A/N: This chapter took quite a bit of tweaking to get it just right. I'd originally plotted out a long, drawn out hospital stay with lots of scenes showing Bix's psychosis over multiple chapters. And then I did more research. And I considered the major change I made to the last chapter with having Makarov brought in. Needless to say, this has seriously changed the trajectory of the next few chapters.

Today's Song is
Lifehouse: Broken
(Here's the link on YouTube: watch?v=W5bnnagxt38)

The broken clock is a comfort, it helps me sleep tonight
Maybe it can't stop tomorrow from stealing all my time

Bickslow spent two more weeks in a medically-induced coma while healing from his aorta replacement. The doctors called Makarov to let him know when they would be waking Bickslow up, and once again, Lucy and the Raijinshuu waited in the lobby as Makarov went into the room. He forced them to visit only during the hours allowed by hospital policy. And though he wasn't going to admit it to any of them, he was very thankful that Natsu was able to drag Lucy away from Magnolia for a short day-mission to give her time to breathe air that wasn't full of antiseptic.

The aged guildmaster stood beside Bickslow's bed, holding his hand and looking at his closed eyes. It took several minutes before Bickslow's eyes fluttered open, but when they did, Makarov was left speechless. A soft white glow emanated from between his barely parted lids, replacing the red irises that Bickslow always hid behind his visor. "Bickslow, child," Makarov said gently. "Can you hear me?"

Bickslow gagged on the tubes that had been put down his throat to feed him and keep his lungs functioning normally. The doctors hadn't wanted to take them out like the last time until they knew that he wouldn't have another heart attack. After having kept him in a coma for two weeks, they were much more confident in how much his body had healed - that he would be able to wake up safely. Still, if he went into cardiac arrest again, he would still need those tubes down his throat.

"Relax, child," Makarov said, carefully squeezing his hand. He watched the doctor and nurses work to remove the tubes. "You're in the hospital. You're safe."

"M-Master?" Bickslow croaked once he was able to breathe normally. The way he searched the ceiling above him then turned his head just slightly toward Makarov's voice, broke something in the guildmaster's chest. "Where…"

"I'm here, child," Makarov said. "Right here."

Realization came a moment later for Bickslow. Makarov watched as he strained to see his surroundings. The beeping of his heart monitor sped up just slightly. He felt Bickslow's weak grip tighten marginally on his hand. "Wh-Where's Lucy?"

"She's in the waiting room with your team," Makarov said.

"My babies?"

"Lucy has them with her," he said. "I'm sure you want them here with you, but we must talk first." Bickslow sniffled and closed his eyes, and Makarov was sure he was reaching out to them with his magic. Moments later, he smiled weakly, and his head turned toward Makarov's voice. "I'm still your legal guardian, Bickslow. And while it might not be what you want to hear so soon after waking up, you need to know the truth."

Bickslow's lips turned down into a grim line. "You know."

"I do," Makarov said. "I know everything now."

"Master," Bickslow said, then paused to clear his throat. He tried to clear his throat again and it turned into a rasping cough, that left him lifting his other hand to reach up to the intense pain he surely felt in his chest.

"Just listen for now," Makarov said. He quickly asked a nurse for a glass of water, then waited as she came forward and helped Bickslow take small, careful sips. "The doctors will have questions for you as well, but this is important." Bickslow nodded and leaned his head back against the pillow. "Laxus came to me in the guild, and begged me to help you. My grandson cried in front of everyone while telling me about your heart stopping."

"M-My heart?"

"Listen, child," Makarov said gently. He placed his other hand on Bickslow's. "He told me about your addiction, how long he's known, how he's tried to help you. Freed, Evergreen, and Lucy have done the same, when I questioned them."

"Master, I told them-"

"I know," Makarov chuckled. "And, for your sake, they kept your secret. But you must know, this doesn't change your place in the guild. You still have a home in Fairy Tail." The last thing he'd expected was for tears to well on Bickslow's lashes and streak down his cheeks.

"Mister Dreyar," came the nearby doctor's low, soft voice. "We have tests to complete, now that he's awake."

"Yes, yes," Makarov sighed. "Bickslow, they need to do their tests. Please know, your friends are waiting for you. And now that I know the truth, we will get you clean. I promise you, child. I won't let you suffer through this without support."

"Th-Thanks, Master," Bickslow whimpered. "Can I have my babies, at least?"

"Call them, child," Makarov said with a soft smile. "I'll be back shortly." He patted Bickslow's hand one last time, then left the room, holding the door open for the five wooden totems already floating in the hall just outside.

They zoomed past him, shouting choruses of "Bickslow!" and "We were so scared!" and "You're alive!"

Makarov made his way down the hallway to the waiting room, smiling wider when he saw Bickslow's team hugging one another and swiping away at their tears. Lucy wasn't with them, though. She stood at the mouth of the hallway, holding an empty bag that had previously held Bickslow's totems. Makarov stopped in front of her and took her hands in his as his head tipped back to look up at her. "He's awake," he said softly. "And he asked for you. Once the doctors finish their tests, you can go see him."

Lucy threw a hand over her tightly clamped lips to keep her emotions to herself. He couldn't blame her. When Laxus had woken up in the hospital after Ivan had implanted the lacrima in him, Makarov had much the same reaction when the doctors told him that his grandson wanted him to be there by his side.

He led Lucy over to the others, but kept his steady grip on her hand as he spoke to all of them. "I told him that we're going to get him clean," he said. "But there's something you must know before you can go in."

"Is he alright?" Laxus asked immediately.

"You told me every detail about the fight against Bickslow," Makarov began. "And I wasn't sure what it might mean before. But now I know…"

"Master?" Freed asked when he paused for too long.

"Bickslow is blind," he sighed, staring at the pale cream linoleum flooring instead of taking in their horrified expressions. "Whether his eyesight will ever return to normal, I don't know. I'm sure the doctors will do some tests to verify the amount of blindness he has. As it stands, his eyes are still glowing white, and he was unable to see me, even while holding his hand."

"Fuck," Laxus breathed.

"I know we can't just keep depending on Wendy for everything," Evergreen said, "but could her magic help him?" Makarov appreciated that they thought of the little Dragon Slayer in times of need, and appreciated even more that they were learning that even her healing magic had its limitations. Still, he wasn't sure this was something she was capable of healing. She would have mentioned it if there had been something she could do about Bickslow's sight, when she'd visited to help his replaced aorta heal properly.

"It's doubtful," Freed said before Makarov could figure out how to phrase it. "Knowing Wendy, she would have healed it to the best of her ability while here last."

"It'll be okay," Lucy said, drawing everyone's attention to the small smile on her lips as she looked down at Makarov's aged face. "He's alive. That's what matters."

"And three weeks clean already," Laxus said, nodding with a grin at her.

"His babies are with him already," Evergreen said, laughing softly.

"Which means he can still use his magic," Freed said. They all shifted their attention to Makarov, silently waiting for him to speak. When he didn't say a thing, Freed chuckled. "It is something we have done in the waiting room to pass the time, Master Makarov."

"Find the silver lining," Evergreen said, leaning against the Rune mage's side.

"Blondie's idea," Laxus said, rolling his eyes. Still, he looked amused.

"Well," Makarov said, clearing the emotion from his throat. Pride swelled in his chest over their actions, the gentle support they'd provided one another while waiting for news on Bickslow's recovery. Then he grinned up at the young mages before him. "He seems to be past the worst of his withdrawal symptoms as well."

"Hell yeah, Gramps," Laxus said. "So, how long until we can go in?"

"Not a clue," Makarov laughed. "The doctors have tests to run, now that he's awake. We'll have to be patient."

"If I get any more patient, I'm gonna get admitted myself," Lucy deadpanned, causing the mages around her to laugh loudly.

The broken locks were a warning you got inside my head
I tried my best to be guarded, I'm an open book instead

Bickslow really didn't like the sound of this doctor's voice. It was too monotonous, and considering he was already exhausted, hearing the guy's droning on and on about different tests and results and diagnoses was going to put him into a normal coma. "Doc," Bickslow rasped, sighing when he was ignored. "Doc?"

"Can we help?" his babies crooned. Bickslow chuckled, then regretted it when a sharp pain spread over his chest.

"Doctor, Doctor, please!" his babies sang, and Bickslow could picture them whirling in the air around this figureless person's body. "Oh, the mess I'm in!"

"What in the world?" the doctor squawked. "Bickslow, stop this!" His babies stopped and floated down to sit on his legs. "Those are covered in bacteria. They shouldn't-"

"My babies are fine," Bickslow said, turning his head slightly toward the sound of the man's voice. "I was trying to talk to you."

"Continue," he sighed.

"Telling me this shit is kinda pointless," Bickslow said. "I have shit for memory because of the drugs. And the only way for me to really remember stuff is if I see it. And considering I can't see a damn thing now, I can literally feel this going in one ear and out the other."

"You can't see?"

"Oh my fucking god," Bickslow groaned, then winced at the way his throat scratched uncomfortably. "Pepe, go get Master." He listened closely as the little soul flew to the door, pushed on the handle, then zipped out once it opened. "Doc, just wait a second, okay?"

"I really do need to-"

"You're gonna have to repeat yourself anyway," he said. "Pepe, if Lucy's there, ask if she's got gum. My mouth tastes like shit."

"Okie dokie!"

After a couple minutes, the door opened again, and he heard Makarov's quick steps padding closer. "Bickslow, is everything alright?"

"Gum?" he sighed.

"Ah," Makarov chuckled. Bickslow listened to the familiar crinkle of a wrapper, then felt a powder stick pressed into his palm. He popped the gum in his mouth and started chewing, instantly letting out a relieved sigh through his nose. "Pepe said you needed me, child?"

Papa answered in Bickslow's place when his eyes closed and his hands clasped in his lap. "The doctor is giving him information, but Bickslow can't remember it. As his guardian, he needs you here to listen for him."

"Cosplayer usually does it," Bickslow muttered. He wanted to see her. Fuck, he couldn't see anything now. At the very least, he wanted her in the room, but if he was really as bad-off as it seemed then maybe she wasn't able to be in the room with him. Maybe that's why Makarov had been there when he woke up. If he was using that legal guardian shit as an excuse to be his primary contact, then he needed to be there. "And this dick didn't even know I'm blind."

There had to be something wrong with him, because he wasn't freaking out over not being able to see. Sure, he didn't really remember a lot of what happened past being on that mission with Lucy and hallucinating some really fucked up things, but waking up to complete darkness and hearing Master Makarov's voice talking to him as though he was already completely awake should have made him flip his shit. As it stood, he didn't have much of a reaction.

"Pepe, you still with her?"

"Yep!"

"Tell her I wish she was in here. And I miss her. And that I'm sorry. Wait, no. I should tell her that one myself. Just… I want her with me as soon as she can be."

"Bickslow?" Makarov said, touching his hand to get his attention. "Doctor Woodrow asked you a question."

"Hm?"

"We'll be transferring you to the CCU," Doctor Woodrow said. "We'll need a list of immediate family who can visit you."

"I'm an orphan," he said. Just because he'd learned that his mother was alive didn't mean he was going to add that drama to this shit situation he'd gotten himself into. "No living relatives, so…"

"I'm sure we can add your team and Lucy," Makarov said.

"Actually, it's hospital policy, Mister Dreyar," Doctor Woodrow said. "Immediate family only. You would be an exception, as his legal guardian."

Bickslow winced. "How long am I gonna be in the hospital?" he asked.

"He'll only be in the CCU for a week or so," the doctor said to Makarov. "Then a few days in the step-down unit, if he has no further complications."

So a couple more weeks, without being able to have Lucy near him. He'd be stuck in a hospital bed, alone. With just Makarov coming to visit him. And with no one listening to what he had to say.

"Doctor," Makarov said slowly, "I'm sure you're busy, but exceptions can be made."

"Not really." Just as Bickslow shifted to roll away from them, to try and ignore what was happening, the Doctor told him, "You can't lie on your side, Bickslow."

One more thing he couldn't do. He chewed his gum faster than before as he adjusted and tried not to hurt his chest more than it already was.

"So you mean to tell me that hospital policy is going to deprive an addict of his support system while he recovers from open heart surgery," Makarov said. Bickslow hated even more, the way it sounded when Makarov said that. He was an addict, sure, but he hated having it used as a label for him. But open heart surgery? What the hell had happened to him?

"Mister Dreyar, you can take that up with the doctor in the CCU. I'm signing off on this paperwork to have him transferred to the new unit."

"What's CCU?" Bickslow asked softly. No one answered him. Makarov tried to keep arguing with the doctor, who couldn't really kick him out since he was the one making medical decisions for Bickslow, but they kept talking over one another. Lucy would've made that stupid doctor listen to her. He knew Makarov was doing his best, but it wasn't going to work.

"Um, Bickslow?" Pepe called out. "I, uh… told Lucy what the doctor said and, um…"

The door to his room slammed open a moment later, and Bickslow's head snapped over toward the sound automatically. "What the fuck do you mean you're not gonna let us see him, you needle-dicked fuck?!" Lucy screeched.

"Blondie, chill out!" Laxus shouted. Bickslow grinned at the sudden sounds of a struggle, then Laxus grunting in pain and wheezing about his balls.

"We're the only family he has, and you're not keeping us from being with him!" she yelled.

"Ma'am, you shouldn't be in here," Doctor Woodrow said. "The patient-"

"His name is Bickslow, and he nearly died from his heart exploding, and he's going on a fourth week with no drugs in his system!" she shrieked. Bickslow's eyes widened at that. Three whole weeks, he'd been in the hospital? And he was only just waking up? And he'd almost fucking died? "You're not keeping me out of his room. I don't give a good goddamn what your hospital rules say!"

"Lucy, child," Makarov said carefully. "This isn't helping."

"I don't give a shit if it's helping!" Bickslow heard the catch in her voice, and sent his babies over to be with her. It sounded like she needed their comfort more than he did right then. "Do you know what he needs, Master? Or you, mister P-H-Dickbag?!" Bickslow bit his lips in an effort not to laugh. "When he's a month sober, he needs lotion on his arms so he doesn't scratch them," she said, her voice softer, but still full of emotion. "I bet no one's cut his nails, either. One wrong scratch, and he'll tear his skin open. He needs his toothbrush from home, because the bristles are soft and he brushes his teeth too much. And Bickslow needs gum to chew when he can't brush his teeth to stop from grinding them."

"We've given him medication to decrease his withdrawal symptoms," the doctor sighed. "Everything you're suggesting is just a means of bringing bacteria into the hospital that could cause an infection in his incision."

"He also needs his team to support him," she spat. "To remind him that he has people who love him, and he's not gonna be stuck in the hospital forever."

"He'll leave in two weeks, tops."

"And are you going to make sure he's mentally stable, too? Or does this Cardiac unit you're pushing him off to only pay attention to his heart?" she asked. So the CCU thing he'd been trying to ask about was a Cardiac unit? If that was the case, where was he right then? "Is he going to be able to talk with someone about his addiction? A counselor or something?"

"That's not my department."

"So you're telling me that he'll be in this other unit that'll monitor his heart around the clock, but that's all they'll focus on? Not anything else? What the actual fuck-"

"Lucy," Bickslow said, fully expecting her to ignore him. She didn't. She stopped talking. "Baby, it's alright. I can wait. I'll be okay."

"Bix…"

He wanted to give her a smile, but he was suddenly very aware of the fact that he didn't know where she was actually standing. He didn't want to end up facing a wall when he was trying to connect with her the only way he could. Instead, he smiled down at the blanket over his legs. She probably looked absolutely breathtaking while she was yelling at the doctor. "Damn, I wanna see you so bad."

"Oh, she's super cute," Pipi giggled.

"Her face is all red," Popo said. "Remember how cute she is when she's yelling at Natsu? Just like that, but actually angry."

Bickslow chuckled softly when he heard Lucy squeak. "Doc, can I at least get a really careful hug from my girlfriend before you go calling the Rune Knights on her?"

"Yes, Bickslow," Makarov said. "That should be fine, right Doctor?"

"Fine," Doctor Woodrow sighed.

He listened as she came closer. When he breathed in, just as her fingers brushed through his hair to push it away from his face, he smelled the sweet scent of her body wash. God, he wanted to kiss her. But if he hadn't brushed his teeth in weeks, he wasn't going to even entertain the thought. Lucy didn't seem to mind, though, as her lips pressed tenderly to his. He didn't deepen the kiss. Instead she kissed him in small, quick bursts that traveled from his smiling lips over his cheeks, his eyebrows, down his nose. "Don't you dare have another heart attack," she breathed, kissing his lips again.

"I'll try not to," he whispered. She brushed his hair back again and ran her nose along his. "I'm gonna be alright, baby."

"You'd better be," she laughed. When she drew back to look at him, Bickslow's eyes opened again. He wished so badly that he could see her. Her smile, her face, the flush on her cheeks. Anything. "Hey, Bix?"

"Yeah?"

"Seriously, don't die on me right now." She kissed him again, just a chaste little press of her lips against his before she whispered, "I love you."

His whole dark, sightless world went still as he gasped against her gently smiling lips.

I still see your reflection inside of my eyes
That are looking for purpose, they're still looking for life

"I love you," she said again. Her eyes stayed open to take in the sudden widening of his eyes, the flash of a brighter white glow in them as he stopped breathing. Lucy hadn't planned on admitting it to him for a while, but when she saw him lying in this bed with confusion knitting the tattooed space between his brows, she realized that there was no real reason to keep the truth from him.

Bickslow's weeks spent in the ICU had given her a lot of time to think. She'd had plenty of time with his team and with Laxus to brainstorm about what else they could do to really support him when he was released from the hospital. She'd spent time with Natsu and Erza and Gray, separately, as a way to decompress from the stress of waiting for news on whether Bickslow would ever wake up again. She'd gone to the guild and fielded questions about his condition as best as she could - without telling anyone exactly why his heart stopped. And in all that time, she'd never forgotten about her fear of never having the chance to tell him that she loved him. He was awake, and he was right there in her arms that slowly wrapped around his head to avoid putting pressure on the stitched incision over his sternum that barely peeked above the collar of his hospital gown.

"I just wanted to tell you," she said against his hair, kissing the short, brittle black strands between his mohawks.

"Y-You…"

"I love you," she said again, her smile widening at how breathlessly happy he sounded. "So, if I can't be in the room, now you know. Your Cosplayer loves you, and I'm waiting for you."

"Blondie, c'mon," Laxus said as his presence appeared just behind her. "Gramps is talking to someone about getting us on Bix's list. The nurses are gonna get him into his new room."

She sighed and nodded in defeat. It didn't matter to her that Bickslow hadn't said it back. He had just woken up from a freaking coma, and she'd kind of sprung it on him in the middle of her bitchfest at the doctor. "I've gotta go, sweetie." She ran her fingers through his hair again and tilted his head back as though he could look up at her. "I'll be at the hospital until they say I have to leave, okay?"

Bickslow silently nodded as her hand trailed down to his jaw.

"And if they let me in the room, I'll be there as soon as I can."

He nodded again as tears welled on his lashes. Before she could pull away, his hand covered hers on his cheek. He hesitated a moment. "Take Popo?" he asked softly. "So I can still talk to you?"

Lucy giggled and brushed his nose with hers. "Of course," she said. "Get some rest. You've got a lot of healing to do." Laxus' hand on her shoulder was what finally allowed her to move away from Bickslow's side with Popo floating up to hover over her other shoulder. She couldn't help but look over her shoulder at him as Laxus led her out of the room, and found him lying in his bed, reaching up to rub the tears from his closed eyes before they could fall. She cringed when she saw two hospital security guards standing at the end of the hallway with Freed and Evergreen just behind them, staring at her with bewildered expressions. This wasn't going to be good.

"Don't worry, Blondie," Laxus chuckled quietly. "I got this. Just don't fucking punch my balls again."

They stopped in front of the security guards, two scrawny men with no more than five wispy moustache hairs between them. They looked at Lucy, then up to meet Laxus' heavy glare. She had to force herself not to laugh when she heard their knees knocking.

"Problem?" Laxus asked.

"W-We got a complaint about a w-woman," one said.

"Her boyfriend just woke up from a coma," Laxus said, nodding down at Lucy. "She got a little emotional."

"Doctor Woodrow s-said-"

Laxus snorted. "Look at her. You really think she's gonna wreak some havoc in here? I'll keep her in line."

She scowled up at Laxus, but then she felt the way his magic rippled in the air around them. For non-mages, it was oppressive just for him to let off that small amount of his magical power, without any lightning skittering along his skin. And considering she heard one of the men whimper, it was having the necessary effect.

"S-Sure thing!" sputtered the first security guard.

"Yep!" the other yelped. They turned as one and briskly walked down an adjacent hall, then turned a corner at the first opportunity to get away from them.

Lucy sighed and shook her head, but still sent Laxus a grateful smile. The last thing she wanted was to deal with the consequences of yelling at the doctor. Not right then. Because if Makarov was able to get the hospital to bend the rules a little bit, to allow her and the Raijinshuu to be able to visit with him over the next week, then she wanted to be there for him as soon as they allowed her into his room.

"What has changed?" Freed asked instantly.

"He's getting moved to the Cardiac unit," Lucy said.

The Rune mage nodded, turning his attention to the nearby nurse station. "Then he no longer needs to be in intensive care," he said. "This is good news. From my understanding, they offer more specialized care for patients after open-heart surgery like Bickslow."

"Gramps is trying to get us on his visitor list," Laxus said. "We should probably get down to wherever that is and wait it out."

They waited for Freed to get the information on the Cardiac unit's location in the hospital, then walked together to the stairs leading them up to the third floor of the hospital. When they got to the unit, they saw Makarov talking with a woman in a sharp suit who had a clipboard with several blue folders stacked on top. Eventually, the woman handed him a form and walked away. When he turned toward them, he didn't look very pleased, and Lucy's heart plummeted into her stomach as he walked closer. That look didn't bode well. Lucy took a steadying breath and held her hand out for Popo to land in her palm. The cool touch of wood helped to relax her a little bit.

"They cannot have too many visitors in this ward," Makarov said solemnly. "But we can add two more to his visitor list aside from myself. He can only be with one person at a time. We cannot bring in anything from outside the hospital. They have a list of approved items."

"Well, Lucy's definitely on there," Evergreen said, elbowing the blonde and smirking at her.

"Laxus as well," Freed said. Lucy blinked in surprise at the Rune mage, but she found him smiling over at Laxus. She at least understood him a little better than before, but to think that he would be put on Bickslow's visitor list was still a bit of a shock.

"What about you two?" Lucy asked. It didn't sit right with her, taking the place of one of Bickslow's teammates just because they were a couple. Yes, she loved him, and of course she wanted to be there with him as much as possible. But for Freed and Evergreen to not be able to see him at all while he was in the hospital?

"Now that we know he is stable, we can go to the guild and take a mission to help pay for his hospital bill," Freed said.

Evergreen nodded. "We already talked about it while you were yelling at the doctor."

"While that is admirable," Makarov said, "The guild is already covering his hospital bill."

Lucy rounded on him, wide-eyed. "Master, does the guild even have the money for that?" It was no secret that Fairy Tail was seriously hurting for money ever since they'd lost all of their S Class mages on Tenrou for seven years. The guild barely had enough missions coming in to give the mages consistent work, so they could pay their own bills. And sure, she knew that Fairy Tail took a percentage of the reward to pay for overhead costs - though the full amount that a requestor paid for a job was never posted on the request board - but they weren't getting much now.

"Yes, child," Makarov laughed. "Now that I'm back, I've been able to call in a couple favors to keep us afloat."

"Gramps…"

Makarov waved away their concerns. "So Lucy and Laxus?"

Lucy opened and closed her mouth and looked at the others. "A-Are you sure?"

Popo wriggled in her hand, drawing her attention in an instant. "Bickslow says he wants to see you and Laxus." It turned and floated over to Evergreen and Freed then. "And he said if you're going on a job, then ask Lucy's team if they want to go too. Bickslow realized that their rent is due soon."

Lucy's eyes widened in horror. How could she have forgotten that rent was due? That was something she was always on top of! Had she really lost all sense of time with Bickslow being hospitalized. "Oh my god, my rent!" she wailed, not hearing how the mages around her laughed and smiled fondly over hearing the familiar phrase from her.

I'm hanging on another day just to see what you will throw my way
And I'm hanging on to the words you say
You said that I will be ok

The following morning, Evergreen and Freed made their way to Lucy's apartment building after she left to visit Bickslow in the hospital. Freed mentioned wanting to speak with Lucy's landlady about the rent before they took a mission with Team Natsu, to make sure they knew exactly how much was needed to pay it in full for the month. If they could manage a job with high enough pay, then maybe they could pay two months for her and Bickslow to help alleviate some of their financial stress. Erza was an S Class mage, after all, so they might be able to snag one of the few missions that had come in.

After knocking on the door and waiting for a couple minutes, Freed and Evergreen were met with the short, squat landlady who glared up at them. "Can I help you?"

"Yes," Freed said, clearing his throat. "This is Evergreen, and I am Freed. We are teammates of Bickslow's."

"What did that idiot do now?"

Freed drew back in surprise. "N-Nothing!"

"He's actually in the hospital," Evergreen huffed.

"Well, I told Lucy when she moved in that her rent needs to be paid on time. No exceptions. And if he's in the hospital and not helping out with her bills, I still expect my money." Freed was appalled by the way she so openly discussed one of her tenant's private matters. They hadn't mentioned a thing about Lucy or her rent, but the landlady seemed only to care about that. "Damn druggie," the landlady muttered. "He'd better not make her lose this apartment because he's spending all their money on that trash."

"You have no idea what you are talking about," Freed said with a sudden scowl. How dare she assume something so vile? Yes, Bickslow had an addiction. And yes, it was highly likely that he would use whatever money was available to get more meth when the need arose. But to assume that he would stoop so low as to put them in danger of losing their home?

"Let me guess," the landlady said, scowling up at Freed. "He's in the hospital for another overdose." Freed hadn't expected that response in the slightest. How in the world did she know? "The last time I evicted him, that boy used this place as a whorehouse and nearly blew it up from some bimbo cooking meth up there."

Bickslow had lived in this apartment building before? Freed hadn't a clue about any of that. Or about him apparently having been close enough with a drug dealer that the woman used his apartment for cooking meth.

"He nearly died," Evergreen hissed. "Don't you even have a heart?"

Freed took in the firm set to the landlady's jaw, the wrinkles deepening around her eyes as she tapped her foot. Suddenly, it vanished. The tension mounting in the hallway on the first floor of Lucy's apartment building disappeared as the landlady sighed. "The rent is 70,000 Jewels," she said. "Tell Lucy-"

"We'll pay it," he said immediately. That was much less than he'd anticipated. Evergreen's rent at Fairy Hills had been 130,000 Jewels, but it also covered utilities, insurance, maintenance, and the upkeep of the warding spells that had been placed around the building for security. He pulled a checkbook from the inner pocket of his jacket. "You do take checks?"

The landlady's eyes narrowed at him. "Not usually," she said. "They have a tendency of bouncing."

Freed nodded in understanding. "I can assure you, it will not bounce," he chuckled. He wrote the check for two months' worth of Lucy's rent, tore it from his checkbook, and handed it to the landlady. The money he'd put into his savings account - at the insistence of his parents - before they left for Tenrou had built up quite a bit of interest during the seven years they were gone. It didn't hurt that his mother still sent him a small allowance every month, directly to that account, to ensure he was well taken care of. He'd told her countless times that he didn't need financial support from them, but he'd relented when he realized that she wouldn't take no for an answer.

Freed could spare the money, and he was going to make sure Lucy and Bickslow could breathe a little easier while he recovered. Covering their rent just this once was more than enough, he was sure Lucy would say. More than likely, she would want to pay him back. And if she was adamant about it, then Freed would allow her to do it. In payments. Without interest.

The landlady stared at his name printed at the top of the check, then looked up at him, slack-jawed and wide-eyed. "J-Justine?" she breathed.

Freed bowed his head slightly. Of course she would recognize the name. His parents did have important roles in the government, after all. "Yes, ma'am. Freed Justine, second-born son of Frances and Angela Justine of the Minstrel High Council."

"Wait, you're from Minstrel?" Evergreen asked, causing Freed to blush. Ah, he'd never mentioned that, had he?

"I was born in Fiore, but was raised in Minstrel, yes," he chuckled. "My parents vacationed here while my mother was pregnant. I actually have dual-citizenship."

She promptly hit him in the shoulder with her fan. "We've been dating for months, and you never told me?!"

"It never came up in conversation!" He laughed when she swatted at him again. He barely caught sight of the landlady tucking the check in her bra, then cleared his throat. "Please have a receipt for Lucy's records available as soon as possible," he said.

The landlady nodded absently, then lifted her head to meet his steady gaze. "How bad is it, really?" she asked. "Bickslow's condition."

"Open heart surgery," Evergreen said sadly. "They had him in a coma for three weeks so he could heal without…"

"Without further complications," Freed finished, taking her hand in his. Suddenly, the landlady smiled.

"Wait right there." It was all she said before disappearing into her own apartment. Freed gave Evergreen a questioning glance, but she just shrugged in response.

"Seriously, Freed," she sighed. "Were you ever gonna tell me about your family?"

He winced at that. It wasn't as though he wanted to keep it a secret from his team. It just never really seemed to be anything of importance to talk about. Then again, no one on the team had known Bickslow was from Pergrande, a country they now knew shunned the use of magic. And everyone knew just where Laxus was from. He'd unintentionally kept a secret from his team. More importantly, from his own girlfriend. He wasn't ashamed of his parents or where he came from. To him, they were just his parents - fully supportive of his thirst of knowledge and adventure that had led him to join Fairy Tail once he'd finished his required secondary education according to Minstrel's laws.

"I would have, eventually," he said. "Though, probably not until my parents came to visit."

"Do they do that a lot?" she asked.

"No," he chuckled. "Their work leaves them exceptionally busy. But with the news of our return most likely having reached them by now, I am sure they will want to visit." He gently grasped her hand and pulled her knuckles to his lips to tenderly kiss them. "And I would love for them to meet you."

One of his favorite things was seeing her blush such a delicate shade of pink. Before Evergreen could respond, the landlady returned and held out what appeared to be two plastic poker chips. Freed took them and studied the embossed lettering on first the white chip, and then the orange. Both had the same large NA written on one side, and as he looked at the other side of the chips, Freed found himself smiling.

The white chip's message was Day 1, One day at a time.

The orange chip's message was 30 days clean and serene.

"Have him come see me when he's out of the woods," the landlady said, drawing Freed's attention to her once more. She gave him a sad smile. "I can give him a list of meetings, help him find a sponsor."

"Y-You what?" Evergreen asked.

"I had a feeling he wouldn't have listened, if I'd offered it before," she sighed. "I could see he wanted to get clean and stay that way, but he just didn't seem ready. Maybe that's my fault."

"You knew he was…?"

"Addicts are great at spotting other addicts," she said with a snort. "I should've offered it before he ended up in the hospital. But that's a mistake I can apologize for when he's back home. Make sure he gets those."

She went back inside and closed the door before they could say anything more. It left Freed staring at the two chips for Narcotics Anonymous that Lucy and Bickslow's landlady had given them for the recovering Seith mage. It seemed they wouldn't need to take a mission with Lucy's team - though Freed wouldn't be opposed to working with them - so he took Evergreen's hand and led her to the stairs, up to Lucy's apartment.

"Freed, she's not here." He smirked and wrote a set of runes on the doorknob to unlock the front door, then ushered Evergreen inside. They took in the tidy apartment for the first time, and his lips drew into a small frown when he saw the boxes stacked along a wall. He'd heard from Laxus that Bickslow hadn't unpacked his belongings, and also that Laxus was worried about the Seith mage hiding syringes in his boxes. "What are we doing here?" Evergreen asked.

"We are going to help them," Freed said.

"How is breaking and entering considered helping?"

Freed chuckled and shook his head, kicking off his boots. Evergreen followed suit shortly after, and he didn't miss the relief in her eyes once her high heels were off. "We will make sure there are no temptations in Bickslow's belongings when he returns," he said.

Evergreen snorted and followed him to the wall of boxes. They each set a box on the floor and opened them at the same time, then started sorting through the clothing and little bits and bobs of his belongings. "Oh my god, this shirt reeks," she wheezed.

Freed grimaced as he got a whiff of the pants he pulled from his own box. "We will wash everything," he said, tossing the pants on the floor quickly. A soft clinking sound drew his attention, and he bent down to shake the pants enough to reveal an empty capped syringe. "And carefully search his clothes."

Evergreen went to the kitchen and rummaged around for several minutes, then returned with a trash bag and rubber gloves. "You sort, I'll search?" she asked, smirking as she held up the gloves. "I don't think these will fit you."

Freed chuckled and returned to the box he'd been rummaging through while she put on the gloves and tossed the syringe in the trash bag. They worked together in relative silence, with Freed doing his level best not to gag over the mildewed cardboard scent wafting from Bickslow's boxed clothing and Evergreen turning out every pocket and pulling out scraps of paper, gum wrappers, random steel barbells that seemed to be used for piercings, and a total of fifteen more syringes. By the time they'd finished with every box, there was a large mound of laundry with clothing, sheets, a single thin blanket, and five towels. In a separate pile, there were small trinkets that they didn't really understand why Bickslow had kept: a broken jewelry box, seven wooden door knobs, a torn, tattered stuffed bear with missing eyes, among other things. They would have to leave these little bits and bobs to Lucy to put away somewhere. And Bickslow's clothing was in need of a serious washing. Except, Freed didn't want to run up Lucy's water bill by washing his clothes there. Instead, he wrote runes around the pile and waited as it lifted into the air. Just as they prepared to leave, Freed found a pen and a sheet of blank paper on Lucy's desk, and wrote her a note to let her know they'd been by, in case she came home before they returned with Bickslow's clean laundry.

Lucy, please excuse the intrusion. Evergreen and I have taken Bickslow's clothing to a dry cleaner. We will return to dispose of his boxes. We have searched his belongings and removed any temptations that may have been there to ease his recovery when he returns. We have also spoken with your landlady, and she should be giving you a receipt for your records indicating that two months of your rent have been paid, in full. These chips are a gift for Bickslow from your landlady. She has offered to help him begin working with NA once he is healed enough. Please ensure he receives these. -Signed, Freed.

Freed and Evergreen left the apartment, with the Rune mage locking the front door behind them with his magic, then took Bickslow's laundry to be cleaned. It wasn't much in the grand scheme of things. They'd only paid Bickslow and Lucy's rent and unpacked his belongings so he could start feeling more like he had a home. But Freed knew from experience, that small gestures of kindness could ripple out in greater effect. And even though he hoped there was more they could do to help, this was a start. This time, Bickslow would stay clean. He was sure they had all thought this same thing many times before, but this time it would stick. This time, Bickslow would have the support of Master Makarov and Lucy's landlady - resources he hadn't had before. Freed was going to make sure his dear friend never ended up in a hospital due to his drug use again. They would all make sure of it.

The broken lights on the freeway left me here alone
I may have lost my way now, haven't forgotten my way home