By the time a knock finally sounded at Lucy's door, Bickslow had looked at every picture on her walls twice and waged a vicious internal war with his own curiosity as he struggled not to look at the unfinished novel tucked away in a desk drawer. Thanks to their memory swap, he knew way more about the novel than she likely wanted him to – like its plot, unwritten ending, and where she kept it hidden – but knowing and seeing were two entirely different things. He really wanted to look at it. Curiosity came naturally to Bickslow, which had gotten him into trouble more than a few times.
Luckily for him, Freed's arrival saved him from more than just the struggle with leaving Lucy's belongings untouched. It also gave Bickslow something to do other than stare at the woman. She was the most interesting thing in the tiny apartment, but he was doing his best not to flirt with or stare at her. That internal battle was, by far, a much more difficult fight than the one he had against his curious hands.
When Lucy opened her door, she was greeted by the sight of Freed with two large books in his arms and three unexpected visitors, each holding books of their own. Before she could ask, Freed explained, "I hope you do not mind, but I took the liberty of speaking with Levy about your condition. Between the two of us, we have many ancient texts, and I'm sure one of them will guide us to a solution."
"It's no problem!" Lucy waved away his concern as she moved aside to let in Freed, Levy, and Gajeel with Pantherlily sitting on his shoulder. As the Iron Dragon Slayer passed by Lucy, he dropped a large book into her unprepared arms as he said, "Here ya go, Bunny. Don't say I never gave ya nothin'."
She stumbled a step under the unexpected weight, making Levy swat Gajeel on the arm as she said, "Gajy! You know she's not feeling well! Why would you throw that heavy book at her?"
Taking the book from Lucy with one hand, Gajeel eyed it while moving it up and down as if to gauge its weight. "It ain't that heavy."
Sounding slightly out of breath, Lucy explained, "I'm just not feeling so great."
Having witnessed Lucy's near collapse, Bickslow walked the few steps across the distance separating them and then slid his hand into hers. She let out a relieved sigh and then looked up at him to smile weakly as she said, "Thanks. I guess we'll be attached at the hip until we can figure this out."
Bickslow barely stopped himself from making a joke about how much he would enjoy having his hips pressed against hers, managing to instead let out a strangled sounding, "Guess so."
His response was so unexpectedly bland that Lucy eyed him for a second before turning back to the others. Having five people and one exceed in her apartment wasn't completely out of the ordinary – the headcount, plus one more exceed, was the same when the entirety of Team Natsu was present – but she didn't think this group of people would be quite as comfortable piled up together.
Gesturing toward the fluffy carpet in front of her small sofa, Lucy said, "We can sit on the floor and spread the books between us."
"I call the couch." Gajeel declared while walking toward his claimed territory. "I ain't gonna be readin, so I'm takin a nap." When he flopped down on his back and flung his feet over the armrest, Levy walked over to him and knocked his feet down as she demanded, "Take off your boots! You can't act like a slob in someone else's home!"
Rolling his eyes, Gajeel sat up to do as his pushy girlfriend insisted, making Bickslow laugh as he taunted, "You're so whipped."
As soon as the first boot was free, Gajeel threw it at Bickslow. Still laughing, he caught the boot with his free hand but the other boot quickly followed its pair through the air. Since he couldn't duck out of the way and let the boot hit Lucy, Bickslow activated his totems to let them block the projectile. When only four of the five totems came to his aid, Bickslow suddenly remembered why he had stacked them out of the way.
The fifth totem zipped through the air toward Lucy to make circles around the blonde's head until finally resting on her shoulder. Recognizing the carving, Lucy reached up with her free hand to pat the wood as she said, "Hi Pipi."
"Cosplayer alright!" The little soul cheered happily. "Daddy's sorry."
The other four totems joined Pipi in swarming Lucy. "You're alright!" "Don't be mad at daddy." "Daddy's sorry." "You're pretty!"
"Enough of that." Bickslow groaned as he silenced the souls. The change was immediate once they were fully under his control. Instead of zipping around Lucy excitedly, all five totems hovered in the air without a twitch, looking like floating decorations rather than animated totems.
"You don't have to do that." Lucy said quietly to Bickslow. "They weren't bothering me."
"You're not the only one here." Bickslow answered but didn't explain further. Lucy looked at the others as they spread out books on the floor but didn't see anyone who seemed to be paying the totems any mind. As much as Bickslow appreciated the way Lucy treated his totems, he had to silence them for more than just the excited way they were behaving. If he had let them continue on unrestrained, they would've made it clear to everyone in the room that Bickslow wasn't feeling sorry for Lucy's injury but for her feeling like he didn't take her seriously. He still hadn't figured out how to address that and doing it in front of a small crowd wasn't at all in his plans.
After they were seated on the carpet with Freed, Levy, and Pantherlily, Lucy pulled one of the books over to her and then excitedly read the title aloud, "Rare Magics: The Extensive Collection? I've wanted to read this for like forever! The section on my magic is supposed to be really informative. There are so few academic texts left on Celestial Summoning. Most of them were lost when the Zentopian churches were burned."
"Such a tragedy, the loss of so many priceless, irreplaceable texts." Freed sighed, to which Levy nodded in dejected agreement.
"Didn't a lot of people die?" Pantherlily asked, confused about why everyone cared so much about the books.
"Yes, it was a tragedy in both the loss of life and literature." Levy sounded truly aggrieved by the statement, making Pantherlily wonder which loss bothered her more.
Gajeel's voice sounded from beneath the arm he'd slung over his face, "Don't bother, Lily. It will never make sense."
When Freed and Levy each pulled out their galeforce glasses, Lucy said with a huff, "I forgot to grab mine." She moved to stand, but Bickslow pulled her back down by their joined hands. He offered, "Just tell me where they are and I'll get them."
Pointing at her desk, Lucy said, "They're on top of the book over there."
Instead of standing as Lucy expected, Bickslow held out his free hand to catch the totem that was suddenly falling through the air. He sent the soul he'd pulled from the totem into Lucy's glasses to bring them over. Her mouth hung open in surprise when the glasses floated toward her and then hovered in front of her face. Looking at Bickslow with a bright smile, she said, "That was cool! I didn't know they could do that."
He smiled back, feeling something warm at the open admiration. "I do things like that all the time at home, but not much when we're out. Seeing random stuff floating through the air really freaks people out."
"I'm sure it does." Lucy answered with a small laugh as she opened the glasses onehanded to put them on her face. "Using only one hand might be a little more difficult than I thought. These books are all kind of big."
"Well," Bickslow began as he looked at Lucy and then himself while trying to find another way to stay in skin to skin contact. He immediately discarded his first idea of putting his hand on her thigh. Doing so would completely derail his plan to stop treating her as he always had. There weren't many other options with his body was fully clothed from ankles to wrists, though he still hadn't put his helmet back on. When he'd believed only Freed would be showing up, he hadn't planned to put it on at all, and then figured it would be weird if he suddenly shoved it on his head after everyone else walked inside. Since no one was looking at him strangely, he'd decided to keep it off. Doing so gave him a slightly less suggestive option than having his hand on her bare thigh. As he moved, he said, "I'll just lay down like this."
They both felt a deep sense of loss when their hands were no longer in contact, but the feeling of wholeness returned as soon as the back of Bickslow's head was lying on Lucy's leg. When she smiled down at him, he realized his new position was less innocent than he'd hoped. It didn't have the same suggestive feel as his hand on her thigh would've, but it felt more intimate somehow. Seeming unphased, Lucy looked away from him to reach for a book as she said, "This works."
With the book balanced on her free leg, Lucy started flipping through the pages and promptly ignored Bickslow. Boredom set in quickly for him, but he didn't want to get up and explore Lucy's small apartment again. It wasn't like there was much more for him to look at. The place was hardly more than one large room with the bathroom and closet sectioned off. He would've liked to rummage through her closet but didn't think she'd appreciate that very much. Plus, it was clear she was starting to feel weak again. Even with the two of them in constant contact for the last several minutes, it was clear she still felt unwell. If he were to separate from her now, he thought she might just pass out on the floor.
The quiet apartment was filled with only the sounds of Gajeel's light snoring and pages swishing as they turned. Since he was trapped in one spot, Bickslow started toying with his totems. He had them spinning in place as he moved them around in different formations, changing the direction and position of each until he had them lined up precisely as he was imagining. He had no idea he'd caught Lucy's attention when he started stacking the totems. He started with the first one, making it hover in place while spinning to the right. Stacking a second totem on top of the first, he made that one spin to the left. Continuing on in this pattern, he had all five stacked in a spinning tower with each totem spinning the opposite direction of the one beneath it. Once they were all stable, he made the tower turn end over end while continuing the spinning.
"Is that difficult?" Lucy's voice drew his attention, making his gaze shift up to her face to find her watching the spinning tower.
Looking back at his babies, Bickslow said distractedly, "Yes, but not as hard as it used to be."
Lucy only hummed in response as she looked toward her book again, but she had started absently stroking his hair. The gentle touch demolished his concentration entirely, but he managed to gently set the totems down on the floor instead of dropping them in a loud clatter. He really needed her to stop touching him if he was going to stick to his plan.
Unknowingly saving Bickslow, Levy said excitedly, "I think I found something! This is actually really interesting, and a little romantic sounding." The last bit was spoken almost wistfully as Levy turned the book around to face Lucy so the blonde could read it while Levy summarized for everyone else, "This is all theoretical and based entirely on the belief in things like soulmates, but it sounds similar to what Freed told me about you two each possessing a bit of the other's souls."
Sounding unconvinced, Lucy said, "I see what you mean, but this is talking about twin souls created together and then sent out to live separate lives. I'll admit the part about feeling a sense of unity when we're together definitely sounds accurate, but that never happened until now. The two of us never shared any sort of connection before this."
"True, but what if the connection manufactured between you imitates what this is talking about?" Levy asked, halfway convinced she was onto something.
"May I?" Freed asked when Lucy looked up from the section she'd just read. Once he was finished, Freed looked up to stare distantly at the wall as he said, "I prefer to stay within the realm of science, but I can agree this sounds like a promising lead. Twin souls, each part of one greater whole, though with the ability to function independently. It does sound similar to what you've described."
Looking at Bickslow, Freed asked, "Have you looked at your soul? How does it differ from hers?"
Bickslow looked back up at the ceiling and ignored the images running through his mind at the reminder of his arms around Lucy as he looked at their reflection. "There's a huge difference. Hers looks torn around the edges but mine looks newly healed. I've heard of what you're reading about but it's not something I've ever seen before."
The room was silent again as each mage thought on the subject until Pantherlily spoke up from his spot next to Levy. "Maybe you're all making this too complicated. Bickslow's magic did this to Lucy's soul, so maybe his magic can fix it."
"I'd really rather not have my soul taken out of my body again." Lucy shot down the idea before it could get much more consideration. Just the thought of essentially dying again had panic fluttering in her chest.
"What if he just gave you some of his magic? The dragon slayers have often consumed the magic of other mages. You may be capable of doing something like that." Pantherlily's suggestion had everyone considering the possibility.
"It's not an entirely unreasonable suggestion." Freed mused aloud as he grabbed a different book from the stack next to him. He flipped through the pages until he found the section he was in search of. As the others waited, he quickly read through it before sliding the book over to Lucy. While the blonde read, Freed explained, "This text addresses the struggles of balancing a secondary magic. I brought it along as an afterthought, but it may turn out to be useful."
"Hate to break it to you, man," Bickslow said as he rolled his head to the side to look at Freed, "but the magic used by a Seith Mage isn't one that can be learned. Either you have it or you don't."
"This is actually a great idea!" Levy said as she completely dismissed Bickslow's pessimism. "Think of it more like a Unison Raid than Lucy actually learning to use your magic."
"But our magics aren't similar at all." Bickslow insisted, "Don't Unison Raids require compatible magic?"
Looking away from the book, Lucy looked down at Bickslow to say, "I've done one with Juvia and our magic types are totally different. We could just try and see what happens."
Freed jumped back in to say, "I never intended for Lucy to attempt learning to be a Seith Mage, only for her to attempt to hold some of your magic."
"Let's do it, then." Bickslow said, ready to finally be doing something other than thinking and playing with his babies.
"What are we doin?" Natsu's voice filled the room just as the front door opened. He was trailed by Erza and Gray, who said, "Yeah, what are we doing? I heard Bickslow was here molesting Lucy in her sleep."
"Hey, guys." Lucy said at the same moment Bickslow groaned and covered his face with his hands.
Gray walked over to Bickslow's legs and kicked them as he said, "Get out of her lap."
"You should've seen them earlier." Natsu said, adding fuel to the flame of Gray's irritation. One of the few things that unified the two rivals was their need to protect Lucy. "He had Luce sitting in his lap and he was shirtless." The dragon slayer stretched out on the other side of Lucy's lap and shoved the book she had been reading off her leg so he could place his head there.
"I expected better of you, Bickslow." Erza said in reprimand with her hands on her hips in a pose that screamed how harshly she was mentally criticizing him.
Instead of responding to any of them, Bickslow looked up at Lucy to say, "How do you deal with them?"
She smiled and ran her fingers through his hair again as she said, "Told you they're protective."
"Yeah, so get off of her." Gray demanded again, but Lucy looked at him to say, "He can't, Gray." When he gave her a disbelieving stare, she added, "Well, he's able to move, but as soon as we're not touching, I start to feel really bad again. I'm sure Natsu told you about it."
"But Luce," Natsu interjected, interrupting whatever Gray was about to say. "Does he really have to lay all over you like that? Can't your feet just touch or something?"
"Oh, just stop." Lucy said as she shoved Natsu's head to the floor.
"I knew coming along would be worth it." Gajeel said from his place on the sofa. All the commotion had woken him up, but he couldn't be mad about it when the outcome was so entertaining. Pantherlily hopped onto the small section of cushion next to Gajeel's side as he said quietly, "We should've brought popcorn."
"Um, Lucy," Levy said, pulling everyone's attention to her. "As much as I'm loving this, I think you two should try the Unison Raid thing so we can knock it off the list of possibilities if it doesn't work."
"What Unison Raid thing?" Gray asked suspiciously.
"I'll explain later." Lucy said as Bickslow moved to sit up. As soon as they weren't touching, even with him being less than an arm's length away, she felt like she might just fall to the floor. The relief she'd gained from his nearness had been wearing off for several minutes, but now the difference was unbearable. She'd already been wondering if they would need to be in nearly full body contact as they had been when she'd woken up, but now she was certain that's what she needed.
It wasn't until Natsu steadied her by grabbing her shoulders that she realized she'd started to tip over. Even her eyelids felt weighted as she glanced at him to say, "Thanks."
As much as Natsu hated to suggest it, he asked, "Do you need to sit with him again?"
Bickslow's eyes were glowing green as he watched Lucy nod in response to Natsu's question and then as the dragon slayer wrapped an arm around her waist to help her move. It was more like watching a feeble, elderly person instead of a young adult in their prime. Seeing the interaction confirmed what Bickslow already knew - physical contact with anyone other than him didn't have the same effect on Lucy's soul. It was fading again and looked like it had been for a while, making him wonder exactly how long she'd been feeling weak and just not said anything.
The protests of Lucy's teammates were silenced before they even began when she slumped against Bickslow and then sighed in obvious relief. Putting an arm around Lucy to keep her from falling over, Bickslow looked at Levy and Freed to ask, "So, how will this work if she can hardly sit up?"
"I'm not sure." Levy said, concern clear in her voice. "I didn't know things were this bad. She seemed fine a little while ago."
Lucy sounded tired as she said, "I'll be fine in a little bit." Her fatigue was already lessening but it would be so much better if he took his shirt off again. The dirty part of her mind that really enjoyed teasing Bickslow flared to life at that thought, but just she didn't have the energy to even entertain the idea. Besides, she knew asking him to take it off definitely wouldn't go over well with her teammates. Instead, she asked him, "Can you just touch more of me?"
"Uh – " Bickslow really hoped he didn't lose a limb in the next few seconds, but the way Erza and Gray tensed at that question wasn't reassuring. To his surprise, Natsu came to his defense. "Just let him do it. She'll get way better. I saw it myself earlier."
Assuming the lack of attack meant he was safe to move, Bickslow shifted Lucy's weight and changed their positions until she was sitting between his outstretched legs. With her back against his chest and his arms around her waist, he rested his chin on top of her head as he asked, "Better?"
"Yes." She closed her eyes and just breathed while trying to ignore the ridiculously large crowd in her small apartment. As much as she loved everyone in the room, she really just wanted them to go away so she could go back to sleep.
Uncaring of Bickslow's personal space, Natsu moved to sit directly in front of where Lucy's legs were curled up, also putting him between the Seith Mage's spread legs. Roughly tapping her thigh, Natsu said, "Don't go back to sleep, Luce. You gotta do the Unison Raid or whatever so you can get better."
"I know, Natsu." She said reassuringly while grabbing the hot hand he was still tapping against her, giving it a comforting squeeze.
Erza knelt next to Bickslow, who was starting to feel really overwhelmed with so many aggressive people practically on top of him – and not in the way he liked. The redhead said reverently, "I apologize for my rudeness. It's clear you're only helping Lucy."
"It's no biggie. Just, uh, back up a little bit. Kinda getting crowded right here."
"Of course." Erza agreed, but only moved a short distance. Definitely not what Bickslow would call giving someone space.
"You have to get out of the way, Natsu." Lucy said as she shifted a bit. Once Natsu had moved back enough, she stretched her legs out along Bickslow's, effectively creating contact between them from the top of her head down to her feet. "Have you ever tried a Unison Raid?"
"No, but I know the basics of it." He let her pull his hands away from her waist and then lay them palms up on her thighs before she laid her hands into his with her palms up. There were so many comments running through his mind. He wanted to say something, just anything, about how closely they were sitting or how she couldn't seem to get enough of him, but he stuffed it all away to stay silent.
"Alright. Well, since we're not trying to attack anyone, try pooling magic in your hands and I'll try to add it to my spheres. Let's see what happens."
Bickslow was about to ask what spheres she was talking about, but the glowing orbs of magic suddenly in her palms answered the question for him. He was surprised by how quickly she called forth her magic, especially since he was struggling to do the same. It took him a bit more time to manipulate his magic to follow her example. Using it in this way wasn't something he'd ever done. He used it on souls and his eyes. That's it. And having everyone watching him this way made him uncomfortable. Sensing his unease, Lucy said, "Just relax and let it flow. Imagine the magic leaving your magical core and flowing up to your shoulders, then down your arms and into your hands."
He hummed in response as he closed his eyes, focusing on doing as she said. He felt his magic traveling through his body until it pooled in his hands, but what he felt next really shocked him. The unity of their souls was only a foreshadowing of what it felt like to also have their magic combined. He could almost feel the hum of their souls in sync with one another as his magic mixed with hers, creating something entirely new and potent with power. The rising energy in the room spoke to the strength of both their magics, but the balance and harmony achieved between them was awe-inspiring.
Bickslow finally opened his eyes to look at the spheres just above Lucy's hands. The bright light of her magic spun quickly, interspersed with the glowing green of his. He kept feeding magic into her hands until the spheres looked balanced, as if each orb was equal parts his and hers. Speaking quietly to avoid breaking the atmosphere, he asked her, "Now what?"
"I'm not sure." She said in an equally hushed tone. Both their eyes were drawn to Levy and Freed, who had crept closer to watch. Levy whispered, "Try absorbing the combined magic."
"I hope this works." Lucy said doubtfully. Bickslow stopped feeding magic into her palms but didn't pull his hands from beneath hers, not wanting to break the connection between them. He watched as the orbs seemed to disappear back into her hands and then Lucy stiffened as she muttered, "This feels weird."
Activating his eyes again, Bickslow looked at her soul and, though the angle made it difficult, he could see the change. "It's working." His amazement was clear in his tone. "Your soul already looks less ragged."
Lucy's voice sounded tense as she asked, "Why is everyone glowing?"
"Uh, Luce, your eyes are turning green. They look like his." Natsu said as he leaned in. Everyone in the room moved in for a better look, with even Gajeel squeezing closer for a better view.
"I can't hold it much longer." The tension in Lucy's voice increased until she sounded strained as she said between gritted teeth, "My body is rejecting his magic."
"That sounds bad." Bickslow said, and as if his words were an omen, green magic burst outwards from Lucy, knocking everyone except Bickslow backward.
With the pressure of his magic gone from her body, Lucy realized she felt a million times better. The constant drain and feeling like something was siphoning off all her energy had lessened greatly. Moving quickly to turn around to kneel facing Bickslow in the place she'd just been sitting, Lucy said, "Look at my soul now. Is it fixed?"
He looked at her soul and his brows shot up as he said, "It's way better, actually. There's still damage but that made a big difference."
Lucy threw herself into him with her arms around his neck to hug him tightly as she exclaimed happily, "I'm not going to die!" Bickslow returned the embrace and forgot for a moment that they weren't alone. The pure rightness of having her in his arms had everything else leaving his mind.
Gajeel's weird laugh filled the room before he said, "Maybe you won't die, but he might."
That strange statement had Lucy releasing her tight hold on Bickslow to turn enough to look at her teammates. What she found had one hand moving to rest on her hip in a near perfect imitation of Erza's critical pose from earlier. She still had her other arm around Bickslow's neck, keeping her body pressed against his in clear defiance of what her teammates wanted while also using herself as a shield. Her frustration with all of them was clear in the single word she spoke, "Really?"
"Really." Natsu answered as he pounded a flaming fist into his other hand. Gray wasn't much better. He didn't have any ice out but he looked ready to fight. Even Erza had requipped a sword into her hand in preparation of defending Lucy's honor. None of them liked the sight of their beloved teammate dressed in skimpy pajamas in the arms of one of the most flirtatious, openly sexual people they knew.
In a tone that left no room for argument, Lucy demanded, "All three of you leave. You've all lost your minds."
"But Luce!"
"Why should we leave?"
Natsu and Gray spoke at the same time, and then glared at each other for interrupting. Knowing what was coming next, Lucy said, "Don't you dare fight in here. You've broken enough of my stuff! Take that outside." When no one moved, the blonde turned her Scary Lucy glare on Erza and pointed with her free hand, "If they break anything, I blame you."
Redirecting her need to protect Lucy to defending her apartment from the two now head butting each other, Erza said, "Let's go, boys. We can check on Lucy later."
As soon as the door closed behind them, Levy let free the laughter she'd been restraining. She was clutching her stomach and leaning backward as she said, "Lu! I always knew you were really the one in charge of your team!"
Lucy rolled her eyes and finally released Bickslow, only now realizing she'd basically had her breasts in his face the entire time she'd been halfway turned around. With a playful grin, she said, "Oops. Sorry about that."
Dropping his eyes down to her cleavage and then looking back up to her face, Bickslow smiled with his tongue out as he said, "Definitely don't need to apologize."
"There you are." She said teasingly. "I thought maybe you'd lost your sense of humor."
The reminder of why he'd been stifling his humor had his expression falling, but Lucy didn't get a chance to ask about the change. Gajeel's voice reminded them they weren't alone. "Come on, Shrimp. Let's go home." Pantherlily flapped his wings to lift off the sofa and then landed on Gajeel's shoulder as the dragon slayer pulled Levy to her feet.
Lucy stood and ignored the loss of Bickslow's nearness. She put her arms around Levy in a tight hug as she said, "Thank you so much for coming. I feel so much better than I did earlier. I doubt we would've figured this out without you and Freed's help."
"You know I'm always here for you, Lu." As the friends parted, Levy looked at Lucy's face and said, "Get some rest. You still look pretty bad."
"I will. I'm so tired that it's almost painful."
Gajeel picked up Levy's books and then grabbed the back of her dress to tug her towards the door as he said, "Let's go, Shrimp. You two can chit chat later."
Just before the door closed behind them, Levy shouted, "You two behave yourselves!"
"I suppose I should leave as well." Freed said as he stacked his books in his arms. Looking at Bickslow, he asked, "Will you be coming along, or -?" The question trailed off as he looked between his teammate and their guildmate, noticing the odd tension between the two and how neither seemed to realize he'd spoken. Lucy and Bickslow stood side by side watching each other in clear reluctance to part ways. She didn't want to go back to feeling so badly and was really enjoying having him around – definitely much more than she thought she should. He liked spending time with her just as much, but he had no idea how not cross her line if he were to stay.
Assuming it was just a great day for embarrassing herself, Lucy blurted, "Will you stay?" She knew her cheeks were bright red as she tried to explain, "At least until I fall asleep." She glanced over at Freed, who looked equally embarrassed to be witnessing the scene, and then back up at Bickslow, who looked a little lost, before trying to ease the awkwardness as she rambled on, "The nightmares have just been so bad and they're nonstop when I sleep, so I was hoping maybe it wouldn't be so bad if you're around since being near you makes me feel better."
Resorting to his usual tactics since he had no idea what else to do, Bickslow slung an arm over Lucy's shoulders as he said, "Cosplayer, you don't have to beg, unless you really want to. Spending a night with you sounds like a dream come true."
"Thanks, Bixy." Lucy leaned her head against his chest and hugged him in return. She closed her eyes and just relaxed into the sense of rightness, feeling absolutely complete when his other arm wrapped around her body to pull her fully against him.
Feeling forgotten by the two now sharing a tight embrace, though he found he didn't mind at all since it meant he could escape, Freed let himself out as he very awkwardly said to no one in particular, "Have a good evening."
An unknown amount of time passed before Lucy said in a sleepy voice, "I might just fall asleep standing here."
Neither of them relaxed their hold on the other, but Bickslow said, "You can go lay down. I won't leave."
"What are you going to do? Just stand next to the bed and stare at me?"
"Now, that's just creepy. What kind of weirdos do you usually hang out with?"
She laughed softly against him as she said, "You're probably my weirdest friend, but it's a good weird." After a moment, Lucy suggested, "Just lay down with me. I'll be asleep in about thirty seconds, so you don't have to worry about me taking advantage of this nice body you've been keeping secret for so long."
"I've been waiting for you to invite me into your bed since we met, but I'm pretty sure that goes against all the friend zone rules you laid down earlier."
Finally loosening her hold on him a bit, Lucy looked up at Bicklow's face to ask, "Is that why you've been acting so strangely?"
He wanted to crack a joke to avoid answering honestly, but instead said simply, "Yes."
A tired smile tugged at the corners of Lucy's lips as she said, "You're a sweet one, Bixy." She had no idea how much he wanted to kiss her right then, but he resisted the urge with every ounce of willpower in his body.
She walked toward her bed without fully letting him go, pulling him behind her with one hand. As she climbed onto the mattress, she released his hand only long enough to slide under the blanket and then grabbed it again once he was lying down on his side facing her. With her free hand, she reached over to gently touch the swirling line next to his eye as she said, "You need to renew the charm for this. It's fading."
"I know. The shop I went to last time isn't as good as the one I like to go to in Crocus." Bickslow's answer had hardly finished before Lucy's eyelids were sliding shut as she drifted off to sleep. He hadn't ever noticed how much she cared about him until now that it had been waved in front of his face like a sign with bright, flashing lights. He had never put much thought into the things she did, like noticing an expiring cosmetic charm. She was just like that, paying attention to things most people overlooked. He hadn't ever believed it meant anything until now.
He still didn't know what to do with that knowledge, or if he should do anything at all. She was like a bright star amongst all the women he knew, standing out above all the others. Everything about her was as wonderful and beautiful as her soul, which is why he didn't know what to do. He wasn't the type of guy she should end up with. She deserved someone so much better than him, without a past that still haunted him – and now her, unfortunately. They didn't belong together, no matter that fate seemed to have made that decision for them. He couldn't make her happy, not when he didn't even know how to make himself happy.