Chapter Text
When Laxus saw himself get thrown across the arena with a look of indifference, he couldn’t bring himself to very much care. He had a fight to win, not a performance to see through.
“Care to explain what’s going on here?” He asked with his arms crossed over his chest.
Alexei did not move a single muscle, “A type of illusion magic. It’s the only way we could have a private conversation. Those around us can not see or hear us even though we are standing right in front of them. They’re watching an illusion of the two of us fighting…”
Well more like you kicking my ass, but we’re not going to talk about that. Laxus thought bitterly.
“Incredibly convincing isn’t it? Not a single person has noticed. They’re too busy watching you struggle to stand your ground in a losing fight.” Alexei was having fun, his tone alone couldn't disguise his demented glee, even through the helmet Laxus knew that the person before him held a sinister smile on their face. Through the illusion Laxus could pick up his guildmates’ voices. Ever and Bickslow screaming out to him, cheering him on as they watched him get his ass handed to him. He couldn’t make out Freed’s voice over the sound of Ever and Bickslow. It made something in his chest go tight. Still his teammates believed in him, that was enough for him to square his shoulders.
I’m not going to let Fairy Tail down, I’m not going to let my father’s guild hurt us again.
-x-
“There’s something wrong… this isn’t right…” Freed could barely stand to watch, his voice barely above a whisper. To see Laxus nearly defenseless tore his heart apart. It forced him back in time to a place riddled with nightmares. Where he always failed to protect the man he loved, failed to protect his family.
He had made a vow, a promise to Laxus as Captain of the Thunder Legion. That as long as he stood, no harm would come to the Dragon Slayer. Yet, here Freed stood, having failed at protecting his family once again. Tears burned his eyes making it hard to see the arena. Where was his voice? Why couldn’t he cry out, scream for Laxus to get up.
“Freed, it’s going to be–” Lyon’s voice broke through Freed’s thoughts and pain long enough for him to reach out to where Lyon stood. He cut the man off as his hand took hold of Lyon’s arm.
Freed turned to him sharply.
“Raven Tail isn’t going to stop Lyon. They won’t stop until he’s dead. Black Snake was going to kill me out there. They’ll try and kill Laxus too!” The Rune mage was desperate, clawing for any understanding that he could find. Laxus couldn’t do this on his own. That wasn’t the way it was supposed to be.
“I have to help him!” Freed confessed.
He turned away from Lyon and rushed to the railing, until there were arms around his waist. They stopped them in his tracks and he was pulled back and collided against a large chest.
Jura.
“Laxus Dreyar is stronger than any of us can believe. He and the other Dragon Slayers possess magic so old that many can not stand against it. He will win, if not he will hold on long enough for the timer to run out. Resulting in a draw. Until he wins or this round is finished we have to trust that he knows what he’s doing.”
Freed sagged against Jura, “I made a promise,” he whispered.
“I know…” This time it was Lyon who spoke. His face was open and honest as he looked at Freed, “You’ll be able to keep that promise, but remember these are the Grand Magic Games and we made another promise to win them. I get it, things are complicated but if you need an anchor, Lamia Scale is right here.”
At those words Freed breathed out a long sigh, “You’re right…” He reached to place a hand on Jura’s arms. That was enough to free Freed from the strong embrace. He stood amongst his worried teammates and reached out for Lyon. Their hands met in the middle and their fingers tangled together. Freed closed his eyes and took a deep grounding breath. Chelia closed the space between them and hugged him. He opened his eyes at that and let go of Lyon’s hand who watched on relived. As Freed hugged Chelia he looked out into the arena with something strange in his eyes. Then it morphed to clear conviction.
“Chelia, there’s something that I must do…” Freed said gently. He pulled away and smiled down at the girl. They moved away from one another leaving Freed with a clear path to the railing. Before anyone thought better to stop him, he marched.
“Freed!”
I’m still their Captain…
Freed rushed to the railing, watched for only a second as Laxus was thrown across the arena yet again. No . This was not the way that the battle was meant to go. Laxus was stronger than this. There was something terribly wrong. Freed knew that for a fact. There was no way that Laxus would take such a defeat at the cost of his family. Not this new version of Laxus at least. But then again the old Laxus had been too prideful. He would have been enraged at such a humiliation. Freed wouldn't stand for it. Something had to be done. Whatever illusion this was must be broken.
With his hands on the railing, he leaned out as far as he could. With what he thought was the same power required for a dragon’s roar, he screamed out.
“Laxus!!” he could feel his feet lift off the ground, the railing dug painfully into his pelvis, “FINISH THIS!!”
-x-
“It must be nice to know your guild mates hold you in such high regard. I’m sure they’re absolutely heartbroken watching you fall to your enemy like this.” Fucking gods, your voice is annoying. Beside him Laxus could see himself get thrown across the arena again. How embarrassing.
Through it all Fairy Tail cried out for Laxus. He could hear Evergreen and Bickslow. Catch Natsu from time to time. Hell, even his old man was starting to chime in. Still, there was something that Laxus needed to figure out if he was going to make the right call in all of this. So for the time being he ignored them.
“I don’t get it. This plan of yours doesn’t make any sense at all.” He asked. His eyes narrowed and he let the uproar from the crowd fade away. There was no point in paying attention to that. Laxus tightened his arms over his chest and spread his feet the slightest bit apart.
“No?” Alexei kept a patronizing tone. He tilted his masked face and Laxus knew that the bastard was smiling with all their teeth, thinking that he got Laxus right where he wanted him. No. This idiot doesn’t know who he’s dealing with.
Laxus rolled his eyes, “What’s the point in beating me with an illusion? I mean can you call that a win?” What are you trying to hide?
“Obviously victory in this match is not our ultimate goal. The purpose of the illusion is to distract those around us.”
“Huh?” Now Laxus didn’t understand.
“... and if I control the illusion. I control the outcome of the match as well.”
“Control it? How so?” He was curious now.
“ Laxus! ”
Time froze in Laxus as soon as he heard Freed’s voice. The sound pierced his ear louder than anything else in the arena. Alexei was still talking, the audience’s energy was shifting. All of that happened around Laxus and it didn’t matter to him. Everything zeroed in on Freed’s voice. Laxus now desperate for anything the man would give him. Scraps would be enough to keep him going, but this– No, listen to what he’s got to say. So he strained his ears to catch Freed’s voice one more time. Then within moments Laxus was given an order.
“FINISH THIS!!”
Laxus dropped his arms, rolled his shoulders and narrowed his gaze. The arena faded along the corners of his sight. A tunnel formed around the center of Alexei’s chest, right over his heart. Nothing was going to stop Laxus from winning this match. No one was going to stand in his way. Alexei was going to know how a true fight against a Dragon Slayer unfolded. The man was unguarded, too caught up with his monologue like a parent lecturing their child for talking back.
There was nothing left for Laxus to do. It was now or never.
Lightning engulfed his body and he shot across the arena. Straight towards Alexei’s. Laxus flew past him, until he was met with the wall of the arena. He landed on his feet, twisted on his ankles and pushed himself off. All the while Alexei was turning around, body open to Laxus’ attack. Within seconds Laxus threw back his fist, channeling his energy into it. He watched from the corner of his eye as he willed more power.
“ Lightning Dragon's Iron Fist! ”
He sends Alexei across the arena with a single blow.
Now we’re playing the game.
Laxus stopped himself yards away from his opponent's body. Alexei’s illusion quickly broke away and the arena took a collective gasp as the truth was revealed.
“Knocked you hard enough to break your concentration, huh? Next time if you want an illusion to work… make it accurate,” Laxus growled.
“MASTER!”
What?
“Is that the Raven Tail Guild?” Chapati spoke into his microphone in disbelief.
Laxus spun around and saw the whole team standing before him. All of them were too stunned to speak. Behind him he could hear what he assumed was his father groaning in pain. Righteousness burned in Laxus’ chest. The satisfaction he felt in that very moment made his skin itch and his fangs begin to sharpen in his mouth. He could feel as his magic sizzled right underneath his skin, his scales erupting like goosebumps over his arms.
“Alright,” Laxus shook himself back to reality and turned to fully face Team Raven Tail. Each of them stood ready for a fight. As if any of them could stand a chance against him. It was laughable, “Let’s finish this.”
But before Laxus could wrap things up he needed one last thing, so he turned his head, looked up and marveled. Thank you, Freed…
-x-
Freed watched as the illusion faded away within a minute of screaming. The overwhelming feeling within his chest made his face drop. His hands gripped the railing so tightly that he could feel his nails bend with the strain. He took a deep breath, tried his best to register what he was seeing. His eyes landed on Laxus and everything stood still. The man was staring right back at him with a look in his eyes that Freed could not fathom ever seeing on Laxus’ face. It was of gratitude, wonder, and above all else hope. There was hope in his eyes and for once Freed was amazed at just how beautiful the man was. In all the years they had known one another Freed had never seen such a look on Laxus’ face. From all that he had endured Ivan had made sure to get rid of whatever hope his son had, but it didn’t work. The hope was still there, it shined in his eyes like the stars in the sky and Freed wanted to cry.
Beside him Lyon reached out and took his shoulders, shook him back to reality, “What did I say! That big brute was going to show up that bastard from Raven Tail without even breaking a sweat.”
Chelia clapped her hands in celebration, “Go Fairy Tail!”
Yuka chuckled behind them, his arms crossed over his chest, “You know they’re still our opponents. Cheering them on seems rather counter intuitive,” He pushed past his team to get a better look of the arena when suddenly Flare cried out in rage.
Jura stood as still as a rock, his eyes never once leaving Laxus.
Freed watched on with confidence as Laxus’ arm was wrapped in red flaming hair. Within moments he turned back to his enemies and tugged as hard as he could. Flare was sent flying against the wall behind him leaving a crater behind.
The entire arena watched on as Laxus took down the entire dark guild. Leaving no one capable of getting back up. Behind him Alexei got up and his mask broke away to reveal Ivan, the master of Raven Tail. The announcers gasp, every single one of them shocked at the blatant disrespect to the rules. It was forbidden for masters to participate and to see that one had made it clear that Raven Tail would not be continuing on in the Grand Magic Games. If it wasn’t already quite obvious.
Something dangerous simmered right underneath Freed’s skin as he watched the very man who had nearly destroyed Laxus get back up with blood running down his face. The lacrima screens over the heads of all the spectators showcasing his failure for the entire arena to see. It was nice, it was rewarding. Freed was proud, there was no other way to put it. To see the mighty Lightning Dragon finally let loose was a marvel in itself. When everything was said and done Laxus stood as Royal Guards rushed to begin to restrain Raven Tail. All of them put in magic nullifying handcuffed and escorted out of the arena. The contempt of the crowd reverated through the entire space.
Lyon turned away from the spectacle and looked at Freed, he smiled and reached out, “You should go to him, I think that after the little encouragement that you gave him, Laxus owes you a ‘thank you’.” He kept his face as open as possible, letting the pride in his eyes shine through. His lips didn’t waver and they remained steady as best they could. Lyon could feel the pain burning at the back of his eyes. The way that his mind screamed at him to keep fighting for the man in front of him, but that was the thing…
He stopped being yours the moment that Laxus came back.
“What?” Freed looked at Lyon with surprise etched into every line of his face. He shook his head and reached for Lyon in return, then suddenly there was fear, something uncertain and hesitant.
“Go to him, you’ll regret it if you don’t…” Lyon pushed forward and all the while he felt his heart shatter, the defeat pulling his soul down. Still he smiled with as much reassurance as he could muster in the face of letting go of the man he had loved. Freed stared at him for a second before suddenly throwing his arms around Lyon’s shoulders, crushing him against his chest.
“ Thank you.”
With that Freed pushed away, rushed out of the small spectators box and as he left his team they watched on with looks on their faces that would have caused the Rune Mage to stay, but this time he didn’t turn back.
Jura bowed his head for a moment, then looked at Lyon with something close to gratitude in his eyes, “You did the right thing by him.”
Lyon scoffed, rolled his eyes as he turned to lean against the railing. His face now a cold mask as his eyes shined in the sun.
“We don’t get in the way of family,” he repeated.
-x-
Laxus made his way out of the arena, all the while he dusted himself off from any rubble and dirt that may have gathered on his clothes. When he was back inside the halls of the colosseum, far enough away from the opening that the crowd was just a murmur, he leaned against the stone wall. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. His hands were shaking. He wasn’t hurt, none of those idiots would have been able to lay a single hand on him, but what was making him queasy, shaky on his feet was the fact that it was his father who he had just taken down. The man that, when Laxus was a kid, forced a lacrima into his body with no remorse when it came to whether or not his only son would survive. Ivan, the same man that had a hand in making Laxus into the monster that almost took Fairy Tail down with him. Turned him into a man so emotionally repressed that when faced with the only person who cared for him enough to stand up against him and remind him of who he really was, Laxus’ response was to nearly kill him. Now he has years to apologize for, so much to make up for and with the distance between him and Freed it felt nearly impossible to make amends. Yet, there his Captain stood, nearly falling over the railing as he gave what Laxus believed to be his final order. It was comical that it took Laxus the entire time they had known one another to finally listen.
Then suddenly there were footsteps rushing up to him, his instincts flared up and he pushed himself off the wall. His eyes shot open and he brought his hands up in a defensive stance. When his vision focused enough for Laxus to take in who was right in front of him, panting as if they had just rushed a marathon his heart stuttered in his chest.
“ Freed… ”
There the Rune Mage stood with a smile on his face, something so beautiful that it made Laxus weak in the knees. The emotional exhaustion that finally hit Laxus weighed him down and he stumbled forward. His source of stability standing right in front of him like a beacon of light guiding him straight home. With long unsure strides Laxus finally closed the distance between them, reached out and wrapped his arms around one of his dearest friends for the first time since meeting him all those years ago. The distance that had always been between them shattered and nothing was there to separate them. Laxus made a promise as he buried his face in Freed’s hair that nothing would ever get in between them again. Strong arms wrapped around him in return and Freed’s face pressed against his chest.
Laxus was home…
“You did exceptional and Ivan deserved what he got,” Freed mumbled against the fabric of Laxus’ shirt.
He chuckled brokenly and rubbed his face against soft green hair, “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without your push.”
Freed slowly pulled away which forced Laxus to do the same, “Yes you would have and I would have been just as proud.”
They looked at eachother and Laxus couldn’t help but smile soft and hopeful. He moved his hand and went to cradle Freed’s cheek and when the man leaned into his touch Laxus’ breath caught in his throat. This close he could see the lines on Freed’s face, the lines around his eyes as he smiled back, the lines around his mouth from all the good and bad that he had experienced in the last seven years. He was older, but not any less beautiful. When Laxus reached with his other hand to stroke through short green hair a pain shot through his heart.
I missed seven years of you.
As if reading his mind Freed leaned up and pressed their foreheads together, the man was on his tiptoes even with Laxus bent down to meet him halfway, “There’s not a single drop of bad blood between us Laxus and there never will be. I promise that no matter how far away we are we will be bonded by things so powerful that nothing would be able to break it.”
I love you… Laxus thought. His eyes couldn’t tear themselves away from the sight before him. Everything he never thought he could have was right there in his arms and still, those three words terrified him to no end. The realization from the night before still haunted him, the sight of Freed and Lyon together etched into his mind like a taunting reminder. Still, the yearning in his chest wouldn’t go away. He remembered what he promised to himself last night and nothing had changed between then and now. Yet, something did, at least between him and Freed and that was the fact that their hearts finally allowed them to explore the affection that they had for one another, at least for the moment. That’s what made hope flare up so violently inside Laxus chest and with every single ounce of bravery that he accumulated over the years he leaned forward, closed his eyes and pressed his lips against Freed’s.
For a moment there was not a single response from the other man and that almost made Laxus cry in defeat, this was it. This would be the moment where he would finally be pushed away and reminded that he lost his chance, lost his chance of loving the one person who saw him for everything that he wanted to become and still accepted him after everything Laxus showed him of his battered and bruised soul. If this was going to be the only opportunity that Laxus got, he was going to make it something that he would never forget. The feel of Freed’s lips–
Hands quickly moved between them and Laxus for a split second thought that he was about to be shoved back, then those very same hands moved to grip the side of his face, moved again to tangle in his hair until nimble fingers gripped so tightly that Laxus gasped. Then Freed was moving, he was tilting his head, shifting his lips in tandem with Laxus’.
Laxus’ head was spinning with all the sensations that his brain was trying to process. The feel of Freed’s body pressed firmly against his, the feel of his soft lips and the tease of a tongue was enough to send his entire being into overdrive. Laxus felt a noise crawl its way up his throat and Freed kissed it right out of his mouth.
They kissed like they would never get the chance again and for Laxus that was a very real possibility so he didn’t give in, he gave as good as he got and pressed his lips harder against Freed’s. The taste of him on Laxus’ tongue was enough to make him lose sight of the fact that both of them should have been with their respective teams, they should have been with their guilds. That didn’t matter though, none of that mattered because what did was the present moment and it was perfect.
-x-
Freed’s entire body was on fire, he was lightheaded, and his lips were beginning to ache from how hard he was kissing Laxus, but it wasn’t enough. He wanted more and so he took it. Freed arched his back up against Laxus’ body and moved his arms so they were wrapped around the man’s strong shoulders. He could feel hands moving all over his back until they finally rested against his waist and pulled him in that much closer. Fingers gripped his jacket tight enough to strain the fabric, but Freed didn’t care.
But…
For a moment they pulled away for breath, long enough to look at one another with surprise in their eyes. Their chests were rising and falling in unison and everything seemed to fade away, even the noise of the crowd outside of the opening to the arena couldn’t break their attention from one another.
“They’ll miss us if we stay too long,” Freed whispered between them. His eyes moved from one part of Laxus’ face to the other. Yet, the other man’s eyes didn’t move from Freed’s, all that Laxus was focused on was him. The smile on his face eased something in Freed’s heart and he couldn’t help but smile back. Slowly he moved his hand to cradle Laxus’ cheek where the lightning scar was still so apparent over his face. His thumb stroked the raised skin right underneath Laxus’ eye gently.
Before Freed could even consider untangling himself from Laxus he was met with a soft kiss. A brief connection of lips that felt like electricity.
“Freed… I–”
“Come on, let’s go before they notice that we’re gone. I promise that we’ll talk about this but we need to go before they start making announcements,” Freed didn’t stop smiling. He just pulled away until there was a safe amount of distance between them. He straightened his jacket and hair with shaky hands before reaching out and offering one of them to Laxus who stared at him for a second as if he had something else to say, but there was time for that. There was time for them now and there was no need to rush.
“Together,” Laxus whispered.
“Always,” Freed replied.