"How come since Lisanna had to come in early, we had to come in early?" Happy complained as he and Natsu sat bored up at the guildhall bar. "Where does she get off, huh? Coming into our sacred home and knocking on the door at such an early hour."

"it was seven in the morning, Happy," Lisanna answered instead as Natsu found his time better spent sleeping (and drooling) with his head against Mirajane's precious bar top. "And it wasn't fair that I'm the only one that has to be here so early."

"You're getting paid, you know," the feline pointed out. "To be here."

"You're the one that always says you and I don't spend any special alone time together." The woman was over tacking up new jobs on the request board, but did glance over her shoulder at him. "Didn't you?"

"Yeah, but we're not alone!" Happy made a face at Natsu who, still snoozing, was unconcerned. "He's here."

"He's sleeping."

"And Kinana's right here, you know."

Lisanna's eyes widened as she was reminded that yes, the other woman was behind the bar, just bent down at the moment, taking some stock of the spirits beneath it.

"Uh, yeah, and I definitely didn't forget that at all," the white haired woman said. "Sheesh, Happy, why would you even insinuate it?"

"Oh, it's okay," they both heard Kinana call from beneath the bar. "Laxus and Mirajane forget I'm here all the time. All the time."

"You should teach me your secrets." Happy, seated atop the bar, peaked over the edge of it to stare down at the woman. "I can never even get Laxus and Mirajane to do anything like that in front of me."

"Well, it's a bit hard to forget about you when you're constantly inputting your suggestions as to what they should 'confess' to one another."

"Well have you ever heard them explicitly state that they love one another?" The Exceed took to glaring over at Lisanna. "Huh?"

"Actually, yes, Hap. A lot."

"Teach me your secrets too!"

"Maybe," Kinana suggested as she popped back up, "if you weren't so weird about it, people would open up to you more."

"How am I weird about it?" he asked. "I'm very supportive of all couples."

"You're not supportive of me and Bickslow," Lisanna muttered in a bit more real tone then. "You know."

"I like Bickslow," the cat defended before, with his arms crossed over his chest, he added, "I just don't like his dolls. They suck."

"Don't say that."

"It's true!" The Exceed patted at his fuzzy white stomach. "They shoot me in the tummy constantly with their stupid green lasers."

"Yeah, but only 'cause you're constantly bothering Bickslow when you're around," she pointed out. "Asking him all sorts of really personal questions, Hap, that aren't really your business."

"Like what?' he asked. "Everything to do with you is my business! Deep probing questions about his love for you is what any man should expect from me!"

Giggling, Kinana remarked, "I think I'm noticing a pattern."

"Where is Bickslow anyways?" Happy took to looking around, as if the creepy seith could jump out at any moment (it honestly felt, at times, like he would do just that). "Lisanna? Was he not as great as Natsu and I? Willing to get up so early in the morning even though we didn't have to because we care so much about you?"

"Happy, you and Natsu woke me up at five in the morning last week for, like, no reason-"

"We were having an argument that we needed you to settle."

"You snuck through my bedroom window?"

"Uh, gee, Lisanna, maybe if if you don't want people sneaking around in your house, you should be sure to lock everything."

"Sound logic," Kinana agreed helpfully.

"Especially your windows," he added. "I lock all our windows."

"You have holes all throughout your house that someone could easily get through," she pointed out.

"Yeah, 'cause I want them sneaking in. Then Natsu would get up and I could watch him fight 'em!" Happy punched at the air. "Or maybe I'll take 'em out. I'm becoming pretty powerful, in case you haven't noticed. Since you're so busy with Bickslow all the time now."

"Happy," Lisanna sighed, glancing over at him. "We spend plenty of-"

She stopped speaking as, suddenly, the guildhall doors were thrown up and in walked the man in question, five wooden dolls trailing along behind him.

"Lissy," he greeted upon his entry. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Right where you said you'd meet me?" she asked, though she was already tossing the remaining fliers down on a table to rush and go meet him. Kinana grinned at the sight, but still had much to get done. She wasn't sure if Mirajane was coming in that day or not, but should the woman do so and find the place not in the same tiptop shape she keeps it in, then she'd be in for quite the scolding.

And the place was never in the immaculate state Mira strived to keep it in (for opening, anyways). Never.

Happy, however, was less than pleased for the man to, once more, seemingly appear out of nowhere to ruin all the fun. Or, rather, the fun he generated not being able to exist around anyone else's.

It was fun, kinda, at first. Lisanna having a boyfriend. And for it to be Bickslow of all people. It gave Happy something to tease the woman about as well as get all the juicy insider information from. While Mirajane was certainly Lisanna's go to source for venting all her dirty laundry, she didn't mind doing so with the Exceed fluttering around, if not snuggle right in her arms. And she didn't mind if he crashed one of the pairs' dates either, as it typically consisted of them just mucking around the city or his place, doing next to nothing.

Slowly though, especially in the past year or so, Lisanna had begun to...change. Or maybe Happy had. He wasn't sure which. All he knew was that, all of a sudden, he wasn't invited to hang out with the pair as much and her conversations with Mirajane because something that he wasn't allowed to listen in on. Lucy told him that was because Bickslow and Lisanna were becoming more 'serious' and that he should be happy for her, but this only made Happy remind the woman she'd probably never find true happiness for herself which, of course, got him called stupid and a vow from the celestial mage to never let him air his grievances to her again.

Though he would.

Because even if he hid it pretty well, Happy definitely liked that aspect of he and Lucy's relationship.

Honestly, he wasn't even sure if it was hidden that well.

But there wasn't much that he could do. Other than flat out tell Lisanna he was feeling neglected (which would sound weird, no matter how he attempted to phrase it in his head, and he just knew would make him seem far too needy), Happy was left with passive aggressive comments that got a, "Whoa, little buddy, you feeling okay?" from Natsu and a, "Happy, don't be so rude all the time," from Lisanna, but not much else.

"it's part of maturing, tomcat, surely you know this," Carla groaned once when he griped about this to her while they were spending time together at the guildhall (err, well, she was spending some time off by herself on the grounds and he happened upon her, refusing to take a hint, but same thing, right?). "Lisanna is not your...mother."

"I know that! I didn't say that!"

"Then why are you acting as if she has a mandatory amount of time she must spend with you?" Carla looked off, considering something. "Although, if she was your mother-"

"I didn't say-"

"-you surely are old enough to understand needs beside your own are important, right?"

Happy's tail flicked at the thought. "I know that. Of course I know that. And I want Lisanna to be happy."

"You did not think she would be alone forever, did you?"

"I dunno. I'd never thought about it."

"You?" Carla sounded shocked. "The man that can't speak on anything other than love had never thought of one of his closest friends as one day finding it."

"Well, not with Bickslow. And not like this."

"But you don't get a say in that," she reminded. Then, after a short pause, she told him, "You know, one day Wendy too will fall in love. Perhaps many times. And though I'd hope that she would take my sharp instincts on just who is and is not worth my time, should she not, there's nothing much I can do other than be there for her and watch where our new friendship takes us?"

Happy too took a pause though, just as quickly, his head was shooting up. "Did you just say that you like spending time with me?"

The long sigh Carla gave him more than showed she felt about the same as she always did by it though, as her wings appeared and she fluttered off, she did remark, "Perhaps you have not matured nearly as much as I thought."

He was reflecting back on that conversation in particular that morning while he sat beside the snoozing Natsu and distantly listened in to the conversation that Lisanna was currently having with Bickslow.

One part stuck out to him more than any other.

"Well, Lissy, I just wanted to stop by."

"Stop by? You said you'd hang out with me this morning since Mira was gonna make me work. Remember? We literally just talked about it last night."

"Plans change, Lisanna."

"Overnight?"

"If you must know-"

"Yes," she interrupted, "I must."

"It's somethin' for you that I'mma be busy doing." The seith rubbed his knuckles against his chest. "Something big. Something that will blow your mind."

"Well, I think I have to work all day, so-"

"It'll be tonight," he said as his babies repeated that final word. "i already ran everything through your sister, so don't even worry about it, yeah? I'll come get you from the hall when it's time."

"Don't I even get a hint to what it is?"

Reaching up, he flicked up his visor so that they could stare one another straight in the eyes.

"What's life without surprises?" he asked.

"I don't know, you've never made it long enough to surprise me."

This was true.

But also going to be false that night.

"Okay," Lisanna said slowly as she took a step back from the man, planning on getting back to work. "Don't, like, get blackout drunk and forget about it. Now that, you know, you've told me about it and everything."

"Lissy, what are you implying?"

"I think you know."

Allowing his visor to drop, he only said, "Some time after sundown, alright? Be ready. I mean, it's not anything you have to get ready for, really, but-"

"Don't ruin it." Now that he'd challenged himself to keep the secret, she wanted to aid in this. Even though surprises were the worst, they were certainly also the best, in their own ways. "Get out of here before you do."

Bickslow gave her a salute and, with that, he was turning to march off, onto the next phase of the plan. Which for him was getting breakfast. But also making sure the others had started on the instructions he left them with while they were still deaing with the table incident. However, as he and his babies exited the hall and Lisanna went back to work, another person slipped through the door as well.

"Hey, Bickslow, wait up!"

"Ah?" He made a face at the feline as he flew towards him. "What do you want, cat? I'm very busy today...everyday. I'm a busy man. As you well know."

"What are you gonna do for Lisanna tonight?" Happy asked as he landed on the ground, tilting his head back to stare up at the tall man.

"Oi, is she already cavin'?" Shaking his head with disapproval, the seith said, "No commitment."

"No," Happy said with his own head shake. "I just want to know. And can I tag along? Natsu hasn't been much fun recently and-"

"No can do, cat." Bickslow crossed his arms. "Thunder Legion and Strauss siblings only. It's a rule."

"How can that be a rule? That's a stupid rule! A...a discriminatory rule!"

"Hmmm." Bickslow glanced up. "A discriminate. That's a good characteristic, ain't it? Or a dark knight such as myself? How could you root for such a man? You couldn't. Until you had to. Yeah, I-"

"Bickslow-"

"Sorry, Happy." He turned to walk off. "Why don't you spend time doing….whatever it is that you do normally? I mean- Oh, wait, hey! Yes! Why didn't I think of this before?"

Happy, fists having been ready to get balled, didn't lose any of his tension, but did asked, "What's that? What did you think of?"

"I could use an inside man," he said with a nod of his head. "Someone to make sure things definitely go my way. To aid in the trickery."

"Trickery? What exactly are you doing to Lisanna?"

"Trickery? Who said anything about trickery?"

"Pretty sure you-"

"Look, you wanna help me with this or not?"

Swallowing, it was a short ten seconds before the Exceed nodded. "Yeah. But what is it? What do you need me to do?"

"How good are you with faking voices?"

"Are you kidding? I'm the best!" At everything. In his mind, Happy added at everything. Because part of him truly believed this.

How could you ever believe you could possibly fail when the majority of your life completely lacked any instance of it?

"What are the odds?" Bickslow chuckled darkly and turned to walk off once more. "Come eat breakfast with me, cat. There's much to plan. Much to discuss."

"Right now?" Suddenly, Happy was glancing back at the hall. "But Lisanna and Natsu… I really shouldn't-"

"Are you a man or you a mouse?"

"I don't think I'm either."

"What a conundrum." Bickslow had to stop walking at that one. He had him there. "Hm."

"But...I guess I could go with you." Wings reappearing, he fluttered right back into the air. "If what we're doing's gonna help Lisanna." Not to mention, Bickslow had brought up the Strauss siblings. Though his opinions on the Thunder God Tribe weren't always the best, the ones he held on the Strauss siblings always rang through. Mirajane would never let anything happen to he nor Lisanna.

They were hardly off the grounds when Bickslow glanced over at the feline, the sight of him soaring through the sky not too odd for the man that had wooden dolls that did the same thing.

"Just how good are you, cat, at breaking into Lisanna's place?"

The question about made him drop out of the sky. "That has to do with the surprise?"

"No, that has to do with the fact the other shouldda cleared out of there by now and Mrs. Boss skipped over me on the breakfast train."

"W-Well, I am pretty hungry too-"

"Then it's settled. We'll plot over breakfast."

"P-Plot?"

"Hmmm?"

But Bickslow was hardly looking at him and didn't seem to notice the concerned stare Happy had going towards him.

Just what sorta thing had he signed himself up for?