Freed wasn't sure what the time was when he woke up but at least it was bright outside. Someone had pulled the curtains shut but he could see a little bright light that peeked behind them. How long had he slept? He remembered coming home, falling and waking up with Laxus in bed and then they ended up having sex, but he wasn't sure when they stopped or what the time was when they stopped.
The rune mage groaned as he sat up and with great effords he managed to get on his feet. Was he still sick? No, it didn't feel like it. His temperature felt normal and he wasn't sweating. He was also feeling really hungry so at least his appetite was back. He must have just slept a bit too long, it was already ten when he looked at the clock on his nightstand.
Freed took his red morning gown and wrapped it around him, tying the belt. After using the bathroom he stepped out of their bedroom, still confused and not sure what was happening. He stepped down the stairs and went to the kitchen where he was surprised by Bickslow and Evergreen.
"Morning, baby", Bickslow grinned. "You finally woke up!"
"Freed's alive!" his 'babies' cheered and snuggled against Freed. "We missed Freed!"
"Good morning", Freed said shooing the dolls away. "Why are you here at this time?" he asked confused.
"Sit down, I will pour you some coffee", Evergreen smiled taking out a cup from the cabinet. "How are you feeling?"
"Uh... Disoriented?" Freed huffed and he sat down. "I've slept too long. Where's Laxus?" he asked.
Bickslow and Ever looked at each other and Freed knew immediately that something wasn't right.
"What? What's going on?" he asked quickly and frowned. "Did something happen while I was sleeping? Where's Felix?" he asked worried.
"Everything's fine", Bickslow assured. "But you've been sleeping soundly for three days."
Freed looked at the seith mage and he couldn't believe his ears. Three days? Surely he just misunderstood something, right?
"It's true, Sweetie", Ever said giving him a cup of coffee and she sat down as well. "You've been sleeping like a log the whole time. Felix has been really worried, he's been crying and asking why you won't wake up."
Freed still felt it hard to believe but he saw from Bickslow's and Ever's faces that they weren't lying. He really did sleep through three whole days.
"I... I have no idea why", he said slowly, even though he knew they weren't demanding him to explain why he didn't wake up. "Where's Laxus?" he asked.
"He's at the guild with Felix, don't worry. He asked us to stay here and keep an eye on you", Bickslow said.
"Oh, of course", Freed said. "He has his duties as a Master -"
"No, Freed", Ever sighed. "It's not just that, actually. It's... Well, Porlyusica said that we should tell you the situation right away once you wake up..."
"What situation?" Freed asked and he was really starting to get nervous. What the hell was going on?
"The mating season", Bickslow finally said and Freed froze. "Yeah. It's back."
"But... How...?"
"We don't know, Porlyusica was just as clueless as we are. She said it should occur only once in every ten years."
"What about others? Are they having symptoms?"
"Yeah, Makarov had to go to Naava Town because Natsu and others are causing troubles there and Laxus refused to leave Magnolia. No one can of course blame him for that and even if he did go there, he would probably just fight with them. They should come back today with a train."
Freed took a deep shaky breath, rubbing his temples and closing his eyes.
"Alright... Let's start from the beginning", he finally said after a moment. "I have a really, really important question: When did it start exactly?" he asked looking at his friends. It was really important to know!
"Three days ago", Evergreen said. "You got a high fever again then."
"I see... Have I... Been awake at all during those three days? Alone with Laxus?"
"No", the seith mage assured. "Laxus was the one who said he would stay in Makarov's house and we should stay here, Cana and Elfman have been helping too and we have taken turns who would stay here and who would take care of Felix and Chester. Laxus said he didn't want to risk anything by staying here. You had a fever after all and he was afraid he might not be able to control himself even if you were sick."
"Okay..." Freed murmured and thought about it more.
Three days ago... Did the mating season start before or after they had sex with Laxus? He remembered that he had really wanted it and at that time he didn't really think it was something out of ordinary.
Bickslow and Evergreen looked at each other and back to the rune mage who seemed to be deep in his thoughts.
"So... Did that fever have something to do with this mating season?" Freed finally asked.
"Porlyusica said it was probably because you had been sick just right before the season", Ever explained. "You were still recovering. When the season started, it was just too much for your body to handle so you got sick again. She said you should be fine after few days. I'm glad she was right."
"And how is Laxus doing right now?"
"He's... Doing his best", Bicks huffed. "He's angry, irritated, frustrated, but really stubborn of not coming here before you would feel better. So he hasn't at least lost his senses."
"That's really good, I'm glad to hear that. I hope Erza is helping him to take care of the paperwork."
"She is. She understands that this is difficult for Laxus as well. She would have gone to Naava Town but Makarov said it was better if she stayed here. Just in case if Laxus and Gajeel might start a fight", Ever said and she shuddered. "It has been a close call for several times already. We're all just trying our best to keep them separated so they can't see each other."
"How is Levy doing?" Freed asked snapping his head back up. "She felt dizzy in the library -"
"It was part of the mating season", Bickslow said and he snorted amused. "You should have seen Porlyusica, she was really interested when she noticed how this mating season seemed to affect some mates as well, not just dragon slayers."
"It's probably because this time there's no need to worry about who might be their partner since most of them already have soulmates", Ever smiled. "What she said exactly was that now those who already have a bond with their soulmate can only concentrate on the main part: mating."
"To be clear, mates get horny as well", Bickslow grinned.
"I hate it when she talks so bluntly", Freed muttered with a tiny blush and Bickslow and Ever snickered.
He sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"This is certainly too much information first thing after waking up", he groaned and he still couldn't wrap his head around all the things he had heard.
And he was worried. What if... No... But then again...
"Since it affects both ways, it only reasonable to think that you don't feel good either when being apart from Laxus right now", Ever reasoned. "Maybe we should go to the guild?"
"That might be it", Freed nodded. That might be the exact reason why he was still feeling so uneasy. Sure the fact that he had been sleeping for so long was one reason as well, but this was probably also part of it all. "I might as well eat there, I'm not in a mood to start cooking something and I want to see Felix so he won't worry anymore."
"Just... Go wash yourself first, Sweetie", Ever said. "You've been sleeping for three days and you've been sweating a lot. Your hair looks like a rat's nest and you smell like a workout shirt that hasn't been washed forever."
Freed sighed and he got up, walking in to the bathroom. He dropped his clothes in the laundry basket and stepped in the shower. For a moment he just stood there feeling the hot water running down his skin and tried to organize his thoughts.
Of course the first thought in his head was a question of when did the season start. Was there going to be consequences or not? To get an answer to that, he should probably talk to Porlyusica once they would get to the guild...
After Freed had taken a shower, brushed his hair and dressed up, the Thunder Legion was ready to leave. For each step they took getting closer and closer Fairy Tail's guild house, Freed's tension lessened and the uneasiness he had felt slowly faded. It must be because Laxus was near.
They walked past the big gates and arrived at the big doors. Freed did not wait but grabbed a handle, opening the door so they could step in.
The Hall was lively just like always. But they could sense the tension there was when everyone was nervous how things might go now that dragon slayers were acting more dragonly again. And it wasn't just Laxus, Natsu and Gajeel this time, but Wendy as well and on top of that, Sting and Rogue were visiting their guild to help them with Yuidose and others.
Freed looked around but he didn't see Laxus. He smiled when he saw Felix, playing with Cana and Chester and he headed towards them. Freed chuckled when they were hardly close to the table when suddenly Felix lifted his head from cards and he turned around noticing them.
"Mama!" he shouted getting down from his seat and ran towards them. Freed smiled and grabbed his son, lifting him up. "You woke up!" Felix said tightly hugging the rune mage.
"I did", Freed smiled patting his son's back. "I'm really sorry you had to worry like that, Felix."
"You should be!" Felix said and he sniffled, not letting go of Freed's neck. "I though you would never ever wake up anymore!"
"I'm fine now, don't worry", Freed smiled as they sat down and Felix hiccuped. "There's no fever anymore and I feel much better. I will see Porlyusica today and she can confirm that I'm alright, okay?"
"Do you pinky swear?" Felix asked wiping his eyes and let go of Freed finally.
"Absolutely", Freed swore without hesitation, lifting his hand and Felix grabbed his pinky with his own. "Now that's a promise. What were you playing here?"
"We just read some cards", Cana smiled and Freed noticed that she didn't even have any drink with her on the table. How rare. "And then we build some houses from cards."
"Cana is really good with cards", Chester said. "She can draw out any card she wants from the deck."
"Yeah, because she's that awesome", Bickslow grinned giving a big smooch for Cana who laughed.
"You dog", she said.
"Thank you for taking care of Felix and Chester", Freed smiled as the mentioned boys took a few cards and went to talk with Macao and Wakaba, trying to read them their future from cards.
"It was fun, don't worry", Cana assured. "And I didn't really do much, I just kept an eye on them when Laxus was busy and Ever and Bickslow were in your house. They are good kids, it's easy to get along with them. I'm probably going to miss this now", she chuckled.
"Didn't Chester mostly live with you two when he was helping Bickslow before wedding?" Ever said. "What if he moved in with you guys permanently?"
"What?" Bicks and Cana both asked surprised and Freed looked at Ever confused. Chester living with Cana and Bickslow? Not that it was a stupid idea or impossible, but... Would it really work?
"Why not?" Ever smiled. "Chester likes you two, I'm sure he would like to live with you. They can meet with Felix whenever they want."
Cana and Bickslow looked at each other.
"What do you say?" Bicks asked.
"I don't know, it's a big decision to make", Cana said. "But... He doesn't have a family, I do feel bad for him."
"Yeah, I know what you mean."
Freed smiled. Maybe it really might work.
"It takes some time to get used to new things that will come along with Chester moving in, but I'm sure everything will go just fine", he said. "And we can help too if there are problems."
"So he's like our kid then, huh?" Bickslow said and he grinned. "Not that bad idea, right?"
"It actually sounds really nice", Cana smiled, leaning against her hand. "But we better talk with Chester about it."
"I'm sure he has nothing against it", Freed assured and he stood up. "I better go find Laxus, I want to talk with him about something."
"He's in his office now", Cana said.
"Are you sure it's wise?" Ever asked.
"I'm sure", Freed promised and he went to the stairs.
He stepped in the hallway, walked past some doors and stopped in front of the right door. He knew that Laxus was there, he could almost hear him breathing. Oh god, it made his skin tingle and it felt difficult to concentrate on why he had actually came here. He heard thumps from inside, like something was hitting against a wall.
"I know you're there", he heard a grunt from inside and Freed sighed, grabbing the doorhandle and opened it.
He stepped in the room and instantly there was a tension between them. Freed looked at Laxus who was sitting on his chair, his legs on the table and the thing causing thumps was a ball he kept tossing against the wall.
But when Freed stepped in, he stopped and straightened himself, putting the ball on the table.
"I'm glad to see you're okay", he smiled.
"It's still hard to believe I slept three whole days", Freed said closing the door and he stepped closer to the table. "Bicks and Ever told me all about what's going on."
"Good that you know", Laxus said.
Then there was a silence between them. They were both feeling uncomfortable because of the temptation they felt and they knew they couldn't help it or either do anything. Finally Freed sighed and he sat down on a couch.
"I hope you're not mad that I wasn't there when you woke up", Laxus said looking at his mate. He had secretly feared that Freed might actually get mad at him because he wasn't there taking care of him.
"No, I completely understand why you decided that way", Freed assured immediately. "And I'm glad you did. You did the right thing."
"Yeah. I hate it", Laxus grunted running his fingers through his blond hair. "These past three days have been torture, but I didn't want to risk anything."
"I know", Freed smiled. "You're a good man, Laxus."
"Dunno about that. I've been thinking a lot, you know, that time when you passed out at home and..."
"That was the first thing I thought too when I heard about the situation."
Again there was an awkward silence, them just staring at each other.
"So do you think that last time, it might...?"
"I have no idea. I will talk about it with Porlyusica today."
"Good."
"And we have to talk what we are going to do now, since there are almost two weeks left of the mating season", Freed said and Laxus groaned turning around with his chair. Damn, he hated when they had to talk about things like these! These conversations were always so complicated. "I'm serious, Laxus. What do we want to do? What do you want to do?"
"What the fuck is that question? You know I want to bang you right against this table right now if I could."
"I'm not talking about that, I'm just as tempted as you are but we have to stay rational with this. If we don't want to have another kid, we can't do a thing during the season", Freed said with a frown. Even he hated the idea of staying apart for that long but it couldn't be helped. "So what is our decision? What do you think about it?"
"An honest opinion?" Laxus said and he turned around again looking at Freed. "I don't mind. Either way. I'm fine with one kid and I'm fine with two kids. That's my opinion. What do you think about it?" he asked. "And I want you to be honest."
It was more important to know what Freed might think or want. He knew that Freed was always ready to endure whatever Laxus wanted. If he had said he wanted an another kid, Freed would do it no matter what he himself wanted. And if he had said he was fine with just one, he would bend to his will again. Sometimes Laxus really hated that part of Freed's nature. It wasn't that the rune mage didn't have any backbone to go against his word – because he sure could do it if he so decided – but he was always ready to throw away his own wishes and desires if it was for someone he really loved.
Freed was too damn kind in his own stupid way and Laxus knew it very well.
"So what do you want to do?" Laxus asked.
Freed took a deep breath and he thought it all over. What did he really want? This was the time when they really had to make the decision and it would be final. There was no guarantee that the mating season might happen again in five years, or even ten years. It was... Scary to think that they actually might not have another chance after this, but in the other hand he still did feel like he wasn't ready.
Yet still some part of him said that everything would be fine, they could do this. But was it just those instincts brought by the mating season talking?
"I'd say... That we gamble", he finally said and Laxus lifted his eyebrow.
"Gamble? That's not something you would usually do", he snorted and Freed chuckled slightly.
"I know, I don't usually like doing something like that", he admitted. "But the truth is we can't know if that last time happened already during the mating season or before it so this is a gamble right now no matter what we want. Unless we give in for the temptation even once, we know how strong this magic is and it's almost one hundred percent sure we will have another child. But right now, we don't know what will happen."
"So you want to stay apart and see what will happen?"
"Yes, that is my suggestion to this."
"Since when did you become someone who leaves things for the universe to decide?" Laxus asked a bit amused.
"Truth is, I can't really decide", Freed said honestly. "There's so much to consider in both options."
"Hey, do you remember what I told you in our wedding day? You're thinking too much again. You should concentrate more on what feels right, not ponder every single thing like a damn machine."
"But this is a big decision -"
"Like hell I don't know that already!" Laxus growled and Freed almost jumped. The lightning dragon slayer grunted and calmed his bounching anger. "Sorry, just... So frustrated since you're right there and I can't even touch you even though I haven't seen you in three days", he muttered.
"It's alright, I understand", Freed nodded. "I know how you feel", he smiled. He really wanted to touch Laxus as well. "Well, right now we're not even sure how things are, I should talk with Porlyusica first and then we can think about this more. Together."
"You're right", Laxus said. "You want to go talk with her right now? She's here at the guild."
"I think that's for the best. You want to come with me?"
"Definitely. I want to be there if she actually can tell if you're pregnant so this time I'll be the first one to hear it with you."
Freed blushed slightly and they stood up.
"Are you absolutely sure you're okay with this arrangement?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Heck, I haven't forgotten how much work it was to take care of a baby and I can't even imagine how hard it might be now since there's Felix as well", Laxus huffed stepping beside his green haired husband. "But I know we can do it if the old hag says we're gonna have another brat."
Freed thought about it and then he sighed as they stepped in the hallway.
"What?" Laxus asked confused. "You don't want to do it?"
"Of course I do, don't even joke about something like that."
"So what's with the sigh?"
"... I really hate that coat."
"Huh? What coat?"
"That black coat I had to use because this one got too small..."
"Well if that's the biggest problem then we go home after this, burn that coat and I'll buy you a bunch of new coats and you can choose them all by yourself", Laxus said amused and Freed huffed.
"Don't even dream about me forgetting that promise", he said but he smirked playfully and they laughed.
It was a really good thing to know that whatever might be the answer, they would both be fine with it. Even if they wouldn't have another kid, they already had an amazing son and if there might be another baby, they were sure that together they could handle anything.