A/N: More gratuitous smut in the second (I believe) scene. Sorry not sorry.

It came as no surprise to everyone (well, it came as a surprise to some people) that Fairy Tail came back to Magnolia with another trophy from their win at the Grand Magic Games. Sure, they'd only won by one single point, but it was a win, and they deserved it.

So like they did the year before after returning from Crocus, they partied, and they partied hard. But really, their celebrations weren't all that different from their usual ones, but when they had something so big to celebrate, they really did go all out. For an entire week, almost every single person in the guild was drunk. The entire time.

Bickslow ended up completely passed out on the floor more than once during the week, with his tongue hanging out on the not-so-clean guild floor. Lucy had only laughed and shaken her head at her boyfriend, given that she'd probably been one of the only ones who hadn't ended up getting completely smashed every day. That wasn't to say that she didn't end up getting a little intoxicated and sleeping on the guild floor at all that week, because she did, like everyone else had at some point.

But of course, most of the time she'd been sober enough to head back to either her own apartment or Bickslow's, and with the help of her new spirit, Aquila, it had definitely been easy.

Aquila was primarily a transport spirit. He wasn't an offensive spirit, but like all of her spirits, he had his uses and specialties. Aquila's was of course his wings. Broad wings sprouted from between his shoulder blades, each one the span of Lucy's entire height when outstretched. Not only could he fly great distances with those wings, but the perfectly blended brown, black, and grey feathers could form a barrier; he could protect someone when they were wrapped around them.

His strong, muscled arms could carry someone high above the treetops, and if need be, he could quite literally swoop down on someone and pick them up with his claw-like feet, the talons on each one digging in and causing an incredible amount of pain. Not only could Aquila whisk someone away to safety, but he could take an enemy anyway, if required.

But of course, in Lucy's state, she really just needed someone to help her get home so she didn't have to walk. Reaching into her pouch that night, she pulled out the newest addition to her spirit family, and with the silver key out before her, she funnelled her magic into it, visualising the gate in the empty space before her. As clearly as possibly, she shouted, "Open! Gate of the eagle! Aquila!"

Her newest spirit appeared in front her with a brief flash of golden light, his dark wings spreading behind him as his white shoulder length hair blew gently in the wind. "How can I be of assistance, Princess?" Aquila asked, his voice crisp and strong.

Lucy giggled in her intoxicated state as she looked at her spirit, his lean arms were folded over the off-white fabric that made up the tunic that was only broken up by the golden metal belt around his waist. The lower half of his tunic was separated into two distance sections, a front and a back, and below that, grey pants that ended just below his knees, and it somewhat reminded Lucy of Bickslow's original armour. His orange eyes were piercing into her own, and under normal circumstances, she probably would have been feeling uncomfortable; he had a menacing aura to him. Between the sharp nose and alert eyes, you could tell he was a predator. Well, sort of. Lucy liked to think he was really just a big softie, from what she could tell, anyway.

"I need you to take me home, Aquila," she said.

He nodded. "Very well."

Lucy shivered from the draft from Aquila's strong wings as he slowly took flight, flying over her to come behind her, and then gently his hands came to grasp her at her sides, and slowly, he began to lift Lucy higher off the ground. She could hear the beating of his wings as he rose, and soon, they were gliding across the tops of the buildings. She loved feeling the wind in her hair and the cool breeze on her face. It was refreshing.

And even though she felt safe, having her new spirit hold her up above Magnolia as he took her home, it still wasn't her preferred method of transport. Because to that day, being in Bickslow's arms and on the babies was her favourite way of flying.

Eventually, the celebrations came to a close, and everyone slowly fell back into their original lives and routines. Just like with the previous year, the guild was getting swamped with job requests, because everyone wanted the help of the guild who had won the games. Again. But even though all was good for Fairy Tail, not everything was going as well in the magic world as a whole. Dozens upon dozens of past and current council members were being killed, and no one knew why. It was worrying everyone, and not just those who used magic.

On this particular morning, though, that was the farthest thing from Bickslow's thoughts. With all of the jobs that everyone was all but forced into taking, it meant Bickslow rarely had a chance to see Lucy, between her own team's jobs and his own. On this particular morning, though, he got to see her. He got to see her face smiling back at him as soon as he opened his eyes, because for the first time in a little over three weeks, they'd both been in Magnolia at the same time and were able to spend more than an hour with each other before they had to head out.

"Morning, Bicks," she whispered before pressing a soft kiss to the end of his nose as his eyes slowly opened.

"Mmm, morning," he rasped with a small smile as he rolled onto his side. His hand was gently running down her side, over her waist and her hip before settling on her rear, and quickly pulled her in closer. With his hardening member between her thighs and pressed against her already slick folds, she hooked one leg around his hip, and as she rolled her own hips, a quiet moan escaped from her lips. Bickslow smirked as he leant forward just enough to have his lips brushing against hers, and as he did so, he whispered, "Do I have time?"

As Bickslow rocked his own hips slightly, the tip teased her entrance, and she bit back another moan when he brushed over her clit again. "Only if… you make it quick," she murmured.

"In that case…" A wicked grin split his face as he quickly rolled Lucy onto her back, and with her leg still hooked around one side of his waist, he angled himself and eased into her. "I better get to it then."

Lucy could only nod as her head tipped back into the pillow, and she closed her eyes. Bickslow always knew what to do, he knew just how long to tease her before giving her want she wanted, and he knew just how to make her scream and be on the verge of seeing stars. And thankfully, Bickslow hadn't pushed her to her absolute limits when it came to teasing her, and instead was promptly working on the latter. Though, it probably had something to do with the fact that he really didn't have the time to tease her that morning, not when he had a job to go and do for the day.

He continued to snap his hips, burying himself completely in her core over and over again as he held onto her waist. Her moans and curses were some of his favourite sounds in the entire world, and each one was for him.

With another wicked grin, Bickslow leant down and captured her lips in a searing kiss, just as she opened her mouth to moan, and his tongue instantly slipped past and caressed her own. He could feel her walls tightening around him, and he was fighting his own climax off just so he could feel her shatter around him first; it was how he liked it best, and how Lucy liked it best too.

Quickly, he unhooked her leg from around his hip when he straightened up again, and grabbing her other leg behind her thigh, he brought them together and let her calves rest on one shoulder.

"Oh… fuck," she gasped, turning her head to the side when the new angle had her hips lifting off the bed slightly. "Just like that, oh… Oh god."

She closed her eyes again when she could feel the cord winding tighter and tighter inside of her, and she could feel every inch of Bickslow as he slowed his pace to long and languid strokes, rolling his hips against her heated core each time he became seated within her.

"Just like that?" he murmured, gently pressing his chest against the backs of her legs and pushing them forward slightly, rocking into her again.

"Fuck, yes," she moaned. "Please."

Bickslow bit back his own guttural moan as best he could when Lucy pressed her thighs together even more than they already were, and with her thigh muscles contracting and keeping them together as tight as possible, her sex clenched around his aching and swollen shaft even further. "Shit, baby," he groaned, feeling her walls flutter around his cock and grip him tightly, pulling him in even more as he rolled his hips and pushed down on her legs again. "You feel too fucking good."

Lucy felt like her entire body was on fire; the heat within her that continued to grow as she neared her end, and the heat from Bickslow. All of the desire and lust for him had sparked a fire within her that never truly went out, but when she had him like that, when he was filling her so completely and was as close to her as it was possible, that same fire intensified. But Lucy enjoyed that heat and that fire within her; she loved that carnal desire, and it was all for Bickslow. It was all about the friction, the heat, and the contact. That's what it had always been about, and what it would always be about.

She could feel that same heat amassing within her even more, and she was so close to the edge and letting all of that passion wash over her. But she needed more.

"Harder."

Just one word, that's all she needed to say. One simple command and Bickslow would give her what she so desperately wanted and needed.

So when he began to slam into her again with one hand around her ankles and the other on her hip, and he groaned in response to her almost clamping down on him completely each time he was fully sheathed inside of her, Lucy's breaths came in shorter and sharper bursts between the moans that just got louder and louder. Each time his hips connected with her and he filled her so deeply, she gasped, and when the eager rhythm he'd set began to falter with his own impending orgasm, Lucy looked up through her heavy lidded eyes.

Bickslow was giving it everything he had just to keep his climax at bay, just for a little while longer. He knew Lucy was close, every single muscle in her body was going taut as she neared her peak, and he could see her chest heave quickly with each shallow breath.

It was all becoming too much, though; he was becoming completely overrun by the intense heat that rippled throughout him, and it was because of her. It was always because of her, and it was all for her. His overwhelming need and desire to be with her and be as close as humanly possible to her made it so. It was all of the heat and passion between them that made everything so good.

But then, when Bickslow was positive he wasn't going to be able to take any more of it, of Lucy, she let out a shout of his name and a string of curses, something that had always entertained him because she almost never swore. Her back arched from the bed as she tipped her head into the pillow again, and as she finally crested that peak, the dam within her bursting and letting all of that heat and passion go in crashing waves that washed over her, she felt every muscle that had been slowly filling with tension relax.

And as soon as she did finally reach that peak, Bickslow was only able to make sure he was buried within her constricting core as deep as possible, only rolling his hips against her when his entire body became flooded with that passion. He shuddered with a groan as he turned his head to press a kiss to her ankle, feeling her core continue to milk him for everything he was worth and keep him there within her.

With her core still rippling around him and as Lucy quietly moaned from the pulsing heat still within her, he leant back just enough to let her put her feet back flat on the bed. Then, when his heart had stopped hammering in his chest and Lucy's laboured breaths had quieted down and had slowed, Bickslow leant forward over her with his chest pressed against hers and pulled her in for a slow kiss.

And airy chuckle left her lips when he pulled back, and as she lazily draped her arms around his neck, and her legs around his hips, he rolled her hips from where they were pinned beneath his own. As another slight shiver ran down his spine and he let out a quiet moan against her neck, she murmured in his ear, "So, if we were to get in the shower in the next, say… thirty seconds…"

A lazy grin spread across his lips as he lifted his head up, and swiftly, he pushed his arms under her back and wound them around her waist as she arched into him. Lucy giggled as he manoeuvred them to the edge of the bed, and as Bickslow stood, she crossed her ankles behind him, keeping herself pressed against his body.

"Say no more, Cosplayer," he grinned, letting his hands drop down over her ass and to the sides of her thighs. Bickslow was more than happy to go again, like always, so Lucy really didn't need to continue with that sentence, because he knew exactly what she was going to say. Besides, it worked in his favour. He got to take his girlfriend again, and he got a shower, also with his girlfriend, and really, he'd come to realise showering was definitely a lot more fun when there was someone else in there with you.

So really, he was fine with multi-tasking.

Completely fine.

"Bickslow, you're late."

The Seith mage grinned at the scowling Rune mage as he looked up from the chopping board. "Sorry, I had to pick up something on my way in," he said, taking the white apron from Evergreen when she handed it to him, and then walked around the main counter in the restaurant and over to Freed. After a quick glance around the room, he raised an eyebrow under his visor and turned to Evergreen again. "Where's Laxus?"

"Out getting some supplies," she said with a shrug.

"Don't count on him coming back then," Bickslow scoffed as he walked over to the large industrial stove and peered into the large steel pot. "He's probably already lost."

"That's very true," Freed agreed, glancing up from the vegetables he was chopping up quickly. Their fearless leader may have been smart (well, it was debatable sometimes), but he wasn't the best when it came to directions. Quite often, Laxus would find himself somewhere he shouldn't be, and despite growing up in Magnolia, he still got lost occasionally in the town he'd always called home.

When it came to fights, on the other hand… well, he could find those without a single problem. In fact, he seemed to be drawn to them. The Raijinshuu could only wonder if it was a Dragon Slayer thing, because each and every single Dragon Slayer they'd met (regardless of generation), they'd all had an attraction to trouble and fights. Wendy was the exception to that, not that it was surprising.

So as Evergreen sighed and went back to waiting tables, Bickslow looked over his shoulder to Freed as he continued gently stirring the soup in front of him. "I picked the ring up today," he said softly with a wide grin.

"I'm assuming that's why you were late?" Freed asked.

"Yup." He nodded. And it really was why he'd been late. Well, his shower had been longer than anticipated, not that he was complaining, nor would he ever complain. But as soon as he had been able to leave his apartment, he'd had to visit a certain jewellery store on the opposite side of town, and that was only because the ring he'd bought for Lucy had come back in after being resized.

It was the ring he was going to use to propose, and just feeling it in the pocket of his orange chef's uniform, the same orange uniform for the staff at 8-Island, was making him almost giddy. Bickslow was so excited and he couldn't wait until he actually got to ask the question.

But he still had to wait a few more weeks, because he wanted to make their one-year anniversary as special and memorable as he could. Hopefully, asking her to marry him was going to do just that. Bickslow could only hope she'd say yes, but by that point, he was entirely convinced she would.

He just had to wait a few more weeks, and then he'd know for sure that he was going to spend the rest of his life with her.

And up until that point in time, Freed was the only other person Bickslow had told about what he was doing. Freed knew he'd told Lucy he was going to ask her to marry him, one day at least, and he'd known since before the games. Bickslow had needed to tell someone about his plans, just because if he hadn't, he'd been sure he was going to burst from keeping it all to himself.

He couldn't tell Laxus, because he'd tell Mira and Mira would freak out, and Bickslow couldn't have that. He couldn't tell Evergreen, because she'd probably freak out and tell Elfman who would end up telling Mira, and Mira would freak out. Again. And Bickslow couldn't really tell Gajeel either, because hell, if he didn't let it slip to the whole guild, then he'd no doubt tell Levy, who would probably and most likely end up telling Cana at some point, and then the entire guild would be aware he was going to propose to Lucy.

And they'd all freak out, Mira included.

It had really just left Freed, because Bickslow knew he could keep a secret, and there was no way in hell that Bickslow was going to tell any of Lucy's team. Though, he was aware that he at least needed to ask them if he could ask her to marry him. He'd get around to that, eventually.

So of course, he'd actually had Freed come with him to the jewellery store one afternoon when Lucy was out on a job, just because Bickslow had wanted to choose something that she'd absolutely love. Sure, he'd bought her jewellery before and she still wore both the necklace and bracelet (that now had two more charms on it; one being a small golden cup, representing her win at the games, and a small white-gold star with white gems on one side) every day, but a ring was different. Hell, just the type of ring it was was making it different.

When it came to the finer things in life, Freed was the one Bickslow had always gone to for advice. When it came to all things fancy and to do with proper etiquette, Freed had all the answers. Bickslow needed his opinion, though, and that was why he'd brought him along to choose the ring in the first place. He'd needed Freed to tell him if what he thought was nice was actually indeed nice, and whether or not he thought Lucy would like it.

But as it turns out, Bickslow hadn't really needed Freed's help. He'd still been glad to have him along for the ride, but his opinions had almost irrelevant, because whatever Freed thought was nice and what he thought Lucy might like, Bickslow almost hated. Well, it wasn't that he actually hated them, it was just that none were really what he'd been looking for. He'd wanted the perfect ring for the perfect girl, and no matter how many rings he stared at and how long he stared at them, none of them were the one he wanted to propose with.

But then he found it, when he was extremely frustrated with having wasted almost an entire afternoon in just one jewellery store. He saw the perfect ring for the perfect girl, and as soon as he saw it, he just knew that that was the one he was going to propose with.

It wasn't too simple, and it wasn't too extravagant. A thin, twisting silver band that had the two strands encrusted with tiny white diamonds, and in the centre of the band was a single diamond. It was the perfect ring for the perfect girl, and as soon as Bickslow had seen it, he'd pointed to it and bought it, much to the sales clerk's relief, having finally decided on the ring.

But of course, he'd needed to get it resized, because just by looking at it, Bickslow had known it would slip right off her finger. When it came to the new sizing, he'd just guessed, really. He figured it was close, but in the event it didn't fit, then it would just get resized again. No big deal.

So Freed smiled at Bickslow as he piled all of the chopped vegetables into a pot, scraping the knife down the board. "I'm sure she'll love it, Bickslow."

"I know she will." And Bickslow really did know Lucy would love it. Just thinking about it had him excited again, and he really, really could not wait to propose.

So the Raijinshuu went about their tasks for the day. Freed was preparing the food, Bickslow was plating it (mostly with the help of the babies), and Evergreen was waiting on tables. It was an odd job for them, sure, but like the year before, Bickslow and Freed had complained about the influx of difficult jobs, so working at 8-Island for the day wasn't that bad.

Bickslow glanced up to the ex council member who was sitting on the bench in the middle with his legs crossed under him. Bickslow looked to the newspaper in his hands, and he frowned when he saw the headline for the day: Era had been destroyed in a mysterious bombing and the main council members had all been murdered.

It was really quite disturbing, to say the least. Even though it had been the farthest thing from his mind that same morning, it was now the first thing in his mind. One by one, the council was getting killed off, and no one knew why.

But when the door the restaurant opened a little while later and they heard the heavy footsteps on the hardwood floor, they stopped their slightly worrying thoughts on the magic council and the possible reason behind the deaths. They all looked up and towards the door with smiles on their faces, expecting to see the hulking silhouette of their fearless leader, but as soon as they realised it wasn't, their faces dropped.

Because it wasn't Laxus.

"Rumble."