A/N: Welcome to BixLu Week. As I said in the introduction, which has been updated since I first posted it, so some of you may not have seen it, I've realized that I don't have enough time to write the rest of the chapters and have them all posted during the next month. Days 1-7 are complete, and you'll have to be patient for chapters 8-32 to come out. Yes, you read that right. There will be THIRTY TWO chapters to this story. So far, they're ranging from 7k-16k.
Each chapter will have lyrics all up in its Koolaid, so… There's that.
Today's is Shinedown- 45
(Here's the link on YouTube: watch?v=Sz4ipOHyMd8)
Send away for a priceless gift
One not subtle, one not on the list
Send away for a perfect world
One not simply, so absurd
Bickslow grimaced as he walked through the streets of Magnolia while the sun was setting. He could hear the whole town buzzing with excitement for the Fantasia Parade. They were even more pumped up since they had to wait an extra day. And none of the citizens knew just why it happened. Why the parade had to be cancelled the day before. How could they all just smile and laugh and have a grand old fucking time right then? Why couldn't someone tell them why this was no reason to celebrate?
"No! You must be joking! Why would he kick you out and not the rest of us?"
"Yeah, I mean we're just as guilty as you are!"
"Just as guilty."
"Guess the old man doesn't see it that way."
Didn't anyone understand that this wasn't for the best? Everyone was acting like the most important person in Bickslow's life hadn't just been torn away from him. Not just his life though, but Freed's and Evergreen's too. Laxus was gone. Expelled from the guild for failing at his attempt to take over. To make the guild stronger. To make it better than it was.
Bickslow wanted to hate Makarov for kicking his own grandson out. He wanted to hate that little blonde Cosplayer girl and Loke. If he hadn't lost against her, then he could have helped more. Laxus would have succeeded, and Bickslow wouldn't be alone now.
No one noticed just how much things affected him, and he preferred it that way most of the time. They couldn't see that he was crying through the slats of his visor. No one knew that he felt like his skin was crawling with every step he took. They couldn't see the desperation on his face just to find his best friend. He needed Laxus more than ever, but the guy had vanished.
"Well, if you're leaving the guild, then I'm leaving too."
"Why should we stick around if you're not gonna be here?"
There was no reason for Bickslow to be anywhere if Laxus was gone. He was the one that knew what was going on with Bickslow, that he needed help. Bickslow wanted help, but who could he turn to? Freed and Evergreen wouldn't understand. He didn't have anyone else... Laxus was the only one he knew could help him but...
"I can't do this without him," he whispered to himself as he turned down an alley on his way downtown. He knew he shouldn't be doing it, that Laxus wouldn't want him to, but Laxus was gone. He was gone and now Bickslow was all alone.
In these times of doing what you're told
Keep these feelings, no one knows
There was no reason to keep going without Laxus. Freed and Evergreen couldn't help him, he already knew that. He needed his best friend, but the hulking blond had left. He was the only one that Bickslow trusted to help him, and now he was alone again. He just kept circling around and around in his head, focusing on that one simple fact. Which just left him feeling completely lost. "What am I supposed to do? I-I can't… I can't be alone, Laxus…"
Bickslow stopped in the middle of the alley and looked up at the sky. He could see the streaks of red and purple melding with the clouds as the sun descended past the horizon. The sounds of the town faded away until he was left with only the soft hum of the five souls of his babies as they floated above him. His eyes closed, and he could remember everything from only an hour before as clear as day. Every word, every tear that he and Evergreen had shed, every hardly noticeable expression on Freed's face, and Laxus. His electric blue eyes, and that small smirk on his lips. The bandages all over him from fighting against Natsu and Gajeel. The bag slung over his shoulder and his favorite fur coat.
"You guys can be such a pain in the ass. I mean, can't you just say goodbye and be done with it?"
"I don't understand. We're at fault too, so why are you taking all the blame?"
"You got it all wrong. You can say whatever you want, but I know you guys are much more attached to this guild than I could ever be."
Laxus was the one that had it wrong. Bickslow cared about him, not the guild. Sure, he hadn't really wanted to go along with the plan, but he would never ditch his friend. It's why he didn't really hate that blonde chick he'd been fighting. If it was someone else attacking the guild like they had been, then he would have done the same shit. He would have protected the others. Yeah, he didn't really talk to any of the other people in the guild, and everyone thought he was insane, but he still would have stepped up to the plate.
They weren't the weak ones, he was. He was the one that couldn't stop himself. Laxus had been trying to help him, but Bickslow always messed up. He just did it again and again.
"If we talk to the Master, then maybe we can change his mind."
"Yeah! And Natsu and Gray respect you, so they'll probably go with us. He loves those guys! I'm sure he'll listen to them!"
"Are you really leaving?"
Bickslow knew why Laxus left. It wasn't because of getting kicked out, or anything that Makarov had told him. It was because of him. Because of Bickslow. Laxus was tired of trying to help him, and he took the first chance he had to get the hell away.
Laxus turned around silently, and walked away with his belongings over his shoulder. He didn't look back to his team, and instead just lifted one bandaged arm into the air and gave them a small wave.
Bickslow trembled while he watched the best friend he'd ever had leaving him. His fists were clenched tightly at his sides, shaking violently while he fought to keep himself from making a spectacle. 'Don't go,' he thought. 'Please, Laxus... Don't leave me behind...'
Bickslow let out a shaky breath, then sniffled and continued on his way down the alley. If Laxus wasn't going to be there to make him stop, then what was the point in fighting it? He didn't need to be the energetic weirdo everyone knew. He didn't need to make jokes and be a pervert.
Bickslow didn't fucking need Fairy Tail. He didn't need Freed or Evergreen. He didn't need anyone in the guild.
"Take care of yourselves."
"Laxus, wait!" Evergreen shouted. She took off her glasses and wiped away the never-ending stream of tears when he ignored her.
"Hey! You can't just leave us behind!" Bickslow yelled as tears blurred his vision. "What'll happen to the Raijinshuu?!" He clenched his fists again and ground his teeth together before he got himself under control. "Man, I can't believe this!"
Freed and Evergreen would take care of themselves. They would be able to do the one thing Laxus had told them to do when he left. The last thing they heard from him before he was gone. Not Bickslow. Not the way Laxus wanted, anyway.
As he turned another corner, he could hear his babies' souls humming worriedly while they tried to get him to stop. To turn back and just go home. He couldn't though. He'd come this far, and there wasn't anything that could stop him. The one that could have stopped him was gone, and he knew Laxus was never coming back.
He had hoped that Laxus would stick around, maybe pull him off to the side and tell him that things would be okay. That he wasn't really going to leave the Seith mage behind when he knew just how badly Bickslow needed him around. He needed Laxus to stop him, to rip it all away, break it, and shock the hell out of him until he couldn't move. So he couldn't go and do it again.
What ever happened to the young man's heart
Swallowed by pain, as he slowly fell apart
Laxus was supposed to be there to make it all stop. He wasn't supposed to leave Bickslow alone like this. It just wasn't safe. "I-I need him. Laxus… Where are you?" He stopped in front of a small, rat-infested building with cracked and peeling paint on the walls, large sections of the shingles missing, boarded up windows. It looked abandoned, but he knew from experience that it was anything but empty. There were plenty of people just milling about inside, people just like him.
He hated that he was there, but what was he supposed to do?
"Turn around, Bickslow," his totems whispered. "Don't go in…"
"What's the point, babies?" he asked sadly, wiping away his tears. It's not like he would take out his communications lacrima and call Laxus right then. The guy wouldn't answer, not like he always had when Bickslow called him before. He knew that. He just didn't give a shit about Bickslow anymore.
'I did this,' he thought sadly. 'I drove him away. This is all my fault…'
"You didn't," the totems said. "That's not your fault."
"It is," Bickslow whispered. "Everyone ditches me, babies. E-Everyone…"
"We won't!"
"Yeah," Bickslow chuckled drily. "Because you can't. You'd leave me too… if you could…" He turned around and looked back over Magnolia, seeing the lights of the Fantasia Parade off in the distance. Last year, he'd been on a float with the Raijinshuu. With Laxus. Freed used his runes to make all kinds of crazy designs in the sky. Evergreen's fairy dust was flying everywhere. Bickslow was jumping from platform to platform on the float, and his babies kept switching to other inanimate objects that were scattered all over the place. And Laxus stood at the very top, with his lightning arcing all over his body and up into the sky. It was amazing. They were amazing. It was even better, because Bickslow hadn't fucked up in two months by that point.
He'd seen how proud Laxus was that he'd stopped, and he'd been able to keep it going for another week before he did it again. And disappeared for a bit. 'But Laxus found me again. He saved me…' That wasn't going to happen again. Bickslow didn't have anyone to make him stop, or save him. He didn't want to be saved anymore. What was the point in saving someone when they were just one big fuck-up anyway?
"Bickslow, stop!" the totems shouted when he turned back towards the building. "Please… Don't do this… Please…"
"I'm sorry, babies," Bickslow whispered. He took one step, then another, and another until he was standing at the small door in the thin alley between his destination and another equally un-abandoned building. "I'm so sorry…"
He walked into the building, stepping over a prone body and not paying attention to whether or not the person was still breathing. He needed this. He needed to take the pain and anger and sadness away. He couldn't do this shit anymore. Just one hour without his best friend, and he was in this pathetic state. No matter what his babies told him, Bickslow knew he was to blame for what happened. He wouldn't be that person anymore. No one cared about him now anyway, so he wouldn't be missed.
'I'm sorry… Laxus…'
And I'm staring down the barrel of a .45,
Swimming through the ashes of another life
No real reason to accept the way things have changed
Staring down the barrel of a .45
Lucy sighed while walking through Magnolia, her eyes looking up toward the sky to count the stars again. It had been a full week since the Fantasia Parade, and the sections of the town that had been damaged during the Battle of Fairy Tail were finally fully repaired. There wasn't anything really different about the guild, but something had just felt like it was missing. Laxus was gone, and his old team, the Raijinshuu, had been at the guild nearly every day. No one really talked to them though. Freed and Evergreen just sat at a table in the corner, looking for all the world as though they didn't care that people ignored them. Mira still talked to them, but she talked to everyone, and she delivered their food so it wasn't like she could just ignore them like the rest of the guild. Lucy didn't really talk to them either though. It wasn't that she was still holding what happened the week prior against them. If anything, she felt bad. The Raijinshuu had followed Laxus into some crackpot scheme, and now they were left at the guild with people that should have been their family acting like they weren't there.
Freed and Evergreen looked so sad, so lost, that Lucy really did want to just go over and sit with them. Just so they wouldn't feel like they'd been abandoned. She knew that look in their eyes. They lost someone they cared about, and it was eating them alive.
But… She'd only seen Freed and Evergreen… Lucy hadn't seen Bickslow once since her fight with him. He'd just up and vanished. When she asked Natsu and the others about it, about why he was missing so suddenly, they had all shrugged. It seemed like he had a habit of disappearing from time to time. Still, Lucy thought it was a little odd that it happened so soon after Laxus was gone.
Maybe that's what was missing though. The few times the Raijinshuu had been in the guild, Bickslow had been a big ball of energy. Almost like Natsu, but way more perverse. She didn't know much of anything about him, or the rest of the Raijinshuu for that matter, but she did want to ask if he was alright. From what she could tell, they all cared about Laxus - even though she wasn't sure if he cared about them in return - and she still considered all of them a part of Fairy Tail.
Mira had told her that Freed saw the error of his ways when she beat him. The stoic Rune mage had actually cried, and even Cana and Elfman had confirmed that he knew what they'd done was wrong. She wasn't sure about Evergreen, but she did seem to be just a little less unapproachable. But maybe that was just Lucy's point of view.
But Bickslow… He'd gotten blown halfway across Magnolia with Loke's Regulus Impact, and Lucy had passed out for a few after the fight was done. She hadn't seen him since. 'Has anyone seen him?'
She wasn't really sure where she was headed, but it didn't matter all that much to her, to be honest. She couldn't sleep, so she figured a nice stroll in the cool autumn air would do wonders for her. It had started with her writing a letter to her mom, sealing it, then lying in bed for a couple hours. She was restless though, and she had no idea why. So, instead of just lazing about or working on her novel, Lucy figured a walk was the right thing to do.
Send a message to the unborn child
Keep your eyes open for a while
In a box high up on the shelf, left for you, no one else
There's a piece of a puzzle known as life
Wrapped in guilt, sealed up tight
She jumped when a metal trash can fell out of an alley and its contents spilled onto the street a few feet in front of her.
"Wake up…"
"You're scaring us…"
"Wake up… Please…"
Lucy frowned when she heard several high-pitched voices talking over one another from the alley. She wanted to ignore it, because it could just be some trap - then again, that was bordering on paranoia on her part, so she pushed it to the side - but… They sounded really worried. She was a Fairy Tail mage. She couldn't just ignore someone that needed help. Without another thought on the matter, Lucy rushed into the mouth of the alley, jumping over the spilled garbage, then came to a screeching halt with wide eyes while she took in the scene.
"Bickslow," the five totems murmured worriedly as they rattled around on ground, surrounding the Seith mage that was slumped against a grime-encrusted wall. "Bickslow… Wake up… You're scaring us… Bickslow…"
Lucy found her feet moving before she even realized what she was doing. She knew that name well enough, and the large shadow she was able to see at that previous distance had her blood running cold. If that was really Bickslow, then he just looked like some dark blob, and that could only mean that there was something seriously wrong. All thoughts of what happened the week before, how they'd fought against one another, or even that she'd been wondering where the Seith mage had disappeared to… All of it vanished. She was only concerned with finding out just what the hell was going on with the guy. He was still a member of Fairy Tail. He was still nakama. That was what mattered.
Lucy paused again and threw a hand over her mouth and nose when she was finally close enough to see him. And smell him. From several feet away. The scent of alcohol, day's worth of old sweat, and she really didn't want to know what else wafted up through the air and right into her sinuses. It had her stomach rolling and threatening to push her dinner right out into the alley.
His visor was missing, his eyes were closed and his jaw was slack. His hair was sticking up in every direction imaginable, while some sections were matted down on his sweat-covered forehead. He was still in the clothes he'd been wearing the last time she saw him - the same pinstriped top, epaulets, light blue skirt and dark blue pants, and pointed jester-like shoes - with the evidence of the damage he'd taken from Loke's Regulus attacks evident in the burnt and singed edges on the fabric. His green bracers were missing though, and his sleeves were rolled up. And that was when she saw it. Sticking out of his forearm was a needle, with the plunger almost completely depressed. "Oh my god," she whispered in horror.
What ever happened to the young man's heart
Swallowed by pain, as he slowly fell apart
Lucy was trembling in fear by the time she was able to move again, but she stopped in an instant when the five totems she hadn't been able to see too well before shakily rose into the air, glowing a light green that she recognized. The light faded briefly and each of the five shook and dropped back to the ground before rising into the air again. "B-Bickslow?" she called out, putting her hands up in the air so he wouldn't think she was trying to attack him. "It's me, Lucy… C-Can you hear me?"
He was silent, and the longer she looked at him, the more she wondered if he was even still breathing. She watched closely, looking for any sign that his chest was rising and falling, and started to panic when she couldn't see anything. She moved forward again, and stopped when the totems flew in between her and Bickslow while they glowed even brighter. "Please," she said to the little wooden tiki faces. "Please, I just want to help. I'm Lucy. You remember me, right?" She didn't know if the souls inside of the totems were sentient in any way, but she had to hope that was the case, since they looked like they were just trying to protect the unconscious Seith mage.
The totems watched as the blonde lifted her right hand and showed them a light pink mark on the back of it. Fairy Tail. Just the like black mark on Bickslow's tongue. Papa hovered closer to her hand and looked from the mark to her face. "Lucy…" he muttered. He took in her wide brown eyes and blonde hair. "Lucy…" Guild mark. Blonde hair. Pink mark and brown eyes… "Cosplayer!" he shouted.
Lucy nodded quickly, her eyes widening when the green glow surrounding the little wooden totems went out and they dropped to the ground. She quickly closed the last foot or so of distance between herself and Bickslow, kneeling next to him and looking over his rumpled clothes and sweaty skin again. She needed to get the needle out of his arm, just in case something happened to push whatever the rest of that stuff inside of it was into him. She grimaced while looking around the alley, then grabbed a section of the light blue skirt Bickslow was wearing and tore a piece of it off. She wrapped the fabric around the needle, then slowly pulled it out of his arm, gagging slightly when she felt the smallest bit of resistance and watched the skin pulling along with the needle. "Sh-Shit… What do I do?" she whimpered, dropping the needle to the ground as the first tear trickled down her cheek.
She slowly brought a hand to his cheek, then pulled it back quickly when she felt just how hot his skin was. It was normal to feel that excess heat on someone like Natsu, since that was just his constant body temperature, but… Bickslow wasn't a Fire Dragon Slayer. He felt like he was burning up from the inside out. She didn't care about the fact that she could actually see just where she had touched his face by the small, finger-sized swipes of clean skin that were peeking through the layers of dirt and grime on him. "Wh-What am I… Oh god… B-Bickslow…"
And I'm staring down the barrel of a .45,
Swimming through the ashes of another life
No real reason to accept the way things have changed
Staring down the barrel of a .45
Loke appeared not a moment later, his eyes hard and looking for some sort of danger. He'd sensed her distress from the Spirit world, and forced his gate open, hoping he would be able to get to Lucy in time like he had when she was fighting against Bickslow. His eyes honed in on the figure Lucy was crouching in front of, and his jaw dropped when he saw just who it was. And the needle on the ground. "You found him like this?" he asked carefully.
Lucy jumped and screamed in terror as she whirled around. She assumed that there was some unknown assailant behind her - call it her author's imagination, or the fact that one of her guildmates was in the process of overdosing on some unknown substance - but the voice was far too familiar. Her heart was thundering in her chest when she finally recognized Loke through her tears, and she nodded quickly. "L-Loke," she cried, "He's… H-He's burning up…"
Loke growled in frustration. He had never really been a huge fan of Bickslow's, and the fact that this guy had tried to hurt Lucy was very deeply ingrained in his memory. He personally didn't think they should help the Seith mage out, but he couldn't very well let the bastard die either. Especially not when Lucy was crying so much over the current state or their guildmate. 'You're still part of Fairy Tail,' he reminded himself. 'That means helping nakama when they need it. Putting disagreements to the side.' He might not like it, but Bickslow needed their help.
Loke watched Bickslow for only another moment, before kneeling next to Lucy. His nose scrunched in distaste at the smell coming from the guy, but he pushed past it and placed his fingers on Bickslow's throat to feel for a pulse. "Fuck," he whispered worriedly. It was weak. Way too weak. And with all of the clothing he was wearing it was too hard to see if he was breathing properly, if at all. He brought his fingers to Bickslow's chapped lips, and hardly felt warm air pushing past them. "Lucy, he needs to get to a hospital. Now. Help me lift him up and-"
Bickslow's totems lit up again and raised themselves into the air, pulling what magic they could from the unconscious mage. "We'll carry him," Papa said. "Cosplayer can come with us, and we'll fly over the buildings." There was a slight pause before he added, "But his magic might not hold out the whole way... It's very unstable right now."
Loke nodded quickly "I'll go to the hospital and tell them what's going on. Lucy, you can call Taurus if his magic gives out. How long until you can get him there?"
The totems shifted in the air slightly, then Papa said, "Ten minutes. We'll go as fast as possible."
"That should be enough time," Loke replied.
Just as Loke stood to leave, Lucy grabbed the sleeve of his suit jacket. "Loke," she said quickly, her brown eyes wide with worry, "D-Don't tell them who he is..."
"What?"
"No one really sees him without his helmet on, so... We'll keep it quiet for now. Okay?"
Loke let out a sigh and nodded. Because they were in Magnolia, he understood the need for some serious discretion. Bickslow wasn't entirely recognizable without his visor, simply because hardly anyone, including those in the guild, had seen him without it. Granted, his clothes alone would make his identity apparent to anyone in Fairy Tail, but there was only so much they could do. He would just have to tell the hospital staff that there was a John Doe coming in with what he understood to be a drug overdose. He disappeared just as Lucy had settled herself between Bickslow's spread legs and was pulling his arms up and over her shoulders. If it would only take ten minutes for the totems to fly them to the nearest hospital, then he had only a scant few seconds to spare in the Spirit World before opening his gate again. This would definitely take a toll on Lucy's magic, but he already knew the sweet blonde would gladly pass out just to help out a guildmate.
Two seconds went by - which was more like three minutes in Earthland - as his gate closed and reopened, then Loke passed through to the lobby of Magnolia General Hospital's Emergency Department. He ignored the odd stares of the patients that were waiting for treatment, and rushed over to the startled receptionist. "I need help," he said quickly. "There's someone being brought in for a drug overdose..."
"How long?" the nurse asked quickly.
"Ten minutes... I hope..." Bickslow didn't seem like he had much longer when Loke had left, and he could only hope that Lucy and those totems were able to get him to the hospital in time. 'I might not like him, but he's still nakama. And this will kill Lucy if she isn't able to save him...'
Everyone's pointing their fingers
Always condemning me
And nobody knows what I believe
I believe
Lucy grunted as she slowly leaned forward and tried to pull Bickslow along with her. His totems had arranged themselves into a small, circular platform instead of the long line that she had seen Bickslow use while he was flying on them. Now, it was just a matter of getting the very unconscious and extremely heavy mage onto them, then situating herself as well so they could get up into the air. It was taking way too long, that much she was sure of, but she just had no idea what else she could do to help move this along.
'You could call Taurus, dumbass!' she mentally scolded herself. Then again, if she called him now just to help her get up onto the totems, and she needed him during the trip because of Bickslow's magic failing… Then she'd be shit out of luck. "Uh… Tot… Um… Babies?" she grunted, hissing in pain when she moved to her knees and felt the pavement scraping roughly over her bare skin.
"Cosplayer…"
"Any ideas on how I can lift him up? He's too heavy…" She watched as the totems hovered in place for a moment while she kept trying to pull the limp body away from the wall, and just when she got him to move forward a few inches, two totems shot forward and braced her shoulders before she could fall flat on her face.
The other three moved behind Bickslow and started pushing him forward once Lucy regained her balance, then all five reformed the small platform just behind them. "Ready," Papa called out.
Lucy gritted her teeth and slowly lowered herself and Bickslow to the totems, then readjusted his arms over her shoulders. This was definitely going to be the most uncomfortable ten minutes of her life, but it would be worth it as long as Bickslow pulled through.
"Pull his legs up, Cosplayer," Papa said gently. "We'll be going as fast as possible."
Lucy nodded, even though the little souls couldn't see it, then carefully hooked her arms around his legs and draped them over the tops of her thighs. All those piggy back rides she had been forced to give Natsu because of his motion sickness were finally coming in handy. She hunched over to make sure he would stay on, then took a deep, steadying breath. She glanced around the alley one last time, then quickly reached down and grabbed the needle from the ground where she'd dropped it. She had no clue what was in the thing, but the hospital would be able to figure it out. And that would definitely be helpful in properly treating him. If there was anything they could do, that is. "Um... Are you sure this is gonna work like this?" she asked warily.
Instead of a response, the totems lifted themselves, and their precious cargo, into the air. Once they were clear of the rooftop, Papa said, "... Maybe. Hold on tight, Cosplayer."
"Maybe?!" Lucy screeched. "And hold tight to wha- AHHHH!" Lucy's eyes watered as the totems bolted through the air at speeds she was definitely not used to. Not even Happy flew this fast the few times he'd carried her. She felt Bickslow slipping and leaned forward just a little more, wincing when the wooden totems dug painfully into her thighs.
Still, no matter how fast they flew, it didn't seem like they would get to the hospital soon enough. She didn't know a thing about Bickslow. Not who he really was, at least. The one time they'd interacted, he'd been her enemy, and it was only a week prior. What was she supposed to do if he didn't pull through? Obviously she would tell his team what happened, and Master Makarov, but… She just didn't want to think about that possibility. She couldn't.
What she also couldn't do was understand just why he'd been in that alley. Why he'd chosen to do something so destructive to himself. How could someone that's always smiling - from what she'd seen at the guild - do something like this? She wondered if maybe it had something to do with the Battle of Fairy Tail. If maybe Laxus was to blame for this happening to the Seith mage.
She wasn't sure how long they'd been in the air, flying high over rooftops on a direct path to Magnolia General Hospital, but the longer it took, the more worried she got. Bickslow's head lolled to heavily to one side, and she shivered when his lips brushed over her neck. He still smelled absolutely revolting right then, and she would definitely be taking a shower once she knew he was in the clear, but she wasn't able to feel even a single puff of hot air over her skin from him. Her hands tightened on his arms, a single thumb pressing to his pulse point in his wrist. His skin was still on fire, but she couldn't even feel his pulse. "B-Babies!"
"We know!" Papa shouted. "Faster!"
Lucy clamped her eyes shut and bit her lips when they picked up in speed again, and found herself hoping with everything she was worth that they would get to the hospital in time. Maybe it was her curiosity getting the better of her, or maybe it was just because she'd never considered it before, but Lucy wanted to know who Bickslow really was. She wanted to have a chance to actually talk to him, have a normal conversation - or as normal as it could get with the man - and find out just one thing that no one else knew about him. Or even something she personally hadn't known before. Just one.
Like… His favorite color. Something stupid, and insignificant. But something that was important to the man whose life she was trying to save.
And I'm staring down the barrel of a .45,
Swimming through the ashes of another life
No real reason to accept the way things have changed
Staring down the barrel of a .45
She screamed when they started plummeting through the air, and she was able to feel the totems starting to separate from their bound places beneath her. 'Oh god. We're dead meat!' Each of them slowly slid out from beneath her and Bickslow, and Lucy found herself staring at the quickly approaching ground in horror. She felt her previously forgotten tears coming back full force and closed her eyes when she couldn't bear to see what was coming any longer. She couldn't look death in the face this way. Not when it was going to be a sidewalk that did her in. The thought of trying to rotate so Bickslow was the one that hit the ground first didn't even cross her mind. She simply gripped his arms as tightly as she could manage to make sure she didn't lose him.
Lucy grunted when the totems zoomed through the air and caught her, and whimpered when her eyes opened to see that she and Bickslow were only a few feet from the ground. They didn't stop moving though, rising into the air again when her and Bickslow's shoes were dragging on the concrete. She could already feel the bruise coming in from where they'd collided with her, running from between her breasts down the center of her stomach to her pelvis, but she couldn't find it in herself to care any longer.
"Sorry about that," the totems said.
Lucy gave a slightly hysterical, airy laugh and let her head hang limply. "I-It's fine," she whispered. "We'll get there in time."
She had to believe they would. There just wasn't any other option, as far as Lucy was concerned. Bickslow had to make it through this; otherwise, what was the point? Lucy didn't know anything about him, but she could tell that if he died from this… She would be devastated.
"We're here, Cosplayer," Papa said, the relief clear in his small, disembodied voice.
Lucy lifted her head and a wide smile broke out on her face when she saw Loke standing outside with a stretcher, several male nurses, and two doctors in scrubs and white labcoats. "Thank god," she breathed. "Bickslow… We're here… You're gonna be okay…"
Loke's eyes widened when he caught sight of Lucy and Bickslow flying in on the totems. Aside from the fact that the guy was lying completely on top of her, and looking like he was pinning her to the little blocks of wood, she looked relieved and terrified and like she was about to really break down any second. The totems came to a stop right in front of the stretcher, and Loke watched as the nurses moved to quickly transfer Bickslow's unconscious body from on top of Lucy to the mobile bed. They wheeled him inside instantly, with one doctor following behind them and barking out orders, leaving Lucy shakily pushing herself up from the totems, Loke, and another doctor that had wanted to speak with the one that was going to be bringing their 'John Doe' in.
Lucy nearly collapsed when Loke pulled her from the totems, and gave him a watery smile while she leaned into his chest before looking at the doctor that had stayed outside. Mid-forties, salt-and-pepper hair that was spiked on the top and shaved close to his scalp on the sides, lightly tanned skin and laugh lines that crinkled the corners of his crystal blue eyes. A nametag that read, 'Dr. Jonathan Barrow, M.D.' Before he could saying anything, Lucy held out the needle that was still wrapped in the light blue fabric she'd torn from Bickslow's clothing. "I-I found this in his arm," she sniffled. "I-I don't… I don't know how m-much he took… O-Or what it is…"
Doctor Barrow raised an eyebrow at the blonde woman, then carefully took the needle from her. He looked at the liquid in the cylinder and shook his head sadly. "Clear," he mumbled. "High body temp… Methamphetamine, most likely."
Lucy gasped and threw a hand over her mouth, feeling Loke give her shoulders a light, reassuring squeeze when she started trembling.
"Do you know him, ma'am?" Dr. Barrow asked. When Lucy nodded and continued silently crying, he said, "We'll take good care of him. Please see the receptionist for any extra paperwork that your friend here hasn't already filled out. And contact his next of kin… Just in case."
"I-I don't…" Lucy whimpered, glancing at Bickslow's totems while they slowly hovered closer to her and Loke. "I don't know if he has any…"
"Well, we'll test this," Dr. Barrow said carefully as he looked at the needle again, "And make sure it's really meth, but… His chances aren't good." He paused and gave the young blonde a calculating look, then discreetly glanced at her arms to see if he could find any small puncture wounds on her as well. "How exactly do you know that man?"
Lucy sniffled and wiped her face roughly with one hand. "Doctor-patient confidentiality, right?" she whispered. When the doctor nodded, she lifted her right hand to her chest and gave him a meaningful look. The moment his eyes honed in on her bright pink guild mark, and flashed with recognition, she crossed her arms. "His name is Bickslow, and he's a member of Fairy Tail. No one's seen him in about a week. He was unconscious in an alley… I-I can call his team, but… Then people will know who he is…"
"And who might his team be, Miss…?"
"Lucy," she answered. "And it's the Raijinshuu." She nodded when Dr. Barrow's eyes bugged out of his head before he glanced at the needle in his hand in confusion again. "His guild mark is on his tongue, Doctor. Please… Please help him…"
"I'll do what I can, Miss Lucy," Dr. Barrow said quickly. "Please stay here until we have some news. I'll be sure his records remain as a John Doe for the time being."
"Thank you," Lucy whispered. She watched as the doctor rushed off, then sniffled one last time before burying her face in Loke's chest and crying her eyes out. "B-Babies…" she whimpered, turning slightly and opening her arm to pull all five totems to her.
Loke sighed when Lucy started crying even harder than before, and silently wrapped his arms around her. Normally, he would have made a joke or two about how she was finally willing to accept her own feelings for him, but… He could see and feel just how hard it was for her to hold on much longer. "Let it out, Lucy," he said tenderly. "He'll be okay…"
And I'm staring down the barrel of a .45,
And I'm swimming through the ashes of another life
There's no real reason to accept the way things have changed
Staring down the barrel of a .45
So, how are you all liking BixLu Week so far? There's more where that came from, so get ready. Is that song from the introduction making more sense now?
I've had this story stuck in my head for months now, and this is what actually helped inspire the prompts for each of the days - because Nana is an enabler lol.
Also, I've changed the introduction chapter. I'd like for all of you to please take a moment and look at it. Aside from warnings and things, there's a little PSA in there. You'll see what I mean.
I'll see you all tomorrow for...
Day 2: Hidden
So, Review, Follow, Favorite! I love you, guys!
~~GemNika.
