Bickslow collapsed onto the lounge with a heavy sigh. "And once again, Ingrid is our saviour," he mumbled. And he meant it. If it hadn't been for the tiny human getting tired and on the verge of throwing a tantrum, then they would still be in Mira and Laxus' apartment with the rest of their psychotic friends. Needing to put their daughter down for her much needed nap was just a perfect reason for them to get the hell out of there.
"She really is," Lucy agreed as she sat down next to Bickslow on the lounge, only sighing quietly as she leant her head on his shoulder. A surprised laugh escaped her suddenly when he quickly wound an arm around her back to pull her down, leaving her sprawled on top of him on the lounge. The wide grin and the quiet chuckle coming from Bickslow were quickly lost as Lucy lowered her head to brush her lips against his. "The mighty Ingrid Theroux, our lord and saviour," she giggled when she pulled away, only resting her head against his shoulder once again as she slowly shifted to her side, wedging herself between the back of the lounge and Bickslow.
He chuckled again as he lifted his other hand to rest gently on her side below his other, slowly running down from her waist to her hip and brushing over the side of her belly, all with a soft smile on his face. Ingrid Theroux… There were many things in that world that Bickslow was now used to, but his name belonging to not only himself, but to his daughter and to Lucy as well, was not one of those things. And to think there'll be two more with my name by the end of the year… And if that wasn't a reason to actually like his surname, then he didn't know what would be.
"How's your hand?" Lucy asked quietly as a smirk tugged at her lips.
"It's fine," he laughed again. Sure, it was a little sore, but it was fine. He could deal with it. The pain was well worth it, in Bickslow's opinion. "But… To be honest, punching Natsu wasn't anywhere near as painful as everything else."
Lucy sighed as she buried her head against his chest. "I don't think painful does it justice," she mumbled. "I really didn't expect them to freak out as much as they did. I mean, I'm glad that everyone seemed to take the news about the pregnancy relatively well…"
"I wouldn't exactly call it relatively well."
"Well, it could have been worse. It wasn't like they all completely lost it and went overboard with trying to tell us that we shouldn't be doing it when we already have Ingrid…" And that's what Lucy had been worried about the most. Sure, no one had exactly just been outright happy for them – at least not right away – but neither had expected anyone to be. If anything, their friends had really just been surprisingly supportive of their decision. Bickslow and Lucy had honestly expected all hell to break loose, but it truly hadn't.
They'd only done their best to make sure they understood the situation they were in. That meant making sure that the former Seith and Celestial Spirit mages knew they were taking on a huge responsibility by having the twins when Ingrid was really only going to be a little over one-year-old by the time they were born, and that they were no doubt going to have their hands full – quite literally. They'd had to understand that they were absolutely certain that it was both what they wanted, and once they could see that the two were happy and excited about it all and what they were doing, everyone else was able to actually be happy for their friends.
Well, sort of. Bickslow and Lucy really hadn't expected them to be happy for them at all. Not in the slightest. But they were, and it made them incredibly glad that their – for the most part – less than civil and mostly not understanding friends had been, well… Understanding and supportive.
They weren't going to question it though. They weren't going to question why their friends had surprised them in such a way, hadn't lectured them or tried to convince them they were doing the wrong thing.
"But… I'd been hoping they'd take the news about us just a little bit better," Lucy mumbled. "I mean, really, I'd have thought they'd freak out about the babies more than they did us being together."
And boy, did they freak out. They completely lost it, actually, and that's what they were questioning.
Of all things, their former teams and friends were more shocked about the fact that they were actually together and in an actual relationship than they were about them having twins. That was really the painful part about it all and where everyone had started freaking out. But Bickslow and Lucy didn't really think it was that surprising. They lived with each other and spent a lot of time together every single day. They'd learnt more about each other in the space of two months than they had in all the time they'd known each other in the guild. They had a damn child together – and two more on the way – and it had been almost inevitable that they'd get closer. And then of course there was the entire thing where they were married in that world, so somehow, they worked together.
But nope, everyone was stuck on the fact that it was just too damn weird and were entirely convinced that whatever it was they had wouldn't actually last. Well, that's what most of them believed. There were a few people who were seemingly fine with it and didn't question how two seemingly polar opposites could work so well (although the answer was literally right there).
Laxus, for one, had been too busy trying to wrap his head around the fact that they were having not one, but two more babies. Plus, he knew how Bickslow felt so he just didn't really care or find it all that surprising. At least not any more than he already did.
Mira, on the other hand, was really just ecstatic. She was really just far too happy about the fact that the two had made something out of a truly strange situation and were at a point where people were finding out.
Then Gajeel and Levy… Well, they were mostly just too busy trying to look after their own children to care all too much, though they both still knew that there had been something going on between the two former mages.
It was really just everyone else who had taken the news less than brilliantly, with – not surprisingly – Lucy's team being being just a little terrifying for a few brief moments. Especially when it came to Erza and Cana taking far too much of an interest into their non-existent sex life. And course, it came to both of their discomfort that the two seemed to press the issue of whether or not they were actually sleeping together. Besides, even if they were sleeping together – and not just in the same bed – it wouldn't be something that the two would talk about. Especially not Lucy, at least.
At that point, they'd really just been far too glad that Ingrid was on the verge of throwing a tantrum and they'd had a reason to get the hell away from their teams, friends, and their annoying, way too personal, and just downright uncomfortable questions. Not to mention the lecturing, the yelling, and the more than depressing reminder about what would happen if things didn't work out between them when they had three children together.
They were well aware of how awkward things would be between them if they didn't end up working in the long run (not that they'd ever actually talked about it with each other). But… They were hopeful and they were optimistic about things going well. Of course, it probably had a lot to do with the fact they were in love with each other, not that they were aware of the other's feelings.
"Yeah, well… I didn't quite expect all of it either," Bickslow sighed. "But at least they know now. That's good, right?"
"It is. It's very good, actually. Do you know why?"
He lifted his head as Lucy lifted her own just to look up at him with a bright smile. Pulling one of the cushions from the corner of the lounge, he put it behind his head and his own lips pulled up into a wide grin. "Um… Because you got to finally see me punch your best friend for calling you fat?"
"No," she laughed. Though it really had been fun to watch. Incredibly. "Because one, I can wear whatever the hell I want to now and not worry about people finding out. Not that I can really hide it very well anymore anyway."
"Well… For the record… I really don't mind what you wear… Or if you wear anything at all, really." Her cheeks became flushed at his comment and Bickslow couldn't help but let out a short howl of laughter. Yeah, he wouldn't mind if she decided to wear nothing at all one day. He wouldn't mind at all. "What's two?"
She shook her head as her own quiet laugh slipped out. "Two, since I can finally leave the house and everyone knows about us and the twins… You…" Lucy paused as she lightly walked her fingers across his chest and up towards the collar of his t-shirt, and as she slowly lifted her eyes to meet his, she said, "Can finally take me on a date."
"A date, huh?" She nodded. "Well, I think a date can definitely be arranged." Bickslow had thought about it a few times, because yeah, he really did owe her a date of some sort. But with Lucy having to rest, and her health – and the babies' health – having been the main concern for the last few weeks, taking her out on a date hadn't been his priority.
It wasn't like Lucy was all that worried about a date though. She just thought that it would be nice to be able to actually go on a date – her first date – with her boyfriend-slash-partner-in-crime. But still, she wasn't particularly that fussed if they went out at all. They were already dating without the actual dating part of it, but a romantic evening alone really just seemed quite wonderful.
It wasn't like their relationship was all that conventional to begin with though, so if she got that romantic evening and Ingrid was brought along, then that would be fine too. They were parents primarily, so if they were joined by their infant daughter on their first actual date, well yeah, it would still be great in all honesty. Lucy was inclined to believe 'the more the merrier' when it came to her family those days.
"I hope so," she giggled before craning her neck and pressing their lips together once again. She'd been sure that kissing Bickslow would become a very bad habit if she'd been allowed to keep doing it. And sure enough, she had been right. Even with just their lips moving over one another, slowly and tenderly, Lucy was way past addicted, and that was without that almost sinfully skilled tongue of his. Of course, Bickslow had made it known on multiple occasions that he can do more with his tongue that she knows, just because he loved teasing her far too much. It didn't help that he would love to show her just what he could do with his tongue, but… Nope, it was just teasing for now, and they were both more than fine with that. Surprisingly. "But… Going back to Natsu calling me fat… Twice," she said quietly when she lowered her head to rest on his shoulder again.
"You know he didn't mean it, Cosplayer."
She smiled softly though sadly. "I know, but… You do realise I'm just going to get a lot bigger, right? Like, I'm going to end up being the size of a beached whale."
"Oh, who even cares?"
"W-Well, I do. I mean, I know there's nothing I can do about it and all, but I really am going to be huge…" It was a little distressing to Lucy that her body was one of the many things changing that worried her the most. She really did know that there was nothing she could do to avoid it – she was having twins for fuck's sake so she really was bound to get a lot bigger – she couldn't help but dread it just a tiny bit. Just because it was another huge adjustment… Literally.
The fact that not even three months earlier she'd never once expected to one, fall in love with Bickslow far too quickly, two, have a daughter with him, and three, have two more children on the way with him, all of which had really come unexpectedly, still completely blew her mind sometimes. But just because they had all surprised her, just as much as waking up in a completely different world had, it didn't mean she didn't love them and wasn't completely overjoyed by everything. Because she truly was. They were all just things she'd needed to adjust to, and she knew getting a lot bigger was one of those – and oh, had she accepted it.
She was just… A little scared. And a little self-conscious. Or a lot.
"I don't care though," he said. He only adjusted his head on the small cushion enough to make himself comfortable again, and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head as he wound his arms just a little bit tighter around her. "If anyone dares comment on you getting bigger because you're pregnant with twins, I will personally tell them to go fuck themselves and knock them the fuck out. And, if I really have to, just to prove to you that you have no reason to worry about it…" Because Bickslow knew that she was worried about the fact she was going to get bigger. He knew that very well. "I will remind you every single day that you're beautiful." Hey… That's not a bad idea… I think I'll do that anyway.
Lucy sighed as she closed her eyes with a soft smile on her lips. "You know, if the other Bickslow was anywhere near being as much of a sweet idiot as you are, then I can totally see why the other me would have fallen for you," she whispered. She wasn't exactly going to bring up the fact that it probably had something to do with her actually falling for Bickslow. Way too quickly at that.
"Well maybe that's how I'll get you to fall for me too?" Oh… Fuck… Damn it, dude! Why the fuck did I say that? Maybe it was wishful thinking that had him cursing his mouth, because hell, it would be pretty amazing if Lucy fell in love with him. He was hopeful that it would happen eventually, but… Until she did, and if she did, he couldn't exactly go talking about how exactly to get her to fall for him. Nope, that was just a terrible idea. He wasn't going to sabotage his relationship with her that quickly.
When he lifted his head to look down at her, just to see what kind of reaction he'd gotten out of her, his brows pulled together when he saw her eyes closed and only a slight dusting of pink on her cheeks. Bickslow had almost expected her to splutter something in her embarrassment, not for her to be… Falling asleep. Or just making herself extremely comfortable on him. Not that he really minded, because as long as she didn't seem to mind his stupid words, then he was fine. He cleared his throat quietly with a small smirk tugging on the corner of his mouth, and said, "You good there?"
"Very," Lucy murmured with a lazy smile. "I'm tired and you're comfortable." And she was always tired those days. Hell, she was almost jealous of Ingrid's nap time.
"Well…"
"Don't even say it."
"Oh, come on. That's not fair," Bickslow whined, leaning back into the pillow again, and Lucy could feel the chuckle than ran through his chest.
She sighed after a moment, and she kept her eyes closed. She didn't need to look up to know that he was grinning like a fool – probably with his tongue out for good measure. "If I let you say it, will you let me stay here?"
"Oh baby, you can be on me as long as you like." He only stopped laughing when she pressed her fingers in his side, just under his ribs. And just like Lucy hadn't needed to look up to know that he really had had his outrageously wide grin on his face the entire time, he didn't need to look down to see that she was probably blushing furiously. "Alright, alright… I just had to get that one in there." And oh, did he. For the most part, he dialed back on everything that wasn't mostly innocent (or innocent enough for where they were currently at). But occasionally, he really did have to just say things like that… Especially when Lucy basically handed them to him.
"Now will you be quiet and let me sleep?"
He sighed as he wound his arms around her just that little bit tighter again, and making himself comfortable on the lounge under her with her lifting her head just enough to nestle in against the crook of his neck instead, he whispered, "Yeah, you can sleep." It wasn't exactly like Bickslow had anything better to do with his time than cuddle with his girlfriend on the lounge, so yeah, she could sleep. And he would too. Well, he'd try to.
At the very least he'll just enjoy it. A lot.
"Bicks… Someone's at the door," Lucy mumbled as she held her eyes closed and did her best to bury her face against Bickslow, continuing to let his far too intoxicating scent fill her nose. Whatever it was he wore, she loved it. Like, far too much.
"And just what do you want me to do about it?" he mumbled in response.
She sighed as Bickslow's arms continued to keep her wedged in the space between the back of the lounge and himself, and he shifted ever so slightly. She was seriously too comfortable there, and if it hadn't been for the knock on the door, she wouldn't even be awake at all. She didn't want to be awake; she didn't need to be awake. Ingrid was still asleep – or so she hoped – and it was the weekend. Couldn't a girl just snuggle with her boyfriend on the couch for a little while and get just a little rest?
Several sharp raps on the wooden door interrupted the silence again. Apparently not.
"You could get the door and tell them to go away," she suggested.
A huff of laughter escaped and Lucy could feel his breath fanning across the top of her head and through her hair. "You get the door."
"Nuh-uh. I'm not moving."
"Well I can't move unless you move."
Oh… Right… I'm kind of laying on him. "Do you think they'll go away if we just ignore it?" she asked.
Bickslow sighed as he finally opened his eyes and looked down at the blonde. "I doubt it." And just to further his point, there was another impatient knock on their door, just like the one that had pulled Lucy from her sleep and stopped Bickslow from finally getting there. "Do you know if the door is locked?"
"I don't think it is," Lucy mumbled.
He tipped his head back into the pillow to look back towards the top of the door, and called out, "It's open. Maybe." He hadn't been able to think of a better option, not when he was sure ignoring whoever it was was going to be a waste of time and neither of them had any intentions of moving.
Bickslow's eyes remained trained on the door once it opened after just another moment, and Lucy lifted her own head hesitantly to look to the door and slowly lift a hand to rub at her eyes. When she saw her team walking through the door, she could only smile awkwardly along with Bickslow at the three former mages looking down at them.
"Are we um… Interrupting something?" Erza asked as she cleared her throat.
"Yes. Sleep," Bickslow muttered. Oh, if only closing my eyes would make them go away…
Lucy sighed as she finally sat up and reluctantly disentangled herself from Bickslow. "Oh, shut up, Bicks," she whispered when she nudged his side to make him let go of her. "Go check on Ingrid."
"She's probably still asleep." He sat up and ran a hand through his hair once Lucy got off him and slowly padded around to the kitchen, and he looked down to his watch on his wrist. Damn it. That was a short hour. "But fine."
Lucy turned her attention to her team once Bickslow slowly disappeared down the hall and into the nursery, and she smiled at her more than uncomfortable looking team like nothing was wrong. Not that anything was wrong, of course. Her team finding her curled up on the lounge with her boyfriend was fine, and at the very least, they were just going to have to get used to it. She pulled a bottle of water from the fridge before she slowly walked back to the lounge, and asked, "So, what's up?"
"Uh… Well… We just wanted to come round and apologise again," Erza said quietly. "At the very least, Natsu needs to apologise again."
"It's fine," Lucy laughed. "No one needs to apologise for anything."
"Well, I'm personally all for Natsu saying sorry again," Bickslow chimed in as he came back down the hall with Ingrid in one arm. His lips pulled up into a smirk as he looked to Natsu specifically, and said, "I'm also all for punching you in the face again."
Natsu folded his arms across his chest with a scowl on his face as he sunk down into the lounge next to the snickering Gray. The fact that Bickslow's fist had actually hurt – just a little bit – was something that Natsu hated. It didn't help that he still didn't quite understand just what had warranted the guy to punch him in the first place. Not really, anyway. "I don't get why you punched me in the first place…" Natsu muttered scornfully as his onyx eyes slowly followed Happy as he quickly bound across the lounge, only to jump up onto Lucy and curl up on her lap once she sat down again.
"Because you insulted your best friend and his girlfriend twice, you moron," Gray answered before Bickslow could even try.
Bickslow shrugged as he sat Ingrid down in the highchair. "Exactly what he said, actually." In Bickslow's head, it really had been perfectly logical for him to punch Natsu. Or at least really want to (well, the first time, anyway). He was Lucy's best friend and he made her cry. Unintentionally at that, but it still counted since he hadn't even really known that his words that actually been quite hurtful. So yeah, when his girlfriend's best friend was being a terrible person, the guy was gonna get fucking punched.
"It's fine. Really," Lucy said again as she slowly stroked her fingers through the blue fur of the purring cat on her lap. "Natsu, you have nothing to apologise for. I promise. You didn't know, so it wasn't your fault, okay?" She smiled softly at her friend and waited for the scowl on his face to lessen some before she said, "But… If you call me fat again, Bickslow isn't going to be the one to punch you." Hell, she'd fucking kick her best friend through the door if he made any comments about her weight or shape or anything. Bickslow couldn't have all the fun, and she'd really only let him do it in the first place because she knew how much he'd really wanted to inflict some pain on the former Dragon Slayer.
Natsu flashed his brilliant grin at the blonde. "Don't worry, Luce. I won't call you fat again." There was a collective sigh from both Gray and Bickslow before the former Ice Make mage elbowed Natsu in the side, and his grin turned apologetic as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck and quietly said, "I am sorry for making you cry the last time we came over, though."
Lucy blinked in surprise as her brow furrowed slightly in her confusion, and her head tilted slightly. The fact that she honestly could not remember her team visiting was making her panic just a little bit. Lucy was used to forgetting small things here and there, like small details, but something like her best friend making her cry? Now that was new.
With her silence and her team's growing confusion from it, Bickslow looked up from where he sat at the table with a smirk. She totally doesn't remember. Wow. "It was the weekend before last, Cosplayer," he said carefully while lifting up the small spoon from the bowl with the pureed strawberries (the only form of strawberries in their entire apartment after Lucy decided she couldn't be near them). As Lucy remained silent, only ducking her head as her embarrassment over forgetting became more apparent, and as her team remained silent, thankfully, he continued, "They wanted to take you to see Cana's bar. And Gajeel was here too. Avoiding Levy, actually."
"Was that the day I…" She could remember Gajeel coming over, and she could remember something about her team visiting, but those weren't what she could remember in perfect detail. No, she could remember being a complete fucking mess, because to that day, that had been her worst. First it had been crying about the goddamn strawberries making her nauseous, and then it had been about Ingrid getting older. And then… "Oh! I remember now!" Lucy could most definitely remember crying because of Natsu, and, curling up in a ball with the covers over her head.
"Did you really forget?" Gray asked with an eyebrow raised in confusion.
"Yeah," Lucy laughed nervously. "It happens occasionally."
Erza cleared her throat as she got up from where she sat at the table opposite Bickslow. Her concerned gaze met Lucy's when she looked up, and she said, "Lucy… I know that you and Bickslow have had quite a bit to deal with lately, but… I do wish you'd have told us earlier." She sat down on the lounge next to the blonde as her lips turned down into a small frown. "We're still a team, even here, and I get the feeling that you finding out that you were pregnant had something to do with you avoiding us."
The former Requip mage did understand that it was something that really did only concern herself and Bickslow, since after all, it was their family and their lives. But… Erza did wish that Lucy had come to them sooner with her actually quite exciting news. Lucy was one of her closest friends, and she truly did support her and was happy for her (and Bickslow), because she trusted her judgement. It was obvious to her that Bickslow and Lucy had known about it for quite some time, and she truly did get that the two would have needed their privacy as they decided how to cope with the unexpected addition to their small and slightly weird and dysfunctional family, but Erza couldn't help but wonder why Lucy had found it necessary to actively avoid her closest friends.
Was it because she didn't trust them? Or was it because it had taken them to that point to decide what they had wanted to do? Erza just didn't know. They were a team, always, and that meant they were there for each other with everything.
"Yeah, you could have told us earlier," Gray agreed.
Lucy looked down to her lap with a sigh as she continued to stroke the purring cat that was curling up against her stomach as she sat back. "I know I could have," she whispered. "I just couldn't tell you. Not until today." Of course, Lucy really hadn't wanted to tell her team right away, and Bickslow had understood that. They'd had a lot to deal with in those first few days where they just hadn't known or even discussed what they had been going to do.
But then her health and the babies' health had been an issue, and she really hadn't been able to tell anyone else, other than the few who really did need to know. And unfortunately, her team hadn't been on that list of people who had needed to know. It wasn't like Lucy didn't want to tell her team earlier though, because part of her had. It had truly sucked not seeing her team, but she had dealt with it because she'd been trying her best to take things easy and get used to the idea of actually being pregnant. Not to mention the loss of confidence that came with it.
And really, Lucy was honestly thrilled that her team seemed to be happy for her and Bickslow. But… To know that they were hurt that they hadn't found out until that morning, more than a month after finding out, well… It hurt Lucy too, and it made her feel guilty.
"How come?" Erza asked quietly.
"Well… Because up until a few days ago, we weren't actually sure if everything was okay, and we didn't want to tell anyone just in case…" she trailed off into silence when that almost crippling fear made itself known again. Even just the thought of losing her children – and Lucy knew very well that it was still very unlikely, and there was even less of a chance right then – had her unable to do anything but look down at Happy who was looking back up at her with strangely worried feline eyes and with his head resting on her belly.
She knew that her friends truly deserved an explanation for everything, but… She just couldn't do it. And Bickslow could see that. "Do you want me to tell them?" he asked, and she nodded slowly. "How much?" It wasn't as if Bickslow had a problem with having to explain it for Lucy, because he knew that the entire thing had been more stressful and frightening for her than it had been for him. He just needed to know how much to say, because the last thing he needed was to say too much to her team and have it hurt Lucy. Just the memory and the same fear that they'd had not that long ago was something Lucy needed to let go of, just so she could truly enjoy what she was doing.
"All of it…" Lucy whispered, much to the confusion of her silent friends. They deserved to know all of what had happened. And maybe, just maybe, having her team know just that little bit more about the situation would help her put her worry behind her. Maybe it would help her remember that she was fine and there was nothing to worry about at all. She could hope, at least.
Bickslow sighed when everyone but Lucy turned to look at him. Alright… How to do this… "So… A couple of weeks after we found out, so it was few weeks ago now, something… happened." He barely gave anyone a chance to ask what it was that had happened before he went on, only while glancing towards Lucy to see the way her face, though he could only see half of it, had not a single bit of happiness etched on it as she looked down. "We ended up having to go to the hospital in the middle of the night, because… Well… There was um… a lot of blood."
Erza suddenly turned back to Lucy as Gray whispered in Natsu's ear, explaining that it most definitely was not just because she was of the opposite gender. "Lucy…" Erza said softly as she reached out to place her hand on the blonde's arm. She couldn't begin to fathom how the two would have felt then, and especially not how Lucy did.
"So, you know… We both assume that it was because Lucy was losing the baby…"
"Wait, I thought it was twins?' Gray asked suddenly.
"We didn't know it was twins until Wednesday," Lucy answered quietly as she kept her head down.
Erza turned to look back to Bickslow then as she began to rub small circles on Lucy's back. "Weren't you still in Crocus with Laxus on Wednesday?"
Bickslow nodded. "I was. I got back really late that night though," he said. "But anyway. We found out it was a relatively common complication in the first trimester, but it was still fucking scary. So, at the time, the baby was actually fine." Because then, they'd still only thought it was the one, and not the two.
Bickslow took a breath when he gave Ingrid another small spoonful of the fruit. "But… Lucy had to heal and take care of herself because otherwise it would put the baby – well, technically babies – at risk and things could have gotten worse. So she had to rest until we were sure everything was fine and was in the clear again, and that wasn't until the scan on Wednesday, which is why you all found out today."
Erza looked back to Lucy once Bickslow got up from the table and went over to the sink. She sat forward and turned slightly just enough to pull the quiet blonde into her arms, and she smiled softly with her chin on her shoulder. Erza could understand why they hadn't found out, and yeah, she still wished she had known sooner. Much like Gray and Natsu wished, because after all, they were all still a team and each other's closest friends – but she could see why they'd kept it to themselves. It had obviously been a stressful time, and the two had obviously needed to deal with it on their own and wait for the right time.
"So… The only reason you didn't want to see us was because you were worried about something bad happening?" Erza asked softly.
Lucy nodded with a sad smile. "Yeah, sorry…" she whispered. "That, and I was a little worried you'd find out on your own. The only reason I really kept it hidden this long was because I wasn't allowed to leave." Her eyes flicked towards Bickslow as her lips pulled up into a small smirk. "Because someone put me on house arrest."
"One, doctor's orders and you damn well know it," Bickslow scoffed as he rolled his eyes. "And two, most people are usually happy about spending time with their boyfriend."
She let out a quiet laugh when she looked back down to Happy with a soft smile and began to stroke the fluffy tail, only for him to purr in delight. "But, yeah… I wasn't really avoiding you intentionally. I just wanted to make sure that everything was still okay, and it was just easier to stay here and take things easy for a little while, instead of trying to explain why I couldn't go anywhere, without telling you that I was pregnant, so…"
"It's okay. We get it now," Erza smiled softly. She turned to look back up to Bickslow when he came to stand just by the lounge. "Am I right in assuming this is why Laxus gave you time off work?"
Bickslow nodded. "Yup. He knew enough to understand and let me stay here to look after Ingrid and Lucy. I'm going back on Monday though," he sighed. Unfortunately…
"Makes sense," Erza shrugged as she looked back to Lucy with another smile. "But if Bickslow is coming back to work, then that means things are truly fine for you, right?" she asked.
"I still have to take things easy and make sure I'm looking after myself, but yeah, things are okay now. Two very happy and healthy babies," Lucy beamed. "Both of which," she began as she looked up to Bickslow, "We are very, very happy about, and excited to meet." And that was the important part. They really were looking forward to when they were actually born – Lucy more than Bickslow because she was sure she was really just going to be looking forward to getting them the hell out of her by the time she was much further along.
In a way, she knew it didn't really matter what everyone else thought. It was just a bonus that no one seemed to be against it. All that mattered was that they were happy, because after all, they were their children and it was their family. And that, was what truly made them happy.
"Well, if you're happy, then we're happy," Erza said before she quickly pulled Lucy in again, much to her surprise when she found the side of her face pressed against the scarlet-haired woman's ample chest. "And you better have more beautiful girls like Ingrid."
"No. She has to have boys," Bickslow whined.
Gray and Natsu quickly got up from the lounge to pile on top of the suddenly laughing blonde, and quickly, their living room turned loud and slightly chaotic as they all began to argue about whether or not Lucy was having boys or girls. Of course, Bickslow took great delight in the fact that both Gray and Natsu agreed that their little family needed to be blessed with boys, rather than girls that time.
But still, if they did end up being girls, Bickslow really wouldn't care. Not one bit. And neither would Lucy.
Lucy looked up from her book and lifted her head slightly to look towards the hall when she heard the front door close, and a quiet sigh escaped her lips as she reached to the nightstand behind her to grab the bookmark and place it between the pages.
"Enjoy yourself?" she asked as Bickslow stumbled into the room, leaving the dark hall behind him.
He shook his head as he collapsed forward and onto the bed. "I should really stop drinking with Gajeel. Should've learnt from the first time," he mumbled with his face pressed into the slightly messed up blankets. It really wasn't that he hadn't had a good night, because he had. Drinking with one of his best friends at Cana's bar that was thankfully just on the next street had been great, because those days, he really didn't have the time to do much. Not that he minded, of course, because he'd choose his seven-month-old over drinking any day.
But sometimes, it was nice to just let loose, and after the morning they'd had that had truly been far more stressful than it should have been, Bickslow had needed it. Besides, Levy was getting sick of Gajeel being around all the time and had wanted just one night with her own twins, and Lucy was almost more than glad to have Bickslow out for a few hours. She loved the guy, but she was definitely glad about Bickslow going back to work in just one more day, even if she was also definitely going to have to get used to him not being there every day.
The only problem was that when Bickslow drank, he tended to say some very, very stupid things, and he was sure he'd told Gajeel a few certain things he definitely shouldn't have. Specifically, it might have been brought up that he cared about Lucy just a little (or a lot) more than everyone but Laxus knew. And that was definitely not a good thing. It wasn't like Gajeel wasn't good at keeping secrets, because in all honesty, the guy knew far too many for his own good. It was just the kind of thing Bickslow wasn't exactly going to blurt out to people.
It was because of that Bickslow was on the verge of choosing not to drink again. Or at least with Gajeel. Or at least until he had no secrets. It wouldn't be that bad. Spend his free time sober with Lucy and Ingrid. That's basically what he did anyway, and really, he wouldn't have things any other way.
As Bickslow crawled up on the bed and towards his pillows, only kicking his shoes off towards the floor without moving too much, Lucy sighed again and frowned slightly at the former Seith mage. "You need to go have a shower, Bickslow," she said softly.
He grinned into the pillow when he reached it. "Only if you join me."
"Not today," she sighed. One of those days, she was truly going to take him up on those offers to join him in the shower. But… It really wasn't that day.
"Tomorrow then?'
Lucy rolled her eyes as a blush crept up on her cheeks and pushed the blue-and-black haired man away when he sluggishly sat up and got far too close to Lucy for comfort, and of course, with his tongue-lolling grin plastered on his face. "Just go shower already," she muttered when he finally crawled over her to get to the edge of the bed closest to the door. "Alone."
"But showering alone is no fun," he whined.
She shook her head as she opened up her book again, but glancing up before Bickslow could close the bathroom door behind himself, she called, "Clothes." Because if Bickslow didn't take his clothes in with him, then he would be coming out in a towel, and despite still believing that he was almost far too attractive to be a father (the reminder that he was going to have three kids before he was twenty-eight, though he'd still only feel like he was twenty-three, was just another thing that completely blew her mind – and that she really probably could stare at Bickslow in nothing but a towel for far too long), the last thing she needed was a half naked ex-Seith mage of a boyfriend in her bedroom. Well, their bedroom, technically. And drunk at that. And especially not when there was a tiny part of Lucy that really would love to see him without a towel… Or anything, for that matter.
But no. That wasn't going to be that night. Soon, maybe. Hopefully, actually. Because she was honestly convinced the next nearly three weeks for her were going to be more than a little uncomfortable for herself. She just wasn't going to tell Bickslow that. Not yet, anyway.
"Right, clothes," Bickslow muttered as he quickly spun on his heels to quickly go over to his side of the wardrobe, only barely managing to stay on his feet after almost tripping on his shoes. "You know, if you'd just join me in the shower already, the entire clothes thing wouldn't be as much of an issue." He turned around to pull his shirt off over his head as he shrugged, before throwing it towards the washing basket (not caring that it didn't actually land anywhere near it, of course), and slowly walking back over to the bathroom completely aware that Lucy's eyes were following him as he kept the smirk on his face. "I mean, I'd be naked… You'd be naked… It's a win for everyone, really."
As soon as the bathroom door closed, Lucy couldn't help but sigh in relief as she slid down the bed to stare up at the ceiling. She really didn't know just what it was with Bickslow, but she had come to learn that he had a strange tendency to ask her to join him in the shower when he was drunk. And it really was only when he was drunk. Well, apart from that one time when he'd been sober, but other than that, he had to be intoxicated to blatantly flirt with her like that. Sure, Lucy knew she probably deserved it considering every single time, she'd also just happened to tell him to go and get in the damn shower. But it was really just because she didn't enjoy dealing with him with he was hungover. He whined and he slept a lot, and he was less than pleasant to be around for the most part. When he showered and got some rest, he was at least bearable.
He came back out a little while later, shrugging the shirt on over his head before he pushed the sleeves up to his elbows and climbed on to his side of the bed. Lucy giggled when he instantly snuggled up to her side. Not only did he get incredibly flirty when he was drunk, but he also liked to cuddle. Well, a lot more than usual. Not that Lucy minded that part of it though, since they did that anyway.
Except when he moved down like he usually did, resting his head on her belly and wrapping his arms around her waist as best as he could, she tried to sit up slightly and push him off. "Bicks, come on," she laughed, threading her fingers through his soaked hair that was completely soaking through her shirt. "You're making me all wet."
He snickered as he sat up slightly. "Damn right I am."
"O-Oh my god… N-Not like that, you idiot!" she spluttered, tucking her feet in when he crawled over her once again to head for the dark bathroom. Nice one, Lucy. You're really just handing them to him at this point. "I meant your hair… A-And my shirt… And oh god I'll just stop talking." If she could curl up into a ball and hide under the blankets, she would.
Bickslow came back out laughing as he ran the towel over his head and through his hair. "Don't worry, Cosplayer. I won't tell anyone that I turn you on." He threw the towel to the chest at the foot of the bed once he was sure it wasn't completely dripping wet, letting his hair fall across his forehead before he once again climbed over the blonde to be where he had been before. A tired sigh escaped him once he'd closed his eyes, and instead he focused on enjoying the feel of her breathing slowly just beneath him.
That was what Bickslow liked most about doing that. Not because he was close to the babies, which he did also enjoy immensely, but it was because he was close to Lucy. He just liked being able to be near her. To hold her and just enjoy the quiet, peaceful moments. And he knew Lucy didn't mind it. If anything, she enjoyed those moments just as much as he did.
Every night, it's what they did. Bickslow would use her as a human pillow, enjoy being close to her and talk to her belly to remind the babies to stay happy and healthy, and Lucy would sit there with her hand running through his hair and call him a dork. Of course, it was a lot more fun when Bickslow was at a work and they could talk about their days before they finally went to bed, but they would still find things to talk about regardless.
Or sometimes they'd just stay silent. It didn't really matter all that much to them.
"You know what I really miss sometimes?" Bickslow murmured as he shifted his head ever so slightly. "Magic."
Lucy frowned down at him. "So do I," she whispered. "I miss my spirits." And she did. A lot. But she also knew there was nothing she could do about it, because in that world, magic just didn't exist.
"I miss my babies. Well, I miss souls, actually. Souls are great. I used to wish more people could see the beauty of souls, but at the same time I didn't, because Seith magic is really terrible sometimes," he sighed. "Especially to grow up with it. Kinda sucks that it's a mostly genetic thing."
She sat in silence for a few short moments, only slowly combing her fingers through the damp hair, and looking down at him in concern. She knew he got a little flirty and a little pervy when he was drunk, and she knew he got incredibly cuddly… But she didn't know he got just a little bit too honest. But he was talking about his magic, and Lucy was suddenly very intrigued. She knew nothing about it, and she really did want to know more. She didn't see the harm in asking about it, given that he was obviously somewhat willing to talk about it considering he'd brought it up (despite being intoxicated). There was no magic in that world after all, so really, what would be the issue in finding out more about Seith magic?
"Hey, Bicks…" she said softly. "Do you remember a while ago when I asked you what type of magic Ingrid would use if we were in our old world? And you said it would be Seith because she has your eyes?"
"Vaguely," he mumbled.
"Okay… So… How is that? I mean, is it because of the colour or—"
"The rings," Bickslow cut her off suddenly, keeping his eyes closed with a tired sigh. "The colour is irrelevant. Seith mages – well, human possession ones anyway – have these circles in the iris. Usually just a little bit darker than whatever colour their eyes are. Ingrid's are exactly like mine, so yeah, she would've got the entire Seith thing from me unfortunately if we could still use magic."
She frowned again when she began to worry about just why Bickslow was so negative when it came to his magic. Or, more importantly, Ingrid being born a Seith mage if they were still in a world with magic. Lucy realised that she wouldn't actually have any problems with Ingrid having Bickslow's magic. Hell, she'd have no problems if the twins ended up having Bickslow's magic too. You know, assuming that they could even use magic in that world. But if they could, Lucy just didn't think there would be any reason for her not to like the idea of having three gorgeous Seith mages as children. She just didn't understand how Bickslow could think the opposite, or at least that's what it seemed like.
She wanted to know why though, because she still wanted to know more about his magic. Maybe if she knew more about Seith magic, maybe she'd be able to understand why he seemed so set on his own magic being such a terrible thing sometimes. Especially when it came to growing up with it.
But Lucy would get to that. First, she wanted to know more about the eyes she truly did love so much. "So does that mean Ingrid's eyes would turn green like yours did?" she asked. She could remember Bickslow's eyes turning a bright green the one time she had seen him use his magic. Well, his Figure Eyes, at least. But honestly, it wouldn't surprise Lucy in the least if she'd gotten it wrong. After all, the one time she'd seen Bickslow use that part of his magic, she'd been too busy trying not to look at him and keep her eyes closed. She just really thought they were green.
"Not necessarily," Bickslow said quietly. He lifted his head just enough to push the damp fabric of Lucy's shirt up and out of the way before going back to resting his head on her stomach and closing his eyes. "Depends on the colour of her soul."
"Souls have different colours?"
"Different colours for different types of people. Some are rarer than others, and it's usually the rarer the type, the more beautiful," he mumbled. "I doubt Ingrid's would be like mine. Probably end up being like yours, if anything. Really sucks not being able to tell though."
She looked down as a soft smile graced her lips. "Like mine, huh? So what colour would that be?"
Bickslow's eyes suddenly shot open as his brows drew together. "You know… I really have no idea," he mumbled. And he really had no clue. If Ingrid's soul was anything like Lucy's soul, which Bickslow seriously suspected to be the case, then her eyes could end up being any number of colours. Because unlike the typical person, Lucy's soul was not just one colour. If anything, the fact that Lucy's soul seemed to be one of a kind was what made it all the more appealing to Bickslow, because after all, he did really love souls.
The thing with Lucy's soul was that it was white. But even though white souls in itself were rare, that wasn't what had always intrigued Bickslow the most. No, it was what was at the very centre of her soul what did that, and it was why Bickslow was so confused. Because right in the centre, and right next to her heart, was not a single coloured orb, but instead, one that softly glowed with almost every colour of the rainbow. It always reminded Bickslow of a precious gem, the way it shone and the way the colours swirled and flowed together.
It was that very reason Bickslow had no idea what colour Ingrid's eyes would end up being if she could use magic, because if her own soul really was anything like Lucy's, then it could be any colour imaginable.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lucy laughed.
"It means your soul is really weird," Bickslow said slowly. "Like, weird in a good way, because it's special, and because your soul is kind of more beautiful than you, and that's really saying something. I just mean that there's a lot more than one colour to yours, and if Ingrid's is anything even close to yours, then her eyes could end up being any colour."
Lucy leant back against the pillow to make herself slightly more comfortable once Bickslow closed his eyes again. She still really knew nothing about souls themselves, but she really couldn't help but find it flattering to know that her own soul was special. Well, at least she thought it was something to be flattered about, unless Bickslow was just complimenting her because he could. Which, he did a lot. Not that Lucy minded all that much.
When her back began to ache from the position she was sitting up in, she reached out to switch off the lamp on the nightstand, leaving the room in almost complete darkness, apart from the small amount of light coming in from the window behind the chair. "Alright, come on. I'm getting uncomfortable," she said, tapping Bickslow's shoulder gently to get him to move. He moved away with a groan to let Lucy get comfortable, only dropping his own head to his pillow. "I didn't mean you had to stop. I just wanted to get comfortable again," Lucy laughed once she'd finished getting comfortable, barely lying on her side and facing Bickslow again.
He lifted his head again with a wide grin on his face, and an arm reached out to wrap around her as he pulled himself forward. "Good," he murmured as he let his lips brush across her cheek. "'Cause you're comfortable. And really warm." And Bickslow really loved that she was warm and cuddly and soft and comfortable. And also his. Yeah, he loved that a lot.
So slowly, moving his hand down to her hip, he slid down the bed once again, only dragging his head down over her body just as slowly, and making the blonde's face turn a flattering shade of red when his face was briefly pressed between her breasts. Too long, if you asked Lucy, but definitely not long enough if you asked Bickslow. Definitely too brief…
A contented sigh escaped him once again as he found his legs tangling up with hers and curling around her slightly. Her fingers threading through his hair, the slight rise and fall of her stomach with each quiet breath, and the realisation that by the end of the year, he wouldn't just be resting his head on Lucy's belly to be close to the twins, but he'd actually be able to hold them in his arms just like he did Ingrid. All of that made Bickslow happy – and excited as all hell. So much so that he was nearly nervous. But happy nonetheless.
"You know why else I miss not being able to see souls anymore?" he murmured as he lifted his head just enough to lightly kiss her belly.
"Why don't you tell me?" she asked quietly, a soft smile on her lips as she kept her eyes closed. Now that she was lying down and incredibly comfortable, she was finding it hard to stay awake.
"Because if I could still see souls, I would have been able to tell you the babies were fine, even when we were worried about you losing them," he said softly, continuing to kiss her stomach.
"You would've been able to see their souls?"
He nodded slightly. "Able to see them pretty early on, so I would've been able to remind you every single day that they were happy and healthy, even when things were scary." He liked to think that would have made things easier for Lucy if he had been able to do that. Because if anything had been wrong with their babies, he would have seen it. He would have seen their souls change; he would have been able to see them fading.
Even though that thought was scary as it was, because it was never pleasant to see someone's life literally fade away to nothing, and when it would literally be him watching his children's lives end before they even had a change to begin, Bickslow still thought it would be nice just to be able to see their souls. He would be able to tell Lucy how bright they were, every single day, and reassure her that they were okay. "Would've been able to tell you it was twins way before last week, too," he murmured.
"I think I would have liked that," Lucy said softly. "I would have liked that a lot, actually."
"Yeah. It would have been nice." Another sigh escaped him as he turned his head again just to trail kisses down her belly before he let his forehead rest against her quietly as his hand slowly ran up and down her side. As strange as it was, Bickslow was really looking forward to Lucy getting bigger. Lucy didn't understand it, of course, and neither did he if he were to be perfectly honest. Even then, at barely eleven weeks, she wasn't exactly that big, but it was enough that she really couldn't hide it anymore, not unless she wore about fifty layers.
Bickslow knew that he really wouldn't be able to keep using her as a human pillow too. At least, not for the entire time, because once she got further along, it really was bound to get uncomfortable for both of them. For now, though, Bickslow could keep doing that, because it was comfortable. Far too comfortable, actually, and Bickslow was sure he could fall asleep right there just like Lucy was, and Bickslow knew it because she'd stopped running her hand through his hair and her breathing had slowed. Not that he minded.
And in the relaxing and quiet moment that just got longer with each passing minute, Lucy truly was falling asleep.
"I love you, you know?" Bickslow suddenly mumbled with his lips against her stomach again.
His words had her heart skipping a beat and smiling softly once again. If it wasn't for the facts that she was half asleep, he was more than a little intoxicated, and he was still hugging her belly, she would have thought he meant her. But that would be too perfect and far too sweet, and Lucy was convinced that that wasn't the case. "I'm sure they do know," she whispered. "And I'm sure they love you too." Because with the way things they were, Lucy was entirely sure that he was just talking to the twins like he often did.
To that, Bickslow could only be just a little relieved that Lucy hadn't realised that he really did mean her. He always said and did stupid things when he was drunk, and right then was no different. He didn't entirely regret it though. If anything, he didn't regret it at all, because even when he'd been drinking and Lucy didn't even know what he meant, it felt good to actually say it. To tell her that he loved her had a warmth spreading throughout him that wasn't just from how much he'd had to drink.
But it didn't matter. He knew he probably wasn't even going to remember saying it at all in the morning, and if he did, he sure as hell wouldn't know why he'd let it slip out. And even if he really did remember, Lucy still wouldn't know that he'd meant her and not the babies. He sat up slowly once again and blindly pulled the fabric of her shirt down over her belly as best he could before he crawled up towards the pillows again. "Yeah, I'm sure they do," he said quietly, pressing just a light kiss to her cheek before moving back to the other side of the bed with a quiet sigh.
He didn't know what it was, but he felt just a little bit disappointed. And maybe, just maybe, it was because he was realising just how painful it was to be in love with someone who didn't love him back.