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eryiss · 26 days

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Fraxus Week 2024 - Day 1: Transformation

Description: The hard part was meant to be asking Freed out on the date, but in the week between asking and the actual date, Laxus gets in his own head. Following the advice of his guildmates, he transforms himself into the man he thinks Freed deserves. Freed has other ideas, and utilises thievery, embarrassment, and an apple pie to show it.

Note: Fraxus Week 2024, as always hosted by @fuckyeahfraxus. Hopefully I’ll have something for the main seven days. I’m sure there'll be lots of good stuff made. Have fun, hope you enjoy reading it.

Link: Ao3

In Defence Of Apple Pie

Food

Laxus had been sitting in the corner of the guild for a little while, waiting for the bar to quieten down. He'd been playing with his beer tankard after downing it. Not nervous. Just… thinking.

He'd done the hard part, that was the main thing. He'd knocked on Freed's door, got over his stupid machismo and all the voices screaming not to put himself on the line like this, and asked Freed on a date. He'd said it plainly and clearly, leaving no room for doubt that he was interested in Freed, and had gotten the most beautiful smile and a quiet 'Yes, I think I'd quite enjoy that' in response.

So now he just had to plan a date. A date that would determine the future relationship he had with a man he'd been crushing on for over a year now. No pressure.

The second the bar looked empty, he pounced. He strode quickly, slid into the stool that was furthest from the throngs of the crowd, and beckoned Mirajane over with a jerk of his head. When she came, she gave him a questioning look.

"You know any good places to eat?" He demanded without preamble, voice low and quiet.

Mirajane, if she was affronted by his lack of a greeting, didn't show it. She hummed quietly to herself. "Of course. What type of place are you looking for? Fine dining? Quiet and undiscovered? Somewhere to show off about? Somewhere-"

"Need a place to take a date, that's all." He said it impassively, like it wasn't a big deal and didn't need commenting on. He had hoped that Mirajane would catch the energy he was giving and match it. Instead, her eyes shone, and she beamed an excited, gossip-starved grin at him. He was quick to cut it off. "Don't get weird about it."

"You're going on a date!" She exclaimed, though thankfully in a whisper. Laxus looked over his shoulder for listeners-in anyway. "Who with?"

"Doesn't matter."

"I'll find out if you don't tell me," She pushed on, leaning against the bar now. "Might as well get it over with."

Laxus managed to keep to his guns for about five seconds, before he huffed out a noise. "If you freak out on this, I'll kill ya," he grunted, and she nodded. "It's Freed."

She slapped the top of the bar, looked up to the roof with her neck straining, reached for a dishcloth and covered his mouth with it, then made a weird screeching noise. Once that was over, she looked back at Laxus, and in a whisper that might rival a teenage girl in irritation, said "It's finally happening!"

"Be quiet," Laxus demanded, once again looking for anyone who might have heard.

"No; I'm excited. Oh, this is so amazing. You're going to date and fall in love and get married-"

"Get ahold of yourself woman!" Laxus snapped. "It's a date. Just a date."

"Between you and Freed!"

"Not worth it," Laxus pushed himself back to leave the bar. "You tell anyone, the I'll-"

"Wait wait wait," Mirajane leant over and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him back to sitting. Laxus let it happen. "I'll stop. I promise. And I will help you out with finding the perfect place to go. It's got to be somewhere fancy, obviously. Freed's basically the idea of elegance come to life, so it'll have to be somewhere high class. Candles and table clothes are a minimum. Oh, there's this amazing little place tucked away in the corner of Harrow Street. It's called the Thin Sparrow, have you heard of it?"

She went on to give an in depth and detailed recounting of all the local, and sometimes non-local eateries that it would be respectable for Freed to date in. They were all pricey, fancy, snobby places that Laxus wouldn't ever think of going to normal. But Mira was right; Freed was a high class kinda guy, and Laxus wasn't going to risk their first date going to a place that was beneath him.

It raised an issue, though. Because Freed really was a classy guy. Laxus wasn't. Laxus was meat and potatoes when Freed was champagne and caviar. There was more to Freed than that, obviously, but his fancy tastes were a part of him too. He liked to eat well, dressed in fancy clothes, and talked smart because that was who he was.

Freed contained multitudes. Could Laxus appeal to all of them?

"Oh, I've got the perfect place. How did I not think of it before?" Mira grinned at him. "It's called The Mirror. Super exclusive and with a really long wait list, but I know the owner and I can get you in. They do the best food, and I'm sure Freed'll know about it, so he'll be really impressed. And I bet he'll have been desperate to try the food. You know what he's like in the kitchen. It's perfect!"

"You can sort that?"

"Of course," she beamed. "So long as you promise me you tell me all about it the next morning."

"Not a fuckin' chance," Laxus grunted. "He's private; I ain't gossiping about him." She beamed at him, which was frankly a bit disturbing, so he huffed again. "What?"

"You know him so well; you're going to make such a good couple."

Well, there was no real response to that that didn't involve him blushing, so he pushed away from the bar, and walked out of the guildhall, deciding that he'd done enough sharing for the day.

But Mirajane had been right; Freed needed, and deserved, to be wowed and treated like a goddamn Prince. Maybe Laxus wasn't princely to most, but he wanted this thing with Freed to work out, and if he had any hope of that, he needed to brush up and be the guy that Freed deserved. Unfortunately, he had a sinking, horrible feeling that achieving that meant calling for help.

———

Clothes

"Hideous. Awful. Revolting. Makes me judge you as a man."

This had been a mistake, but it was far too late to undo it now. All he could do was sit on the edge of his bed as Evergreen went through his closet, all the while Bickslow cracked stupid jokes and played the part of annoying fashion designer, the likes of which Laxus had only ever seen on TV.

"The fact that you still own this when I distinctly remember telling you to set it on fire," Evergreen huffed as she turned, holding out Laxus' leopard print shirt as if it were made of worms. "Is a travesty."

"It's one of my favourite shirts," Laxus defended himself. "I look good in it."

"I'm with the big guy here," Bickslow spoke up, and his agreement could only be a bad sign. "He should wear it on the date. It sends a message. It says, 'I'm a wild beast and I'm gonna pounce on you and get my teeth all up in your business.' I think Freed would go for that."

"I think you're both repressible men with no sense of style," Evergreen sniffed as she threw the shirt onto the ever-growing unacceptable pile. Laxus' irritation was also ever-growing. "You have a suit. I know you do. Where is it?"

"Under the bed," Laxus glanced down.

Ever gave him a look other people might have reserved for someone killing their firstborn, then got on her hands and knees and started to rummage under the bed. Laxus knew she'd found it when she made an aborted, angry squeak. Moments later, she was out from under his bed, holding his suit and looking furious, appalled and dusty all at once.

"A sleeping bag!" She exclaimed. "You keep your suit, the best piece of clothing you own, in a sleeping bag under your bed!"

"Barely ever wear it. Don't want it taking up space," he shrugged. "I take it to the dry cleaners if I need to use it."

"But it- You might- What if you-" She seemed genuinely lost for words. Then she found one. "Men!"

"Why're you bothering with any of that, we all know the real magic's in here," Bickslow taunted, tapping the set of drawers that housed all of Laxus' boxers. He reached for the handle. "Let's have a little-OW!"

Laxus, who had just shot off a bolt of lightning, glared at him. "You ain't rummaging through my underwear drawer."

"Why? You wear something weird? Thongs? Tighty whities?" He made a scandalised gasp. "Is it empty? Have you been going commando on us all this time? Because, if I were Freed and I found that out, I might just get on all fours and arch my back right there in the restaurant."

"Get out of my house," Laxus snapped, but Bickslow just laughed and collapsed onto the chair tucked in the corner of the room.

"Laxus, you can't go on a date with Freed wearing any of this," Evergreen sighed forlornly. "I expected it to be bad, of course, but not this bad. We'll have to go shopping. Right now. We'll have just enough time to find something perfect before dinner if we go now."

"I don't need new clothes."

"Laxus," She said it slowly, like she was talking to a child. "You're going on a date with Freed Justine. The same Freed Justine that only buys clothes with a designer label on them. You know he's going to show up looking like a million jewels. The first thing you do on a date is look at the other person. You check them out, you steal little glances, you drink them all in. Do you really want him doing that to you in something he's seen you wearing a hundred times before. In something that's been cut up and patched up after a mission. On something that, and let's be honest here Laxus, makes you look like you got lost in a charity bin."

That was quite hard not to take personally, but she was right about Freed's love of high fashion. Freed had once said he bought fancy clothes because they handled the wear and tear of a working wizards's lifestyle. But he was fashionable, too. His clothes worked with each other, matched colours and… well, Laxus didn't know enough about fashion to explain exactly why Freed's clothes looked good on him, but they did!

She was right about them looking at each other, too. Laxus was always looking at Freed. Couldn't help it. If Freed had agreed to date him, then maybe Freed did the same. On a date, the looking wouldn't have to be covert. It could be honest and brazen. If Freed were going to be doing that, then Laxus needed to look his best.

"Fine, we'll get something new," Laxus sniffed. "But nothing too weird. Something low key."

"Of course. Low key," Ever agreed.

"Low key fuckable," Bickslow grinned. "I say we get some jock straps in case it goes well. Frames that ass, hugs the crotch, and there's something about the snap of the elastic that just drives a guy wild. I know this place that does silk ones. It's mainly for porn, I think, but I'm sure they'll make an exception for you if we ask nice and you pop those pecs. Maybe do a body roll."

Laxus and Evergreen stared at him. Laxus spoke first. "He's not coming with us, right? Because if he does, I might kill him."

"Oh no, definitely not."

"You both suck," Bickslow pouted, then grinned. "Freed's a lucky guy."

He had a lightning bolt and a spray of fairy dust flying towards him before he could even think of defending himself.

———

Charm

Laxus was eating dinner in the guildhall when Loke took the seat opposite him, swivelled it around, and straddled it. He looked at Laxus. Laxus looked back at him. Neither spoke. Laxus wished that it was more socially acceptable to electrocute acquaintances to a point of unconsciousness.

"So this is how you act when you're eating, hm?" Loke tutted.

"The hell do you want?"

"You know, Freed and I have spent more time alone than you might think," Loke mused, leaning back from his straddled chair. "You're aware, I'm sure, that he and I have often been battling for dominance on the 'Wizards's I'd Like to Have Dirty Sex With' poll. We both make the top ten, of course, and those photoshoots are a long affair and it's inevitable that we'd get talking."

"That's not what the poll's called," Laxus grumbled.

"Might as well be," Loke waved off the argument. "I also got a little closer to him during your time with Blue Pegasus. He wanted advice on his flirting and, well, who better than me to test a man's charms."

"Good for you. Leave me alone."

"All of this is to say, I know what Freed is like when he's being charming and flirting," Loke leant forward again. "And I know that a man who's as silver tongued as him will want a bit of that flirty energy bouncing back at him. Rumour has it that you and he have a date, and I'd be simply remiss if I didn't give you a little advice on how to make the man squirm with just a few short words."

That rankled a little. "I think I know Freed better than you do."

"As a friend, and an ally, I've no doubt you know him better," Loke assured him. "But those photoshoots, we're expected to be as suave, debonair, and flirty as a man can be. And I'm sure you know what it's like to be in Blue Pegasus. You've seen him when he's trying to be platonic. I've seen him when he's romantic."

"You've seen him playing at being romantic," Laxus corrected. "He was pretending."

"Exactly," Loke sighed. "Laxus, when he's playing at being romantic, he's telling you what he wants in a partner. He thinks that his customers, or the photographers want him to be in a particular way. And he thinks that because that's what he wants when he's being charmed. He wants romance."

Laxus didn't say anything for a moment. "If he wanted that, why'd be say yes to dating me? Never gave him any reason to think I'm a romantic."

"Maybe he thinks it's just a part of you that isn't on the surface," Loke shrugged. "You don't need to worry. I'm sure he's not expecting you to be a totally different person. You might not even need to do any actual flirting at all, really. You've got this," he waved a hand in Laxus' direction, "awkward stud thing going on. A little flex, a stray wink, and maybe a little kiss to the knuckles will make all the difference."

Laxus couldn't do any of that! He couldn't wink without looking like he had something in his eye! He couldn't flex his arms for no reason without feeling like an idiot! Taking Freed's hand and kissing his knuckles would be humiliating! What would he do if Freed didn't want that, and took his hand away just as Laxus was lowering his head?

But, Laxus had spent months in Blue Pegasus, watching as Freed flirted with suave perfection. He could take anyone to his table and have them leave blushing and squirming. Surely Loke was right that Freed would want, and perhaps expect, a bit of flirting for himself.

"And you can teach me how to do that?" Laxus nearly whispered. "How to do it without making me feel like a jackass?"

"Oh Laxus, give me twenty minutes and I'll make a dandy out of you."

It felt like a mistake already, and the way Loke was looking at him had him more worried than a good deal of the monsters and dark mages who had actually tried to kill him. But Freed deserved a man who could make him blush, who could set his veins on fire with just a couple of words, and could make him feel flattered, charmed and adored all at once. If Loke could help him make Freed feel like that, then he'd deal with whatever awkwardness and embarrassment he needed to get over to do it.

———

Sex

"So," Cana said as she sidled herself next to him at the bar. "Little birdie told me you and Freed are going on a date, huh?"

"Your wife told you then," Laxus glared at Mirajane, who avoided his eye. "So?"

"Well, I know Freed gives off this whole stuffed shirt, reserved, prim and proper vibe, but something tells me that he's kinda freaky in bed and I thought I could give you some tips on how to handle a demon between the sheets. First hand experience of course. Now, what you wanna- where you going?"

Laxus stormed out of the guildhall, door slamming behind him as he went.

———

Truth

Laxus fiddled with the cuffs of his jacket, looking at his reflection with a small frown. He looked good. Really damn good, honestly.

Ever had eventually settled on him wearing a dark blue sweater, a darker blue jacket, and black jeans she said were slim fitting. The outfit was meant to show of his assets – Bix had cackled at that and made multiple jokes about what Freed would want to do with his assets – and it did that well. His thighs were hugged, pecs obvious, arms bulged, and waist emphasised. He looked sexy and knew it.

But he wasn't exactly comfortable. It was a summer's evening. It was hot. A sweater and a jacket were too warm, and kinda scratchy really. The jeans didn't leave much space for motion, which he was used to in his battle clothes.

Whatever. He looked good and would not look out of place on Freed's arm.

They were meeting at the restaurant, and Laxus had been sure to get there early. He wanted to get the lay of the land, scope out the other customers so he could see what they were like, and maybe get his heart to stop thumping quite so much. He quietly wished he could have taken Freed to one of the burger joints or ramen places he would get lunch from; maybe the home field advantage would calm him down.

"Laxus," Freed's voice had Laxus freezing, then slowly turning.

Freed had chosen to wear a simple black dress shirt, a jacket and black pants. The buttons on the shirt were open at the top, showing just a hint of his chest, in a way teasing and irresistible. He had his shirt tucked into his pants, and Laxus knew the second Freed turned away, his spectacular ass would be hugged perfectly. Did the guy really have to do so many squats in his workout routine? It was distracting!

Laxus started to sweat.

"Hey," he said awkwardly.

"Evening," Freed smiled. His eyes flickered over Laxus quickly, taking him in, and Laxus found himself shuffling to his full height. He felt his heart swell when Freed smiled. "Have you been shopping?"

"No," Laxus said a little too quickly.

"You look great."

"Thanks," Laxus ducked his head, then quickly added. "You too, obviously."

"Obviously?" Freed echoed with a question, and Laxus felt his cheeks bloom with heat. Freed didn't push the subject and walked to the door of The Mirror. Laxus had intended to hold the door for Freed, but Freed got there first and did it for him. That was fine. He could still pull Freed's chair out for him. "I have to say, I was surprised that you chose to come here."

"You were?" Concern bloomed. "You don't like it?"

"No, I've wanted to come here for quite some time. I just didn't think it was the kind of place you'd enjoy, is all," Freed looked around the small reception area, eyes flitting all over the place. It looked fancy and stylish, but Laxus clearly didn't see whatever had Freed so fascinated. He couldn't stop looking at Freed.

The host came up to them, and Laxus gave his name. She smiled brightly at them and guided them towards their table. About twenty or so tables, all with two occupants, were laid out. It was all romantic and sweet, with candles and flowers and glittering silverware. Again, Laxus found himself looking at Freed. His ass really did fill out those pants. Could Laxus think like that now? He'd stopped himself before, out of propriety and respect, but if they were on a date then…

What the hell was he thinking about? He was in a fancy ass restaurant, and all he could think about was how damn sexy his date was! That wasn't what you were meant to do, right?

How, in the week of unwanted advice, had nobody told him what was appropriate to think on a date?

As they got to their table, Laxus pulled out one of the chairs, and awkwardly motioned for Freed to take it. Freed did, a little slowly, and let Laxus sweep him up with it. Once Freed was properly settled, and Laxus had told himself a hundred times that Freed would see it as romantic and not painfully awkward, Laxus took a seat on the other side of the table. The host said that their server would be soon over, leaving them alone. Together. On a date.

"You look a little nervous," Freed said gently. "You don't need to be."

"I'm not," Laxus said quickly. Nerves weren't sexy. Confidence was sexy.

"Are you sure?" Freed asked. "Because if you are-"

"I'm not," he insisted. Thoughts of his painful hour with Loke rushed back. They'd discussed this very situation and how to deal with it. He reached over and took Freed's hand in his own, and dammit they were calloused and rough and perfect. Fawning wasn't the plan. Stroking Freed's knuckles was. "It's just that you're so beautiful, it left me breathless."

Laxus felt like an idiot for even saying it. Freed must have sensed it, because he slowly said, "Right."

There was an awkward silence, and Laxus had to fight the urge to pull at the neck hole of his sweater, which was really starting to itch. He'd fucked it up, hadn't he? Already. Any chance of this thing becoming real, and he's messed it up. God dammit!

"Might I posit a theory?" Freed asked, and Laxus frowned, then nodded. "You see, what you just said to me was exactly the same thing that Loke did to me the day he was teaching me how to flirt for Blue Pegasus. Down to the stroking of my knuckles. That, to me, suggests he's been giving you tips. Now, I can't for a second imagine that you approached him, so clearly, he's gotten involved on his own accord. That, combined with us being in a restaurant that nobody without an extensive knowledge of the Fiore culinary world knows about, and you wearing clothes that you don't seem to be all that comfortable in, suggest that maybe you've been given some advice," he shifted so that he had Laxus' hands in his now. "Did the guild get into your head, perhaps?"

Laxus panicked. "No."

"Laxus."

"Yes," Laxus admitted. "Fine, they did. I really wanted this to go well, and I wanted you to see me as someone you could date. I mean, you're you and I'm me and I just got it in my head I needed to-"

"What do you mean I'm me and you're you?"

"Well, c'mon. You're this handsome, elegant, cool guy who tops the Wizard's I Want Drilling Me into the Mattress poll-"

"That's not what it's called."

"-and you can fit in with people and flirt and you know how to look cool and collected in pretty much any situation. You look good. You model. You make guys blush just by talking to them and you always bounce back no matter what you do. I'm just… some guy who you know."

Freed stayed silent for a moment, obviously considering, and he slowly removed his hands from Laxus. "Give me a second."

And then he stood and was walking away, and Laxus wanted the ground to swallow him up. Dumping what you thought about a guy then being self deprecating was not sexy and was a pretty surefire way to end a date. Even before he'd gotten all the advice, he could have figured that out. He'd royally fucked this up. The fact Freed wasn't running for the hills was a damn miracle.

What was Freed actually doing? Laxus watched him as he approached a couple two tables down. "May I have these?" He asked, reaching for their freshly served desserts. When they started to say that, no, obviously he couldn't, Freed didn't stop. He lifted them both and smirked. "Well, then stop me."

They didn't, and Freed walked over with two bowls filled with apple pie and custard. Laxus looked down at them. "If you wanna leave, just do. Don't need to rush to dessert."

"That's not what I'm doing."

Laxus wanted to ask what Freed was doing, but Freed did the most peculiar thing. He plunged his hand into one of the bowls, grabbed as push of the pie as he could, and smashed it on top of his head.

The restaurant fell silent, and everyone just looked at him. Laxus included.

Freed then reached into the other bowl and fished out the pie again, smearing it all over his face. He then hefted both bowls up and upturned them over his head, letting the custard drip down over his face and onto his pristine clothing. He messed it in, ruffling and staining the fabric with the sticky sweet mess.

"What the fuck?" Laxus asked, truly baffled.

"I don't think anyone would call me handsome, elegant or cool right now," Freed said, blinking away a blob of stewed apple. "I think if I tried to flirt, it would be unsuccessful, no self-respecting photographer would allow me to model for them, and I don't think there's a chance that I'll bounce back from this, if the look the manager is giving me is anything to go by."

"What the fuck?" Laxus repeated.

"I agreed to date you, Laxus. Not the odd, polished version of you you've been told you need to be," Freed spoke softly, and it might be romantic if he wasn't covered in pie. "Now, I've heard theres a fajita food truck in the east quarter. How about we get something to eat there, maybe a couple of beers, and we eat by the canal?"

"You-" Laxus felt his throat get dry. "You wanna do that?"

"More than anything," Freed smiled. "Although, even if you don't, we should leave. I think security might have been called."

Twenty minutes later, they were sitting on the edge of the canal, legs dangling over the edge as they ate their fajitas and sipped their beer. Their shoulders were just close enough to bump against each other from time to time, and since Laxus had his jacket resting beside him, he could feel Freed's warmth

"You know you really didn't have to do that," Laxus said at some point. "You got a lifetime ban."

"I'll cope. They seemed quite snobby anyway. And they made me pay for that couple's entire meal. I only ruined their dessert. Hardly fair at all."

"You probably scared them."

"If a little irrationality scares them, then they're weak," Freed huffed, and Laxus had to laugh.

"Are you not at least gonna clean some of the pie off ya. It can't feel good."

"Oh, it feels terrible, but I can't imagine those clothes are all that comfortable for you, so we suffer together," Freed nudged Laxus with his shoulder. "I do appreciate what you were trying to do. I do. But I'd much rather be on a date with the man I've known for ten years. He's quite wonderful, even if a little down on himself sometimes."

"Shut up."

"He cuts quite the figure. Can pull off leopard print like nobody else – I was hoping that's what you would wear, actually."

"Nearly did. Ever talked me out of it."

"Then she shall be decapitated on sight," Freed huffed, and Laxus somehow knew Freed's hand would be on his sword if he'd brought it, just to emphasise his farcical point. But he didn't. He just leant against Laxus as the sun set and looked at him. "I'm glad the night ended like this."

"Me too."

Freed kept looking at him, and Laxus found himself looking back.

In a quick movement, Freed leant up and pressed his lips against Laxus', soft and quick and a little tentative. Laxus' eyes blew wide, and he was brought back to every time he'd ever wondered what it would be like to kiss Freed. Even in that split second, it was better than any of the fantasied, and they'd always been quite wonderful.

"Sorry," Freed gasped. "I just felt-"

"Me too," Laxus quickly said. "That was… is it too much to say it was amazing?"

Freed smiled. "Not at all."

"Then it was amazing."

"It was," Freed grinned slyly. "Even if you had to face your irrational hatred of apple pie?"

Laxus paused. "How d'you know I hate apple pie?"

"The same reason that you knew to pass me the hot sauce when we were getting dinner," Freed shrugged. "We know each other. I also know that you don't like apple pie because you find it bitter, which is ridiculous because it's literally covered in sugar and-"

Laxus leant down, cupped Freed's slightly sticky cheek, and pulled him into a kiss. It was slow and lingering and perfect. All of Laxus' anxieties and doubting voices and worry bled away and were replaced by a total sense of utter rightness.

"Hey," Laxus whispered as he pulled back. He didn't know why.

"Hello," Freed whispered back.

They were kissing again moments later, as the sun set behind them.

#Fraxus Week 2024 #Fraxus Week #Fraxus #Freed Justine #Laxus Dreyar #Fairy Tail #Fanfiction #Writing #One Shot #canon compliant

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