Freed groaned as Lisanna turned and left the table, stumbling around in his pocket and pulling out a piece of paper with a half completed rune already drawn on the front. Grabbing a pen and drawing the last line he felt a wave of clarity wash over him as the effects of the alcohol he had consumed that morning were reversed. It would be more effective if he had drawn it on his skin, and in fact, he still felt slightly tipsy, but he knew from experience that working runes while drunk was difficult at the best of times. He stood from his chair, swaying slightly before heading towards the front doors of the guild.

Bickslow was completely unpredictable, that was the only rule Freed had ever been able to make about him. The Sieth mage could want to start a fight, just want to talk or even could have run away and made Freed walk outside solely to embarrass him. He walked slowly around the side of the hall, noticing Bickslow sat on one of the benches by the pool. Oh. That was dangerous. Freed had gone into that water far too much for his liking. He stripped out of his coats and boots just in case, lying them silently on a wall as he watched the Sieth. Even without his facial expressions, his body language was easy to read. He was slumped over, hands clasped together in front of him as his head hung low. Freed padded over to him, still ever so cautious, and waited for the man to notice he was there. He'd learned it was better to give Bickslow time when he was upset.

Freed had counted nearly five minutes before the other man moved, but when he did it was fast. Freed felt his right eye swell with magic, and he was halfway through writing a rune to attack when he felt Bickslow's arms envelop him. The Sieth was so much taller than him that Freed was pulled into his chest, hastily cancelling his magic as Bickslow spoke.

"I'm sorry, Freed. I just don't want to lose her. Not now."

Freed sighed. Bickslow could change emotions on the flip of a coin, and with Freed at least he was pretty quick to forgive. He raised his hands behind the Sieth's back, closed his eyes as he did. He never admitted it, but Bickslow did give quite good hugs.

"So don't."

Bickslow chuckled softly, a laugh so different to the one that he used in public and Freed knew he had to be hurting.

"Mira and Elfman seemed to be doing a pretty good job of ensuring she ran away last night."

Not just hurting. Bickslow was scared. Freed cursed himself that he hadn't noticed before, but finally, he blamed it on the alcohol in his system. It must be impairing his judgement.

"And yet she still came back to you this morning." Freed could feel Bickslow nod above him slowly, his chin dug into Freed's head as the rune mage's face still pressed to his chest. "And what does that tell you?"

Bickslow sighed deeply, and Freed felt the cold chill of his mask as he moved to lay it on Freed's scalp.

"I just… man, I wish you could see it, Freed. Her soul. But not just see it, feel it too. I wish you could understand what she means to me." Freed pulled against Bickslow's grip a little, scoffing as he tried to look up at his friend. Sometimes he forgot this was the first time Bickslow had ever been in love.

"You think you're the first person to be in love with someone completely?"

Bickslow's face remained impassive, but his arms tightened around Freed's waist as he picked the rune mage up into the air and spun them around. Freed knew what was happening immediately and started to kick to try and get loose. Bickslow was laughing maniacally as he made his way over to the pool and continued to spin.

"Dark Ecriture W…"

He was halfway through the spell when he hit the water, the cold shocking his system and breaking his concentration. The spell morphed in his system, and his magic kicked in to try and protect him. He felt his body start to shift into Absolute Darkness, but as he floated up and he was able to suck in a breath he managed to hold it down. He swore out loud, starting to swim back over to the side of the pool to get back out. Bickslow had fallen back down onto the bench, holding onto his sides as screamed laughing. Freed hauled himself out of the pool, stripping out of his shirt immediately to start drying it off. Bickslow was completely oblivious to him as he walked around the bench, noticing the gap that had appeared between Bickslow's cape and the back of his hood. He grinned, starting to wring it out over the gap so the water dripped down inside of his clothes. Bickslow shrieked, jumping up into the air and spinning around to face the Rune Mage.

"Fucking cunt! I had a bath this morning and everything!"

Freed laughed, throwing the wet shirt over his shoulder as he turned to collect the rest of his clothes.

"Come on, Bickslow. I'll get Mira to light a fire in the guild so we can dry off."

The Sieth mage grinned, throwing an old glass that was on the table next to him at his friend and watching it smash on the ground next to him. Without a soul to put into the object he was next to useless at aiming.

"But Freed, don't you know it's better when it's wetter?"

Freed's face didn't even change as he tried not to acknowledge what Bickslow was implying, and carried on walking in spite of the flying projectile.

"Bickslow, guildhall. Now. Otherwise, you're going in the fucking pool."

Lisanna carefully took a cake of the oven, still trying to balance Pippi on her head. She knew that the totem would probably self-adjust whatever she did, but she didn't want to risk it. The totem had been singing all day, no words just random babbling to a tune. Lisanna had been joining in as she worked in the kitchen, just singing the odd word here and there and every time she did Pippi got more excited and sang louder and louder. Lisanna leant her hip on the counter as she waited for the cake to cool, starting to absentmindedly put icing into a piping bag as she sang along with the totem.

"Jane! JANE!"

Lisanna turned around as the totem on her head started to scream, noticing Mira coming into the kitchen. She sighed, turning back around and swearing that the cake wasn't cold enough to ice yet. She reached across the counter, grabbing the strawberries out of the fridge and starting to cut them to put on the cake.

"Lisanna… why is that thing on your head?"

Lisanna kept cutting the strawberries, starting to whistle as Pippi started to sing "Jane" over and over in time with her own tune.

"Lisanna, answer me. Why is that thing on your head?"

Lisanna cut a strawberry more violently than strictly necessary, still refusing to look at her sister.

"SHE is spending time with me today. Do you have a problem with HER too?"

Pippi switched her song so she was alternating between singing "Jane" and "Lissy", still keeping up with the tune that Lisanna had started. Mira moved her way over to rest her hip on the counter in front of her sister.

"Lisanna… about last night…"

Lisanna paused, staring at the strawberry in front of her while Pippi whistled happily. After a few moments, she pulled the cake over to her, grabbing the icing to decorate it. Mira sighed, rubbing her temples. If only her sister didn't share the same stubbornness.

"Lisanna…"

"Lissy mad Jane!"

Mira looked up at the doll, cocking her head as the totem repeated her statement.

"You can make them talk too?"

Lisanna shook her head, making Pippi squeal in excitement at the movement and start to spin.

"Nope. They're more perceptive than you give them credit for."

Pippi shrieked happily, switching her position so she landed over on Mira's head and bounced up and down.

"Jane Lissy Sister!"

Mira ducked a little under the totem's attention. It wasn't the first time she'd been around Bickslow's dolls, but she was currently trying to come to grips with the information Lisanna was giving her.

"Lisanna… just talk to me, please. I spoke to Bickslow this morning…"

"Yes. I know." Lisanna said between gritted teeth, taking advantage of Pippi paying attention to Mira in order to run and grab more strawberry sauce in the fridge.

"He told me he needed protection from you. Could you please refrain from threatening to kill my boyfriend?"

Mira sighed as Pippi jumped into the air again, flying around the two of them as she resumed her song.

"I didn't threaten to kill him. I just wanted to… set some boundaries. Lisanna, I trust you even if I don't trust him. It's going to take me a... while to get used to this. Bickslow is one of my guildmates, one of my family but I don't… for fuck's sake Lisanna I just don't want to see you get hurt."

Lisanna hung her head, suddenly regretting her decision as soon as Pippi rested on the base of her head where it met her neck. She rested her hands on top of the counter, easing the weight on her shoulders as she tried to stabilise the totem.

"I wouldn't lean on that counter if I were you, you don't know what… ow!"

Bickslow's voice was cut off by a slap to the back of the head, and Pippi squealed as she flew off to greet her Papa. Lisanna looked up to see Freed stood in the entrance to the kitchen, shirtless and completely soaked as Bickslow stood next to him looking sheepish. Mira looked between them, cocking her head in confusion.

"Freed… why are you wet?"

The rune mage growled, looking sideways at Bickslow who grinned wildly, leaning back to where he thought there was a counter before flailing when there wasn't one there and deciding to simply cross his arms nonchalantly.

"I have some very good intelligence that Freed was being incredibly dirty this morning so I decided he needed a bath."

Mira narrowed her eyes at Bickslow, who grinned straight back at her. Freed sighed, dropping his boots down onto the floor before stepping in between the two of them.

"Mira… can you please light the fire so we can dry off? I may have soaked Bickslow's back as well."

Mira quickly exited the kitchen, no longer trusting herself to be polite around her sister's… friend. She couldn't quite bring herself to say "boyfriend" just yet. Freed followed her out, leaving Bickslow still grinning in the centre of the kitchen. He took three steps across the room, grabbing Lisanna by the waist and pulling her close to him.

"Pippi, go and play with the others for a while"

Lisanna watched the totem fly out of the kitchen before Bickslow wormed his left hand up and around the back of her neck.

"So… seeing as your sister has been banging in here…"

Lisanna squeaked as he backed her up against the counter, dropping his head down to start kissing her neck as his mask bumped against her skin.

"Erm, what do you mean Mira has been banging in here?"

She felt his tongue lick along her collarbone as he laughed out loud, before mumbling his answer against her skin.

"The babies came across Mira and Freed about to bang in here earlier."

His left hand pulled her neck tighter into his mouth as he bared his teeth and nibbled at her skin, and she felt his right move its way up the inside of her shirt to grab a hold of her breast roughly. She gasped at the pleasure that shot through her body, before grabbing a hold of Bickslow's shoulders and pushing him away. He looked down at her, edges of his mouth turned down in disappointment as she stared at where his eyes would be.

"We can't just have sex in the kitchen, Bickslow. They have runes to stop people coming in. We don't."

Bickslow groaned in frustration, pulling her in for another kiss as she pushed herself up on her tiptoes to keep in connection with his lips. His mouth was hungry as his tongue pushed into hers, and she was left breathless by the time she pulled away.

"There are some rooms in the back of the guild, we might be able to…"

A grin split across his face, and he pulled away from her, turning around to let her show him the way. She pushed off the counter, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the back corridors of the guild behind the kitchen.

A/N - The biggest of thanks needs to go to Gajeelswoman for all the help with this chapter, I would have been so stuck without her!