When Bickslow knocked on the door to Lucy's apartment, he expected the door to open with the blonde dressed and ready to go like she usually was when he picked her up. But that's not what happened that evening. No, instead he was greeted by the sight of the blonde with a towel wrapped around her body, her hair and makeup done, and holding two coat hangers in front of her, each one with a different dress.

"Which one?" she asked quickly.

"Uh…" Is she really asking me this question? What the fuck? So he stared at the dresses she held in each hand. In one hand, she held a white dress that to Bickslow honestly just looked too fucking confusing to wear, just based on the straps alone. In her other hand she held the navy blue dress that he instantly recognised as the one she wore on their first date. "Blue one," he said, pointing to it.

So when she slammed the door less than a second later, Bickslow sighed and moved to sit on the railing. He didn't even have time to glance up at the clock and hope that she wouldn't take too long to finish getting ready (not that he knew when or where they were supposed to be going) because the door opened less than a minute after that with Lucy all dressed and ready to go.

"Sorry, I couldn't decide," she said with a smile, pulling the door closed behind her as Bickslow stood.

"Always choose that one."

She raised an eyebrow as they walked down the stairs, briefly raising her eyes to glance towards Bickslow. "How come?"

Bickslow shrugged. "'Cause it looks good on you." Which, it did, much like everything else she wore. "And you wore it on our first date," he finished softly with a corner of his mouth upturned.

"I didn't think you'd notice that." And Lucy couldn't help but smile, because if he'd remembered what dress she'd worn from a month ago, then maybe, just maybe, he was falling in love with her, just like she'd realised she was with him, which was something she'd only come to realise that very morning and was still trying to get her head around.

When the waiter led them to the table at the restaurant Lucy had chosen, Bickslow stood motionless staring at it. It wasn't the fact that the table was located in the somewhat private section of the dining area because that was something they probably should have been making sure of since they'd started dating. There was just more of an importance to do so now that the guild was aware Lucy was dating someone, and Bickslow still wasn't ready to die. Not yet, anyway.

It also wasn't the fact that there was a single white rose on the table with red candles on each side which honestly just made him feel like he had missed a cue of some sort because the entire atmosphere of the restaurant made him feel like he was drowning in the romance of it all. And it wasn't like Bickslow didn't do the whole romance thing, because he thought that when it came down to it, he could be a pretty romantic guy. When he tried, anyway. But the rose and the candles was on a whole new level. He didn't do that kind of romantic. Well, he wouldn't unless Lucy had wanted him to, which he really didn't know and it wasn't the kind of thing he could just ask. But as he looked around at the other tables in the room and the other diners, he realised each table had the same kind of set up, so he could feel a little bit better about that, at least.

It was the fact there were four chairs. And four menus, one of which the blonde was reading over. When Lucy glanced up from the menu and told him to sit, he did, next to her, of course. Then, leaning over slightly, he asked in a low voice. "Why are there four chairs?"

He missed her mischievous smirk as he glanced at the canal through the large windows just next to them. "Because we need four chairs." Lucy said quietly.

"Last time I checked there was only two of us."

"Not tonight."

And then he froze, staring at the two empty chairs on the opposite side of the table. His mind instantly crossed over into thinking she was into some incredibly kinky shit, but he instantly scratched that thought when he remembered who it was he was actually dating. Nah, not her style. No, he realised it was something much worse. It meant he'd been dragged along on a double date. That, or it was something he couldn't even begin to fathom how terrible it could be.

But a double date. That meant she had planned on telling someone else, because as far as he knew, they didn't really know any other couples where both parties knew about them dating. Hell, the only couple he could only think of was Evergreen and Elfman (no matter how much they denied having a relationship, the entire guild knew they were in one), and he instantly blanched at the thought of the giant and the stone goddess herself sitting opposite him for a night.

"I realise I'm not going to be able to get out of this now, but please, please tell me that it's not Ever and Elfman," he begged as Lucy flagged a waiter over to the table.

"It's not, but I'm also not telling you who it actually is," she said with a smile. If she'd told him that it was Levy and Gajeel then it would ruin the surprise. Well, Bickslow's surprise, anyway.

Bickslow groaned as his head hit the table, making the glasses move slightly. She was torturing him and she knew it. He'd never thought the woman was capable of being evil but apparently she was.

So when the waiter came back a few moments later with the wine that Lucy had just ordered before asking Bickslow if he'd wanted his glass filled, he decided that wine wasn't going to be enough to get him through the night. No, he needed something with much more alcohol in it.

They still had a few minutes before Levy and Gajeel were set to arrive so Lucy turned to Bickslow just as he downed the drink he'd ordered as soon as the waiter had placed it on the table, earning a questioning glare from the man as the glass stood empty with all but an ice cube in it.

"I'm sorry for not telling you about this, though," she said quietly, taking a sip of her wine. "I figured that if you'd known you wouldn't have agreed to it…"

"That's true," he mumbled, watching as the waiter disappeared with the empty glass and waited for him to return with another. "But still, if it involves telling someone about us, it would have been nice to know first…" Because really, if any of it ever made its way back to Erza somehow, he'd be living a very short life. He had to know that the people who did know about him dating Lucy weren't going to let that happen.

Gajeel had been muttering under his breath about dates the entire time they'd been walking to the restaurant. It went unnoticed by the giddy mage next to him which was probably for the best since he was certain he'd let 'mother fucking soul bastard,' slip a few times.

So when they finally rounded the corner into the large building on the edge of the canal, he stopped and fiddled with the tie that Levy had made him wear. He hated ties. He hated suits. He hated dates. But damn it, he didn't hate Levy.

The Script mage's excitement level seemed to rise exponentially as a waitress led them through the dimly lit room filled with couples and groups, all enjoying their romantic evenings. She couldn't tell if she was excited about having an actual, proper date with Gajeel (because in the short time they'd been, well, dating, they'd never once been out to dinner or anything of the sort), or if she was excited about seeing who the mystery man was that had given Lucy a hickey the week before.

"Shrimp, calm down or you're gonna explode," Gajeel whispered as he held onto her arm, still following the waitress. The Dragon Slayer had to admit he was a little anxious to see how she'd take to finding out just who it was Lucy was dating, since after all, she'd known the guy liked her a month earlier and she'd never once made the connection.

Levy took a steadying breath. "I know, I know. I'm just so excited!"

And then the waitress stopped and she gestured to the table with the two empty seats by the window. A wicked grin spread across Gajeel's face as he turned to look down at the small woman standing next to him. She'd stopped in her tracks as she stared at who was sitting next to her best friend.

Levy had honestly been expecting to see pink hair, or maybe black, but not blue. A hundred different questions popped into her head all at once as she slowly unfroze, remembering how to move. And in an instant, she had reached for the blonde's hand and began to drag her towards the bathrooms as she yelped in surprise.

"Fuck me…" Bickslow muttered under his breath as he picked up his glass again.

"That's what she's for, isn't it?" Gajeel said as he took the seat opposite Bickslow, smirk in place.

"Shut up," Bickslow mumbled. "You couldn't have warned me about this today? Or yesterday?" Because really, he'd expected Gajeel to already know about it and just been dragged along. The guy knew everything.

"Strangely enough, Bunny is fucking terrifying, so no," Gajeel hissed back, glaring at the Seith mage before leaning back in his chair to pick up the drinks menu. "What are you drinking?" Because Gajeel was also aware he'd need something other than wine and metal to get him through the night.

Bickslow straightened up, picking up his glass as he swirled the amber liquid around. "Whiskey. And a lot of it," he said flatly as he quickly gulped down the rest of it, smiling slightly when he saw the waiter coming back with another glass, as per their agreement.

"Surprise!" Lucy said awkwardly as Levy shoved her into the bathroom.

"Bickslow?!" Levy shrieked. "Bickslow?!"

Lucy shrugged as walked along all of the cubicles in the bathroom, making sure that they were alone before she turned with a slight smile. "I know, right?" Lucy shrugged. Levy's shock was warranted.

"How long have you two been dating?"

"Um, a month, I guess," Lucy answered.

Levy's mouth opened slightly in shock. "A month? You two have been dating a month and I only just found out? Lu!"

"I know!" Lucy grimaced. "I'm sorry but it's not something I could just tell everyone about, you know?"

"Wait, so…" Levy began to pace, her brain kicking into gear. "Does anyone else know?" she asked and Lucy nodded. Levy's excitement level dropped when she realised she wasn't the first person to know about it, but she also knew her best friend, and if she was only finding out now, then there was a very good reason for it. "Who else?"

Lucy lifted her fingers as she stared at the ceiling, thinking about who it was that actually knew. "Uh… Well, Laxus, Freed, and Evergreen apparently know, though I don't know how long they've known for," she said, counting off fingers as she went.

And then Levy remembered when they'd all just found out Lucy was dating someone and how Evergreen had suggested Bickslow. "So that's why Ever suggested Bickslow!" She folded her arms before biting on her thumbnail, racking her brain for anything else she should have noticed.

"Natsu had to be told not too long ago, and then somehow Gajeel found o—"

"Gajeel knew?!" Levy shrieked.

Lucy nodded before her friend turned and headed out of the bathroom. "Hey, wait!" she called as she followed Levy back out to their table.

Gajeel could see the furious Script mage heading towards him from the corner of his vision. He picked up his drink, taking a quick sip. "Oh fuck…" he muttered before she took the empty seat next to him.

"You knew? And you didn't tell me?" she hissed as Gajeel leant away slightly.

"What? I don't go spreadin' other peoples' secrets…" he mumbled. With the amount of things he knew about people in the guild, he could probably get rich from selling them to the highest bidder, whoever that may be. There were plenty of things he shouldn't have heard, but he heard everything. Sometimes more than he wished he did.

Levy pulled her chair in, making herself comfortable as she picked up the menu. "How long have you known then?" she asked quietly and in a surprisingly calmer manner.

"I don't know."

As Bickslow and Lucy silently watched the two from the across the table, he leant in to the blonde's ear and whispered, "So is she going to kill me?"

Lucy giggled quietly as she watched the Script mage suddenly lose her calm once again before she turned to Bickslow's ear as he too watched, his eyes suddenly going wide, probably realising just how terrifying the small woman was. "Probably not, but I'm not too sure about Gajeel," Lucy whispered.

Bickslow shrugged. "Probably wouldn't be the worst thing to happen," he muttered, only to receive an elbow to his arm for apparently even thinking about Gajeel being murdered brutally (probably) by Levy.

And when the waiter had brought out the dinner menus and Levy had stopped yelling (quietly, at that) at Gajeel, Bickslow could feel someone staring at him from across the table as they read their menus. He glanced up to see Levy staring at him and Gajeel staring at her. "What?" Bickslow mumbled.

"A month, huh?" Levy said, her chin pressed into her clasped hands.

"Yep…" Bickslow mumbled, not noticing the slightly surprised look on Lucy's face.

"You two have actually managed to keep it a secret for a month."

He dropped the menu to the table as Lucy looked up from hers, staring intently at her friend. "Yes," he said.

"But why?"

"Why what?"

"Why keep it a secret?"

Lucy dropped her menu as she looked across the table and sighed. "Because he'd probably end up with a few hundred swords through him," she said, taking a sip of her wine. And really, Erza was the only real problem they faced. She would be able to deal with Gray (if and when the time came, and she really hoped it would be a when not an if), but not Erza.

"That pretty much sums it up." Bickslow shrugged. Couldn't have said it better myself.

"But surely she wouldn't take it that badly…" Levy said quietly as she picked her menu up again.

"She would," they said together.

So as the night went on, rather slowly for Bickslow and Gajeel after the two girls had decided they were to only drink water for the remainder of the night since neither wanted to deal with drunk dates, more questions got asked and answered, and slowly, Levy came to realise that the pair wasn't as weird as she'd thought earlier that night.

Sure, the fact they were dating was incredibly weird, but it was a good weird. That was the only way she could describe it. Levy had known Bickslow long enough to know that the way he acted around Lucy was not the way he did in the guild. And it wasn't like it was a complete personality change either. It was close enough that it was still very much Bickslow, but different enough to be able to notice the small changes.

And it was the more Levy thought about it, the more she realised just how much had been subtly different in the last month. It was the small things that most wouldn't notice unless they really thought about it. Things like how he had mostly stopped the crude jokes and hitting on Cana when he was drunk enough (but she flirted back so she'd always thought the two of them had some weird relationship going on).

Or it was how Bickslow had just been generally happier, and she wasn't the only one who had noticed. There'd been a few people commenting on it as of late, and generally when he got like that, he had a few pranks lined up. But from what everyone could tell, the guild's prankster had stopped for the time being and some even wondered if he was actually growing up, finally.

Not to mention the fact he'd been reading in the guild for the last two days and that was something Levy had never seen.

Levy thought back to just over a month earlier – to the last guild party, to be precise. She'd remembered Bickslow possibly liking Lucy, but she'd only gotten involved in that to tease her friend for a bit of fun. She'd never once expected Lucy to like him, let alone Bickslow actually take anything seriously. If anything, she'd assumed it was just Bickslow wanting to sleep with her and that wasn't exactly something that surprised her.

But over the course of the night, Levy had seen the way Bickslow had looked at Lucy when she hadn't been looking and the way he smiled when she'd said something positively stupid (which happened more and more often as her glass got refilled) or said something that was just slightly entertaining. It wasn't the same man who took nothing seriously and as Cana had so eloquently put it the week earlier, didn't date. Bickslow didn't consider Lucy a game and Levy could see that, and by the way Gajeel had been watching them over the night, she knew he'd noticed it too.

Bickslow was taking dating Lucy seriously and Levy could see that just from the way he looked at her. Lucy was the reason he'd been happier over the last few weeks and she was the reason he was smiling then, and as Levy observed, she couldn't help but be happy for her friend, and hell, for Bickslow too.

In their own weird way, they were good. There was something about them that worked, and whether or not Bickslow had realised it yet, he was falling in love with her. She could only hope that Lucy was falling in love with him too.

So as what none of them expected to be a surprisingly good night came to an end as they all made their way out of the restaurant and into the autumn night, they stopped just outside the doors and on the edge of the canal.

Levy huddled into Gajeel's side, her arm wrapped around his middle as his arm draped over her shoulder. "We should do this again!" she exclaimed with a wide grin.

"No," Gajeel and Bickslow said.

"Aw, come on. It wasn't that bad," Lucy said, shoving Bickslow's arm as she laughed.

He shook his head before looking down with a grin in place, the same grin that Levy had been observing all night. "Would have been better if you had let me drink." And it would have, had he not been drinking water for the last three hours. But he had ending up having fun, only because Lucy had been positively overflowing with joy and that was something he'd probably never be able to see enough of.

"Now kiss!" Levy said, giggling as Gajeel groaned, trying his best to turn them around to head home.

"Come on, Shrimp," he mumbled, giving up when she surprisingly wouldn't budge and then picking her up to throw her over his shoulder. There was no way he was going to be sticking around for that.

Bickslow chuckled when he saw the look on Levy's face, seeing that she was completely serious. Ah, what the hell. He was still a little tipsy and he'd honestly been wanting to kiss her all night. So swiftly, he took Lucy's face in his hands and tilted his head, pressing his lips against hers, vaguely hearing the squeal from Levy as Gajeel carried her away.

And Bickslow realised that kissing her in the middle of the street was probably not the best idea but he didn't care all that much. He'd missed being able to do that when she'd been playing her game and he was glad that she seemed to be done with it. Lucy, in her own slightly tipsy state, was feeling a little more daring than usual and she swore she heard a quiet moan come from Bickslow as her tongue slipped against his, something that she never really started; it was usually her following him.

But goodness, she'd missed that. She hated that she'd ever let Mira and Levy convince her to play that stupid game in the first place. She didn't need to get him to chase her and want her, because hell, if he was doing that then she already pretty much had him. Whether or not that was supposed to have happened in just one month's time was irrelevant to her.

As his hands dropped down to her waist and pulled her against him, her hands went up to the back of his head, loosely tangling in the blue hair as he pulled his head away. "Stay at my place tonight," he whispered. It wasn't so much a question as it was a wish.

She nodded. "Need to stop by my place first, though," she murmured. Because as much as she enjoyed sleeping in a shirt that was several sizes too large for her, she really preferred her own clothes and she could only pale at the thought of what Virgo would have her wear should she ever ask her spirit for something to sleep in if she hadn't already picked out her own clothes to have her bring later on.

Before Bickslow could even hear the sound of his front door being closed after he'd kicked it so, he had Lucy halfway down the hall towards his bedroom. His lips barely left hers, only when he pushed her down onto the mattress of his bed and she let out a slight giggle before his lips came crashing down again.

He was stuck somewhere between wanting her and needing her and he didn't know which he was closer to, not that he really wanted to know anyway.

And just as she sucked his bottom lip into her mouth and he really couldn't help but moan against her mouth, his mind screamed at him to stop over and over again. Because somewhere, he knew that if he didn't stop before anything really started, he was going to have a hard time stopping later. Bickslow was well aware that there was a very big possibility that what was going on was heavily influenced by the fact they'd both been drinking, or so he assumed, anyway.

So he forced himself away again rolled off of her, ignoring her whines of protest as he unbuttoned his shirt, making his way over to his drawers. If it had been anyone else he wouldn't care if they'd been drinking – hell, half the time it made it more fun. But then again, he'd never actually cared about any of them. Everything about Lucy was different, and that meant going about things a different way. As Bickslow was finding out, not all of that was bad.

But Lucy hadn't really wanted to stop. The assertive side of Bickslow that she'd always known was there was finally coming out and she'd be lying if she'd said she wasn't the least bit attracted to it.

That also wasn't to say that she wasn't just a tiny bit glad it had stopped. She had been drinking after all, only enough to get her slightly tipsy, but she still knew that making out with the guy she had feelings for was probably not the best idea, especially when that someone was Bickslow.

So as she summoned her beloved maid spirit, smiling when she appeared with her chosen pyjamas in hand, along with her hairbrush and toothbrush. Lucy was still a little bit surprised she hadn't swapped her clothes out for something much more risqué. But no, Virgo had been good and stuck with the light pink shorts and the purple tank top.

And as Bickslow waited, wondering just how long it took to get changed, he got bored and picked up the book that was sitting on the nightstand. He was nearly finished with it by that point but before he could even finish the first page, still making himself comfortable with his back against the headboard, the bathroom door had opened and Lucy had climbed back onto the bed.

"You know," she murmured, slowly lifting the book from his hands and placing it on the nightstand again before climbing over his lap, smiling at the slightly shocked and confused expression on his face. "I wasn't done with you."

Part of the reason she'd taken so long in the bathroom was because she had been trying to convince herself that she should take what she wanted, just for once. Lucy was rarely one to want things enough to take them, but Bickslow had become one of those things. She knew that if she hadn't been drinking just a little bit then there'd be know way in hell she'd be straddling his lap like she was in that current moment, but she could only remind herself that it was just the liquid courage flowing throughout her veins that let her even consider it.

But all fight was lost within Bickslow when she pressed her lips to his again, and in an instant, he'd rolled them over so she was on her back and he was over her. He had to reassure himself he'd control himself. He'd stop before things got out of hand and went somewhere that she didn't want to go. He could do that, he reminded himself.

His hands ran down her sides, pushing up the soft fabric of her tank-top just enough for his hands to sit against her hips as her arms looped around his neck. Just the feel of her soft skin and the way her lips somehow always vaguely tasted like strawberries was enough to put him on the verge of going insane, but he held onto that last sliver of self-control with all he had.

But when she let out the quietest of moans as he sucked on her bottom lip, it was all it had taken for the part of him that was stuck between wanting and needing her to come back out.

His lips trailed across her jaw, smirking slightly when she tilted her head back and into the pillow. As his nose brushed the spot just below her ear she smiled lazily. "No hickeys," she mumbled.

"And what if it's somewhere that won't get you in trouble?" Bickslow murmured between light kisses, starting just below her ear and down to her shoulder. It was all about creativity now.

But Lucy couldn't even answer, not that she'd needed to, because somehow, Bickslow already knew the answer. This was the man that knew exactly what he was doing and it came from what Lucy could only assume was years of experience of doing… well, that. Even though Bickslow was usually confident, the confidence he had then had a different aura to it. It was almost arrogance, but oh, could he pull it off, and she figured it would probably be the only time she'd consider it even remotely attractive.

"Like… here," he murmured, pushing the thin strap over her shoulder to the side before sucking on the soft skin gently, not long enough to leave much of a mark.

"Maybe…" Lucy whispered before pulling his head back up and capturing his lips in another searing kiss.

But it didn't last long, and as he pulled his head back, she saw the smirk that was firmly in place before he was down by her hips. She could hear her heart beating in her ears and she felt like her face was on fire. Lucy could vaguely recognise that things were quickly progressing and heading towards something she still wasn't quite ready for. Granted, it had crossed her mind once in the last week, but she wasn't there. Not yet. She knew she had a line to draw somewhere, but they weren't there yet.

"Maybe… here?" Bickslow murmured against the side of her hip, eliciting a small gasp from the blonde.

That last sliver of control that was very quickly being lost was all that kept him from seriously doing things that he'd honestly wanted to do to her – with her – for a long time.

But they weren't there. Yet.

And then, her hands started to wander on their own accord, down over his bare chest and his sides, until she reached the waistband of his boxers. They hovered there for a while and she was aware of what she was doing, and even though she didn't really know why she'd done it, she was simultaneously getting nervous and excited. She could see the line that she didn't really want to cross and it was coming up fast.

Bickslow could feel her hands against his hips, and he was okay with that. They were fine there. But then, when she tentatively slipped her fingers past the elastic, he stopped. That was the line that wouldn't be crossed. Not yet.

And even though there was a part of his body that really disagreed with himself on the matter of stopping, his brain (thankfully) won that battle. He grabbed her wrists, pulling them away before pinning them to her sides. "We're not doing this," he said firmly, finally sitting up and rolling to his back.

And Lucy was honestly glad it hadn't progressed. Even though there was a small part of her that had wanted it to, she knew, even in her less-than-sober state, that she didn't want it yet.