Love Sick

Chapter Two: Storm of The Heart

Freed didn't know what to with himself. He didn't want to be alone but he also felt like he just had to get as far away from the guild as possible. 

It ended up with him messaging an old friend on his communication lacrima and boarding a train. 

...

"So old friend what brings you to our warm embracing arms?" Ichiya asked as he posed. Hibiki quietly poured drinks for the group. 

"Well, Laxus has gotten very sick. Heh, I don't think my heart can handle how many times he's been sick. He's refusing treatment and I just feel so useless" Freed admitted. Eve patted him on the back sympathetically.

"It can be hard watching your allies be in pain and not being able to help" Eve said. "Maybe the treatment isn't very good. It cures this ailment but it causes an entire landslide of issues, he's trapped in a lose lose situation" Ren added.

"I guess" Freed mumbled as he took a sip of his drink. Laxus had explained as much. Either Laxus died or he gets trapped in a relationship with someone who he knows doesn't love him or who could use their power over him. But they were his soulmate, they had to have some reason for rejecting him, they couldn't have malice in their hearts for their soulmate.

It was a lose lose for Freed too. Either he watched the man he had fallen in love with die or he had tomwatch him fall in love with someone else. Obviously he preferred the way that Laxus stayed alive.

But his heart was currently breaking.

"It's also a very real possibility that the medicine is hard to get or expensive and he doesn't want to burden the people that care about him" Hibiki spoke up. 

"He's clearly not doing any of this to hurt you darling, the best you can do is give the poor thing support and the love he needs right now" Master Bob said from the doorway. "L-love?" Freed studdered. "That certainly reminds me of a pair of pink-hard wizards" Eve snickered before Ren hit him on the back of the head. "Oh, don't act shy now. I might be old but I'm not senile. I can see love, and I've also known Laxus his entire life and his grandfather, I can tell how they show affection" Bob said. 

"You think Laxus loves me? Ah, no. I wish. We're just friends though I am in love with him. But you can't tell anyone." Freed said. "Are you sure that you're feelings are unrequited?" Hibiki asked. "Yes, trust me I have tried to pursue a relationship with him but he won't look twice at me" He said. 

"Ah, the bitter perfume of rejection" Ichiya added. 

...

Freed decided to stay in town for a while, scared of going back to reality, back to Magnolia, back to Laxus. He was able to spend his days at the local library and perusing small bookshops. But after a week he felt like he had been avoiding his problems for too long. And he usually was not the kind of man who ran away from his problems so he felt even worse.

...

After getting off the train Freed decided that his first stop should be the guild so that he can apologize to Laxus for his lack of sympathy. 

When he got to the Guild Hall everyone immediately stopped what they were doing to look up at him when he opened the doors but upon seeing who it was they went about their business. This made him extremely confused. But before he could ask anyone about what was going on; Evergeen rushed up to him and grabbed his shoulders. "Is he with you?" She asked frantically.

"No. No one's with me. Who are you looking for?" He asked. She sighed and moved a strand of hair behind her hair. "It's Laxus. The morning after your fight, I went up with Bickslow when he went to go bring food because I was hoping to squeeze some information out of him but he wasn't there. The guild has been looking for him, we looked everywhere but we haven't been able to find him" She explained with a small voice.

"But it's been a full week, he's been missing a week?" Freed asked. Ever nodded grimly. "Let me go home first, put my suitcase away and then I'll start looking for him myself" the rune mage promised. "Don't feel too bad if you can't find him" she said. 

...

He felt his hands shaking as he struggled to unlock his door. His head was poisoned with the thoughts of what could have happened to his Thunder God im his absence. 

As he entered his apartment he heard a voice. "Where have you been?" It asked. There wasonly one voice like that. One that sang with electricity and had the rumble of a purring engine. The only voice that made Freed weak at the knees. 

"Where have I been? I'm not the one who went missing. " Freed replied. "You left town for an entire week without saying a word to anyone. I have the right to worry" Laxus said. "But no one has the right to worry about you? What are you doing hiding out?" He asked. "I wasn't hiding out. I wanted to talk to you and I knew you wouldn't be hanging out around the guild so I went looking for you. I knew you just got in town so I headed here to intercept you" the dragon slayer explained. 

The two men stared at each other in silence for a moment. The air was charged with everything that was left unsaid between them. Laxus was still much too pale, he was practically grey. And he had large bags under his eyes like he hadn't slept properly in a month.

"I wanted to apologize for how I acted last time. I shouldn't have slapped you. I was acting selfishly" Freed said quietly. He had his head ducked. "Um... Yeah. I wanted to apologize too. I shouldn't have been such an ass. I'm not going to change my decision, I can't. But I can understand why this all is hard for you, for everyone. " Laxus said. 

"If they're really your soulmate you two are meant for each other. What could you possibly be afraid of?" Freed asked. "Pity" the lightning wizard admitted.

"No one pities you Laxus. But if I can't change your mind then I will do as I have always done. I will stand by your side as you face the unknown" Freed announced confidently. "Just do me a favour and don't blame yourself after  I'm dead." Laxus said.  

With teary eyes, Freed rushed over and hugged Laxus. A couple moments later Laxus reluctantly returned it.