Well, this came out of nowhere, but I won't complain! I take anything my muse hands me these days! lol Anyway, this was from the 30 Day Drabble Challenge, which I like to use when my regular stories don't call to me. So, here we go, just a short lil fluff piece for Freed and Lucy. Enjoy!

As always, Hiro Mashima owns Fairy Tail.

Knowledge

Knowledge was power. At least, that's how Freed had always looked at it. From an early age, he'd hungered for it, at times feeling almost starved for just one more piece of information. While the topics changed from one day to the next, his desire to learn everything did not.

It was all very instinctive to him, He had no real control over it, and considering the deluge of helpful information he'd acquired over the years, he decided he didn't want any. He'd become an invaluable asset to his team because of it, pulled them out of a number of tight spots simply because he'd known exactly what to do.

And that was precisely why he was so very frustrated right now.

For all his intelligence, all the time he'd spent researching and studying, he was finding himself at a complete loss, unable for the life of him to solve something as simple as a human girl. It should have been a simple problem with a simple solution. The girl was by all appearances entirely ordinary, without even the complication of a dual nature like himself. Of course, there was her magic, which did not involve brute force like Laxus or subtle intricacies like Levy, but it was fascinating nonetheless.

Still, he could not discern what had so enticed him. Therefore, he needed more information.

Though how to go about that without bringing attention to himself, he wasn't sure. Speaking to her teammates wouldn't work. His sudden interest would surely cause suspicion. And simply observing her in the guild would not suffice.

Perhaps...

No, what on Earthland was he thinking? He couldn't follow her home. Should she or anyone else catch him, he would be viewed a stalker. A criminal. How would he discover her secrets then?

No, he would have to find some other way to ferret out the information he so desperately sought.

He paused then, tossing a surreptitious glance at the sweetly smiling blonde across the room. He supposed he could just ask her. It would be a bit more forward than he would like, but the knowledge gained would be invaluable. Plus it would not be bound by the rules of 'second-hand' discovery.

The question then became, how. How to approach her. How to start the conversation. How to go about unearthing the reason behind this sudden fascination with her. And perhaps the biggest issue – how to do it all without seeming a fool. Or worse, an aberration.

"Would you just go talk to her already?"

Freed turned his head at the exasperated sound only to find Laxus rolling his eyes. "What?"

Flicking a finger in the direction the green-haired man had just been staring, Laxus huffed. "You've been doing this for the last week. Just go talk to her."

Clearly, he didn't understand. Freed could not simply walk over there and ask his questions. The woman would think him daft. No, a conversation such as this must be planned, everything plotted down to the very last detail. Only then would it be safe to proceed.

"I will not. I am not yet...prepared."

The lightning mage arched a blonde eyebrow at that. "Prepared? For what? It's just a conversation. What the hell do you need to prepare for?"

"Everything," Freed answered, giving him the look his question deserved. "A man doesn't simply walk up to a woman and ask what it is about her that makes her so intriguing. It must be handled delicately." He paused, thinking of the best way to explain it, then finished, "Like a waltz. Each step must be choreographed exactly, one more flowing perfectly into the next before the dance can be pronounced complete."

"What the hell does that even mean?"

It was all very obvious to Freed. He couldn't understand why Laxus was having so much trouble grasping it. "It means, I require more information before I approach her."

His friend laughed. "She's a woman, Freed. Not a research assignment. And how do you intend to get this information without talking to her? You gonna ask her friends about her? Follow her around like her own creepy little stalker?" He caught my chagrined look and barked out another laugh. "You were! Holy shit! What the hell, man?"

"I was not!" The normally calm man fired back indignantly. "I had already discarded both of those ideas!"

Laxus shook his head, gleefully pointing out the obvious. "But you considered it."

In spite of his cheeks flushing, Freed glared back across the table and insisted, "Only for a moment. Every option had to be weighed!"

"You're making this too complicated, man." He chuckled, then stood to his feet. "Here, let me help you out."

The green-haired man watched in utter horror as his leader turned his attention to a table across the guild hall and yelled, "Hey Lucy!"

"Laxus!" Freed hissed, eyes widening as the girl spun in her seat and looked in their direction. "Stop this!"

But Laxus just grinned and waved her over. "Come here for a second. Freed has something he wants to ask you."

The smaller man was appalled. And slightly terrified if he was being honest. He watched Lucy stand and make her way over, barely able to draw in a single breath until Laxus reached over and dropped a heavy hand on his back.

"Chill man. It'll be fine."

Freed shot his friend a fierce glare, only just able to restrain himself from activating his magic and firing a blast at the other man. He couldn't believe Laxus would do this to him. Didn't he understand the importance of preparation?

His attention was diverted almost immediately though as Lucy slipped lightly into seat next to him. She drew his eyes like a magnet, and Freed found himself suddenly tongue-tied. This was precisely why he'd said he needed more time. He had not one iota what to say to her.

"You wanted to ask me something?" she prompted, her expression one of curiosity and something more, something Freed couldn't process.

"Ah...no. There's...there's nothing."

Her forehead wrinkled at his response before she looked back up at the large dragon slayer. "Oh, I thought Laxus said..."

Laxus rolled his eyes. "Don't be an idiot, Freed. Just ask the girl."

"So, there is something?" Lucy asked, clearly growing confused.

Once more, Freed shook his head, glowering at Laxus for his interference. "No, there isn't."

"Oh for fucks sake," the blonde man muttered, drawing the woman's attention. "Don't be such a pussy, Freed."

The green-haired mage's expression went dark. He may be less inclined to throw himself into pointless fights than the rest of his male guildmates, but he was most certainly not a pussy! And he would not tolerate anyone thinking so, much less stating it so plainly in front of a woman who admittedly had his interest.

But before he could utter a single scathing retort, Laxus was digging his hole even deeper. Catching the young woman's eyes, he smirked. "You'll have to excuse him, Lucy. He apparently left his balls at home today. Otherwise, he'd have asked you out already."

Freed gaped at what the other man had said, his mouth dropping open almost comically. He was so stunned, he nearly missed Lucy's response.

"Is that what this is about?" she giggled, biting her lip as she turned back to the man sitting beside her. "You wanted to ask me out?"

Hands springing with sweat, Freed met her eyes. "Um...I...this was not how I intended to do this," he said nervously, briefly flashing a frown at Laxus before focusing on Lucy again.

"But you did intend to do it?" she clarified.

Freed nodded imperceptibly. "Eventually."

Lucy's lips twitched with a grin. "Well, why don't you give it a shot?"

"You mean n-now?" he stammered.

"There's no time like the present, is there?"

Freed swallowed hard, oddly anxious about the whole thing in spite of the fact that Lucy hadn't already shot him down. "Very well. Lucy, I don't know you very well, but I -"

Laxus cut him off with a groan. "Oh for fuck's sake dude. Does everything have to be a whole fucking thing with you?"

Once again, Freed glared, but this time, it was Lucy who spoke. "Shh...He was about to say something."

Offering the woman an appreciative smile, Freed started again. "As I was saying, I may not know you very well, but I would like to. And while I don't have anything planned quite yet, I wonder if you might do me the honor of accompanying me on a date...somewhere."

The Celestial mage laughed and nodded her head. "I'd like that very much...wherever we end up."

"About fucking time," Laxus groused, though the grin on his face seemed to counter any real heat in his tone.

He watched as the two set about making plans for the following day, going back and forth on the location and time for several minutes before finally settling on a picnic at the park. He couldn't believe they'd taken so long only to choose something small and, to his mind, completely unimaginative as their first date.

And he thought that would be the end of it. They'd work the details out later.

Only he should have considered who he was talking about. Because there was no way Freed would leave anything up to chance. It simply wasn't in his nature to do anything with minimal information. By the time it was all over, they had planned out what each of them would bring, the part of the park they'd be using including which tree they'd sit under, and the entire menu for the afternoon.

It was the most bizarre thing Laxus had ever seen. And when he'd seen both Freed and Lucy pull out pocket notebooks to write everything down, he had to admit maybe Freed had been right about how to approach Lucy. Because while this detailed shit would have driven Laxus to drink, it was apparently right up Lucy's alley.

Apparently, she was just as big a planner as Freed was.

Laxus shook his head and walked to the bar, tossing one last glance at the both of them sitting there with their heads together, each writing furiously in their notepads. He dropped onto a stool and called out for Mira.

The woman walked over to take his order, but upon noticing Lucy and Freed sitting with their heads together, much closer than they'd ever been, she instantly squealed and dropped to the floor. Laxus stood to his feet, leaning over the bar to check on her, and then shook his head. Yet another one he didn't get.