It had been a rather exciting day, to say the least.

The boss, heh, the boss, that sly dog, old dog, reformed and rehomed dog, well, he and his wife had just had their first baby and Bickslow was all about it. All for it. He, Ever, and Freed were all so extremely pleased to welcome the newest little Dreyar guy into the world.

Bickslow was denied the right to hold the baby by Laxus and Evergreen refused the offer, but Freed held him for them all and it was just as emotionally filling (yet somehow also draining) as you would expect. It felt as if everything had come full circle. They'd aligned themselves with a boy and after so many years, finally, he was truly, without a doubt, completely and utterly a man.

A married man.

A family man.

A married family man.

And that was just so perfect and wonderful and Bickslow had never felt such a high level of euphoria before. Well, okay, maybe he had, once or twice, but he'd never felt it without the usage of paraphernalia of the borderline legality variety.

But other than all of that, no, yeah, this was the peak of every other emotion he'd ever felt.

It was an important moment for other people too, of course. Not just him, Ever, and Freed. Makarov felt pretty proud and, well, heh, the bossman, yeah, he seemed pretty much ecstatic too. And overwhelmed. Panicked.

But happy.

There was a time when it was a complete rarity to see him that way. Happy. Bickslow hoped that this meant they'd seen him that way much more often now.

Mirajane was the one that most everyone was concerned about though, probably. Bickslow imagined it wasn't exactly pleasant, popping out a baby. But he saw her, when Laxus allowed Freed (and not him, never him) to hold the newborn. She smiled in that real way for once. Rather than the fake coy one she played up at the hall.

Her siblings probably theoretically had a stronger claim than the Thunder Legion to the new baby. Maybe. Bickslow wasn't so convinced. But Elfman was full of tears and memories, or at least regret, over how their parents would never get to see this, see him, the baby, while Lisanna just smiled sweetly and stared down at the baby was this...look that Bickslow wasn't quite so sure he understood, but…

It was weird.

Everything felt like it was so high-stakes only hours before, but it was calm now. The world had been in upheaval, but now it was righted once more. Everything had changed, but nothing was different, and they were all okay again.

They were all okay again.

Midnight had rolled over by the time Bickslow awoke, rolling onto his back to blink up at the ceiling. It always felt so distant, the ceiling did, in this apartment he was in now. It was probably because the mattress just laid flat on the floor, no box spring or bed frame. Hardly separated from the ground and yet so far away from it.

Bickslow felt like that described most things in his life though.

The moonlight was creeping past the breaks in the closed blinds and, as Bickslow slowly sat up, he watched the dust particles dance around in the silver streams. He wasn't quite sure what he'd dreamed of, it could only have been an hour or so that he'd been asleep, but it felt like whatever he'd seen had affected him deeply. Continuing to blink away whatever it was his mind was already forgetting, Bickslow brought a hand up to his head and just pressed it forcefully there, against his forehead, hoping this minor pain would be a distraction from the one deeper in his cranium.

It felt as if he'd had a wild bender the night before, but it had been far from it. Once Mrs. Boss had the baby, they all hung around, cooing at it and shit, before departing for the evening. The original plan was for the group (minus the boss and the missus, obviously), but Elfman was all teary still, so Ever took him home to deal with that, while Freed remarked on wishing to head over to Mira and Laxus' place, to finish any preparations for their return home, and, well, between him and Lissy, Bickslow and her decided to just crash early that night.

Which for them meant going back to the apartment with their own, much more agreeable, less whiny wooden babies, lighting up for awhile, and then just binging the same old black and whites they had for the movie lacrima.

The time was actually super early, for the two of them, when they crashed that evening. It was probably why he was up, now, thinking it all over. But...for some reason, he thought that maybe it was something more.

"Mmph," came the muffled moan of Lisanna beside him, startling the man just a bit. When he glanced back at her, he found her head still pressed into her pillow, but she seemed to be stirring just a bit. "Wha' time's it?"

"Late." He paused. "Early. Whatever. Go back to sleep."

Something about his tone thoguh made her push up though. This was at least somewhat problematic as it was her back that his wooden dolls were laid upon before going dormant that night. When she shoved up, they tumbled off, awakening them. As they began to light up and make noises of disgruntlement, Bickslow only let out one of his own, causing Lisanna to yawn out an, "You okay?"

"I'm fine." He squinted some, in the harsh glowing light of his babies as they floated about, questioning his well-being as well. "I just...I was gonna smoke. A cigarette. But, uh, I couldn't find my lighter, is all."

"Oh." And Lisanna fell flat once more. This didn't sound too comfortable, but the moan she gave in response made it seem so. "S'long as you're okay."

"I am," he assured her. "Lissy."

"'cept for your lighter."

"I'll find it." He ran a hand through his hair then, frowning when he found how gross it felt. He needed to shower. Desperately. "Don't worry about it."

"In the mornin'," she was saying then, still laced with sleep, "I gotta go see Sis. And the baby. Mmm. Can't wait."

Bickslow mulled over his response for so long that, actually, she was mostly sleeping once more when he spoke. Quite suddenly, he remarked loudly, "I don't think I could do it. Have a kid. Already. So soon. But...Laxus is only a year older than me. Or somethin' like that, yeah? And he's already so put together. I don't know what I'd do. If I had a kid. Within, like, the next year. Or two. Or ten."

Lisanna didn't push up at that, but did turn her head to the side, watching him down at the end of the mattress, before remarking, "Babies are gross."

He shot her a look over his shoulder as he said, "You were all over your sister's. Talkin' about how cute he is and-"

"Babies are cute. A gross cute." She sat up some then, to make a squishing motion with her hand. "They're all...pudgy and awkward. Like those tiny dogs with the mushy faces? And they smell. Constantly. He smelled fine today, cause he just slipped on."

"Slipped right on out," Bickslow reiterated, but they were both so tired that they were hardly poking fun at all. At least not in their tones or actions. Everything felt so dry and serious in an otherwise typical conversation between the couple. "That gross baby."

"And it fucks up your body." Lisanna frowned down at herself then, frowning some. "That's what I hear, anyways."

Bickslow went back to watching his own babies float around in the early morning air. "Poor Mrs. Boss."

"It's a sacrifice." Lisanna shrugged then. "Now she and Laxus have something to love and cherish forever."

"Unless it turns out like one of us," he pointed out. "Mrs. Boss is pretty disappointed in your life choices, you know, Lissy. And my own mother, why, she won't even talk to me!"

"She's dead," Lisanna pointed out.

"And won't answer any of my attempts at a séance."

Lisanna fell back into the bed once more as she said, "Sis married Laxus; she doesn't get to judge my choices after that."

"Boss is a catch."

"You can catch a cold, Bicks." Lisanna smiled though, softly, when the babies finished circling about and came to land once more on her back. Being careful not to move now, as not to disturb them again, she added, "It's not something to brag about."

He took a breath then, Bickslow did, before telling her softly, "I don't think I'll ever really wanna have a kid. Ever. At all. S'all I meant."

This felt heavy, especially given how upbeat the day had been, but Lisanna only thought for a short few moments before saying, "I don't really think anyone's offering to have one with you. Bicks."

"That's hurtful." And he fell back, straight back, finding the ceiling just as distant as before. "Lissy."

"But it solves your conundrum."

"Yes. Conundrum. I understand that perfectly."

"Mmmm." She shut her eyes again then before softly saying, "You forgot to smoke."

"Ah, I'll find my lighter later." Turning onto his side, he watched her settle out, with his wooden dolls littering her back. "In the mornin'. The real mornin'. Don't really need it, anyhow."

"Bickslow."

"What?"

Reaching a hand out blindly, she found his chest sightlessly, which she patted gently once before saying, "You're not my most disappointing life choice."

"No?"

"Nah." She mostly yawned that one, just about asleep once more. "I once stepped in front of a literal monster and got basically got killed. You're just a close second."

He beamed, even if it was lost on the woman then, tongue falling from his mouth and flashing his guild marking. Around this, he told her, "I'm more comfortable there. In second. There's a lot of pressure, being first."

More seriously then, as she clung to her last bit of awareness, she told him, "I'm about to be overwhelmed just from being an aunt. I really don't see me wanting a baby any time soon. Or ever."

Nodding as his own eyes felt heavy once more, the man remarked, "They're fucking gross."

"Grosser than dogs."

"Literally the grossest thing ever," he agreed around a yawn. "Babies are."

"Dolls are better," she offered and yeah, he had to agree.

"Much."

It's been awhile since I did Bickslow and Lisanna. Felt like it was time to dive back in.