Parenthood

Chapter 23

"It's really pretty out tonight."

Bickslow only let out a slight breath. "I don't use the word pretty."

"You do now," Lisanna challenged. "Say it. It's pretty outside."

"Lisanna-"

"Say it."

"It's pretty outside," he mumbled as Lisanna only giggled.

They were out on another one of their adventures, one even further from Magnolia than ever before. He had just gotten back from a job and wanted to decompress. That's how he put it at least. He'd been off with just Freed and Ever and, even though he loved them, he needed some time away.

"Don't you ever do that, Lisanna?" he'd asked. "Go away for awhile?"

"No," she told him. "Never."

"Well…I wanna get away for at least three days," he told her as they walked around the city, him having arrived at the guild just as she was leaving it. They had perfect timing, after all, with one another. Or so it seemed. They rarely sought out the other. Never, really. They just…cross paths. Constantly. "And I want you to come with me."

"I don't have money for a hotel."

"I'll buy you a room."

"No," she sighed as he only glanced down at her.

"No," his babies mimicked. They repeated her words as well now. She was just as much fun as Papa. "No."

"Why not?" he asked. "I can just book us two rooms. Or we can share one. Promise I won't drug you and have my way with you."

She blinked. Then she stuck her tongue out at him as he only snickered and looked back ahead once more.

"You buy me everything," she said. "I feel like I'm using you. You pay for my train tickets and my food and-"

"We're friends. That's what friends do for each other," he said with a shrug. "You don't make a lot. And what you do make goes to helping your sister or brother out with bills and stuff. But I just got me and the babies. So I can pay for us to do shit. It's fine."

She didn't know why, but she blushed slightly then before looking off.

"Well," she said slowly. "I just don't want you to pay for me to-"

"Then let's not stay in a hotel."

"Huh?"

"Let's go campin'," he said, looking back down at her then, tongue falling form his mouth in excitement.

"What?"

"Yeah. You like campin'?"

"I don't go that often. Or ever, recently, but-"

"I can get us packs and sleeping bags and it'll be great!"

So that was how they wound up there, in a forest that Lisanna was completely unfamiliar with. He seemed to know it, though, honestly, sometimes she wondered if he was just bullshitting her. If she was to believe him, he knew every place they'd ever been together like the back of his hand. It was crazy.

But even if he was lying, she didn't mind. She felt safe with him around.

They'd brought sleeping bags with them, but they weren't using them. They were still rolled up on top of their packs, both too lazy to unwrap them. Then they'd only have to put them back on in the morning.

"Where are we gonna go tomorrow?" Lisanna asked him as they rested against one another. He was flat on his back as she laid the opposite way, her head resting against his side, making a T with their bodies. "Bickslow?"

"Mmmm." He just laid there, watching the stars above them indolently. "Wherever you want. I thought we'd go down to the river in the morning, catch some fish for the day, and then go find a new place to make camp."

"Sounds good," she agreed. His babies were strewn around them, two of them up on their father's chest, another two on Lisanna's stomach, and one laying on the ground next to them. They were all relaxed and it was only the first day. "You're good at catching fish, huh?"

"No," he said slowly. "I thought you were."

"I thought you-"

"What exactly are you bringing to the table, kid?"

"Bickslow."

He only snickered, shutting his eyes. He wasn't wearing his helmet and the slight wind that was blowing felt good against his face. Sometimes it got stuffy with that visor on.

"I'll catch us some fish, Lissy," he told her then. He called her that sometimes. She really liked it. "But only if you tell me some scary stories to help me drift off."

"Then that's what I bring to the table, huh? The stories?"

"Yep. So get to it."

"I don't know any scary stories."

"Huh. Didn't plan for this," he said. "Or did I?"

"Did you?"

"I brought a book," he told her, lifting one of his hands to point over at their packs. "It has some stories about people the got murdered on camping trips and fathers that went crazy and killed their families. There's even one story about a cannibal in there."

"Gross."

"Gross," he agreed.

"Go get it. So we can both be scared and you can protect me."

"If I get up, the only thing I'm getting out of there is my pack of smokes," he grumbled. "Haven't lit up in hours."

"You want me to get 'em?"

He only grunted. "Too comfortable. Aren't you?"

"I guess so."

"You don't even smoke, do you?" he asked. "You never take a cigarette when I offer you one."

"I've never tried it."

"Well, don't," he grumbled. "Addictive as fuck."

"Is that all you smoke?"

He blinked. Then he tilted his head to look down at her. "What are you asking me?"

"Bickslow."

"What?" He was snickering already though as she only blushed. "Are you trying to get me to get you high, kid?"

"I just-"

"What would Mirajane think? Or Natsu? Or Lucy? Or…I don't know any of your other friends, but I'm sure they'd be ashamed." He clicked his tongue. "And I'm offended that you think that I-"

"So you don't have anything?"

"Oh, no, I do." He slipped out from under her then, her head hitting the ground as she wasn't expecting that. She only sat up some though, frowning as he knocked the babies on he chest gently off. They were dormant though, all of them, and didn't seem to mind. She wasn't sure where they went when they got like that, as she was pretty sure that spirits didn't go to sleep, but he never seemed concerned.

"Give me a sec," he sighed as he went over to his bag. "Lissy."

She set the babies on her chest on the ground too, moving to sit up. "What do you have?"

"Does it matter?"

"I don't have to, like, shoot myself up or something, do I?"

He stilled, over by the bag. Then he glanced back at her. "What exactly do you think I use, kid?"

"I don't know," she said, blushing. "I just-"

"It's just something to smoke." He went back to what he was doing. "That's all."

"I always figured that you did something," she said. "You're always so keyed up and stuff."

"It's nothing serious," he said. "But don't go telling your brother and sister that I'm giving you this. They treat you like a baby. And I know how he is. He'll try and squish my head."

"Squish your head?"

"Between his big hands," he said as she saw a slight flame in the darkness. He had lit a match. "Just smash my head to bits."

"You're crazy."

"Maybe."

The night went on from there, of course, with him eventually coming back over to her, snickering at the face she made after she took a hit from the lit paper he'd handed her.

"That's horrible," she complained, coughing. "Why-"

"You'll get there, kid," he said simply as he sat back down next to her. "Now I believe I was promised some stories."

She only pushed up from the ground and went over to her own pack to grab her bottle of water and wash the taste of out of her mouth. Yuck.

"I told you that I don't know any stories," she said once she was back to him, easily falling into her spot of laying her head against his side.

"Any scary stories," he corrected. "But there has to be something that we haven't talked about yet."

"I feel like we've talked about everything."

"We've talked about nothing," he told her, tone dark. Taking a moment out to inhale some of…whatever it was that he had given her, he laughed slightly. "We don't ever talk about when we were kids."

"Like…when we were teenagers?" she asked. "And knew each other? Or before?"

"Either or," he said. "I mean, we didn't really know each other anyhow."

"Yeah, because you were a jerk and wouldn't ever talk to me."

"Whatever. Like you ever tried to talk to me."

"I did!"

"When?"

"Well, I don't know, Bickslow, but-"

"Then how do you know-"

"Because I know," she insisted. Then, maybe it was whatever he'd given her, but she found herself saying something that totally was meant to be kept private for, oh, ever. "I, like, had the biggest crush on you when we first got to the guild."

"What?"

The air had a chill to it that night, but she felt warm. She wished that they'd started a fire or something. It would have been easy. He had matches. Maybe then she could have lied and said it was the heat from that that had her feeling so odd.

But nope. It was her cheeks flaming all on their own. Err, not on their own. Definitely with the help her of admission.

"It was stupid," she said as he cackled. "And it was only until I was, like, fourteen or fifteen. Then-"

"Then you died, Lissy," he said, voice not as solemn as it usually was when they mentioned that. "You totally were in love with me up until then, right?"

"Wrong. I never said that I loved you," she grumbled. "I was young. And stupid."

"Obviously."

"Bickslow-"

"You used to love me," he taunted. "You used to-"

"I said I had a crush," she told him. "I used to have crushes on tons of people."

"Like who?"

"Well…Natsu."

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard about that before." And he had. They'd discussed how much she wanted to be with him many times. "But I ain't ever heard about how much you liked me. Tell me about it, huh?"

"No. I-"

"Come on, Lisanna." He exhaled then, his smoke looking deformed and distorted. Her head felt funny. He was passing her the paper then again, letting her take her own puff. It wasn't so bad that time, but still made her cough. "Tell me. And I'll tell you something too."

When she settled against his side once more, she paused before saying, "It was just… You, Freed, and Laxus were so cool. And Ever too, I guess, but most everyone other than you guys thought that she was bratty and was scared that she'd turn us to stone for saying so. But you were, like, I don't know…bad, I guess."

"Bad, huh?"

"Yeah," she said, giggling slightly. "You're what? Five years older than me?"

"I guess so."

"It was just something stupid," she said. "You could make things, like toys and stuff, come to life and make them move around or could possess people and make them do whatever you wanted. That was cool. And then you were friends with Laxus, and he was bad in a major way. He broke all the rules and stuff and…and you were there too. And when you started wearing your helmet, you looked so cute. I just…"

"Cute?" Snort. "I don't look cute. I look fearsome!"

"Your dolls were pretty cute too," she told him.

"We're not cute," he insisted. "We're fearsome!"

"No, you're cute."

"Was cute."

"Yeah," she sighed, shutting her eyes. "You were cute."

"I don't think I remember you much from when we were younger," he said. "I just thought of you as…well…a kid. I mean, like you said. We are five years apart."

"What do you think of me now?"

He took another few moments to inhale before saying, "You're still a kid."

"I am not," she said with an air of annoyance. "I'm just as grown as-"

"It's not always a bad thing, Lissy, to be young," he told her. "I feel old sometimes. I am old, I guess, when you add in those seven years."

"So am I though."

"You still look young though," he kept up. "I mean, me? I just look like…like…"

"You look just as cute as you ever did." Man, he must have given her truth serum or something. "With your helmet and…and… You still act like a kid. Like a really mean kid, sometimes, but still a kid."

"You do too," he told her then, softly. "When you're happy. But man, when you're mad, you sure are bratty."

He expected her to rise to the bait at that one, complain about how she wasn't a brat, the rest of them just got on her nerves. That everyone else was changing and expected her to as well. They'd go over that about every single time she went on a Natsu spiel.

But she didn't say anything. Only laid there for a moment before saying, "I am pretty bad, aren't I?"

"That's not what I meant."

"That is what you meant."

"It is not. How do you know what I meant? If I didn't even really mean anything at all?" With the hand that wasn't holding the joint, he reached down to rest his hand on her head. It was a rather awkward position for both of them, but she didn't resist or anything. "You're fine how you are, Lisanna. To me at least. I don't care 'bout what anyone else says. So you shouldn't either. Me and the babies want you here. Don't we, ba- Oh yeah."

She couldn't help it as she giggled slightly. He had that affect on her.

"I hate when they're not up," he grumbled, letting his hand fall from her head then and onto the grass beneath them. Then, he took another puff, before saying, "So about these stories-"

"That was a story."

"That was no story, Lissy, and you know it."

"I thought you said that you were going to tell me one. If I told you that?"

"I said I'd tell you something," he corrected. She didn't know how he was still so intact. She felt like her head was swimming. "So ask me something and I'll tell it to you."

"Mmmm…" She was coming up blank. Then, suddenly, something just fell out of her mouth.

"Who taught you all those cool tricks?"

"My magic?"

"No," she said. "All those other things that you do," she corrected. "The…you know, the way that you can do flips and balance on things. Or hang upside down from-"

"My mother."

"Oh."

"So now that I told you something, you have to tell me a stor-"

"What happened to her?"

He frowned, glancing down at her. "To who?"

"Your mother, Bickslow."

There was a pause, probably him taking another hit, before saying, "She died."

"O-Oh. I'm sorry, I just-"

"When I was a kid. My father too."

"I mean, I always assumed, but… I shouldn't have said that. I-"

"It's whatever," he said, almost casually. "Yours are dead too, right?"

"Y-Yeah. Since I was young."

"It's just a thing," he said. "I think practically everyone's parents are dead that we know. Maybe it's a curse."

"Maybe."

"Better warn Laxus and Mirajane," he said with a slight yawn.

"I think all of the guys in Laxus' family make it out okay. And Mira's not really Nate's mom, so she's fine."

"Ever told me that Laxus told her that Mirajane wants to get pregnant again. Real soon."

For some reason, that made Lisanna's stomach hurt. It matched her head.

"Yeah," she whispered. "They're moving in together. She's already started moving out."

"Why's it bother you so much?" he asked. "That your sister's with Laxus? He ain't so bad. He-"

"Shut up, Bickslow. You just have, like, this big hardon for him and-"

"I'm not even talking from my perspective," he said. "I just mean that he's real nice to Mira. And the kid. So why-"

"I don't know. I don't wanna talk about this."

"We don't gotta," he sighed. "I just meant… Laxus isn't so bad. I know that he's real mean to you now, but he just expects you to be mean back. That's all. And you know that Mirajane'll always be your sister, so-"

"I said that I don't-"

"Okay, okay," he sighed. "Tell me a story then."

So she thought hard before just talking, really nonsense, until he finished his smoke and declared it time to sleep. Neither moved to get their sleeping bags though. They slept just like that.

Lisanna figured she wouldn't mind if that's how they slept for the rest of the trip.

"I'm so bored," Natsu complained as he laid with his head against the bar, him and Happy waiting for Kinana to give them their orders of fish. "Like super bored."

"Awe," Mirajane giggled as Laxus, who was seated further down the bar, only took to glaring at him. "Where's Lucy?"

"She and Erza are with Levy doing something. And Wendy. They said that I can't come," Natsu complained. "Because I'm a guy. Isn't that, like, racism or something?"

"Sexism, but sure," Kinana said as she set a plate in front of him and his feline friend. That perked them both back up, if only for the moment.

"Is Lisanna with them?" Mirajane asked as Natsu only shrugged, his mouth full.

"I haven't seen her in awhile," he said. "She keeps blowing me and Luce off. Even when she said she'd hangout, she doesn't show up."

Mira frowned at that. "Yeah, she's been hanging out with some different people or something. I dunno. She won't talk to me about it."

Laxus suddenly became very interested in his son, who was seated in his lap. He really, really didn't want to be the one to rat out Bickslow and Lisanna. He didn't know why they were hiding their relationship or if they even were really hiding it.

Maybe Lisanna was just purposely trying to worry her sister? Did girls do that? He felt like they did. Sometimes Ever wouldn't talk to Freed or Bickslow, just so they would pester her and find out what was wrong, even though it was usually nothing. If she was feeling underappreciated or something. He figured that it was the same thing.

After Natsu and Happy took off, claiming that they were going to bother the girls anyhow, because racism was wrong (Mira only reminded him again that it was sexism before sending him on his way), Evergreen showed up with Elfman.

"Hey, Elf," Mira greeted as they sat way too close to Laxus for his liking. At least it was Evergreen that was closest to him and not her stupid bozo of a boyfriend. After he returned her greeting, Mira got down to what she really wanted to know about. "Have you seen Lisanna recently? I haven't since I started moving all of my stuff out and-"

"I saw her two days ago," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "I was gonna go stay the night at Ever's and asked her to feed the dog that night. And she told me fine, but she had plans too, the next few days, and couldn't. That it was your dog and your job."

Mira only blinked while Laxus leaned down and nuzzled against Nathan's head, making the boy giggle. He was hoping that by eliciting that sound he would get Mira's attention back onto the toddler and off her sister.

No such luck.

"Then you haven't seen her since then?"

"Na-ah. I figured that she was staying with Lucy or something," Elfman said. "Ever and I have been over to the house a few times and she hasn't been around. I have to go over to feed the dog."

Her frown deepened. "But Natsu said that she didn't… Do you think that she took a job?"

"Alone? No way. She knows that if we go somewhere, we go together," Elfman said, flexing. Ever only rolled her eyes.

"I thought you said that the other day that she had a new guy that she was hanging around?" she asked Mirajane who only shrugged. "She's probably with him."

"But for days?"

"Well."

"M-Maybe I should go look for her," Mirajane said slowly as she glanced around. "Kinana, there's not a lot of people. Do you think-"

"Sure, Mira," she said. "I-"

"Wait," Laxus groaned as Elfman too stood to go seek out his younger sister. He really didn't want to play into them, but he also didn't want Mirajane panicking over nothing. "I might, kinda, sorta know where your sister is, Mira. Maybe."

"Where?" She cocked her head to the side as Elfman only frowned, glaring over at him suspiciously. "Did she tell you or-"

"No," he said slowly. "I…caught her and Bickslow a few weeks ago."

"Bickslow?"

"Caught them?" Ever's eyes widened, always one for gossip. "Caught them doing-"

"Nothing like that," he said, shooting her a warning glance. "At least I don't think. They just…hangout together. Go to plays and stuff."

"Like a date?" Evergreen couldn't help it. She was giggling just from the thought. "You're sure?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "She goes over to his apartment a lot. I really don't think that they're dating though. Just… I don't know. But that's probably where she is. So-"

"That can't be right," they heard then as Freed came over to them. He was glaring at Evergreen though. "And you were late for our training session today."

"Training- Then you know where Bickslow is?" Mira grinned at him, but the green haired man only shook his head.

"No. Not exactly. It was just supposed to be between me and Ever," he said. "Because Bickslow's gone out of town.'

"Where?" Elfman grumbled. He really didn't like what Ever had been suggesting. It was one thing for Mira and Laxus to…to… But Lisanna? And…and… And anyone really! It made his head ache. "Where did he go?"

"Elf," Ever whispered, reading his tone. "Just-"

"He was going camping," Freed said with a slight shrug. "That is all I know. He bought packs and everything. I did not know that your sister was going along, Mirajane. Perhaps she has not. I-"

"No," Laxus groaned. "If he went camping, he took her with him. They've been going places for-"

"Why didn't you ever say anything?" Mira asked, glancing at him. "I mean-"

"I thought that they were keeping it from everyone. That she was embarrassed by him. I mean, Mirajane, would you tell people that you were with Bickslow?"

"She tells people she's with you," Elfman grumbled. "And I really don't see a difference. Neither of you are men. I can't believe-"

"Elfman, knock off," Ever said as she only looked to Laxus. "So tell me more about-"

"No, Ever," Freed said, reaching out to grab her arm. "You were late. Now come on. This is the only time that you and I will probably ever to get to practice without Bickslow."

"Well, now that he has the little Strauss girl, I'm sure that he'll be skipping plenty of practices."

"Yes, apparently acquiring Strausses brings that out in people, doesn't it?"

As they walked away, Mirajane found herself just staring at Laxus as Elfman requested a beer for Kinana.

"Or something stronger," he groaned as he rested his head in one of his hands. "A lot stronger."

"Why wouldn't you tell me, Laxus?" Mira asked softly, just watching him.

"Mira-"

"I mean, that's something that I should know, right? I-"

"I thought that you said that you weren't going to pry into her life anymore?"

"And when I said that, why didn't you just give me the information?"

"I don't know. What difference does it make?" he asked with a shrug. "She's fine with Bickslow. Safe. I mean, he's a little crazy, but he's harmless. Seriously."

"I don't-"

"Do you really think that I would let your sister be marched off to her death with him? Huh? She's fine. They just went…camping, apparently. Which sounds horrible. Why would they ever want to do that?"

"I don't know why my sisters do anything they do anymore," Elfman said with a frown as Kinana only giggled and set a mug in front of him. "But no one's asking me."

"That's right, Elfboy, so be quiet."

"Oh, Elfman," Mira sighed, going over to tap him gently on the head. "Lisanna had to get a boyfriend eventually. And though it's not exactly what I envisioned-"

"I didn't like those stupid models of yours either," he told her.

"-Laxus says that she's fine," Mira finished. "Which means that she is. And she better be, Laxus. Because I am now holding you responsible for whatever Bickslow does."

He widened his eyes. "That's not fair. I-"

"Wasn't it you that told me that fair is…" Then she whispered bullshit, causing Kinana to giggle once more.

"Well, yeah, but-"

"He's your bodyguard. Which means she probably got together with him when you had him over at the house or something," Mirajane said. "Though I thought that she hated him-"

"Me too," Elfman said. "She said so a thousand times. That she didn't like having him around."

"Then see? They're both crazy," Laxus insisted as Nathan only reached up to pat at his cheek, wanting him to nuzzle him again. He was a little attention hog, his son was. "I can't be held accountable for the actions of two imbeciles, can I?"

"Watch it," Elfman warned as Mira only gave him a strong gaze.

"You can and you will," she said. "That'll teach you about keeping secrets from me."

He only growled though before fishing his headphones out of his pocket. He was going to kill Lisanna and Bickslow. And then he was going to figure out how to bring them back to life because, apparently, if they die, it's his fault.

Wasn't Bickslow supposed to be his bodyguard? Fairness is a bunch of bullshit.

"He's getting a pay deduction," Laxus grumbled to Nathan who giggled. "Now I just gotta start paying him. And take it away! Show him to mess with me, huh?"

Nathan only sat up taller though and said, "Kiss, Laxus."

"No, brat," he grumbled. "I told you that men don't-"

"Kiss!"

"Oh, Laxus," Mirajane complained as she got back to work. "Just give him a kiss."

"No."

"Behave."

"I am behaving. He's the one-"

"Elf," Nathan called then, reaching out for the man to take him. "Elf."

And even though he was having a horrible day, Elfman only reached over to take the child from Laxus, who was more than willing to give him up if it was getting him nagged by Mirajane.

The muscular man only pressed a kiss to the kid's head without request, making Nathan giggle and snuggle closer.

Laxus shot him a look.

"Sure lookin' manly today, Elfboy."

"I'm liable to teach you what a real man is today, you keep pushing me," he grumbled, glaring right back. Nathan just held fast to Elfman though, as always, taking the time out to stick his tongue out at Laxus. Bickslow had taught him that and he loved doing it. Especially to Laxus because it just made him so mad.

"Mira! He sticking his tongue out at me again."

"You deserve it for not telling me about-"

"You always say I deserve it."

"Well."

"Well?"

Growling, he stood up and headed off to his usual table. You try to do something nice, sit up at the bar, give your girlfriend some company, and what does she do? Take it out on you that her little sister is a freak and likes to bang men with face tattoos and who play with dolls.

Exactly how is that his fault?