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Catch the Thunder	By : Rhov Category: +. to F > Fairy Tail Views: 17789 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: Fairy Tail is the property of Hiro Mashima. I make no money, I just do this for my own pleasure.

Chapter List
- 56
- 57
- 58
Audio drama: http://chirb.it/E9mN8y
The background music in the audio is "Summer" from The Four Seasons by Vivaldi.
Chapter 57
Summer Garden Party
Laxus had never felt more out of place in his entire life.
At least he was not alone. Next to him, dressed in an outfit worthy of such company, yet looking just as awkward standing under a shade tree with a china plate holding a tiny sandwich, was Elfman. They both stood there, staring at the party, unsure what to do besides hold their drinks and sandwiches and try not to screw up.
"Is he worth it?" Elfman suddenly asked.
Laxus glanced over in momentary confusion. Worth it? Ah … was Freed worth the personal awkwardness of being in a party where he totally did not fit in? He smiled to himself and looked across the sculptured garden to where Freed stood surrounded by society's elite, laughing easily at their jokes. The inner aristocrat was in full regalia today. Although this was his mother's annual garden party, word had spread that it would be her last, since she planned to remain in France. That meant this was a handing over of the torch in a sense. Next year, it would be Freed and Evergreen to host this party, and so today Freed played a greater role as the host, not just the Justine boy, greeting top corporate executives and politicians alike. To Laxus, watching Freed in this sort of role was both divine and intimidating.
"Totally worth it," he said, honored to have the love of such an important man.
Elfman stared down at the sandwich plate, almost like he had no idea what to do with such tiny portions. "Y'know, I met Evergreen in a library on campus. She helped me study. I didn't even offer to walk her back to the dorm, figured I didn't need to on campus. Dangerous times, though. She was attacked, almost kidnapped. I heard her shouting, thought it was men wanting to rape her. Turned out to be enemies of the Justine family, probably planned to hold her for ransom. I rushed over, ready to defend her. She kicked their asses all by herself. Now that's a woman!" he said with pride. "I didn't know who she was back then, besides a super-smart, kick-ass girl who could handle herself. Now, I can't help but wonder what she sees in me."
"I know the feeling," Laxus said, sipping his china teacup.
"Times when it's just us, she's just a kick-ass girl who's the smartest person I know. Drop-dead gorgeous to boot! But like this, when she wears clothes like that and gets surrounded by these rich girls … shit, I dunno what I'm doing here." Then he wondered aloud, "Am I arm candy?"
Laxus held back a laugh. "You're definitely not that," he assured.
"Why does Freed keep you around? Is there a reason?"
"The dumbest reason of all." He smiled over to the hulking man. "Love."
Elfman had to chuckle. "I hope that's the reason for Ever."
"You're not sure?"
"I can't ask her, and I don't know if I'll like her answer."
Laxus rolled his eyes in disappointment. "That's a coward's reply."
Elfman just shrugged. "I'm not the strong one. She is."
"Then why are you with her? You've been dating at least half a year."
"Why? Because she's the perfect woman. Because she's gorgeous and brilliant and so strong. Because she's everything I wish I could be, and I hope to be everything she needs me to be. Because she makes me cry manly tears and tames me when I get out of control. Because my life was shit before her, and now it's…" He looked around at the posh, expansive, parklike garden and the tiny plate in his callused hands. "…summer flowers and tiny sandwiches." He sighed as his eyes focused on the brunette in her green sun dress. "Because I love her so much, I can't even wrap my head around it."
"That right there is your real answer," Laxus told him.
"That's the answer that worries me the most," he said in anguish. "She's so … refined. I used to think I'd be okay with just being a boy-toy, like what Bickslow likes to call the two of us. Now I'm terrified of falling any deeper in love and finding out I really am just an accessory, some muscles she can show off to make her friends envious and keep the dandy boys away."
"Sounds like you need to seriously talk with her, ask her."
"I can't. Damn, what sort of man am I?"
"Do I seriously need to get my boyfriend to ask your girlfriend?"
Elfman looked over in excitement. "Could you?"
"Fuck you, no."
He sank down again in dejection.
Laxus slapped him on the back. "You're a man. You've gotta do this yourself. If it's not an answer you like, you gotta figure out how to deal with that."
"Yeah," he grumbled. Then Elfman threw the entire mini sandwich into his mouth. "You're so lucky. Freed seems like the type to tell you all sorts of romantic things."
"He does," Laxus said, eying his boyfriend. It was all romantic that morning and over the past two days, when he had to control himself to not leave marks on Freed's skin, but Laxus could not wait until he finally had a chance to get his way with Freed later that night. "Problem is, I don't know what the hell to say back to him."
Suddenly, an arm slung around him, and Bickslow draped himself half over Laxus. "I bet between you and my brother, you don't need to say all that much, eh, eh? Body language, right?"
Lisanna came up behind him. "Bicks, you should watch what you say amongst company."
Laxus shoved Bickslow's arm off. "Ain't it hilarious, out of this family, the weirdo kid brother is the coolest and most normal one."
"I take offense to being called normal," Bickslow said with a jolly grin. However, it fell as he looked around at the party. "I hate these parties. You guys wanna go inside, shoot some pool? I've also got ski ball, air hockey, darts, every console available … I've got my own gaming room in the house."
Elfman clapped his hands and rubbed them together, ready to challenge anyone. "Now that is manly!"
Laxus hesitated and glanced back over to Freed. Amongst all this gilded glamor, he really was in his own element.
"I gotta tell Freed," he said to the others.
"Whipped," Bickslow teased.
Laxus ignored him, because the first comeback to pop into his head was that Freed was the whipped one. No way could he say that and let slip their little kinky secret.
Lisanna followed with Laxus. "No offense, boys, but gaming isn't really my thing. Can you see if Freed can introduce me to a few nice people?"
"I bet he could find someone decent in this crowd." Laxus figured, if anyone could help Lisanna get into a clique that would not bother her, it was Freed.
As he walked over, those turquoise eyes caught his. Freed politely excused himself from the group he was with and walked over to Laxus, concerned for a moment, worried if Laxus was bored and wanted to leave already. However, Lisanna was with him, and he saw Bickslow and Elfman waiting around for him.
Still worried, he asked, "Are you doing okay?"
"Yeah. Me, Elfman, and Bickslow are heading to his gaming room, take a break from all this. Lisanna needs someone to hang around besides all us tough guys."
Freed glanced around the garden. "Ah, Lucy! Over here." He guided them through the tiny cliques of people. "Lucy is really nice," he assured, and then dropped his voice. "Not at all like some of the ladies here. Looks like she's chatting with Natsu."
Laxus saw the flash of pink and raven. Nearby, Laxus recognized Invel Yura, advisor of President Zeref, and scattered with the normal security guards were men in suits. Secret Service, Laxus guessed. He wondered now if those men had always followed Natsu, or if this was new.
Laxus asked quietly as they walked over to the group. "Do you know who Natsu is?"
"I didn't when we first met. It wasn't until I saw his name on the guest list. The Dragneel family is very secretive. President Zeref may be a name the whole world knows, but until recently, your average citizen didn't know much about his family. We knew he had a brother named Natsu, but his picture was never shown on the news. He's stayed very low profile up until now."
"Why the change?"
"That issue with the fire? At first people thought Natsu started it. It brought forward his connection to the president. Then he went missing. Apparently, that was with the help of Secret Service. Zeref wanted to be certain he could clear his little brother's name. Because he went that far for Natsu, the kid brother agreed to finally help out. Zeref is coming up for reelection. Natsu makes friends easily. He's good with people, which is a quality Zeref notoriously lacks, and it almost cost him the election last time."
"So Natsu is going to help on the campaign tour? Sheesh, I'm glad you're not a politician."
Freed laughed politely but said nothing else as he came up to the group. "Miss Heartfilia, a pleasure to see you again."
"Freed, lovely party. Please tell your mother she's outdone herself."
"I shall. And Natsu, it's an honor to have one of the Dragneels here."
He pouted and looked bored. "I'm only here because Invel dragged me along. Who's this?" he asked, looking at the small girl beside Freed.
"I'd like you to meet Lisanna Strauss. Lucy, you know Mira from the opera house."
"Of course. You're her little sister, huh? She talks about you all the time."
Lisanna curtsied. "A pleasure to meet you finally. Mira talks about you, too." She glanced over to Gray standing beside Natsu. "And you, Mister Fullbuster. My sister says you're one of the best male dancers she's worked with. I almost didn't recognize you without the leotard."
Natsu sputtered his drink out as he laughed, while Gray blushed and looked away.
"Sheesh, don't bring up that," he muttered.
Freed cleared his throat to move past any temptation Natsu might have of teasing Gray about his dancing career. "Well, Bickslow is hosting games in his room, so Lisanna needs company—"
"Games?" Gray and Natsu shouted together.
Laxus thumbed back to the others. "Ya wanna join us, get out of this shrimp cocktail gig?"
Natsu pleaded, "Oh God, yes, please get me out of here."
Lucy glanced over to her date. "Loke, did you want to…? Where is he?"
Freed glanced around. "Punch bowl, flirting with … oh dear, is that Minerva Orland, the daughter of the CEO of Sabertooth Enterprises? That's going to end badly."
Lucy groaned in frustration. "Can you take him with you? Sheesh, he promised to behave."
Natsu and Gray went to get Loke while Freed patted Lucy's shoulder in sympathy.
"Why are you with him if he flirts around?" asked Lisanna.
Lucy grumbled under her breath, "Because he makes me laugh … and he's amazing in bed."
Freed discreetly turned away, worried that he might give away anything about just how promiscuous Loke had been when the two of them were roommates in university.
Laxus followed him for a moment, walking a step behind, more like a security guard than a date. He felt more comfortable acting in that role, anyway.
"I see you're making friends," Freed pointed out casually, drifting around the garden yet avoiding any particular group.
"Elfman and I match up, that's all. Bickslow probably wants to get out of here as much as we do."
"Not having fun?" he asked, looking back at him with concern.
"No offense, but this ain't my style of party."
"I also keep leaving you alone. I'm sorry."
"You do what ya gotta do. We both know that."
Freed hated to leave Laxus alone like this, but there were certain people he simply had to meet, and as much as Freed wanted Laxus by his side the whole time, he had to admit that not having him there made things easier. He could focus on the banalities of decorum instead of fretting over finding ways to include Laxus into each conversation.
It was also a relief in some ways. Although they were certain to check the guest list for any of Laxus' former clients, people sometimes slipped into parties like this, arriving as a companion or in lieu of someone who could not attend. They had been lucky so far, but not having Laxus at his elbow allowed Freed to stop worrying about that little trouble upon each new handshake, and he was certain it allowed Laxus to scan the crowd better to be certain it was safe. If a former client did ever show up, they had a system worked out already to confront the problem and solve it without hassle, but keeping a little bit of separation simply made things easier.
"I'm glad Lisanna came. This is twice that Bickslow has brought her as a date. Seriously, that's never happened before. Maybe she's a good thing for him after all."
"She seems to tame him. If she can keep him sober, she seems to fit right in with a party like this."
"Well, Mirajane Strauss is quite the socialite around town. I'm sure she's brought Lisanna to more than one gala. It's just pure chance that Evergreen also met Elfman Strauss."
Although he had said he would not ask on Elfman's behalf, Laxus found himself honestly curious. "What does your sister see in him?"
"Brawn she can brag about," Freed said with a laugh.
"I'm serious. If that's her reason, then no offense, but your sister sucks."
Freed paused and looked back, honestly shocked by Laxus' hard tone of voice. "Okay, to be honest it is about the brawn, but not how you think. Evergreen has had it rough. My family … we had a lot of enemies in the past. Father runs a harsh business at times, especially back when the economy went to hell. His way of keeping the business afloat made lots of people upset. Being the only daughter, she's been targeted more times than I can count, and I'm sure more times than she reports to police. She's been taking self-defense classes since she was seven—trust me, she can take care of herself—but she's always been attracted to large, muscular men, yet only those she trusts one-hundred percent. She feels safe around them, and it's the only time she can stop looking over her shoulder. It's not just about strength, though. She refuses to fall in love, let alone date someone, until she knows she can fully, wholly, and utterly trust that man with her life."
"So she's in love with Elfman?"
"Definitely, and probably more than he'll ever understand. Trusting someone with your life … it doesn't happen that often. Me personally, not counting family, I can list maybe three people whom I trust with my life." He reached forward and squeezed Laxus' hand. "You're the first since I became an adult."
Laxus' mouth dropped slightly. "Not Loke, or Mira?"
Freed shook his head. "I trust them, they're friends, but it's a big difference, trusting someone to help you move into a new apartment versus trusting someone to protect your life at the risk of their own. Especially for Evergreen, with how many men have tried to talk flatteringly to her only to betray her and attempt to harm her, I'm truly shocked she found someone again. So believe me, she trusts him deeper than she trusts her closest female friends." Freed smiled slyly. "You can tell him that, because even if he asks her, she's too proud to admit all of that."
Laxus scoffed. He really had gotten too curious, worried over Elfman. Freed chuckled and leaned in to give Laxus a peck on the cheek.
"Whoa!" Laxus backed up a step. "Should you really do that?"
"Why not? Because they'll know I'm gay? Pretty much everyone here figured that out years ago."
"Because they'll know you're dating a guy like me."
Freed took Laxus' hand and squeezed it. "And I'm honored."
Laxus blushed and looked away to hide how much it affected him to hear Freed say that, despite how out of place he felt.
Freed chuckled and patted Laxus on the arm. "Go play with your friends. Make sure my brother doesn't get drunk or do anything stupid."
Laxus silently agreed. He saw Gray and Natsu dragging Loke along. It seemed their little escape was going to turn into a whole separate party. However, since Gray and Natsu did not know Bickslow or Elfman, they were waiting for Laxus. Bickslow was making whipped hand gestures again. Laxus gave one last deep look to Freed, silently asking if he would be okay on his own. Freed nodded genteelly.
Laxus realized, this truly was his element. A lavish party like this fit Freed's style.
As he turned to go, Laxus bumped into someone and saw a swish of long, golden hair.
"'Scuse me, ma'am." Then he saw the face and realized his error. "Ah! I mean sir. Pardon." He hurried off after Bickslow, glad for an excuse to get away from such a major social faux pas.
The man he had bumped into stared after him with shocked eyes. "Oh God," he whispered.
He went up to Freed and cleared his throat, showing he wanted to speak with him out here, slightly away from the party. Freed turned around and jolted slightly.
"Rufus!"
The blond bowed formally, which Freed returned, swift to recover from his shock. He should have known Rufus Lore would be there. He or someone from his family always came to this party. He had probably been on the list, but it was a name Freed was so used to seeing, he did not really think about it.
"I hope you're enjoying yourself," Freed said politely.
"Oh, yes, charming party," he said in distraction, looking back in swift glances to Laxus. "Can we speak in private somewhere?"
Alarms were going off in Freed's head. The last time he and Rufus met somewhere, flirting had been involved. However, turning down the request of a guest was not the Justine way.
"There seems to be no one in the gazebo. It would be nice to get out of the sun for a moment."
They walked over to a wooden lattice covering surrounded by rose bushes. Freed took a seat, truly glad for the little break, and Rufus sat as well.
"I don't mean to pry," Rufus began immediately, "but that man you were with a moment ago, the tall one, could he be your boyfriend?"
Freed's mouth stiffened. Was he jealous? "Yes, in fact, he is."
"How long have you been dating?"
"Almost a year."
"So, before we graduated?"
"Yes. Why?" he asked in suspicion.
Rufus looked like he was strongly debating something. "How can I say this politely?" His hands twitched together. "That man … he's bad news."
"I've been told that before," he said coldly.
"I've seen him … with someone else."
The first thing to flash into Freed's mind was that perhaps Rufus' father was a former client of Laxus. It sent his stomach into a boil just to be reminded about the things Laxus used to do for money. He wondered if Rufus' father was in the crowd. If so, Laxus should have recognized his name. Unless the man gave Laxus a fake name, which was highly likely.
"Was this last year, before Christmas?"
"No, it was recently, this summer. I was … out around town. He and the other person … well, they appeared to be a couple." He thought about it, trying to remember details. "Definitely, they were together."
"It … it was probably someone else," he said with a nervous laugh.
"Not with that scar on his face."
Freed froze. That was true. Laxus had a face like no one else in the world.
"Freed, I don't want this to shame you," Rufus assured, looking honestly contrite to be the one to break it to him. "That's why I want to speak in private. That man is … seriously bad news. He plays around." As he saw Freed shaking his head, he stressed, "I have no reason to lie to you about this."
Freed froze for a moment. It had to be just some friend, right? Then again, how many friends did Laxus have? What did he do while Freed was at work? Who did he hang out with? Freed had to admit, he had no idea what Laxus did for fun while he worked in the office.
Despite not wanting to believe that Laxus would ever have an affair, just the mere possibility made jealousy seep in.
With a fist clenched and shaking, Freed asked through clench teeth, "What person?"
"Two, actually."
"Two?" he shouted.
"A woman, early twenties, short hair, I couldn't tell the color because the lights were … um … it was bad lighting. Also a male, young, Caucasian, I didn't get a good look at his face. Please believe me, I'm not saying this to hurt you or shame you." Rufus reached over and grabbed Freed's wrist. "That man is a player. He's cheating on you."
"Laxus would never cheat," he said with a scowl.
"He lives a life you know nothing about."
Freed shook his head, but this was also something he had feared for a long time. At least when Laxus was working, Freed knew where he was, and he could ask people at the club what Laxus did when he was not there. Now, he had no idea what Laxus did during those hours he was away. He must get bored. He probably looked around online. Freed used to imagine that Laxus spent all day watching porn and getting new ideas to try.
What if those ideas were things Laxus knew Freed would not want? What if Laxus began to crave more hardcore BDSM? What if Freed was not enough to satisfy him anymore?
A hand laid on his tightened fist, and he glanced up to see Rufus looking worried and regretful. Freed could see by his face, he was not trying to flirt this time. He was honestly trying to protect Freed from what he feared was a dangerous, adulterous relationship.
"He's seeing other people, Freed," Rufus whispered, his eyebrows drooped in regret. "It's troublesome enough, living our sort of life as a gay man, but add to that a lover who isn't even faithful … it's something tabloids would love to know about, and something we should avoid at all cost to protect our families."
Wasn't faithful? Laxus? Cheating? And with two people? It made no sense at all. Laxus was the one who bought the silver promise rings. They had talked about maybe getting married one day. Laxus even quit the fetish club because he felt terrible about using another BDSM partner despite being monogamous.
Wait…
"Where did you see him?" he asked sharply.
Rufus choked up. "It was … a-around town. How can I remember precisely where?"
"I'm with Laxus almost all the time. Very rarely does he go out alone if I'm off work. I know you're also working, so it's highly unlikely you saw him during business hours. That means it had to have been at night."
"Yes, it was night. Like I said, I couldn't even see the face of the man who was with him."
"I see. That's a shame." Freed bit back a smile. "If it was the Fairy Tail Pub, his family used to own it, so it was probably nothing more than a former coworker and friend."
"I don't even know where that place is."
"What it a hotel? Laxus can't really afford the sort of hotels someone like we would stay in."
"Not a hotel. Look it was some local place, a club. How should I know which one after all these weeks?"
"A club, huh?" Freed asked with an air of casualness. "Do you mean the Blue Pegasus Club?"
"Yes … n-no! I mean, where is that?" he asked, laughing awkwardly. "What a strange name? Never heard of it."
Freed clucked his tongue and shook his head. "It's the only club of any sort Laxus has stepped inside since before Christmas. If you saw him at a club this summer and at night, that's the only possible one. Which leaves me wondering." Freed leaned forward with a dark gleam in his eyes. "What were you doing in a club like that?"
Rufus gulped hard and leaned away from this devilish side. "I … I don't even know this club you're talking about. It was … another club, another … m-maybe it wasn't actually night. Look, I was just trying to warn you. Men like that are dangerous."
"I appreciate the gesture." Freed tipped his head magnanimously. "However, I already know that Laxus used to work at that club."
Rufus' eyes widened. "You knew?"
"He quit that job … for me," he said with a hint of smugness. "He wants to be with me exclusively. That is how much he loves me. So," he smirked, "that leaves me wondering: what were you doing in a BDSM sex dungeon, Rufus Lore?"
Rufus let out a choked gasp and jumped away, looking panicked and about to run away. Freed honestly felt sorry for him, having that alternative lifestyle outed, and in public by an influential person who could ruin his life. However, this was all part of the system they had worked out in case they came across someone who knew Laxus and his former lifestyle. Freed could not show empathy or relent from his attacks. If this did not work with someone who only knew Laxus as a Dom from a legitimate fetish club, there was no way it would work with a former client.
"It was only once," Rufus said faintly. "I was … coerced."
Freed doubted that, but he let him get out his excuses.
"I normally like control, tidiness, memorizing facts and figures. Then I met a man shortly after graduation. A dangerous man. He's … into things. Those sorts of things," he added, nervously glancing around; however, they were far from the party and could not even hear the string quartet from the gazebo. "He wanted me to go to that club, so I went with him, and that's where I saw your boyfriend with two other people."
Freed recalled the night when he helped Laxus with a paddling demonstration. He and that maid-girl Virgo had been up on stage. Of course, everyone there that night would now recognize Laxus, but Freed had been masked. The colored lights of the club would have made pinpointing Freed's green hair a problem.
"That dangerous man you're seeing," Freed said, and his eyes drifted beyond the lattice gazebo, "could it be that strong fellow who's been stalking us this whole time?"
Rufus turned around sharply right to where the brawny guard with long, mint green hair stood at the edge of a shrubbery wall. Freed vaguely recognized him from the club as Rufus' owner. He was someone Laxus knew by name, and Freed had always guessed they knew one another due to their alternative profession.
Freed pulled out his cellphone with a wily smile. "If he's dangerous, should I call security?"
"No!" Rufus shouted. He sat down and lowered his voice to be secretive with Freed. "He's my new bodyguard. My father hired him. I totally fell for him," he said with a blushing smile, "but like I said, he's into those … alternative things."
"BDSM?" Freed asked with a flat, casual tone.
Rufus' face went crimson. "Y-yeah, that. Um, are you and your boyfriend … into that?"
"We've dabbled a little," he said cautiously. "You know, if you don't like BDSM, no one should ever force you into it. Despite what Fifty Shades of Grey may portray, demanding a partner perform sexual acts that the person doesn't truly want to do is abusive, if not rape."
"No, it's … it's not forced. It's just not something I'd considered before now."
"If you ever don't like it, tell him no."
Rufus' cheeks warmed up, and a smile tugged at his mouth. "You've dabbled in it, right? Then you know, it can be … addictive."
Freed knew this feeling all too well. Letting go of pride, putting your trust wholly into someone else, freeing yourself from the troubles of life for a brief scene: yes, it was addictive. He needed those moments to restore balance in his life.
"Look, if it was a misunderstanding, if he's not cheating on you with such public acts of depravity, then I apologize. Please, forget I said anything."
"Well, I can't really do that," Freed said deviously. "You know about my boyfriend's past. Now, I know something about you."
Rufus' mouth dropped, then he immediately recovered and tried to laugh it off. "Blackmail? Really, Freed?"
"Wouldn't you also resort to that if it was me who saw you in a sex dungeon?"
He flinched but stiffened up. "I suppose I would," he confessed. Then Rufus narrowed his eyes. "Is that where you met him?"
"No, I met him at a show last August," Freed said honestly. Rufus should not know that Laxus had also been a stripper in a gay club, so Freed shoved past that before he began to inquire. "You don't want your secret life exposed; I don't want my boyfriend's past exposed. I think we can come to some mutually acceptable terms."
"Indeed," he said, sounding weary. "I suppose you want me to sign a nondisclosure agreement."
"You and your lover, whom I presume also saw Laxus at that club. I actually have one ready. You should feel honored; you're the first person to sign."
"Lucky me," he muttered bitterly.
"Please see our butler before the end of the day. Tell him you need to sign The Dreyar Contract."
Rufus looked honestly impressed. "You have this all planned out."
"You should do the same, if you're going to be hanging out at clubs like that."
"I don't hang out at them," he snapped. "Still, I suppose you're right. One of these days, someone could recognize Orga. It's a dangerous game, but the thrill is part of the fun … until you're actually caught." Rufus rose and adjusted his hat. "Let us continue to work together, Freed Justine."
Freed stood as well and shook his hand. "I look forward to doing business with Sabertooth Enterprises."
Rufus flinched slightly. "R-right," he muttered, realizing that now even his business work could be affected by this blackmail.
Freed watched him go and saw the large man named Orga fall into step beside him. Now that Freed was looking closer, he recognized the minty-haired man. His name had not been on the list, but he was merely security detail. Staff like that rarely were listed.
Freed collapsed back onto the gazebo's bench and rubbed his face, finally letting the stress of this situation to wash over him. That was close! Freed pulled out his cellphone and sent a text to the butler to inform him that Rufus and his bodyguard would both need to sign a nondisclosure form regarding Laxus.
It was pure luck that Rufus had not recognized him at that club. The colored lights, the mask, the winged harness … Rufus' eyes were likely on the outfit and not any physical details. Then again, from what Freed recalled, Orga barely allowed Rufus to look at anyone. He had kept his head down subserviently most of the time and was only allowed to say the word "Sir."
So they were safe. The plan on how to deal with people who knew about Laxus worked.
The rest of the party went about as normal as possible. Freed watched as both his mother and Evergreen acted like social butterflies, flitting from clique to clique in their summer dresses. He spoke a bit more with Lucy and saw that she and Lisanna were hitting it off well. He greeted Senator Mard Geer, as well as the President's advisor, Invel Yura. He managed to avoid Rufus for the rest of the day.
As the sun began to set, the party dispersed. Thanks were given, compliments on the food and music, hands were shaken, and limousines took guests away. Finally, Bickslow's group came out. It was obvious they had been drinking, although surprisingly Bickslow did not seem any more than a little tipsy. Natsu was completely drunk, though.
"He challenged Laxus to a drinking contest," Gray explained, holding Natsu up as he groaned about making the world stop spinning because he was motion sick.
Laxus stood beside Freed as they waved goodbye to Natsu and Gray, leaving in a limousine escorted by Secret Service motorcycles. Seeing Natsu driven around like that reminded all of them just who the man they used to nickname Pinkie was.
"Good party?" asked Laxus.
"It went well enough. We had a slight hitch."
"Oh? Trouble? You should have called me. I can handle troublesome people."
A wicked gleam lit Freed's eye, but he turned away from Laxus. "I couldn't have called you, since it was about you."
He heard Laxus curse under his breath.
"Who was it? I checked that list."
"Not someone you've interacted with. The person simply recognized you."
"Shit. From the South Pole Club?"
"No. He saw you with someone else. Recently," he emphasized. Then he added in a whisper aimed so Laxus would hear, "Apparently being rather intimate."
"What?" he shouted. "What do you mean by recently? How long ago? If it was the club … Freed, I quit that."
Freed continued to stare aside at the water fountain instead of at Laxus. "He just thought I should know that my boyfriend had another toy on the side."
"Fuck no, I don't!" Laxus screamed, growing enraged that Freed was not looking at him.
"Watch your language. He didn't know who she was—"
"She?"
"—but he definitely remembered you, what with that scar. It's a face hard to mistake."
Laxus protested with fervency, "I haven't been with any chicks."
"If I'm not enough, I'll understand, but you should tell me before you seek out someone else."
"Freed!" He grabbed his shoulder, but Freed shook him off. "Freed … you … you don't really believe that, do you? You don't think I'd cheat, right?"
"What reason would he have to lie?"
"Who the fuck is saying this shit? Of course he's lying. Freed … goddammit, you know I'm not … I have never…"
To his surprise, Freed heard Laxus choke up. He finally turned around and saw the tough blond breaking apart.
"Laxus?"
Maybe it was the alcohol, but Laxus burst into tears. "I don't do that shit, Freed," he said, tears sobbing out. "I quit it all because I don't … I never want you to feel like you're not enough. Because you are. Goddammit, you are."
Freed panicked. He thought he would just tease Laxus a little, rile him up, create a nice prelude to the punishment they had planned for that night. He never thought this might make his boyfriend cry.
"Laxus, I didn't mean that."
"How?" he cried out. "How could you believe that?"
Freed reached out and touched his arm. "I don't. I don't believe it."
"Yes, you do." Laxus rubbed the tears away in annoyance. "You're mad, so that means you believe it. You actually think I'd cheat."
"No!"
"Now, you're gonna leave me."
"Laxus, no," he shouted, grabbing hold of him. Not wanting his father to see Laxus like this, Freed waved down the butler. "Bas, my Corvette." Then he focused back on Laxus. "He accused you, but I didn't believe him. I was just teasing you a little."
Laxus sniffed and glared through the tears. "What? You're … teasing me? About cheating?"
"Just a little," he said, sheepishly shrugging. Damn, he really screwed up this idea. "It was Rufus. Remember, the guy who flirted with me at graduation, and then we saw him at the club."
"The vodka gimlet douchebag?"
Freed chuckled that this was how Laxus knew such a rich, powerful man. "He recognized you from the exhibition but didn't recognize me. He thought it must have been someone else and you were sneaking off behind my back. He also remembered that maid who did the exhibition with us, Virgo, and so he thought you were getting kinky with two people at the same time, cheating on me publicly." Freed chuckled smugly. "I caught him, though. No way he could have known about that without being at that club himself. Blackmail is not normally my thing, but it sure does feel sweet to get him like this."
Laxus still glared at him. To anyone else, it was just a harsh look. Freed, however, took a step back. The bottled rage practically sizzled through the air like electricity.
He had enraged the Thunder God!
"Freed Justine," Laxus said in a low, tense voice, "if you were any other man, if you weren't my boyfriend, I swear to God I would punch you so hard, you'd need Michael Jackson's own plastic surgeon to put your face back together."
Freed gulped and felt a chill down his spine.
"You are going to be punished so hard … so damn hard," he said, gritting his teeth in rage. "Is that what you wanted? Play the bad boy? Get me angry? Fuckin' lie to me?"
"N-no," he shouted.
"Accusing me of infidelity! God-fucking-dammit," he cursed, barely keeping his voice to a whisper to avoid attention. Laxus wiped away the last of his tears, and his eyes stormed over with the fury of Thor himself. In a dark, quiet threat, he whispered to Freed, "You are going to be punished. You think you'll like it, but I swear, I'm going to make sure it hurts in a way so you are never even tempted to accuse me of cheating on you again. You will not forget this, and your body is going to hate you for challenging me. You. Will. Suffer."
Freed gulped, both thrilled and terrified. How much of this was true anger and how much was Laxus playing the part Freed had wanted, that of the enraged boyfriend accused of having an affair.
Just then, the Corvette pulled up and the chauffeur tossed Freed the keys. Freed climbed in and waited for Laxus to get buckled up, then put some flute music on to calm the carsickness. He drove them home, and Laxus said nothing the whole time, glaring straight ahead. Freed wondered if he was plotting how to punish him.
Just how mad was he?
How far would he go?
Yet Freed could hardly help but lick his lips sensually as one more question ran through his mind:
What punishment did he have planned?
Next Chapter: "A Special Punishment"
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