"Careful…"
Lucy sighed as she slowly continued to step forward with Bickslow's hand softly resting on the small of her back, and as she listened to the sound of the small twigs and leaves crunching under hers and Bickslow's feet, she tightened her grip on the car seat handle that Ingrid was in. "I wouldn't have to be careful if you'd just let me open my eyes and see where I'm actually going," she muttered.
"But that would ruin the surprise," Bickslow replied. "We're almost there though."
"I'd still love to know where 'there' is…"
"You'll see when we get there," he chuckled.
Bickslow had to admit that he was quite proud of himself that Lucy had absolutely no idea what it was he had planned. And hell, he was also proud of himself for coming up with it in the first place. But that being said, it had been on his mind since Lucy had mentioned she wanted a date, and all of that night and all of that day (when he'd been awake, that is), he'd been trying to come up with something.
She wanted a date, so she was going to get a date. And Bickslow sure as hell hope she liked it. It wasn't exactly a conventional first date either, because with the limited knowledge on dating he did have, he knew that most first dates were usually out to get drinks or dinner. Something more casual just to get to know the other person a little bit better.
But their relationship wasn't conventional in the slightest. Legally and technically, they were married, not that they acknowledged it because of what had happened with their other selves and then they just really didn't care about each other enough to actually be married. They had a daughter together, and, they had two more children on the way. They lived together, and they'd only been together for a few weeks.
Well… It had been twenty-four days, but who was counting? Well, they both were. Not that they knew it.
There was just nothing conventional about their relationship in the slightest, but that didn't mean it didn't work. Because they thought it did, and it was that very reason that Bickslow was confident Lucy would enjoy their slightly unconventional, hopefully romantic first date.
"You can stop right… here," Bickslow said once they'd come to the spot that Bickslow had been leading them to. He quickly leant down to press his lips against her cheek with a slight smirk before he whispered, "But you can't open your eyes yet."
"Seriously?" she whined.
"Seriously."
He stepped back once he'd taken the car seat from Lucy's hands and gently placed it on the ground just in front of her, and he looked around the small clearing between the cliff edge and the forest they'd just walked through – the one that was considerably smaller than what it had been in their own world, but that was only because half of it had been cleared for the residential areas that took up a lot of the outer areas of Magnolia.
Bickslow glanced back to Ingrid once he placed the basket he'd been carrying down on the ground, and after making sure that Ingrid was fine just where he was, he quickly began to unpack the wicker basket. He pulled out the fluffy blue blanket that he'd packed on the top of it, and he neatly laid it out on the grass in front of him, smoothing it out and adjusting it slightly to make sure it would be somewhat comfortable. Next he pulled out the clear container with the potato salad (which of course, Bickslow had not actually made, because he was still completely useless when it came to cooking anything), and then the paper-wrapped chicken salad rolls (which he also hadn't made), plates, glasses, and the still cold juice, and he arranged it all somewhat neatly on the blanket and then moved the basket with just a few things left in it off to the side.
"Can I look yet?" Lucy asked with another impatient sigh.
"In a minute," Bickslow answered. He quickly got up and then went over to the Lucy, only to carefully slide the bag from her shoulder before he placed it down next to the picnic basket and pulled out one of Ingrid's blankets. He arranged the small white blanket in the centre of the larger one, and then quickly got up again to grab Ingrid herself just to place her down on the blankets.
Confident that Ingrid was content as she rolled onto her tummy and looked at her new outdoor surroundings, Bickslow glanced over his shoulder one last time to make sure everything was perfect as he went back over to Lucy. An arm slowly wound around her waist and as he turned to look down at her with a wide grin, he softly said, "Now you can look."
The first thing Lucy saw when she was finally allowed to open her eyes was the cloudless sunset that covered everything in an orange glow. Then, it was the bustling and sprawling city she called home and the surrounding suburbs. And, as she looked down after slowly getting her head around where she actually was, she saw the picnic spread out and her daughter on the fluffy white blanket. Lucy looked up to Bickslow with a heartfelt smile as she wrapped her own arm around him. "A picnic?" she smiled.
Bickslow nodded. "You wanted a date, so… How's this for a first date?"
"Very nice," Lucy laughed as she stood up on her tiptoes, just to quickly press a kiss to his lips and wipe the grin off his face. She quickly pulled away from Bickslow, and she sat down on the blanket, she said, "Now, you made me wait for dinner—"
"It was like ten minutes," Bickslow cut in with a roll of his eyes as he followed her to sit down on the other side of Ingrid.
The glare she sent towards him then had Bickslow quickly realising that making her wait an extra ten minutes at best for food was a terrible idea. Regardless of the fact that it was a surprise. "If it wasn't for the fact that this is supposed to be a nice and romantic evening, then I wouldn't be like this," she said with an almost all too sweet smile, with just a hint of malice hidden in it. "I like my food, remember? And you made me wait an extra ten minutes for it."
Bickslow nodded in understanding quickly before he reached for the bottle and the glasses. "Note to self: don't get between you and food. Got it." He really should have known, to be honest. It wasn't like he didn't know that she was almost always hungry those days – not that he ever commented on it, of course, since he knew it because she was kind of eating for three. He just didn't think ten minutes would make that much of a difference. It wasn't going to be a mistake he'd make again though, that was for sure.
"Good boy," she laughed again as she unwrapped one of the rolls. When she saw Bickslow begin to pour the deep red liquid in the wine glasses from the bottle with the label that was almost suspiciously covered by his hand, her brows drew together and her mouth twisted into a tight line. "You do remember I can't drink, right?'
"Cranberry juice. Don't worry."
"Oh. Well, in that case… That's fine then," she laughed as she took the glass from him to take a sip.
As they ate and laughed, played with Ingrid and watched the sun finally set, Lucy was almost unable to draw her eyes away from the city before her. With the near full moon in the cloudless skin, there was plenty of light between that and the bright city. The view was different from what she was used to, and from where she sat, she could still see what she had seen so many times if she just closed her eyes.
From up there, one could see all of Magnolia. Every single building, the canals that ran through the town and separated the districts, and then the guild that everyone had spent so much time in. From up there, one of the highest points on the edge of town, everything could be seen.
But that was only if she closed her eyes. Because there, and right then, nothing was the same. She couldn't see every building in Magnolia, not when the boundaries she'd once known had been extended. In front of her was the city and the quiet neighbourhoods, and all around her even more suburban streets loomed. Once upon a time, all of that had just been forest, but things were different now, and Lucy knew that. From up there, she couldn't even see Kardia Cathedral. Not when it was dwarfed and hidden behind the sky-high towers.
"You can still see it, can't you?"
Lucy tore her gaze away from the shining city before her and looked to Bickslow beside her. He didn't need to say anything else for her to know what it was he was referring to. She nodded slowly before she whispered, "Can you?"
"Yeah," Bickslow sighed. And he really could. It was why he'd brought Lucy to that place for their date in the first place, because he knew it was just one of the few places left that wasn't completely different. Sure, the view itself had drastically changed, but there had still been so many times where Bickslow had sat on that same cliff edge, either alone or with his team, and just admired the town they called home, in all of its glory. But just because the view had changed, it didn't mean it was any less breathtaking than what they were used to.
He quickly finished packing up the rest of the containers and empty glasses, and he gently picked up Ingrid from where she lay on her white blanket, and he leant backwards, holding his arm out to the side while the other held Ingrid against his chest. "Come here," he said quietly, and when Lucy slowly laid back to curl up against his side with her head on his shoulder, he smiled softly, letting his arm wrap around her. "I wouldn't change it for anything in the world though."
Lucy tilted her head ever so slightly just to look up to the few stars shining in the night sky. "But don't you miss your magic and all of that?" she whispered.
"Of course," Bickslow said softly. "It's not like we'll ever be able to forget that we all come from a completely different world, but… I still really am glad that all of this happened." And he was. It didn't matter that he could still see what things used to look like if he closed his eyes and he focused on his memories. Bickslow could live with the lack of magic, regardless of how much he missed his floating companions. The fact of the matter remained that there really wasn't anything in the world that he loved more than being there in that world. He turned his own head slightly just to press his lips to her forehead, and said, "I'm happy here. Like this. I wouldn't dream of ever going back. Not even if it was possible."
It warmed Lucy from the inside out to know that Bickslow was truly as happy with everything as he seemed. It wasn't that she hadn't known he was happy, because she did know. It was just that she had watched him from day one; she had seen him completely turn his life around. And since that first day, Bickslow had had plenty of opportunities to just walk away. From waking up in a completely different world, to finding out that he was married to her and they had a daughter. From Lucy getting hurt because of something Bickslow hadn't had anything to do with, and to her getting pregnant again – with twins, no less. Through everything, Bickslow had had so many reasons to leave and just leave everything he hadn't wanted behind him, and then zero reasons to ever care.
But Bickslow had done just that. He'd cared. The entire time, Bickslow had stayed and he had stayed with Lucy. They had dealt with everything together, and Bickslow had taken on every responsibility when he hadn't really had an obligation to do so. He hadn't had to care about Lucy – or Ingrid for that matter – and he hadn't had to comfort her anywhere near as much as he had in the past months. He hadn't had to see Ingrid as his daughter, nor had he had to see the twins as his own children. He had had every right to just walk away from a life that wasn't his. But, he'd stayed.
He had stayed and he had cared and he had made it a life that he actually did love. More than Lucy knew, anyway. But Lucy still loved it regardless. She truly missed her spirits, and her magic and the jobs… But, she wouldn't change anything either. Just like Bickslow, she was so glad that all of it had happened. Because maybe if things hadn't turned out like they had – she hadn't been hurt unintentionally and she hadn't needed her family – then maybe she wouldn't have realised just how amazing of a person that Bickslow actually was; maybe she wouldn't have fallen in love with him, because undoubtedly, she fell hard. Very hard.
She wasn't going to tell Bickslow that though. Not yet, at least. Maybe when she was sure she wasn't a complete lunatic for having fallen in love with him way too quickly.
"You know, neither would I." She wouldn't change anything in the world for what she had then, regardless of how different things were, and she meant it. With a soft smile on her lips, she lifted her hand that wasn't tucked under Bickslow's arm and lightly running through the blue strands of hair, and she lowered it to rest on Ingrid's shoulders, just above Bickslow's hand. "And… I'm glad it was you," she whispered as she looked back up to Bickslow, ignoring the searing heat on her face. "I really never thought I'd be saying it, but I'm glad it was you that I got to wake up next to."
"Me too. I don't things would have been the same if it hadn't been you. And I'm really, really inclined to believe that the other me was an incredibly lucky son of a bitch to get you," he murmured with a wide grin all for her. Bickslow still really was convinced that his other self was the luckiest person in the entire world, despite also being the biggest dick. Which, he had said on more than one occasion because he really did hate him. Or himself, technically.
But the fact that he'd managed to get the Lucy of that world was what made him lucky. At least to that Bickslow, anyway. He'd been able to date her, to love her, and to get her to fall in love of him. Him, of all people. It still amazed him, and he wasn't even the one that she was in love with. At least not in that world, where it was actually them. At least… He didn't think she loved him. Maybe one day, he hoped. Because still, he loved her, and the thought of Lucy actually falling in love with him truly had him feeling… Giddy. Just the thought alone was euphoric, because truly, it would be amazing. The woman he loved and had done so for god knows how long, the mother of his children, and his goddamn wife. Bickslow just wanted to be able to tell her how much he loved her, but… He could wait for that moment.
For now, he would just enjoy what it was they had and hope that things really would continue to work out. He would enjoy just being her partner in crime, being able to spend time with her. And he'd sure as hell enjoy just spending time with his family and the simple moments, because more than anything, he really did love that they were a family.
Bickslow loved Ingrid more than he could put into words, and already, he felt the same way about the twins. He already knew that once they were actually there and in their arms, his life would be filled with just that more joy. He'd have two more tiny humans to devote his life to and love for the rest of his life, and oh, was Bickslow glad that he would get to do all of that with Lucy.
And as much as Bickslow hated his other self for what he had done – for making him hurt Lucy in a way that she never deserved to be hurt – he had also calmed down in the last few weeks. If they really were in their old world, they would be without Ingrid, and there would be no way they'd know about the twins. And Bickslow knew that they'd both be hurting, and he honestly did feel just a little sorry for them. Not just for Lucy, because she was a mother, but for his other self too, because even if the guy was an absolute moron, he was still a father and no parent deserved to have their child taken away from them. Not unless they were seriously incapable of being a good parent, and Bickslow knew that his other self was not one of those people. Undoubtedly, he would have loved Ingrid as much as Bickslow did in that moment, if not more so, and if he'd known about the twins and Lucy falling pregnant again, he'd be as happy as he was then.
Because of everything that had happened, they'd had their baby taken away from them, and even for Bickslow himself to just think about that happening to him, it really fucking hurt. His other self had made a mistake – a huge mistake at that – but he was a good parent. At least he assumed so, and he really did believe it.
So maybe Bickslow was really the lucky one, having ended up in that world. He liked to think that he was, because of everything that had happened, so many great things had come to be in such a short amount of time. He'd gotten a beautiful baby girl that he couldn't imagine his life without, he'd come to realise that he was in love with an even more beautiful and amazing woman, and he'd been able to see just how much having a family that was his own could change his life. But for the better. It didn't bother Bickslow in the slightest that his life had completely turned around, because he honestly thought he was a better person right then.
It didn't matter than he'd really had no choice in turning his life around. From the lack of magic in a world that was near the polar opposite to what they were accustomed to, to the necessity to become a better person for his daughter. More responsible, more caring… Stronger, kinder… Better. All because he wanted to be a better father. He wanted to be able to protect his children and keep them safe, from anything and everything. Because after all, his children's happiness was what he lived for, and if they grew up happy and loved, then Bickslow would be the happiest person in the world.
And the fact that he was going to be able to do all of that was what had Bickslow thinking he was the lucky one. He had the amazing daughter, and he had two more amazing children on the way. And he had Lucy. He had a truly amazing life, and Bickslow wouldn't change any of that for anything in the entire world, because he really didn't think he would be anywhere near as happy with everything if it all hadn't been with Lucy.
"I mean it though," he whispered after just staring into her eyes for probably far too long. "I really wouldn't change this for anything. Ingrid, the twins… You. I don't think I'd be half as happy as I am if it wasn't for you."
Lucy let out a weak laugh as she lifted her hand from where it was on Ingrid's back to wipe at her dry eyes, only after smoothing back the fine blonde hair on Ingrid's head. "Come on, Bicks. You know you can't say stuff like that if you don't want me to cry."
"Not my intention."
"I know… But…" She lifted her hand to lightly brush against his cheek as she sat up slightly on her elbow, and she smiled down at him. "I really think I'm the lucky one with all of this, because you're an amazing person and I wouldn't have gotten to know you at all if it wasn't for all of this. My other self seemed to have good taste in husbands too," she laughed.
Bickslow quickly sat up to gently move Ingrid back to her car seat just next to them, tucking her in with her white blanket and making sure she was still sound asleep. "You flatter me, Cosplayer. Really." Slowly, he moved back to Lucy until he was hovering just above her, and he lightly brushed his lips over hers before he murmured, "But what about my other self? He obviously had pretty good taste if he wanted to marry you."
Lucy could only contain her laughter for so long. Once Bickslow's lips had started twitching and rolled back, only pulling her with him so she was lying on top of him with their legs tangled together, she really hadn't been able to keep herself quiet.
"Oh, who am I kidding," he sighed, his hands smoothing down her back as she turned her head against his neck just in an attempt to quieten her laughter. "We both know you're too good for me. In any world. The guy probably realised he wasn't going to get any better. Might as well put a ring on it. Knock it up for good measure." Okay, so Bickslow didn't think it was quite his other self's reasoning, but it was probably close. Lucy was without a doubt too good for him, and Bickslow was convinced that he really would never be able to do any better, because Lucy was the best.
And yeah, maybe Bickslow really did think too highly of Lucy, and yeah, he was probably just a little bit too in love with her. But to him, there just wasn't anyone better than her. It wasn't like Bickslow believed in the entire 'one true love' thing either though, because he really didn't.
Did he want to? Yeah, a little.
Did he want it to be Lucy? Well, maybe.
Bickslow could truly see himself being happy with Lucy in the long run though. And he honestly thought he had a good reason to believe that that would happen too. They were married in that world, and at some point, his other self had looked at Lucy and thought, 'that's the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with' and Bickslow could honestly see that. He could truly see himself as being incredibly happy with Lucy for the rest of his life, and that was only a little worrying. Just because a part of him – a very, very big part of him – actually wanted to be with Lucy for the rest of his life.
He already knew that they were bound to be in each other's lives just because they had kids together, but Bickslow didn't really think that was enough. No, he wanted to be able to actually be with Lucy. To hold her, to kiss her; to tell her that he loves her. Every day. That was what Bickslow wanted, because he was sure that being with his family would keep him more than happy, and Lucy was his family. Lucy, Ingrid, the twins. They were his family and he loved them more than they knew.
"Twice," Lucy laughed again as she looked up. Because technically, she got knocked up twice.
"Yeah, twice," he said with a never-fading smirk. "Though, I do still wish I got to do the honours." Bickslow actually took far too much pleasure in knowing that there was a very, very good chance that the twins were conceived on Valentine's Day. And considering they'd been woken up in the middle of the night by Ingrid, he couldn't help it if his mind automatically went to the fact that just a few hours earlier, they probably would have been without clothes, and Bickslow really would have loved that part.
Lucy rolled her eyes with a quiet sigh. "I know you do, buddy." And oh, did she. There were certain things she wished Bickslow hadn't brought up after finding out she was pregnant and just when it would have happened. But… She still knew Bickslow had wanted to sleep with her. In fact, he had quite clearly volunteered to, should she ever feel inclined to sleep with anyone at all. She just didn't know if he still wanted to. Because she kind of did. Just a little bit.
The only problem was that she literally couldn't. And even if she could, she wasn't totally ready to completely jump him (as much as he had expected her to at some point). Not yet, anyway. Maybe soon. But either way, she just didn't know if Bickslow would still want her like that by the time she actually could. Not that there would be that long of a wait, either.
So with her cheeks a very flattering shade of red, she pulled her lip between her teeth and sat up slightly, only sliding off of Bickslow to lie on her side. "Two weeks," she said finally before continuing when Bickslow gave her a look of complete confusion, "That's when my next appointment is. And… It's also how long I have to wait before I'm allowed to have sex," she mumbled.
If anything, it was just a giant pain in the ass to Lucy. The babies she was carrying were from sex, yet they were the entire reason she couldn't even have it at all. Of course, Lucy knew it was all just a precaution until her doctor could make sure everything was still fine. But it really was just a little annoying, because she was sure Bickslow was going to tease her to no end in those two weeks and would probably make her hate the situation more than she already did.
"Two weeks, huh?" The hand on her waist slowly inched down and over her hip, and his lips pulled up into the most wicked of smirks.
"Well… It might be closer to three weeks, technically… Since it's on a Thursday…"
"So… Eighteen days starting tomorrow?" She nodded after a moment, and he quickly leant down that last bit to press his lips to hers. "So you mean…" he began between kisses that only briefly silenced her quiet laughter. "I get to fuck you in eighteen days?"
She shrugged slightly from where she was under Bickslow again and turned her eyes elsewhere. Her face felt so hot she was sure she was going to need to stick it in front of the vents and turn the air-con on full blast in the car. "W-Well… No guarantees, but I mean… If you'd still want to, then… Yeah."
Bickslow's grin grew surprisingly wider as he began to chuckle quietly. "Fuck, Cosplayer. You have no idea. Now I'm just going to be counting down though." And oh, was he. It was going to be a very, very long eighteen days, and that was assuming she even wanted to and was allowed to. He could only hope that the hormones would be on his side by the end of those eighteen days though, because yeah, Bickslow would seriously love to jump into bed with her.
And honestly, it was something he'd only been dreaming of for far too long. Not that Lucy knew that, of course, because he'd only been fantasising about what the former Celestial mage would look like in his bed, severely lacking clothes and with his name on her lips, since he'd actually met her. Yeah, he definitely wasn't going to tell Lucy that. Not yet, anyway. He'd definitely tell her at some point… Probably somewhere around the time when he admitted that she turned him on far too much for his own good.
But to think that there was a chance that she actually would want to sleep with him… It had Bickslow feeling like a teenager. Again. Somehow. He couldn't even care about the fact that he'd only been waiting for that to happen since her first appointment and she'd flat-out denied them ever having a chance of sleeping together. But then again, that was before they'd started dating, and Bickslow would be lying if he said he didn't know how to tease her just the right way. And with words alone.
"But you know, since we're on the subject of sleeping together, which I am so totally down for, and I will be waiting patiently for the moment you jump on me and realise that you can no longer deny yourself this," he quickly said as he turned slightly to prop himself up on an elbow as he kept his other arm around Lucy, just to keep her as close as possible. "I forgot to tell you how beautiful you are this morning."
Yep, definitely going to need that air-con going. "That's not really related at all, and you weren't even awake this morning," she giggled.
Bickslow shrugged. "Kinda related." Because you without clothes is seriously going to be just amazing and beautiful and perfect all at once. Seriously. "And I wasn't awake because I was hungover," he laughed. "Still not sure why you won't tell me what idiotic things I said last night though." The fact that Lucy had refused to tell him just what he'd said between getting home and crashing until nearly midday had Bickslow panicking just a little bit. He was convinced he said something to regret, but… He'll just never know.
"You weren't that stupid," Lucy said with a soft smile as she let their lips brush together again just briefly. "You were kinda sweet, actually."
"Well that's new."
She let out a quiet laugh before ducking her head to rest on his shoulder. "But I really didn't think you were serious about doing that every morning though."
"Well, I wasn't until I said it, and then I realised it was a really good idea," he said softly, turning his own head to look up to the dark sky above them. "I'm still gonna do it every morning though. As soon as I wake up, I'm gonna tell you just how beautiful you are."
"You're a dork."
"And how many times have we been through this?"
She sighed quietly as her lips pulled up into a small smile. "I know, I know. You're my adorable dork. I remember."
"And as long as I'm your adorable dork, you're my Cosplayer." And Bickslow truly hoped it would be like that for at least a little while longer.
The sound of his alarm going off on the nightstand beside him had Bickslow rolling over with a groan to blindly reach for his phone to shut the damn thing off. A hand ran down his face once the room was silent again and he rolled onto his back to stare up at the ceiling. It was only then did Bickslow realise just how silent in truly was. Usually by that point in the morning, at only a little before eight o'clock in the morning, Lucy was usually up and about, either with Ingrid, or occasionally violently retching with the odd curses here and there. All of which he heard, and he was very much used to.
Turning his head to the other side, a lazy smile floated across his face before he finally rolled to his other side after dropping his phone behind him. His arm wound around Lucy's waist to rest against her stomach and he moved forward until he could lightly brush his lips against the back of her neck. "Morning, beautiful," Bickslow murmured as he came to rest against her shoulder to see the soft smile form on her lips. "You're not up yet."
Lucy sighed as she tucked her hand under her pillow and kept her eyes closed. It was one of the few mornings she didn't already feel like death – though she could find just a little bit of solace in the fact that her morning sickness really was just in the mornings those days – and she was sure as hell going to enjoy staying in bed just a little bit longer. Well, at least until Ingrid got up, and Lucy was certain the tiny human was still asleep. For now. "I'll get up in a little bit," she said tiredly. "Just enjoying not feeling terrible for once."
"It's okay. You don't have to get up," he mumbled before pressing a kiss to her cheek. "I can get Ingrid so you can stay in bed for a little while longer." He only got a mumbled response he couldn't even understand before he quickly pulled away and rolled back to his own side of the bed to sluggishly push himself to his feet.
Slowly, Bickslow pulled himself down the hall after coming from the bathroom, and went straight into the next room after quietly pushing the door open. He looked down to Ingrid once he'd come up to her crib, and he smiled down at her to see her just barely waking. "Oh, and look who else is enjoying a sleep in this morning." Hell, it was a bit of a wonder as to why she hadn't woken them both up earlier. Bickslow reached down to pick Ingrid up, letting the rest of the blanket she'd mostly kicked off fall away, and into his arms before turning for the changing table on the other side of the room. "But good morning to my other beautiful girl," he said with a kiss to her cheek. "No crying this morning, alright? We gotta stay quiet so Cosplayer can get some rest. Which she needs, might I add, 'cause she's giving you two baby sisters. Or brothers. Hopefully brothers because I might go insane if they're girls."
Well… He probably wouldn't, but he would be lying if the thought of having three girls wasn't just a little terrifying. For whatever reason, all Bickslow could picture was some wicked tantrums once they'd all grown up and figured out how to scream and shout and hate each other. Three screaming girls, plus a mother who was definitely more than frightening if you happened to get on her bad side. Bickslow had seen what happened to Natsu and Gray far too many times, and he definitely did not want to be on the receiving end of her wrath… Especially while she was pregnant.
But still, even though he was just a little terrified of Lucy and what would happen if he pissed her off just a little bit too much, and he was more than worried about what he was going to do if he ended up having another two girls (he really did shudder at the thought of what his house would be like once they were all teenagers, considering it would be at the same goddamn time), Bickslow wasn't really going to mind the twins being girls. Another two beautiful girls like Ingrid? Yeah, Bickslow would have no problems with that. It was really just that he liked the idea of having sons.
"Now. What shall we have for breakfast today, Ingrid?" he asked the small blonde as he picked her up once again and held her in one arm, knowing full well she didn't actually understand him. When he made his way out into the hall he could only roll his eyes and sigh when Ingrid's hand went up and she began to tug on his lip. Not that it was that out of the ordinary for her to do that, since she'd developed a less than desirable trait of being rather grabby. Either an ear, a nose, a mouth, or some hair. Or even their shirts, really. She always liked to have her hands on something, and it was definitely more than annoying, but they were working on it. "No, Ingrid," Bickslow scolded her softly as he pried her hand away from his mouth. "Daddy is not for breakfast, okay?"
He sighed again once Ingrid was in the highchair and he pulled the fridge open to stare into it. Right… Totally forgot to go and get food on the weekend… What, with all the chaos between telling everyone about Lucy being pregnant and Lucy's team visiting and interrupting their nap time, and then him being hungover for most of Sunday, plus being too busy trying to come up with an idea for an awesome first date, grocery shopping had truly been the last things in either of their minds.
"So, Ingrid," Bickslow began when he finally started to pull things out of the fridge before reaching for a box that sat in the corner of the counter. "How about apple today?" He could only shake his head with a light chuckle as she began her nonsense babbling… As usual. It had always entertained Bickslow, though he could never explain why. Maybe it was because she thought she made perfect sense, or maybe it was because she was just too damn adorable when she made all the weird noises that absolutely no one could understand.
Of course, there had been that one time where it had been close to a word, and Lucy might have walked in on Bickslow crying and hugging Ingrid who had been on the verge of crying herself. Bickslow was absolutely certain it didn't actually happen, even though it really had. He didn't need Lucy giving him hell for involuntarily bursting into tears when Ingrid said something she didn't know the meaning of.
But… When she did know that dada was an actual word (well, sort of), then he was probably going to end up crying all over again. He only took a little bit of consolation in knowing that Lucy would probably do the same thing once Ingrid did it to her and she knew what she was saying. Well, sort of.
So like he did most mornings, Bickslow sat at the kitchen table and fed Ingrid her usual breakfast, making sure she could get her hand on the plastic spoon each time he gave her another spoonful of the apple porridge something-or-other that didn't look at all appetising she seemed to love so much those days. Bottles and cups she had no problems with on her own, but spoons? Yeah, she was still working on that, but that was okay.
"It's just gonna be you and Cosplayer today," Bickslow said softly as he let Ingrid take full control of feeding herself once the bowl was mostly empty. Or at least trying to feed herself. If anything, she just liked to make a mess. Getting up, Bickslow walked back around to the kitchen, leaving Ingrid to her own devices, and went on the hunt for his own breakfast. "I'll be gone all day, Ingrid," he said, only getting a glance from the seven-month-old (well, one day away) at the mention of her name. "You're gonna miss me, right?"
She had the capabilities of missing him when he was gone… Right? Bickslow just truly didn't know. He really did like to think Ingrid would miss him when he was gone almost all day, having spent a lot of time with her lately. But… He honestly didn't believe Ingrid would notice all that much if he was gone. Especially not when she had her mother by her side to keep her occupied, but he'd still have to ask Lucy about that once he got home after work. It was a little weird, but if Ingrid was a pain in the ass for Lucy, he was going to enjoy the hell out of it.
He sighed as he went back to the table, toast in hand as he slumped back in the chair to look at Ingrid who was, as expected, making an absolute mess of herself. "Yeah, I wouldn't miss me either." He paused to take another bite of the toast as his eyebrows rose, finding how the giggling infant could find her current predicament entertaining just a little curious. Just like he did every morning. That was one thing that hadn't changed since he'd been in that world; he still didn't quite understand how she could laugh at almost everything. But he wasn't going to complain, not when it was seriously one of the most endearing things he'd ever heard. "Not when you've got Cosplayer all to yourself." Definitely wouldn't mind having Cosplayer all to myself though… "But speaking of Cosplayer… I should probably stop calling her that around you. At this rate, your first word will end up being cosplayer. Now that… Would be pretty damn amazing. If only it wasn't impossible and she wouldn't kill me for it."
But one day though, Bickslow was going to make sure all three of them would be able to say cosplayer, just because it was his job as a father to make sure his children were aware of their mother's middle name. Well, the one he'd given her, anyway. Of course, if it was possible for any of their first words to be cosplayer, then he'd be over the fucking moon and probably be on the verge of running for his life. But it was way too complex and definitely wasn't going to happen. For now, he would be fine with her nonsensical language.
Bickslow quickly dusted off his hands once he was done with his own breakfast, and he got up from the table once again just to pull Ingrid up into his arms once again with a shake of his head. "How about we get you cleaned up now, huh?" So gently, holding her in one arm, he began to clean up her face around her mouth (and her ears and nose, strangely), all while trying his best to keep her still. "Come on, Ingrid," he said softly when she began to whimper and turn her head away from the damp cloth. She liked getting messy, but not so much the cleaning up part of it all.
Once she was all happy again, and after Bickslow had quickly cleaned up most of the mess in the kitchen and on her table, he went straight back into her nursery just to slowly lower her into her crib. He still needed to shower and get changed, and he couldn't do that when he had a seven-month old who could definitely not be left alone… especially when she was hopefully and presumably on the verge of figuring out how to actually move herself around. If she was in her crib, she could move about all she wanted. She couldn't get anywhere, and she was definitely fine to be left in there for a few minutes.
So quickly, Bickslow began to get himself ready for his day, starting with a shower that was probably way too short for his liking. If it wasn't his first day back in nearly a month, he wouldn't be so worried about taking just a little bit longer and being late. But, since it really was his first day back in a little while, he figured it probably wouldn't be in his best interest to be late. If anything, he was planning on being early. Well, by his standards.
It was only when he stepped out of the shower and wrapped the towel around his hips did Bickslow realise that he hadn't actually gotten his clothes out of the bedroom yet. If it was one thing they made sure of, it was to get whatever clothes they wanted to wear after a shower or bath out before they went into the bathroom. Especially when one of them was still going to be in the bedroom after. If the bedroom would be empty, then it wouldn't be an issue. And it was all because of that one time Bickslow had come out of the shower when Lucy had been getting changed, and she'd almost slipped. Great day in all, but that was where the entire 'clothes must be taken into the bathroom if the bedroom is occupied' thing had started. If it wasn't for the fact that he was bound to get far too distracted by the blonde in nothing but a towel, then he probably wouldn't have agreed to it as quickly as he had.
Of course, that was just before Lucy realised she could spend way too long staring at Bickslow in nothing but a towel, and he knew it. He occasionally liked to have just a bit of fun with that piece of information, but right then wasn't one of those times. At least he didn't think it was.
So with a slight sigh of annoyance as he pushed his dripping hair back and out of his face, Bickslow turned after picking up his clothes and throwing them in the hamper in the bathroom, and then slowly pulled the door open to quietly cross back into the bedroom. He only quickly glanced towards Lucy as he walked past the foot of the bed, and then it was over to his side of the mirrored wardrobe.
"Wear the light grey one."
Bickslow looked over his shoulder at the soft voice and saw Lucy looking towards him with a slight blush on her cheeks, no less, from what he could tell with her tugging the blanket up to her ears. As the corner of his mouth tugged up into a smirk, he asked, "Why that one?"
Lucy shrugged. "You haven't worn that one for a while."
"Technically, I haven't worn any of them for a while," he chuckled.
"I just meant that you hadn't worn that one for a while before you took the time off work," she corrected herself. It was always the black or the dark grey or the navy blue Bickslow wore the most. It wasn't that they each didn't look amazing, because she could stare at Bickslow in any number of his suits just as long as she could him in a towel. It was just that she happened to also particularly like the light grey, mainly because it made his hair and eyes stand out even more than they already did. "Pink tie, too, please."
Bickslow rolled his eyes as he turned back to the wardrobe and looked for the light grey suit in question amongst the rest of the hanging suits in front of him. It was the most boring part of his wardrobe, but then again, it was almost the most boring part of his life. Oh, if only he could spend all day at home with Lucy and Ingrid… That would be the life, truly. But no, he couldn't do that. He had to go to work. "I'm not wearing a pink tie," he scoffed.
"Pink too girly of a colour for you?"
Bickslow laughed again as he turned back around, just to see the playful gleam dancing in her eyes. "I paint my damn nails. Do you really think I'll have an issue with something being too girly?" Of course, Bickslow had only recently begun painting his nails again, and of course, it was his usual matte black. Never shiny, apart from that one time he'd let Lucy do them for whatever reason. Lucy wasn't using the drawer full of polish she owned in that world, so Bickslow had decided to make use of it.
His issue with the tie, however, was just because he didn't want to wear a goddamn pink tie.
As Lucy shrugged, Bickslow pulled a shirt from the drawers inside the wardrobe and slung it over his shoulder with the suit, and slowly began to walk back towards the bathroom. A mischievous smirk plagued his lips when he went back around the bed instead, and as Lucy turned to look at him with nothing but confusion on her face, Bickslow's grin only got wider as her eyes flicked down ever so briefly and her cheeks instantly became at least ten shades darker than they already were. She was far too adorable like that, and if Bickslow wasn't already convinced she was actually going to be the death of him at some point, he would have been sure then.
He leant down just as he dropped a light pink tie on top of her head, before he dropped his head to let the tip of his tongue lightly glide up her cheek before his lips brushed by her ear, knowing full well the kind of reaction it got from her. Oh, Bickslow remembered exactly what had happened the first time he'd done that to her, and even then when he'd pushed the boundaries more times than he could count, he still didn't quite understand how Lucy found it so damn ticklish. She wasn't laughing then though, and that was what Bickslow wanted.
No, it was about teasing her, just because he knew he could. It didn't help he suddenly wanted to have some fun. So with his lips still flush against her cheek, he murmured, "But if you really want me to wear a pink tie, then I'll wear nothing but a pink tie. Just for you." Of course, there was no way in hell he would be caught dead in nothing but a pink tie. Lucy, on the other hand… Well, he could only hope he could convince her to wear the pink tie and nothing but the pink tie. Just that thought and mental image alone had Bickslow almost wishing he was wearing something other than a towel.
So when Bickslow quickly turned and headed for the bathroom once again, Lucy could only stare in complete shock at the closed door for a moment before she looked up to the ceiling. Did he just…? Her mind almost completely shut off when she reached up to pull the pink piece of silk from where it was sitting on the top of her head, and she held it out before her to stare at it almost incredulously. The fact that she was actually thinking of Bickslow in nothing but that same pink tie was not something she would admit to him. He probably already knew it anyway though, because he wouldn't have said it if it hadn't been his intention.
With a shake of her head just to try and force the image out of her head – not that it wasn't pleasant, because it was, or at least her imagination was working wonders – Lucy dropped the pink tie to the bed beside her and she rolled over to her side once again, and reached out for her own phone on the nightstand. Seeing the time, she sighed and finally pulled herself out of bed. Bickslow would no doubt be leaving for work soon, so she really did have to get up.
Bickslow came back out from the bedroom a little while later, dressed and ready for work and his day. Lucy turned when she heard him coming down the hall, and she was suddenly smiling when she saw him putting on a light blue tie instead. That just wasn't going to cut it though. So quickly, she got up from where she sat at the counter and headed past Bickslow as he went over to the lounge to where Ingrid was on the floor and keeping herself occupied.
He looked up when Lucy came back out just a moment later, and he quickly crouched down again to kiss the top of Ingrid's head getting back up to finish getting the rest of his things ready, starting with his laptop on the desk in the corner.
"Hey, come here," Lucy said suddenly.
He turned around again and an eyebrow instantly shot up when he saw the mischievous smirk on her lips. That was never a good sign when she had that look, and Bickslow had realised that very early on. "What are you doing?" he asked suspiciously when she raised her hands to begin to loosen the tie he had on. And of course, Bickslow noticed the pink one she had wrapped around one of her hands.
"The pink one will look better."
"What is with you and that pink tie, huh?" And there Bickslow was, thinking that he was the one who had a newfound appreciation for that pink tie, only because it was really hard not to like that particular tie when he was picturing Lucy in it. But maybe Lucy also had a newfound obsession with that tie, and really, Bickslow couldn't complain.
Lucy shrugged as she pulled the light blue fabric away, only stepping forward as Bickslow moved back to lean against the desk with a sigh. He really didn't want to wear the pink tie, but he would. Not that he was really understanding why Lucy seemed so set on him wearing the thing in the first place. Dropping the tie to the desk, Lucy unwound the light pink silk tie from around her hand before she draped it around his neck, and said, "I just really happen to like this colour." Okay, so it wasn't the entire truth… But it was enough. "When are you going to be home anyway?"
"Probably just after five," he answered. "I'll be gone all day."
"I know. Isn't it fabulous?"
"Ouch," Bickslow mumbled as he tried his best to seem hurt. "You know, you're really not as nice as everyone thinks sometimes."
Lucy laughed as she smoothed his tie down against his shirt. "Maybe, but do you have a problem with that?" Because really, she was only like that around Bickslow. She was a completely different person around him, as she had come to realise, but that was only because she knew he could handle it.
"Not at all," he said with a wide grin. If anything, he loved it, but he wasn't going to say that. He stood up from where he leant against the desk as Lucy turned and went back to the counter, sitting down once again. He quickly picked up the laptop and tucked it under his arm just to come up behind Lucy. "Do I really have to go back today though?" he murmured, letting his chin rest on her shoulder as he gently placed the laptop on the counter and instead wound his arms around her. "I'm sure just one more day will be okay. I'll go back tomorrow."
"Bickslow, you're going back. Today," she laughed again.
He sighed and he dropped his head to kiss her cheek. "Are you sure?" he murmured again. Moving his lips down to her neck, and taking great delight in the quiet laughter that bubbled out of her, he continued between kisses, "I mean, I could do this some more… And we could totally curl up with Ingrid and watch more of that show. What's it called again? Pretty Little Liars or something."
"Why do you even like that show so much?"
"I'm not even sure. I love it and hate it at the same time."
Lucy shook her head. "It's tempting, really… But you're going to go to work." And oh, was it tempting. She would like nothing more than to spend her day cuddled up with Bickslow and Ingrid, but she couldn't do that. She reached down to where Bickslow's hands were folded over one another, and she pulled them apart and away from her stomach. "And if you don't leave soon, you're going to be late, and I really don't think Laxus or Erza will appreciate you being late on your first day back in nearly a month."
Bickslow groaned in frustration as he stepped back, only leaning around her to reach for his laptop again before turning away. "Apparently not tempting enough," he muttered. After tucking the laptop into the messenger back on the table and throwing the strap over his shoulder, Bickslow quickly dashed around the apartment once more just to make sure he had everything he needed. With his keys in one pocket, phone in the other, and everything else he'd needed to take back to his office in the bag, he came back out to the living room one last time and did the button up on his grey jacket and slowly made his way over to Lucy. "Alright, I'm leaving now. Don't try too hard to hide your excitement."
Lucy sighed almost dreamily when she turned back around and dropped her head to rest in her hand with her elbow on the edge of the counter. Yeah, she was very sure she could stare at her boyfriend in a suit for far longer than she actually should. "You know… Maybe just one more day wouldn't be so terrible…" Lucy mumbled. Suddenly his offer was a whole lot more tempting…
"Nuh-uh. You missed your chance." Bickslow quickly leant down to press their lips together with his hand lightly resting against her cheek, before pulling away just enough to once again say between kisses, "I'll pick up… Something for dinner… On my way back… Okay?"
"Why must you—" She was cut off once again, and when he pulled away with an almost wicked grin on his face, she made the most of the opportunity and quickly laid her hands flat on his chest to keep him away. "—always do that?" she finally finished. It wasn't all bad, truly, but when she hadn't even brushed her teeth yet… Yeah, it was just a little gross.
Bickslow shrugged. "Just getting in what I'll be missing out on during the day." Lucy could only roll her eyes before he quickly leant down one final time, much to her annoyance, and he quickly began, "Anyway. Leaving now. I'll see you later. Love yo—Oh… Shit…"
His eyes went almost comically wide and he suddenly stepped back before he completely froze. Did I really just say that? Why the fuck did I say that? Please, for the love of god, please tell me I did not fucking say that. Bickslow truly had no idea why he'd even said it, because he really hadn't meant to. It had just… slipped out, and Bickslow was sure as hell hating it. He hadn't wanted to try and screw up his relationship with Lucy, but he was almost convinced he had done just that.
Lucy stared at Bickslow in complete shock and amazement. She was utterly speechless as she tried to comprehend what she'd heard. Or really, what she thought she'd heard. But either way, her heart was hammering away in her chest and there wasn't a single thing she could do about it. Had he just accidentally told her that he loved her? Yeah, quite possibly, but Lucy had no idea if he'd meant it or not. And even if he had, Lucy couldn't say it back.
She couldn't say anything at all. Not that she loved him, or even a single word. She just… Couldn't do anything.
Bickslow cleared his throat rather awkwardly suddenly when he was sure the situation couldn't actually get any more awkward at all, and he finally dropped his hand when he hadn't moved it away from her. "Fuck, I… I didn't mean… Well, I do, but I… Fuck." Oh, fuck me… Why can't I ever shut up? He nodded once and forced himself to smile just as awkwardly as everything else, and pointed towards the door. "I'm just gonna go before I say anything else and decide throwing myself out a window sounds like a good idea," he said incredibly quickly, ignoring the way his voice was only barely cracking before he turned and all but ran for the door.
And as the door closed behind him, Lucy finally remembered how to move – to blink, even – and she only turned to look at Ingrid. Confused really didn't even begin to scratch the surface of how she felt, and as she watched Ingrid continue to be oblivious to most things around her (hell, she had all five of Bickslow's totems in front of her, so nothing else was even worth her attention), she only mumbled to herself, "Did he just say that?" Because that was all her brain could come up with at that point, and it was all because Bickslow had told her he loved her.