A/N: One order of gratuitous smut with a side of plot, coming right up.
"What did you just say?" Lucy whispered as her eyes suddenly flew open again, her heart hammering in her chest. Her thumbs brushing back and forth across his cheekbones stopped and she sat back slightly, just to stare at Bickslow in complete astonishment. She was sure she'd actually heard the words that had come out of his mouth, but still, she couldn't help but ask.
Bickslow quickly cleared his throat and looked down for just a moment before he looked back up to Lucy to hold her gaze, and the corner of his mouth lifted up into a small smile as a nervous laugh slipped out. "I, uh… I said… Marry me. W-Well, I mean… I probably should have asked if you wanted to make things work again—"
"Yes."
He had quickly realised that starting with an entire proposal really wasn't the best idea. But… It had felt right, and even then, it still did. But asking the woman of his dreams to marry him, and then see if she wanted to try things again was probably not the best order to do things. He felt his heart sinking under his own negative thoughts. He nodded once before he flicked his eyes elsewhere, and mumbled, "Yeah, sorry. Probably wasn't a good idea to start with an enti—"
Lucy's lips on his suddenly cut him off and the brightest smile he had ever seen on her face had Bickslow's heart completely stopping for at least a few seconds when she pulled away. Just in that moment, she left him completely speechless and breathless, and it was just from her smile alone. Lucy was sure she was going to burst into tears any moment, but they would be because she was truly the happiest she had been in a very, very long time.
She smiled at Bickslow for just a moment for she finally opened her mouth to actually talk. "Yes," Lucy whispered again. "I'll marry you. A million times yes." She didn't need to think about it at all. She'd heard the words. Bickslow had asked her to marry him, and she would gladly do so.
For so long, she had been waiting to hear and say those words, and she couldn't even describe how much joy she felt just from finally being able to do so. She had promised Bickslow that she would say yes when he asked, but the fact she never broke a promise wasn't what had her saying it then. No, it was because he was the love of her life, the only person she would ever love like that, and she couldn't think of a better way to spend her life than with him.
She'd had her time away. She'd had her year and she had lived the life she thought she could truly want – or at least could cope with. She'd thought she was starting the next part of her life, but she hadn't been. She'd been taking a break; it had been her interlude. That's all it had been and it was all it would ever be. Because now? Now she was going to be starting the next part of her life like she had always dreamt about. It was always supposed to have been with Bickslow, and nothing would ever change that. He was her happy ending, and she wanted that.
And she knew she was going to get it too, because no matter what, she would always be happiest with Bickslow.
It didn't matter to Lucy that it was only the second time in essentially a year that she'd seen the man and they hadn't even talked about the possibility of even getting back together and going back to the way things had been before everything fell apart. They didn't need to talk about it at all, really, because they both knew that they would have made sure things could go back to the way they were. No matter what, it would always come down to them needing each other be truly happy, and being right in front of each other right then just wasn't enough.
They needed to actually be with each other, and they both knew it. They didn't need to really talk about it, because no matter what, they could always find a way to work through things. And it was always together. Being apart for a year was just something else they would work through. They would put it behind them and come out on the other side stronger than they were before. That's just how they were, and it was how they had always been.
Together, they could get through anything. It was the way things should have always been, and Lucy was sure as hell glad that it was the way things were going to be again.
"Are you… Are you sure?" Bickslow asked quietly, only looking at her hopefully as his heart pounded a jagged rhythm in his chest. Deep down, he knew that she meant it, but he really did have to make sure. It had been an incredibly long time after all, and if Lucy wanted to take things slow – work back up to that point, maybe – then he really would have no issues with that. Not ever.
Lucy nodded quickly. "I've never been so sure of anything in my entire life." And Lucy meant that wholeheartedly. For more than a year, Lucy had known what her answer would have been, and no amount of time would ever change that and how sure she was about it. Not ever. She loved him with all of her being and that was never going to change. Quickly, Lucy leant forward once again as she sat up on her knees, and she wound her arms around Bickslow's neck and let herself be pulled into the slow kiss.
Everything felt almost too surreal to be anything other than a dream. It was too perfect, being in one another's arms once again after being apart for so long, and being together. Already, everything was falling back into place and returning to the way things had always supposed to have been. A time where everything was truly perfect and there was nothing in the entire world that could ever make it anything but that. Not for long, anyway.
With each other, everything was perfect and everything would always be perfect. And Lucy had missed that feeling just as much as Bickslow had. Everything was just as it should be and the pieces were all falling into place. For the first time in more than a year, they both felt like they were truly home. That last something that had been missing to really make it feel like they were home, was each other. And right then, they had that. They would always have that.
Bickslow slowly leant back on the bed, and he smiled up at Lucy with nothing but complete adoration and love for the woman that he was finally going to be able to spend the rest of his life with. "I love you so much," he said softly as he lifted a hand from her waist to cup her cheek. "More than anything in the entire world."
"I know, Bicks," she whispered. "And if I didn't love you as much as I do, then I wouldn't have just agreed to marrying your ass." She lifted her head to look towards her desk just at the end of her bed, and seeing the silver chain with the diamond ring just on the corner of it, she smiled down at Bickslow once again before sliding herself forward and stretching her arm out, just so she could get her fingers around the chain to pull it towards her. She sat up again once she had it in her hands, her legs on either side of Bickslow's waist, and she looked down to Bickslow once again when he sat up on one elbow and gently pried the chain from her hands. "You know," she began, watching as he turned the chain to get to the clasp. "I cried when you sent me that. Like, a lot. And I really wanted to hate you for it, but I couldn't."
Bickslow kept his eyes down as he slid the ring from the chain and into his hand. "I didn't mean to upset you. I knew it was stupid though. I really shouldn't have sent you it." At the time, he'd only really been a little aware of how stupid it was. It was only after his team and Laxus had found out that he really did regret it, because it was just unfair, if anything.
"I wanted to hate you because my first thought was that it was unfair. Because I missed you and it made me miss you even more. Every day, I thought about you, because I didn't know what you were doing, or if you were safe or if you were okay…" Lucy held out her left hand in front of Bickslow when he looked up again, and when he slowly slipped the ring onto her finger, she had to stop herself from bursting into either tears or laughter - she honestly wasn't sure which though, but both would be from sheer joy. She knew that much. She might have put it on her finger once or twice in the last few weeks or so just to see what it would have looked like on her hand and not around her neck, so it wasn't a surprise that it fit perfectly. She already knew it did. As she lifted her hand back up slowly just to admire it with a never-fading smile, one that matched Bickslow's, she said, "I couldn't hate you because I knew you were okay, and that was all that mattered to me. Everyone else I could keep track of for the most part, but you, and Ever and Freed… There was nothing. Ever. So I was always worried about you. But… I was happy. I was happy to know that you were okay, and do you know what else I thought when I saw this ring?"
"That I would have probably deserved getting turned to stone and trapped in runes? Which, I did, by the way. It was a very fun few days."
Lucy laughed as she shook her head slightly, and Bickslow's breath almost caught. It had been such a long time since he'd heard that sound, apart from that time where he was sure he had imagined it. Still, to that day, it was one of his favourite sounds in the entire world and it always would be. "No, but I'm not going to say that you didn't deserve that, because really, it was kind of a dick move to send your ex-girlfriend the engagement ring you had obviously planned on using at some point," she scolded, although playfully at that.
"A year ago," Bickslow said with a wide grin as he turned slightly too lean back on both elbows instead.
A perfectly shaped eyebrow rose on Lucy's face as she sat up slightly. "Huh?"
"A year ago." Bickslow shrugged. "Some point. It was going to be a year ago. To the day." He didn't see the harm in telling her, not when she was officially his fiancée, and oh, did Bickslow fucking love that. He was sure he was going to love her being his wife a whole lot more though, and it was a great feeling for Bickslow to know that she would be. Soon.
"Today?" she whispered to herself, trying to figure out why that day would have been so special. Having been out on that job for so long, Lucy hadn't paid much attention to the date. But then she realised, and she felt the first tear skate down her cheek. "It's the twenty-fifth, isn't it?" Bickslow nodded, and she quickly leant forward to pepper his face with kisses, from his forehead to his cheeks, down the mark across his nose and to the wide grin plastered on his lips as he quietly began to laugh. Just… Everywhere. "God, I love you," she choked out as more tears slid silently down her face.
"That's why you're marrying me, isn't it?" he chuckled.
Lucy sat up again as she let out a watery laugh. Keeping her hands on his face, she said, "W-Well, yeah. Of course it is. Because I want to spend the rest of my life with you and I always did. But… The date. God, I just… I love that it's today, and I really, really want to be saying 'I do' this time next year. On this exact day."
Bickslow moved to be resting on just one elbow again, and he lifted his free hand just to cover Lucy's left to bring it down slightly, just to smile down at the sight of the ring sitting perfectly on her finger. Where it should have always been. "If that's when you want to do it, then that's when we'll do it," he smiled as he looked back up, and as it turned just slightly mischievous, he added, "But I'm not going to be saying 'I do'…"
"And what exactly are you going to be saying instead?"
"'Hell fucking yes, I do' is what I'm going to be saying."
Lucy shook her head as another bubbly laugh slipped out of her. "You will not be saying that on our wedding day."
"Yeah, I will be." And oh, would he. Nothing was going to stop him from saying that. Not even Lucy would be able to stop him from saying that, because to Bickslow, 'I do' just didn't cut it. Those two words didn't hold enough power in them to express how happy he was and would be when he finally got to call Lucy his wife. As she rolled her eyes at him, he laughed and pulled her down when he leant back again. "But, I believe we got off topic," Bickslow said as he gently rolled them over to rest on their sides with his arms around her and holding her close, making sure that Lucy wasn't on the side with the bandages around her thigh and hip. "What was it you thought when you saw the ring?"
"That I would have said yes if you'd asked me to marry you in the letter," she whispered. "And that it really is beautiful, and I love it."
"If only I'd known," he chuckled. "But I'm glad you like it. I wanted to get the perfect ring for the perfect girl." Bickslow smiled against her lips before he sighed and moved forward just to rest his forehead against hers, and he closed his eyes. "I missed this. A lot."
Just being with Lucy was what Bickslow had missed. Seeing her smile, hearing her laugh. Being able to hold her. Bickslow would never get sick of her. Not even in a million years, and if he really could spend a million years with her, he would. Gladly. Hell, if it was possible to become fucking immortal, he would. Being able to spend all eternity by her side would be a great way to spend forever.
And it warmed Bickslow to his very soul to know that he really would be able to spend the rest of his life with her. The woman of his dreams, love of his life, and hopefully one day, the mother of his children. But if Lucy didn't want to go down that road after what had happened, then that would be fine. As long as he was just with her, Bickslow really didn't care all that much. Not really, anyway.
"Me too," Lucy sighed. "But… Do you know what else I missed?" Slowly, an almost sinfully sweet smirk tugged at her lips, and Bickslow opened her eyes to look at her again.
She hooked a leg over his hip to force him onto his back again, ignoring the slight pain from doing so. Her hands slowly moved up over the thick fabric of his pinstriped shirt, and up to the clasp of his cloak. Bickslow glanced down to see her undoing it just as slowly, and he could only raise an eyebrow as he looked back up to see her lust filled eyes looking back at him. "What's that?" he asked, the corners of his mouth lifting up into a wicked grin.
"Really, really, really great sex."
"Oh god, I completely second that," Bickslow groaned. Bickslow had had a lot of sex, just because he'd slept with a lot of people. He'd truly had more bad sex that he cared to admit. But he'd also had a lot of great sex. Amazing sex, really. But with Lucy? It was on a whole different level. Every. Single. Time. Great didn't do it justice. Neither did amazing.
Mind-blowing. Fantastic. Incredible. Abso-fucking-lutely sensational. Or at least those were the only words Bickslow could ever come up with, not that he was sure the proper words even existed. But had he missed it? Yeah, he'd fucking missed it. He'd missed it a lot. More than he should have, anyway. He knew that much.
Bickslow sat up slightly, just to let Lucy's nimble fingers pull his shirt free from the metal waist guard before pushing both layers up and over his head. He caught her hands in his when they reached around for the clasp at the back of the metal belt holding the four-piece fabric up, and she looked back up at him in confusion, wondering just why he had stopped her. Bickslow grinned again then, and quickly leant forward just to quickly press his lips to hers. "It's not that I don't want to, because I really, really do…" He brought her hands back around to be between them and then said softly, "I just mean that you're kind of covered in bandages and all, and you know, this can wait."
Lucy smiled back at him almost innocently as she freed her hands. "Do you really think a few cuts and bruises are going to stop me from fucking my fiancé?"
She was almost convinced there was nothing that could stop her from doing just that. Not even any amount of pain would, and even then, it didn't matter. Not when it would become nothing compared to the pleasure she knew would almost overwhelm her. Nothing else mattered when they were together.
Bickslow almost whimpered at her words though. He loved that part of her. He had always loved that part of her, and right then, he was more than glad that he had her all to himself once again. He shrugged, and as his hands went back to her waist to begin to lift up her shirt, he said, "Well, if that's the case… This can definitely not wait."
Quickly, Bickslow had the blonde on her back beneath him, tossing her shirt to some part of the room along with her bra before diving back down to feel her bare chest against his as his tongue roughly pushed past her lips. By that point already, Bickslow was sure as hell it wasn't going to as be as long as he wished for. He needed her, like he always had and always would, but right then, he just needed to be in her. It'd been far too long since he'd felt her come apart around him and because of him, and the urge to feel it again as she screamed his name had him quickly tearing his mouth away from hers and sliding down some.
As much as he wanted to admire the porcelain beauty beneath him, he just didn't have the time to do so. Not right then, anyway. He was far too impatient. He had all the time in the world to do that after, and that's what Bickslow reminded himself with when he wanted to tell himself to just slow the hell down. Not that Lucy minded, of course. She just didn't give a damn, because the sooner he was inside her and she had her legs wrapped around his waist, the better.
Her back arched from the mattress as his lips surrounded a nipple, and a gasp-turned-moan left her own lips as he pulled it between his teeth. Just a few small touches – not even that, really – and Lucy was quickly losing her cool. Any other time and she really wouldn't have cared how quickly he was having her on the verge of begging him to make love to her. But right then, she cared. A lot. Even just the seconds felt too slow to Lucy.
But as always, for reasons neither had ever figured out, Bickslow seemed to hear her silent pleas. And when he lifted his head again, only hooking his fingers into the waistbands of the last remaining articles of clothing she had on, he saw the look in her eyes that sent him to his knees every fucking time he saw it. That silent pleading and sultry look in her chocolate eyes had Bickslow feeling a whole lot better about feeling so damn impatient and that sense of urgency within him was just a little less annoying. Just because he knew that what he could give her was what she desperately wanted.
And oh, would he give her that. He sat up just enough to finally slide her shorts and underwear down her silken legs, and carefully over the bandages wrapped around her thigh. Like the rest of her clothes, it really didn't matter where they landed on the floor, just as long as they were off her.
All Bickslow wanted to do was dive down between her legs and taste her. And oh, was it tempting. Far too tempting and way too inviting, but he could do that later. As much as Lucy would love to remember what it felt like to come undone from just his mouth and his tongue alone, it was not what she wanted. Not right then. She needed something else, and she was quickly growing more impatient with each passing moment. "Bicks," she almost whined, looking up once again with unbridled longing in her eyes. "You're still wearing too many clothes."
And he was. Far too many, and way more than either would have liked. Bickslow looked down at himself as he sat up from her, and he quickly pulled himself away from the near magnetising blonde and to his feet just to begin pulling off the rest of his own clothes. "Jesus, fuck. Why the fuck do I wear so many goddamn layers?" he muttered to himself more than Lucy. It was far quicker for him to do it himself rather than have Lucy strip him, as much as they both probably really wanted her to do. It was far more fun that way.
Right then though, it really wasn't about it being fun. Not really, anyway, but that didn't mean it wasn't. "I've been asking myself that same question for far too long," Lucy laughed breathlessly as she sat up on her knees on the edge of the bed. Her fingertips lightly trailed across the hard planes of his stomach, his sides, only barely tracing across the tattoo she realised she really loved, and the scars she loved just as much.
He quickly pulled off the last of his far too inconvenient (especially in that moment) clothes, leaving them on the ground by her bed. Before Lucy could even look back up, Bickslow's arm wound around her waist to pin her to him. His mouth slanted over hers and drowned out the slight hum of pleasure that came from her. Slowly, he pushed her back down onto the bed, their lips and tongues still moving together.
Her eyes shot open just as she pulled Bickslow's lip between her teeth, just to see the dark grin somehow on his face right before her and the untempered mischief in his dark eyes. "Now is not the time to tease me, Bickslow," she warned, stifling the moan that yearned to escape as she felt the tip of his cock only brush against her dripping folds. She didn't need that. She could deal with the teasing any other time, but then? She most definitely could not.
"No?" he asked, only guiding himself down to barely press against her entrance. He couldn't tease her as much as he wanted to, but… He could a little bit. He couldn't help himself, even if it was taking all the self-control he had just to stop himself from snapping his hips forward to bury himself completely within her core.
Lucy's legs wound around his waist as he pulled her to the edge, all while only slowly pressing into her just that little bit more. Just enough to really have her on the verge of begging, and he knew it. "No." She barely managed to get it out before he quickly pushed into her, and her head went back into the mattress as a long moan barrelled out of her. "O-Oh… God… Fuck," she moaned as he began a relentless pace, exactly like she needed.
He'd always been able to know what she needed, and right then was no different. She needed to feel him stretching her, filling her completely, making it so she wouldn't be able to walk the next goddamn day. But what did Bickslow need? He just needed her. To feel her come apart around him – because of him – and to hear her scream and moan like she used to.
And like she was. As always. The sounds of her screams of pleasure drowned out his own as her sex pulled her in deeper each time, but he wouldn't drown out hers. Never. Not even when he probably should have, because he'd just never cared who heard her. Or heard them, really. Because every time they were together and joined like that, the world fell away. Hell, it was like they were just in the middle of a void or something, because when it came to Lucy, Bickslow had a serious case of tunnel vision.
Everything always just faded away, and right then all Lucy could think about as she forced herself to sit up on her elbows and open her eyes, was how he always managed to hit every single sweet spot inside of her that had her unable to stay quiet, even if her life depended on it. She knew Bickslow didn't mind how loud she was, and neither did she. But oh, to have someone – the one person in the entire world, she was convinced – who could make her scream like that back in her life, and for good, was an amazing feeling. That wasn't what mattered the most however. The fact that Bickslow was the only person who could make her feel that way – and she really was certain that he was – was truly just a bonus.
There had always been a lot more to him that his reputation. Granted, he really did live up to it, and he really was as skilled with his tongue as he let everyone believe. And oh, did she have firsthand knowledge when it came to that, not that she would ever, ever complain. But it really wasn't about the sex. Not ever. Mind-blowing or not, she loved him for a lot more reasons. The fact that she was going to be marrying an absolute god was really just another bonus. One she loved a lot.
Bickslow looked down to where he was spearing into her tight sex over and over and another wicked grin turned his lips as he looked back up to her face. Slightly flushed face, eyes half-closed, and her lip between her teeth. She was still stunning, as she always would be. "What was it… you said… earlier?" He only barely slowed down as his hands moved from where they were on her thighs, and he looked back at Lucy as she only stared at him confusion. "Oh, I remember now," he breathed with another wide grin before he quickly leant forward to cover her mouth with his. An arm gently went behind her back, and slowly, he moved forward enough just to roll them over. "You said you wanted to fuck your fiancé."
Lucy slowly pushed herself up with her hands on his stomach, and she revelled in the low groan that came from Bickslow as she just as slowly eased back down on the thick shaft. "I said nothing could… Oh, god," she moaned, trailing off as she pulled her lip between her teeth again and her head tipped back. "Stop me," she finished, only for another scream to rip from her throat when Bickslow's hands sought out her waist, above her bandages, and slammed her back down again and again.
She could feel that tension quickly continue to build within her, and Lucy was sure she would go flying off the edge of a cliff any moment. Not that she cared, of course. It had been far too long since she'd felt anything close to the pleasure that nearly consumed her entire being right then. Her screams only got louder as her own pace faltered, and she became more and more lost to the almost non-existent world around her with each passing moment.
Her walls tightening around him had Bickslow realising he was in a losing battle, because try as he might, there was no way he could really last much longer. Not at all, really. Hell, he was only a little proud that he'd even managed to hold off that long. She felt far too good, wrapped around his cock and managing to pull him in deeper to her very end, and she sure as hell looked a whole lot better doing it. As much as he loved the sight of her, eyes lidded, chest heaving and breasts bouncing as she sluggishly lifted herself up again and again, he knew that he wasn't the only one right on the edge of bliss. "Fuck… Lucy," he groaned, only throwing his own head back slightly when she turned her hips and rolled against him. "I can't… I'm go—Oh, fuck…"
A lazy smile floated across her lips as she forced herself to open her eyes and look down to Bickslow again. "Do it," she murmured, her voice husky with her impending release. "Cum with me, baby." She knew he was close, feeling him harden even more within her, and she knew that it would be enough to set her off.
Bickslow could only make a sound that he had never been able to describe at her words, and it was one only she could elicit from him. People thought he had a way with words when it came to the bedroom, but really, compared to her, he had nothing. She was the author, after all, and just her words alone could bring him to his knees sometimes. And oh, did he love that. "Jesus… Fu..." Bickslow couldn't even finish his sentence though, not when it was drowned out by his own deep groan and a shudder that ran through his entire body.
As soon as Lucy felt him erupt within her, not registering just how tightly his hand was gripping her waist and one of her legs, she felt that too-tightly coiled cord within her completely snap, and she was instantly thrown into the pleasure-filled ocean at the bottom of that cliff and she was completely consumed.
Lucy finally opened her eyes again as she slowly began to come down with Bickslow, her core still fluttering around the throbbing length deep within her, and she looked down with a sated smile on her lips as she leant down. His arms snaked around her back as she pressed her lips to his in a slow and deep kiss, and gently, he turned them until they were both on their sides, his arms still around her and holding her as close to him as he possibly could, with one of her slender legs draped over his narrow waist. Oh, how he could stay like that forever. He really would if he could. Or at least, sometimes. Or a lot.
"Fuck, I love you, Lucy," he murmured, only lifting one arm to reach behind him for the sheets and the comforter to drape it over them. "And I missed you. Too much."
"I love you too, Bicks," she whispered still slightly breathlessly. "And I missed you too. But that's okay, because now… Now we get to spend the rest of our lives together."
"Yeah, we do."
A quiet laugh slipped past her slightly bruised lips before she sighed in absolute contentment, and as she closed her eyes and ducked her head just under his chin, she quietly said, "And… I know we have lots of catching up to do. Like, a lot… But I'm still tired from my last job, and I really, really just want to get some more rest right now." And it wasn't just from the workout she'd just had. No, she was genuinely tired, and now, the injuries she'd gotten on that same job were catching up to her, and Bickslow's presence alone could only make them just that little bit more bearable. Like he always had been able to do, somehow.
He smiled as he tilted his head to softly kiss the top of her forehead, and he did his best to move his arm under her, just so that it was loosely wrapping around her shoulders instead. "Get some rest," he said softly as he closed his own eyes. "We have all the time in the world to catch up."
And they did. They had the rest of their lives to look forward to again, and as Bickslow laid there and willed himself to get some rest with her, he did so with a smile. He had his fiancée in his arms, and truly, for the first time in a very long time, he was happy with everything. Already so quickly, he could feel himself slipping into the comforting embrace of sleep, because he'd really never been able to sleep well without Lucy there beside him.
It was the early morning sun shining in through the window right above the bed and into Bickslow's eyes that eventually pulled him from what was undoubtedly the best night's sleep he'd had in more than a year, or maybe ever, actually.
Slowly, he opened his eyes, and looked out through the window with just a slightly furrowed brow. He reasoned he'd slept at least ten, maybe eleven hours judging on how light it was. The last thing Bickslow could remember was falling asleep… with Lucy. When he remembered everything from the previous evening, he was quickly grinning like an idiot to no one in particular, just because he was still facing a wall.
He'd proposed! And she'd said yes! And oh, then everything else. From just being able to hold her and tell her he loved her, and to the sex. Good god, was that amazing. As expected. Bickslow still felt like he was on cloud nine, and he was sure he would be for days. If not weeks. Hell, he'd be on cloud nine for the rest of his goddamn life, just because he'd be with Lucy for the rest of his life.
Bickslow honestly could not wait for that. He couldn't wait to actually begin his life with Lucy – again – and be able to look at her and think, 'holy shit, my wife is fucking amazing.' Because that's what he'd think. But, of course, amazing could be swapped out for many other adjectives. Like, beautiful, for example. Or gorgeous, or stunning. Or terrifying… Crazy… But whatever word he could come up with to describe the woman he was so excited to be marrying, he would still love her. He loved her regardless of… Well, anything.
And she was all his.
He slowly turned from where he lay on his stomach, and onto his side to see the woman in question just in front of him, hair splayed out on the pillow and down her back, and sleeping peacefully. Well, she looked like it. Bickslow moved forward slightly, and his hand lightly ran down her arm from her shoulder to her elbow, and then came to rest on her waist as his lips brushed against the top and back of her shoulder.
A soft smile crept onto her face at the soft touches, and a quiet hum left her lips as she moved back against Bickslow. Lucy was sure she was quickly going to get used to waking up next to Bickslow again every morning. "You're up early," she murmured as he slowly began to kiss down the back of her neck, lightly pushing her long hair out of the way. "And… still here."
It wasn't that she was complaining though. Not at all. Part of her had almost expected him to get back up once she'd fallen asleep – which she knew had been incredibly quickly – and maybe slip out and go back to his own apartment for the rest of the night, leaving a note for her to wake up to. Lucy wouldn't have minded that, because she knew he really did not like her bed all that much. It was nowhere near as comfortable as his had been, and the size alone was an issue.
"I fell asleep when you did and I only just woke up," Bickslow said softly as Lucy turned around to face him. A wide grin split his lips as he shifted uncomfortably though, and he quietly groaned as he stretched his arms out above his head as best as he could. "But… I am wondering just how I managed to stay asleep all night. I'm still trying to figure out how you managed to sleep on this thing for so long."
Lucy rolled her eyes as she gently prodded him in his stomach, just to have him slightly curling in on himself and chuckling quietly. "Yeah, yeah. I remember how much you hated my bed. But… That does get me thinking," she mumbled, suddenly pulling her lip between her teeth.
"Thinking about what?"
"Well, maybe it's time we really did move in together?"
Bickslow blinked back at her as an eyebrow slowly rose. "You mean, like actually moved in together? Official change of address and all that?"
Lucy's brows suddenly drew together as she looked to Bickslow. "Well, yeah," she replied. "I just thought that maybe it was actually time to do that? You know, since we're engaged now and we'll be living together when we're married anyway…" She paused as she began to worry about just whether or not Bickslow would want to actually move in together. The chaos that was their living arrangements before everything had happened was just a little… Well, messy.
From basically living with Bickslow as it was, to still keeping her apartment because her team had severe boundary issues, maybe Bickslow had liked things that way? Maybe he liked the odd (and very rare) night where they stayed in separate apartments. Lucy had never thought he did, considering on more than one occasion, he had asked her to really move in with him, or they'd at least talked about Lucy getting rid of her apartment.
"Do you not want to?" Lucy asked nervously. She'd be lying if she said she would be able to understand it if it was the case, because after all, he'd fucking asking her to marry him just the night before. Lucy didn't think he had an issue with making a commitment of any sort, and she never really had.
Bickslow chuckled as he leant forward just to quickly press their lips together, instantly wiping the confused and worried look off his fiancée's face. "Oh god yes, I want to." He lifted a hand just to tuck the section of Lucy's hair that had fallen across her cheek behind her ear, and he grinned at her when he could see the sheer excitement and happiness dancing in the eyes he loved so much. "I just wanted to make sure that you meant like, the full deal. You know, considering the entire issue with your team and all that…"
He was still trying to cope with how many times he'd walked into his own home just to see her team awaiting patiently for one of them to return.
"Full deal," she laughed. Lucy quickly wrapped her arms around him as she sat up slightly, only barely realising that she found herself half sprawled across him as he turned back and wrapped his arms tightly around her and above the bandages that had come slightly loose as she slept. "But… Do you know what I really want right now? Apart from to talk about this and everything and catch up and just spend all day curled up in bed?" she asked as she sat up, her thighs on either side of his hips as she looked down at Bickslow with just a small smirk.
"I'm really hoping you're going to say me."
Lucy shook her head, and only barely rolled her hips, just to watch his eyes darken even more. "I really want a shower," she said slowly. "And then… I really want to go to the guild for breakfast because I haven't seen the guild yet."
Bickslow sighed in slight annoyance, and turned to watch her as she slowly climbed back over him to get to the edge of the bed and then to her feet, and a dark grin crossed his face as he quickly got up just to follow her. His arms caught her around the waist and she slowly turned in his arms as they continued to walk backwards and towards her bathroom. "Well, you can multitask for one of those," he murmured against her lips. "You can shower, and do me at the same time."
"Why do think I said what I did?"
His lips on hers drowned out her giggles as he reached down just to wrap his hands around the backs of her thighs and lift her up and let her arms and legs wrap around him. Already, things had fallen back and gone back to the way things had been before everything had happened, and Bickslow loved that. He loved that far too much, because if anything, everything was better than it had been before.
And from there, he knew it could only get better, because he'd have the sexy vixen in his arms by his side for the rest of his life. "God, I fucking love you."