Work Text:
With Sickness Comes Sweetness
He felt the cold hand against his forehead before he woke. It took some blinking and wincing against the brightness of the bedroom for him to return from slumber and once he did, the weight of his sickness hit him. It was smothering, claggy and had drained him of all of his energy. The warmth of his duvet and blanket was both too much and entirely necessary, and he pulled them closer around him.
The hand that had been on his forehead moved up, stroking through his hair. The scratching and tugging, both gentle and firm at once, was pleasant at least. A short rush of chills ran down his body and he pushed up a little into it, closing his eyes.
"How are y' feeling?"
"No different than before."
"You think you could handle some food? I got soup."
"Soon. Let me wake up first."
Sleep, over the last few days, had been an inconsistent thing. Sometimes he struggled to even keep his eyes open, the warmth of the room cradling him to a state of tiredness that had his head bobbing and his muscles protesting the smallest of movements. Other times, the mixture of sniffling, coughing, wincing and water drinking meant sleep wasn't possible. He was getting good at predicting which state he'd be in, and he was almost certain he wouldn't be sleeping again for a while now he was awake.
For a time, Freed indulged himself. The hand still stroked into his hair and made waking up much more pleasant, and the thin beating of the room's light became more gentle as time went by.
When he opened his eyes, he saw Laxus was sitting on the edge of their bed, looking at him. His face was relaxed, but eyes flickered over Freed's face in a way that showed his concern. Laxus, even with Freed, kept his emotions close to his chest, but Freed knew that he was still broiling with that concern he always got whenever Freed was sick.
"How was the guild?" Freed asked, shifting so that he could sit up, leaning against the headboard. He made sure to have his duvet and blanket wrapped around him tight as he did so.
"Loud."
"How descriptive."
"Orange?" Laxus offered. "Smelt weird. I dunno."
"I expect that would be sugar," Freed nodded slightly in confirmation of his own thoughts, then regretted it. The room whited out for a moment and he ducked his head to lessen the rush of a headache. "You gave Mirajane my apologies?"
"I did," Laxus nodded. "She said you're an idiot and not to worry about it."
"Did she? Those sound like your words."
"Paraphrased," Laxus shrugged. "I'm right though. You're sick, shouldn't be worrying about something like that."
"I made a commitment."
"Also made a vomit stain on the carpet."
"She handled everything without me, though?"
"Think so." Laxus seemed content not to continue, but Freed looked at him with a steady - if not a little weak - gaze. "It looks great. Everyone looked happy, lotta games were going on, pumpkins everywhere, and I guess Levy worked out your instructions because the runes in the haunted house look like they were doing the same things they did last year."
"Good," Freed nodded slightly, looking down at his lap.
Laxus' hand retracted from Freed's hair, and Freed glanced at it before going back down to his lap again. HIs mind lagged a little, thoughts preoccupied as he ran his hand over his duvet cover. It was textured, and the feeling of the slight bumps in the fabric grounded him from his aching head. It was weighted and heavy, exactly what he needed, and as Laxus leant down to do something Freed couldn't see, his mind wandered. Specifically, to what he should have been doing in the guild that day.
The Halloween party was a guild event that Freed was fully involved in. This had only happened for the past few years - the years following Laxus' excommunication from the guild - but already it was a highlight of each year. After what had happened, Freed began making an effort with his guildmates, and had in turn gained a fondness for Halloween. What had previously been something he scoffed at, was now a cherished tradition.
His main contribution was in the haunted house that Magnolia's residents could go through. His runes were placed in each room, affecting the tension and fear levels of everyone inside of it. A child and a fully grown adult could see the same thing and have entirely different reactions, allowing it to be suitable for all ages no matter what they saw. This had allowed everyone involved to be as creative as they wanted with the haunted house without fear of getting into trouble by taking things too far, and seeing how much enjoyment his guildmates had because of something he had done had been oddly heartwarming. The following year, Freed had not only helped with his magic, but also with decorating; having wings and skills with a blade were sought after skills on Halloween, apparently.
Not so much that he couldn't be replaced, though. That was clear.
"Stop looking like that," Laxus instructed, and something heavy landed on Freed's lap. "They'll want you back and you know it."
"I'm not looking like anything."
"You ain't awake enough to be in control of your face yet. You're looking sad, cut it out," More things landed on Freed's lap, and Freed slowly realised that he had closed his eyes again at some point. He opened them to a blurry mess and a rush of whirling in his mind. Whatever this flu was, it needed to end soon. Three days were more than enough. "You're gonna have to help me with this. Don't know what I'm doing with it."
Freed blinked away his grogginess again, and saw what had been placed on the bed. A pumpkin, a thick book that boasted an anthology of horror novels, a leather case and an enchanted foodbox.
"What is this?"
"You like Halloween," Laxus did a half shrug, reaching for the crystal that controlled their Lacrima Entertainment System. It flickered to life, and Laxus turned the volume almost all the way down to suit Freed's headache. "Just because you're sick, doesn't mean you shouldn't get to enjoy yourself. Won't be as loud as the guild, but it's something."
Freed looked up from the array of things on his bed, and towards his boyfriend. Laxus, as he so often did when he was doing anything romantic, made sure not to look at Freed. His cheeks were tinged with red and nose turned up slightly, and Freed smiled. Two years of dating, and Laxus was still shy about his romantic side.
"You're very sweet," Freed whispered.
"Shut up," Laxus refuted. "I'm gonna change my clothes. Don't mess with anything while I'm out."
"You're leaving to change?" Freed asked. "I think it's okay if you do it in front of me."
"It's a costume," he mumbled the latter word. Freed smiled slightly; Laxus had always been averse to costumes. "Wanna surprise you. Shut up."
"Okay."
Laxus huffed out a breath, pulled something out of the now empty bag he'd apparently brought in, and walked out of their bedroom. When the door was closed, Freed looked around everything that Laxus had brought him. Even the entertainment system was settled on a menu of horror movies, which Laxus typically avoided due to their 'crappy storytelling, stupid characters and loud screaming.'
Freed knew that Laxus didn't understand his enjoyment of Halloween, and mainly looked on in confused bemusement. A holiday focused around costumes, games, and the occasion prank wasn't exactly to Laxus' tastes. The fact he was willing to do this was just so sweet.
As he waited for Laxus to return, Freed ran his hands over everything Laxus had brought him. The pumpkin was real, and had been scooped out but not yet carved. The book was filled with a selection of short stories, some of which Freed had heard of and some which he hadn't. The foodbox was humming with its magic charm, and was warm to the touch. The black case, when opened, housed the same tools that Freed used for pumpkin carving in the past few years. That explained the pumpkin then.
"If you laugh, I'm flashing the lights on and off until you vomit," Laxus' voice came through the closed door.
"I won't laugh," Freed said, though he doubted his voice would carry that far in it's hoarse state.
The door opened, and Laxus walked out in a costume. He was dressed as the Mad Hatter, in a suit a little too snug for his body and entirely at odds with his style. He looked slightly embarrassed, and was holding the tophat rather than wearing it. Freed smiled indulgently and patted the bed beside him. "You look good. Very handsome."
"You think?" Laxus scoffed.
"Indeed. Though I'll take any excuse to see you in formalwear. Even costume form," Freed smiled, and Laxus grunted as he sat beside Freed. "It's not what I expected though, I'll admit. I thought you'd maybe get a cape and call yourself a vampire."
"Didn't know that was an option," Laxus huffed. "The fucking store was insane, I get why you make your own now. So many fucking mannequins, and they played the same music on repeat. And there were so many fucking weird costumes; half of their names started with either slutty or sexy," He glanced at Freed from the side with a little grin. "How come you never wore one like that. Might enjoy it more if you did."
"Try me next year, see if you can convince me," Freed laughed, resting his head on Laxus' shoulder.
"I'll remember that," Laxus nodded, then reached down, picked something up, and then put whatever it was on Freed's head. "Devil horns. Thought it made sense."
"It does," Freed smiled. "Thank you for this. It's very nice."
"Least I could do," Laxus dismissed, and Freed let it drop. Laxus wasn't one for praise.
Freed picked up the pumpkin and placed it back onto his lap. He reached for the case containing the knives he needed for carving. As he did it, he caught Laxus looking at him with amusement in his eyes. Freed halted and tilted his head. "What?"
"You think you're gonna carve that yourself, huh?"
"I don't see why I wouldn't." Laxus said nothing, just picked up one of the knives and held it for Freed to take. Freed did, and the moment Laxus let it go, Freed's hand slowly fell to the bed and couldn't be lifted. Freed looked down at it, then at his arm. He was weaker than he had thought. Laxus seemed greatly amused. "Don't be smug."
"Don't be stupid," Laxus rebutted, and Freed exhaled but allowed it. "You're gonna eat the soup and tell me what to do with this thing," he lifted the pumpkin and placed it on his own lap. "And we're gonna have a movie on as well. One of those shitty ones you like."
"That sounds nice," Freed smiled as he spoke. "You don't need to do this."
"Shut up," Laxus nudged Freed slightly. He reached to the foodbox and clicked it open. A waft of steam came from it, and Laxus reached in to produce a large bowl of chicken soup. Freed noticed with a smile that the bowl was a ceramic pumpkin, and the spoon meant to look like a bone. Laxus took one of the pillows and placed it on Freed's lap, then rested the soup on it. "Let it cool for a little while."
"Okay."
"And Blondie sent in a couple of Cobweb Cookies, which she said you liked. Got Bix and Ever to decorate them too."
"That was nice of them."
"They're good people."
"They're not the only ones," Freed said, smiling as he rested his mouth into Laxus' shoulder. He heard Laxus make a noise of discontent at the praise, but knew that if he looked up Laxus would have his little smile and red cheeks again. "I won't say anything more about it, but this was incredibly nice of you and you've made me very happy."
"Though I said shut up," Laxus huffed. Freed buried his nose against his shoulder a little more before pulling away. "Pick a movie, asshole."
Freed did, choosing an old one that could easily be forgotten in the background but would be entertaining if they wanted to watch it properly. Once the opening credits started, Freed took a spoonful of the soup and sipped at it, smiling at the richness of flavour. This was good; all of this was good.
"Stop looking like a dope," Laxus mumbled. "How the hell am I meant to do this," he hefted the pumpkin. "Fuck. You're gonna have to talk me through it. Sorry."
"I'll try to suffer through," Freed smiled, then wrapped the blanket over them both. "But before I do, I want to make it clear that we'll be doing this every year from now on. Because this is… it's just lovely."
"Shut up," Laxus mumbled, and Freed just smiled.