Work Text:
Laxus found his gaze drifting to the green-haired figure on the far side of the staffroom for the fourth time in as many minutes, hastily glancing away as turquoise eyes flitted towards him for the briefest second before their owner tuned their attention back to the book in his lap. Damn it. He had no idea what it was about the younger man, but ever since Freed Justine had taken the position of librarian at Fairy High he had found himself captivated, and he wasn’t sure what unnerved him more. The fact that he had fallen so fast and hard for the younger man, or his complete and utter inability to do anything about that feeling. Whenever he tried to talk to Freed, he found himself unsure of what to say and it wasn’t like they had much in common, even though the librarian had recently become the staff sponsor for the fencing club, increasing their chances for bumping into each other. And I still have no idea how to talk to him, he thought bitterly as he took a mouthful of his coffee.
“When are you actually going to do something?” Bickslow asked, for once managing to keep his voice down as he dropped down next to the blond, cursing as he nearly dropped his own coffee in the process. Laxus hoped that would be enough to distract him from the topic, but as soon as he was settled, Bickslow fixed dark eyes on the P.E. teacher once more, an uncharacteristically serious expression on his face as he tilted his head towards the Librarian. “Or at least speak properly to him?”
“I…”
“You’ve got it bad,” Bickslow taunted when the blond trailed off with a helpless shrug, and Laxus scowled at him, unable to find the words deny what his best friend was saying. “Seriously, this is getting ridiculous now. Just try talking to him. Talk to him about the fencing club or something.”
“I’ve tried, I just get tongue-tied…”
“Laxus…”
“Just leave it alone,” Laxus growled softly, pushing aside his cup and rising to his feet, unable to resist glancing at Freed even as he added quietly. “It probably wouldn’t work anyway.” Without giving Bickslow a chance to reply he turned and headed for the door, unaware of the fact that Freed had glanced up from his book to watch him leave. Bickslow wasn’t as oblivious, sighing in exasperation as he watched his friend disappearing out of the door and noting the disappointed expression on the librarian’s face.
Laxus, you idiot…he clearly likes you back.
**
Evergreen sighed as she stepped into the library, unsurprised to find Freed standing by the main window that looked out over the sports fields, reasonably sure that she had caught him there the last dozen times she had come to see him. The romantic in her wanted nothing more than to just drag him out of there and down to the fields and make him confess to the head coach, but she knew that how painfully shy her best friend was, especially around Laxus and that it would make things a hundred times worse. Still, she hoped that something gave way soon before she lost the willpower to hold out against that temptation.
“Freed!” She called, smirking when he felt out a startled squeak as he turned to look at her, smiling when he realised who it was. “Still pining over Laxus?” There was nothing teasing about her voice, but his smile disappeared at once, colour flooding his cheeks as he glanced down at the floor in embarrassment and her voice dropped, becoming softer as she added. “You should just talk to him.”
“I try,” he pointed out, a sharp edge to his voice and she had to admit that he was telling the truth, having been witness to more than one failed conversation between the two men. She was trying to find something to say when he continued sheepishly. “I just freeze up every time, and I have no idea how to talk to him or what to talk to him about.”
“You know I’d help if you let me, and so would Bickslow.” And nearly everyone else in the school, she added silently, knowing that it wouldn’t do him any good to hear that every member of staff, except a certain blond, was aware of his attraction to the head coach. Or that she had heard more than one group of students discussing the pair, and some like Erza Scarlet and Lucy Heartfillia were going so far as to plot ways of bringing them together. Freed blushed even brighter at her words, but there was no hesitation when he shook his head.
"If something happens between us..." Freed paused for a moment, and she could see the doubt in his eyes, realising that he held little to no hope that would ever happen. "If something happens I want it to be because I managed to say something."
"Freed..."
"So, did you come visit for a reason, or just to ask about my non-existent love life?" Freed asked, the colour slowly disappearing from his cheeks as he moved across to join her, and by the time he reached her, his earlier smile was back in place. Evergreen studied him for a moment longer, before offering him a weak smile of her own, unable to miss the pain hidden in his eyes before throwing her arms out dramatically, her smile growing. "I came to pick your brains of course and steal some books from you!"
"Of course," Freed replied dryly, well aware that was her way of dragging him into one of her plays, but that didn't stop him from smiling and gesturing for her to follow him through to the tiny room that served as his office. Missing the way her smile dimmed as she followed him, or the look of determination that followed it as she straightened, and he might've been worried if he had.
One way or another I'll make sure you get that chance...
****
Two weeks later:
“Again?” Erza muttered under her breath as they watched disheartened as Laxus hurried away, seemingly unaware of the longing gaze fixed on his back. They had been walking along the corridor heading for the cloakroom when they had seen the head coach and librarian approaching each other further up the corridor, and they had hastily darted into the closest classroom, hoping that they were finally going to see some progress between the pair. Instead, the two men had conversed awkwardly for a moment, before the coach had practically fled. The four of them watched as Mr Justine slowly managed to regain his composure, the flush fading from his cheeks as he finally turned and headed in the direction of the library, apparently forgetting that he had been on his way home. There was a dejected slump to the librarian’s shoulders, unknowingly mirroring the students’ own disappointment.
“We can’t let this go on,” Cana hissed, for once looking complete serious as they finally deemed it safe to emerge from their hiding place. “Their stupidity is too painful to watch,” she added bluntly, ruining any thought of her actually being sympathetic to their plight. Not that they could really disagree with her words, as the librarian and the head coach had been dancing awkwardly around one another for nearly six months, driving the students and at least some of the teachers to despair the longer they went without actually doing anything. “So, what are we going to do?”
“Why do we have to do anything?” Jellal asked with a pained expression, wincing as Erza’s arm tightened around his in warning, wondering how on earth he’d been dragged into all this. Although he had a sinking feeling that it was far too late for him to escape, especially as he caught the glint that had appeared in his girlfriend’s eyes. Still, he had to try, unable to keep the note of desperation out of his voice as he added. “They’re both adults, I’m sure they’ll work it out eventually.”
“Not likely,” Cana muttered.
“Mr Justine is too shy to make the first move,” Lucy pointed out quietly, gesturing in the direction that the librarian had taken. It had taken him nearly a month to settle in and open up at all to the students and staff, and even now he was more reserved than the other teachers, and when faced with the Head Coach he seemed to go to pieces entirely. “And Laxus…”
“Either he can’t see what’s in front of his nose or has no idea what to do about it,” Erza finished for her, and Lucy sighed before nodding in agreement, remembering all the times that he seemed to have been on the cusp of saying something to the librarian only to bottle it at the last moment. They’re hopeless… She had been one of the first to spot the attraction between the pair, and she was gutted that they still hadn’t made any progress, the romantic in her desperate to see them together before they finished at the school, but that was beginning to look like an impossible task.
Unless they took direct action to make it happen.
“We have to do something.”
“But…” Jellal protested weakly.
“Shh,” Erza ordered sternly as she glared at him, unable to understand why he wasn’t more enthusiastic about this. With a sigh he nodded in defeat and fell silent, deciding that there were probably better things to argue about, and knowing from experience that he wasn’t going to win… especially when he could practically see the hearts in her eyes, an expression mirrored on Lucy’s face. “It’s for their own good.”
"I'd have to agree." The sudden voice made them all whirl around in alarm, gulping as they found their drama and chemistry teachers leaning against the wall just behind them, although some of their alarm faded as they took in the soft smile on the former's face.
"Miss. Evergreen?" Erza asked uncertainly, blinking as the older woman held up a hand and dangled a set of keys in front of them. "What?"
"It's also painful for us to watch them, so we're going to help you," Bickslow explained, and they were stunned by the serious expression on his face. He was legendary amongst the student body for never being serious, and they exchanged worried looks, just what were they getting involved with? Apparently detecting their unease Evergreen stepped forward, gently hitting her colleague on the arm on the way past.
"You're worrying the kids," she admonished before turning her attention back to them. "We just want to give them the chance to talk properly for once, but they won't accept our help, so we need your help." She wasn't entirely sure that was the safest idea in the world, but she was willing to risk it if it would ease the growing shadows in Freed's eyes. "These are the keys to the back room of the infirmary, and Porlyusica is away for the next couple of days," Evergreen held Erza's gaze for a long moment, waiting until she saw comprehension dawning in the girl's eyes before tossing her the keys.
"But..." Lucy protested, looking uncertainly between the two.
"It's alright," Evergreen reassured her, offering the girl a warm smile as she moved back to join Bickslow, pulling him away from the wall before adding gently. "The principal knows what we're doing, so you won't get into any trouble for this." As long as Laxus doesn't erupt... Deciding it was best to keep that thought to herself, for the time being, she smiled brightly at them before leading Bickslow away, leaving the four students staring after her in shock.
"What the hell...?" Cana was the first to break the silence, although the shock that had been audible in her was swiftly replaced by a wicked grin as she leant forward and snatched the keys from Erza, jingling them in the air as she studied them. "Permission from the Principal and the other teachers? I doubt we're going to get another chance like this, so we better the make the most of it and make sure those idiots actually face up to the fact they like each other."
"We need a plan and some help," Erza pointed out sternly as she snatched the keys back, ignoring the muffled groan from her boyfriend as she turned to Lucy. "Can you get Levy? She's spent more time in the library than any of us."
"Okay."
"I'll go and find Natsu and Gray," Erza added.
"Are you sure that's wise?" Jellal asked, groaning at the thought of how much chaos that pair could cause. It was bad enough that he'd been dragged into this he wasn't sure he could cope with the idiots as well, especially as they constantly seemed to be at each other's throats nowadays. "They..."
"Will be our best hope of getting to Laxus," Erza cut across his protest with a smile, reaching up to press a kiss to his cheek. "Don't worry I'll make sure they behave."
"Fine..."
"Should we wait for you at the park?" Cana asked, relieved that she hadn't been nominated to fetch Natsu and Gray as she was always tempted to throttle the pair after a few minutes. "No way for us to be overheard there."
"Yeah, we shouldn't be long. I'll see you there," Erza added turning to her boyfriend with a smile, which turned into a smirk when he let out a resigned sigh before nodding agreement, accepting the fact that he wasn't going to get out of this. "Sure, just don't take too long."
"We won't," she replied, gesturing for Lucy to follow her as she took off back along the corridor and the blonde was quick to follow. Abandoning Jellal to Cana’s tender mercies as the brunette latched onto his arm and dragged him after her as she continued towards the cloakroom, keen to make the most of this opportunity for teacher approved mischief.
Besides the rumour mill needed some fresh news.
****
The next day:
Freed hummed softly to himself as he moved along the shelves, carefully replacing all the books that had been returned that day and tidying up the mess left behind by the students. Scowling as he unearthed a pile of empty crisp packets and plastic bottles that had been stuffed under one of the bookcases, muttering something close to a curse as he carried them across to one of the bins. He wished that there was a way to track down the culprits and wishing that all the students shared his love for the library and the books it contained. Although to be fair the students had, for the most part, been much better than he’d expected when he’d first taken the job.
Retrieving another pile of returned books, he resumed tucking them away, allowing his thoughts to drift to the last few months. It had been something of a whim (and Evergreen’s prompting) that had led to him taking the job at the high school, having just quit his job at the Central library in Magnolia after feeling that something was lacking in his current position, and he certainly didn’t regret it. The students meant that every day brought something different, and he’d found that he enjoyed sharing his love of books with them. Of course, it had been an adjustment, and it had taken him a while to settle in and strike the right balance of professionalism and friendliness with both his colleagues and the students.
And then there was the situation with Laxus…
He sighed trying to fend off those thoughts, aware that he had spent far too much time dwelling on the Head coach over the past few months, and unwilling to contemplate the complete and utter lack of progress in that development. But of course, the thoughts were not that easy to avoid, and he found himself staring down at the book his hand, not able to focus on it.
“Freed! Freed?!” The insistent call of his name drew him out of his thoughts, and he blinked as he turned towards the source of the voice.
“Ah sorry Levy,” he apologised as he turned towards the girl, smiling as he caught sight of the pile of books in her arms. Normally he discouraged too much familiarity with the students, but the scholarly girl had crept past his guard, always willing to help out in return for the opportunity to discuss what she was reading and ask for recommendations, and more than once he’d brought books from his own collection at home for her to borrow. “I didn’t mean to ignore you. Is everything okay?”
“Y-yes,” Levy stammered, feeling herself beginning to redden, which was made worse by the confused expression on the librarian’s face. She hadn’t been shy around him for months, but now she had agreed to help Erza and the others with the plan she had no idea what to say, and she was beginning to wish that she had never agreed to help. I’m not meant for this kind of thing…Seeing a hint of suspicion in his eyes, she tilted her head down towards the book on the top of the pile, relieved when her voice came out relatively calm this time. “I wanted to return the book you lent me.”
“You’ve finished it already?” Freed asked stepping forward to reclaim it, not sure why he was surprised, they were both quick readers, and she had been over the moon when he had said she could borrow the book on Magnolia’s history. Seeing her nod, he smiled as he glanced down at the book. “Did you enjoy it?”
“It was brilliant, although I think a couple of parts could do with being updated,” Levy replied, feeling some of her nerves departing now that they were back onto regular topics, although her mind was racing as she tried to plan her attack. Get Mr Justine to the infirmary…It had sounded relatively simple at the time, but now that she was faced with doing it she wasn’t so sure. She’d planned to try and pretend to faint but given her usual performance in Miss. Evergreen’s class she wasn’t entirely sure that was going to work, but she couldn’t exactly just ask him to go to the infirmary for no reason. Could she?
“Yes,” Freed frowned down at the book. “I think there’s an updated edition coming out later this year, something to do with new council records being released. Are you sure you’re okay?” He added as he glanced up at her, catching her worrying her bottom lip and looking around anxiously, and she squeaked nervously when he spoke.
“I…” She was about to try and reassure him and carry out her part of the plan when there was an ominous sounding crack from above, and they both looked up in alarm, just in time to see one of the top shelves crumbling under the weight of the books. At once she froze, her legs locking her in place as she stared wide-eyed at the books and shelf fragments now falling towards her. Move. I can’t move.
“Levy!” Suddenly her teacher was there, his taller body curving over her for protection and she found herself staring into his face, catching each flinch and wincing as the books and debris hit him instead. It didn’t last long, the sound of the last couple of books hitting the ground deafening in the silence, and they both remained where they were for a couple of minutes, breathing deeply as they tried to calm themselves. Eventually Freed seemed to realise their position and he stepped back, unable to mask a wince and soft noise of pain as he moved away, and Levy’s eyes widened in alarm. This wasn’t supposed to happen…
“Mr Justine! Mr Justine!” Her voice rose in panic, her pile of books falling to join the mess on the floor as she hurried to his side, grasping his arm in concern. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” Freed lifted his head to give her a reassuring smile, not wanting to admit that he was somewhat sore, but instead he was met by her eyes widening in horror, and he blinked in confusion.
“You’re bleeding,” she gasped pointing towards his face, startled he lifted a hand to his face, immediately feeling the dampness and when he pulled his fingers away they were covered in blood. Carefully he traced the blood upwards, wincing as he brushed against what felt like a cut on his forehead. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry…”
“It was an accident,” Freed cut in gently, silencing her babbled apologies as he searched in his pocket for a handkerchief. “Could you put a closed sign on the door for me, I’ll go along and get this sorted at the infirmary,” he added, finally finding what he was looking for and pulling out his handkerchief, carefully pressing it against the cut to try and stem the bleeding before glancing down mournfully at the mess at his feet.
“But…” Levy protested hesitantly.
“What is it?”
“Um…nothing…” She shook her head, realising that she couldn’t confess about their plan. At least he was going to the infirmary, although somehow, she had a feeling that he might not be in a mood to talk to Laxus now. “Do you want me to stay until you get back?” She had agreed to meet the others at the infirmary once the trap had been sprung, but after he had protected her, she desperately wanted to do something to help instead. However, Freed smiled and shook his head, pain flashing across his face as he rapidly ceased the moment.
“It’s already getting on,” he pointed out glancing at the clock, startled to realise just how late it was. “You should head home soon, I can deal with the mess in the morning and I’d rather you weren’t in the stacks until I can check the rest of them are safe.”
“Okay…” She agreed quietly, clearly not happy, but she didn’t protest any further as she hastily gathered the books she had dropped before tailing him to the door.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” Freed offered her a warm smile, although he had a feeling the effect was somewhat ruined by the state of his face, after a moment though she managed a strained smile as she ushered him out of the door while grabbing a closed sign from the wall and attaching it to the door. Trusting her to obey and head home, he waved a quick farewell and headed down the corridor, hoping that the infirmary would be abandoned, although with the sports clubs still on there was a chance it wouldn’t be. He really didn’t want to explain that he had been taken down by a shelf of all things.
Levy waited until he was out of sight before pulling out her phone and sending a brief text to Erza to warn her that Freed was on his way, her fingers trembling slightly as she added that he was alone and injured although not too seriously. I hope…
**
Laxus was torn between a desire to groan and quit his job or grab the two students standing sheepishly in front of him and bang their heads together in the hopes of knocking some sense into him. Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster were two of the most annoying brats he had ever had the misfortune of having to teach. Unfortunately, they were also some of the best and most involved sports students he had, and that was why most of the time he overlooked their idiocy and inability to be around one another for more than a few minutes without descending into an all-out brawl. The other coaches had long since refused to work with them, making them his sole responsibility, which is why he was now stood facing a bloody-nosed Natsu and a scowling Gray.
“What happened?”
“I just spiked the ball,” Gray muttered defensively, but there was a glint in his eyes that told the blond that he had been aiming for the other boy, and Laxus reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose before shifting his attention to Natsu. The smaller teen was trying to stem the bleeding and glare at Gray at the same time, but for once he didn’t seem inclined to argue over whose fault it was, which had Laxus glancing between them with suspicious eyes and he couldn’t resist asking.
“Is that all?”
“Yes…I guess I put too much force behind it,” Gray added with a shrug, before shooting a taunting look at Natsu and Laxus sighed, already knowing what was coming and wondering what he had done to be cursed with such students. “I should have known shorty over there couldn’t handle it.”
“You…” Natsu growled, lowering his hand for a moment as though considering punching the other teen, only to rapidly grab his nose once more as the blood began to fall faster.
“Enough,” Laxus snapped, determined to head it off before it could descend into utter chaos, well aware that the only one who could stop them when they got like that was Erza and unfortunately she disliked volleyball and refused to even help with the practices. He narrowed his eyes at Gray in warning when the teen opened his mouth to argue, gratified when he immediately snapped it shut again without uttering a word At least I still have some control over them. “I’ll talk to you later about excessive force. Dragneel you’re coming with me.”
“Where to?” Natsu mumbled around the hand and tissue pressed against his nose, looking put out that he hadn’t been able to pick a fight with Gray.
“The infirmary,” Laxus replied with a roll of his eyes, did the idiot really think he could play in that state? Yes, he answered his own question as he caught the teen staring at the court with a longing expression, although Laxus had a feeling that it was more for the chance to get payback against Gray than anything else. “You can’t continue playing till we get your nose fixed up.”
“But…” Natsu whined.
“Now!” Laxus growled, turning to call across to the other coach who had been standing back, trying to avoid dealing with the pair. At least with Natsu gone he would only have to handle Gray, and the dark-haired teen was actually fairly calm when Natsu wasn’t there to wind him up. “Strauss you’re in charge!” He shouted, reaching out to grab Natsu who was trying to sneak back towards the court and pushing the teen in the opposite direction with a stern glare when he tried to protest.
“Right!”
Satisfied that they would cope until he would return, Laxus focused on shepherding his reluctant patient towards the door, well aware that he was going to have to deal with a whiny teen until they got back to the gym. He was so distracted by that thought that he missed the triumphant grin on Natsu’s face, and the look he threw over his shoulder to his partner in crime, signalling for Gray to let Erza and the others know they were on their way to the infirmary right on schedule. It had gone a lot better than planned, and he couldn’t help feeling smug after all the doubts that Jellal and Erza had heaped on their suggestions. Although he still had every intention of paying Gray back as soon as possible…it might have been for a good cause, but a spike to the face hurt like hell and the other teen hadn’t bothered to hold back in the slightest.
Just you wait Fullbuster!
****
Freed jumped as heard voices in the other room, wincing as he accidentally put too much pressure on the cut, before turning towards the door that led to the main infirmary just as a familiar figure hurried inside and he immediately felt his cheeks beginning to heat up. Why does it have to be him? As much as he wanted to spend more time around the blonde, the infirmary with blood dripping down his face was not really part of that fantasy, and he lowered his head in an attempt to hide the injury from the older man. However, it didn’t seem that he needed to worry, as Laxus looked more concerned with the fact that he was there than with the reason why he was there, and he swallowed, refusing to let himself react.
“Freed?” Laxus asked awkwardly, hesitating just inside the doorway as he stared at the librarian, completely forgetting about his student still waiting in the other room. He hadn’t expected to find anyone in the infirmary at this time of day, let alone Freed of all people, and he found himself floundering as the familiar awkwardness swept through him. What the hell do I say to him?
“L-Laxus,” Freed wanted to curse as he tripped over his own words, wrapping his free arm around himself in a protective self-hug as he tried to force himself to calm down a little, his heart pounding in his chest as the blond took a couple of steps forwards. Biting his lip, he lowered his head even further and took a deep breath, waiting until he felt a little steadier before looking up and trying to continue. “Are…?”
“You’re hurt!” Laxus cut him off abruptly, blue eyes widening with alarm as he got a proper look at the blood trickling down the other man’s face. Immediately all thoughts of being awkward disappeared, and he closed the distance between them before Freed could say anything. “What happened?” He asked, carefully pulling Freed’s hand away from the cut and letting out a hiss of sympathy as he got a good look at the wound. Glancing at the librarian for permission he cautiously lifted his hand and ghosted over the wound, waiting until he got a small nod from the younger man before beginning to gently examined the wound, struggling to ignore Freed’s blushing and the intense gaze he was being fixed with.
“One of the shelves collapsed in the library,” Freed replied eventually, startling Laxus slightly as he’d almost forgotten the question that he’d asked, and he blinked as it took a moment for the quiet response to register. A shelf? Admittedly that was better than all the wild thoughts that had begun to race through his mind the moment he had realised that Freed was injured, but it didn’t stop the flicker of anger that rose in his chest. You idiot…
“And you forgot to dodge?” The coach demanded with a hint of anger in his voice, although his fingers were as gentle as ever as he continued to probe the cut and developing bruise. What were you doing? More than once he’d snuck into the fencing club’s sessions just so that he could watch the younger man, and he had seen more than enough to know that the librarian’s reflexes were insanely good. Therefore there was no way he should have been caught out by something like a shelf collapsing. Although he might have to have a word with the old man about fixing up the library, something churning in his gut at the thought of this happening again.
“Miss. McGarden was beneath it, I couldn’t really let her get hurt,” Freed pointed out reasonably, not sure what to make of the anger and concern swirling in Laxus’ eyes and struggling not to overreact to the fact that the other man’s fingers were still resting against his face.
“No, I suppose not,” Laxus muttered in agreement, realising that the younger man probably wouldn’t take well to being told that he didn’t really care, or that his only concern was that Freed had got hurt. He vaguely remembered Freed talking about Levy in the staffroom a few weeks ago, and it was clear from his expression that he was fairly fond of her. Definitely better to remain silent, he concluded with a slight frown before refocusing on the wound. “Did you lose consciousness at all? Any dizziness?” He was reasonably skilled at first aid. A necessary skill when you were coaching a school full of idiots, but he wasn’t about to mess around with a head injury. Especially not when the school nurse was away for a couple of days, and not when Freed was the injured party.
“I’m fine,” Freed replied reassuringly, nudging the taller man away and pressing the bloody cloth he’d been using back onto the cut, although the bleeding seemed to have mainly stopped for now. Seeing the disbelieving look the blond was shooting him, he let his lips curve up in a wry smile before adding sheepishly. “Mostly.” Suddenly realising that he hadn’t even bothered to ask why the blond was there, he straightened with a slightly panicked expression, sharp eyes flicking across the coach in search of any visible injury. “Why are you here? Are you injured?”
“What? No…Damn it,” Laxus blinked at the abrupt change of topic, before cursing as he realised that he had completely forgotten what he’d come up here for in the first place. “Natsu?!” He called loudly, turning to head back through to the other room to check on the teen, only to come up short as the door slammed shut just before he could reach it. “What the hell?” Growling under his breath, and already thinking of punishments that he could dump on the brat’s head he strode forward and shoved on it, only to curse as he realised that it wasn’t opening. “It’s locked.”
“Locked?” Freed echoed in alarm.
“OI Natsu! Open this door!” Laxus yelled as he pounded on the door, trying to ignore the way his thoughts were beginning to run wild at the realisation that he was locked in the tiny room with the one person that he really shouldn’t be locked in a room with. The same person that he really wanted to be locked in a room with…Damn it, stop thinking like that. He was about to hammer on the door once more when his sharp hearing caught the sound of more people entering the room next door, and he hastily gestured for Freed to be quiet and join him by the door, pressing his ear against the wood as he listened intently.
**
As soon as they’d heard the door closing and the keys turning in the lock Erza, and the others had entered the main room of the infirmary, to find a triumphant Natsu backing away from the door as Laxus shouted at him from inside the room. Although they’d all been thrown by the fact that the coach had fallen silent straight afterwards. However, at the moment that wasn’t Erza’s primary concern. Instead, her attention was focused solely on Levy who had just joined them, nearly crying as she’d told them that Freed was actually injured, although she hadn’t yet managed to explain what had happened.
“What the hell happened?” Erza demanded, barely remembering to keep her voice down. “Mr Justine wasn’t supposed to get hurt!” Technically no one was supposed to have got hurt, but she was choosing to ignore the fact that Natsu had a bloody nose, well aware that they shouldn’t have expected Gray and Natsu to come up with a plan that didn’t involve them getting the chance to beat the hell out of each other.
“I know that,” Levy protested tearfully, reaching up to scrub at her eyes, before glaring fiercely at Erza as she added weakly. “I was about to pretend to faint, and then one of the shelves collapsed, and he jumped in to push me out of the way…. he saved me.” I should never have agreed to help, she thought but didn’t say aloud. She had been doubtful about the plan from the start, although she had to admit that she wanted to see them both together, but it wasn’t worth it if someone got hurt. And she knew that it would take her a while to forget the librarian’s pained expression as he leant over her, shielding her from the falling books.
“Oh,” Erza muttered in a more subdued breath, flustered by the sight of the bookish girl with tears in her eyes, and she glanced down as she felt Jellal’s hand tighten around hers in warning. “Sorry Levy.”
“Still at least we got them both in there,” Natsu added cheerfully, trying to break up the tense silence that had fallen, although Levy had already nodded her acceptance of Erza’s apology. Instead of looking relieved by the reminder, Erza frowned in concern as she turned to glance at the locked door, wondering what the two men were doing or thinking inside the locked room, and her voice was somewhat hesitant as she replied.
“But what if it’s not enough? Maybe we should…”
“You’ve interfered enough,” Jellal cut across her sternly, ignoring the glare that was levelled in his direction and instead meeting her gaze evenly, well aware that if he gave her free rein, she might interfere too much. There was only much they could do, the rest had to be up to their teachers if it was going to work out properly. “Let them work it out from here.”
“But…”
“He’s probably right,” Cana interjected, looking somewhat unhappy at having to admit that, especially when she caught the smug grin that flickered across his face. “Surely even they’re not idiotic enough to mess up this chance?”
“Cana,” Lucy protested weakly, still unused to hearing her friend speak so bluntly and disrespectfully about the teachers, even if she did agree with the sentiments on this occasion. “Do you think they’ll be all right in there?” It had seemed like a good idea at the time, especially when the teachers had agreed to help them. However, the fact that Mr Justine had actually got injured had thrown her a little, and the silence coming from the other room was a little worrying.
“Of course,” Natsu grinned lazily at her, one hand still pressing the bloody tissue against his nose, although he didn’t seem bothered in the slightest by the injury although he was shooting the odd glare at Gray. “They looked really close before I locked the door, and I think Laxus had managed to completely forget about me.”
“Easily done…” Gray muttered.
“What was that Ice Princess?” Natsu growled as he leant towards the other teen, only to come up short as Erza loomed over him with a threatening expression. “Just wait until our next match.”
“Bring it on!”
“Stop it you two! We’re going to disturb them,” Erza ordered, glancing anxiously towards the door, not liking the fact that they hadn’t heard anything from the teachers in a while, but not wanting to approach and cause more problems. As much as she wanted to stay and see if their plans had worked, she knew that Jellal had been right to warn them about interfering too much. “Let’s go.”
“But…” Lucy protested anxiously, not sure if she liked the thought of all of them leaving and the teachers not being able to get out. What if something else goes wrong?
“Miss. Evergreen said she would let them out later,” Erza reminded her, scowling as she remembered the look of anticipation on their drama teacher’s face when they’d discussed the plan. Unable to shake the suspicion that they had just played into the woman’s plan, rather than the other way around.
“Besides I’m not sure we want to stick around in case they don’t take it well,” Cana added slowly, remembering some of the more imaginative punishments that Laxus had come up with in the past. Especially for those who weren’t particularly good at, or fond of sports. Sharing an appalled glance with Lucy who had suffered through similar punishments.
“But…”
“You’ll see him in the morning,” Lucy pointed out as she turned to look at Levy, realizing that her best friend really didn’t look happy at the thought of leaving, still looking guilty over what had happened to Freed and she let out a sigh before wrapping her arm around the smaller girl and adding gently. “You can apologise then if you want.” She was certain that the apology wasn’t needed, well aware that Levy would never have done anything to hurt the librarian, but she was relieved when the smaller girl seemed to perk up before giving a slight nod of agreement.
“Alright let’s get out of here,” Jellal ordered softly, relieved when Erza immediately nodded and helped the others out of the room, wincing when Gray and Natsu bumped into each other and immediately began to bicker and poke at one another until his girlfriend stopped over and whacked them on the head, silencing their protests with an angry glare. However, rather than trying to defend them like he usually would, he used her momentary distraction to pause and glance back at the locked door.
Good Luck…
**
“They planned this?” Freed muttered as he leant back against the wall, not entirely sure what to make of everything he’d just heard, and feeling his stomach beginning to churn uncomfortably as he realised that the kids had essentially just revealed that he liked Laxus. That he liked him as far more than a colleague, failing to realise, that they had also revealed the same about Laxus. How the hell do I deal with this? He thought, cheeks growing even redder as he tried to avoid looking at the blond.
“Damn that old man,” Laxus grumbled under his breath.
“Old man?” Freed echoed in confusion, finally looking at the other man as he tried to work out what that had to do with their current situation.
“My…grandfather,” Laxus hesitated over the words, reminding Freed of the fact that the coach did everything in his power to avoid relying on the fact that he was related to the principal. It was one of the reasons he got the students to call him by his first name, not wanting to rely on his surname to maintain order over them. “He’s the only one that could have given them the key with Porlyusica away for the day, which means he was in on this. And Ever and probably Bickslow as well,” he added darkly, well aware that his best friend would’ve leapt at the chance to get involved in all of this, especially with how insistent he had been about talking about Laxus’ attraction to the librarian over the past couple of weeks. Damn them all…
“But…” Freed started hesitantly, unable to believe that Evergreen would land him in this mess, particularly as she had witnessed more than one of his meltdowns over the situation with Laxus. Swallowing nervously, he forced himself to meet the blue eyes that were now fixed on him once more, wondering if he could pass it all off as the fanciful daydreams of high school students. “Why would they set us up?”
Laxus felt slightly like he had been punched in the gut at that question, realising that he had actually allowed the kids’ conversation to get his hopes up. He opened his mouth, fully intending to bluff his way out of this, only to come up short as he finally took a good look at the emotions swimming in Freed’s eyes. There was alarm, embarrassment that matched the pink still staining his cheeks, but underneath all that was a hint of hope. It was that hint of hope that had the coach stepping forward, his own flagging spirits rising when Freed made no move to escape, although the colour in his cheeks was growing brighter by the moment. Which wasn’t helping Laxus keep a clear mind, as all he could focus on was that he was apparently the cause of that colour and the growing desire to see how much he could make the younger man blush.
“L-Laxus?” Freed asked nervously, realising that the blond was now far too close for comfort, swallowing as he realised just how tall the other man was. However, despite his growing nervousness and embarrassment, he couldn’t bring himself to glance away from the blazing blue eyes, not sure what to make of strange emotion in them.
“What the hell, we’re already stuck in this mess, and I’ve already gone that far,” Laxus muttered more to himself than anything, closing the last of the distance between them and lifting his arms to cage the smaller man inside them, lips quirking up as he watched Freed become even more flustered by the unexpected move. “Freed Justine…I-I…” Shit, why can’t I say it even now? He cursed to himself as the words stalled on the edge of his tongue, his smile dying entirely as he choked up and he was just about to pull away when a quiet voice whispered the three words he had been fighting to say.
“I like you…” Freed was a worrying shade of red by this stage, but the turquoise eyes that were fixed on Laxus’ face held a fire that called to the blond, the whispered words telling him that he didn’t need to fight that call any longer.
He wasn’t entirely sure which of them had made the first move, not that it really mattered, but the next moment their lips were pressed against one another. It was clumsy and messy, neither of them entirely sure of what was happening, and there were too many pent-up feelings being released at once. For Laxus though it felt perfect, and he wrapped his arms around the smaller man, pulling him closer even as he deepened the kiss. Please let this be real. From the way that Freed was clinging to him, it seemed as though the younger man felt exactly the same and it was that realisation that gave him the courage to return the words that the librarian had been brave enough to whisper only minutes before.
“I like you too.” He whispered when they finally pulled apart, Freed resting his head against his chest, and he blinked as he was rewarded by a small, yet dazzling smile from the younger man as he looked up at his words. Unable to resist he tilted his head just enough to press a chaste kiss to Freed’s forehead, mindful of the cut that they still needed to finish treating, before nuzzling against surprisingly soft green hair, startled when the librarian let out a soft chuckle. “Freed?”
“Nothing,” Freed replied, only to be nudged by the blond and looking up he realised that Laxus wanted a proper answer, and he sighed before explaining. “I told Ever I didn’t want her help. I thought that it would get messed up if other people got involved, but it seems as though they saw everything clearer than either of us.” Damn it that means I’m going to owe her one. Unfortunately, she had a bad habit of storing favours and then roping him into the worst possible things, not that he would’ve said no to her even if she hadn’t had something to hold over his head.
“Ugh that means Bickslow going to be teasing me for weeks,” Laxus grumbled, for once relieved that the gym and sports fields were on the opposite side of the school to the science building, not that it ever seemed to protect him from his colleague’s madness. “Still, I guess I can’t really complain,” he added in a softer voice as he looked down at Freed, earning another smile and a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth, and he smiled before reluctantly nudging the younger man away. “We need to finish sorting out your head, god knows how long they’re going to leave us in here,” he explained catching the worried look that had appeared when he’d nudged the librarian away, praying that Bickslow wasn’t going to be really harsh and leave them here all night.
Pushing that thought aside, for now, he guided Freed over to the small bed in the corner, making sure he sat down and asking him to stay put with yet another tiny kiss the tip of the librarian’s nose. Perhaps it was because they had waited so long to act on their feelings, but he felt like he was trying to catch up on what they had been missing out on, although from the small smile and blush that met the gesture, Freed wasn’t opposed. Still, he forced himself to focus on the task at hand, relieved that he had actually paid attention to Porlyusica when she’d shown him the infirmary and overseen his first aid training, although it seemed a slightly more daunting task with Freed’s eyes watching his every move.
“No more fighting with shelves,” Laxus ordered when he was done a few minutes later, his fingers gentle as he placed a plaster over the now clean-cut, brushing his lips against the bruised skin. It was blossoming beautifully, and he knew it was going to be a nasty mix of purple and black by the next morning, and there was a fire in his eyes as he pulled back to stare down at Freed.
“I’ll try,” Freed promised with a smile, which faded when he realised just how tense the coach was, and he reached out to grasp the hand that had previously been brushing his head before adding softly. “I’m a librarian, I spend my days surrounded by shelves, so I can’t promise anything.”
“Then take a sword with you,” Laxus ordered bluntly, only to be met by a confused expression that distracted him for a moment. Damn it, don’t look like that…it’s cute. Resolutely shoving that thought away and praying that his thoughts hadn’t shown on his face he rolled his eyes and explained what he meant. “I’ve seen you fence…”
“Laxus,” Freed felt himself blushing again, and he wanted to curse. They had got this far, and now he was acting like a bashful idiot again, and yet he couldn’t help it, well aware that Laxus had no reason to go near the fencing club’s practices. Which meant that he must’ve been there for Freed. His lips quirked at that thought, but he could see that the blond was honestly concerned about this, so he squeezed his hand and added reassuringly. “It was just an accident…”
“I know,” Laxus muttered, glancing at Freed and then away again, and the librarian was stunned to realise that the older man was turning slightly red in the cheeks. Is he embarrassed too? He never got chance to ask as Laxus seemed to gather himself, raising his head a moment later and holding Freed’s gaze as he asked awkwardly. “But I’m allowed to worry, aren’t I?”
“I suppose so,” Freed whispered, stunned by the question and part of him longed to reach out and provide a proper answer to that question, and yet now the first heat of their confession had faded slightly, he found the words faltering on the end of his tongue. “Laxus?”
“Yeah?”
“Did you mean it?” Freed asked nervously, unsure of what he was going to do if Laxus hadn’t meant it or had changed his mind…he couldn’t even escape as he normally would as they were stuck until the others came and released them.
It took a moment for Laxus to grasp what Freed was referring to, and he wanted to growl at the uncertainty that had reappeared in the younger’s eyes. He forced himself to hold the noise back though, after all, they had taken so long to get to this point that it made sense for him to still be unsure about it. However, that wasn’t a state of affairs that he had any intention of allowing to continue. It only took one look to tell him that Freed had meant every word that he’d said, and how much he wanted Laxus to have meant what he’d said. Drawing in a deep breath, he reached up and cupped Freed’s face, making sure that he couldn’t look away and struggling not to get distracted by how large his hands seemed in comparison to the librarian’s face, waiting until he was sure that Freed was listening properly.
“I…meant…every…damn…word….” Laxus enunciated each word clearly, not even daring to blink as he stared down at Freed. “So, get that through your head!” He added heatedly, closing the distance between them once more as he captured Freed’s lips in the deep, gentle kiss that they hadn’t managed the first time and he knew that his words had got through when he felt Freed smiling into the kiss. He didn’t comment on the suspicious dampness he could feel on the other’s cheeks, gently brushing the moisture away as he deepened the kiss.
I like you. I might just love you, and one day I will tell you that.
****
The next morning:
Freed was a little hesitant to go to work the next day, still not wholly convinced that the previous evening hadn’t been some wild figment of his imagination, although the pain from his injury told him that at least some of it had been real. That was the other reason he was hesitating, he’d managed to catch a good look at himself that morning, somewhat paler than usual as he’d struggled to calm down enough to sleep the night before and his forehead marred by a spectacular purplish bruise and the large plaster that Laxus had gently used to cover the cut. In other words, he looked like hell, and he wasn’t confident enough to completely believe in everything that happened between the day before, although Laxus’ words and actions seemed to be on a constant replay in the back of his mind.
Still, it was with some trepidation that he arrived at the school, immediately heading to the library as he contemplated the long day ahead making sure that the stacks were safe for the students to use, not wanting to keep the library closed any longer than necessary. As he made his way down the corridor, he spotted a familiar head of red hair, and he had to hide a smile as he passed Erza and the others, noting the disappointed expressions on their face and their poor efforts to conceal the fact that they were studying him. Clearly Ever and Bickslow had passed on the news of the ‘failure’ of their plan, and he sped up before they could say anything.
Only to halt in surprise when he reached the library to find Laxus leaning against the wall, two mugs of coffee in his hands and looking surprisingly perky for the time of day, especially as he knew from watching the blond in the staffroom that he usually didn’t wake fully until the morning break. Warmth suffused him as he realised that the coach had made an effort to come and meet him, and he couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he moved to join him. Accepting the coffee that was shoved at him with a muttered thanks and nearly melting as he received a gruff good morning and a quick peck to the lips in response.
“Morning,” he murmured blushing slightly, taking a sip of his coffee to try and calm himself, only to blink as he realised that it was made exactly how he liked - plenty of sugar and milk, and his smile grew as he glanced up at Laxus who glanced off to the side. “While I’m not complaining, what are you doing here so early?” He asked, deciding to take pity on the older man, instead opening the door and gesturing for Laxus to enter ahead of him, following him in after checking that the closed sign was still in place.
“You need to check all the stacks, right?” Laxus asked as he glanced around the library, brow furrowing as he realised how large a task that was going to be and Freed noticed that he looked a little embarrassed as he turned back to him. “I’ve got my classes covered for the day so I can help you out,” he explained, refusing to confess that he had called in a favour with the old man, revealing the success of the plot to get them together although he was confident that the old fool was too happy about it to think about spoiling the surprise.
“You don’t have to…”
“I know,” Laxus reassured him quickly, following the flustered looking librarian into the tiny room that served as his office and wrapping his arm loosely around the younger man. “But I want to help, and I don’t want anything else to fall on your head,” he added, reaching up to ghost over the previous injury, his eyes darkening at the thought of another accident occurring.
“I’m fine,” Freed was quick to point out, but he couldn’t keep the smile off his face. It is real…He was about to continue when he paused, turning towards the door as he caught the sound of movement near the main door of the library, and a devious smile flitted across his face. He had a good idea of who it was, and he really didn’t want to hear the apologies that she was sure to heap on his head. Besides, it was the perfect opportunity to let people know that Laxus was off the market so to speak, and to cheer the coach up at the same time. They hadn’t let anything slip the night before about what had happened, deciding to wait until the day, mainly to pay Bickslow and Evergreen back for their interference although they had every intention of thanking them at a later date, and clearly that was why the students had looked so disappointed that morning.
The moment they’d heard movement in the other room they’d shared a look and a smile, moving across to opposite sides of the room and feigning awkwardness, something that seemed much harder to do after the last couple of hours. However, apparently it had been a good enough act as both Evergreen and Bickslow had looked gutted to find them like that, and it had been clear that they were building up to the point of saying something but Laxus hadn’t given them a chance. Flicking a brief glimpse at Freed, he had grabbed Bickslow and dragged him out of the room, with a rather ominous sounding growl, which would have terrified Freed if he hadn’t been in on the plan.
“We need to have a talk…”
“Freed…” Evergreen began nervously, her eyes widening as they darted to the plaster and bruise on his head, one hand reaching out instinctively before his glare stopped her in her tracks.
“Don’t,” Freed ordered sternly, pushing himself away from the wall. “I told you not to interfere.”
“I know, but…”
“Just leave it at that,” Freed cut across her, not wanting to hear her excuses, as he already knew why she had acted. But he wanted to stick to his and Laxus’ plan. Biting his lip as he took in her crestfallen expression he moved towards the door, halting just as he walked past her, tilting his head so that he could peer back at her. “And Ever?”
“Yes?” She asked.
“If you do it again, then I might return the favour with Coach Strauss…” With that threat lingering in the air behind him, and the stunned expression on her face he turned and hurried from the room, not trusting himself to give the game away. Seriously contemplating whether he should return the favour and help her out, although in her case it was stubbornness not shyness that was holding them back.
He waited for a moment until he could hear the footsteps approaching his office, before placing his coffee amongst the clutter on his desk and then proceeding to steal Laxus’ and do the same with his, ignoring the weak protest from the blond. Stepping closer he reached out, tugging the taller man closer and leaning up for a kiss, his smirk growing as he saw blue eyes widening in understanding a moment, the kiss carefully staying on the safe side as they heard a startled squeak from the doorway, followed by frantic footsteps and the sound of the main door banging shut.
“Freed!” Laxus protested weakly as he pulled back, torn between laughter and shock as he caught sight of the devious smirk on Freed’s face before the younger man managed to hide it, his expression one of pure innocence now as he met Laxus’ gaze.
“What?”
“You realise that’s going to be all over the school by break time?” Laxus asked, before rolling his eyes as he recalled just how good the students were at sharing juicy gossip, and there was a hint of exasperation in his voice as he corrected himself. “No probably before classes even start…”
“I know,” Freed was smug and unrepentant as he stepped back and reclaimed his coffee, mischief shimmering in his eyes, and Laxus’ exasperation evaporated, and he found himself fighting the urge to laugh. Unfortunately, his lack of reaction seemed to worry the younger man, as he halted in the middle of taking a sip, a slightly worried expression appearing and there was a note of uncertainty in his voice. “Unless you didn’t want people to know?”
“No, I do,” Laxus was quick to stop that thought, and this time he was the one to steal Freed’s coffee and put it back on the table, before gripping the younger man’s shoulders and pulling him close. He doubted that they would be having any more surprise visitors, at least until Evergreen and Bickslow heard the news, and he fully intended to make the most of that. “It took us long enough to get to this stage, I have no intention of hiding the fact that you’re mine. I just wasn’t expecting you to cause so much mischief,” he admitted readily, unable to deny his excitement at the thought that there was a lot more to the younger man for him to discover. From the slight smirk that had reappeared on Freed’s face, the librarian was fully aware of that fact, and he couldn’t resist the urge to lean in and kiss that smirk away.
Bring it on Freed Justine...