When Freed finally snapped back to reality, he was sitting in a bathtub. His body was in a warm bath, his knees were crouched up touching his chest. His long hair flowed slowly under the water.
I will live on to see your legacy through.
The verbal contract he signed with his father, just moments ago, played through his head. Oh right... I'm not in Magnolia anymore. He lifted his arms out of the water and examined the wounds on his wrists. Bruises and burns were left onto his skin from the restraints.
How did I get here? In a bath?
Freed began to remember what happened after his surrender:
"Clean him up. The last thing I want is for him to taint the Justine name even more than he has. He begins the next stage of his training tomorrow."
"Yes sir," Marissa and Damian both responded to their master.
After he pledged his loyalty to his father Freed must have blacked out. He didn't remember Damian carrying him to his new room, which was a hell of an upgrade from the cell he was kept in for months. Damian ran a bath and placed Freed inside. He started running water through Freed's hair and that's when he noticed tears falling from Freed's eyes. He reached over to wipe them away and was met with a smack from Freed's hand.
"Get out," Freed said in a cold tone.
"I'm... not supposed to leave you alone" Damian was shocked to hear Freed finally speak to him.
"Then wait outside the bathroom. I don't need your help with this anymore now that I'm not restrained."
Damian looked like he was going to argue but decided against it. He got up from his crouching position and left the bathroom.
And that's when it hit Freed.
I'm alone.
The tears from his eyes were streaming nonstop. He was trying his best to silence the sobs leaving his mouth through clenched teeth. His brain felt like it was on fire and his body was sore. Not to mention his mental state was still spiraling.
No one's coming for me. I have no home. I was never good enough for him. No... I don't need anybody. I don't need a home.
In that moment, Freed decided the only way he could not feel all this pain is if he shut down his mind completely. He closed his eyes and tried to push down all of these feelings, to the point where he messed with his own memory.
So that's what happened. I'm on my own now. Just like I was when I was a child.
Freed regained the brief memory after staring at his beaten wrists. He felt nothing now. Mission accomplished. Nothing but emptiness. It's what he needs if he wants to survive whatever kind of personal hell this is. He extended his legs out across the tub and submerged himself under the water completely, letting the water muffle all the noise from outside.
***
Freed wrapped a towel around his waist and stood in front of a mirror to examine himself. He could barely recognize the man staring back at him. His face was pale, his eyes were red and had dark circles underneath them, the hair on his temples was nearly singed off from the shock treatments, and his chest had a long scar down the middle. He had lost a lot of muscle weight which was not good. He made his way out of the bathroom. He still felt a little too weak to walk on his own so he'd grab the wall for assistance. When he walked out he saw Damian standing next to the door.
"You done? I brought you a change of clothes." Damian pointed at the bed.
Freed walked toward the bed, dropping the towel around his waist along the way. He unfolded the clothes and looked at Damian, feeling his lingering eyes on his bare body. As soon as Freed looked over Damian averted his eyes.
"Tch, it's nothing you haven't seen already" Freed pulled on the sweatpants.
Damian cleared his throat, "Whatever, take this." He threw Freed an elixir filled with a clear green liquid. There was something familiar with the color.
"What's this?"
"It's a cure all. Drink it. You start the next phase of your training tomorrow and you're going to need to be fully healed for it."
Freed examined the elixir. What the hell do I have to lose anymore? He popped the cork and took the entire thing with one gulp. Relief filled his entire body. It felt and tasted similar to what the innkeeper gave him in that town with Laxus. Only this time it didn't heal him completely. He still had the burns on his wrists and he was very underweight. The feeling of his brain melting now felt like a minor migraine. Before he could examine his wrists, Damian grabbed one of them.
"I'm sorry I couldn't get you anything better than this," he thumbed over the burn mark. "It's all I could get my hands on."
Freed furrowed his brows, "Why?" He was trying his best to keep his voice from breaking, "Why are you helping me? Is this another one of my father's games?!" He pulled his arm out of Damian's reach, "Do you think I'm weak enough to fall for his schemes?! He already broke me, I already pledged my loyalty to him, how much longer do I have to endure his torture?!"
Freed's efforts to bury everything deep down was failing miserably. He couldn't hold his composure anymore. He was taking all of his frustration out on Damian; punching, kicking, and pushing him away. Why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this?!
Damian's eyes were filled with empathy. Freed's blows were completely helpless and weak. "Stop," he said in a low voice, but Freed continued to lash out. In an instant, Damian grabbed Freed's wrists and pinned him onto the bed.
"I said stop!" Freed's face was in pain, tears trailed out uncontrollably. There was no point in holding them back now. "I'm not scheming with your father! I did this all on my own accord!"
Their faces were so close together they could feel the heat from each other's breath.
"Then why? Are you doing this out of pity?" Freed sobbed.
"And if I said I was? Would you believe me?" Damian looked into Freed's eyes until finally he pushed himself off of the bed, leaving Freed in a state of confusion. He rubbed his forehead in frustration, "Look, I can't really explain why I'm helping you. The moment I saw you I saw this symbol of hope. You're not the only one who had to go through something like this here, and I doubt you'll be the last." He turned back toward Freed, "I'm trying to make it easier for you to get stronger so one day you'll be able to surpass the master and prevent this from happening to anyone else."
The realization struck Freed. He propped himself up on his elbows, "who are you trying to protect?"
Damian clenched his jaw. His eyes avoided Freed's, "My younger brother. It's almost time for his initiation into the guild and I don't want him to suffer like everyone else before him. I want him to be able to live a life without any trauma."
Freed studied Damian's movements, looking for any sign of a slip up. He could read anybody like a book and from what he saw, Damian was telling the truth.
"Why should I think you're any different from my father? The first time I met you, you were hell bent on killing Laxus in front of me."
"I already told you those were your father's orders... and frankly, I don't think very highly of that man. He's done nothing but hold you back from your true potential. You were better off without him."
Freed scowled, "And what? I'm better off with you?"
Damian leaned back into Freed's face, his eyes inches away from Freed's, "yes, you are. Just look at how weak he's made you."
A flush of heat filled Freed's face uncontrollably. He turned his head away and scoffed, "Whatever. Just leave. I'm going to sleep."
Damian stood up, straightened his coat with a smirk on his face, "As you wish, your highness. Don't be late to training tomorrow." and left Freed alone in the room with nothing but the silence keeping him company.
****
A week into his intensive training, Freed almost gained all his muscle weight back. The physical training was easy to fall back into, however he was still picking up the pieces from his shattered mind. Every night he had nightmares, some included flashbacks from the shock treatment, others reminded him of all his insecurities.
One day before training, he examined his hair. He hated being reminded of the shock treatment. He grabbed a razor and started shaving off the burnt hair until it formed an undercut. When he showed up wearing his hair in a ponytail, he received stares from Marissa and Damian.
"So you're one of those people who cuts their hair after a breakup," Marissa joked.
"I think it looks good," Damian cut in, "I can finally see your ears. They're cute" he teased.
Freed walked into the training ring, "What's today's regime?" ignoring both of the comments.
"You're almost ready to start using magic in training, you just need to win a fight without using any to move on" Damian directed.
"Sounds simple enough. Who's ass do I need to kick?"
"Mine."
Freed turned around to see Marissa had entered the ring. Well, at least I'll have some fun today.
Marissa made the first move, lunging toward Freed with her right fist. Freed dodged it effortlessly.
"Don't worry, I won't reopen that wound on your chest today" Marissa mocked as she threw a left hook at Freed's jaw.
In that moment Freed ducked under her, kicked Marissa's knees, causing her to fall to the ground, and slammed his hand at the pressure point between her neck and shoulder. Marissa felt paralyzed. Her whole body fell flat on the floor. Freed walked over her body and crouched down to whisper in her ear.
"The only reason you were able to touch me the first time was because you fought dirty. You have no idea what I'm actually capable of, so don't fool yourself into thinking you could ever touch me again."
From outside the ring, Freed heard a burst of laughter. He turned to see Damian with his arms wrapped around his stomach cackling. "Oh my god! He really kicked your ass!"
Freed stared at him seriously, "If this is one of the guild's best members in combat I'm genuinely worried for its future. This was a pathetic waste of my time."
Damian wiped his eyes, as if he was crying from laughter, "haha I didn't expect anything less from Freed the Dark"
"Don't call me that."
"Come on. The master's waiting for you in his office."
The two men left for the guildmaster's office, leaving Marissa alone on the floor. Once they reached the office doors Damian paused. He turned to whisper in Freed's ear.
"I'm sorry for what you're about to endure. Just know it's all a part of the process of you becoming stronger than your father. Bear with it for now."
Freed's eyes widened but before he could question Damian he was being pulled into the office by two guards.
"Wait!" The last thing Freed saw before the office doors closed was Damian's face looking away, as if it was painful watching him being taken. The guards threw Freed to the floor. He looked up to see his father sitting at his desk.
"I've heard you've been excelling at your training. You're way ahead of schedule." His father said in an eerie tone. "I think it's time I tell you exactly what I'm expecting of you."
Freed didn't respond.
"Over the years, this guild has been collecting artifacts that enhance a wizard's magic greatly. The reason we've collected these items is so that one day we can gain control of all guilds."
"Gain control of all guilds? How?" Freed questioned.
"It's simple really. We're going to use this power to wipe out the new Magic council. Unlike those demons of Tartaros, we'll be replacing the magic council. This will give us control of the light guilds. The dark guilds will fall in line after we demonstrate our power."
"And how is this power being demonstrated?" Freed asked, trying to bury the anxious feeling rising in his chest.
"We'll make an example of a town. Wipe it clean. Maybe we'll start with Magnolia?" His father gave him a sly look.
Freed's heartbeat quickened, "You'd really kill thousands of innocent people to prove your point?!"
"Of course. It's what we must do. And you'll be the star of the show my boy."
Freed gave his father a confused scowl, but before he could say anything the two guards grabbed him by the arms once again. They raised him up so that he was kneeling in front of his father's desk.
"Wait! Wait! What're you doing?!" Freed screamed.
His father made his way around the desk with a syringe filled with black goo in his hand.
"We'll be giving you increments of demon blood to make you stronger and enhance your dark magic. This blood is straight from a demon from the book of Zeref. It'll successfully mutate with your cells. Since you've already turned yourself into a demon with your dark écriture magic, you'll have the highest success rate in the guild."
Freed's whole body stiffened at everything he was hearing. It's so much worse than I'd thought. He tried to fight his way out but it was useless.
"Please! Please don't do this to me! Dad!" he pleaded.
Without hesitation, Freed's father shoved the needle into his neck, injecting the demon blood inside Freed.
Freed felt instant white hot pain, causing him to fall to the ground in the fetal position. His blood was boiling. His veins were popping out and turning black. His screams would've carried throughout the mansion if it weren't for the soundproofed walls. His right eye, the one he used for eye magic for the thunder legion, was glowing. It was surrounded by black veins.
After what seemed like an eternity, the blood seemed to settle in his body. Freed picked himself up from the ground and stared at his feet, panting.
"Well? How do you feel?" His father asked with genuine curiosity.
The only thing Freed felt in that moment was anger. He swung his fist into one of the guards standing by, sending him flying through the office walls.
His father looked at the gaping hole in his office, "Wow it worked even better than I thought it would," he boasted.
"This was NOT a part of the deal!" Freed was grinding his teeth. His right eye was still glowing with a black and purple color. "I did not agree to murdering innocent civilians!"
"You agreed to being loyal to me. That includes everything." Freed's father looked down at his clenched fist. "I think it's time to get rid of that hideous symbol on your hand."
Before Freed had any time to think, his father grabbed his hand with his Fairy Tail symbol and slammed it on the desk. He found some type of laser wand and placed it over Freed's hand. There was a burning sensation going over it. Freed had no choice but to watch his Fairy Tail symbol be replaced with an infinity symbol made out of two snakes.
"That's better. Now go get some rest. You'll continue your training with Damian tomorrow. You'll be going through these injections for fourteen days." His father sat back into his desk chair as if nothing even happened.
A million thoughts were running through Freed's mind. Sharp pain would hit him suddenly while he was walking back to his room. When he entered his room, he saw Damian sitting on his bed.
Anger flooded Freed once again. He launched at the man, pushing him against the wall.
"DID YOU KNOW?!" He yelled.
Damian unclenched his jaw, "Yes, I knew he was going to start injecting you with-"
"Not that!" Freed interrupted, "Did you know he was planning on annihilating an entire city!?"
Freed was watching Damian's expression closely. He was looking for any reason to punch his face in. Instead, he saw shock fill Damian's eyes. He loosened his grip and backed away from him.
"You didn't know.."
Damian covered his mouth, "shit. This is way worse than I imagined." He looked back at Freed, who never took his eyes off of him. "What else did he tell you? When is this going down?"
"I'm not sure, we have some time. I have to finish the injection period and he's still tracking down a few more artifacts."
"Okay. Okay, let's figure out a plan to stop him. For now, play along and I'll continue training you."
"That's easier said than done. Do you know how painful that one injection was?"
Damian walked closer to Freed, "I think I have an idea." He pulled the collar of his shirt down to reveal old injection scars trailing from his neck.
"What the hell..." Freed lightly touched the scars, "He said I was the only one that could take it."
"That's true. But that didn't stop him from experimenting on the rest of us." Damian fixed his shirt, covering up the scars. "You're the only one that can take the full set of injections. The rest of us could barely get through half. I was able to take 8, Marissa took 6."
"My god..."
Damian grabbed Freed by the arms, "Look Freed, we can stop him. We will stop him. Just trust me alright?"
Freed stared into Damian's eyes. He saw nothing but sincerity. He wanted to find any reason to not trust him, but he couldn't.
"Okay. I'll trust you."
****
Just like that, fourteen days and fourteen injections later Freed became one of the strongest members in the twin snakes guild. His skill level was already high prior to entering the guild, only now he had nothing tying him down. With each injection he could feel the demon blood tainting him. It was getting harder and harder to distinguish good from bad. There were moments where he found himself agreeing with his father's ideals, but quickly shut them down.
Everyday, he would train with and without his power then receive his injection for the day. Each time he left in more pain than the day before. Every night he and Damian would meet in his room to debrief. The night of the ninth injection, he felt terrible. He walked into the room and saw Damian sitting on his bed like usual. Damian immediately came to his aid once he saw the state he was in.
"Freed, are you sure you can take all fourteen injections? I can get you out of here. Just say the word. I won't force you to follow through with this plan."
"No. I can do this. I'm not leaving this place without taking down my father." Freed said more determined than ever.
Damian sat Freed down on the bed, brushing his fingers through Freed's bangs, "Every day you amaze me."
Freed didn't know if it was the injection clouding his judgement or if he just felt so vulnerable in that moment, but he needed a warm comfortable presence and Damian was it. He pulled on Damians shirt, causing him to fall flat onto the bed. He moved on top of him so that his thighs straddled his waist.
"Freed, what are you-"
Freed cut him off with a kiss. At first it was hesitant, but as soon as they became comfortable it was fiery, passionate. Freed broke away first to catch his breath. The space between them was filled with their heavy breathing. Freed unbuttoned Damian's shirt, smoothing his hands over his bare chest. Then he moved down to his pants.
"Freed," Damian stopped his hand, "are you sure?"
Freed paused. He stared at Damian's chest then moved his gaze into his eyes.
"I've spent so much time being involved in a one-sided love that I didn't think anyone would ever care for me the way you have. I didn't know what it felt like to be loved back. I want this. With you. Do you want me?"
Damian felt his throat go dry and his face flush with heat. "Yes. I want you." He moved up to give Freed a kiss, trailing his lips along his ear, "I want every part of you."
Freed pushed Damian back onto the bed and unbuckled his belt. As a side effect of the injections, sharp pain shot through his arms. Damian interlaced his fingers with Freed's and flipped him onto his back.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of you."
Freed's pain started to ease as Damian kissed him. He trailed his kisses down his jawline, neck, and chest. Freed was getting lost in the ecstasy. A small voice inside his head was screaming at him to not cross this line but he ignored it.
Am I really allowed to be happy? Will I be able to love this man?
The two continued their relationship in secret for another two weeks. Freed was the one who decided on telling his father to prevent any punishment from falling on Damian. His father was not the happiest about the relationship but since Freed had been such a "good boy" upon his arrival he decided not to hold it against him.
**PRESENT TIMELINE**
Freed was on his third glass of wine and was starting to feel a little tipsy. The guild master had already drank to his heart's content and nearly passed out at the head of the table. Others in the guild were planning on partying all night.
"So why did the master decide to throw a party tonight?" Alexander asked.
"Don't you know?!" Marissa yelled putting Alexander into a headlock, "We only need one more artifact and then all of this searching will be complete!"
"Oh wow, I wonder what master has planned for us after we get it."
Freed looked over at Damian who didn't show any concern about their limited timeline. He grabbed Freed's hand under the table, using his thumb to caress the back of it. He leaned in and whispered into Freed's ear, "it's okay, we'll be okay." He gave lingering kisses on Freed's neck.
"Ugh, get a room," Marissa said with a scowl on her face.
"That sounds good to me. What do you say? Want to head up to your room?" Damian gave Freed a menacing look.
"Is there a reason we never go into your room? What're you hiding?" Freed shot back.
"I'm not hiding anything. I didn't realize you wanted to use it. Let's go." Damian got out of his seat and held out his hand to Freed.
"You guys are gross," Marissa chimed in.
"Shut up." Freed and Damian said simultaneously.
Freed grabbed his hand to get up and felt the alcohol hit him. His tolerance was still terrible.
"Hey, carry me."
Damian scoffed, "You only like me for my muscles." He bent over to allow Freed onto his back.
"Not true. Your face is pretty too!" Freed defended, giving Damian a kiss on the cheek.
Damian made his way upstairs, carrying Freed on his back.
****
When Laxus opened his eyes, it was still night out. He stared at the ceiling of his and Bickslow's room and that's when it hit him. He jumped up only to feel pain in his abdomen. When he looked down he had a large piece of gauze to cover up a stab wound.
He stabbed me.
"Hey, hey, take it easy!" Bickslow yelled as he was coming out of the bathroom.
"How long have I been out? How did we get back to the inn?" Laxus questioned.
"Not long. I found you laying in one of the museum hallways bleeding, so I carried you back and the innkeeper helped with the wound. You gotta stop getting hurt bro, do you know how heavy you are?"
Laxus groaned. His head was pounding. Everything that's happened so far seemed so unreal.
"So, who stabbed you?" Bickslow asked.
Laxus looked at his hands. His memory flashed to him reaching out to Freed and the expression on Freed's face when they saw each other.
"It was Freed," Laxus paused, "he's alive."
The room fell silent. Laxus studied Bickslow's reaction.
"Is there a reason you don't look surprised?" Laxus confronted, "Did you know he was alive?!"
"Look, I didn't know for sure. Makarov has been letting me investigate this Twin Snakes guild on my own because I still had a sliver of hope that Freed was alive," Bickslow confessed. "I was not about to believe Freed was dead unless there was an actual body to bury."
The feeling of guilt filled Laxus. The look on Freed's face flashed in his head once more. What has he been through this whole time? Laxus was too busy being a hot mess to even think about what could have happened to Freed. It must have been something terrible for him to say Fairy Tail is no longer his home. Laxus jumped out of the bed and started getting dressed.
"Let's go."
"W-what? Where?" Bickslow looked at Laxus with confusion.
"We're going to find Freed and bring him home." His voice quickly became scary.
"But we lost them already. How will you find where he went?"
"Bickslow, I'm a dragon slayer. I can track Freed's scent. Let's go." Laxus threw on his jacket and headed out. Bickslow followed without hesitation.
Laxus and Bickslow hid behind some bushes once they reached the guild's mansion. They scouted the area to avoid running into any members.
"It looks like they're having a party," Bickslow stated.
"Yeah, we need to locate Freed. I think we should figure out where his room is" Laxus whispered.
"How are we supposed to do that?? The house is full of guild members, AKA people who will kill us on sight."
"We'll go from the back. We can climb through the balcony windows from one of the rooms and get in. Look there's a couple open on the left side of the house!" Laxus pointed to the two rooms on the far left of the second floor of the mansion. The lights were off which meant everyone was too busy partying downstairs.
After some moaning and groaning, Bickslow agreed to climb up to the second story bedrooms. It was the only way to get in the house without getting noticed and Laxus was sure that Freed's scent was leading inside the house.
Laxus jumped up to the second floor, while Bickslow used his babies for a boost. The balcony doors were open so they stepped into the room. The only light received was from the moon. The room was large with elegant decoration. Bickslow and Laxus walked around it, trying to find any information to lead them to their next move.
"Bickslow, let's move to the next one. I think Freed's scent is coming from the left hallway." Laxus froze suddenly as he was reaching for the doorknob.
"What happened? Why'd you stop?" said Bickslow in a hushed voice.
"Listen."
Bickslow pressed his ear against the door. Outside the hallway he could hear giggling. It was all too familiar. Freed. There was a push against the wall.
"Hey! Watch your hands! I won't hesitate to drop you!" A familiar voice to Laxus.
"Sorry, sorry! I'm just excited to finally see your room." That one's Freed, Laxus thought. Who the hell is he giggling like that with??
"Laxus!" Bickslow whisper-yelled. "I think they're coming in here!"
Laxus snapped out of his thoughts. As if by instinct, he grabbed Bickslow and ran out to the balcony. They hid on both sides of the terrace. Before Bickslow had any time to object, the door opened and the light switched on. They peered behind the wall to see a large man carrying Freed on his back. The two were giggling as if they were drunk in love. The man with silver hair dropped Freed onto the bed and bent over him.
"Wait! I wanna explore the room first!" Freed pushed Damian off him and ran around the room like a little kid.
Damian sat on the bed and scoffed, "Well hurry up and explore. I don't know how much longer I can hold myself back."
Bickslow looked over at Laxus to see his expression had gone cold. He could have sworn he saw one of Laxus' veins popping out of his forehead. Laxus had recognized Damian's voice but knew for sure once he saw his face.
"He's the one I fought that day."
"This isn't fair! Your room is huge! Why do you have a bigger room than me?"
"Seniority!" Damian yelled back at Freed.
When Freed came out of Damian's closet, he wore nothing but one of Damian's button ups. Freed walked up to the man and sat on top of his lap. He began giving Damian small pecks from his jawline to his collarbone.
"Damn," Damian said breathlessly.
"Let's do it in the bathtub. It's so roomy compared to mine."
Bickslow's eyes widened. If it wasn't for the green hair there was no way he would have recognized this Freed. This Freed was the same as before, but more... confident, sure of himself.
Damian lifted Freed up and carried him to the bathroom. Laxus and Bickslow didn't speak until they heard the door close.
"Well... he definitely has a type..." Bickslow stood across from Laxus, dumbfounded.
Now it was clear that Laxus had veins popping out of his head. Bickslow could tell what just happened affected Laxus in more ways than one.
"Laxus-"
"Those bastards. I don't know what they did to Freed," Laxus clenched his fists, "but we're bringing him home to Fairy Tail. Tonight."
Bickslow ran in front of Laxus stopping him from entering the room. "Laxus. Laxus, wait! You can't just storm right in there."
"Why not?!"
"If that man is the same one you fought that day then there's no way we're facing him again just the two of us." Bickslow stared into Laxus' eyes, "Or did you forget you were pretty much in a coma for two weeks after that day?"
Laxus stared back at Bickslow. He couldn't deny the facts. They were completely unprepared for this mission, and Laxus hasn't really spent the last nine months training for his revenge. A flood of regret hit him, I should've been training.
"Then what do you suggest we do?!" Laxus yelled. He was starting to get frustrated. He had no idea what was even happening right now. Freed looked terrified when he saw him at the museum and said that Fairy Tail was no longer his home, but now he's laughing and kissing the man who fought and nearly killed Laxus?! It didn't make any sense.
Bickslow pushed Laxus back out of the room. "Let's wait until they're separated. We can knock out the big guy if we catch him off guard, then we can talk to Freed."
"Mmmm I don't know. That plan seems kind of flawed."
Laxus and Bickslow turned to see Damian standing in the balcony's doorway.