His Babies
Pappa liked to keep close to Bickslow. He always rode on his shoulder or head when his helmet was off. It brought the doll comfort for some reason, being near to his master at all times. He was kinda like the baby of the babies.
Pippi mostly liked flying at high speeds into things. Anything. Walls, the other babies, even Bickslow. He just liked going fast. Not that the crash was that bad either. The more banged up he got the better. This annoyed Bickslow sometimes, as it left him to clean up the mess.
Puppu was the one that was very easy to excite. They all were, of course, but he was the worst. If the cadence in Bickslow's voice even so much as went a tad higher than usual, he went crazy. Dashing around, repeating words. He was a little firecracker.
Peppe, well, really there wasn't much about him. He didn't stick out much. He just kinda went along with the others. He was the quietest out of all of them, though that wasn't saying much, as he'd just as quickly mimic his master as the others. But when he wasn't repeating Bickslow, he was usually silent. And if they weren't in battle, he'd find somewhere to land and rest.
Poppo was the last of the little wooden dolls that Bickslow kept his souls in. The only thing that set him apart honestly was the fact that he was the easiest to upset. When Bickslow yelled, he yelled, his voice louder than the other four. He seemed to be the meanest out of all of them too. Enjoyed fighting a lot more.
Even after only a few weeks of dating, Lisanna had noticed all those things. It was hard not to as they went on all of their dates, his babies did.
"He can't go anywhere without them," Evergreen told Lisanna softly when the younger woman asked her about it one day when they first began dating. "So don't get too offended. Or expect anything differently. I thought you knew he-"
"I did," she'd told her brother's (sometimes) girlfriend. "I just thought dates would be different, that's all."
But they weren't. The wooden dolls went to dinner with them, to the ice cream shop, when he took her shopping. Even once when they went to another town to watch a play, they tagged along and sat in his lap during the show, Pippi and Peppe eventually moving to come sit in hers at one point.
It was hard to get used to, but…she really did like Bickslow. She didn't think she would, the first time they went out together. And even then it was because Mirajane and Laxus were going out on a date and, feeling bad for her, Mira had invited her to come along. Laxus was kind enough to grab one of his bodyguards to accompany them as well and she was glad to find it to be the seith and not Freed.
Not that she didn't like Freed. Because she did. It was just…well, for one, she was pretty sure he was more interested in guys than women to begin with and didn't want to feel rejected by him should that be the case. Then there was the fact that Bickslow was just more fun. His dolls too.
That alone was probably the reason that when he asked her out again, she agreed. He was very boisterous, but in a good way. And he liked to jump around a lot. On top of things, like railings or dumpsters, only to jump off them again. Or his babies would take a certain formation where they formed something like steps and he'd climb up them, the last one moving to the front continuously until he was high enough in the air to jump down and do a flip or something.
He was an exhibitionist to the fullest. Everything was a chance for him to show off for his date. His babies too. They seemed to feed off him and knew that they were supposed to impress her as well.
It was probably on the fifth date that she went home with him. And found out that the babies slept with him too, in bed.
He wasn't freaky enough to let them into the room while they were…being intimate, but after, when they were going to sleep and he found that she was staying the whole night, he only went to go get them. Some of them slept up on his chest, the others on the mattress or pillows, but they all slept in bed. She felt kinda awkward with it at first, but the more times she stayed the night, the less it bothered her.
And the longer she spent around them, the more observant she became of their personalities and which ones took better to her. Peppe had had no qualms from the beginning about riding on her head or laying on her stomach when they slept at night.
And Pippi really liked to follow her around the guildhall when she worked with Mirajane for some reason. She figured it was because he got to fly around even more. The first time he crashed into a glass pitcher though and broke it, she got really upset and yelled at him.
She'd thought after she'd calmed down that Bickslow would be upset with her, as she'd yelled at his baby, but he only came to scold Pippi too, as apparently he'd warned him against behaving so recklessly before. And Pippi only seemed to take to moping the rest of the day, following her around still, but not at a nearly as fast pace. And when Bickslow took her home that night, it was Pippi that slept on her stomach when it was time for bed, as if testing to see if she was still upset with him or not.
Poppo was a little harder to win over, though one day when Lisanna was offered to go training with Bickslow and took him up on it, Poppo did seem rather impressed when she was able to match pace with the seith (for a little while at least). And when they'd sparred, she didn't do half bad. That got her the overwhelming support of that doll.
Then Puppu loved her from the very start. Mainly because she was just as fun as Bickslow. He liked how she laughed when he zipped around or the way that she knew all sorts of funny stories. And she made Papa happy, so that was great. Everything was great. If you asked him, that is.
It was Pappa though that was the least receptive towards her. He didn't outright seem to dislike her or anything like that. He just was…hesitant to be around her. When they'd cuddle up on the bed, all of them, he'd always take to Bickslow's chest and never get close to her. Or when Bickslow left her alone in the bedroom or living room so he could go to the bathroom, the other dolls were fine with staying there with her, but Pappa would have to follow him. Even if he just left the living room to get something from the bedroom, the doll would go with him, as if he was afraid of being without him.
She didn't take it to heart though. It was actually kinda…cute the way that Pappa loved Bickslow so much. And though he loved all his babies, he clearly was more cautious of that specific one. She never saw him lose his temper with Pappa like he would most the others. Except for once when Pappa had been following him and, when Bickslow stopped short, smacked rather hard into his back. Bickslow took to grumbling which seemed to upset Pappa, who flew off in the other direction, as if to get away from him.
They'd been in the apartment and, as he didn't have many places to hide, Pappa had come into the kitchen where Lisanna was making her and Bickslow lunch.
"What's wrong, Pappa?" she'd asked as the doll fluttered in there. He only came to land on the counter, next to the lunchmeat she had out as she made Bickslow a few sandwiches. "Huh?"
When Bickslow came into the room as well, she could tell what was going on by the look on the man's face and frowned at him.
"Bickslow," she complained as she dropped the knife she'd been using to cut tomatoes. Reaching over, she snatched up Pappa, who didn't try to run from her. He only settled n her arms. Turning to look at the man, she asked, "Were you being mean to Pappa?"
"No," he grumbled, glaring down at his baby. "But I told him not to-"
"He's just a baby," Lisanna said, holding the wooden doll protectively to her chest. "He doesn't understand things."
The other babies had come over to investigate then as well, floating around Bickslow's head as they eavesdropped. Bickslow only narrowed his eyes at her then.
"What are you then? His protector?"
"If I have to be." She wasn't backing down. "He loves you more than anything in the world. If he did something to you, I'm sure it wasn't on purpose. And you've been cranky all day today. So just take a breath, alright?"
He wasn't ready to do that just yet. "And if I don't?"
"Then…Pappa and I will be leaving," she said then, swallowing. She thought that he'd keep it up too, Bickslow would, but at those words, he relaxed some for some reason. Then the laughter started.
It was that special one that he had that most would mistake a sinister. And the dolls joined him rather quickly, even Pappa eventually, as he took to the air to join the others.
After sobering, Bickslow'd only reached up and snatched Pappa out of the air before walking over to Lisanna. Standing in front of her then, he set the doll back in her open hands.
"You're his protector now," he told her, almost ceremonial in his tone. Closing her fingers around the doll, she only nodded as he went on. "So don't ever let anything happen to him, huh?"
Then Bickslow was laughing again, standing there shirtless and without his helmet, looking seemingly crazy. Just as quickly, he was finished and turned to walk away, off to go finish whatever he'd been doing before. And for once, Pappa didn't follow. When Lisanna let him go, he only took to the air before coming to rest atop her head.
He never seemed to dislike her again. In fact, it was him who slept on her stomach from that point forth, always. And he rode on her head most places they went. Even as she worked at the bar, he'd ride around up there all day. When she'd go away on jobs, he'd be the most thrilled when she returned. Even rivaling Puppu, who was truly just happy to be happy.
As more weeks were tacked on, Lisanna just fell into the role of Bickslow's frequent date and his babies favorite playmate. They got really excited when they got to hangout with her and even on days that Bickslow or Lisanna were fighting, if he was up at the guild while she was tending bar, they'd hang around her more than him, following her as she took beers to someone or something. They just liked her for whatever reason. She figured she was a good reprieve from just spending all day with Bickslow.
Lisanna rather learned to like them too. It was hard not to. They were just so…lovable. Though she had been doubtful of her ever enjoying their company in the beginning, that was before she really knew much about them. For years the only contact she had with them was basic and was usually when the Thunder God Tribe was taunting someone else for being weak, in which case they'd annoyingly echo Bickslow at noisome.
After spending so much time with them though, not only did she realize all their individual personalities, but she discovered that she enjoyed them thoroughly. She liked running after Pippi down the road as he flew at high speeds, yelling for someone to chase him. She was glad when Poppo got happy from watching her spar with Bickslow and that he would cheer for her sometimes, over his master. Or how Peppe was always just there, no matter what. He didn't do much, fine, but he seemed content when she'd carry him around or talk to him. And Puppu was a hoot, really. He loved when she'd tell him knock-knock jokes or play silly games with him. Mainly hide and seek. Even when the other dolls tired of it (it was rather simple, after all), he still loved hiding behind furniture in the apartment or in cabinets around the guild and waiting to pop out when she found him, overly animated that someone care enough to play with him.
But it was Pappa that she liked the best. And though it wasn't overly obvious, Bickslow noticed. It was probably because he hung around so close to her at all times after their friendship was forged that she preferred him over the others. He didn't really ever play chase or hide and seek like the other dolls. And he never seemed to understand jokes (Lisanna was honestly unsure if Puppu really understood them or if he was just laughing because he thought he was supposed to). And Pappa hated it to the highest degree when they were sparring, if only because it meant he couldn't ride around on Lisanna's head. He far preferred training himself than watching someone else doing it.
It was mainly the way though that he hadn't wanted her at first, Pappa hadn't, that made her like him so much. Not to mention, the fact that Bickslow thought it was so great that Pappa had taken to her didn't hurt anything.
Though he thought she was great with all of his babies. There was nothing he liked more than watching the way they flocked to her every time they went to pick her up for a date. Or when he entered the guildhall they'd immediately seek her out. And if she wasn't around, even if he'd told them beforehand she wouldn't be, they'd all get really depressed.
It was truly something, he figured. Most of the women he'd dated either hated his babies or acted like they didn't exist. But Lisanna made sure to include them in everything. She didn't even mind his codependency on them. And when one of them would break or just needed their body repaired, she'd help to the best of her ability.
She was just great. Really great.
It wasn't just his babies though that Lisanna liked. She really did like Bickslow. For a massive amount of reasons, but she couldn't think of something more comfortable than napping in his bed or couch as he played with her hair and mutter things about how one day, he'd buy a real nice place with a pool and stuff and she could stay over whenever she wanted. They wouldn't worry about rent or nothing. And he'd be an S-Class wizard, raking in big jewels, so she didn't have to work at the bar or take jobs anymore.
He really liked to make elaborate plans like that.
And he liked her for more than just how he dealt with his babies too. Sure, she was a good babysitter for them, but she also was pretty cool. Like how she honestly thought that he was interesting. Not that fake interesting that he put on, with the face tattoo and wild hair style to attract attention. But rather when they'd just sit around and talk, like have normal conversations, she'd actually listen to him. She thought that he was intelligent or something.
No one had ever thought that before, about him. No one.
Once the weeks became too extensive to keep count by, they turned into months. And as she proudly realized one day that they had been together for officially nine months, Lisanna decided that she wouldn't mind another nine. Or even more. Because she wouldn't admit it before he did, but she really did love him. And the babies, which she was sure were the key to being with him in the first place.
Now that she had him, err, them, she wasn't letting go. After all the horrible things she'd had happen in her life (her parents death, being run out of their village, technically dying), it was nice to finally have something that wasn't regulated by her older sister or had to be deemed manly by her older brother. Bickslow and the dolls were all hers.
Forever, she hoped.