Laxus really, really wanted to protest. It was bad enough that he was letting Freed drag him all the way back to Magnolia and taking up space on his couch for who knew how long. He did not want to involve Fairy Tail's resident forest hag in the whole stupid mess.

But every time he moved, hell, even every time he breathed, a jolt of pain traveled from his wrist all the way up his arm, making him feel dizzy and weak. Since he'd gone to his hands and knees, his arm had been throbbing steadily in protest. Laxus didn't have anything left in his stomach since throwing up, but he could still feel the nausea brought on by the pain, and it took pretty much all he had to keep from retching into the dirt again. That would just hurt him more.

"I'm taking you to Porlyusica's," Freed insisted. He sounded like he was starting to get pretty freaked out.

Laxus managed a nod. That was about all he thought he could handle at the moment. If he talked, he was pretty sure he would be right back to retching.

"Oh." Freed sounded surprised, which made sense. Laxus never agreed to anything without a fight. That would be embarrassing.

But now, as much as he hated to admit it even to himself, he was starting to get a little…worried. Maybe his arm was a little worse than he had thought. He'd broken bones before, of course, and he'd gotten into some nasty situations, but this was starting to feel like a little more than he could just ignore. The pain was getting bad enough that his surroundings were starting to feel a little foggy, which wasn't a good sign. He probably needed help.

"Okay. I've got you."

The whole process of getting to his feet was…terrible. Freed had to help him, since Laxus only had the one hand and that was shaky enough to be pretty nearly unusable anyway. It was humiliating, or it would have been if Laxus had been in less pain. As it was, he was almost too distracted by the constant ache in his damaged arm to notice that without Freed, he'd probably be falling on his face into the mud.

"Are you alright?" Freed asked, once he was on his feet, with Freed's arm wrapped securely around his waist.

Laxus wasn't, and he figured he and Freed both knew that, or he wouldn't be having to go to Porlyusica. He nodded instead.

"Can you walk okay?"

Laxus nodded again. Usually, he liked it when Freed talked. Laxus wasn't the chattiest guy in the world, and he appreciated that around Freed, he was almost never expected to fill a silence. But right now, it was about all he could do to stay on his feet. If Freed wanted to talk, that was fine, but Laxus couldn't even muster up the usual "yes" and "no way" and "wow, damn" that punctuated even a one-sided conversation.

Thankfully, Freed seemed to understand, and he didn't push Laxus to speak. He just guided Laxus to start walking back the way they had come, back towards the woods and towards the eventual dirt path that would lead to Porlyusica's cottage. Laxus wished he were less upset over the fact that they were essentially back-tracking, that they'd tacked at least another ten minutes walk onto their journey.

But by the time they re-entered the woods, Laxus wasn't really thinking about that anymore. Mostly, he was still focused on how shitty he felt - shaky and sweaty and dizzy and nauseous. The continued walking around certainly wasn't doing him any favors. In fact, it was getting bad enough that he was having a bit of a hard time drawing in a deep breath, which he was pretty sure was making the lightheadedness even worse. Was this all still just after effects of the puncture wounds and broken bones? He really hoped nothing was getting infected, but he supposed if that did happen, Porlyusica would be just the chick to fix it.

More than that, or at least more pressingly, Laxus was getting scared. He mostly associated needing to go to Porlyusica with…very bad times. Things that were serious, a few cuts above what he could deal with himself. Like the scar on his face. The fact that he needed to go there now…he knew in his brain that going to Porlyusica wouldn't make the wound more serious in and of itself, but he was having a hard time convincing his body of that. He didn't want to go to her. He didn't want to need to go to her. He was…afraid.

He told himself he would be just fine. That he was a coward for being scared of some dumb witch in a forest. That he was a coward for getting freaked out by memories of events that happened years and years previously. That he was a coward for thinking about the scar on his face when his face wasn't even the thing that was hurt, it was his arm instead. That he was a coward for being scared of anything at all when he was gigantic, when he had just spent months with nothing and no one and survived it, when he had just taken down a freaking wolf.

But he wasn't sure he really believed any of that. Or if he did, it didn't make it any easier for him to keep his feet moving forward.

Freed was half-dragging him at this point, though, and his hand at Laxus's back kept him stumbling onward. They were close to Porlyusica's now, turning down the small path that led only to her cottage, and Laxus was losing the battle with his stupid brain. The pain was clouding his ability to think straight, and he couldn't stop the past from crowding in.

X779

Laxus was trying not to move. Every time he so much as breathed, agony ripped its way through his face as the jagged wound reaching from his forehead down to the corner of his mouth opened a little more. He could feel blood dripping down his chin, past the towel he was trying to hold against his face. It was soaking into his shirt, but he figured that was the least of his worries.

In all fifteen years of his life, Laxus had never been in anything close to this much pain. It wasn't like he'd never been hurt before, he'd been to see Porlyusica a handful of times, but there had never been anything like this. Before tonight, he hadn't even totally known it was possible - he'd thought anything approaching this much agony would either knock you out or kill you.

It would have been better if he'd passed out. If he was unconscious, he obviously wouldn't have to deal with the pain, but he also wouldn't have to sit here in Porlyusica's cottage with his dad's hand on his shoulder, trying not to flinch away from the touch. Because that would be really, really bad. For one, if he moved that suddenly right now, he didn't know what would happen to his face. It kind of already felt like it was falling apart, and he was terrified to so much as talk for fear of what might happen.

Secondly, and maybe even more importantly, Porlyusica would probably wonder why he seemed so scared. She might even ask him why, and he was in enough pain that he had no idea what might come out of his mouth. She might get suspicious, and then….

Laxus closed his eyes. Well, eye. The right one was covered by the towel, and he couldn't see out of it anyway. There was too much blood, or something, and he was pretty much down to the other one.

The hand on his shoulder felt heavier, tighter. Laxus wished he could grit his teeth, but any movement that dramatic would probably make him scream. He settled for a long, deep breath in through his nose, trying to keep still. That was pretty hard, because in the darkness behind his eyes he kept seeing the broken plate that Ivan had thrown hurtling towards his face. Ivan hadn't meant it to stick, Laxus was sure. He certainly hadn't meant it to do this. This was…this was….

Laxus still hadn't actually seen what the damage looked like. But from the amount of blood, it was very, very bad. A swoop of nausea nearly overwhelmed Laxus, and it was all he could do not to be sick. He took a few deep breaths. He really, really didn't want to be sick. The amount of pain that would surely cause….

"How did this happen to him?" Porlyusica asked. She sounded angry, but not in the way she usually did. "This wound, it's-"

Laxus didn't say anything. Talking seemed very hard, considering how ruined his face was. Thinking also seemed hard. A small part of him knew that Porlyusica must be talking to him, but the idea of responding was overwhelming. He just wanted to pass out, god he wanted to pass out….

"Do you remember what happened, Laxus?" Ivan said from behind Laxus. The hand tightened again, just a little.

"Uh huh," Laxus managed. He tried to move his mouth as little as possible, and the words came out quiet and indistinct. Even that much movement tugged at the muscles in his cheek and jaw, and hurt so badly it sent the world swimming. "Fell down the stairs. I was…uh…holdin' a plate. Smashed it."

"In your face?" Porlyusica said doubtfully.

"Uh huh, yeah. In my face."

"Well, I'm going to need to take a better look at this, and wash it out too, if you don't want to die of infection. It'll hurt some, but I'll be as careful as I can be."

"O-okay."

"Ivan, you should get out of here. This isn't going to be pretty."

The hand tightened, fingers digging. "I don't need to leave," Ivan said. "He could need something."

"Ivan," Porlyusica said, voice perfectly even. "I need space to work. Leave. I'll call you back in here when I'm done with him."

"But-"

"I'm not asking."

The hand vanished. Laxus hadn't realized how hard it was to breathe with Ivan there until he was gone. Not that it was that much easier to breathe - his face still hurt like crap. But something in his chest felt a little less tight.

"I'm sorry about this, child," Porlyusica said, sounding almost actually regretful (at least for her).

Laxus had a split second to worry about that before she took the edge of the towel in her fingers, and then pretty much everything was washed away by the pain. He thought he was going to get his wish, and finally pass out, but no luck there. Laxus felt every second of the agony as Porlyusica peeled the bloodsoaked fabric away from his face, and he couldn't stop himself from letting out a short, sharp, whimper. He'd learned a while ago not to draw much attention to himself, even when he was in pain, but he just couldn't help himself.

Once she uncovered the wound, Laxus did his best to sit still and ignore the blood trickling down his chin and occasionally, into his mouth. He let himself drift on the pain, losing track of how long the healer had been working. He might have even been close to finally blacking out when Porlyusica grunted in clear disapproval, startling him so badly he almost forgot himself and jumped.

"You can't see out of your right eye at all, can you?" she asked.

Laxus couldn't even tell if his right eye was open. Everything on the right side of his face was a mass of agony, and it was hard to sort out anything amidst the pain.

"Don't think so," he managed, trying to talk out of the left side of his mouth. "Bloody."

Porlyusica sighed. "I thought so. You're going to lose that eye, boy. It's too badly injured, and there's nothing I can do to save it. But before you get all panicky, I can give you a fake one, like that armor girl. I just need to wait for your face to heal a little, and for the swelling to go down. It'll take a few weeks. Maybe a month."

Laxus figured he should probably be more freaked out about losing an eye, but he mostly felt numb. Honestly, as soon as he'd wrenched the plate out of his face, he'd been able to feel something wrong with his eye. It just hadn't been his main concern, what with all the blood, and the overwhelming, all-consuming agony.

Now, the main thing he was worried about was how long it would take Porlyusica to replace it. What did his eye look like? Was it still there? Laxus didn't really know, but he figured it probably looked pretty gruesome. In the past, he'd managed to mostly hide suspicious injuries from the rest of the Guild, but this…Laxus didn't think he could keep this to himself. Everyone in the Guild was going to find out that he'd been hurt, and Laxus was starting to get really scared that they were also going to find out how. He wasn't sure he was good enough of a liar, not this time.

And he really, really didn't want to get in trouble. He just wanted to go home, and not have to talk to any of them.

Laxus heard Porlyusica sigh. "Please, child. Tell me what really happened. I can't-"

"I told you," Laxus mumbled. There was no hand on his shoulder, but it felt like there was. "I was walking down the stairs, and I tripped. Fell on a plate."

X791

By the time Laxus and Freed arrived at Porlyusica's cottage, Freed was taking as much of Laxus's weight as he could possibly manage. Which…wasn't very much - Laxus had a good few inches of height on Freed, not to mention quite a lot of bulk. But the fact that Laxus was allowing Freed to help him walk at all was concerning - it seemed that it was all Laxus could do to stumble along next to Freed, head down and breathing labored.

"We're here," Freed said softly.

Freed felt the powerful muscles in Laxus's back tense. Freed thought he felt his breathing speed up, but it was also possible he had imagined it.

"I-"

"Can you stand? I just…I need to knock, and I'm not sure if she's awake. Wait right here."

Freed unhooked his arm from Laxus's waist and ducked under Laxus's massive arm. Laxus swayed alarmingly - Freed had a moment of panic where he was sure he'd been a little too optimistic about Laxus's standing abilities - but then managed to steady himself. Freed walked to Porlyusica's door, trying not to act scared. He…was a little scared, if he was being honest, but that was just because Laxus was acting like a wounded animal and making Freed's subconscious think there must be something wrong. But there wasn't. Laxus needed help, and Porlyusica was the only one who could give it.

Freed banged on the door.

"Go away!" came a voice from inside.

"I can't!" Freed yelled back. "It's important! I need help!"

There was a long silence.

"Please!" Freed yelled, pounding once on the door for good measure.

There was another pause, just long enough for Freed to wonder if he would need to somehow figure out how to take Laxus somewhere else, and then the door swung open. Porlyusica was standing there, looking both disheveled and rather angry.

"I don't want-" she started, then broke off as she looked to the side and saw Laxus, swaying gently on the doormat. "Motherfucker. Get inside, boy."

She stepped back from the door to allow them entry, or perhaps just to allow Laxus entry. Freed wasn't sure if he was being invited in or not, but that didn't matter, as he intended to enter either way. He wasn't going to leave Laxus alone (definitely not with Porlyusica, who genuinely scared Freed at times), not in a state like this. And besides, he wasn't sure if Laxus could even walk that far on his own.

Freed ducked back under Laxus's arm, steeling himself as Laxus's weight dropped back onto his shoulders. He took a step forward, almost stumbling as Laxus didn't move.

"Laxus?" Freed said, trying not to sound as worried as he felt.

"S-sorry," Laxus mumbled.

The next time Freed stepped forward, he trudged after. They made it into the main room of Porlyusica's cottage, and she slammed the door behind them. Freed thought that was a good sign - it sounded a little less hostile than her normal door-slamming.

"Get him to a chair," Porlyusica said, waving her hand towards a chair near her cabinet full of herbs and potions. Freed complied, and Laxus sat down heavily. In the light, he looked even paler, and somehow a little smaller.

"What happened to you this time?" Porlyusica muttered, turning towards Laxus. He seemed to be trying his best not to look at her, or Freed, instead staring sullenly at the floor.

"He got into a fight with a wolf," Freed supplied. "He triumphed, of course, but not unscathed. And he's been living in the woods."

Laxus growled softly. "It wasn't a big deal."

"It is a very big deal," Freed corrected. "He's badly injured! Just look at him!"

"I'll decide how big of a deal it is," Porlyusica snapped. "Laxus, I need to take a look at you. Where are you hurt?"

There was a moment of silence, almost long enough to convince Freed that Laxus wasn't planning on saying anything at all, and then Laxus held his sloppily bandaged arm out to Porlyusica.

"It's really not that bad," he mumbled, more to the ground than to Porlyusica.

Freed could no longer contain himself. "Not that bad?! It's terrible! I haven't seen the extent of the damage, of course, but he fell down on the way to the cottage! Fell! Laxus!"

"Quiet," Porlyusica said warningly. "This is a medical examination, not a theater. I'm not going to entertain hysterics!"

Freed was pretty sure the state of Laxus's arm merited hysterics, but if spending years following Laxus around had taught him one thing, it was when to shut up. Freed backed up slightly, so Porlyusica could work, and didn't say anything else.

"You should have come to see me sooner," Porlyusica said. She gently took Laxus's arm in one hand, supporting it as he struggled to extend his elbow. Freed wasn't sure he had ever seen Porlyusica be so gentle with anybody, but Laxus was still trembling like it was all he could do not to pull away.

"I thought it would heal up alright," Laxus said, voice low.

"Unattended injuries in the woods never do," she said dryly.

With careful, probing fingers, Porlyusica undid the messy bandages on Laxus's arm, and explored the ugly red wound. Now that Freed could really see the whole thing, he was alarmed by how swollen Laxus's arm looked, a deep, reddish-purple from elbow to palm.

She must have touched a particularly tender spot, because Laxus hissed and nearly pulled away. "This is definitely broken," Porlyusica murmured. "This is the same arm that was broken previously, is that correct?"

This time, Freed couldn't stop himself from stepping in. "What?" Freed asked. "I didn't know about that. Was that…it can't have been while you were gone from Fairy Tail…."

"It was many years ago," Porlyusica said. There was something hard in her face.

"I was like twelve," Laxus said.

"What-?"

"It was just…a stupid accident. Didn't…didn't matter."

Porlyusica didn't say anything in response to that, but her gaze was steely.

Freed knew that Ivan had…hurt Laxus, when Laxus had been a child and Ivan had still been a member of Fairy Tail. He knew that that's how Laxus had gotten the scar on his face, and he knew that if it weren't for Porlyusica, he would be missing an eye on that side as well. Laxus had told him that when he was drunk once, but he had clearly never wanted to speak of it again. Freed had never brought it up.

It stood to reason that that hadn't been the only thing Ivan had done to Laxus. Freed supposed that it made sense, but he hadn't really thought about it before, and now it was all he could do to keep the anger he felt hidden.

But making (another) scene wouldn't help Laxus, and that was the most important thing at the moment. Freed settled into silence, hoping that his presence wasn't making things worse for the Dragon Slayer.

Porlyusica pressed another spot on Laxus's arm, again more gently than Freed had thought she was capable of. Still, Laxus flinched in her grip, squeezing his eyes shut as his skin drained a shade paler. The scar across his face was the only feature providing color, standing out a livid red against his cheek.

Porlyusica inhaled softly, shaking her head. "How much does that hurt?"

Laxus's eyes fluttered open, then flicked downward. With an almost imperceptible movement of his head, he shrugged with his right arm. "Fine. Not that bad."

Freed waited for Porlyusica to poke him harder, or possibly storm out of the room calling them both names. Instead, relaxing her hold on his arm a little, she sighed.

"I'm trying to help you, boy. I need you to be honest with me."

Laxus didn't make any verbal indication that he'd heard, but Freed was very attuned to the general state of Laxus's body, and he saw the Dragon Slayer's shoulders tense. And then, ever so slowly, begin to relax.

"Do you understand?" Porlyusica asked him.

Laxus gave her a very, very small nod.

"Alright. How much does this hurt?" Gently, Porlyusica reapplied pressure to the original spot, and Laxus grimaced.

"It's…it's not great," he whispered. "Hurts."

"That's good to know," Porlyusica said calmly. "I'm going to move on, alright? I need you to keep telling me if you're in pain."

Freed watched in utter astonishment as Porlyusica continued the most gentle, patient examination that he'd ever seen her do. At various points, she paused to prompt Laxus for more information, or to remind him to tell her honestly what was paining him. Every interaction was exhausting to witness, as Laxus had to be coaxed into admitting that pretty much anything hurt, but Porlyusica didn't act annoyed even once.

Freed hadn't thought that she was capable of that. He certainly had never received anything like this sort of treatment, and based on how terrified she'd made the rest of the members who'd been in the Guild since childhood, he couldn't imagine they had either. Nothing about this evening was turning out the way he had expected.

Freed was so caught up in watching Porlyusica that he was completely caught off guard when Laxus started to pitch forward. When Freed looked up at his face, he was shocked to see that Laxus's eyelids were fluttering, and his face had gone a horrible shade of grayish white.

Porlyusica seemed somewhat caught off guard as well. She grabbed him by the shoulder, but Laxus was so much larger than her that she probably wouldn't have been able to support him if Freed didn't step in as soon as he had processed what was going on.

Together, Freed and Porlyusica managed to ease Laxus out of the chair he'd been sitting in, and arrange him on the floor. Once he was horizontal, a little clarity started to come back into his gaze, and his eyes narrowed.

"What 'm I doing down here?" he slurred.

"You fainted."

"No I didn't."

"Why else would you be on the floor?"

Laxus didn't seem to have a good response to that. He lay pretty much still as Porlyusica brought him a drink that she said was supposed to ease pain, and didn't protest as she helped him drink it. Freed knelt by his side the entire time, and wished he could be holding his hand.

"Alright," Porlyusica said, once she'd apparently finished her examination and satisfied herself that Laxus wasn't going to pass out again. "I'm going to need to stitch up these wounds. I'll put it in a soft splint once that's done, but I don't want to put it in anything too restrictive until I'm sure these cuts aren't going to get infected. You'll need to come back in a few days for me to check on them and set the bones properly, and until then, you're not to use your arm, understand?"

"Yeah," Laxus said. "Don' really wan' to use it anyways, if I'm being honest."

Porlyusica's mouth twitched, and Freed thought it might be the closest he had ever seen her get to smiling.

"You know what that means, don't you? You need rest, Laxus. And somewhere that's not the woods."

Laxus frowned. "How'd you know I was living in the woods?"

"Your friend told me not ten minutes ago. And the town of Magnolia isn't known for weathering frequent wolf attacks."

"Oh. Well, I-"

"You're coming home with me, obviously," Freed said. "And don't even think about protesting. There's no way I would let you go back to camping after what happened! And I have a perfectly good couch."

Freed was expecting Laxus to protest, even though he'd already technically agreed, but much to his surprise (and joy), Laxus just nodded dizzily. If anything, he seemed a little too confused about what was happening to have too many feelings about it, but Freed would count that as a win for now.

Porlyusica spent the next few minutes gathering together the supplies she needed to stitch up Laxus's arm, then returned to him and Freed.

"Has the pain medication kicked in?" she asked.

"Whaaaa?"

"That would be a 'yes,'" Porlyusica muttered, opening her kit and selecting a needle. "Hold still, Laxus."

"Wait, don't you have a bed or something?" Freed protested, looking back at Laxus spreadeagled on the floor. "This is terribly undignified!"

Porlyusica turned around and shot him a glare that almost cowed Freed enough to stop him from glaring back. Almost, but not quite.

"Do you want to carry him?" Porlyusica snapped. Laxus didn't do anything, except for blinking slowly up at the ceiling.

"Very well," Freed muttered, backing up and crossing his arms. He didn't like it, and Laxus probably wouldn't either, but he really did seem far too drugged to realize much of what was going on. Porlyusica had at least given him a pillow, and he supposed that was something.

Whatever Porlyusica had given Laxus must have been fairly potent, because Laxus barely made a sound throughout the stitching, bandaging, and splinting of his injured arm. Porlyusica carefully slipped his arm into a sling and settled it on his chest, then stood up with a sigh. Laxus's eyes followed her lazily, and he blinked a couple times. It looked as though he was trying not to fall asleep, and it was adorable enough to thoroughly distract Freed for a few seconds.

"Boy," Porlyusica hissed into his ear, and Freed jerked backwards as the healer startled him out of his Laxus-related thoughts. "Pay attention. He's too far gone to understand what he has to do for this injury, so you're going to have to fill in."

"I can do that," Freed promised, following Porlyusica as she stepped away from Laxus, through a curtain into what appeared to be something like an apothecary. He didn't like being out of sight of the Dragon Slayer, but there wasn't really anything that could happen to Laxus when they both were just a few steps away. Freed took a deep breath and focused back on Porlyusica.

"I'm going to give you more of that pain medication that he's on right now," Porlyusica said briskly, pouring a colorless liquid into a glass and handing it to Freed. "I'll write out an instruction sheet with the correct dosages. He's going to need about three times what a normal person would, since he's a Dragon Slayer. Not to mention huge."

"He is quite large," Freed agreed, nodding. "And I wouldn't want him to be in pain."

"That injury was bad enough that I think it's likely he'll wake up in the middle of the night, wanting more of this."

"Don't give it to him," Freed said obediently. He had a terrible image of somehow getting Laxus addicted to painkillers running through his head, and he knew he definitely wanted to be careful.

"What? Idiot! He'll be in agony with that arm. Definitely give it to him. Just monitor the dose. He'll probably be on it for a while, so it would be best if you can get him to eat a little something when he takes it."

"Oh," Freed said, starting to realize he was perhaps a little out of his depth. "Right. What…what can I give him to eat?"

"It might take a few days for him to be up to much. He's quite fond of those meal supplements you mix into water, if he's anything like the way he was as a child, but try not to let him rely on that if he's up to eating solid food. Rice or bread would be best, something with fruits or vegetables if you can get it. Applesauce, maybe."

"I can do all that," Freed murmured, already making a mental grocery shopping list. He wondered how late - or probably more accurately, how early - the grocery store would open. He wondered if he could safely leave Laxus alone.

"You'll need to ask him how he is every so often. And be aware, he might lie. If he tells you he's doing great, make him prove it. If he tells you he's doing terribly, he's probably fine, just a little too sick to lie. If he tells you he's doing okay, that's when you should really be worried. That means he's not doing very well, but he still has the presence of mind to lie to you about it. Does that all make sense?"

"Yes," Freed said, wishing he had a piece of paper or something to jot down a few notes. At least he was smart enough that he thought he stood a good chance of remembering everything. "If he says he's doing okay, that's just about the worst he could be doing. And…and what do I do if he says that?"

"If you really think something's wrong with him, and it's beyond what you can handle on your own, I give you permission to call me. But if you abuse that permission, I'll take your head off, boy. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Freed squeaked. He nodded a few times for good measure, hoping desperately that he would not have any cause to call Porlyusica. "Um, thank you, ma'am."

"You're welcome," Porlyusica grumbled, sounding almost pleased for a moment. "I suppose I'm just glad that he has somewhere to go, other than my floor."

Freed, for one of the first times in his life, wasn't sure what to say. He settled for smiling in a way that he hoped came off as endearing, rather than awkward or even creepy.

Porlyusica didn't seem to notice. She just started back towards the curtained-off main room, waving for him to follow. "Seems like he trusts you. Don't fuck it up."

He trusts you. Freed stood in silence for a few seconds, letting the words wash over him. Trust, from Laxus, was a very big deal. Hearing someone say it, right out in the open like that, proved to be a little overwhelming. But Freed could rise to the challenge. He had to, because Laxus needed him, and he didn't seem to think that he had anyone else right now.

"I'm not going to fuck it up," Freed promised, quietly enough that Porlyusica probably couldn't hear him, and followed her back to Laxus.