Chapter 11: Switch

The train jolted slightly as it bustled down the track, though it didn't affect Bickslow's little wooden babies none. No, they were much too busy all trying to be the most completely unbearable…thing on the train all at once. As it was turning out, it was a strong tie.

Heh.

"Bickslow," Lisanna complained as he sat by, seemingly unaware of the fact that one of the dolls was chasing a poor man up and down the aisle while two made nonsensical noises as loudly as they could in an attempt to out shout one another.

"Yes," he sang, drawling it out as he glanced up from his nails, which he was filing down into sharp points. Seated across from him, Lisanna could only frown. "What is it?"

"Don't you think, maybe," she began slowly, just staring, "that you should stop your, uh, children from bothering the other patrons of the train?"

He blinked. Then he glanced around. "Patrons, huh?"

"You know," she complained. "Like the people that are also riding the train with us?"

"Huh."

"Especially the man that your babies are chasing up and down the aisle?"

He glanced over there before back at her. "They're playing."

"Bickslow."

There was a huge intake of breath from his part before, slowly, as he still filed his nails, the seith called out, "Babies! Come here! I think you're embarrassing the kid."

"I'm not a kid," she complained. "And I'm not embarrassed. I just happen to be sitting with you. It's you that should be embarrassed."

"Huh." Then he shrugged. "Not really."

"Bickslow-"

"What do you want from me, woman?" Growling, he moved to put his nail file back away before glancing around at all the babies. "Would you all stop bothering her? Huh? So she can stop bothering me?"

"Me bothering you?" She couldn't believe that he even uttered such a thing. "You're the one that has your stupid dolls roaming around, annoying other people-"

"There has been no one," he growled, "that mentioned any of this to me."

"Because they're afraid of you, Bickslow."

"Afraid of- Are you crazy?" His eyes glowed behind his visor. "I'm the most approachable guy around!"

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Yeah, well, I ain't, so-"

"You're sitting here, sharpening your fingernails into claws," she said incredulously, "but you think that you're approachable?"

"Extremely."

"Yeah, well, you're not," she said simply. "And your babies are being very aggravating to everyone on the train so-"

Cutting her off, he looked her dead in the eyes (she could just tell, even through the visor), as he said, "Is this because I turned you down for the threesome?"

Lisanna about choked. "W-What? You did not!"

"I remember being pretty stark against it," he told her. "You and Lucy tried to tie me up and I said, no! That I had morals. And you-"

"You're psychotic."

He grinned at her then, flashing his teeth and his tongue as it fell from his mouth, guild mark waving.

"You just figurin' that out, kid?"

She could only huff then and look off, out the window of the train. They still had a few hours to go and there was no reason to spend the rest of it wrangling the freak in. The Thunder Legion had always been peculiar and, though she considered herself closer to them than most, she was in no part Bickslow's friend. Mainly just Freed and Ever's (the latter more by necessity). She liked the seith enough, but he was more than a little off. Someone to be cautious of. And definitely not someone to travel on a train with.

Bickslow though just went back to his nails like it was nothing. Lisanna was cool. They were cool. Riding a train was cool. But having the boss snap at him wouldn't be. Honestly, he was just filing his nails to distract himself from thinking about it. Whatever the man and Mirajane were doing together, it seemed to be a long job. Him and Lisanna mucking it up would not go over well with either of them, he figured.

And so what? Makarov didn't know what they were doing so they just had to go and screw it up? If there was anyone in the guild that Bickslow put his entire faith in, it was Laxus Dreyar. And though he saw her as kinda ditzy and…erm…special at times, Mirajane was definitely committed to Fairy Tail. No way she'd purposely be shirking her responsibilities. There had to be something important going on.

There just wasn't any other explanation.

Nah. The boss and Mira were just doing a job, would finish it, and come back home. They didn't need someone checking up on them. If it was Erza, off doing a job like that, would someone bother her? No. Because no one trusted Laxus and it just wasn't fair! Bickslow knew in his heart that there just wasn't anyway the man was doing wrong and that there wasn't anything that could ever possibly harm Laxus.

Well, maybe, like, a billion dragons or something, but he'd probably be able to slay at least half.

Probably.

And after some rest, take on the others even. If he was feeling it. Which he probably would be.

"I just," Lisanna said after a few moments of them sitting there in silence, "wish that you wouldn't let your dolls annoy other people on the train. Please."

"Right. Because it embarrasses you."

That got him some narrowed eyes as, honestly, Lisanna didn't know what the big deal was. What difference would it make? If she was embarrassed or not? Why would he care?

"Fine," she gave in, causing him to grin wider. "I'm embarrassed by the way you let your…children behave. Happy?"

Nodding, he announced in a loud voice (far too boisterous for a small train car), "Babies! Lisanna here is embarrassed by your behavior. Apologize."

"Bickslow," she hissed as five voices began to belt out their apologies repeatedly. "Make them stop."

Dropping the nail file into his lap, he put a hand to his cheek as he only shook his head.

"I just do not understand what you want, kid."

"I'm not a kid!"

"Lisanna," he chided. "Shush. You're embarrassing me."

"You cannot be serious."

"I just can't take you anywhere."

"You're-"

"Psychotic?" He winked, she was certain, behind his mask, though she couldn't be for sure. Just a feeling. "We already went down that road, kid."

"I'm not a kid!"

"Hush. Jeez." Glancing across the aisle at the couple seated there, a man and a woman, him pretending to read a newspaper and her refusing to glance over, Bickslow said, "Women, you know?"

Lisanna groaned, loudly, before looking back out the window. Why couldn't it had been someone else? Anyone else? Bickslow was fine in moderation, but the amount of him she was being exposed to at the moment was aggravating.

"You gotta loosen up, kid," he told her with a dark laugh, just taking in the look on her face. "Seriously. You're so uptight."

"Shut up."

"I'm just-"

"Let's just get there, find my sister, and then talk to one another," she suggested. "Alright?"

Shrugging, he picked back up his nail file. "Alright."

Not that they made it, of course, without speaking. Bickslow seemed to go in and out of being interested in bothering her. He'd pick just enough to get her to complain before he'd back off and try to play the victim. It wasn't endearing to Lisanna at all, but she wasn't sure why it bothered her so much. Natsu and Happy did the same thing. Constantly.

But it was different with the two of them. They were her best friends. Always. Bickslow was just a guy that, fine, she thought was cool enough, but definitely wasn't close to. It would have been the perfect chance for anyone else and her to get closer. Bond. Not Bickslow though. Nope. If anything, it was driving her further and further away.

Eventually, of course, they got back to the town that Bickslow had last seen the woman's sister with his idol. From there a huge problem became present.

"Well?" Lisanna prompted as they exited the station and the seith only stood there in deep contemplation. "Where are we headed?"

"Hmmm."

"Hmmm?"

"Hmmm."

"Bickslow-"

"There might be a small, tinsy little detail that I never rightly got out to you because, well," he began, even letting out a slight laugh, "you did kinda kidnap me, but that's neither here nor there right now-"

"What is it, Bickslow?" she complained. "Huh?"

"Just that, uh, well." He let out a long breath. "I have no idea where your sister and the boss are."

"What?"

"Don't hit me."

"What are you- Why would I- Stop it," she hissed when she realized what he was doing. Acting out, of course, for the people passing, always one to try and stir up some entertainment, manufactured or not.

Abuse by a captor should not be ignored. Even if they weren't really a captor to begin with.

"Just don't hit-"

"If you didn't know where they were," she complained as she glared at him, "then why did you let me buy you a train ticket back here just to find them?"

"Okay, I don't recall having a say in any of this," he pointed out, holding up a finger. "And besides, I thought that we'd get around to that threesome at some-"

"I'm going to kill you."

"No, Lisanna, say it louder, so everyone can hear."

For a moment, she thought about just turning around and leaving him. She'd only bought one way tickets and, as he'd told her when they went to get on the train back in Magnolia, he didn't have money for any. He'd essentially be stuck. A good walk home would give him some time to mull over his actions.

But… Ugh. She was just too nice.

And too concerned about her sister's wellbeing.

"I…I need to think." Heading off then in a random direction, she called over her shoulder, "Without you."

"Too bad, kid. I'm only here for you and your delusions of your sister needing your help." He rushed to follow her. "You can't escape me and the babies."

Great.

It was decided that after that long train ride, they should get some dinner. Together, Bickslow figured, but Lisanna was more than a little ticked at that point and did not come to that same conclusion at all. She made him sit two tables over and, though she agreed to pay for his food, only let him order a drink and a burger.

No fries.

She was a tough one, that kid.

"Stop looking at me," she complained eventually, just loud enough for him to hear it.

"I'm not."

"Bcikslow-"

"I'm not!"

"I can feel your eyes."

"Cannot."

"Can too."

"Cannot."

"Can too."

"Not."

"Too."

"Not."

"Too."

"Yes

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Bleh."

"Bleh."

"Bleh!"

"Bleh-he-he!"

And then they just stared. Until Lisanna looked off anyways, arms crossed over her chest.

"You can come over here," she conceded. There wasn't anyone else in the restaurant and it was kind of awkward anyways. "If you wanna."

He almost tripped over his feet in his rush to take his drink, plate, and hovering babies over to her table before she changed her mind.

"Thanks. That was kinda awkward."

"More awkward than having floating babies that yell and scream at one another to annoy other people on a train?"

He gave her a look from behind that visor; she could just tell, seriously.

"You just ain't gonna let that one go, are ya, kid?"

Letting out a short breath, Lisanna said simply, "Look, we need a plan."

"Right. And fries."

"No fries," she said with a frown. "Seriously."

"They're for you. All you had was coffee." Then he paused. "And for me. Because I deserve them."

"No," she insisted. "I mean it."

"But aren't you hungry? Huh? Coffee on an empty stomach is-"

"Is this just a game to you? Is it?"

He blinked. "Well, now that you mention it-"

"My sister is-"

"Fine." Rolling them that time, he said, "I mean, sheesh, Lisanna. What? A grown woman hasn't shown up for work in a month after being spotted with a seedy man who, in the past, has had her turned to stone and threatened to shatter her to pieces and you want to get the cops involved? I mean come on. Just a tad overbearing, aren't you?"

"It is, isn't it? Just a game to you?"

"Completely."

Shaking her head, the woman told him simply, "Just think. Where did you see them when you were here?"

"Well," he began slowly, thinking deeply. "Uh…Oh, I know. I saw Mira out at the market. But she managed to lose me. Then, later, I caught her and the boss out and they had some flowers. She gave me one after we talked."

"You talked?"

Nodding, he said, "I saw her and the boss, right? And he was in a wheelchair and I thought, oh, that's weird. You know, Laxus in a wheelchair, but then it hit me."

"W-What?"

"They were on a job!"

"A job?"

"Yeah, a job." He grinned then and, for once, it was a real one. "Clearly, boss is posing, right? As your sister's boyfriend or husband or lover or something along those lines. As they scope out the joint, I figure. A long con, yeah. Probably some dark guild stuff or someone that they need to get a trace on. Something like that. And who better to have do something like that than two of our S-Class wizards? Eh? Makes perfect sense, don't you think?"

It was her turn to blink.

"Not at all," she said. "I mean, why would they hide it from all of us? And above all Master Makarov?"

He shrugged. "Maybe it just came up and they never-"

"Bickslow, I don't think-"

"Well, I do. I mean, what else could they possibly-"

"And why does Laxus have to be in a wheelchair again? That really throws me," she said. "What reason could there be for-"

"Duh, Lisanna."

"Duh," his babies sang as they floated around his head, their master seemingly pleased with himself and his analysis of the situation. "Duh."

"Who would ever expect a man like Laxus, who just exudes power and brawniness-"

"Brawniness? And exudes? Do you just switch personalities when you talk about him or-"

"-to be in a wheelchair? Huh?" Bickslow shook his head. "It would completely throw them off."

"Okay, well, for one thing, a person can be plenty strong in a wheelchair, so-"

"Not someone like Laxus. He can overcome anything. Any obstacle."

"Can he fly?"

"He- What?"

Lisanna gave him a dead stare. "Can he fly?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Then he can't overcome anything."

"Lisanna-"

"There are things that cannot get done if you can't fly." Then she grinned. "Natsu can fly."

Ugh.

"No," he complained. "Natsu can't. His stupid cat can."

"Which is more than Laxus has."

Leaning back in his chair, Bickslow sized her up before saying, "Fine."

"Fine?"

"Yeah, fine. Laxus can fly."

"What? What are you-"

"If Natsu can use Happy," he challenged. "Then Laxus can use me."

"You?"

"Me."

"You can fly?"

"Well, no, but-"

"Then how-"

"My babies," he said, gesturing to them. "They can fly. And he could stand on them and, in turn, fly. Or Freed. He can make wings, Ever has them, we can all fly! Which means that Laxus-"

"Doesn't work that way."

"It totally works that way."

"Na-ah."

"Yeah-huh."

"No."

"Yes."

"Bleh."

"Bleh!"

Then they both ad to take a breath and look off.

"If Natsu can fly, then Laxus can," Bickslow said finally." Deal?"

Caving, she just said, "Whatever. The point is though-"

"That Laxus is awesome."

"-why would Laxus need to pretend to be in a chair? Huh? Sure, it wouldn't seem like him, but-"

"If someone did happen to recognize him," the seith said with an affirmative nod, "they'd immediately discredit it, think the man was just a look alike because, of course, Laxus would never need an wheelchair. End of story. Boss is a genius and you're just too lame to realize it."

That time, the moment wasn't the same. It was almost pity, really, on Lisanna's part. She was no detective, of course, and, obviously, spent much of her time goofing off with Natsu and Happy, but she was definitely the straight man of that group and, apparently, would have to be with Bickslow as well.

Makarov said Laxus was in an accident. The man's wheeling around in a chair. Put two and two together and, well, you had…

You had a pretty sad situation, actually.

"What's with that look?" Bickslow asked as her face fell, quite obviously. "Huh?"

"N-Nothing. I was just… Look, you got me here and that's all I needed. You can go back home. I'll buy you a ticket and I'll find my sister and Laxus on my own."

"Really?"

Nodding, she said, "Then you won't get in trouble, right? Wasn't that what you were so upset about?"

"Hey, yeah, it was," he said with a nod and a sudden grin. "You'd really do that for me?"

"Sure. What difference would two of us looking do? Huh? I mean-"

"This is great," he told her. "That you just decided to help me out here. I mean, seriously, I was freaked, having to face the boss, but- Hey, wait a minute." It was his face turn to fall. "Why would you do such a thing for me, Lisanna?"

"What are you talking about? I'm not doing any-"

"Why would you help me out?" he asked.

"Uh, because we're guild members and we respect one another and think highly of each other because we're both a part of Fairy Tail and-"

"You're tricking me," he accused. "I don't know why, but you are."

"Am not."

"I can tell. You totally are. Why?"

"What are you talking about?" Huffing, she looked off. That's what she got for trying to spare the man the agony of possibly seeing his idol in peril. "I'm not doing anything. I was just-"

"You can't lose me, kid," he grumbled. "Whatever you were plannin'-"

"Nothing!"

"-it ain't gonna work. Not on me. I'm no idiot."

"Yeah, okay."

'I ain't! So you better stop treating me like I am." Then he snorted. "You chump. Leavin' me all high and dry. Well, you can just forget it!"

"Me the chump? You're the-"

"Chump," his dolls sang to her. "Chump."

Taking in a deep breath, Lisanna said simply, "I'm not going to argue with you. You don't want to go back home? You want to come with me to see Laxus, who's probably going to be pissed at you?"

"If you don't want me to do that thing," he said, "then yes. Definitely."

She only narrowed her eyes as she reached out to pick up her coffee cup.

"Fine," she caved. "We go together."

"Great." He was back to his peppy self again, it seemed, just like that. There were a thousand switches inside of him, she mused, and they'd all just go on and off randomly. It was truly the only explanation. "Then let's get to it, huh? How are we gonna find them?"

Lisanna sighed slightly, looking off as something occurred to her. "I dunno. Usually when I can't find someone, Natsu does it for me. He's so good at tracking, you know."

That wasn't what Bickslow wanted to talk about. At all. If hearing the cheers of Laxus were annoying to her, suffering through the ones of Natsu were just as unbearable for him.

"Yeah, well, you had your chance at forcing him to tag along and you blew it," he told her simply. Switch. "So let's focus on what we can do."

"Short of just walking around the city and hoping against hope that we run into them," she said with a shake of her head, "I don't see how we can ever-"

"Lisanna! You're a genius."

"W-What?"

"Genius!" his dolls declared. "Genius! Lisanna!"

"What did I do?"

"You just came up with our plan, of course." His tongue wagged at her, their shared guild marking looking much more sinister on his tongue than it did on her thigh. "We'll scour the city for them! Searching high and low, beneath, above, until we find them. It'll be great."

"That was a last ditch effort, Bickslow," she complained. "I was hoping that we, like, would be able to come up with something that at least had some rhyme or reason to it."

Again, she was certain that she was getting a look from behind his visor.

"Lisanna," he complained with a shake of his head. "Do you know me at all?"

"No," she insisted. "I don't. Considering you and the Thunder Legion were, like, never in the hall when we were kids and then I wasn't even on the same planet as you for two years, I hardly know you to begin with!"

"Well," he huffed. "That makes sense. It still hurts, but it makes sense."

Rolling her eyes, Lisanna told him simply, "If that's seriously the only thing that we can come up with-"

"It is," he assured her. "And we can get to it, you know, as soon as you order me my fries-"

"No fries!"

Sheesh.

Given the size of the town and, most importantly, the fact that they had no way of knowing if Mirajane and Laxus were even still in said town, it should have been much more complex than it was. As it turned out, it only took about three hours of seeking (fighting) to accidentally stumble upon the pair.

They seemed to have been out shopping. Laxus, considering he was in the chair, was holding all of Mira's bags in his lap as she pushed him along down the road. To Bickslow, of course, this was clearly an undercover mission. To Lisanna, it was just odd, really. Not so much her sister, as she was talking happily and obliviously as always, seeming to just be taking care of Laxus as she would any guild member. It was more the Dragon Slayer that was throwing her off.

He was talking back to her. Lisanna couldn't hear them, of course, but could see him nod his head and glance back at Mira at times, clearly holding a conversation of some sort. She giggled a few times, Lisanna could tell, even from a distance, as Laxus just let himself be pushed along.

"See?" Bickslow was hiding with her, behind a vacant cart, both having been caught off guard and having to get down on their knees to go unnoticed (it wasn't much of a deception, but then they weren't much of intellectuals). "Laxus and Mira are on a job."

"And what," she grumbled, "would give you that idea?"

"Uh, gee, Lisanna, because I spoke to them about it myself last time that I was here?"

The street wasn't very busy, but Mirajane and Laxus were turning then, down another, and there was no way that Lisanna was letting them get away.

"What are you doing?" Bickslow hissed as she tried to take off after them, attempting to get to her feet. Grabbing her by the arm (rather roughly), he only watched his mentor and the she-devil head off, down side street. "They're working. You can't-"

"Let me go. I have to-"

"We," he said, as he only moved to drag her back down to his level, "are not going to interfere with their work. You understand me, kid?"

"Bickslow-"

"We'll follow them," he assured her as finally he released the vice of a grip he had going on her arm, no doubt leaving bruises in his wake. Switch. "But your reign is over."

"My what?"

"Reign," his babies sang from where they sat on the ground, knowing that they had to be near silent in that moment; it was Papa's orders. "Reign."

"Now," Bickslow insisted as, after glancing over the cart, towards where Mirajane and Laxus disappeared to, "it's my turn."

Which, apparently, entailed trailing the pair for the majority of the day. Lisanna would hand one thing to Laxus, if the man was faking and his legs were perfectly healthy, he'd gotten down not moving them at all. He also was pretty handy with his wheelchair. When Mira wasn't pushing it, he had rolling around in it down. And he was more of a gentleman than she was expecting. Every shop he and Mira went in to, he'd roll over to the door first and hold it open for her. Then he got stuck lugging around most of the junk.

She couldn't help, but to wonder what exactly they were buying all of that stuff for.

It was actually pretty simple, really. Since they'd gone out on that first date (or at least he figured that's what they were calling it), Mira had become enamored with the idea of making him a real dinner, at home, and make it a really nice night.

"I'll make you dinner," she insisted, "and we can have candles and you can actually wear something nice-"

"Make me dinner?" he'd grumbled when she poised him with this, oh, for the thirtieth time. "Mirajane, you make me food all the time."

"Not like this, dragon. It'll be nice."

"What have you been feeding me then? Mush?"

"Behave."

"And I dress just fine."

"Sure."

"I do!"

"I believe you."

"Oh, and no candles."

"What? Dragon-"

"No. They stink and I hate them and-"

"Yes, candles."

"Mira-"

"You have to have candles," Mirajane giggled. "It's a rule."

And then she'd pat him on the head or something else that made him feel like a kid while also feel good and it was weird because he didn't like it at all, but he didn't want her to stop and was he going crazy or did his life just make no sense at all anymore?

Sigh.

So that was how he found himself, being drug around the market place, looking for just the right ingredients for dinner.

Oh, and more movies. Tons. They were in dire needs, back at the apartment.

There were so many different smells (and quite a few coming from the bag she'd sat in his lap housing, of course, those cursed candles) that he didn't even pick up on the scent of two people tailing them. Didn't even think about it. Being with Mirajane for so long had nullified his instincts. All his focus went to her and what she was saying and doing and, shit, why was he this into her?

Huh?

They hadn't even slept together. And didn't seem like they were going to be.

To her though, this was a strong selling point.

She wanted to, of course. Quite desperately, back when they were both wasted, but at the same time, as she had more of a chance to mull over all the things that had taken place since that first stolen kiss, it was kind of reassuring that they hadn't had sex yet. Refreshing, really. It meant that they were having to find other things to talk about, to keep interested in, and it was actually rather fun.

It was like playing the same game you had for years, but just with a new set of rules. Like reigniting a passion by simply getting a new match. For someone that she'd known her whole life, Mira really knew nothing about Laxus.

But she was definitely enjoying learning.

That was why she wanted to have that special dinner with him. Another date, really, without the hassle of convincing him to go out (and it was a hassle still, every time). She was hoping that if it went well enough, she'd be able to broach the subject again of him going back home. Maybe if she got him loosened up enough, they would be able to have an open conversation about it. The closer she got to him, the more hope she had to about finally breaking him.

Because what would come of it then? Huh? Him going back to Magnolia? Nothing, but good things, really. Makarov would definitely end up railroading him into going to a doctor, which she was certain he just wasn't telling her he needed (or a therapist at the very least). Then the support of the Thunder Legion would be a definite plus for him. Stress off her too. It was hard being someone's only all day, everyday. Nice at times, but just constant work.

Constant.

This was all coursing through her head as they shopped, her trying to balance between picking out the best main course for dinner that night while also thinking up ways to ease into the conversation that she just knew she had to have with him. It wasn't easy.

It did, however, keep her distracted from the fact that her baby sister was only ever a few shops back from them with a very sordid seith that, though she thought was rather funny and entertaining, she did not want her spending too much time with. Especially alone.

Not that Lisanna was enjoying herself. Not by any means. Bickslow just wouldn't let her go over to them and bring the whole thing to an end. It was what was needed, of course. If she just went and confronted them, she'd be able to drag her sister back home and be done with the whole thing. And Bickslow. Who, at the moment, seemed to be having a bit of trouble himself.

It was one thing, of course, to just say that Laxus was off on a job with Mirajane and be done with it, but at the moment that was impossible to actually believe. Unless the two were a lot better at surveillance than he thought (and there was a good chance that they were, he figured), they didn't seem to be taking stock of their surroundings or other people at all. In fact, they only seemed interested in one another.

Which would be that big of a deal to the seith. The boss, well, heh, he was rather the schmoozer. To score with the oldest Strauss chick was great. High score, really, out of the entire guild. And if Laxus started on the guild women, then Bickslow was sure he'd slowly work his way through them which, as always, meant that he'd get the man's sloppy seconds.

Gah. He couldn't wait.

Although, Erza was a tad scary. Yeah, no, even if the boss did hand her over to him (in some perverse world), Bickslow figured he'd pass. So much reward, but far too much risk.

Still though, that didn't excuse away the wheelchair. The only way that that could possibly come into play was if they were using it as a decoy. Right? Right. And if they weren't, then what? Huh? If the boss had just ran off with the she-demon for a month, that was whatever.

But why would he want to do it in a wheelchair?

There were just too many unanswered questions. And even though he didn't want Laxus to find out that he was around, he also wanted some of those damn answers. Plus, of course, Lisanna had tried to ditch him before, so he was definitely sticking around just to piss her off.

That portion of things was going pretty great, he figured, just reading the way she'd been acting the past few hours.

Hehe. That's what the kid got for dragging him off during the middle of the battle. Try to show him up, hell, she was lucky she still had her damn soul intact.

Things got a little tricky, eventually, as when Mirajane and Laxus headed home, finally, the streets got less and less populated and there weren't very many things to hide behind.

Bickslow had a great idea though.

For him.

"You mean," he grumbled when Lisanna just blankly stared at him, "you don't know how to scale a building?"

"No," she complained. "Why would I ever-"

He could only groan though. They were going to lose them if they didn't hurry things up.

"I guess," he gave him, "that you can get on my back and I can carry you up there if you want-"

"Or, you know, I could just transform into a bird and follow them that way." Because there wasn't a chance of it going his way. Not a single one. "Or fly up to the top of a building and-"

"If you could do that," he complained with a glare, "why haven't you from the beginning? We could have really used that when we were searching for them before, you know."

Then she blinked. And thought. Then she shoved passed him, moving off to do her bird takeover.

"Just," she complained over her shoulder as, with her hands as wings, she was able to fly off and track her sister that way, "try and keep up, huh?"

They didn't have far to go anyhow. Mira and Laxus were almost home. And, when they stopped outside a certain apartment building, Lisanna waited until they'd gone inside of it, to land in front of the place. Bickslow was quick to jump off a building (or whatever he'd been doing), and rush over to her side.

"Welp." He wasn't sure what to say really, just started like that and stopped. Clearing his throat as he stared at the place, he said, "I guess this is it."

It was. Transforming back into her usual self, Lisanna only said, "Come on. I hope we didn't lose them in there. No telling how big this place is."

"Wait." Again, her arm got a hand put on it when she tried to head in there. "We can't just go in. I mean, what if the people they're tracking are inside and-"

"I'm done with that, alright?" He wasn't gripping that time and she was able to just shrug him off. Switch. For her that time. Huh. "Thanks for your help, but I have an order from the Master to bring my sister home. I'm going to do that now. Goodbye, Bickslow."

That stupid Strauss. When the boss worked his way through her, he wasn't going to mess with her either. Not because she instilled fear like Erza (a massive amount, at that), but because she didn't deserve it.

She was so annoying. What? They were going to possibly disrupt whatever it was going on instead of, like, just waiting for a bit and seeing what was going on? What if that wasn't even their apartment? What if they were at those imagined people he was still trying to convince himself they were reconning on? Huh? Then what?

Lisanna just didn't think. Which, usually, was right up his alley, but when it had to do with the boss, well, there was no option, but to think. Think about how if they ruined his job, completely destroyed whatever was going on, he was going to murder them.

Because, sure, Bickslow was curious too, about everything, like the wheelchair and the way he and Mira were behaving and the fact that Makarov hadn't been informed about any of it, but ultimately, it was Laxus' business. Not his. Eventually, the information would come his way. And really, he'd more than annoyed Lisanna for a lifetime. He could just take off then, like she wanted. Let her face the wrath of Dreyar on her own.

It would be pretty dang easy, actually. She'd been nothing, but annoying and bothersome and bossy and…and…and…

Well, she did pay for his food.

But no fries! The horridness in that was high. Very.

He was just getting ready to run off when it hit him.

Without her (or possibly the boss), he had no way home.

Oh yeah.

Well, shit.

"Kid," he finally groaned, turning once more, though that time it was towards the building, which she was heading into. She saw a maintenance man near by, fixing a light fixture, and figured he'd be able to point her in the direction of her sister. He had to have seen her and Laxus. Babies following him, Bickslow went after her. "Wait for me. But if the boss tries to fry ya, I don't wanna hear any complaints."

Which the likeliness of that was high, depending on the man's mood.

At the moment, however, he was actually in rather high spirits.

"Mira, no. Don't light those."

Other than the fact that there were candles sitting on top of his puzzle table which, for the record, he was not happy with.

"Yes, dragon," she insisted. "It's getting a tad rank in here, don't you think?"

"No, I don't think."

"Yeah, I've noticed."

"Mira-"

"Just for a bit." She giggled too, not knowing how close to the end they were, as Laxus only watched with a frown, not realizing that he was supposed to be reveling in the last bit of alone time they'd have for awhile. "Okay? And do you wanna go take a shower before-"

A knock at the door stopped her. And him. The man's eyes grew as Mira's face fell.

"Oh." Just like that though, she was relieved, her mind coming up with an easy solution to the knock. "I bet it's the landlord. I mean, who else could it be?"

She'd be surprised. Especially since Laxus, eyes shut, was taking deep breaths and picking up on scents. He was just placing them too, as Mira went to get the door. For him though, it wasn't just his face that fell. It was all of him.

"L-Lisanna?" he heard Mira say in shock as the door opened. "What are you doing here?"

He didn't open his eyes though. Only sat over in his chair, breathing deeply. His defenses went up before he even opened them again to look over at the youngest Strauss sibling, standing in the doorway to their apartment, with his bodyguard. At the very least, it would make it back to Magnolia that he was…that… And then the old man would know and the Thunder Legion and damn, it was just done. All of it. There was no way with all of those people in the know that he'd be able to keep up what he had going on with Mirajane.

And really, when he thought about it, was he going to for much longer anyways?

When he did open his eyes, they were dark, anger rising up inside of him without prompting. If Lisanna thought that Bickslow had a lot of switches, changes in his personalities, she and her sister were about to see the biggest one of was over, fine, but that didn't mean that he'd have to go quietly.