i'd rather be a riot than indifferent

7. chosen family and letting go

Freed gets an unexpected visit at the Pride Center. Laxus and Freed go for dinner with Freed's parents.

tw for misgendering, homophobia, transphobia, shitty family dynamics, mentions of child abuse, and serious injuries

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Freed woke to the sound of their phone going off several times in a row.

"You're popular this morning," Laxus commented as he came out of the bathroom, clad only in a towel and brushing his teeth. Freed hummed and sat up, tugging Laxus over to them and kissing his stomach. Laxus ran a hand affectionately through Freed's morning hair, then headed back to the bathroom to spit out his toothpaste.

Yawning, Freed rolled over and grabbed their phone from the nightstand, thumbing through the messages.

Gray
J'espère que tout s'est bien passé avec ta mère. Je t'aime. [I hope everything went well with your mom. I love you.]

Natsu
hey, gray told me ur mom came by and was kind of a bitch. Im sorry, family is shit somtimes but u always have us. see u on friday and good luck.

Ryos
Thinking of you. I'm sending Sting in tomorrow, he needs to relax so I told him help with the envelopes. 3

Ever
That sex better have been fantastic cause Bix and I could hear you over our movie you pervs. Hope it helped you feel better.

Freed rolled their eyes at Ever's text – it was sweet, in a strange way – then responded to the rest of them quickly. The sun was shining through the window, warming the exposed patch of Freed's back where their shirt had ridden up. They made a satisfied sound, burrowing back into the duvet.

"You working today?" Laxus toweled off his hair, heading to the dresser to grab his clothes. Freed dropped the phone and caught Laxus halfway, wrapping their arms around his waist and pressing a kiss just below his bellybutton. Laxus made a soft noise, dropping a hand to rest on Freed's shoulder.

"Not for a couple hours," Freed said coyly, kissing Laxus' hipbone. He tasted like water with a hint of Old Spice, and Freed dragged their tongue lower. "Ever complained about us being loud last night."

"Did she?" Laxus breathed, hips jerking forward as Freed kissed lower down, into the crease of his thigh. "W-what are we gonna do about that?" Freed grinned, running a hand around Laxus' back and over his ass.

"You're going to practice being quiet," Freed breathed, pressing kisses back up Laxus' side and sitting up so they could catch his nipple between their teeth. The silver barbells there made the area more sensitive, and Freed circled their tongue around the nub, feeling Laxus moan and twitch under their hands.

"Freed..." Laxus brought a hand to the back of Freed's neck and digging his fingers into their hair. Freed hummed, shimmying until they were kneeling on the bed, putting them face to face with Laxus. "C'mere, you," Laxus murmured, tugging Freed into a lazy kiss. Freed made a soft noise into his mouth, bringing their hand up to rub a thumb over Laxus' nipple. "You know I... aah... gotta get going."

"I know," Freed murmured, nudging Laxus and moving their lips to his neck. Laxus shivered at the feel of teeth on his freshly-shaven jaw, dampness still clinging to his skin. "How much time do we have?" Freed nipped at Laxus' ear. "I'll bring you breakfast when I go to work."

"That's... mmm... not really... aah... on your w-way," Laxus stuttered, leaning forward and pushing Freed back onto the bed. He straddled them, leaning over to kiss them while he ran a hand up their side. They were still wearing their baggy shirt that they'd slept in, and they looked up at Laxus contemplatively.