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Freed was rather comfortable with the life he had built for himself. He supposed being the manager of an independent bookstore wasn’t the most glamourous of positions, but it suited him. The pay was enough for him to have most of what he wanted, and he was surrounded by books almost constantly. His spare time was divided between his writing pursuits, learning to cook, and socializing with the few friends he still had in the area. His romantic life wasn’t really anything to speak of, but he was okay with that. It was a simple life, but he was content.
That contentment was disrupted slightly by a phone call.
He received the phone call partway through the process of reviewing the stock.
“Hello?” He said distractedly.
There was a brief minute of silence before a deep, dearly missed masculine voice said, “Hey Freed.”
Freed nearly dropped his phone.
“Laxus. It’s been a while.”
“Yeah, uh, listen. It looks like I’ll be coming back to town. The old man isn’t doing so good and Natsu threatened to kick my ass if I didn’t come and help.”
“As if he could.” Freed said with a breathy laugh. “Do you need a ride from the airport or anything?”
“Nah, I’ve got that covered, I just wanted to let you know. I know the three of you will want to meet up when I’m back.”
“Indeed. When exactly do you get back? We can plan something for the day after.”
“Next Thursday.”
“Excellent, we can go out on Friday.”
“Great. I know none of you like the places I pick, so I’ll leave it for you guys to figure out.”
“Okay. It’ll be good to see you.”
“Yeah.”
They exchanged stilted goodbyes after an awkward silence, and when it was over Freed clasped his phone to his chest and looked up at the single bulb that lit the small back room. Laxus’s return was not going to be easy on him, he knew. Nothing involving Laxus was easy on him.
After a few moments, he collected himself enough to call Evergreen and Bickslow. (Evergreen was first, naturally, otherwise she would be furious. Bickslow didn’t care.) They were both overjoyed, of course, and Evergreen had quite a few opinions on where they could go.
The following Friday came with a rapidity that Freed was unprepared for. Or rather, he was unprepared for Laxus. Somehow a week and change hadn’t been enough time to gird himself against the mental and emotional turmoil Laxus brought out in him.
As agreed through a series of group texts, they met up at the bar, which was as busy as one would expect it to be on a Friday night. They managed to get a booth thanks to Laxus’s intimidating presence and Evergreen’s aggressive persistence. Bickslow secured them a round of drinks, and through it all, Freed found himself horribly distracted.
Laxus had always been attractive, (you didn’t become an incredibly successful model if you weren’t, and Laxus was remarkably successful in his career) and it wasn’t like he had gotten any broader or taller since the last time they’d seen him, but Freed still found himself overwhelmed by just how gorgeous the man was. Whether it was a case of absence making the heart grow fonder, or just how startling sudden exposure was after so long without, Freed could not cope with how much he loved Laxus in that moment.
‘Well, if nothing else it proves that I haven’t gotten over him yet.’ He thought with some resignation as Evergreen and Bickslow chattered, catching Laxus up on all he had missed while he was away.
The two hours they spent at the bar were pleasant, and soothed something in Freed that had been discontent until they were reunited. Sure, he saw the other two as often as he could, but it’s like there was a hole in the fabric of the universe itself whenever Laxus was gone.
“You’ve been quiet, Freed.” Laxus said while Evergreen and Bickslow were getting the next round of drinks.
“Oh. I suppose I just don’t want to compete with the two of them.”
“True. You’ve never been as chatty. But I still want to hear about what’s been going on with you.”
“Oh, not much really. I’ve got my work at the bookshop, and that keeps me busy.”
“It’s a good job for you. I’m sure you’re overjoyed to be surrounded by books all the time.”
“Yes. What will you be doing while you’re in town? I can’t imagine there’s too great a need for models around here.”
“Ah, you’d be surprised, but nah, I’ve saved up enough to have a bit of a break.”
“That’s good. It’ll give you time to spend with your grandfather.”
“Yeah. He asked after you. Said he’s pissed that you live in the same town but never visit.”
“Ah. I didn’t know he wanted me to.”
“Yeah. You should come over when you get the chance.”
“I will.”
They were saved from having to continue the conversation by the return of the other two, who distracted them thoroughly with some new tidbit of gossip.
Eventually the night came to a close, and they parted ways. Freed found it difficult to fall asleep that night, plagued as he was by visions of Laxus in the dim light of the bar.
He was most of the way through preparing crepes for his breakfast the next morning when he heard a knock on the door.
“Just a moment!” He called, transferring the last crepe from the pan to the plate.
He strode over to the door, and opened it to reveal Laxus.
“Oh, good morning.” Freed said in surprise.
“Yeah.... uh. Sorry, I got a crazy idea in my head, and you didn’t answer your phone when I called to convince me not to do it.” Laxus held a drink carrier with two cups in it in one hand, and a bag hailing from Freed’s favorite produce stand in the other.
“Oh, well, come in then. What’s in the bag?”
“Strawberries.”
“Oh, you remembered. And I suppose one of those cups holds a cappuccino?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“You are spoiling me this morning.” Freed said, slightly breathless. “The strawberries will go well with the crepes, so I do believe we will be eating like kings.”
“Uh, if you say so.”
Freed prepared their plates with a fluttering heart, and shifted restlessly once they were seated.
“Not that I’m not pleased to see you, but was there any reason in particular for your visit?” Freed asked after most of the crepes had been consumed.
Laxus sat in silence for a long moment, staring at his mostly empty plate.
“Have you ever fucked up so bad you don’t know how to fix it?” He asked suddenly.
A memory of the two of them, much younger than they were now, flashed in Freed’s mind’s eye.
“Yes, once or twice.”
“What did you do?”
“I suppose I did what damage control I could, and then did my best to move on. There are a few things that haunt me still, but in general I’ve accepted that I did something wrong, and at the very least tried to learn from it.”
“God, how are you so mature?” Laxus asked, leaning back in his chair. “It doesn’t matter how long we’ve been adults, I still feel like the same dumb kid I was in high school.”
“Surely not. Surely you’re at least university level.”
Laxus huffed a laugh. “Yeah... I’m not quite the jerk I was in high school.”
“I should hope not. It takes a great deal of pubescent arrogance to reach that level of assholishness.”
Laxus let out a bark of laughter at that. “Man, comments like that are why I’ve missed you, Freed.”
A warm feeling suffused itself throughout Freed’s entire being. “I’ve missed you too, Laxus.”
“Did you have any plans for today?”
“Not really. There’s some cleaning I need to get done at some point, but nothing that can’t wait.”
“Come to the park with me? It’ll be like old times.”
Freed was certain that was a bad idea. Those ‘old times’ Laxus spoke of all occured before Freed’s ill-fated confession. It was during the time where the silence between them didn’t feel so awkward, and conversation flowed so much easier.
“Sure. Let me get dressed.” Teenage Freed would have been quite scandalized by the thought of Laxus seeing him in silky pajamas. Adult Freed couldn’t bring himself to care.
The park was the same as it always had been. The trees might have been a bit taller, but then, so were they.
“Man, this place really doesn’t change.”
“No. There are aspects of this town that feel like they’re held in a time capsule.”
“That’s one way to put it.”
The walked in silence that wasn’t quite as tense for a while.
“Are the roses still your favorite?” Laxus asked as they approached them.
“Ah, I suppose. To be honest, I don’t spend much time here anymore.”
“Makes sense. Are you still working on that novel?”
“Ah, well, the one I was working on when last we spoke about it rather crashed and burned inspiration-wise, so I’ve moved on to a couple other projects, and I’m making good progress on one in particular that I’m so far greatly pleased with.”
“Good, good, that’s...” Laxus cleared his throat. “That’s good.”
Freed looked at Laxus curiously. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re trying to get to know me.”
“What do you mean? I don’t need to get to know you, I’ve known you for over a decade and a half.”
“I know, that’s what’s odd about it.”
Freed stopped in the middle of the path and stared at Laxus searchingly.
“Why are you trying to make amends?” He asked after a long moment.
Laxus sighed. “I dunno. It seemed stupid that I’d never done it before, I guess. And when I said I’ve missed you, I don’t think I meant since I’ve been gone. It’s been awhile since we’ve been... I dunno, close.”
“Yes, it rather has been.”
“It just felt like, since I’m here mending bridges anyway, I’d better mend the bridge that I had the most regrets about.”
Freed offered him a small smile. “Well, it’s not like you had burned it to the ground, or anything.”
“Yeah, but you can’t say it’s as sturdy as it used to be.”
“No, perhaps not. But if you’re willing to work at it, so am I.”
Laxus let out a great sigh of relief. “Thank god. I don’t know what I would have done if you’d said things have to stay the way they have been.”
“They don’t have to stay the way they have been, but I can’t guarantee they’ll go back to the way they were when we were younger.”
“Well, I mean, that’s not a bad thing. Like I said, I was a jerk when I was younger.”
“Fair enough. So, tell me about the circumstances that led to you hanging from a cliff in Wyoming in only your underwear. The tabloids were quite excited about it.”
Laxus groaned, but started into the story as they resumed their walk.
The next several weeks found Freed’s usual schedule altered slightly. He found he had less time for writing, because so much of it was taken up by Laxus. An evening or two a week would be spent with Laxus and his grandfather in the home Laxus had grown up in. Other nights Laxus came to his apartment and let Freed cook for him.
“It’s a good thing I’m in an off season.” Laxus said after devouring Freed’s latest offering. “There’s no way I can stay in peak shape while I’m eating your food. It’s too good.”
And then other nights all four of them, the Thunder Tribe, as they had called themselves when they were younger, gathered together, renewing the bond that had been forged when teenage hormones had run rampant, but was now tempered by the wisdom to mostly stay out of trouble.
Freed didn’t quite know what to do with this new, incredibly solicitous Laxus. Every time they met he had some new question to ask Freed.
“Are you still into classical music?” “Did you ever figure out what happened to that one occult book that went missing?” “Do you still play the violin?” “How many times have you reread that series now?”
Each one of these questions showed that Laxus had been paying attention when they were younger, but didn’t know how to connect with him now. He was trying so hard, but obviously was struggling to find that easy rapport they had once had.
Freed didn’t know that he had the answer. It was a struggle, trying to get to know someone you already knew so well. He could understand where Laxus was coming from. He too wanted to know what had and hadn’t changed in the years that had passed in awkwardness.
But Freed had always been observant. He could tell that Laxus’s favorite color was still purple, because that’s the color most of his shirts were. His favorite food, definitely hadn’t changed, judging from the way it was devoured when Freed served it. Laxus still had problems with telling his grandfather how much he cared, and still had an obsession with storms, and still couldn’t sing to save his life.
But there were changes. He was softer now, in much the same way Freed was. The intensity of emotion that had been so prevalent in both of them in their teenage years had been worn away, leaving a peace that had seemed unattainable back then.
Laxus’s once volatile temper had cooled some, and he was less inclined to judge people as harshly as he had once done. He seemed to be more understanding, more inclined to listen to the whole story before deciding his opinion. He was somehow... humbled.
Freed had loved Laxus for so long he didn’t know how to do anything else, but the new Laxus, the one he was getting to know now, was the sort of man Freed had dreamed about, back when he was just discovering what it meant to be attracted to other people.
Freed had always believed that Laxus was a good man, even when he was temperamental and quick to judge, but now it seemed like he had become a great man, and it all made Freed feel rather faint.
Finally, after weeks of oddly specific get-to-know-you questions, they seemed to be finding a balance. Things were easy between them again. Things felt, dare he say it, comfortable.
And then Laxus threw Freed for a loop once more.
“Hey, you’ve been cooking for me so much, why don’t you let me take you out to dinner?”
“Okay.”
Freed didn’t think anything of it until they arrived at their destination.
“How on Earth did you get reservations at Fairy Heart?” he asked incredulously as the valet drove Laxus’s too-fancy car away.
“Eh, I made the booking basically as soon as I got into town. Plus, places like this fall over themselves to cater to local heroes.” Laxus said this with a cocky smirk that left Freed rather flustered.
“Well, as you say.”
They were taken to their table within a few moments of entering, and in short order had a very fine wine in breathtakingly beautiful wine glasses, and were given time to consider what indulgent dishes they wanted to order.
“Honestly I think I want to go for the chef’s special.” Laxus said, leaning back in his plush chair.
“Mm, it does have it’s appeal, but I’m rather taken by the thought of the mahi mahi.”
“Get whatever you want, this is my treat, Freed.”
Freed glanced at Laxus from beneath his eyelashes. “I’ll have you know, this isn’t what I thought would happen when you said we were going out for a meal.”
Laxus flashed him a grin. “Gotta keep you on your toes somehow.”
After they ordered, conversation flowed in that easy way they had worked so hard to establish. Freed shared thoughts on cultural matters, while Laxus told tales of his travels and provided gossip about his celebrity acquaintances.
“I tell ya, Mirajane is the baddest bitch you will ever meet.”
“Really? She seems so sweet in interviews.”
“It’s all a facade. There’s a demon lurking behind that pleasant smile, and everyone who’s worked with her knows it. Don’t get me wrong though, I would pick Mira over most anyone. She’s a goddamned professional, unlike some of the other models I’ve worked with lately.”
“A ringing endorsement.”
After an exquisite meal and a pair of devilishly delectable desserts, they left the restaurant. There was a moment of silence as they waited for the valet to bring the car around, but it wasn’t the same awkward silence that had held between them for so long. It was comfortable.
That silence continued as Laxus drove Freed back to his apartment. When the car stopped, Freed prepared to say a gentle goodnight, but was interrupted before he could.
“Freed...” Laxus seemed to be having some trouble with finding the right words. “I don’t know how to make this clear without saying it, so I’m just going to say it. This was a date.”
“Oh.” Freed said in surprise. “I mean, it rather felt like a date, but I didn’t want to assume.”
“I know I fucked up. I fucked up bad, all those years ago. I shouldn’t have laughed at you, I shouldn’t have belittled you, and I definitely shouldn’t have said no.”
“I...” To be perfectly honest, Freed didn’t actually know what to say in response to that.
“I’ve spent the past five years out in the ‘real world’, and I’ve learned a lot about myself. I realized in the past year or so that I’ve been comparing every single person I’ve dated to you. If they were as beautiful as you, they weren’t kind enough. If they were as kind as you, they weren’t clever enough. And nobody, absolutely nobody knew how to deal with my moods as well as you do, and each time I tried, it became more obvious that no one else could even come close.”
“Laxus...”
“Look, I’ll understand if you don’t want to even consider giving it a shot. I was a huge asshole to you back then, and the fact that you forgave me enough to still be friends says so much about how good a person you are. But Freed,” Laxus caught Freed’s eye with a breathtaking intensity. “I would love nothing more than the chance to make it up to you, and show you a fraction of the love you’ve given so freely to me over the years.”
This wasn’t fair. Freed was close to tears.
“Oh, Laxus.” He leaned over to press a kiss to Laxus’s lips, the center console digging into his middle. Laxus reciprocated immediately, pressing into Freed with heat and passion, the likes of which Freed had never known.
The kiss did end eventually, but not until Freed’s lips were swollen, and his pulse was racing.
“I don’t want to rush you, or pressure you, or anything like that.” Laxus said softly. “Whatever you’re willing to give me, that’s more than enough.”
Freed huffed a laugh. “Laxus, if you think you’re getting away with not taking me to bed tonight, you are dead wrong.”
The next morning, Freed felt a fair bit of discomfort from his backside. It was perfect.