Do I need to say anything other than I was procrastinating? Probably, but you all should know that I write when I put off my uni work, and I have been doing a lot of writing in the last few weeks.
Anyway. Another chapter BixLu story, and I'm not even going to apologise. I'm slowly trying to take over the world with BixLu stories, and given that I have way too many at the moment (written, that is), I'm confident that world domination will be in the near future. Muahahaha.
This is probably going to end up being similar to A Peculiar Situation, but at the same time, it's going to be very different. The idea just kind of stuck in my head a few weeks ago, and as much as I wanted to put off writing it until after BixLu week and my exams and my other stories, I couldn't. I needed to work on something a little less depressing than S&S and Shattered (both of which are coming along nicely! S&S chapter next week, hopefully!).
I'd like to thank CelticHeart13 for letting me bounce ideas off of her, constantly. My rambling never ceases, and I apologise that you have to put up with it, but at the same time, I'm not going to apologise because you helped with this too.
With that, I'd love to know what you all think of this story so far, even though it's just a prologue. Updates aren't going to be very frequent (I'll be working on S&S, APS, Shattered, and Three Months all simultaneously, and I don't think I could manage working on another story with so many going at once... so I'll wait until BixLu week is over), so don't expect new chapters like I had with APS and S&S.
Regardless, I still hope you enjoy it so far! I'd still work on this some more, whether you all hate it or not. ;)
- April
The sounds of the chirping birds just outside her window slowly eased Lucy from her slumber, and with a soft smile, she rolled over to her other side just in time to see the energetic girl with the bright smile and the slightly wavy blonde hair that was tucked behind one ear bound across the hardwood floors and jump up onto the bed.
"Morning, you," Lucy said as she lifted one arm to pull the now giggling girl in for a quick hug.
"Happy birthday, Mummy," the girl said cheerily as she leant down to press a soft kiss to her mother's cheek before sitting back up on her knees. "Daddy said we had to wait until after breakfast before we gave you your presents," she said with a pout.
Slowly, Lucy pushed herself up to sit up in the bed, and as she did so, she grimaced slightly, her laughter quickly fading. Her aching back had been giving her all sorts of trouble lately, but hey, it was all part of being pregnant. As much as she'd enjoyed it for the last six months, she was glad that it would all be over in just a couple more months and she'd finally be able to hold the newest edition to her little family in her arms.
As she swung her legs around the side of the bed and slowly stood up, one hand resting on her lower back and her other outstretched towards the bed, she looked back to her daughter with a smile and said, "How about I go get my breakfast then?"
When the near five-year-old she called her daughter tried her very best to drag her out of the room, she laughed, and of course, gave in and let herself be led out of the room. She could never resist giving in to her daughter, whether it be to let the girl sleep in the middle of the bed between herself and her father, or to being dragged out a room to go and get food. She did have to admit that she was pretty hungry though. Of course, it didn't help that the smell from whatever was being made that was coming from the kitchen was pretty damn amazing.
So when they finally reached the end of the hall and went out into the main living area, the girl finally released her mother's hand and ran off to sit on the floor in the lounge and promptly went back to her colouring book and trying her best to stay within the lines.
"So, what's for breakfast?" Lucy asked as she walked around the counter to observe what had already been dished up – a plate with waffles, already with maple syrup drizzled all over them, another with bacon, eggs, and hash browns, a small bowl of strawberries, and a large pitcher with orange juice. It was everything she loved to have for breakfast – apart from waffles, though. She'd come to hate waffles in her pregnancy, and she wasn't entirely sure why.
At the voice, Bickslow turned to look over his shoulder from where he stood at the stove, and with a frown he then turned around to look towards his daughter in the living room. "Scout," he called, using the nickname she'd grown up with. "I didn't mean to go and wake her up," he complained with a sigh.
"It's okay, Bix," Lucy laughed as she turned to lean against the counter, reaching for a strawberry from the bowl just behind her. "I was already awake."
"But still," Bickslow turned back to the stove to take the last pancake out of the frying pan and place it on the plate that was already piled high with pancakes. "It was supposed to be breakfast in bed."
Lucy's lips pulled up into a mischievous smirk as Bickslow placed the plate on the island counter with the rest of the already plated food. "Actual breakfast in bed?"
"Well, I figured you'd prefer some actual breakfast," he murmured as his arms wound around Lucy's waist and between the counter, and then with his own smirk he leant down to lightly press his lips to hers. "Happy birthday though."
"Mmm, thank you," she murmured in response. "But as right as you are, I really wouldn't have minded something other than pancakes for breakfast all that much."
"I know you wouldn't, which is why I thought dessert in bed would be much nicer," Bickslow chuckled before stealing another quick kiss and briefly drowning out Lucy's giggling. "Alright," he turned to the side to arrange three plates in front of him, all while keeping one arm around Lucy. "Scout, whaddya want for breakfast?" he called.
The girl quickly got up from where she sat on the floor in front of the coffee table, dropping the orange pencil she'd been using back to the table that was littered with crayons, pencils, and coloured markers in every colour of the rainbow. She hummed in thought for a moment when she came up to the counter and eyed the selection available, her hands resting on top of the marble surface. "Hmm… waffles!" she exclaimed with a grin that she surprisingly and definitely did not get from her mother.
"Waffles it is," Bickslow replied as he took the tongs from where they sat on a folded up tea towel on the edge of the counter, and then effortlessly took the ones from the top of the stack and placed them on the first plate. "Strawberries too?" he asked, knowing full well that his daughter tended to enjoy the fruit just a little bit too much. It was something she'd most likely gotten from her mother, given that the woman was still eating them as she looked between each plate that was piled high with food.
"And cream!" she said excitedly.
Lucy frowned as Bickslow stopped, both of them eyeing the grinning girl on the opposite side of the counter. "Scarlett, aren't you forgetting something?" Lucy asked, opting for the girl's full name to stress the importance of the issue. It wasn't like the girl had an issue with her actual name, because in truth, she had no preference when it came to being called by her nickname or her full name. Though, 'Scout' was only really used by her parents; everyone else just called her Scarlett, and she just couldn't care less, and she was only five (well… almost).
"And cream, please," Scarlett giggled.
"That's better," Bickslow said with a grin as he took the can of whipped cream from Lucy and spread it in a circle on the top of the waffles, and then neatly placed the strawberries that Lucy had been chopping up on top of everything.
As he lifted the plate to place it back down on the other side of the counter in front of Scarlett, Lucy filled a small glass with the orange juice from the pitcher and walked back around the counter and over to the dining table to place the glass on one of the coasters.
Scarlett carefully took the plate in her hands after standing on her tip-toes to get it from a better angle. "Thank you, Daddy!" she beamed while quickly dashing off towards the dining table. Well, as quickly as her little legs could manage.
"You are very welcome," Bickslow said before turning back to Lucy when she came back to the counter, and snaking an arm around her side again and pressing a kiss to her cheek, he murmured, "And what about the birthday girl, huh?"
"Well… I can't decide between pancakes and the bacon and eggs, to be honest," she said, staring at the food that just smelled way too amazing.
Bickslow smirked again. "You want both, don't you?"
"I kinda do," Lucy mumbled, and at the sound of Bickslow laughing, she looked up and playfully shoved his shoulder, trying her best to stop herself from smirking. "Hey, don't judge me. I'm eating for two, remember?"
"Cosplayer, you could eat the world's biggest pizza and I still wouldn't judge you," he said. "Hell, I'd be proud. So if you want to eat both pancakes and bacon and eggs—"
"…Don't forget the hash browns."
"—for breakfast, then I have absolutely zero problems with you doing so. Besides, why do you think I cooked so much in the first place?"
Lucy smiled before craning her neck to kiss his cheek, as his mouth was otherwise occupied by a piece of crispy bacon he'd picked up, not that she minded, really. "Because you know me too well," she murmured. "Love you, Bixy."
"Love you too, Cosplayer," he replied. "Now, time for breakfast."
Lucy looked up from her book when the bedroom door opened, and when she saw Scarlett standing out in the dark hall, one hand sleepily rubbing her eyes and the other holding one of Bickslow's babies tightly while the other four hovered just behind her, she marked her page with the bookmark and placed it on the nightstand.
"What's wrong, sweetie?" Lucy asked softly as the small girl slowly walked across the room before climbing up onto the bed and making herself comfortable under the covers right next to Lucy in the middle of the bed. "Another bad dream?" she asked again while gently stroking a hand through the blonde hair that was a few shades darker than her own.
Scarlett nodded as the babies flew out of the way to balance themselves on the top of the headboard while she shifted ever so slightly to hug Lucy's tummy, her head resting gently on top of it.
"Aw, Scout," Lucy whispered as she looked down to the frightened girl with a frown. "They're just dreams, remember? You know they can't hurt you."
"But they scare me."
"I know they do, but it's all over now. You're okay here, because there's nothing that can scare you here."
Scarlett nodded again and closed her eyes, being that it was way past her bedtime, and Lucy continued to gently run her fingers through the girl's hair. It was only after a few more moments of silence where Lucy just smiled down softly at her daughter did Bickslow finally emerge from the door just opposite the foot of the bed that led to their walk-in closet and bathroom.
Well, there goes dessert, he thought almost half-heartedly at the sight of his daughter and Lucy curled up on the bed. It wasn't like he was that disappointed though – sure, he was just a little bit, because dessert was pretty fucking good. Pun intended – because in truth, his daughter was more important, and if she had to be comforted in any way, shape, or form, then that came first.
As he pushed back the covers on his side of the bed while switching on the other lamp in the room, he looked towards Lucy and whispered, "Nightmare?" When she nodded, he sighed quietly before finally climbing in and sliding down under the blanket, careful not to pull on it too much to upset either of the girls in his bed.
"Mummy?" Scarlett said quietly after a few more moments of silence where Bickslow had gone to having a silent conversation with the babies as they hovered just in front of him, and Lucy had returned to reading her book in one hand.
"Yeah, sweetie?" Lucy replied, folding the book around her thumb to keep her spot and letting it rest just next to her.
"Was I in your tummy too?"
And as Scarlett lifted her head to look up to her mother anxiously, completely missing the fact that she'd completely frozen in place and was staring at her belly without focusing, Bickslow's head quickly turned to look at his daughter, and as he did so, the babies, too, froze in the air. Everyone in the room had frozen from the girl's innocent question, and it wasn't because they hadn't been expecting it.
In truth, Bickslow and Lucy had been waiting for her to ask that question, because Scarlett had seemed to have asked every other question imaginable (and unimaginable, for that matter). She'd asked how the baby got in Lucy's tummy in the first place, and the answer was one that had tested Bickslow and Lucy's quick thinking skills; she'd asked how the baby was getting out, and that time, Bickslow had had to walk out laughing, leaving Lucy to come up with an answer to that one on her own; she'd asked whether they were going to love the new baby more than her, and then a million other things.
But she hadn't asked if she, too, had come from Lucy's tummy, and even though it was a question that they'd been waiting for (because it was both a miracle and a mystery that she hadn't until that point), they didn't really know how to answer it. Not for the most part, anyway.
It wasn't a simple answer in the slightest, and even though Scarlett acted older than she really was, Bickslow and Lucy had wanted to put off a certain conversation for just a little while longer because they weren't sure how she'd handle the news.
So as Lucy finally turned to Bickslow with a pleading look on her face, silently begging him for assistance, he sat up in the bed and ran a hand haphazardly through his hair while the babies returned to their spot on the top of the headboard. It was time to have a conversation that he'd been dreading for so many years.
"Hey, Scarlett," he said softly. "How about a story before bed?"
The girl rolled onto her back to look up to her father with a bright smile and a nod before she shuffled down the bed and pulled the blankets up to her chin, making herself comfortable between both her parents. She loved her bedtime stories.
Bickslow smiled before glancing back up to Lucy who just nodded with her own sad smile. "Right," he said, rubbing his hands together as he looked back down to his daughter. "How about I tell you the story of how I met you?"
It was a beautiful day in Magnolia; the sun was shining brightly, the birds were chirping, and there was just the smallest hint of a breeze that made the day absolutely perfect, and given that winter was quickly approaching, the warmer weather was a much welcomed change from the dreary autumn days that had preceded that very day.
For Bickslow, though, every day was perfect. Halloween was just around the corner, and being someone who just loved playing tricks on people every single day of the year, Halloween was an excuse to go all out. Sure, it wasn't April Fools' Day, but still, he liked having a reason for being an absolute jackass and playing pranks on people. Of course, his victims were usually his guild mates who had all come to appreciate the Seith mage's antics (to an extent), but when Halloween came around, Bickslow could get away with scaring all of Magnolia's children when they came trick or treating.
He'd already decorated the yard and his front porch – pumpkins sat on the steps, fake spider webs were hanging from the large tree with the falling leaves that sat in the middle of his lawn, tombstones with the names of his beloved team sat scattered around the area (much to Evergreen's distaste, of course), and ghosts and bats were strung along the eaves of the veranda.
Bickslow just absolutely loved Halloween, and he loved going all out for it. Granted, he didn't have the best yard in all of Magnolia (honestly, his neighbour outdid him every single year), and he didn't do the entire dressing up thing (because let's face it, he gave a certain blonde shit for being a cosplayer, and there was no way in hell he was going to give her a reason to call him one back. It didn't help that he basically dressed like some weird medieval knight in not so shining armour – or visor – every single day of the year), but he was still a kid at heart. He loved the holiday season immensely, and between Halloween, Christmas, and then New Years, he had plenty of opportunities to get blind drunk and pull off some of the best pranks he'd ever done. Of course, he never remembered them, but he always heard about them from the prankees.
But still, even though he loved the holiday season, Bickslow had never once decorated his yard for Christmas. Hell, he didn't even have a Christmas tree. Halloween was where it was at.
On this particular morning though, Bickslow stood in his kitchen wearing nothing but his bright purple boxers (oh, the joys of living alone) and staring at the black tiled wall in front of him while absentmindedly waving the spatula in his hand. The bacon that was frying in the pan was lost to him as he coincidentally found himself lost in his thoughts.
He had the morning off, not needing to be on a train for a job a few towns over until just after noon, so Bickslow wondered just what he could do to occupy himself until then.
I could go to the guild, he thought, his head tilting slightly as he pondered what he could do at the guild. Oh! Cosplayer will probably be there. I could probably ask if she's dressing up as hot cheerleader for Halloween… that's always fun.
Or maybe even dispute Elfman's manliness, or maybe I could tell Mira I got engaged over the weekend.
Bickslow cackled to himself as he pictured the eldest Strauss ending up on the floor of the guild with hearts in her eyes. Sure, it was a blatant lie, but Bickslow just enjoyed messing with people far too much. The woman had tried to set him up with someone far too many times (she'd even gone as far as trying to set him up with her sister of all people, and it was something that had honestly traumatised Bickslow – she was like a kid, and it was weird), and each time she'd ignored Bickslow's protests. He wasn't interested in being set up with anyone, and as much as Mira wanted him to, he was most definitely not settling down any time soon.
No girlfriends, no fiancées, no weddings, and most definitely no kids. He enjoyed his no-strings-attached lifestyle far too much in the current moment.
So Bickslow continued to think of ways to entertain himself while simultaneously messing with his guild mates (they were one in the same, really) until he had to leave for his job, while sipping away at his coffee and turning the bacon once he'd remembered it was there. It was only when there was a knock at his door did he look up from the stove, and taking the frying pan off the hotplate, he put the spatula down on the counter and slowly made his way over to the door.
When he opened the door and just stared out to his decorated yard and the rows of houses on the opposite side of the street, he frowned slightly as he lifted a hand to scratch the back of his head. There was no one outside his door – not even anyone walking down the street.
"Well, that was odd," he mumbled before taking a step back from the door to push it closed behind him. It happened sometimes – kids would knock on his door and then run off. Whatever, he didn't care. It was something he would have done growing up, given he had the chance.
But as he was closing the door, something caught his eye and he did a double-take, and as soon as he did, he pulled the door open quickly and stared down to what was sitting on the ground just outside his door.
It was a baby. Well, it was a baby in a basket. But it was a baby. "What the hell?" he breathed before crouching down in his doorway to stare at the apparent newborn just outside his door. Bickslow knew almost next to nothing about children – especially babies – but he knew they couldn't knock on doors, so it meant someone had left it there, and Bickslow really wanted to know who and why.
With his brow furrowed in his confusion, he reached down to pick up the folded pieces of paper that were peeking out from under the light yellow blanket that the baby was wrapped up in. He carefully unfolded them all and after briefly skimming over what appeared to be an unfinished birth certificate and other legal documents of sorts, he looked to the one on the smaller piece of paper with the neat handwriting and placed the others down on the doormat.
Thanks for forgetting a condom, you asshole.
And yes, before you ask, the kid is definitely yours. Unlike you, I don't sleep with half the town.
There's no way in hell I'm letting her ruin my life than she already has, so enjoy the rest of yours.
Bickslow stared in disbelief at the baby, and then to the letter, and then back to the baby. There had to be a mistake, right? Whoever dropped the kid off must have had it all wrong, because there's no way in hell someone in their right mind would leave him with a baby, whether it was actually his or not (and that was something Bickslow was still debating).
And sure, he pretty much did sleep with half the town, and it wasn't like he always wore protection (it wasn't like it was solely up to him to make sure they didn't get knocked up, either), but still, was there really any proof that the kid was really his? Of course, there were tests to establish whether he actually was the father, but did it really matter? He was twenty-three; he didn't want a kid, and he sure as hell didn't want to raise a kid on his own. It was a disaster waiting to happen.
But it didn't matter what he wanted to do about it (not that he really knew, to be honest), because he couldn't just stand there all day and leave the kid on his doorstep. Someone had to look after it until he figured out what he was going to do, and until he figured out who what someone was going to be, it meant he had to.
So with a sigh, he picked up all of the pieces of paper that were sitting on his doorstep in one hand, and the basket in the other before slamming the door closed behind him.
It was going to be one hell of a day.
So much for no kids any time soon.