Love Sick

Chapter Eighteen: The Static Between Our Hearts.

"What? Thats great!" Bickslow was ecstatic. He was so happy for his bro. Though Evergreen remained stoic and didn't move. "And the catch is?" Her voice sounded cold.

The entire atmosphere of the room changed, like she had commanded it. "Ever" Freed started. "No. He asked us to be quiet about this. I want to know why" She protested. "And I'll tell you" Laxus interupted.

"I don't want you to say anything for my soulmate's sake. It's not easy being with me and I don't want them to realize just how difficult it is. Not yet. I got too much baggage already. And then there is the add on of this whole soulmate stuff. I can't. I can't make it worse" the blond admitted. "Make it worse?" Freed asked in a sad voice. 

"My soulmate rejected me once. I don't want the guild to see them as a villain. And the guild can be a little much. I don't want to tack on even more expectations. This relationship is very new" He said.

"Who is it?" Evergreen asked. Bickslow excitedly nodded. "Yeah, I mean buddy you got to tell us" he agreed. "Tell us. Tell us" his babies chirped. "I don't-" Laxus stopped and looked over at Freed. He wasn't sure how to proceed. Maybe he should have taken Freed's advice and actually plan this out.

"Again. This isn't something that leaves this room" Freed warned. "You already know?!" Their friends screeched. The rune mage hid his face. "You were gone for a while" Laxus shrugged. Freed appreciated that his best friend had protected him. "We promise" Ever said. "Good" the green-haired man said. 

He wanted to continue speaking. To explain it calmly and methodically. But he was not given his option. Laxus tugged Freed' arm and drew him over to the chair where he ended up falling into the lap of the dragon slayer. "Surprise" the blond said in a sing song voice. 

...

Their friends were shocked but seemed happy for them. They were kind enough to ask to be back at dinner to discuss this change which would allow the couple -which only Laxus called them- to discuss things first.

Freed wasn't happy. Well, he hasn't been happy since Laxus originally got sick. But more speciically he wasn't happy at how the blond handled things. He was embarrassed. 

"I can't believe you" he said as he angrily scrubbed the dishes. "Freed..." "No. You should have let me keep talking. Or you could have given that same speech that you gave Porlyusica!" He seethed. "You're made cause I tried to make this situation light and fun in front of our friends?" Laxus asked. That stung. Laxus was telling him that there was nothing fun about this. 

"I just don't think this situation needed a joke" the green-haired man said as he turned around to finally face the other man. "I do. Did you not see them? They were scared. Scared of what was going to happen to me and that kills me. I was just trying to assure them. But I'm sorry. I didn't talk to you about this and I made you feel uncomfortable. I'm sorry" the dragon slayer said. 

"Thank you" "Can you please pause being mad at me for a little while. We shouldn't waste this opportunity to talk just because I wasted an earlier one. Then you can be as pissed as you want. Hell, I'll wait on you hand and foot for the next couple days to make it up to" he pleaded.

Freed fought back a smile thay was much too fond. "You know you don't have to do that".

...

Dinner felt strange. The air of the rarely used dining room felt thick. Freed was as polite of a host as he could possibly while Laxus continued to be his usual casual self. He did try to encourage his soulmate to follow his own actions but anyone who had ever met Freed would know it wouldn't work.

"So you're living with Laxus now?" Evergreen asked. "Ah no. I'm just staying with him until things settle" Freed explained. "I'm still not cleared for work and right now neither is he" the blond added as he idly sipped his glass of water. He was the only one not drinking alcohol as the other three had wine. It made apart of him feel like he was being treated with kid gloves but he understood why.

It wasn't like he liked wine that much anyway.

"When are you planning on telling the rest of the guild?" Bickslow asked. Freed froze. That was something he absolutely wanted to know too. Something that he had previously agonized over.

Laxus responded slowly. Meticulously. That wasn't something that people were used to coming from this particular Dreyar. It was worrying. "When it feels like it's time for us to do so. A date is too much pressure. It expects something" The dragon slayer admitted.

"What do you mean?" Bickslow asked. He blinked obliviously. "It assumes that in a month or two that we'll be comfortable and able to be on equal footing" Freed spoke up. He wasn't dumb and he knew that there was a potentially dangerous power dynamic. 

"Does the master know?" Evergreen asked. Freed didn't know the answer to this one either. He had assumed that the answer was no but he wouldn't hold it against him. 

Laxus laughed at the question. "Of course not! He's mad enough at Freed" he answered. The green-haired man almost choked on his wine. "Wh-what?!" He asked. The blond shrugged. "I thought that was obvious. You did illegally take me on a job after all and-" "You did what?!" Evergreen and Bickslow screeched.

"And I wouldn't help him find your soulmate" Freed said glumly. He ignored his friends to momentarily wallow. To think that he was being approached as the best shot to find Laxus' soulmate when he was actually the mystery person that they were looking for. 

What a joke.