Love Sick

Chapter Sixteen: Surging Forward.

It was three days after Freed and Laxus' conversation that the rest of the Thunder Legion and company were boarding a train back to Magnolia. 

"Is it sad that I miss Laxus being motion sick on all of our train rides?" Evergreen asked as she watched the train pull out of station. Mirajane gave her small sad smile. "Do you... do you think he'll still be there?" Bickslow asked in a broken voice.

"Don't you dare think like that!" Evergreen screeched as she smacked her companion's arm. "I made sure Freed knew we were leaving so I'm sure he took care of him" Lisanna said, trying to comfort them. "Yeah! Freed is the man" Elfman added. "And not to be thinking like a pessimist but to be honest. If something happened to Laxus then the Master would have sent word." Cana added from where she sat uncomfortably in her own seat.

"Yeah... yeah. Laxus is going to be fine and he's going to be greeting as at the guild. We can have lunch with him and Freed and-" Ever could feel herself breaking down. Tears started to fall. Lisanna got up wordlessly so that they could switch pieces and Elfman held her silently as she wept. 

"This dragon slayer stuff is messed up" Cana growled. "I think it's romantic! Being able to have a soulmate" Lisanna argued. "Read the room, Lisanna" Bickslow said as monotone as he could. Her eyes snapped up to look at him. 

"We're going to lose one of our best friends because of this. We could even lose two" Bickslow said. He said the last part while looking at Ever and she silently nodded at him. "What do you mean by that?" Mirajane asked with concern in her voice. 

"Freed hasn't been taking it very well. He'll run himself into the ground while trying to care for Laxus. And if thats not what gets him then the aftermath will. When we have to go back to work and Freed's still too distraught to properly use his magic. He'll go on a job anyway because he doesn't want to let us down" "And then he'll get himself killed" Evergreen finished.  It was a grim reality but they were both aware of it. 

"Why? I mean I understand how devastating this is but why is it more destructive to him?" Lisanna asked. "Yeah, I mean you two aren't going off the deep end so why is he?" Cana asked. 

"Freed has a different relationship with Laxus than we do. They're... very close" Evergreen admitted. Bickslow chuckled. "But are you two not close to Laxus?" Mirajane asked. Bickslow broke out into a full hysterical fit of laughter while the fairy-like woman just smiled.

"Yeah sure we are! But I can tell you right now that neither of us are gonna shower with him!" The seith mage laughed. The non-Thunder Legion members all paled at what he had revealed. "The-they- They shower together?!" Cana was in complete disbelief. "Very manly" Elfman muttered under his breath. "No wonder Freed doesn't have a girlfriend..." Lisanna said.

"Lisanna!" "I'm just saying that most girls aren't gonna be interested in a guy who one-on-one bath time with another dude" Lisanna said. "Cana has one-on-one bath time with another girl and Bickslow is still interested in her" Evergreen countered.

"And our bath buddies are both blond!"

...

They rushed to the guild after the train stopped. They had needed to confirm with the Master that they had finished their job ane had touched down in Magnolia after all. But this was eclipsed by their need to make sure Laxus was alright after their time apart.

Arriving at the guild neither saw the hulking blond dragon slayer but they also couldn't see their resideng rune mage. 

"Master is Laxus resting in the infirmary?" Ever asked. His expression was steely and unreadable. This did not bode well. "He isn't here anymore" Makarov said while staring into his drink. The duo felt theie hearts stop as if they were freezing over. "Oh, like he just went out?" Bickslow asked.

He had tried to sound like his normal rambuctious self but it was hollow, giving away the truth that it was an act. The master just shook his head. Evergreen was holding onto her male companion's arm so tightly that she was leaving crescent shaped marks from her nails. 

"Ah, don't think anything like that kids. Laxus is no longer any Porlyusica's care so he has no need to be here. I'm noy at liberty to talk about it but I can tell you that I know he's okay" Makarov admitted.

No longer under her care? What did that mean? Had he found his soulmate, or his soulmate find him? Had his soulmate passed away, freeing him from the feeling of rejection? Had additional research been done to find another way to cure his ailment? Or at least the symptoms? Perhaps an experimental drug was being made to solve this issue somewhere else in the kingdom and Laxus had volunteered to be apart of the trials? Maybe they were allowing him to live his final days in comfort and silence? 

Their minds were racing. What. Did. It. Mean. 

"Can you tell us where to find him?" Bickslow asked. Makarov shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid I can't as even I don't know" he answered. "Very well. What about Freed? See him around lately?" Evergreen followed up. "I don't think so. Don't think I've seen him since before you left for that job" he admitted. 

They thanked him for their help and quietly walked away. "Game plan?" Ever asked. Bickslow snickered. "Check Freed's place to see if he's there so we can at least pretend to be surprised when he's not and then storm Laxus' apartment!" Bickslow said.

"Do you think he'll be there?" "Not sure but what I do know is that they are definitely together!". They were like Sherlockand Watson.