Freed's attention was directed out of the large, curved window that opened up the already wide casino. It made the room seem impossibly large to be faced with the outstretched city bustling beneath them. Above the speckled lights of the buildings and past the rolling mountains the wide orange sky faded slowly into soft hues of pink and purple. Clumps of lazy clouds drifted past, breaking up the creamy gradient in the sky, the colors staining the regularly white puffs in dimmer tones. The sun was ready to slip away and leave the world in the dark.

The soothing setting was a stark contrast to the room around him. Loud harsh bells and whistles ringing out randomly from all directions along with excited yells from the lucky and sharp, scornful curses from the less fortunate. There was a heavy, choking smell of assorted and unknown cigarettes, cigars and pipes mixing with the very subtle but distinct smell of vomit. There was only an inch of room for real fresh air, and even that was tainted with some manufactured scent Freed supposed was meant to be enjoyable. He didn't think lavender complemented the bold smell of sick.

He focused his attention on the outside world, ignoring the crude environment around him. On appearance alone he would seem calm and collected, but inside his heart was racing, and thoughts were spinning. He tried to tell himself that Laxus was not coming, that he was pissed and had defiantly marched away when Freed left him with the ladies. He knew this was the most accurate thing to expect.

It did little to ease the glimmer of hope that maybe by some miracle the lightning mage would put away his pride and annoyance for one night and attempt to look nice for Freed. Maybe it wasn't accurate...really he would be leaving his usual comfort zone to appease Evergreen...but Freed could pretend Laxus was doing it just to please him.

He wanted to shove these happy memories from his head, and protect his heart. It was easy to say it wouldn't bother him if Laxus didn't show, but it was a different matter of meaning those words.

He was so lost in his thoughts that when Evergreen placed a hand on his shoulder he jolted, his head whipping to face her.

"Oh...Sorry." He gave a nervous chuckle, feeling foolish for reacting so boldly.

Evergreen had a wide smile commanding her face. She extended her arms and twirled in place showing off every angle of her tight fitting, floor length green gown, and the white, embroidered shawl draped around her arms.

"How do I look?" she asked in a sing song voice.

"You're the picture of youth and feminine beauty as always." he answered.

He left out how he wished she would cover up a bit more.

Her smile grew as she ignored the possibility to be humble or modest. Freed was the largest source of her excessive self loving attitude and all of her snobbery. He had a way of complementing her in such a genuine and deep way that it went straight to her head.

She looked Freed over and covered her mouth to hide a laugh.

"You certainly...went all out, didn't you?." She mused in her 'higher than Mavis herself 'voice.

He didn't seem affected, knowing her snobbery was not intended.

"Blame Bickslow. He's the one who talked me into it." He pushed off her hidden insult.

"I see." Her eyes ran over him again."I'm sure Laxus will get a kick out of it." She added, unable to ignore the chance to bring him up.

"That's why I agreed to it." he answered, but looked back to the window, hiding his uncertainty.

For a moment they enjoyed the view together before she spoke again.

"I love seeing you like this." her voice was a soft, melodic hum.

It was then he realized she hadn't been interested in the majestic hills or lovely sky, but the contented way Freed had been admiring them.

"What do you mean?" He looked up confused, straightening his posture.

She tilted her head.

"I can't imagine you dashing your dignity for anyone else." she gestured to him. "You just seem...very happy to me. You light up like I haven't seen before."

He stiffened up, not comfortable knowing someone had read his genuine emotions so easily, regardless of how close they were.

"Ah...That's...ridiculous." He insisted making her laugh.

"Sure it is." She rolled her eyes, looping her arm with his.

"Why don't you join the group. The rest of the 'girls' are showing up." She offered, pulling him along before he could properly answer.

He allowed her to guide him deeper into the smoggy air of the casino, past beeping, plingy machines. He felt the urge to ask her how Laxus had reacted, but was scared of the answer. He wanted to prolong the seemingly inevitable disappointment as long as he could. The group was gathering around the one hundred jewel slot machines, Bickslow and Cana already trying their luck sharing a machine. Elfman looked out of place, his hair pulled back and stuffed in a suit but still dashing, in his own way.

Freed chatted with him and Evergreen, not paying much attention to the conversation. He noticing when Natsu walked in with Lucy. It was always easy to tell when he was close by, due to his loud nature, but something was different about him right now. He was much calmer, and seemingly distracted. Freed guessed it was because of the tight blue dress Lucy had decided on wearing, due to the way the fire dragon's eyes refused to meet her, and the nervous, rigid behaviour.

Realizing their group was missing only one member Freed was starting to match Natsu's tone, drumming his fingers on Bickslow's machine absentmindedly.

His friend tried to ignore the restless action, focusing on his game, but after the third loss he stood up nearly nose to nose with Freed.

"Will you cut that out!" He snapped in annoyance. "Tapping! You are always TAPPING!" he shook his head. "Why do you have to tap on shit!"

Freed moved his hand away and folded his arms over his chest.

"I'm sorry." He hardly looked at his friend, his eyes flicking about the room to catch his dragon slayer.

Bickslow immediately recoiled, flopping back in his chair. He would have felt bad about his outburst if he knew it wasn't already the last thing on Freed's mind.

"Why are you so...weird?" Bickslow wondered, putting in another round of jewel.

"I don't mean to be strange..." Freed answered mindlessly, watching the entrance to the floor.

"It makes me feel a little better that you aren't making the conscious decision to be a creepy stalker. Good for you." Bickslow spat back with a grin, his tikis laughing and agreeing.

Freed rolled his eyes, giving Bickslow a short lived glare. A flash of movement in the doorway was all it took to recapture his full attention. His head snapped up, posture straightening.

Laxus had entered the room wearing a fitted three piece suit. The blazer and trousers were the same rich oil black color while the vest was a fitting plum purple. Freed noticed how the collar of the crisp white shirt underneath was flared and unbuttoned at the top. He felt his heart skip seeing him dressed so nicely, noticing how his hair had been touched up to be a bit neater, though it looked to be fighting whatever product they had run through it. In his hand was a long, golden piece of fabric.

The script mage tried to compose himself, mainly out of habit and nervousness as his leader approached. Despite his current dress the urge to look respectable in front of Laxus was not dulled in the slightest.

The blond smirked down at Freed stopping in front of him.

"Little better than just a button down and slacks right?" he gestured to himself, earning a pleased smile in return.

"You look...incredible." Freed nodded, holding back his elation that was all too clear in his sparkling eyes.

For a flashing second Laxus could see the bright, happy child he had met all those years ago in his suppressed smile, making it hard to believe the man before him could ever harm anyone. It seemed like yesterday he was toting a sword too big for his body.

"What's that?" Freed asked, nodding to the fabric in his hand.

"oh... It's a tie." he held it up for a second, looking distastefully at the garment. "I couldn't figure it out."

That made Freed laugh. Even in the past he had always tended to Laxus ties on the very rare occasions he wore them. His leader had no desire to learn how they functioned.

"Now what the hell are you wearing?" Laxus demanded, standing back to get a better look at him. He was obviously trying to hold in a laugh as he pocketed his tie.

Freed sighed, but expected this reaction.

"It was all Bickslow's idea." Was his only explanation for the tight ripped jeans, loose white shirt and red leather jacket.

Every inch of him had either chains or studs, all the way down to his combat boots. His hair was wild and messy, conclusively making him look like anyone but Freed Justine.

"He made the valid point that if you were making the effort to step out of your comfort zone, then I should as well." Freed felt absolutely foolish but the amused look on Laxus' face was enough to justify his discomfort. "He picked out everything." he added quickly, a spout of nervousness rising up, knowing he could never take this instance back.

The blond shook his head and closed his eyes. He gave a scoffing chuckle as he took it all in. Freed didn't really fit the whole 'rock star' look but the faux dragon couldn't say he didn't like it.

"You don't look bad."

The words sent a rush of happiness over Freed that he couldn't fight.

"Well we are all here, what are we waiting for?" Laxus asked glancing around the room.

"Everyone seems distracted by the slot machines." Freed answered, looking past the larger man's shoulders to see Lucy and Natsu sucked into the machines allure as well.

Laxus gathered the same information just as easily.

"Alright, fine. Might as well start low." He walked over to an unused chair, nodding to it, silently commanding Freed to take it.

"What do you mean?" He asked, having no interest in the bright lights and beeps of the supposedly tantalizing slots.

"I'm going to teach you how to gamble." Laxus insisted.

Freed raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms proudly over his chest.

"I know how to gamble." Freed enunciated each word clearly.

Laxus leaned against the machine, his eyes locked on the shorter man.

"Is it really that hard for you to admit you don't know something?" Laxus challenged, his cold eyes studying him.

The words put the same expression on Freed's face as a direct slap would have. He puffed up like an angry chicken, all the glitter in his eyes fading.

"I do know how to gamble!" He repeated louder and more firmly.

"How do you get a jackpot then?" Laxus asked, not affected by his 'angry voice'.

Freed faced him, insulted by the question.

"With luck, you will line up the correct symbols. It's not that difficult." He answered stiffly, raising his head up in pride.

"Alright, so ya do know something. How do you win at roulette wheel?" He quizzed.

Freed opened his mouth to speak but realized he did not know the answer. He knew the of game and the basic concept but had never fully studied up the rules.

"Ah...I'm...not positive." he admitted uncomfortably. He would rather give in to defeat then guess and be wrong.

"How about craps?" Laxus questioned.

Freed grumbled, his shoulders dropping.

"Blackjack?" Laxus asked.

Freed perked up a bit.

"That one I know!" He exclaimed quickly.

Laxus laughed at his excitement, making him recoil and look away with a small blush.

"Just sit down. For once I know more than you do about something." His leader insisted.

Cana turned around in her seat, casting a disapproving look at Laxus.

"You are like the worst date ever. Stop picking on him. I would have slapped you in the face and left by now." She scolded with a heavy slur in her voice.

Laxus looked taken back.

"Tha hell are you talking about? I'm trying to get him into something new and have a little fun." He defended himself.

Those words eventually made Freed sit down. He was not interested in gambling, and was not looking forward to throwing away jewel, but this was something Laxus enjoyed, and he was trying his best to share it. This was undiscovered territory concerning his long time friend that they had never ventured into.

Cana gave Freed a confused look.

"You must enjoy his abuse." She scoffed, reaching forward, nearly falling out of her chair to grab some drinks off of a passing waitresses trey.

She stood and handed one to Freed.

"This should make your date a little better." She winked at him, flopping back in her own chair, kicking her feet up into Bickslow's lap, and looking over to his screen.

He laughed a little and bringing the drink to his lips only to have it quickly snatched from his hand before he could taste a drop. Freed gave Laxus an annoyed glance in place of asking what he was doing.

The S class pulled up a chair, moving closer to his date.

"Have you noticed every time we just happen to fool around, you are always close to shit faced?" His voice was only low enough for the other to hear.

His face went red at the low volume of his deep voice, and the soft warm breath brushing his neck as he spoke. It took a second longer than it should have for him to process what was said. He shook his head quickly, ready to deny that but no instances came to his mind of him being completely sober

"I… was fairly sober...and mostly in my right mind." he insisted, though he knew it was a lame attempt.

Laxus tossed back the drink, and set the glass on top of the machine.

"Yeah but you were still pretty out of it. A little alcohol goes a long way with you."

"You're right." He chuckled unhappily, hanging his head. "Fantastic." He mumbled, feeling a twinge of shame.

At the same time he wallowed in his own regret he realized if he was not allowed to drink, what Laxus must have planned for the rest of the night. That made him sit up, and need to clear his throat.

"So what is the point of introducing me to a game I already know?" Free asked, more willing to be taught, especially if it would change the subject.

"Eh, well it will kill time, and it wouldn't be bad to see how you react to winning. Getting a small jackpot and getting used to the adrenalin rush before we hit the bigger tables could save you some money." He insisted, trailing off a bit at the end.

Being closer to Freed he could see a silver hoop going through his ear. He reached forward, grabbing Freed by the chin, tilting head to the side to make sure his eyes were not playing tricks on him.

"Is that an earing? Did you get pierced!?" He demanded loudly, in the smaller man's ear, making him flinch..

"Calm down!" Freed exclaimed, trying to pull himself from his grip. "It's a clip on." Freed had to rub at the pounding of his ear drum.

Laxus let him go, slipping his arm around the back of Freed's chair. The mage in question could feel his deep blue eyes boring into him, and needed to distract himself. He slipped in 100 jewel into the machine and took hold of the handle, pulling it down quickly.

The clatter and roll of the wheels in the machine kept his attention, and thoughts cluttered but he was not ignorant to Laxus moving closer, or how his eyes were locked on the silver simple hoop clinging to his ear. It was enough to make him mindlessly add in another bet just to have something else to focus on, pulling the arm back again.

He felt a soft brush of Laxus' fingertips graze his jaw, a shiver running down his spine as that hand ran down his neck. A breath escaped Freed's lips as a soft hot tongue ran over the lobe of his ear and up the shell. Hot breath washed over his skin as sharp teeth tugged at the top of his ear.

Freed let go of the arm of the machine, hearing the rattle and clack of the wheels turning. He had to catch his voice, feeling wet heat wrapped around his lobe, sucking and pulling, Laxus' hand held the other side of his neck so he couldn't wiggle away. A sharp pinch cut through the teasing as Laxus pulled back.

Freed reached up to his ear feeling both the ebing pounding of his eardrum and the tingle left by Laxus mouth. His hands ran over smooth skin. He looked to Laxus, seeing the false piercing between his teeth, trapped in his vicious smirk. All the script mage could do was swallow and grab the last of his composure, his hand absentmindedly tracing his ear which now felt hot, matching his reddening cheeks.

Laxus took the metal ring from his teeth and tossed it at Bickslow. It bounced off his neck causing the soul mage to look around confused, but Laxus attention was already back on Freed.

Things were very different now. No matter how hard Laxus tried to ignore the nagging voice in the back of his head it was still there, constantly asking him what he planned to do, how he felt, wondering, desperately needing to know if he would be single much longer. It was harder to ignore every time Freed smiled up at him. Every time their eyes connected. What was arguably more concerning was that the growing need to answer those questions was becoming both easier and more complicated.

Part of him wanted to go back to seeing Freed as his loyal and trusted friends. The desire to keep things the same, pretending he never learned about the others feelings was an attractive offer. It promised things would not get worse. He would not have to worry about Freed's behaviour changing, or being chained to someone else. He would not have any added obligations. He could count on his friend to go back to being just that on a command. They would forget everything that was said and done and reset to the moment before Laxus learned of the others little crush. Things would not get worse.

That being said, things would go back to being the exact same. Things would not get better. This second part of him wondered if he would be happier with a partner. He was sure he could count on the script mage cooking for him when ever he wanted, and most likely, when ever he didn't. He would get to see the hidden sides of his longtime companion.

He wanted to ignore the thought of kissing him, holding him and making more of those out of character moans he had heard before. The thought of being with him was as tempting as it was frightening. The opportunity to fail, to hurt Freed, to break his heart, was large. Laxus had not committed himself another person before. Sure when he was young he had a girlfriend or two. They didn't last a week. He had one night stands every now and again when he got the urge, needless to say treating Freed that way would not happen. He had no real experience in being with someone, and he was great at fucking things up royally.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by loud bells and whistles, accompanied by flickers of rainbow flecks in the air. Confetti rained down over Freed, landing in his long green hair, small flecks catching on his dark lashes.

Freed laughed, but almost in a pitying way, as if he felt sorry for the machine and it's ridiculous behaviour. The only thing louder than the whining yell of the slot was the repetitive clatter of jewel in the mouth of it.

"I suppose I won then? They really shouldn't make it so subtle. I almost didn't realize." He mused in a heavily sarcastic tone, shaking his head off, running his fingers through the slick streams.

Laxus was tempted to pass his hand through the straight whips as well, his eyes locking on the long fingers, gliding through the lengths, not meeting a single knot.

He cleared his throat with a chuckle.

"You're really gunna sit here and bitch about winning?" Laxus demanded.

Freed laughed a bit, knowing he had a point.

"Alright, fine." he sighed, collecting his reward.

Most of the jewel had been gathered when he felt a firm hand jolt him forward, his face nearly connecting with the machine.

"How did you do that?! I've been playing longer than you! How did you get a jackpot before me?" Bickslow yelled, looking for any signs of tampering, or cheating in general.

"It's random, all luck based. It's not any fault of mine if you have none." Freed secured himself, slipping out of the chair and Bickslow's harassment. "But, I think it would be rather easy to rig one of these machines. I could win every time, if my morals were lower." He was only the slightest bit boastful.

"Oh really?" Laxus did not sound so convinced.

"Yes." Freed shot back easily. "Something like this thrives on being completely random, but adding a script, or direct path for it to follow, it would be easy to make it land on whatever symbols I wanted."

Bickslow's smile turned wide and wicked.

"Wanna come show me then? Put your money where your mouth is?" He tempted.

Freed shook his head with a knowing smile, expecting as much from his friend.

"Even if I wanted to, I wouldn't. If the casino manager is smart he will have charms up against all forms of magic."

"So you are just talking to waste oxygen then?" Bickslow tilted his head and crossed his arms.

Freed laughed, rolling his eyes.

"You guys ready?" the group heard Lucy pipe up, and turned to look at her.

"Yeah. Guess so." Bickslow sighed, giving a regretful yearning look to the slot he had played on. As unappealing as defeat was, he had already wasted far too much on such a small time game. Bickslow preferred the thrill of high bets and risky shots.

The group agreed on blackjack next. Lucy seemed to be hitting things off with Evergreen, who never looked so elated to be with a group of people before. Her snooty behaviour usually drove people away, especially the ladies of Fairy Tail. She loved the company of her nerd pack of best friends, but being with the girls was a different story.

"She looks like she has a hanger stuck in her mouth." Freed mumbled, watching the game Laxus was in. He held a four and an ace, while the dealer had a six and a three.

"cuz' that grin? Yeah. Shes real happy." He agreed before calling hit to the dealer. She placed down a five and with that he won.

The table went around, the longer Freed watched the more he decided he liked this game. It was quick, easy to follow and straight to the point.

"How long do you think it will be until she's insisting we add Lucy and Cana to the Legion?" Freed mused.

"Hua? Oh no. That's not happening." Laxus rejected quickly.

His blunt answer made Freed smile and look at him.

"You don't want more girls in our group?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"Hell no. You three are already enough to keep track of. And we don't have anymore room at our table." he insisted.

"Yes, because where ever will we find another table in the guild? Not possibly a few feet away? That would be to easy." Freed's lips curved into a smirk.

Laxus eyed him and sat back in his chair.

"I am the captain. I decide who's in the Legion." Freed informed.

Laxus leaned back, hooking his arm over the back of the chair.

"Is that so?"

Freed nodded and straightened up in his seat.

"You know, you aren't even in the Legion. You really have no say at all what we do or how we conduct business." he teased in a higher, flowing voice.

Laxus kept his eyes on the green haired mage. His hand glided over to the back of Freed's bar stool and quickly jerked the seat to his side. Freed scrambled to brace himself, if it wasn't for Laxus' being so close and providing something to lean on, he would have been sent to the floor.

"I don't know if I like this new bossy Freed." he growled lowly.

Freed didn't allow his grin to falter, feeling rather brave in the moment. He relaxed against the slayers body and ran the tips of his fingers under his chin, encouraging him to look up. Freed leaned in close as Laxus complied. It was easy to feel the other's dominating stare soften as the space between them closed.

"If only I believed that." Freed hummed softly, hiding how it made his heart thump. Was he allowed to flirt? Was he tempting at all? Or was he just embarrassing himself? He was not experienced in things like this...was he doing it wrong.?

Laxus didn't move away, which was taken as a good sign.

"If you keep on rebelling like this I might have to remind you who the hell I am." His deep voice rolled over Freed.

He didn't want his brave determination to waver so quickly, but that voice alone made him want to melt. He tried to think of anything to say in response but found himself with his jaw hanging open, his eyes looking longingly at the larger mage. It made Laxus smirk. Freed was usually so damn dignified. Now here he was, trying to act like some smooth criminal, with nothing to say.

Laxus leaned in closer, keeping his eyes cast down, barring into Freed. The smaller man felt captured, petrified by those chilling blue orbs.

"Who am I Freed? Whose toes are you stepping on?"

There was a lump in the other man's throat, his hands gripping the ends of their seat as tightly as he could.

"L-lax-" was all he could get out before he felt lips crash to his.

A shocked whimper escaped, and a jolt of pain met his lips from the force. In pure instinct he tried to pull away, but Laxus held him firmly in place. The sharp pain subsided quickly making him thankful he had been trapped, and press closer into those firm controlling lips. Laxus could hear small, soft, unprevented moans, and just barely feel them against his lips. Each one built up an urge to grab him, to pull him close and draw out louder, deeper and longer moans. He had to hold back and pull his hands away multiple times. This kiss could not become too heated or his plan would fail. He hadn't expected Freed to look so cute. He didn't consider how hard it would be to keep his hands off of him, and if he let himself fall to quickly to temptation his work would be for nothing.

He could feel Freed' s slightly chilled hands run around, and into the shorter spiky hair running down his neck. Those nimble pale fingers took hold at the roots of the short blond strands, tugging at the roots. For a split second he thought of surrendering, giving in to his desires and pulling Freed the fuck out of that casino to anywhere private.

"HEY!" they heard Bickslow shout, his hand plopping down on Freed's shoulders quickly.

Laxus pulled away, as the smaller mage was shaken vigorously.

"NO making out! You are creeping everyone out!" He scolded with a laugh. In truth, it was difficult for the soul mage to get used to seeing that.

Freed's face was positively red, his eyes glaring so sharply Laxus was almost worried about Bickslow.

"I think it's cute." Lucy smiled adoringly. "It makes them both look a lot less threatening when they are being so sweet with each other."

Laxus snarled and dropped the back of Freed's chair, making it drop to the floor.

"We aren't cute." he rejected, firmly, giving her a hard stare.

"I have to agree. Cute is not how I would describe Laxus." Freed added, directing his attention to Cana taking her turn.

"Then what word would you use?" Bickslow provoked, poking at Freed's cheeks.

Freed didn't enjoy all the attention switching back to him yet again.

"Yeah Freed. What is the proper word?" Evergreen leaned closer, resting her head on her folded fingers.

"He's a Man!" Elfman offered loudly.

'Yes! Let's go with that. That is the exact definition." Freed agreed, refusing to meet anyone's eyes.

The girls laughed and smiled adoringly.

"I'm pretty sure that's not it." Lucy coaxed.

"They aren't gunna drop it." Laxus sounded rather amused. "Might as well just say it."

He would never admit that he was curious himself to hear the exact description that Freed would bestow upon him.

Freed grimmest, propping his elbows up on the table, laying his head on his hands.

"Laxus Dreyar is nothing less than sexy, and you'll do well to remember it." He spoke sharp and firmly but it still made the girls crack up laughing. Cana beat the table insisting she never thought she would hear Freed Justine use such a word.

Lucy tried to keep herself composed and shook her head.

"I can't say I feel the same." She tried to sound as posh and elegant as Freed.

"That's fine, you can be wrong if you chose to be." he nodded hearing the whole table uproar at that, even a deep chuckle from Laxus himself.

"He's way too buff!" Lucy rejected, purely for the sake of hearing Freed say more.

"If a man can't use me as a bench press, I have no intention or desire to be with them." He shrugged signaling the dealer to deal him in.

Everyone was getting a kick out of his matter-of-fact attitude and answers. It was especially noted by the faux dragon slayer, who watched his cards be dealt.

"There has to be something you don't like about Laxus. Even if it's just physical." Lucy swallowed most of her giggles in order to ask him.

Freed shook his head as he examined his cards and signaled for another.

"Nothing comes to mind."

"Bullshit. I don't buy that." Bickslow crossed his arms, looking closer at his friend.

Freed shrugged as he collected a small win.

"I can't think of anything. He's handsome and strong and smart. What's not to enjoy exactly?"

Natsu scoffed.

"He's a complete asshole!" He insisted, waving his hands at the large slayer.

"Then it's a good thing I'm gay right?" Freed looked up with a serious face.

He couldn't hold his composure as they all burst out laughing again, now attracting attention. He had to join them. He felt Bickslow lean on his chair for support as he howled. Freed shook his head.

"Can that be considered a pun?" Evergreen asked as she held her stomach, struggling to speak.

"Y-you and your shitty word play." Bickslow shook his head, wiping tears from his eyes.

Freed heard Laxus stand and shifted in his seat.

"Come on, we've wasted enough time here. I want to go play craps." The slayer demanded, already starting to walk away.

Freed nodded, quickly trailing after rest of their small herd seemed to agree and followed automatically. Freed could over hear Evergreen whispering something to Lucy, a few suppressed laughs in her voice still.. He was sure his name was dropped but ignored it.

Before long it was difficult to try and eavesdrop at all. As they entered the next room there was an obvious spike in the volume of the players. Around the large walled tables groups of people cheered and jeered over their bets, dealers calmly and quickly working. Freed noticed how they all had a very flexible stick with a hook at the end. They poked around in the pit and called out the results of two thrown dice. Some of the tables were overflowing with players and onlookers, others only holding a calm two or tree close companions. No one seemed afraid to yell or laugh in this room.

"This certainly looks interesting." Freed commented as he took everything in.

Laxus gave a short nod, pausing to examine each of the employees, scoping out which table he wanted.

"It's my favorite game. Fast paced, high energy." A table not far from them burst into cheers, one of the players getting a firm pat on the back from his much more intoxicated friend.

"High steaks?" Freed asked thinking the amount on of the bet would affect the amount of energy.

"Can be." Laxus shrugged, his eyes set on a table as they started to move again.

He had decided on a particularly bare table, only a skinny young boy running it. He hardly looked old enough to be in a casino let alone work at one. It soon became very clear why this table was empty when Laxus tossed his money down and it took far longer than it should have for the boy to count it and pass back the chips. Freed was not impressed when Laxus had to point out he was given the wrong amount of chips as well, and ended up handing back about two hundred jewel. Freed glanced at Laxus, knowing he was not the most patient person. He had thought constantly correcting a dealer would piss him off entirely, but maybe Laxus would rather deal with a slow kid than multiple drunk strangers crowding around him.

The rest of the table placed their bets. Freed was relieved when he saw Bickslow explaining the game Lucy and Cana. At least he was not the only one lost here. He didn't pay attention to his friends explanation, looking at the table as everything was set up.

"You should probably watch a round or two first before playing, just so you get the basics. It can be a pretty confusing game if you don't know what you're doing." Laxus suggested as he placed a chip on a white stripe labeled 'pass line'.

Freed nodded, not bothered by taking a back seat.

The dealer slid five cherry red dice to Laxus, who picked up two in his right hand, flicking them easily across the board. They bounced off the back wall and rolled forward.

"Snake eyes." The dealer called, as Laxus hissed.

"Good start man. You're going to be on fire tonight." Bickslow snickered as he was offered dice. Freed assumed losing ment your turn passed.

"Shut the hell up." Laxus snapped back, leaning his arms on the table.

"Sure you should be teaching Freed how to play?" Bix questioned as he flicked his wrist, hitting the wall as Laxus had.

"Eight, easy eight." The dealer called.

Bickslow gave Laxus a cheeky grin and rolled again.

Freed watched the table go around three times. He could see Natsu whispering to Lucy as she played, probably giving her tips. It made Freed wonder how he knew anything about gambling.

"Think ya got it?" Laxus asked as he dropped a stack of chips on Evergreens turn.

"Not really. I get the concept but I'm afraid I don't understand what numbers are required to win." He admitted, feeling a bit bashful, thinking he should have watched closer.

"Don't worry about it. I just wanted you to get the basic game play. If ya roll a seven or eleven ya win. If ya roll a two, three or twelve you lose." Laxus explained.

"What is the importance of those specific numbers?" Freed questioned as he watched Elfman roll, trying to capture every detail of the game.

"Fuck if I know." Laxus shrugged.

Freed was not satisfied with that answer but let it drop.

"What if I roll something other than those numbers?" He looked to the slayer.

"Then whatever you do roll becomes the next 'point number'. You want to roll that exact number again before you roll a seven. If you manage to roll that number you win, and your turn continues. If you roll a seven you lose and your turn passes."

Freed looked back down at the board.

"Arbitrary. That's a more appropriate name for this game." he shook his head, crossing his arms stubbornly.

"Stop bitchin' and get ready to roll. You're up next." He took the dice up again, and tossed them like before.

"Alright." He agreed stepping forward.

His turn came almost too quickly, the dealer sliding up the dice to him.

"Take two in one hand and then roll." Laxus lazily ordered.

Freed nodded took a moment to focus, doing his best to mimic the way the others had thrown the dice.

They clattered not far from the middle of the table and were scooped back by the dealer with the stick as he announced. "No roll."

Freed looked to Laxus, silently asking what that meant.

"You have to hit the back of the table or it doesn't count. Try again." He nodded somewhat encouragingly.

He took up the dice again, ignoring the burning feeling of not knowing what he was doing, and focused on the back of the table this time. The dice soared and bounced off of the rubber backing, clattering onto the table.

"Six easy six." The dealer called, scooping them back up.

The script mage now noticed how he moved a black puck over the number six.

He rolled a three, a two and then again a six, winning his bet. Laxus collected the pay from the dealer and set it in front of Freed.

A few more rounds went by. The table started to talk and laugh more as everyone started became more comfortable with the game.

The longer the rounds went the larger Laxus' stack grew. Evergreen also had a bit of luck, while Freed seemed to lose as much as he won. He wasn't going to complain. Bickslow was hanging on by a thread and Lucy had lost the five hundred jewel she was willing to spend on this game, opting to watch Natsu and blow on his dice when he requested. It made the rest of the group wonder why they didn't realize that they shared mutual feelings for each other.

Freed's turn came around again. As he reached for the dice but as he did a smirk on Evergreen's lips caught his attention.

"Ya know Laxus, it wouldn't be the real gambling experience if Freed didn't meet a real risk. You should raise the bet, give him something to sweat over." Her voice was drawn out. She almost sounded like she was reading from a script.

Whatever she was planning caught everyone's attention.

Freed raised a brow at her, his expression flat.

"I think losing higher amounts of money would turn me away from this game, rather than make me more interested."

"Yeah, I figured you would say that, but ya can't stop me from raising the steaks." Laxus placed 250 jewel and was handed a green chip. He pulled a golden marker from his pocket and uncapped it with his teeth, jotting a quick lightning bolt on it, before placing it on the line.

"Here's the deal Justine." He glanced over. "I've been back and forth over this whole 'relationship' thing, and I can't make up my mind."

Being referred to by his last name and the sternness of Laxus voice caught Freed's attention.

"I figure I should just let fate decide, because I sure as hell can't. That's why if you win this roll then we will be together. If ya fuck it up, it's over." He was blunt as always, not sparing a single feeling the other may have had.

Freed swallowed thickly looking at the round piece.

"You...If I..." he focused on the table.

The others may have been teasing him for becoming mindless so quickly but he didn't hear it. Right now he was contemplating his moral security and pondering the odds of getting caught. Surely a script would not be very noticeable if it were small enough. Did he have time to write one out without seeming suspicious? Would he be okay with cheating?

He reached down, scooping up the dice ready to roll when he felt a heavy weight tug his shoulders and pull him back.

"Don't be nervous Freed!" Ever giggled into his shoulder, as he resisted her pull. She let him go so quickly he needed to brace himself on the table, the dice slipping from his hand as he caught himself. His reaction to pick them up was delayed long enough for Laxus to stoop down and collect them himself.

Freed numbly looked forward, unsure how to feel about this. Everything rested on two hunks of plastic and how gravity decided to work. Through his haze he noticed Bickslow dropping two black tokens on the line.

"2000 jewel! Right here! Don't mess this up for me!" He laughed, getting a look from Cana, before she placed one black coin as well.

"You can do it Green Bean!" She cheered, thrusting her fists into the air in elation.

"Stop making this more stressful!" Freed snapped.

Laxus handed him the dice back. They felt colder in his hand, more rigid. He held them tight to his chest as he steadied himself.

"You can't use dice that have left the view of the dealer, it's against the-" The skinny dealer started.

A sharp look from Laxus made his mouth snap shut. The twig was smart enough to know not to anger this man. His life was worth more than this job.

"These might be lucky. He's not givin' them back." Laxus declined, not leaving a razorblades edge for argument.

Freed blocked it all out. He looked at the back of the board running the rules in his head once. He pulled his hand back and whipped it forward, hearing them knock against the backboard and roll down onto the table.

His heart stopped and eyes shut. He didn't want things to be over. He didn't want to go back to pretending he was not helplessly in love. He wanted more time with Laxus. More memories like this, with his friends, with Laxus reaching out to him and sharing his interests. He didn't want to hold back every time he wanted to kiss him, or sit close to him. The ache of unrequited love started to seep back into his heart.

The table erupted, hands beating on the table, Evergreen giggling excitedly, clinging back onto Freed, shaking him from side to side.

"Seven, pay the line." The dealer called.

Freed's eyes jutted open, locking onto the dice. A four and a three. He didn't believe his eyes. Had he really just rolled a perfect seven? Did he really just win the best prize in the entire casino!?

"Holy shit." He whispered without thinking.

It made the table crack up and roar with laughter. He heard a low chuckle from Laxus, and was quickly jerked back into the lightning mage's chest. Freed looked up at him, unable to remove the pleased smile from his face.

"See? Gambling can be fun." He teased and kissed the top of his head. "Good job." he praised.

Freed hummed happily as they were both caught in a flash of light. Their heads snapped to the other side of the table to Cana, who was holding up a camera.

"What are you doing?" Laxus scowled at her.

She smiled and waved the card that slid out of the front.

"I thought it would be a good idea to document this monumental moment in Fairy Tail's history. Look at these two cute losers." She sowed the picture to Lucy who 'aww'ed cheerily.

"You two really do compliment each other" She gushed, talking more to the photo than anyone else.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Laxus grumbled.

"Look." She turned the photo to him. "You being all sweet on Freed makes you look like you have something of a heart in that big broad chest of yours. Not just muscle and built up rage."

Freed curled his lips in, trying not to laugh.

"And Freed looks so tiny like a little baby kitten cuddling up to a great dane." Cana agreed.

"Excuse me?!" Freed shot back, his amusement vanishing.

"They are so cuuuute!" Bickslow drolled on knowing it would annoy them both.

"Eh, fuck off." Laxus grumbled. "It's still your turn Freed."

The script mage leaned back into Laxus arms.

"Can I pass? I want to take a minute to enjoy this." he cooed, looking at the dice with a new loving perspective.

"I guess." Laxus shrugged. "But "I'm taking your turn then." The dice were put off to the side, as Laxus chose a new pair. Freed didn't mind, having the lightning mage's free hand stay tucked around him.

"Are you guys hungry yet?" Evergreen leaned forward, her interest in gambling dropping lower as time passed.

"Starving!" Natsu heaved as if he had been waiting on those words all night.

"I could eat." Lucy agreed.

"No more of that fancy crap! I wanna feast on my winnings!" Natsu grinned happily, starting to drool over the thoughts of roast and chicken with potatoes and gravy.

Evergreen wrinkled her nose.

"I want to go somewhere nice." She complained sharply.

"Yeah, I'm with her. I got in a dress, so we better go somewhere classy." Cana agreed. "Besides. Thanks to Freed, Bickslow can afford to treat me." She jabbed her elbow in the script mage's side.

His mouth dropped wide, his arms grabbing her up around her ribs, lifting her into the air.

"You won too sweet cheeks! Don't expect me to be your sugar daddy now or nothing!" He laughed as she kicked lightly in his grip, wiggling to get away.

"Put me down ya goof!" She yelled and beat at his arms. "You are supposed to be a gentleman!"

Freed smiled seeing his friend so happy. Seeing Bickslow smile was common. Seeing him genuinely filled with joy was a little more rare. His attention switched to Evergreen who was talking softly to Elfman. The larger man seemed to be hanging on to every word, nodding softly to show he was still listening, not trying to interrupt her.

It made Freed wonder if he and Laxus looked so perfect together. Could they ever be so carefree and comfortable? Freed didn't think it was possible for him to look at Laxus without his heart thundering in his chest.

"So ya hungry?" Laxus asked, glancing down at Freed.

'Oh hell' the faux dragon thought to himself, having to look away. Freed looked pleased as punch, and that was never an expression Laxus ever thought he would describe a person as, but it was the only thing that fit. He wasn't exactly 'bursting' with joy. It was all contained. But the way he smiled and just how sweet his face looked was far too much. He was too adorable to be a powerful, ruthless mage. It really wasn't fair.

Freed nodded, not registering what was said. At this point he would agree to anything. They could go anywhere, see anything, hell he would probably strip again if requested. He didn't care, as long as it was with Laxus. As long as he could stand by him and enjoy his company.

"Stop looking so damn pleased with yourself." Laxus scolded gruffly.

The rough tone only made Freed smile wider.

The group collected themselves, all but Lucy and Natsu who parted, more interested in finding a large abundance of cheap food.

Bickslow hung back , looking at the bright red dice on the ledge of the table. While the dealer was distracted he scooped up the cubes, rolling them in his hand.

He snickered to himself, watching them fall on different numbers.

"Ya coming?" he heard Laxus call back, the larger mage glancing over his shoulder to see him.

"Yeah, I'm coming." he called back and trotted away, pocketing the dice.

I'm so sorry this took so long to come out, thank you for being patient with me. I hope this story was not forgotten and I really hope you aren't disappointed.

You never know how far into a story you will be when writer's block hits...