Bickslow just wanted coffee.
And something to eat.
Coffee and food, really, but the problem was that he hadn't really figured out the whole food and cooking thing, especially when it came to breakfast. He didn't do mornings, so he was almost never awake for breakfast. The only reason he'd ever be awake at that kind of hour would be if he had a train to catch with his team, or if he was already on a job and was sharing a room with Freed, which happened more often than not. The guy had an issue with waking up at terrible hours (but then again, Bickslow considered anything before 10 a.m. a horrible hour), but the fact that Freed was an amazing cook more than made up for it.
So as Bickslow sluggishly walked into the kitchen to start boiling the water for his coffee, he heard the same ringing and vibrating he had the day before. Phone. Where the hell is it?
He spied it sitting on the coffee table and he climbed over the back of the sofa, seating himself on it as he reached to pick up his phone. Bickslow groaned when he saw the name of the caller, but pressed the green button and brought it up to his ear anyway.
"Freed," Bickslow said as he closed his eyes. The curtains had been left open and the room was way too bright for him.
"Good morning, Bickslow. How are you this morning?" came Freed's usual monotonous yet chipper greeting. At least that hasn't changed, Bickslow thought.
"What do you want?"
"Well, it appears that we are all still here—"
"No shit."
"—and I'm requesting yours and Lucy's presence in Laxus' apartment. Preferably in the next half an hour. We have a bit to get through today," Freed continued.
Bickslow groaned as he brought his free hand up, running it down his face. "It's too early. I don't even know the ti—"
"It is six thirty-four ," Freed said as he cut Bickslow off mid-sentence.
"Six thirty in the fucking morning?" Bickslow groaned. It's too early for this. "Freed, I'm not getting there in the next half an hour. No fucking way."
"Did I mention Mirajane will be cooking breakfast for everyone?"
Bickslow dropped his hand from his face finally as he opened his eyes, squinting as the harsh rays blinded him momentarily. God knew he was a sucker for food, and Mira's cooking, well… Freed was good, but Mira was on a whole new level.
When Bickslow didn't respond and the line was silent, Freed wondered if the connection had been lost. After all, the technology was new to him and he was still figuring it out himself. "Bickslow?"
Another groan came from Bickslow as he got up from the lounge. "Fine. Half an hour, right?"
Freed was somewhat pleased with himself and he smiled slightly. "That is correct. See you soon, Bickslow," he said, and hung up.
And then the line went silent once again and Bickslow knew that to be the connection being ended. He dropped the phone on the lounge as he turned to head down the hall. Mira better have coffee there.
First though, he had to have a shower. Again. He could vaguely remember having a shower the night before, but he was still feeling like he could sleep for the next year so a shower was definitely going to help with that.
Lucy was finally coming out of the nursery as Bickslow passed the door to it and stopped outside the hallway entrance to the bathroom, his hand resting on the handle. He turned his head towards Lucy who was heading towards the kitchen. He didn't pause between pushing the door open and calling out, "Breakfast at Laxus' in half an hour."
Lucy stopped and turned back to face Bickslow, readjusting her hold on Ingrid, "Oh, okay," Lucy said. "Are you having a shower before we go?" she asked a little louder as he disappeared into the bathroom.
"Yeah. Feel free to join me though," Bickslow called from within the bathroom, smirking to himself as he closed the door behind himself. If he was going to be stuck there, he was at least going to have fun. Although he admittedly couldn't remember saying the exact same thing to Lucy just the night before.
Lucy's breath caught as the door closed. With a light shake of her head and another smile to Ingrid, she turned and placed her in the highchair at the end of the table. She could understand Bickslow inviting her to shower with him when he was drunk, but when he was sober, too? Sure, he was hungover as hell, but she didn't think he'd still be saying that kind of thing. Lucy once again found herself wondering if Bickslow said such things just to get a rise out of her. Hell, it would probably make sense if that were the case.
So instead of actually getting anything for Ingrid's breakfast like she had planned to do (and was probably supposed to be doing), she found herself in a very one-sided conversation with the infant. She wasn't crying. In fact, she seemed quite content listening to what was essentially Lucy talking to herself out loud.
"Do you think I should make Bickslow do everything today?" Lucy leant forward over the counter as she rested her chin in her palm as her free hand drummed on the counter. "Yeah, maybe I should. It can be his punishment for getting drunk in the middle of the afternoon and leaving me to take care of you alone – not that that was hard or anything," Because really, looking after Ingrid had been surprisingly easy considering she knew next to nothing about babies. "Yeah. Good idea. He can do everything for you today. You can wait a few more minutes before you have breakfast, right?"
Ingrid, being the almost five-month-old tiny human she was, could only smile and giggle quietly occasionally at Lucy, as if to say, 'yeah, I have no idea what you're saying so I'm just going to smile and laugh and indulge you.'
Lucy rolled her eyes as she straightened up, realising that she was already going insane. "I'm talking to a baby who has no idea what I'm saying. I'm already crazy," she mumbled to herself.
From the hall and the bedroom, the shower couldn't be heard, which was something that would prove to be frustrating. So as Lucy now stood in front of what was her side of the wardrobe, staring at the hanging clothes and the drawers that she had yet to go through entirely, she wondered what she was going to wear that day. It wasn't like she could go out in her pyjamas which consisted of loose shorts and a singlet, as much as she wanted to because they really were comfortable. Lucy realised she didn't know what would be appropriate to wear either. It was February, and she'd usually be back to wearing her usual skirts and crop combo (with the occasional cardigan), but she didn't know what the Magnolia 2.0 weather was like. Was it getting warmer like Magnolia usually was, or would it still have that icy chill to the air? She just didn't know.
So when she gave up trying to figure out the weather without going outside, she began to rifle through the clothing that was hanging up or stowed away in the drawers in the wardrobe.
Skirts, skirts, skirts. How many skirts do I own? Hmm, no. Not a skirt today. Or a dress. Or… that. Wow, do I actually own something like that?
She picked up random articles of clothing from the drawers, examining them quickly before throwing them back in (neatly) and moving on to the next piece of folded up clothing. Eventually, she came across a pair of white skinny-jeans that looked comfortable enough, followed by a flowy tank top in a shade of burgundy.
It was as Lucy was still getting dressed that the door connecting the bathroom and bedroom opened, and through it walked Bickslow with one towel hanging low on his hips and the other being run back and forth through his hair. His eyes remained downcast as he walked across the hardwood floor and towards the wardrobe, but as he got closer he raised his head slightly.
Jeans… white jeans.
And slowly, he continued looking higher and higher, his eyes getting wider the higher they got.
White jeans… Holy fuck, does her ass look good in those. And, oh, wow… Skin… more skin… Fuck me, does she not know I'm here?
With a mental shake of his head, he cleared his throat. As much as he would have loved to see more of… well, Lucy… If she had turned around and he was still standing there, he realised he probably would have been killed a few seconds later. If he made his presence known, on the other hand, it wouldn't be so bad. Or so he could hope.
Lucy jumped at the sound and then froze in the middle of pulling her shirt on over her head. She hadn't heard the shower stop (not that she could really hear it running anyway) and she hadn't heard the door being opened, nor Bickslow's footsteps across the room. As she lowered her shirt slowly, realising that her entire back was exposed to the infamous Seith mage (or, the magicless Seith mage), a blush crept up her neck and onto her cheeks as she turned slowly.
"U-Um…" she stuttered as she tried to avoid looking at Bickslow who was standing by the foot of the bed and just in front of her. She didn't know what to say.
Even Bickslow thought it was a little awkward. "Yeah… uh, are you done in here?"
"Oh, yeah. Sorry…" she mumbled, "I should probably go out there… and check on Ingrid…" She nodded to herself as she moved from the spot she had been standing on and past Bickslow towards the door. Unfortunately, she hadn't noticed the small puddles on the floor that Bickslow had left and as she walked past him, she slipped on one of them.
She yelped when her foot first slipped out from under her, and she held out her arms to brace herself. But instead of colliding with the hardwood floor, an arm wrapped around the front of her waist and brought her upright once again.
"Floor's wet," Bickslow said quietly with a smirk as he removed his arm from around Lucy's waist and brought it back to his side, turning to head to his own side of the wardrobe. He may have been hungover, but he could still stop someone from slipping. Bickslow could only grin as he heard the bedroom door being slammed shut as Lucy all but ran out into the hall.
The elevator came to a stop on the 26th floor and Bickslow stared at the metal doors of the elevator that were opening slowly. It was bad enough Lucy had essentially put him on 'parenting duty' for the day (which he really didn't understand because he didn't understand the concept of actually being a parent, and he didn't want to understand it), but if a bunch of rowdy teenagers had decided to get on the elevator at that moment, he might have just used his Figure Ey— nope, no magic. Fuck.
Bickslow all but sighed in relief when the doors opened to reveal an equally as hung-over Gajeel and an incredibly irritated Levy.
"Morni—" e started to say quietly, glancing down at Ingrid as he adjusted the bottle with the formula he was holding in one hand. Damn it, why can't she feed herself?
"Don't talkm" Gajeel muttered bitterly as he moved into the back corner of the elevator, folding his arms across his chest as he leant against the wall.
Lucy smirked at the almost sulking Gajeel in the corner before turning to short woman next to her with a smile. "Morning, Levy," she said cheerfully.
Levy sighed as she grabbed onto the railing, steadying herself as the elevator lurched with the ascent again, "Morning, Lu," Levy sighed. Her free hand went to rub at her lower back, wincing slightly as she pressed into the sore muscles. "Gosh, this sucks. My back hurts so much," she mumbled.
"Quit complainin' already," Gajeel grumbled. Bickslow could only shake his head as he smirked to himself, knowing that Gajeel's headache (and his own headache at that) was about to get a lot worse. He, at least, knew not to tell a pregnant woman to stop complaining.
"Oh, shut up. This is your fault!" Levy groaned as she pushed herself up from where she leant on the railing, stepping out into the small foyer outside Laxus' apartment.
"Is not!" Gajeel shot back, following the group out of the elevator.
"It kinda is…" Lucy said quietly
"Thank you, Lucy!" Levy said, throwing her hands up in the air.
Gajeel stopped with everyone else in the small room as they all stood in a circle for whatever reason. Apparently their current argument was the more important issue, instead of… well, food. Or finding out more about the entire situation. "Oi. That's no fair," he huffed, glaring at Lucy before he folded his arms across his chest once again. "Bicks, you're on my side, right?"
"Huh?" Bickslow blinked a few times as he looked between the three of them. He honestly had no interest in the topic, so with a shrug he turned and headed towards the arch that led into the main living area of Laxus' apartment. "Sorry, I'm on my own side for this one."
"That doesn't even make any sense!"
So as the rest turned and hurried behind Bickslow, they continued their argument, causing Bickslow to roll his eyes as he made his way into the bright living space.
"Uncle Bicks!"
All four of them stopped as a small boy suddenly came running from the kitchen counter where Mira was standing, mixing up something in a large bowl with her usual smile.
Uncle… Bicks? Huh? Bickslow looked down at the small blonde child who was apparently clinging to his leg. He looked up to see Laxus sitting on one of the stools at the counter, shaking his head before pressing his palm to his forehead and leaning his elbow on the counter. Evergreen was snickering from where she sat on the lounge with Elfman, and Freed looked like he needed to pick his jaw up from the ground.
"Blake…" Mira said as she moved to open the fridge. Then, as she looked over her shoulder at the group near the apartment entrance that still looked too shocked to move, she said with another smile, "Why don't you let go of Bickslow and come help me again?"
Blake?! Don't tell me Laxus has a kid too? Fucking hell. What is this world?
"'Uncle Bicks', huh?" Gajeel mocked, snickering slightly, leaving Bickslow to instantly wish he could elbow the guy in the stomach. But he couldn't, because his arms were otherwise occupied by Ingrid.
So as the blonde child toddled off into the kitchen after letting go of Bickslow's leg, the group followed Laxus over to the large dining table (that was really more like a conference table just because of the sheer size of it). From the main living area alone, it was evident that Mira and Laxus liked having guests over, and lots of them at that, which was a bit of a change from Laxus' usual personality. That, or they just wanted to fill the space.
Laxus had refused to explain the entire Blake situation until everyone had arrived, saving himself from explaining it multiple times most likely. And slowly, as everyone arrived, the chairs surrounding the large dining table became filled.
As Mira placed the last plates on table and took her seat just to the side of where Laxus sat at one end, she looked over to Blake who was emerging from the hall. "Blake, sweetie. Why don't you go and watch the TV?" She smiled sweetly at the boy who was giddy with excitement.
"TV before school?!" Blake said with wide eyes before running off into a room off the side of the living area, carefully carrying the plate with the toast as he did so.
Not too long after that, a woman with a dark haired boy that looked to be about the same age as Blake entered the apartment, seemingly taking Blake off to the school and leaving Laxus incredibly glad the kid would be gone, if only for a little while. He didn't do the whole kids thing. Not at all.
And as soon as they had all left the living room, many eyes went to Laxus and Mira who sat at one end of the table. The two had refused to answer any questions or even talk about their current situation until Blake had left, so they'd just had to eat in silence (which wasn't a problem because somehow, Mira had already figured out the whole cooking in Magnolia 2.0 thing and the food was really fucking great – according to Bickslow and Natsu, anyway).
Laxus sighed as he put down his own mug of coffee, looking up at everyone at the table. Bickslow who sat on his other side didn't seem too interested. Thank god for that, Laxus told himself, and it was probably because he was too preoccupied with keeping Ingrid entertained on his lap. Well, it was more of a case of entertaining himself, it seemed. Lucy was staring at Mira who was staring at Ingrid, and Gajeel was… apparently falling asleep in his chair, much like Natsu who sat opposite him. The remaining Strauss' were looking between both Mira and Laxus, and so was Evergreen. Freed was looking at his notes, once again, and while Juvia was staring at the ring on her hand, Gray was staring at Laxus, also waiting for the explanation.
"Alright, fine. Just ask already," Laxus finally said as he leant back in his chair, folding his arms across his broad chest.
And just like that, everyone seemed to stop what they were doing and started shouting their questions at the two of them.
"You two have a kid?!" Natsu had asked, waking up and knocking the table slightly.
"Yes," Mira said with a smile.
"How old is he?"
"What the fuck is a TV?"
"Yeah, that's not a bad question…"
"Why the fuck am I 'Uncle Bicks'?"
"Language, Bickslow!"
"Alright, alright…"
"Gi-hi, Sparkplug is a daddy."
"Alright, you can all shut up now," Laxus growled with a roll of his eyes. A tiny part of him had hoped they could be somewhat civilised about it, but then the other part of him mentally cringed. It was Fairy Tail. There was nothing civilised about them.
"He's three and a half," Mira said cheerfully as everyone quieted down.
"How do you know?" Erza asked.
Mira shrugged. "Small children love telling you their age, so I asked."
"Wait… But we were here yesterday…" Lisanna said quietly as her brow furrowed in confusion, looking down at the table.
"He was at school yesterday morning. Anyway," Laxus cleared his throat, raising his eyes to meet Freed's. "Moving on. Freed? Know anything else?"
"Ah, yes. Of course." Freed stood from his chair, picking up his notebook and tucking it under his arm as he did so. "If you'd all follow me, please."
And so everyone slowly made their way out into the small foyer just outside the elevator as they waited for the doors to open before all piling into the metal box. With everyone inside, it made it incredibly cramped. Evergreen was pressed into Elfman's side while Gajeel was up against Levy's back as she held onto the railing once again. Not that she really needed to use it to steady herself as the elevator lurched because she was surrounded by bodies who would hold her up – whether they intended to or not.
Bickslow held Ingrid in one arm as he held up his free hand, looking between Ingrid's own tiny hands and his own, well, in comparison, giant hand. He didn't know why he found the fact that her hands were so god damn small so interesting, but he did. Plus, they were kind of cute because she was kind of cute, not that he would admit that out loud.
"Where are we going?" Laxus asked Freed in his usual monotonous voice. He didn't want to be in that tiny metal room any longer than necessary – especially with so many people he hated (for the most part).
"The lobby," Freed replied as he pressed the corresponding button on the panel. "And then the garage."
"Garage?" Natsu echoed as Freed nodded in confirmation.
"I'll explain it when we get there. For now, consider this a tour of sorts."
Bickslow rolled his eyes as his free hand went to hold Ingrid more securely, seemingly done with his game of 'whose hand is bigger'. "Damn, Freed. How much have you found out already?" he mumbled.
"Not as much as I'd have hoped given the current predicament, but I do believe what I have learned will be of essential use in our day-to-day lives," he said. "Well, assuming we are stuck in this world for a longer period of time than anticipated."
"…So you haven't found anything about getting back to our own world?" Levy asked.
"I'm afraid not. If there was magic in this world it would be easier to pinpoint the exact cause, but without it, it is near impossible." Which was the truth. If there was magic, then there'd no doubt be something he could do to find out whether it was some bizarre spell or an illusion or something of the sort. If there was magic, there'd be tell-tale signs for what it was, but… there was nothing. Absolutely nothing that suggested that they had even come from a different world in the first place. To anyone else, they'd seem like their usual selves, and Freed had already found that out when he'd explored the building the previous afternoon.
Whether he liked it or not, based on the limited information Freed had obtained, it was becoming more and more likely and evident that they were to be stuck in Magnolia 2.0.
The lobby, for the most part, had been… interesting. The man who sat at the front desk near the wall of mailboxes seemed to be in love with Mirajane and his comment about how he missed her photo-shoots as of late just made Laxus snarl. He may not have been able to use any of his magic, but he was still a dragon at heart. Or so he liked to think.
The floor to ceiling windows that covered the front part of the building where the doors were located lit up the room an immense amount, and for the first time, they all got to see what Magnolia was like at ground level (apart from Freed), even if it was just through a few windows.
Countless people in their skirts and blouses or suits and ties that briskly walked past the building, most of them talking into their phones or messaging others or doing something else. None of them had really figured out what phones could do, though. Numerous taxis went down the street, mostly at a slow pace. It was the early morning rush; everyone trying to get to work or school. The noise from the streets was heard inside the apartment complex and all anyone could do was stand there and listen. Sirens, car horns, engines, people chattering away, the sound the numerous heels hitting the pavement as they walked past. It was all new to them and it was almost too much.
It was almost as if everything had become so… real.
It was as if they finally began to see just how different Magnolia 2.0 was. They were all used to the relatively quiet, peaceful life that was living in Magnolia – their Magnolia. But everything there… everything there was so new. So many new noises, sights… everything. Everything was new, and it scared the living hell out of all of them. They were supposed to be a part of that world, and there they were, standing on the ground floor of where they all lived and they didn't know what to do.
Thankfully, Freed, having seen most of it the day before could rouse everyone, and so, with a loud clear of his throat he got their attention. "Now, if you'd all follow me to the garage."
Everyone was a little thankful for Freed at that moment whether they'd admit it out loud or not. So as they all remained silent (partly due to their new feelings of almost complete helplessness), they piled into the elevator once again and went down to the garage.
And of course, as they all then stood there in the middle of the apartment building's garage, they couldn't do anything. They didn't know what they were looking at, but whatever it was, they were looking at a lot of them.
"Magic four-wheelers?" Erza muttered quietly as she looked around at all of the cars.
Freed shook his head as he turned around to face the group, opening up his notebook and glancing down at it briefly. "Not exactly. They are vehicles, but do not utilise the SE-Plugs that we are familiar with."
"So what, then?"
Another glance at his notebook. "I'm not sure of that yet," Freed looked to Natsu who was busy looking around the large room that seemed to know no end, "Natsu, I heard your Edolas counter-part used a magic vehicle that is more closely related to that of this world. Do you know what it was powered by?"
Natsu rubbed the back of his head as he looked up in thought. "Hmm, I think it was lacrima or something. Do you think these use the same?" he asked.
"Can't be, Salamander. No magic means no lacrima, you idiot," Gajeel muttered.
"Hey, shut up!" Natsu shot back before Freed cleared his throat once again.
"Not lacrima, but from what I can tell, it would appear to be something similar. A fuel or sorts, perhaps," Freed said as he tucked his notebook under his arm once again, turning and walking slowly through the rows of parked cars. "Anyway, you all would have received a message from either myself, Laxus, or Erza this morning about bringing any keys you found with you. Did you all do so?" He asked over his shoulder.
Lucy turned to look up at Bickslow. "You still have them, right?" she asked. She'd handed him the keys after she'd locked the apartment door and had completely forgotten about them.
"Yes," Bickslow said as he rolled his eyes before moving Ingrid to his other side. He wasn't gonna lie – holding a baby for close to an hour was strangely tiring and his arms were starting to hurt. But of course, Lucy wasn't going to do anything about it.
And then, once Freed was confident everyone had confirmed that they'd brought the keys they'd found in their apartments with them, he turned to face the group once again, stopping everyone in their tracks in what was essentially the middle of the road. "I gather you all do, so good. Now, these bays are assigned to your floor and apartment number by the looks of it, so I would suggest going off to find your designated area and vehicles, if you have one," He pulled his own set of keys out of his pocket and showcased the largest one with the black holder and buttons. "If you have a key that looks similar to this, it would be wise to assume that you own the vehicle it belongs to." He pause as he watched as everyone look down at their own sets of keys they held, looking at the largest of the keys on the rings. "We'll meet back here in say, thirty minutes? That should be sufficient to go through your vehicles, should you have one. This place echoes, so shout if any of you get into any trouble."
"Yes, mother," Evergreen mumbled as she began to drag Elfman off in one direction.
Much like everyone else, Bickslow and Lucy went off in search for their designated bay (or bays, since they weren't really sure). The columns that supported the ceiling were numbered every few bays and they found themselves walking towards the other side of the car park along with Laxus and Mira, and Gajeel and Levy (though those two seemed to have fallen behind, as confirmed by Gajeel's complaints about Levy's speed).
So as they approached the area designated to the occupants of the 24th floor and looked towards the bays and the three vehicles in that section, they found themselves looking towards the painted numbers in each bay and continued walking until they stood at the end of the one they had been looking for – number four.
"So… what now?" Lucy asked as she looked towards the large vehicle before them, moving into the empty bay that sat next to it.
"I dunno," Bickslow shrugged.
She turned to Bickslow, scowling slightly. "Well, where are the keys?" she asked.
"In my pocket."
"…Can you get them out?"
"My hands are a little full right now," Bickslow replied with a smirk before glancing down at Ingrid who seemed to have fallen asleep on his chest and in his arms without him noticing. Huh…
Lucy rolled her eyes as she stepped closer to him, narrowing her eyes as she folded her arms under her chest and met his gaze. "Which pocket?"sShe asked.
"But that would ruin the fun," Bickslow pouted as his smirk turned into a wide grin
Internally, Lucy was screaming at herself for even considering doing what she was, well… considering. She should have been telling him to get the goddamn keys out of his own god amn pocket, but Lucy knew enough about Bickslow to know that he wouldn't have done that, no matter how much she'd pester him about it.
So with her mouth in a firm line, she unfolded her arms and stepped forwards again, closing the distance between them considerably as she held his gaze. She could see the playfulness in his eyes, and she realised that once again, he was having fun with it. Lucy knew that Bickslow was the type of person that always had fun; always finding ways to make a game of things or at least make things a little interesting and entertaining to himself and occasionally others (though she reasoned it was mostly for his own entertainment). The fact that he was trying to get her to put her hands in his pockets, well… she figured that was just another side of his personality coming through; the side that allowed him to invite her to join him in the shower without faltering.
Lucy reached in his left front pocket of his black jeans first, never breaking eye contact with him. Her mouth stayed in the firm line, borderline scowl, while Bickslow's grin somehow grew wider. He's having way too much fun with this.
"Hmm, looks like that's the wrong pocket," Bickslow chuckled as she pulled out his phone, eyeing it curiously as she held it up. Though he was only grinning (like the fool that he was), inside he was having an absolute ball. He'd never expected her to actually reach into his pockets to fish out the set of keys, but there she was… with her hand in his pocket and oh so close to where he'd really love her hand to be. But that aside, he was a little shocked she'd done it. Though he knew little about the blonde before him, he knew enough about her personality to know that she didn't just give in like that – and Bickslow was the same. If she had stood there long enough telling him to get them out of his own pocket, he would have done it… eventually. It would have been a case of who could break first, really.
Lucy rolled her eyes as she felt her cheeks heat up again, her blush growing darker from the situation she'd found herself in. "Oh, shut up," She muttered as she pressed it back into his pocket before reaching into his other pocket, instantly feeling the slightly cool metal of the set of keys and pulling them out and increasing the distance between them.
A little ways down the garage, in the area designated to the occupants of the 26th floor of the building, Gajeel and Levy stood there gawking at what they had just witnessed. Even further down, Laxus was doing the same as Mira rifled through the boot of the dark grey SUV.
"What the fuck is Bunny-girl doing?" Gajeel muttered as he pressed the 'unlock' button on his own set of keys.
Levy instantly pulled the door that she had been leaning on open before sitting down on the soft, leather seat on the passenger side. "A part of me just doesn't even want to know…" She said quietly as she looked down at the console between the seats, wondering what everything there was for.
Bickslow stood with one eyebrow raised as he looked towards Lucy. He didn't know whether to burst out laughing or just continue standing there, wondering what the hell she was doing. She stood with one hand on her hip, her other arm outstretched and holding the set of keys with the largest key in her hand and her feet spread. She stood like that for a few seconds, and when Bickslow couldn't take it anymore he moved over to one of the doors, pulling on the handle, only to find out it was actually locked. He looked over his shoulder to stare at the blonde, once again feigning the urge to laugh at her expression.
"Are you gonna stand there or unlock it or something?" He asked.
"I'm scared… I don't know what it's going to do. I'm preparing myself," Lucy replied as she narrowed her eyes and looked at the key in her hand. She really was scared, and she knew it was stupid. There were three buttons on the key, and none of them were labelled. She didn't know if something would explode or if every door on the black SUV would come flying open – possibly sending Bickslow and Ingrid to the floor in the process. If he hadn't been holding a baby, well… she probably wouldn't have cared.
But the fact was that there was a possibility there'd be things inside the vehicle that would fill them in on some smaller (hopefully bigger) details of their lives in that world.
With a roll of his eyes, Bickslow took a step back, suddenly a little paranoid that something could happen that wouldn't be… well, pleasant. After all, he'd thought that pressing a button on his phone would cause something to explode somewhere, and the vehicle was definitely a lot bigger than a phone. "Just press a button, for fuck's sake."
"Okay! Fine!" she huffed, and as her face turned to that of worry, her thumb pressed down one of the three buttons and she waited for what could possibly happen. Who knows, maybe it will actually just unlock the doors? I need to stop worrying about things. Nothing has gone wrong-
Before she could even finish her reassuring thought, the car alarm started blaring as the indicators flashed every second. Bickslow jumped away and Lucy dropped the keys at the sudden sound. If the alarm wasn't so loud that it echoed throughout the entire garage and seemed to make it ten times louder, Ingrid had begun to cry (well, more screaming than crying) and everything in that moment was just a mess. It was a chaotic mess.
So as Bickslow tried his best to comfort the screaming baby in his arms and when he realised he had absolutely no fucking idea how to, he turned to the blonde and held Ingrid out to her. "What did you do?!" He shouted over the blaring alarm and Ingrid as he bent down to pick up the keys.
Lucy obligingly took Ingrid in her shaky arms, still a little startled from the situation. "I-I don't know!" she replied as she gently rocked Ingrid, trying to soothe her. "Shh, it's okay. It's okay," she said softly as she held the back of Ingrid's head, smoothing over the light hair. Lucy realised her attempts at getting Ingrid to calm down would be in vain until the alarm was somehow silence. She just had to hope it would be soon.
So with Bickslow's headache getting increasingly worse the longer the alarm kept going, as well as Ingrid's crying, he frantically pressed every button on the key, hoping that one of them would shut the God damn thing up.
And somehow, he managed to press the right button. The flashing lights had stopped, as well as the alarm. Ingrid's crying, however, well… Lucy was still working on that. The only problem was that he didn't know which button Lucy had pressed to cause the alarm to go off in the first place, and he didn't know which one he'd pressed to make it stop. Ah, well… time to experiment, he told himself as he he cautiously pressed the first one. It triggered the alarm, so he pressed it again. Silence. Good. At least we're getting somewhere with this stupid thing.
So with the first button being designated to the alarm for whatever reason, he was free to move on to the second button. The lights flashed once and he could vaguely hear an unlocking mechanism over Lucy and Ingrid, so he stepped forward to pull on the handle, relieved when the door opened and he could finally look inside the vehicle.
Too many things he didn't understand and he didn't want to understand at that moment in time, so he just shut the door and pressed the third, trying the door once again to find that it was locked. Inside, he high-fived himself for figuring out the whole car-key-remote-button situation..
"I'm just going to go back to the apartment. She's probably tired by now," Lucy said over the crying and Bickslow turned to look over his shoulder just in time to see the blonde turn and head towards the end of the garage they'd all started at.
For a short moment, Bickslow didn't particularly care that she'd be going back to the apartment. If anything, it got Ingrid away from him and a part of him felt bad for even thinking that (not that he really understood why), but the guy had a headache. Screaming babies and car alarms don't go well, especially when they're both in an underground garage that echoes.
But it was only for a short moment because Bickslow remembered he was still holding the set of the keys – the keys that included the one to their apartment that they'd locked before going to Laxus'. He had no choice but to follow the crying child.