Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or the characters
So I'm really surprised with how much people are actually enjoying this story. So many people are shipping Freed x Lucy, which honestly surprised me the most! It's such an unpopular crack ship considering how he acts in the anime, and the obvious bias with "canon" couples. What I mean by that is, that so many people get angry when they see posts about crack ships and whatnot because they think "canon" means that you aren't allowed to ship anything else. That's my biggest issue with this fandom, but I guess that's what fanfiction is for! Anyway this is the end of the journey to Flintwood and this is where the trouble starts.
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The sign for Flintwood hung overhead of the group of five. Excitement bubbled up in the pit of the blonde's stomach, and she practically was bouncing on the ball of her heels. She was finally going to get the key that she had been tracking down for nearly three months. The Thunder God Tribe stared at the blonde with a little bit of amusement. They could tell how happy she was by the huge grin on her pretty face. Freed, standing behind her, was curious if she would allow him to watch her form her contract with the new spirit. But he shook that off for now as they had to find the shop first,which didn't take too long considering the blonde had already been to Flintwood once before.
Walking down the road, Lucy noticed that the visor wearing Seith mage, who had been walking alongside her for some time now, had been rather quiet since they had entered town. To her it seemed a bit unusual for him to be silent which had her shifting a little uncomfortably. Looking back up at him through the corner of her eyes a thought popped into her head. 'How did Bickslow come to join Fairy Tail? And the same with Evergreen and Freed. How did they end up as the grumpy lightning mages teammates?' As usual her curiosity got the better of her. Clearing her throat, she addressed the tall man to her right. "So how long have you been a part of your team, Bix?"
"Quite a few years." The Seith mage sounded taken back by the question as he responded. "Do you want to hear the story about how I joined, blondie?"
She brightened at the question. "Sure!"
"Nuh-uh!" Bickslow smirked, his tongue hanging out of his mouth, as he wagged his finger at her. "If you want to know then you have to give me a kiss."
"Kiss!Kiss!" Chanted Bickslow's "babies" as they floated around the two of them.
Lucy snorted, gently pushing the man away from her. "I don't want to know that bad!"
"Your loss!" He bellowed out as his expression momentarily softened. "But I guess I'll tell you anyway."
Flashback:
It was a rainy afternoon in the small town of Belur (a really tiny town outside of Hargeon) and unlike most residents, who were hiding inside from the storm, there was one young man who was pacing the streets. He was tall with shaggy unkempt dark blue hair. His clothes were tattered and hung off his large form. Clutched in his hands was a small, round, wooden totem that looked as beat up as it's owner. This kid's name? Bickslow. No family and no last name.
Bickslow dragged his feet as he continued walking through the desolate streets. His hands shook along with his legs from pain. Pitching forward, he fell and the totem went flying out of his hands. It rolled down the road as the bluenette laid flat on his stomach in a large puddle. Tears fell down from his bang covered eyes, mixing with the rain that was still falling on him. The sound of footsteps coming towards him had him struggling to lift his head.
Standing before him, holding his totem, was a blonde that looked to be the same age as him. All he could do was stare at him, but within moments his vision blurred and he slumped back down into the puddle. Laxus sighed, tucking the wooden statue into his bag, and leaned down to pick the bluenette up. Carrying him to his hotel room, he dropped him on the unoccupied bed. As an afterthought, he placed the round, wooden trinket next to the bluenette on the pillow. Because of his dragon slayer senses, he could smell the rather strong magic from the young man that he had saved. He was going to form a team and this person would be the first recruit.
A groan brought his attention back to his "guest". "Are you awake?"
"W-Where am I?" Bickslow asked, struggling to sit up. "And who the hell are you?"
Snorting the blonde leaned back against the headboard of his own bed. "My name's Laxus Dreyar and I'm a mage of the guild Fairy Tail. Right now you're in my hotel room after I dragged your ass here after you passed out in that puddle."
"Fairy Tail?" The bluenette muttered, then asked curiously. "So why did you save me?"
The blonde ran one hand through his spiky locks. "I'm forming a team and I need strong members. You have powerful magic so I'm offering you the first position."
"I don't know," Bickslow trailed off, his expression becoming wary.
Laxus gave him a knowing look. "Fairy Tail will give you room and board for free until you've earned enough to start paying for yourself."
Hearing this, Bickslow felt like he had no choice but to accept. So with that in mind he nodded to the blonde. It wasn't his first choice, but this guy had saved him and was offering him a home. He'd never had a home. Both his parents had disappeared when he was just a toddler, leaving him with just one thing; the wooden totem that sat beside him. It was all he had from them, and he treasured it. That was why he started learning Seith magic, so that he could use his parents' gift in battle.
"What's your name?" Laxus asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
The bluenette shifted uncomfortably. "Bickslow. Just Bickslow."
"Well Bickslow, welcome to the Thunder God Tribe."
End of Flashback
"And that's how it happened." Bickslow's voice became a little quieter as he gauged the blonde's reaction.
The blonde felt a lump form in her throat at the memory. She knew the world could be a cruel place, but for someone as cheerful as Bickslow to have been so beaten down it made her stomach churn. Seeing the expression on her face, Bickslow looped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze. The friendly gesture made her smile, and she leaned a little bit into him as they continued walking. Somehow it felt as though she had found herself a new best friend. Something that she hadn't had since she was a young child with her mother. She would've liked Bickslow. The blonde's thoughts darkened but she shook it off. No use dwelling on the past. Even if it was haunting her.
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Ten minutes more of walking and the group had finally arrived at their destination. Frenzies Fabled Finds was painted in large bubble letters on the window of the shop. Excitedly, the blonde pushed open the door and grinned. Shelves of trinkets lined the rather spacious shop. Books, potions, knick knacks, etc. Directly across the room was a wooden desk with a young man, around Lucy's age with light brown hair, sitting behind it. Noticing the people in the doorway, he waved.
"Kazuma!" Lucy chirped, walking fast to the desk. "Is my key here?"
The man, now known as Kazuma, laughed at her enthusiasm. "Yup! I kept it behind the desk just for you. We also got those books and poisons that you were looking for."
"Really?! That's great!" She sighed happily. "So how much do I owe you?"
The brunette waved off the question. "Consider this payment for that job I had you do a few months back."
"C'mon, it wasn't that difficult of a job." The blonde huffed. "At least let me pay you half."
Kazuma relented with a sigh. "Fine, fine. You owe me 20,000 jewels then."
Digging out the jewels from her bag, she dropped them onto the counter. Counting them up Kazuma smiled and handed over her purchases. The box was filled to the brim with different items. Three thick books, seven bottles of mysterious liquid (most likely poisons), and one silver gate key laying on top. Lucy picked the box up in her arms and waved farewell to the salesman as the group made their exit.
"So why did you buy poisons?" Evergreen asked, arching one of her perfectly sculpted eyebrows.
The blonde tilted her head to look at her. "I have a friend who likes to barter for them. Sometimes he gives me books and other times he's actually given me information on rare gate keys."
The answer seemed to satisfy the curiosity of the Thunder God Tribe for the time being. What she hadn't mentioned though was that her "friend" was a black market dealer that she met during her first month of traveling. That information was better left unsaid. Smirking, she led the group to a small grassy field that went on into the forest.
"So Freed, you said you wanted to see me form a contract right?" The greenette nodded vigorously. "Well now you are!" Grabbing the silver gate key, she lifted it and started chanting: "Open Gate of the Hydra*, Hidora*!"
A silver light surrounded the area in front of them, making the group, sans Lucy, squint. A loud hiss brought their attention back in front of them. All their hearts leapt into their throats when they caught sight of the spirit. It was a giant serpent, nearly sixteen feet long, that was curled up with it's head leaning down to stare at them. It's forest green scales glinted in the sunlight. Lucy smiled brightly at the reptile. Reaching up, she waited for the serpent's approval, before placing her hand on it's head.
"It's nice to meet you Hidora!" Lucy chirped, giving her new spirit a friendly smile. "I'm sure that one of my spirits already told you that I was looking for your key."
"Yesss they did." She, at least it sounded like a she, responded. "They ssspeak very highly of you."
The blonde's eyes lit up. "My name's Lucy and I look forward to working with you."
"Likewissse," The snake hissed. "Call me whenever you wish."
In another burst of light, the hydra spirit disappeared. The Thunder God Tribe gaped at the blonde who was grinning impishly. Her eyes glinted as she strapped the key onto the loop with the rest of them. Freed gasped when he noticed the light catch on her gold zodiac keys. His eyes were wide with wonder, and she felt her heart flutter. Someone was actually interested in her magic and that made her very happy.
"Let's go find somewhere to stay for the night." Lucy suggested, gently placing the rest of the contents of her box in the pack on her hip. The four Fairy Tail mages agreed and they walked around until they found a small inn. Laxus requested two rooms: One for the boys and the other for the girls. The woman behind the desk handed him two keys and he tossed one to Lucy. The boys watched as the girls disappeared into their own room. When they were gone Laxus turned to Freed and Bickslow. "We need to talk."
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Laxus led his two teammates back to the field where they watched Lucy contract her new spirit. Neither Bickslow nor Freed knew what Laxus needed to talk to them about but by the look on his face they knew it was serious. Stopping, the blonde man turned back around to look at the other two men. His eyes narrowed dangerously and his nostrils flared.
"Neither of you two are to get any closer to Lucy, got it?" His demand made both gape at him.
Bickslow was the first to recover from his shock. "Why can't we get closer to her?"
"I've decided to make her my woman." Laxus declared, watching the surprise that appeared on both boys' faces. "She's strong and I need a strong woman. So if either of you have feelings for her then let it go because she belongs to me now."
Freed felt his heart clench but nodded. "If that is what you wish then I-I'll avoid her from now on."
"What the fuck?!" Bickslow's eyes became angry. "You can't just decide on your own that Lucy's yours! She might not even like you!"
Laxus straightened his spine and regarded the bluenette with a scowl. "I'll court her then. Show her that I'm the only man for her."He watched the expression on Bickslow's face darken before he just turned and stomped away.
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With his babies in tow, the bluenette stomped his way back to the inn to talk to Lucy. No way was he going to let Laxus dictate what he could and couldn't do. The blonde amused him greatly, and he knew Freed really liked her. That was something that was mutual, and Bickslow hoped that with his interference it wouldn't cause a rift between him and his team leader. Shaking his head, he pushed aside that feeling and knocked on the girl's door. Lucy opened it, her expression portraying her surprise at the visitor.
"Bix? What are you doing at our door?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips.
The bluenette sucked in a breath then cleared his throat. "Can I talk to you alone?"
"Evergreen, I'll be back in a few minutes!" She hollered over her shoulder then followed him out into the hall. "Where should we talk?"
"Back alley." He instructed, leading her out. "There's something that I need to tell you."
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Lucy was furious. No, furious didn't even come close to describing what she was feeling. She was livid. After hearing Bickslow recount the conversation that him and Freed had with Laxus she started searching for the two mages. Bickslow had elected to go take a walk so that his team leader didn't get after him when she confronted them. Both Fairy Tail mages were about to walk into the inn when they saw the blonde walking towards them. No, not walking. Stalking towards them with an expression that promised hell.
"Bickslow told me about your 'conversation'." She hissed through her clenched teeth. "I'm highly annoyed that you think that you can just claim me without even consulting me! I'm not some prize to be won, you dumbass! I'm a living, breathing human being, and I am in charge of my own fate!"
The words pouring out of her mouth were similar to the ones she had wished she'd yelled at her father years ago. He'd thought that he could just tell her what to do and hadn't even bothered to ask her how she felt. The pent up anger that she held towards her father was super charging her anger at Laxus and Freed. Angry tears were building up at the corner of her eyes as she sucked in sharp breaths.
She regarded Freed with the same anger. "You! How could you just give in to his demands like that?! How could you not even consider my feelings?! Are you so thoughtless that you would just go along with whatever he says?! That's just pathetic!"
Freed flinched at the words, and for a moment the blonde wanted to apologize. But she pushed aside the feeling and just sprinted to her own room. Slamming the door as she did so. She rubbed away the tears that were still in her eyes and gave Evergreen, who was staring at her in surprise, a quick greeting. With a small apologetic smile Lucy grabbed her bag and disappeared into the bathroom for a nice hot shower.
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Hours had passed since Lucy's confrontation with Freed and Laxus in the hallway. Her anger hadn't diminished in the least bit and she didn't think she could stay with them anymore. Quickly, she packed her stuff back into her bag and took out a notepad to write out a message for Evergreen.
Dear Ever,
I'm sorry that I suddenly left without saying goodbye to you or Bickslow, but when I came in last night I had just fought with both Freed and Laxus. I didn't want to leave but I don't feel comfortable being near either of them right now. I caught the late night train to Noir and am going to finish my journey to Fairy Tail on my own. I hope that you will not be too mad at me the next time we meet.
Sincerely,
Lucy
Nodding her head with approval, she placed it on the end of her bed. Tip toeing, she disappeared out the door. The halls of the inn were quiet, and she practically held her breath as she passed the boys room. Satisfied when she was outside, she took off in a sprint towards the train station. The cool air made her heated skin feel good. She arrived and made her way to the ticket booth where the lady handed her the slip of paper as she passed her some jewels. Boarding the train, she didn't have to wait more than a few minutes before it started moving. From the window, she watched as Flintwood disappeared from sight. Tears started slipping down her cheeks, and she furiously wiped them away with her sleeve. No use crying over them again. Closing her eyes, she pushed away all the stress from the day and allowed her body some much needed rest.
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So I decided to do a BixLu friendship, because all the stories that I've seen that have Lucy with the Thunder God Tribe have her being besties with Evergreen or Freed but I think her personality fits with Bickslow really well. Well now there is some background on the lovable perverted Seith mage.
*Hydra is a spring constellation just south of the zodiac that's said to resemble a serpent.
*Hidora means hydra in japanese
So, some of you are probably wondering what's going to happen now, and I'll give you a hint: It has something to do with one of our other favorite Fairy Tail perverts :P Well next chapter will be out in the next week so look out for it.