Camping and Contemplating

The water was clear enough that it reflected the setting sun so perfectly that Lisanna hated herself for shutting her eyes. But she did. Because it was just as beautiful, just being there was, without having to even see it.

"It's so quiet," Bickslow mumbled as he sat there next to her on the rock, staring out at the lake with a completely different feeling. He wanted to go swimming. Lisanna said no though, that he was only make noise and disturb her tranquility.

Please. He was nothing if not a nature aficionado. He expected the higher things of the outdoors. She just didn't know his inner feelings. That's all.

"Let's keep it that way, huh?" she sighed as one of his dolls came to land in her lap. It was Pappa. He was the most childlike of the bunch and usually stuck close to her. Especially in unfamiliar surroundings. "Even the babies know to be quiet."

And they did. Though they were floating overhead, they could tell that Lisanna wanted them to remain silent and, since they just loved her so much, they were trying hard to follow her tacit request.

Bickslow only let out a slight breath, hunching forwards on the big rock they were resting on, right there next to the lake, pressing his elbows into his knees as his head fell to his hands.

So much for their big fun hiking trip. They'd only been gone a few hours and already he wasn't too big on doing it again. Lisanna wanted to take in the environment with placid contemplation. But Bickslow? He liked to point things out and talk about them and hear how his voice echoed in the empty woods. He liked to play games and run around clearings and just…be.

Lisanna wasn't too big on that.

Maybe it was his fault, in his approach to her on the topic of getting away with one another. It had come only a few days ago, when she returned from (in his opinion) a far too long job with her brother. He and the babies had missed her. Sure, they'd only been dating for six months, but still. He'd taken to her right away. She was so…so…captivating.

Which was silly, of course, considering he'd only known the girl practically his whole life. But he'd never rightly seen her how he found himself doing so those past few months. She'd always been Mirajane's baby sister. The Salamander's best friend. The girl that died. The one in the tragic accident that forever changed the remaining Strauss children.

She wasn't that to him anymore. None of that.

Lisanna was the girl that just wanted to make her sister and brother respect her. And she liked chocolate ice cream, plain, but if she was having any other flavor, there had to be sprinkles. She'd explained that one to him about a thousand times, but he still wasn't sure her reasoning.

Lisanna liked it when he called her Lissy because it made her feel special. She also had a killer left hook when they were fighting. She was almost abusive, he felt.

And boy, if she didn't fight him on some things. He never knew it, never could from the outside, but she was pretty dang opinionated. With him at least. She never rightly would come out and say things in the guildhall, couldn't fathom standing up to the likes of Erza or Evergreen or even her big sister, Mirajane. She'd let them all fight it out there, not once opening her trap, until they were alone in his apartment, where she'd let it all out. How mean they all were, how Natsu never talked to her anymore, how annoyed she was that Laxus was dating her sister, or that Ever was ruining her brother.

She had a thought on everything.

Not that they were all negative though. Oh, no. Not that at all. In fact, most of Lisanna's thoughts and feelings were kinda…bubbly. And cute. When she wasn't churlish over something going on at the guildhall, she was almost childlike.

Which was just perfect for the man that walked around wearing a knight's sallet and played with dolls.

Lisanna had a way about her. She was…optimistic. About everything. Like when, last month, he and Freed got into a big blow up fight and he was upset, she just told him that it showed how much he loved Freed and how great of friends they were.

"What are you talking about? That's stupid, Lissy. I-"

"Tell me another person, Bickslow, that you'd let talk to you like that? That he'd let talk to him like that? That either of one of you would forgive? Because you both know that by next week, it'll be just like none of this ever happened. Because he's your best friend and you're his." She'd given him a hard stare then. "You don't argue with enemies. You blow 'em away, don't you?"

Then he'd reached out to tap her on the head with a sigh. And even though he wasn't ready in that moment to forgive Freed, he knew he would eventually.

And that other than Laxus and Ever, Lisanna was the only other person he put on that short list of people. You know; the list of those he argued with, instead of, as she put it, blew away.

She helped him through so much. He ever once, though he'd never admit to it, cried to her one night, when they were both a little bit more than drunk and she was sleeping over at the apartment, about how his dead parents and his past and…

Lisanna was just special.

So, anyhow, a few days ago, he'd been missing her real bad. She'd been gone for a whole week! And before that, he'd been on his own job, cutting their time together even further. The second she strode into the guildhall that morning, home from her trip finally, he'd tossed his arms around her and just asked her.

"Do you wanna go away with me for the weekend?"

And Elfman had been there, of course, as well as Mirajane. Though they let Lisanna do pretty much whatever she pleased, that only held true to the confines of Magnolia. She was an adult, of course, only two years younger than her older sister, but…well…

Lisanna never exactly wanted to worry them. It just made them feel better to keep her close. It had been a hassle enough, the first time she had to walk back into the house she shared with the two of them after spending the night over at Bickslow's. Going away with him, she thought, was out of the question.

But Mirajane came to her rescue, just as Elfman was ready to trounce Bickslow into the ground for even suggesting it. He was already all fired up, after not having been home for a week and was irritable, but Mira had just the cure for that.

"You know, Elf," she'd said after glancing at her sister and reading just from her facial expression that she very much so wanted to say yes to Bickslow. "With Lisanna gone for the weekend and what with me staying with Laxus so much, why, you'd practically have the house all to yourself. To do whatever you pleased."

"I don't wanna do nothing! I-"

"I said," Mira hissed then. "You could do whatever you pleased."

"Mira, I heard you. But-"

"Whatever you pleased."

"I don't-"

"You could invite Ever over! Sheesh, Elfman. Are you that dense?"

So of course, because Evergreen was there that day and overheard them (she'd never admit it, but she was in fact heading over to greet her (not) boyfriend), that started a fight about how stupid Mirajane was. Why would Ever want to be around Elfman?

And then Mira started crying because she hated more than anything being called stupid and Laxus got involved and it was a big mess and, well, in short, Lisanna and Bickslow made the escape, Lisanna knowing that she'd thank Mirajane a thousand times over for the distraction.

Then they just took to walking around Magnolia, planning their trip.

"We could go to the beach," Bickslow offered as his babies hovered more over his girlfriend than their master.

"Everyone goes to the beach," Lisanna complained softly, slipping one of her hands into his. He only moved to interlace their fingers with a smile. "That's boring."

"You wanna go somewhere fun, huh?"

"Not fun. Just…"

"You wanna relax," he pinned then, nodding his head. "Right?"

"Well…yeah, actually, I do."

"Then we can take a relaxing weekend somewhere, huh? Somewhere…secluded."

"Yeah." Lisanna was giggling slightly then, making his babies mimic her. "So we could unwind."

"We could…" He thought for a moment before grinning. "We could go camping!"

"Camping?" Lisanna frowned. "Bickslow, we all go camping. Constantly. For jobs."

"That's not campin', Lissy," he told her. "Not really. That's just out of necessity. This is gonna be real campin'. With sleepin' bags and long walks and marshmallows. And just me and you." When his dolls let out despondent howls, Lisanna took to snickering while their Papa only added, "And the babies, of course."

"Of course," Lisanna said.

"Of course," they cried, as if offended. "Of course."

So it was all decided. They picked a spot and, that very weekend, they headed out. Bickslow was all stoked about being alone with Lisanna. Really alone. Considering most of their dates took place in Magnolia (again, her siblings boundaries thing), that didn't leave a lot of room to get away together. They'd be out to eat and, oh! There was Laxus and Mirajane. Or, ooh, they were at the park, trying to find some time together, but here's Natsu, Happy, and Lucy. And forbid that they went shopping without Levy and Erza.

It was madness.

Plus, Bickslow knew that there was a lake in the center of that specific forest and planned to get some nice swim time in with her as well. Usually, when they went to the pool or the beach, they were, once again, in a group. Bleh.

But he knew she'd packed her bikini for the trip, just incase they did take a dip in the lake, which was sweet. Even sweeter though would be if he could somehow manage to get her to bypass any clothes at all.

Didn't see it happening, but the man could dream.

His phrasing though had seemed to throw Lisanna off. She didn't see the trip as a chance for them to screw around and have a little alone time. No. She saw it just how he'd said it. As a chance to relax. To take in the sights.

More bleh.

"You should take off your helmet," she'd suggested to him at one point, after denying his suggestion that they could try a tree climbing race. "So you can see more."

"No thanks," he'd grumbled as he followed along behind her, the babies thoroughly enjoying just being with the two of them as they trailed behind. "I can see just fine."

"Your loss."

That had only been an hour ago. And now, after having clomped all the way to the lake, she wasn't even going to let him swim in it?

The lady was kooky.

"Here," Lisanna was saying then, after taking in the way that he was hunched over, almost glaring out at the water before them. Reaching over, she snatched his helmet from him, making Bickslow glare at her.

"Hey-"

"Now look," she said, placing the sallet down on the rock between them. "And tell me that that doesn't make you at least wanna have one moment of peace."

He'd had his peace! He wanted to have his fun now! What was with her anyhow? He knew that he was her first boyfriend, but hey, he thought that it was just commonplace and well known that if a guy takes you somewhere, you're gonna put out.

Just as he was about to turn and tell her this though, something caught his eyes. It was glimmer off the water, the sun striking it just so that the water looked less murky and more…beautiful. From behind the bars of his mask, it'd just been a lake, but then, sitting there with Lissy and the babies, it was…

"It's pretty," he whispered as his other babies fell form the sky too, not just Pappa, and moved to claim their usual spots. Pippi on Lisanna's head, Poppo and Peppe in Bickslow's lap, and Puppu between them.

"Yeah," Lisanna whispered, moving to lean against him then, her leg brushing up against Puppu. Not that he was complaining. "It is, isn't it?"

Maybe it wasn't so bad to take a moment out, Bickslow decided then as he glanced down at her and his babies before back at the water.

"Bickslow?"

"Hmmm?"

Lisanna didn't move her head, but did tilt her eyes up to gaze at him. "I'm really glad that we got to come here."

He smiled then and it wasn't malicious, there was no animus behind it. It was just a smile. He was learning to do that more, to not be dark or maniacal. Just be happy. With her.

"Me too, kid," he sighed, turning back to watch the water. "Me too."

Been to some Sea Wolf for about an hour and for some reason, it made me wanna write this. So here we are.