It had been a week since Lucy and Bickslow had gone to the hospital in the very early hours of the morning with both of their first thoughts that she'd been miscarrying. It had been a week of sitting at home, either on the lounge or in bed for most of the day, completely bored out of her mind, and it had been a week since Lucy and Bickslow had talked about what they wanted from each other.
So far, things had gone pretty well. It had been a little awkward for a couple of days after they'd had that little talk, because neither really knew how to act around each other then. But, as it turns out, they didn't need to change anything, really. They'd essentially already been acting like a couple even when they hadn't been, so once they'd realised that and got themselves into a usual sort of routine (as usual as it was going to be considering Lucy was basically on house arrest), it was easy to act as an actual couple.
Well, it was as easy as it was going to get. Of course, it was still all new to the pair since if anything, it was their first real relationship, of sorts. Lucy had only really gone on a few dates in her life, but none had ended up being ones she'd particularly enjoyed, so she'd never been able to come close to getting anything more, and Bickslow had just had a lack of interest in the entire thing and only gone along with Mira's incessant need to pair him up with someone to get her off his back. Both were still trying to figure out how to go about being an actual couple. Sort of.
But still, so far, it had been going pretty well.
Like lots of things had, too. Though Lucy didn't have another ultrasound or visit to her obstetrician scheduled for another two weeks, she was getting more optimistic about the outcome with each day. She'd called her doctor just to update her on how things were going with her apparent condition and slight complication with the pregnancy (as per her doctor's orders, because even though the woman didn't see a reason to have Lucy come in since she didn't suspect it to be a high risk case, she still wanted to be updated on the progress of her healing), and as things improved as Lucy had been told they would, she began to worry less.
The bleeding had improved and was lessening, and she was confident that everything really was going to be fine.
She still had to take it one day at a time.
But still, until everything was definitely cleared up and everything looked normal once again, she was stuck on bed rest. Or, house arrest, as she had begun to call it.
She was bored out of her mind. She'd already gone through six seasons of one show and thus finished the entire thing, and now, she was halfway through the first season of another. She knew that Bickslow meant well by making sure she really did take things easy (incredibly easy), but the guy was making her life a living hell, and if she wasn't quite possibly in love with him (or falling, at least), she would be incredibly irritated.
But she had to remind herself that it was all for the baby. Everything she was doing and he was doing was for the baby, so as long as he or she was healthy and happy, Lucy would put up with boredom.
She just hoped she wasn't confined to bed rest for as long as some of the mothers to-be who had gone through the same thing she was going through. She didn't think she'd survive being stuck in bed for the next month or more.
So as she sat down on the lounge, tucking her slightly damp hair from her shower behind her ears as she did so, she looked towards Bickslow who sat in the corner of it, with his legs crossed under him and staring intently at the laptop that sat on his lap.
"What are you working on?" she asked, reaching for the remote on the coffee table before curling up on the lounge under the thin blanket with her head propped up on a couple of cushions.
"Um… Nothing really," he mumbled as he continued to scroll through the email he was reading. "I just… have a bit of a problem now." Well, a bit of a problem was putting it lightly. It was a huge problem, but that was just what he thought.
Lucy pressed the play button for the next episode, and as the extraordinarily long intro started, she sat up and shuffled down the sofa to instead sit next to Bickslow, tucking her feet under her. "What's that then?" Lucy asked quietly as she looked down to the screen and tried to decipher all of the words on the screen. Something about a conference or a meeting. That's all she got from it.
"I might have to go to Crocus for a few days for some sort of conference or something. Entire board thing, I guess," he mumbled again and sighed. "The problem is that I'd have to leave not the Sunday coming, but the one after."
"But that's before I'm possibly off house arrest, isn't it?"
He rolled his eyes. "It's not house arrest," he argued. "But yeah, it is before then. The entire thing is supposed to run from the Monday until the…" He paused to scroll down and find the dates of the conference he was supposed to be attending. "Wednesday afternoon."
"Well, it's still a week and a half until then, and Dr. Delia thinks it could have cleared up by the next ultrasound…" Lucy moved closer to Bickslow on the sofa then, and gently laid her head on his shoulder, her eyes still watching Bickslow as he continued to frown at the screen. "So maybe I'll be better by the time you'd have to leave?" she said quietly.
"I'd be on the other side of the country for when it's scheduled," Bickslow said with a frown, finally turning his head to look at the blonde who was looking back up at him with hope in her eyes. It was a nice change, honestly. Each day she was getting happier and she worried just a little bit less with each one. He liked that things were getting better, truly.
"I'm sure I'll survive on my own."
"I still don't want to leave or actually go back to work until we know everything is actually fine."
"I know you don't," Lucy said quietly with a soft smile. Then, as she craned her neck just that little bit more, she pressed a light kiss to his cheek and whispered, "But I'm just saying, if it continues to get better, then I should be okay on my own for a few days. I could probably get Claire, or maybe even Mira, if I told her, to help out during the day. I'm sure they wouldn't mind."
Bickslow sighed as he closed the laptop. "Maybe," he mumbled. "We'll just see how things go in the next week, and I'll talk with Laxus in the morning to see how necessary it is I go."
Lucy shuffled down the lounge again when he reached forward to place the laptop on the coffee table and unfolded his legs from under him, placing his feet flat on the dark blue rug beneath the lounge. Lying back down and adjusting the pillows under her head, Lucy reached for the remote again as the intro finished up and turned the volume up on the T.V.
"Well, I'm gonna go take a shower," Bickslow said as he pushed himself up from the lounge and looked towards the screen. "Don't watch the next episode without me."
Lucy groaned and pressed the pause button on the remote, freezing the video on the title screen at the very end of the intro. "Oh, come on!" she complained. "You take forever in there."
"I do not," he scoffed.
"You do," she insisted. When Bickslow walked around the lounge and headed for the hall, she sat up slightly and leant her back against the armrest, keeping the pillows behind her and bringing her knees up slightly while picking up her phone from where it sat on the table. With a sigh, she opened up one of the various games on her phone that she'd found herself getting addicted to way too quickly, and muttered, "Just hurry up."
Bickslow laughed as he already began to reach for the hem of his shirt while walking towards the bathroom. "I'll try," he called out to the living room behind him.
It wasn't like Lucy was technically wrong, either, because he really did spend forever in the shower. It was something he'd always done, but as of late, he just spent more and more time in there.
It was almost the one time of the day where it was quiet; he was alone and he was alone with his thoughts. And it wasn't like he wished he was always alone and that everything was quiet, because he didn't. His life wasn't particularly stressful, but it had been, at times. It had calmed down again and it was back to being easy and they were working on getting into a new routine for while Bickslow was home and not at work.
But even though it was getting easy again – and still getting easier with each day – he still needed his time alone with his thoughts, because he just had way too many things to think about. Lucy may have had her worry lessening with each day, but Bickslow's wasn't. Bickslow was constantly worrying about everything those days, because he so desperately wanted everything to be fine with Lucy and the baby.
He knew that it was getting better on its own like it was supposed to, but still, he really hoped that it wouldn't get any worse. Don't get Bickslow wrong – he was incredibly glad that Lucy wasn't anywhere near as panicky about the entire situation as she had been a week ago or even before that, but it was just that Bickslow didn't know if he'd be able to keep his sanity if Lucy's house arrest (as she had so eloquently put it) ending up being something that wasn't so temporary.
His fear over that happening wasn't so much because he didn't want to be at home, because that wasn't the case at all. He really didn't mind having to stay at home to help with Ingrid (because after all, she was his daughter) and to make sure that Lucy took things easy. His fear was over what could possibly happen to Lucy if she ended up being forced to rest for the remainder of the pregnancy.
What happened then if that ended up being the case?
Would she get even more antsy and stressed than she already was? Would she regret wanting to keep the baby because of the stress it was putting her under? Would she begin to loathe Bickslow for making sure she took things easy?
That's what he worried about, and as he stood there under the stream of the shower, the hot water running down his back and the tiny rivulets from his soaked hair over his face, that's all he could think about.
His entire world was centred on Lucy and his family, and already, he was at a point where he would do anything to make sure they were happy and safe and had everything they'd ever need, and it was because it was his family. Bickslow didn't want a world where his family was unhappy, because when they were happy, he was happy.
But what if Bickslow did end up having to go to Crocus, and it wasn't something he could get out of? What if something happened to Lucy while he was gone… Or what if something happened to the baby, or even Ingrid? What if something terrible happened and Bickslow wasn't there for Lucy? What if she needed him while he was on the opposite site of the country, and she felt alone while whatever it is that could possibly happen, happened?
What if what they had between them got ruined by him being gone for a few days?
There were just so many scenarios and possibilities that ran through his head when he was left alone with his thoughts, and it wasn't something he necessarily enjoyed. He didn't enjoy panicking about everything, and he sure as hell didn't enjoy almost constantly worrying about Lucy. But, then again, he'd always worried about her, just a little bit. It was just that with everything that had happened, he had so many more reasons to actually worry.
But still, he had to always remind himself that he couldn't let Lucy see just how much he worried, and if anything, just how much he cared about her. Just like their label-less relationship, they were taking everything slowly and just one day at a time. There was no point of rushing things or jumping to conclusions about anything regarding the baby or Lucy's health, because after all, things could end up being perfectly fine and the rest of the pregnancy could be smooth sailing.
Or things could get much, much worse.
One day at a time… Just… One. Day. At. A. Time.
With a sigh, Bickslow reached out for the taps on the black tiled wall of the shower and turned them both until it was just the water from his hair that ran down his face and from his body. As he slid the glass door open and stepped out of the shower, he lifted a hand to push the wet hair out of his eyes and then grabbed the towel that hung over the railing on the shower door. His hair had grown out considerably in the time he'd been in that world, and it was nowhere near as tame and short as it had been a month and a half earlier, and if anything, it was even longer than he'd usually had it. Even though he'd kept it in his usual style with the shaved sides, it was beginning to get inconvenient to keep it maintained (and yes, he'd always been someone to maintain his precious hair).
As he stared at his reflection in the mirror with his wet hair pushed back, he couldn't help but wonder if it was time to just… let it grow out completely. He was twenty-seven, and he was a dad. What kind of dad has a mohawk?
This one does, obviously.
Whatever. It was a haircut. It didn't particularly matter. He had more important things to worry about, like his family, for example, rather than whether or not it was time to lose the mohawk.
So after towelling off his hair lightly, just to get rid of most of the excess water, he went into the bedroom to change, and it was only after going through nearly every drawer he could think of to find his beloved three-quarter sleeved baseball tee did he realise that most of his clothes were still either sitting somewhere in the laundry or in the dryer.
Quickly, then, he pulled on a pair of grey track pants with cuffs at the bottom and made his way into the hall, throwing the towel back into the bathroom as he went.
It was when Bickslow was coming out of the laundry, pulling the shirt on over his head as he slowly crossed the room to go back to the lounge did Lucy make any noise, and it wasn't her complaining about him being in the shower forever again. No, it was a giggle. So as he finally got it over his head and he ran a hand through his wet hair again, he arched a brow in curiosity.
"What the hell was that for?" he asked, sitting down on the lounge once again.
Lucy shook her head as a faint blush crept up on her cheeks. "It's completely ridiculous," she said as she slid down the lounge and laid on her side with her knees brought up slightly, curling up under the thin blanket again as she propped her head up with her hand.
"I like ridiculous," he shrugged. When Lucy just shook her head again and pressed play on the remote to finally start the episode she'd wanted to watch for the last half an hour, a wide grin slowly split his face before he quickly moved from where he sat in the corner and shifted to be hovering over her, his arms on either side to hold himself up and keep his weight off of her. "Come on," he murmured, prying the remote from her hands to pause it again before dropping it gently to the floor. "Tell me."
Lucy was still blushing as she was all but forced to roll onto her back beneath Bickslow. She was entirely convinced it was ridiculous, and she was entirely convinced she'd gone insane. Her mind had been thinking of some… odd things, as of late. Of course, it was one of these odd things that had made her giggle in the first place, and she reasoned it didn't quite help she was spending every second of every day with someone who was, for the most part, absolutely insane.
She had already begun to lose her sanity by spending all day inside, and she could only expect to be waving it goodbye completely in the coming months, and if she ended up being stuck on bed rest and the rules she was supposed to be following became stricter, then she'd be losing all that much sooner.
"Was it about me?" Bickslow asked as he sat up slightly, keeping her pinned beneath him as he knelt over her hips with his arms folded over his chest. When she just shrugged, Bickslow took her silence and the feigned innocent smile on her lips as a yes and his grin grew wider. "Well, if it's about me, now I really want to know what it is…"
"It's really silly…" she mumbled. She was pretty sure Bickslow was going to laugh at her if she knew what she'd laughed about, and he was probably going to give her hell for it.
"I love silly."
"You'll laugh at me."
Bickslow shrugged. "Maybe," he agreed. "But you know I'll get it out of you either way…" His grin turned wicked as he unfolded his arms and slowly lowered them to her waist, letting his fingers gently trail over her sides through the thin fabric of her shirt.
Her eyes went wide as she refrained from squirming. "You wouldn't," she dared. Bickslow knew exactly how ticklish she was, and he knew that it would quickly get to the point where she'd tell him just what it was that had made her laugh just to get him to stop.
It was a low blow, that was for sure.
"Oh, but I would."
Lucy continued to stare up for just a few more seconds, only blinking. She'd been about to plead for Bickslow not to do it, but then he dug his fingers into her sides just that little bit more and she instinctively tried to get away from it, already arching her back slightly as she began to laugh just a little bit. "N-No, don't… Don't do that," she squealed around the laughter that just grew louder as he continued his assault.
"Then tell me what it was," he chuckled. Bickslow had to admit that he enjoyed tickling her way too much, just because he loved hearing her laugh.
"Okay, okay!" she huffed. When Bickslow finally stopped, an eyebrow quirked as he looked down at her expectantly, she felt the heat return on her face. Oh, she was never going to hear the end of this. With a sigh, she began to lace her fingers together as her eyes flicked elsewhere to avoid meeting Bickslow's gaze, and then mumbled, "I was thinking about how I was kind of lucky to have a… Um… Partner in crime… Who just happens to have a… Uh… You know… Nice… Body…"
But oh, those muscles… Who would have thought he'd actually had anything under all of that heavy clothing he'd usually worn? Plus, she was pretty sure she could cut herself on those hip bones… And those collarbones, too. Is it weird to love someone's collarbones?
Probably.
She was actually going insane.
"Oh?"
Lucy just wanted to hide until morning. It was bad enough she'd all but had no choice to say why she'd been laughing (sort of say it, anyway), but the way Bickslow was looking at her with that wide grin and playful gleam in his eyes, it was just making her feel even more ridiculous that she already did.
"I mean…" she mumbled again, still trying her best to avoid looking at Bickslow even though he was leaning forward slowly again. "You're pretty hot. For a dad." Yup, now you've done it. Thank you, brain, for not letting me keep my mouth shut. Thank you, she internally cursed herself.
Bickslow was enjoying it way too much, and he could definitely see how it was ridiculous. But still, he really did like ridiculous. He was a ridiculous person.
"Well," he leant down just that little bit more while moving his hands to rest on the lounge on either side of her head to hold himself up and keep his weight entirely off of her still. Then, as she continued to avoid looking at him and turned her head to the side slightly, he murmured, "I'd say you're pretty lucky, because I'm all yours, baby."
"I'm telling you, Gajeel," Bickslow said with a shrug as he turned a page in the bundle of papers on the table then returned his focus to the laptop screen in front of him. "Levy's gonna know you're here."
"Only if someone tells her," the other man grumbled, his eyes narrowed as he shot a glare towards the blonde who sat on the floor just in front of the lounge.
"Hey, I'm not going to tell her," Lucy defended herself as she looked over her shoulder to the dining table. She shrugged as the corner of her mouth pulled up into a small smirk as she turned back to face Ingrid, pulling her favourite toy of the day just a little bit more towards herself. "Besides, I figured she deserved a break from you for a bit."
Bickslow snickered as he continued to occasionally glance between the laptop screen and the papers to his right, reading one line and then typing something out, over and over. It was a Saturday afternoon, yet he was still working, and it was only because he didn't really get much done during the week. Between spending most of his time on the lounge with Lucy as they went through way too many episodes of way too many T.V shows per day, and looking after Ingrid and then everything else Lucy usually did when he went to work, Bickslow just didn't have enough time to do his job.
Of course, it didn't help that he just had a lack of motivation to do anything that was really productive when he had the option to be cuddled up with his family most of the day.
As Gajeel just continued to scowl and rest his chin on his folded arms as he sat opposite Bickslow at the table, Lucy slid back to have her back resting on the sofa and continued to watch Ingrid. Every now and then the infant would manage to drag herself forwards just a little bit, whether it be to try and reach for a toy or to get closer to either Lucy or Bickslow. It wasn't very often, but still, it was fun to watch.
So when Ingrid attempted to do just that, Lucy involuntarily let out half a sob of happiness. Bickslow ignored it, because she'd been doing weirder and weirder things as the days went by. Lucy had put it down to her emotions being a jumbled mess because of her hormones, so really, Bickslow just figured it was best to just let her be. He didn't want to do or say anything to irritate her or make her cry or anything, especially when he'd already done that once by accident; he'd learnt not to mess with a pregnant woman the hard way.
Gajeel, on the other hand… Well, he was confused, so sitting back up again, he looked towards the blonde who was now reaching for the smaller blonde from where she sat against the lounge. "What the hell was that?" he mumbled.
"Just leave it," Bickslow answered instead, shaking his head lightly without looking up from his work.
But Lucy was ignoring it anyway, instead too busy holding up Ingrid under her arms and gently letting her kick off her legs. "You're just too precious!" she exclaimed, an almost sad smile on her face as she looked to the smiling face of her daughter.
And really, Ingrid was precious. She was adorable and tiny and perfect… And Lucy wanted her to stay little forever. Even though it had only been a little under two months, she was completely and totally attached, and she just really didn't want Ingrid to grow up.
Ever.
But when Lucy continued to ramble on to Ingrid about how precious and perfect she was, Bickslow suddenly looked up when she choked on another sob. "Oh no," he mumbled. He knew what was coming, and even though he hadn't figured out how to expect it (he wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to), he knew the signs. That much he'd figured out already.
"What?" Gajeel asked, looking back to Bickslow as his confusion about the entire situation continued to grow even more.
Bickslow got up from his chair then and rushed over to the lounge to stand in front of Lucy, and he inwardly groaned when he saw her eyes already filling with tears as she continued to smile (now sadly) at Ingrid. Leaning down, he gently took Ingrid from her hands and he had to force himself not to visibly cringe when Lucy began to pout. Yeah, it was definitely going to happen. No stopping it now.
"I think it's time for a nap," he said hurriedly as he pulled the infant against his chest and walked back around the lounge again to make his way down the hall. "Don't you agree, Ingrid?" he asked while looking down to her in his arms.
Well, it was close to what time she usually had a nap, but Bickslow just really needed to separate Lucy and Ingrid temporarily. At least until Lucy had calmed down, anyway. Just the last week alone had been almost hell for him as he tried to navigate the vast sea of emotions. It wasn't so much mood swings with Lucy (and yeah, his research had told him to prepare for that), it was more suddenly breaking down into tears over the silliest things at the drop of a hat.
Just that morning she'd cried over strawberries. Fucking strawberries. Bickslow had been eating them with his pancakes (Saturday had become pancake day, apparently) and occasionally feeding small pieces to Ingrid, and Lucy had all but run out of the room crying, leaving her own pancakes on the table. Of course, Bickslow had been totally lost like he had been every other time she'd walked out in tears, but when he went to go console her, he couldn't help but laugh. It was cruel, honestly, because Lucy couldn't eat strawberries anymore because they made her sick apparently. Hell, the smell of them was enough to get her out of the room, but it gave Bickslow the answer as to why there were always strawberries left in the fridge as of late. Usually they didn't last very long between the two having an almost unnatural love for the red fruit.
She was essentially just jealous that she couldn't eat her favourite food in the entire world anymore, yet she had to watch Bickslow and Ingrid enjoy them to their heart's content. And, of course, Bickslow being willing to do anything to make Lucy happy and make his own life easier for the next seven months, had made the heroic sacrifice and deemed their house strawberry-free until Lucy could quite literally stomach to eat them again.
Bickslow just hoped it was all just because of the pregnancy and that she'd be able to eat them – or even go near them – again.
So as he sat down on the floor next to the blonde as she wiped the tears from under her eyes, he sighed as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in, letting her once again bury her head against his chest as he held the back of her head, gently stroking through the blonde hair. "Alright, what is it this time?" he sighed, shaking his head once again when Gajeel just stared at him, his face a mask of confusion.
"Ingrid isn't g-going to stay little forever," she choked out, her words mumbled and slurred. "She's g-going to grow u-up… and oh god, so is t-the b-baby."
Bickslow rolled his eyes as he held the crying blonde. Granted, it wasn't as silly as half the things she'd cried over in the last week and a bit, but it was still a little silly. In his opinion, anyway. "Come on, it's gonna happen eventually, but not for ages. You know that," he tried to say reassuringly. He probably could have said it wasn't going to happen at all – that their kids wouldn't grow up – but it was a blatant lie.
"B-But… they're g-going t-to grow u-up, a-and they're g-going t-to forget about u-us… and they're g-going t-to have t-their own tiny p-precious children… a-and…" she began to wail even louder then as she trailed off, her only solace right then that Bickslow was in fact right that it wasn't going to happen for a while. Ingrid was still going to be her precious little ball of adorableness for at least a few more years, and then the baby was going to be in the same boat.
Even though she didn't really have to worry about her dear babies growing up too much in the near future (even though she was in a near hysterical state), she knew it was going to happen one day. One day, her dear children were going to be old enough where they didn't need to rely on herself or Bickslow and they were going to be independent and then they were going to leave and have their own lives…
And they wouldn't be tiny.
Why couldn't they stay tiny and adorable forever?!
Sure, they were always going to be her babies, even when they were at the age where all they wanted to do was be out with friends and ignore their parents, but still, they just wouldn't be tiny.
So as she continued to bawl her eyes out over her six-month old daughter and not-even-born-yet baby growing up and having their own lives, Bickslow still tried his best to calm her down. Mostly telling her that she wasn't crazy, of course. He'd learnt that that wasn't the best thing to say, either. Instead, he just tried to remind her that neither Ingrid nor the baby were going to be growing up any time soon and leaving them and forgetting about them.
It didn't help that he didn't want to think about his favourite tiny human (humans, really) having her own tiny human one day. Nope, not at all.
But thankfully, calming Lucy down when she had her small bouts of crying or freaking out about something silly was incredibly easy. In all the times it had happened since he'd been home from work, all he'd really had to do was hold her and remain silent until she calmed herself down. That, or just agree with her, or say something she wanted to hear. He didn't care much what he had to do, really, as long as it got her to stop crying, especially after that one time he'd left her to cry and then Ingrid had started crying. That had been a nightmare, but it had ended in the sweetest of family hugs just so he could try and calm them both down at the same time.
So like always, all he had to do then was occasionally mumble something about how Ingrid would never forget her mother, how she was always going to be Lucy's baby no matter how old she was, and of course, how there was no way in hell she was going to be having her own tiny precious child for at least the next eighteen years. No, make that thirty years. So eventually, she did manage to calm down some until it was just the occasional whimper or sniffle while stuttering over Ingrid being too precious.
Gajeel, of course, had just given up on trying to figure out just what the hell was going on, and instead decided to just read whatever it was that Bickslow had been working on, while of course, compulsively checking his phone for messages from Levy every five seconds. When he'd left, the twins had just fallen asleep again after a feed, so he figured he still had another half an hour at least before he had to go back home. Honestly, he really just needed some time with someone who wasn't three weeks old… or Levy. Sure, he cared about the woman – a lot – but when he's running on almost zero sleep (granted, just like Levy), he doesn't exactly deal well with the constant nagging about him being careful.
And sure, he might have accidentally dropped his daughter – Ellis – a few days earlier, but in his defence, the newborn had rolled off of him from where he'd been lying on the lounge. Besides, she was fine. The woman needed to lay off him, because it wasn't like she was perfect either, considering she'd also managed to drop their son – Emery – within hours of yelling at Gajeel for the same thing.
He'd honestly felt a little too conceited in that moment. Just a little bit.
"I'm going to be sick," Lucy mumbled suddenly as she lifted her head slightly, and instantly, Bickslow unwound his arms from around the blonde and let her sit up slightly to quickly scramble up from the floor.
Although her 'morning' sickness wasn't (for the most part) terrible, it was still annoying, and occasionally she'd find herself actually needing to throw up. Granted, she still had a few days where she'd just want to curl up in a ball on the bathroom floor, but there still had yet to be a day where she didn't feel just a little bit nauseous at all. In the few short weeks she'd known, Lucy had learnt to just live with what she was calling the 'worst fucking part of being pregnant' and all she could do was hope it went away soon.
If she ended up being one of those women who end up feeling nauseous for the entire thing or at least most of it, then she was not going to be happy at all.
With a groan, Gajeel got up from the table and headed for the door. It was probably time to go back to his own apartment and look after his evil spawn. After all, he'd been there for much longer than he'd originally planned…
"Finally leaving?" Bickslow asked with a smirk as he looked over his shoulder from where he sat in the corner of the lounge, Ingrid leaning against his arm in his lap and holding her bottle up.
"Unfortunately," the other man sighed. "Shrimp might eat me alive if I leave her alone with them for too long."
Lucy looked up from where she sat at the counter with a book then. "I'm sure Levy won't be that mad," she said.
"Trust me, Bunny, she will," Gajeel insisted before he finally reached the door. As Lucy shrugged and went back to her book, Bickslow went back to watching whatever it is he was watching while holding Ingrid. "Good luck with… whatever you two are doing," he muttered then. "Shrimp's gonna have a fuckin' field day once she knows."
Bickslow chuckled as he shook his head. It was his turn to believe Levy wouldn't freak out. "I doubt she will," he said.
"She will," both Lucy and Gajeel said, and Bickslow could only try and sink back into the lounge as the two stared back at him – Gajeel with a scowl and Lucy with a slight smile. Was Levy really going to freak out? Surely not, he thought.
Right?
Oh, whatever. Bickslow didn't care if anyone freaked out about him and Lucy, because frankly, it was something to freak out over. Even Bickslow was still finding it hard to believe that Lucy actually liked him and wanted to be with him, just because it was Lucy. Girls like Lucy didn't go for guys like him, but hey, he may be confused as all hell, but he was still enjoying it.
Everyone could freak out all they wanted. As long as they didn't fuck with his relationship with her, he just didn't care what everyone else did.
"Anyway," Gajeel sighed again as he finally reached out for the handle and gently began to turn it. "See you guys la—" but then he froze mid-sentence as he pulled the door open and found himself staring in confusion and shock at Erza (whose hand was raised and had apparently been about to knock on the door), Gray, and Natsu.
Erza blinked as she lowered her hand to her side. "Gajeel?"
"I thought this was Lucy's apartment?" Natsu asked as he stuck his head around the scarlet-haired woman, looking curiously into the apartment.
"It is…" Lucy replied cautiously as she slowly moved from where she sat at the counter. Her arms were folded as she stood in front of the door and watched her friends all but barge into her apartment (Natsu taking the lead with Happy once again sitting on top of his head). Gajeel could only stand by the open door and watch the entire thing with curiosity, having quickly forgotten about leaving, apparently. "What are you guys doing here?" she asked.
"We thought it would be nice to hang out for a while tonight since we haven't had much of a chance to do so in the last few weeks," Erza said.
Granted, Erza was right. Lucy had barely even talked to her friends since everything had happened – with the other Bickslow cheating and Lucy getting hurt by it, and then finding out she was pregnant, and then not to mention the entire thing where she was trying to figure out her own feelings for Bickslow. But all of those had been sorted out; she wasn't hurting because of the other Bickslow, she was excited (yet still worried) about the baby, and she was damn happy with how things were going with Bickslow.
But even though her life was coming up again, she still hadn't made time for three of her best friends, and honestly, it was because she'd been happy not seeing them. She'd been happy just spending her time with Bickslow and Ingrid because that's what she'd needed to be happy again, and she was happy then.
That, and she just hadn't told any of them about the baby. She wanted to wait until she knew everything was fine and she was off house arrest, and hopefully, that would be in just a week and a half. She figured that by then she'd definitely be showing more anyway, so really, she was running out of time to do so.
But before Lucy could even say sorry for not seeing her friends as of late or come up with an excuse to not hang out that night, Natsu decided to speak and cut her off before she got a single word out.
"Yeah, Luce!" Natsu said with his wide toothy grin. "You've been doing nothing for so long that not even Happy would be able to carry you if he could still fly!"
As Happy agreed with a meow, everyone in the room turned to look to the pink-haired idiot with the blue cat on top of his head. Gajeel kind of wanted to slip out of the room because even he knew not to insult someone on their weight – especially when they were pregnant – but he was way too intrigued with what was going to happen next. Gray could only stare in shock from where he stood by the lounge, previously having been smiling down at Ingrid, and the same was for Erza.
Bickslow, on the other hand… Well, he rarely wanted to punch people in the face, but right then, that's all he wanted to do to Natsu.
Lucy was feeling both shocked and hurt in that moment. Until then, she hadn't thought about what she was wearing because when she was home she never cared, and it didn't bother her that Gajeel was there because he'd been one of the first people to find out. But suddenly, as she stood there with her mouth hanging slightly open as she struggled to find something to say, she was feeling all the more self-conscious about the fact that in her striped t-shirt that all but clung to her and her plain black three-quarter leggings, you could most definitely tell she was getting bigger.
But still, on what she was deeming eight weeks and six days, she wasn't showing enough that people would be able to tell that she was just pregnant, but she was just that little bit rounder.
No matter how much Bickslow loved her ever-growing bump, and no matter how much she began to like it and not just think she was fat or anything, Natsu's words still hurt like hell.
And she knew that he probably didn't mean to upset her, but he had, and when Lucy felt tears once again prick her eyes (it was definitely a crying sort of day), she realised she didn't have any words. She just didn't know what to say to that, because if anything, she was biting her tongue and trying so hard not to blurt out that she was pregnant.
So instead, as she unfolded her arms and balled her fists up at her sides, she stared back at Natsu much like everyone still was, and shrieked, "Natsu!" Before anyone could say anything, she turned on her heels and stormed down the hall and to the bedroom.
"What?" Natsu asked, looking between everyone else in the room as they all glared back at him or in the space where Lucy had just stood. "What did I say?"
When the bedroom door slammed close, Bickslow suddenly stood and handed Ingrid to the closest person, who just happened to be Gray. "Hold her," he mumbled as Gray quickly took hold of the infant, shooting a look of confusion at Bickslow as he climbed over the back of the lounge to go down the hall after Lucy.
Honestly, in that moment, he'd had to remind himself that Lucy was more important that hurting Natsu, as tempting as it was. He could punch Natsu later.
So when he got down to the bedroom and closed the door gently behind him, he couldn't help but smile slightly at what was essentially a lump under the covers. Silently, though, he made his way around to the side of the bed and instead of pulling the heavy quilt back, he instead lifted it just enough to climb under it before pulling it over his head, and he joined the crying blonde in the darkness.
She was curled up in a ball and clinging to the pillow she had her head on, and when Bickslow softly said her name, she let out another strangled sob and rolled onto her other side, leaving her back facing him. "Just l-leave me a-alone," she mumbled, trying to bury her face into the pillow even more.
But Bickslow wasn't going to leave her alone, because he felt as if that wasn't what she really wanted. He hated seeing her cry, and if anything, seeing her upset was one of the things he hated most in the entire world. Leaving her to cry when he had no idea what it was that had caused it was one thing, because more often than not it was just something random and weird, but when he knew exactly what it was that had made her upset, he couldn't just ignore it, especially when it was over something he'd been trying to make her feel better about as it was.
"I can't do that," he said softly as he shifted forwards and propped himself up on his elbow and gently draped an arm over her side.
Her small frame shook lightly as she cried, but when Bickslow ever so lightly pulled her closer to him she didn't stop him or insist that she just wanted to be left alone. Instead, she just let his larger frame almost wrap around her as she tried to curl in on herself even more, and then gently placed one of her hands over Bickslow's that had come to lightly rest on her abdomen.
"You know he didn't mean it," he said softly again.
"I-I know…" she whispered, rolling onto her back then, leaving her one hand over Bickslow's and her other over her eyes. Even though it was near pitch black under the blanket and Bickslow had seen her cry more times than she could count (just that day alone, even), she still hated that she felt and probably looked like absolute shit, and it was in front of Bickslow of all people. If anything, she just wanted one day where she didn't cry, she didn't feel like throwing up every five minutes, and she didn't need Bickslow to comfort her.
Just one fucking day.
"I know h-he didn't m-mean it," she stuttered again. "A-And I mean, I-I'm used t-to H-Happy joking a-about it… b-but it h-hurt more t-this t-time."
"Well, the joke's on them anyway," he said, resting his head in his palm.
Lucy lifted her hand from her face then to look through watery eyes. "H-How?" she asked quietly, her brow slightly furrowed as she stared at Bickslow in confusion in the darkness.
"Because I wouldn't let Happy carry you, even if he could," Bickslow said, a lazy grin making a home on his face. "No way in hell I'd trust a cat—"
"Exceed, technically."
"—to carry you while you're knocked up. The babies, on the other hand… Well, those would be fine, because I'd be carrying you, and I feel like a person is a lot safer than a cat."
Lucy couldn't help but let out a watery laugh then as she brushed under her eyes. His protective nature had emerged once again, and as annoying as it was, she did kind of like it. Though, she did have to admit it was a little odd that Bickslow was almost hinting at them having a relationship in their old world, and, dare she think it, an actual family. Well, on the way, at least.
But it wasn't like it was all that weird, because that's what they were in the current world – their home. They had a relationship – granted, it was in the early stages still – and they had a baby, and they had another one on the way. They were a family, and from day one, they'd been one, although slightly dysfunctional and they hadn't at all acted like one for a few weeks, that's just what they were.
They were a family and you could always rely on your family to get you through the worst of times.
"Oh, come on," Bickslow said quietly as he leant forward over her slightly, a wide grin on his face. "That's all I get? No 'five floating dolls are nowhere as safe as a cat with wings'?"
"C-considering Happy's dropped m-me in the ocean before, I'd survive with floating dolls," she said with another weak laugh. "Besides…" She turned her head towards Bickslow. "I'd have no problems with you carrying me on your babies, because I trust you." Because to be fair, a person was without a doubt a lot safer than a flying cat, even if that person happened to have a knack for acrobatic feats and was balanced on flying pieces of wood.
But she did trust Bickslow, so really, if they still had magic in that magic, she'd really have no problems with transportation via, well… the babies. And Bickslow, of course.
"Damn right you wouldn't," he chuckled quietly, leaning down to press a light kiss to her cheek.
She smiled softly then and brushed away the last of her tears. She'd found that as soon as Bickslow could find a way to make her smile or even laugh, she'd almost instantly stop crying. "But… Maybe not when I'm not the size of a whale."
"You're not going to be."
"But I will be soon."
"Okay, fine," he sighed. "But you'll still be hot as fuck."
"Unlikely," she scoffed.
Bickslow rolled his eyes. "You will be," he insisted. "I mean, you already are, but I'm convinced you'll just get sexier."
"Yeah, maybe to you."
"I'm the only one that matters, baby."
"Sure you are," she said, laughing quietly when he kissed her cheek again.
She did have to admit Bickslow had a bit of a point. It was only Bickslow's opinion that mattered, and as long as he was convinced she'd remain somewhat attractive as she got further along, she didn't particularly care what anyone else thought. Sure, she didn't believe it herself, and she still felt like she was just a little overweight at the least, but in reality, she wasn't. She was having a baby, and she was only going to get bigger. Natsu's words may have hurt like hell then, but… he really as an idiot, and Lucy knew it was only really meant as a joke.
The point was that she wasn't going to be a size zero forever, and she'd really have to get over that.
"But seriously though…" Bickslow mumbled then, propping himself up on his elbow once again. "Natsu's an idiot, and… I really don't think he would have said anything at all if he knew."
"I know," she sighed. "But… I just want to wait, at least until after the ultrasound. I want to tell everyone, I really do… But I just want a little bit more time, that's all."
"I know you do, and that's okay. I wouldn't even care if you spent the next seven months inside and didn't tell anyone. It would be a bit of a shock if that happened, but still. Whatever you want to do is fine."
Lucy smiled softly. "Spend the next seven months cooped up in here? No way," she scoffed. "I'm already losing my mind and it hasn't even been two weeks."
"Aw, it wouldn't be that bad," he chuckled. "You'd have me to keep you company. And Ingrid."
"As much as I l—" she paused suddenly, realising she'd been about to say a certain phrase, and she was glad that it was dark enough to hide the insane blush on her cheeks. Nope, no way was she saying that. "—love spending time with you guys," she said instead, internally high-fiving herself for the quick save of her possible blunder of words. "I couldn't do it every day."
And Bickslow was completely oblivious to it all anyway, so laughing still, he said, "Fair enough." If he were Lucy, there'd be no way he'd be able to survive spending all day with him either. Ingrid, maybe, but him? Not a chance. He'd drive himself insane, and he wasn't ashamed to admit that.
After all, he had a knack for irritating people with his pranks, jokes, and odd mannerisms. That's just who he was.
But then he remembered just why he was curled up in a ball under the blanket in the first place, he stopped laughing. Quickly, he pushed back the blanket and sheet just enough so their heads were uncovered, and when he was finally able to see Lucy looking up at him quizzically, he shrugged. "It was getting stuffy under there," he said simply.
"I didn't notice…"
"Anyway." He mentally shook his head to Lucy's reply. "As much as I'd love to just stay here like this, someone needs to go back out there, and if I do, there's a high possibility of me punching Natsu in the face."
Lucy couldn't help but smile softly then, and whether it was because she was picturing Natsu getting punched in the face, or because of the fact that Bickslow actually looked serious, she did not know. "Why would you punch Natsu in the face?" she asked.
"Because no one who makes my girlfriend cry will live to tell the tale."
"Girlfriend?"
Shit. "Partner in crime," he corrected himself, a smug smirk on his lips. Girlfriend… Partner in crime… Legal wife; they were all the same thing. Sort of. Bickslow didn't really know what she was to him, because they weren't putting any labels on anything. But still, he liked to think she was his girlfriend. Sort of.
She began to giggle when she realised that she quite liked being called his girlfriend. She was someone's actual girlfriend, and that was exciting! She'd never been that to anyone before, but to Bickslow, that's basically what she was. Partner in crime had just been a way of avoiding using the terms girlfriend and boyfriend, because those seemed so official. But suddenly, she didn't seem to care all that much, because she really, really liked Bickslow – maybe even loved him; she still wasn't quite sure – and she could no longer see a problem with using such labels.
Besides, they were technically and legally married (not that they acted like it), so really, something like being called his girlfriend, or even calling Bickslow her boyfriend, was small in comparison.
Although, Lucy did have to admit that partners in crime had grown on her.
"Girlfriend… Partner in crime… They're basically the same thing anyway," she mumbled, the corners of her mouth pulling up into a small smile. "But seriously though… You can't punch Natsu."
"Are you sure?" he asked. He was honestly a little disappointed.
"As much as it would make a good story – you know, telling Ingrid about that one time her father decided to punch her mother's best friend – it would only end badly, and I do not want a brawl starting in my living room."
"One time?" he repeated, laughing as he shook his head. "It wouldn't be the first time I've punched Natsu in the face."
Her brow became furrowed. "You've punched him before?" she asked sceptically, and when Bickslow nodded with a wide grin on his face, apparently enjoying it all too much, Lucy could only shake her head slightly. "Part of me wants to know why you would have done that—"
"Because he was being an idiot and he was pissing me off."
"—but the other part of me really doesn't want to know why."
"Sorry," he laughed again. "But seriously though, do you want me to go and get rid of them?" he asked quietly, turning serious and losing his smile, instead replacing it with a soft frown.
It took Lucy a while to respond, because she felt bad. They were her best friends, but she just couldn't bear to see them. She didn't want to explain why she'd run off crying and why it had hurt so much (because Happy teasing her was something she'd gotten used to). She'd explain it all one day, but she just really wanted to make sure everything was fine with the baby.
Just another week and a half. That's how long she had to wait to find out.
Surely she'd be able to keep her team at bay until then.
Right?
So when she nodded and gave a weak smile, Bickslow nodded in understanding before pushing himself up and folding the blanket and sheet back. "Okay," was all he said quietly with his own reassuring smile, and when Lucy pulled the covers back over her head as soon as he off the bed, he shook his head with a light chuckle.
When he got back out to the living room, he found Gajeel sitting on the lounge with Ingrid instead of Gray, and then the trio in question standing awkwardly around the space – Erza on one end of the lounge, smiling at Ingrid, Gray at the counter, and Natsu raiding his fridge while Happy preened himself just next to the sink.
Bickslow went over to Gajeel first and gently took the slightly confused infant from the other man's arms, much to his relief. "You didn't drop this one, did you?" he asked sarcastically.
"No," Gajeel replied, standing up when Bickslow took a step back to place Ingrid on the soft rug just in front of his feet. "I did not, thank you very much," he grumbled.
Dropping his own kid, yeah, fine, it happens. But someone else's kid? Not a fucking chance. Besides, Gajeel wasn't afraid to admit that he was scared of what Bickslow would do to him if he'd dropped Ingrid. He'd seen his face when Natsu had said something stupid again, and Bickslow had looked just about ready to send the guy through a wall, and that was just for making his girlfriend (or whatever she was to him, because Gajeel wasn't quite sure) cry. Dropping his kid was something else entirely, because as strange as it was to admit it, over-protective daddy Bickslow was probably going to be terrifying. Gajeel could really understand the over-protective part though. He really could.
"Is Lucy alright?" Erza asked quietly, sitting up straighter as she addressed Bickslow.
He nodded and folded his arms across his chest. "She's fine," or so he thought. "But you should all leave anyway," he said, his eyes narrowed as they flicked towards Natsu as he turned around, his mouth completely stuffed with food.
"But we were gonna go out and have fun," Natsu complained around a mouthful of food. Then, pausing to swallow, amazingly, he said clearly, "She hasn't seen Cana's bar yet."
Drinking? Yeah. Definitely not. Even if Lucy was really allowed to leave the house (and if she was, Bickslow still wasn't letting her because he was too paranoid), and if she did want them there at the moment, she still wouldn't go out to a bar of all places, because she wasn't allowed to drink, either.
"She can see it another day," he said.
"Aw, can't we at least go and talk to her then?" Natsu complained again, and it wasn't really helping with Bickslow wanting to punch the guy. He was acting like a child – maybe it's why Lucy's always been so good with Ingrid? Since after all, he'd heard stories about how she basically had to babysit the idiot.
Gray sighed before Bickslow could say anything, and when he slowly pushed himself up from the bar stool and as he stood and turned to give Natsu a look of annoyance, it was the first time Bickslow noticed that he'd lost his clothes. He couldn't help but wonder where they were as he did a quick scope over the apartment, but he was also glad that he at least still had his boxers on.
"Don't ya think Lucy doesn't want to see us right now, flame-for-brains?" Gray mumbled.
"Why the fuck wouldn't she?"
"Because you insulted her and made her cry, you moron!"
Natsu was suddenly in Gray's face and their heads were up against each other, and Bickslow could only roll his eyes while dropping his own head to his palm. Nothing was simple when it came to Lucy's team.
"Who you calling a moron, popsicle?" Natsu screamed.
"You, because you're a moron," Gray shot back.
It was only after a good few minutes of the two shouting insults at each other, Ingrid beginning to whimper and, strangely, beginning to try and tug and paw at the hem of Bickslow's pants, and after not one, but two glasses got broken, did Erza decide to interfere – because there was no way in hell Bickslow or Gajeel were going to break up the two of them. When it came to stopping Natsu and Gray, it was either Erza or Lucy, and one of them was currently curled up under a bed and hopefully not suffocating herself.
So with her own sigh, Erza got up from the lounge, and after mumbling a quick apology, she went over to the two in the kitchen and grabbed their shirt collars, one in each hand, and pulled them apart as they continued to try and grab each other to inflict harm. "What is wrong with you two?" she hissed. Before the two could even try and defend themselves, she silenced them with a look that had them both almost trembling.
She looked towards Natsu first. "You," she snarled. "Need to apologise to Lucy—"
"I don't even know what I did!" he whined.
"You insulted her."
"How?!"
"You basically called her fat!" Gray yelled at Natsu, a foot going out to kick the other man in the shin.
A scream came from Natsu then, and Bickslow leant down to pick up Ingrid who was getting more and more agitated and scared the more they yelled. "Can you all just stop yelling? Jesus fucking Christ…" he shouted, just loud enough for his voice to go over everyone in the room. When they all turned to look at him, Erza included, he narrowed his eyes. "Natsu, you made her cry, and right now, you're not helping with keeping Ingrid from crying, and if you make my daughter cry too, I will make you cry."
"Like that'd—"
"Natsu."
The pink haired idiot pulled free from Erza's grip and folded his arms as Happy jumped up to his head, making himself comfortable atop the pink hair. "Fine, fine… No making people cry… Got it," he muttered.
"You still owe Lucy and Bickslow an apology," Erza said.
"Why Bickslow?"
"Because we've come into their home and caused problems for them," she said simply. "You, in particular, have caused problems."
Natsu blinked as he stared at Erza. There was obviously still a part of him that didn't quite understand what he'd done, but it wasn't all that surprising, because it was Natsu after all. So as Erza sighed and wrapped her hand around his arm and turned them towards the door, she looked towards Bickslow who was still watching them carefully – Natsu, in particular – and with a slight frown, she said, "We're sorry for upsetting Lucy, and… everything else."
Bickslow shrugged. "It's fine now," he mumbled. He honestly wasn't even expecting an apology at all, especially not from Natsu. Sure, it would have been nice, but it just wouldn't have happened.
It wasn't like he really cared about getting an apology now, either, because all he cared about was them leaving, and finally, they were.
"Tell Lucy she can call me… And we can talk, if she wants… Okay?" Erza said as she looked over her shoulder before shoving Natsu out the door after Gray. Bickslow could only nod before she pulled the door closed behind her.
He couldn't tell what it was, but it sounded… odd. It was almost strange for her to say that, even though she was one of Lucy's best friends. The only thing that came to mind that could possibly explain it was that she'd been given the fake explanation of sorts from Laxus, regarding his absence from work.
And maybe… Just maybe… she knew it wasn't exactly the truth, and she knew there was something else going on.
Whatever the case, it wasn't really good.
But Bickslow was pulled from his worrying thoughts at the sound of Gajeel sniggering, who was once again sitting in the corner of the lounge, his arms over the back on each side of him.
"Still want to put Salamander through a wall?" he asked, his sly smirk in place.
"Yup."
Bickslow turned back around to face the laughing blonde behind them, a frown on his face as he did so. "Are you sure you'll be okay?" he asked for the seventh time that day alone.
"I'll be fine," Lucy laughed as she came to a stop just in front of Bickslow and his carry-on suitcase that was all packed and ready for his business trip to Crocus. "You know I will be."
"I know… but—"
"But nothing," she interrupted with a bright smile. "I'll be able to survive without you for three days, Bicks."
And she would be. It was three days and four nights, and she'd be absolutely fine. She had another ultrasound scheduled for the day before Bickslow got back, and she was confident that everything would be fine and she'd be in the clear. No more bleeding or spotting or anything – she still did, however, feel exhausted almost all day of every day, and she still felt like absolute crap most of the day – and with each day that passed, she really did worry less and less. At what she was calling ten weeks, there was still an incredibly low chance of her losing the baby, and that's what she was choosing to focus on: the fact it was an incredibly low chance.
She was confident that everything would be fine, and she'd be fine without Bickslow for a few days.
But Bickslow wasn't sure he'd be fine without Lucy for a few days. He'd grown accustomed to being with Lucy – and Ingrid – all day for the last two and a half weeks, and he just really didn't want to leave. He knew she was getting better, that she was happier and wasn't anywhere near as worried as she had been, and Bickslow really was glad about that. He loved seeing her happy and he loved seeing her smile and slowly beginning to enjoy every little thing about being pregnant – even the terrible things.
Even though he was glad about all of that, there was just a small part of him that worried about the possibility of something happening while he was gone. She wasn't going to be alone – either Claire or Mira would be there with her every day – but it was the fact that he wasn't going to be there.
But damn it, he really didn't have a choice in leaving. Laxus had tried getting him out of going to Crocus, and it didn't help that Lucy was all but pushing him out of his own house. He wasn't above begging either of them to let him stay at home, but he knew it would get him nowhere. Laxus' hands were tied, and Lucy just really wanted him to go back to work, because she was convinced everything was going to be fine and she'd finally be allowed to come off her house arrest.
So frowning at Lucy's mischievous smile, he slowly stepped back towards the door, wheeling his suitcase with him. "Like, seriously… I'm sure if I just explain to Laxus that it will just be easier if I stay—"
"You're not saying," she interrupted again, looking up at Bickslow while backing him into the door. "I will literally drive you to the airport myself if I have to, and you really don't want me having to do that, do you?"
"Well… no."
"Exactly, so…" She continued to move forward until his heels were against the door and she was standing right in front of him, and she lazily lifted her arms to lace around his neck. "You have to go."
He frowned again. "But I don't want to. What if something happens? What if you get hurt or something happens with the baby—"
"Bickslow, I swear to god, you need to stop freaking out."
"I really do, don't I?" Even he could admit that. It was just making himself worse, and he had to believe that Lucy would be fine. So with a sigh of defeat, he dropped his own hands to wrap around her waist to pull her closer to him. "I really don't want to go though…" he mumbled.
She giggled again. "I know you don't, but it's just three days."
"And four nights."
"And when you get back, I'll be able to tell you all about the ultrasound and how everything is fine, and then we can talk about finding a time to get everyone together to tell them about the baby, and… Maybe even us. You know, if it comes up."
Bickslow arched a brow. "You'd want to tell people… about us?" he asked quietly.
"Well, yeah," Lucy said. "Why wouldn't I? Unless you wouldn't want to… In which case, that's perfectly fi—" But instead of Lucy interrupting Bickslow, it was the other way around as she was cut off by Bickslow's lips on hers, silencing her the best way he knew how.
"Trust me, I'm totally fine with people knowing about us," he said quietly after pulling away, a smirk in place. "I just didn't expect you to be."
"Why not?"
He shrugged. "Because it's me, and it's you, and it's… weird." And then there's the whole thing where I probably don't deserve you, but whatever.
"Well." Lucy nodded in agreement briefly. "Thanks to a certain someone, I have an affinity for weird." She really did understand the whole 'weird' thing though, but she just didn't care. Even though it hadn't been very long at all – less than a month, really – she didn't mind if people knew, and if anything, she wanted people to know. She liked Bickslow a hell of a lot, and she wasn't afraid to admit that.
So sure, it was weird, but that was only because it was unexpected – or maybe it wasn't that unexpected, because after all, they'd been living together for nearly two months, and they were bound to get to know each other and get close.
Oh, who even cares?
The point was that she really did care for Bickslow, and she didn't care what anyone else thought about them being together. At all. And as long as Bickslow didn't care, then there was no problem. At all.
But then there was a knock on the door, and as Lucy giggled quietly, Bickslow groaned. He just really was not looking forward to the next three days.
They both took steps back, Lucy moving to the side a bit, giving Bickslow enough room to turn around and open the door to reveal the perpetually scowling Laxus, forever smiling Mira, and then Blake, who was holding his mother's hand while Laxus was leaning on the handle of his own suitcase.
"You ready to go?" Mira asked cheerfully, smiling at the two inside the apartment.
"No," Bickslow grumbled. Sighing again, he turned back to Lucy and quickly took her face in his hands before leaning down and kissing her, much to everyone's surprise, including Lucy's as he drowned out the slightest of squeaks. "Call me," he murmured, his lips still brushing against hers. "Every night."
"I'm not—"
Another kiss. "Yes, you are," he insisted. "Every night, or I'll call you, because I'll want to know if anything happens."
Lucy rolled her eyes. "Nothing is going to happ—" But then she was cut off by Bickslow kissing her. Again. "Okay, you've gotta stop doing that," she giggled.
"No I don't," he said, and then, when Laxus cleared his throat rather dramatically, Bickslow quickly kissed her one final time, much to Laxus' growing disappointment and Mira's delight. "Seriously though," he mumbled as he pulled away again. "Don't do anything stupid. And take it easy, alright? And call me if anything happens."
"As much as Mira enjoys seeing you two… whatever the hell you two are, anyway," Laxus said suddenly, "We have a plane to catch, and the sooner we leave, the sooner Mira can get back and make sure Blondie behaves herself."
"Exactly," Lucy agreed. "So please," she said, pushing Bickslow out the door as Laxus all but dragged him out. "Go."
"But…" Bickslow started, a hand reaching out to grab the handle on the small suitcase before it was completely out of reach.
She laughed again as she came to stand in front of the door, her hand resting on the side and already slowly pushing it closed as Laxus tried his hardest to drag his best friend away from the door. "It's just three days, Bicks. I'll be fine," she said for what felt like the umpteenth time that day alone.
"Okay, okay…" Bickslow sighed. Lucy will be fine. She'll have Mira or Claire with her until I'm back on Thursday morning… and she'll be fine. Totally fine. Nothing is going to happen. At all.
"Good bye, Bickslow," Lucy said, a smile on her face as she gently closed the door to the apartment as Laxus continued to drag Bickslow down the hall, Mira taking the suitcase instead. Just three days. And four nights. She'd be fine.
But… she would miss him. Just a little bit.
Okay, maybe more than a little bit.
But it was just three days. She'd be fine.
Lucy nervously bit her nails as she sat on the edge of the lounge, staring at the T.V but not actually watching what was on the screen. Mira sat just beside her, and both Blake and Ingrid were on the floor in front of the lounge – Ingrid sitting up on her own while playing with one of the totems, and Blake scribbling on some paper with pencils and crayons scattered around him.
It was a Wednesday, and being a Wednesday, it meant she had the much anticipated appointment with her obstetrician that afternoon. In fact, she'd be leaving in just over an hour, but that's not what Lucy was worried about. She really was confident everything would be fine with that baby, and that it was still happy and healthy, and maybe, just maybe, her house arrest would have been worth it.
No, she wasn't worried about the baby, but she was worried about Bickslow. Or, more importantly, what she was going to do about Bickslow, because Lucy found herself with a bit of a problem.
Well, it was actually a pretty big problem.
Lucy's problem was that not only did she almost let a certain three words slip (again) in her sleep deprived state while on the phone to Bickslow, but almost saying those three words kind of made her realise she meant it, and that was a huge problem.
She wasn't supposed to be in love with Bickslow, but she was damn sure that she was, and it was all she'd been able to think about in the, oh… not even twenty-four hours since her practically life-changing realisation.
It had taken Bickslow being gone for only a few days to see just how much she cared about him, and quite frankly, it was terrifying. The fact she'd seemed to have fallen in love with him almost instantly was scary, and it didn't matter that she'd wanted to know whether she did actually love him or not, because now that she knew, she almost wished she wasn't.
It wasn't something that was supposed to cause problems; it was something that was supposed to make you happy beyond all belief. And sure, there was a part of her that really was happy, because when she thought about Bickslow, she felt strangely warm and giddy, and she really couldn't help but feel happy when she thought about him. She thought about every time he'd made her laugh, every time he'd cheered her up, and every time he'd held her and promised her things would get better. She thought about all of his weird habits and all of his quirks, and she thought about just how caring he actually was, and all of it made her happy, because in the two months they'd been there, she'd gotten to know so much about the enigma who was once Fairy Tail's Seith mage, and she'd regretted not befriending him sooner, because to Lucy, Bickslow was an amazing person, and without a doubt, she could say that she loved everything about him.
But then she thought about the fact that she was in love with that amazing person, and there was no way in hell he'd be in love with her. It would be almost too perfect if he was, but Lucy had come to see that almost nothing was perfect in her life. Sure, it was pretty fucking great considering the circumstances, but not perfect.
A perfect life just didn't exist.
Lucy didn't really want a perfect life, either. She just wanted a life where she was happy, and she was happy. They were still working on moving on from the lives they'd inherited and making their own with the best of what they'd been given, and for the most part, they'd achieved that. There was still just one tiny, almost inconceivable thing stopping them from entirely moving on, but they just didn't know what it was, so they ignored it as best they could, like they'd always done.
But regardless of that, Lucy really was happy with the life she had. She had an amazing daughter whom she loved more than anything in the entire world, and it had only been two months, she had another baby on the way that she was getting more and more excited about with each passing day, and she had Bickslow… sort of.
Sure, they had a pretty good relationship so far, but it hadn't even been very long, less than a month, really, but Lucy kind of wanted more. She wanted more, but she didn't want to fuck it up, and ruining what she had with Bickslow was something she was really scared of happening. Lucy would rather keep her mouth shut and not blurt out her feelings that she so desperately wanted to blurt out, than ruin what she had with him. He was too important and he played such a huge part in her life that she didn't want to risk anything.
Maybe one day she'd tell Bickslow how she felt, but it wasn't going to be any time soon. She needed to figure out what to do with her problem before she could even think about going and screwing it all up, but never did Lucy ever expect to be calling her boyfriend, otherwise known as her partner in crime, a problem.
Ever.
"Oh, this is so exciting!" Mira beamed from one of the chairs in Dr. Elise Delia's office.
"Sure it is," Lucy mumbled with a roll of her eyes, getting up from her own chair and making her way over to the bed on the opposite side of the room.
And sure, it actually was exciting, because she was getting to see her baby, and more importantly, she got to find out if everything was fine and she was okay again. If you were to ask Mira what was the most important thing, then it would be that she got to see the baby.
But it was the part of the day that Lucy had been looking forward to the most, and after all of the routine questions about whether or not she'd been taking her vitamins and following the rules she'd been given to take it easy, and then a hundred other ones, it was finally time to get to her favourite part – and Mira's, for that matter.
So with a quiet sigh, she jumped up onto the bed with the paper sheet and laid back, her ankles crossed over one another as she watched Elise roll the stool over to the side and get everything positioned accordingly. "You're going to give me good news today, right?" Lucy asked with a nervous laugh while slowly rolling her shirt up and folding her arms over the bunched up fabric.
"That's the plan," Elise replied with what Lucy hoped was a sincere smile. Not only was Lucy confident everything would be fine, but so was her doctor, so really, as long as she believed in it, Lucy was even more convinced she'd be finally able to come off house arrest.
Well, for the most part. There was still a tiny bit of her that worried, but she was always going to worry just a tiny bit, because after all, there was a person growing inside of her. How could she not worry about that tiny person constantly?
She flinched slightly when the gel was squirted onto her belly, because damn it, that shit was cold, and instead of watching the monitor that was on an angle she could just make out, she watched her doctor as she began to move the transducer every which way, gently rolling her wrist and rotating it to get a better view of the baby.
Of course, Lucy realised she probably should have been watching the screen – like Mira was as she hovered just behind Elise – but she still didn't really understand what she was looking at until things were pointed out to her. Besides, if she watched Elise, she would be able to tell if she saw something she didn't like, because her face would change.
Hopefully.
Well, not hopefully, but if something was wrong, Lucy hoped she'd be able to tell from her doctor's face. You know, if something was actually wrong, and she really really believed that everything was fine.
So Lucy remained silent as she continued to stare at Dr. Delia, watching for any sign that she saw something she didn't like that pointed to something being wrong.
And then it happened – the wrinkles in her brow deepened and a slight frown was etched on her lips, and Lucy instantly began to worry and panic. She didn't want to see that. That was not a good face at all.
"What is it?" she asked quietly, only quickly glancing towards the monitor and then back to Elise, her face still a mask of both confusion and deep concentration. "Is something wrong?"
Lucy so desperately wanted Elise to say no, because she didn't think she'd be able to handle something being wrong with the baby, especially without Bickslow. She said she'd be fine, and she'd told him over and over, every night since he'd left, that everything was fine, and that he needed to stop worrying about her and focus on his work.
But still, he wasn't due back until the next morning, and more than anything, Lucy really wished that he was right there beside her, holding her hand and promising her that everything would be fine, like he always did.
But then, Elise pressed a few keys on the keyboard just below the screen and rotated it towards Lucy, her face still not one that was making Lucy feel any better, and with a loud exhale, she said, "Well, not exactly…"