Freed sniffled pitifully and wiped his eyes, trying his hardest to keep his voice from wavering. "When we got home, she told my father right away what had happened. He was so furious and terrified that he stormed out for an hour and... He came back... So drunk he could barely walk... My mother, she was horrified because drinking went against our religion too... But he simply said he wouldn't be able to do what he was about to without liquor clouding his thinking... And he... He said that... Maybe if I couldn't use my hands, I'd never... Never learn to use the dark magic that is runes and enchantments..." his voice began trembling, once again I felt tears sleeping through my shirt.

"It's okay, Freed." I whispered, pulling him closer and allowing him to tuck his head under my chin.

He nodded, grateful for the reassurance. "I-I remember I was scared because... My father... C-Came to my room with a knife... H-He grabbed me and... Threw me on the ground, s-stepped on both of my wrists s-so the bones snapped... I-I remember screaming, m-my mother was sobbing, I was so scared... He used the knife and... C-Cut all my fingers open... Both hands... It hurt so badly, there was blood everywhere, and he... He kept telling me that he was saving me... That I wouldn't be evil if I couldn't use my hands..." Freed broke off with a horrible sob of anguish, curling into a ball and whimpering like a frightened child.

"Shhh. It's okay. You're okay. It's all over now, they can't hurt you anymore." I murmured, sliding my hand into his green hair once again, trying to comfort him. The heartbreaking wails of a tortured mind broke my heart. I couldn't believe Freed had gone through something so terrible at such a young age. It was horrible.

He finally found his voice again and said, "B-But that wasn't the end of it... By some luck, I-I could still use my hands once they healed. M-My parents didn't take kindly to this a-at all, they both started d-drinking just to cover up their pain, their fear... They were scared of me, a five-year-old boy who managed to read a s-stupid book title." he shook his head as if in denial that it had happened. "W-While intoxicated, they often... S-Screamed at me, c-called me a d-demon, t-told me I was damned to hell b-because I could read runes... I w-was always so afraid... And then... T-They'd hurt me... A-And it was always my hands..." another sob ended his explanation, but that was all I needed to hear.

"Freed. You don't have to say anything else." I told him, and he continued to sob into my chest, like the little lost, broken boy he had been. "I'm guessing you ran away after awhile and Makarov took you in once he saw what your stupid parents were doing to your poor hands."

Freed nodded, sobbing too hard to say anything else. He clutched my shirt so tightly his knuckles were white. His entire body was heaving from the heartbreaking sobs wracking his chest, shoulders shuddering violently. I held him close, cradling his trembling body, my thumb rubbing slow circles on his shoulder, my other hand massaging his scalp. I knew he was so far gone in his memories that my touch was the only thing keeping him grounded in the present. So I held him even tighter, just wanting him to be okay.

Finally, after several moments, he was beginning to calm down. I lifted his chin so he was looking at me and began kissing away his tears, lips brushing across his soft skin. He blushed and mumbled something incoherent, trying to pull away.

"Please. This is killing you." I squeezed his arm. "Don't keep trying to run away. I won't let you."

I was suddenly overcome by the desire to show him that I was different, that I would never ever hurt his precious hands. I untangled my free hand from his hair and quickly found his wrist, grasping it firmly and gently tugging it away from my chest, where it had been clutching my shirt so tightly it left a shit ton of dark wrinkles behind. Slowly, so I didn't frighten him, I reached out with my other hand and brushed my fingertips across the back of his hand, so lightly he could barely feel it.

Freed stiffened and let out a strangled cry of protest. "L-Laxus! D-Don't t-touch my hands!"

I ignored him, saying, "I'm not like your goddamned parents, I would never hurt you. I would never lay a hand on you. You're mine. I love you."

I grasped his hand firmly and raised it to my lips, planting a gentle kiss on the top, lips grazing his pale knuckles. He blanched and struggled, trying to pull away, eyes wide with horror. "P-Please..!"

"No. I don't want you to be afraid of me. It's okay. See, gentle touches." I smoothed my thumb across the back of his hand, he was still absolutely frantic with terror as he tried to yank his wrist out of my grasp. I held him tight and planted a series of soft kisses across the back of his hand, from his fingers to his wrist.

"N-No... I-I... Please..." his protesting had died down at this point, and his frenzied struggling was calming, as he began to realize that I was touching his hand and I wasn't hurting him.

Staying silent, I turned his hand palm-up and trailed my lips across it, starting at his fingertips, watching his pale face for any sort of reaction. A slight blush had crept into his cheeks, he was trembling violently. But he had stopped fighting, stopped protesting. It's working. He's letting me touch his hand. I smoothed my thumb across his palm, admiring how soft and delicate his skin was. I smiled a little as I caressed his perfect hand, gazing into his beautiful hazel eyes that I loved so much.

"I'm so sorry for scaring you. I just really needed to show you that I'd never hurt you, and that you can trust me with your hands. And this was the only way." I apologized, leaning forward and kissing his nose.

He was speechless for a moment, staring back at me, trying to detect any sort of lie in my eyes. Satisfied that he had found none, he stammered out, "I-I... don't... u-understand..."

"Look." I turned his hand over again and kissed the back of it, bang splat in the middle. He flinched and gasped at the touch, tensing up. "I'm not gonna hurt you, you're so precious to me." I reassured, kissing him again before tracing the outline of his thin, tiny hand with my fingers.

"I-I like that." Freed said, shyly. "N-Nobody's ever touched m-my hand for so long... I-I forgot what it feels like..."

I smiled and took his other hand into my grasp, cupping both of his between mine. His hands were so warm and soft and delicate that I wondered how I had gone by for so long never knowing what his hands felt like. Perhaps I was too afraid to step up and show him he could trust me like this.

"You have perfect hands, Freed. Will you let me touch them from here on out?" I knew I was asking a lot of him. In fact, I was asking him to trust me with something that he'd never trusted anyone else with before.

Freed glanced down at the ground, trembling ever so slightly. Finally, I felt him intertwine our fingers and squeeze my hands. He looked me in the eye and nodded, saying, "I trust you, Laxus."

Unable to stop myself, I threw my arms around him, releasing his hands and pulling him up to my chest, one arm around his waist, the other's hand tangling in his hair at the back of his head. He gripped at my shirt, snuggling up against me and closing his eyes, seeming absolutely peaceful for the first time since I had found him. I buried my face in his unbelievably soft hair, breathing in his subtle lavender scent. Everything was perfect.

But I knew how to make it just a little more perfect.

I slid my hand under Freed's chin, gently pushing upward, making him look at me. "Freed... You still owe me that kiss we missed the other day..." I whispered, almost afraid to disturb the peaceful silence that had fallen over us.

His eyes lit up and he nodded. "It would seem so."

"You're such a nerd." I chucked softly, before leaning down, bringing myself nose-to-nose with him. "But you're my nerd." I added, as I closed the gap between us, and my lips met his.

Oh god. This is really happening.

My heart skipped a beat as Freed's hand slipped up my back and curled around the nape of my neck, pulling me closer, deepening the kiss. I nipped at his soft, plump lips, being as gentle as possible. I could tell right away that it was his first kiss, he had the slightest air of hesitation surrounding him, like he wasn't sure what to do. So I took the liberty of showing him what the definition of a perfect kiss was. His breath was hot against my cheek, and had become a bit frantic. His fingers were tangled in my shirt, gripping it so hard I knew I couldn't pull away until he let go.

Finally, it was time for some air. I slowly pulled away, my eyes drifting open. He released my shirt and also pulled back, gazing at me with such tender love and adoration that I suddenly really wanted to kiss him again. I settled for resting our foreheads together instead.

"You okay?" I asked, softly.

There was silence for a moment, then Freed giggled quietly, barely audible over my pounding heartbeat. "T-That was awesome."

I laughed at that, rumpling his hair and pecking his forehead. "You're such a dork. Come on, we should get back out there. Ever's gonna be looking for us soon." I put my hand over his, smiling as I helped him stand up with me. "God, you're so damn short."

"Shut up. You're too tall." he retorted, grimacing slightly.

"If you say so." I chuckled. "Oh, and Freed? We can't tell anyone about... This. About us." I gestured to our locked hands and slowly released his.

"Why not?" he gave me a weird look.

"I'm not ready for that yet." I said. "Just please keep it a secret for now, okay? We can tell everyone another time, when it's not so... New."

"O-Okay... I guess I... U-Understand..." Freed nodded and followed me back out to the cafe.

I just don't want anyone to know that I, Laxus Dreyar, am in love with Freed Justine, a male. It would be so embarrassing because... Well... I'd rather be straight.

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To be continued...