A/Ns: No surprise my hiatus sort of failed. But in a way, I guess it didn't. I've had time to really get over myself. And even if it was only for a little while, I have distanced myself from ffnet a little bit over the last few weeks.
Anyway, I would go on this huge spiel about how I don't really care if you review or not anymore (I can't force you to do anything you don't want to do), but I don't really have the energy to type it all out again. I put it in Chapter 7 of Third Time's the Charm just before. Basically, the gist of it was though: I don't have the time to write as it is, so I don't have time to worry about whether or not people actually like my writing. If you do take the time to review, at least occasionally, then I love you, I really do. But if you're one of those readers who just ticks that follow/favourite box and then moves onto the next fic like nothing, then I honestly don't give a damn about you, and I honestly do not care whether you like/hate/or even read my writing. I have zero time for you if you have zero time to leave feedback. Harsh, but the truth.
Somehow that translates to me getting over myself.
Anyway, this fic is actually going to be four parts. I think it works a little better. I also posted it on my writing blog, april-vsthewords . tumblr . com a week or so ago, and TTTC a little while back. Basically instead of putting it on my main blog (raijindork . tumblr . com), all of my writing will be going there instead.
Lucy sighed for the umpteenth time when Violet came running up to her once again, asking if it was two o'clock yet. "No, honey, it's not," she said. It was still eleven o'clock… Just like it had been five minutes earlier. "Now have you put your toys away like I asked you to?"
Violet nodded. "Yes, Mummy!"
"Are you sure?"
The girl shifted uncomfortably on her feet for a second before running back in the direction she'd come, and heading presumably to her bedroom to finish putting away her toys. Lucy shook her head and went back to dusting every nook and cranny she could.
She was just as excited as her daughter was for two o'clock to finally come around. That was when Bickslow would be getting there. And sure, it wasn't the first time he'd be coming over – he'd visited plenty of times – but it was the first time he'd actually be staying the night. As excited as she was about that, Lucy was also incredibly nervous. It would be the first time she had someone stay the night since… Well, since ever, really. It was new territory for her.
Of course though, it wasn't going to be a normal sleepover – not an adult one, at least (not that they'd actually slept together at all in the five months they'd been seeing each other, though that wasn't entirely from a lack of trying). It was going to be a full-blown, actual sleepover. Pyjama party, pizza and ice cream, and movie marathons and all. Naturally, it had been Violet's idea, because as soon as Lucy had asked if she'd be okay with Bickslow maybe spending the odd night there occasionally, the four-and-a-half year old had only looked to her mother with wide eyes and asked, 'Like a sleepover?' And, of course, Lucy just hadn't bothered explaining it.
So, that was how their first night together was going to go. Bickslow would get there at two, they'd spend the rest of the afternoon eating junk food, playing board games (Violet was somehow already the queen of Monopoly, and Lucy had no idea who had taught her how to play – she figured it was Gajeel or her dad), and watching Violet's favourite movies. Then, it would be pizza time, ice-cream time, and then more movies before they finally all went to bed for the night.
Honestly, Lucy was sure Violet was actually more excited about Bickslow staying the night than Lucy herself was.
Until two o'clock came though, Lucy was just going to busy herself with making sure her small two-bedroom apartment was absolutely spotless. She cleaned when she was nervous, and naturally, she was nervous.
By the time that fateful time did come around though, Violet was practically bouncing off the walls with energy and excitement (Lucy was regretting giving her lime cordial). And as soon as she heard the knock on the door, Violet was bounding past her mother, shouting, "I'll get it! I'll get it!" And then reaching up to turn the knob and pull the door open. "Bickso!"
Bickslow chuckled when the girl ran at him and hugged his waist. "Hiya, monkey," he said, patting her head gently. She let go of him after a moment just to reach up to his hand and drag him into the apartment. Lucy stood leaning against the back of the sofa, arms crossed and with a pleasant smile on her lips. Bickslow greeted her next, grinning as he was dragged into the living room. "Hi," he said to her.
She pushed herself off the lounge and motioned for Bickslow to follow her. "Come on, you can leave your stuff down here." If Violet had her way, the guy would probably be leaving his things in her room, and… Well, Lucy would be lying if she said that she'd liked having little to no private time with him in the last six months. Violet was always there, or it was his dogs (which, honestly were just a little weird sometimes). At least she'd be able to get a few moments with Bickslow alone over the next twenty-odd hours. Or so she hoped.
Violet protested, of course. She was set on showing Bickslow where he was going to sleep (which was in front of the lounge, on the floor, with the rest of them). He crouched down to be on her level, then held her cheeks between his hands to softly assure her, "I'll be back in a minute, okay? Then I'm all yours."
"Okay…" she mumbled.
Bickslow made his way down the short hall to Lucy's bedroom then. She sat on the edge of her bed, leaning on her hands. "You can just drop your things down anywhere," she said with a sigh once she saw him. "Not like I'll be using the room tonight anyway…"
He only nodded, dropping his backpack and the pillow (the one that Violet told him to remember to bring when she'd ended up taking the phone off Lucy once she'd realised her mother was on the phone to him the night before) right on the floor and continuing on his path to the bed. "Uh-huh… Sure…"
Lucy felt her face grow warm when Bickslow was before her and he was putting his knee up on the bed beside her, and slowly leaning forward and forcing her to lean back, falling onto her elbows. "Bickslow? W-What are you—"
"Just shut up and let me kiss you."
"I…" She paused, licking her dry lips quickly, then nodded. "Okay," she whispered. Bickslow's grin grew momentarily wider before he closed the last of the distance between them and pressed his lips softly to hers, right as Lucy finally fell all the way down onto the bed, and she couldn't help the way her arms slowly lifted to drape lazily over Bickslow's shoulders as their lips began to move together slowly.
Her face was even more flushed when Bickslow did pull back, drawing an almost audible whimper from Lucy – she'd been needing it more than she'd expected, as it turns out. He wouldn't have stopped at all had it not been for Violet. She hadn't walked in on them, thankfully, but Bickslow was definitely afraid of it happening. So, until they had more than a few moments to themselves, Bickslow was fine with stolen kisses here and there and mostly-innocent touches. And so was Lucy.
But, now he'd greeted his girlfriend properly, and that was all Bickslow had wanted to do. "Hi," he whispered.
"Hello," Lucy giggled. She quickly became aware of just they were right then once her head cleared slightly, and with a quick glance to her open bedroom door at the end of the bed, Lucy couldn't help but worry what Violet would be asking if she were to happen to walk in right then and find Bickslow kneeling on the edge of the bed and holding himself up over her – which was entirely possible. She tried not to think about it too much for the next few moments though, and instead let her arms fall back down to tuck them into her chest again before beginning softly, "I know an actual sleepover probably isn't even close to what you had in mind for our first… Well, our first sleepover."
"What? Are you kidding? This is totally what I had in mind."
She pursed her lips before mumbling, "It was not."
Okay, so maybe it wasn't exactly what he'd had in mind when Lucy had first asked him if he wanted to stay over, but it wasn't like he was complaining. He'd long since accepted the fact that being with Lucy wouldn't exactly be the kind of normal that he knew, because she had Violet, and that was perfectly fine with Bickslow. He didn't mind that things were, for the most part, just a little slow. Or that Lucy had only updated her relationship status online just a few weeks earlier, not that it had been a surprise for anyone to see the post. Or even that his first time spending the night at Lucy's apartment would involve him not taking his clothes off (or taking Lucy's off, for that matter). Honestly, he didn't mind any of it.
Lucy had Violet, and Violet came first, and Bickslow was more than okay with that. Besides, he'd be lying if he said he didn't have a massive soft spot for the kid and a Violet-shaped nook in his heart already.
Falling off to the side and propping himself on his elbow, Bickslow let out a sigh. "Fine, it's really not even close to what I had in mind," he admitted. "But I think Vi's idea is a whole lot more fun anyway."
"Do you really mean that?"
"Of course. I even went out and bought actual pyjamas for this, you know. Well, pyjama pants, but still."
"What did you sleep in before then?" Lucy asked.
He shrugged. "Mostly nothing." He took great delight in the way her face flushed once again, and he took the opportunity to quickly press a kiss to her cheek. "I'm just messing with you," he chuckled. He wore clothes to bed… Ninety-nine percent of the time, at least. But it was really mostly just sweatpants or his boxers or something, and boxers didn't seem appropriate for sleeping next to a four-year-old girl.
Lucy sighed and shook her head. Sometimes she thought the man was a menace to society… But she liked that. Sometimes. Pulling herself up then, she turned to hold out her arms and pull Bickslow up – not that she helped much at all – and smoothed down her clothes just in case. "Well, thank you for agreeing to all of it anyway. Although, you might want to hurry up and get back out there… Otherwise she'll come down here to drag you out."
And, the rest of the afternoon and evening went to exactly according to plan. They played games, ate food, watched movies, and ate more food. Bickslow even got attacked by flying pillows at one point when they'd been setting up the living room for the night. By 7 p.m., they were all in their pyjamas (Bickslow's had yellow dragons on them) and tucked up in their makeshift bed made of lots of blankets, lounge cushions, and pillows, eating ice-cream, and watching 101 Dalmatians.
Violet ended up staying up as long as she could of course, but by eight thirty, she was fast asleep between the both of them. It had been too early for Lucy and Bickslow to go to sleep, so with Violet sleeping peacefully between them, they'd turned the volume down on the T.V. and finished off watching Happy Feet themselves.
It was when he was about to go to bed himself though, after quietly pulling himself off the makeshift bed to take some of the dishes scattered around them to the kitchen to avoid someone tripping on them in the middle of the night, and then settling back down, that Bickslow realised something. He realised that all of that – Lucy, Violet, everything – was what he'd been missing from his life, and without ever knowing it, too. He already knew he was so completely head over heels for Lucy, but Violet? Violet had become one of his favourite parts of his world already, and Bickslow only thought he was lucky to have found the most amazing little family ever. He loved them both to pieces, and he could honestly say that their little sleepover was one of the best nights of his life.
He was just honoured to be a part of it all, really. That Violet liked him and accepted him as part of her mother's life as much as she did. Because if Violet hadn't warmed up to him as quickly as she had, then he wouldn't be there at all, and Bickslow really did love that he was.
It was a month after their sleepover where Bickslow was loading up his dishwasher with the help of Lucy, and watching Violet run around his backyard with the dogs. It was a Saturday, and they were a few weeks into autumn by that point. The trees had already started to turn and his backyard was already beginning to become strewn with the orange and red leaves.
"She's going to face-plant in the second. Just wait for it," Lucy murmured, absent-mindedly handing another two plates from lunch to the man while she kept her eyes trained on her daughter through the window.
Bickslow looked up just in time to see it happen, and he couldn't help but roll his eyes and shake his head. Violet wasn't exactly the most coordinated as Bickslow had come to learn, especially not after she'd been running around in circles. But she was four (or, four and nine months, as she kept reminding everyone), so she was allowed to be clumsy. Bickslow found it adorable anyway.
"Told you," Lucy giggled.
They finished loading up the dishwasher and Lucy dusted her hands on a tea towel before returning to the living room to fish her phone out of her bag and check any notifications. She squealed when she saw a message and a missed call from Erik, and Bickslow just about had a heart attack when he slid into the room to find Lucy jumping up and down excitedly and holding her phone out. "What the hell was that for?!"
"Erik's here!" she squealed. "He's here!"
He arched an eyebrow at her. "Erik?" Bickslow repeated. "Who is—Oh… You mean… You mean Vi's dad, Erik?" He didn't know all that much about the man, other than that he travelled and worked a lot. Bickslow hadn't talked with Lucy about it much in the seven or so months they'd been together.
"Mm-hmm!" He was at the apartment right then apparently, and wondering where they were. Had it been anyone else asking her why she wasn't home on a Saturday afternoon, she would've just replied and told them she was at her boyfriend's house with Violet, but she couldn't just do that for Because Erik didn't actually know about Bickslow. And secondly, she always loved seeing Erik, and so did Violet. "Gosh, Vi is going to be so happy to see him!"
"Yeah, I can imagine…" Bickslow mumbled. He couldn't help but be slightly uncomfortable though, and he wasn't sure why. "I take it you need to go then?"
She smiled apologetically as she picked up her cardigan and bag. "I don't know how long he's in town for, and… And, well, Vi will want to see him straight away anyway." Violet always did, and Lucy never stopped her. She would've preferred to stay at Bickslow's a little while longer, but she just couldn't.
He nodded. "It's fine, I understand."
Lucy lingered for a moment, only wondering if Bickslow really was fine, before she went outside to collect Violet. On the way back to the front door, Lucy only cringed at the trail of dirt that Violet left behind her as she ran through the house. She would've been wondering how her daughter had managed to get so dirty, but alas, she had been playing outside and getting trampled by oversized puppies for a while. "Violet… You're making a mess!"
The girl was too busy running towards Bickslow to pay any attention to her mother, though. "Bickso! Bickso! Come meet Daddy!" she beamed.
Bickslow tried not to grimace. Sure, he'd love to meet the guy… But… Not right then. "Maybe some other time, okay, Vi?"
"But… But…"
"Maybe Bix is busy this afternoon, sweetie," Lucy offered softly as she pulled a twig from Violet's braids. Lucy knew full well that Bickslow had absolutely zero plans for the rest of the afternoon, since they were supposed to be spending it together, but Violet didn't need to know that. "Now come on, the sooner we get home, the sooner you can tell Daddy all about Bickslow!"
That seemed to excite Violet, and she was quickly nodding her head and then hugging Bickslow quickly. "Bye, Bickso!" she said, and was then rushing to the door to pull it open, and running to Lucy's car in the driveway.
Bickslow joined Lucy on the front steps, both of them keeping a watchful eye on Violet until she was in the back seat of the car and buckling herself up (she'd finally grown out of her carseat, much to Lucy's delight). "I'm sorry things got cut short… And the mess on the floor…" Lucy mumbled.
Bickslow shook his head. "It's fine, don't worry about it." And the mess he didn't even really care about. His dogs brought in half the backyard on a daily basis.
"Well, I, uh… I better get going then…" Lucy glanced back behind her to the car before turning back to face Bickslow, and then she was rising onto her toes to quickly kiss her boyfriend on the lips. "I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"
He nodded that time and watched her turn to finally head for her car. "Drive safe," he called out before she closed the door behind her, and then waited until she'd pulled out of the driveway and she was on her way before he headed back inside. Bickslow wasn't even surprised to hear the dogs whining at the back door once he made it to the kitchen again. They were always like that once Violet left.
"So do you love him?"
Lucy returned to the lounge with the cups of tea in hand and passed one of them to Erik before she settled herself back into the corner again. Violet was in her room playing with the new toys and books that Erik had brought back for her, which left Lucy and Erik to catch up, and, of course, talk about Bickslow.
Lucy hadn't even had a chance to say anything about him before Violet had blurted out they were at Bickslow's house in answer to Erik's question about where they'd been, which had only prompted Erik to ask who Bickso was, and, well… Violet had answered that, too. Bickso was Mummy's boyfriend – the one that Erik had no idea even existed.
But, of course, the slight awkwardness that followed hadn't been Violet's fault. It was Lucy's, really, but she just hadn't known how to bring up the fact that she'd been seeing someone. Erik called less than he visited, and Lucy hadn't exactly just wanted to text him and be like, 'Oh, I almost forgot. I'm dating someone now. Violet really likes him and I really like him, too.' That had just felt so wrong to Lucy. It had felt too important to just bring it up like that, because dating someone was a big thing for Lucy.
Now though, after telling Erik all about Bickslow – from random little facts about him, what he did, and almost too much about their relationship and how it had started – they were here, with Erik asking her if she loved him. And Lucy wished it was a simple answer, because after seven months with him, she thought that it was something she should know for certain… But it wasn't a simple answer. Because she just didn't know.
"I… I don't know." She stirred the teabag around the cup gently before taking a sip.
"What do you mean, you don't know?" Erik asked. "Either you love the guy or you don't."
Lucy shrugged. "I just don't know," she said again. She wished she knew the answer. The best Lucy had was 'I think I do,' and that wasn't really good enough.
It was just… complicated. And it was all still so new to Lucy. Bickslow was the first, real relationship she'd had – she'd never really dated much when she'd been younger, and then Violet had come along so she'd stopped even trying to date for a few years. He was the first person, aside from her friends, that she'd allowed to be part of her daughter's life, and as a (mostly) single parent, that was something she'd had to consider in great depth. That was why she'd waited nearly three whole months before letting Violet meet Bickslow. She'd wanted to get to know him and decide whether she could trust him first. And at the end of the day, Lucy didn't really care all that much about the chances of Bickslow breaking her heart. She cared about him breaking her daughter's heart. And Lucy hated that it was something she still worried about at all.
Still, it wasn't just her own heart she had to protect, but it was Violet's too, and that was one of the main reasons that Lucy still didn't know if she loved the guy or not, even after seven months together. She'd honestly just been trying her best to keep her heart locked away.
That, and… She'd never actually been in love with anyone before, so she really had no clue what it was supposed to feel like anyway.
Erik sighed through his nose. He knew Lucy like the back of his hand (which, was rather well, considering he'd been single for the last five years), which meant he knew she'd never dated seriously and she'd never really loved anyone before – not romantically, at least. And it wasn't like he was any better, but that wasn't the point.
"Well, at least tell me you've slept with the guy already," he said then. Maybe the whole love conversation was a bit too early… Sex, however, was not. But Lucy sipping at her tea and making a point of looking to the other side of the room as the only answer Erik needed. "You're kidding me. You haven't even slept with him yet?!"
"W-Well, it's not from a lack of trying!" Lucy spluttered. And really, it wasn't. They'd tried everything from waiting until it was two in the morning when Bickslow stayed over and Violet was well and truly asleep, to locking themselves in her tiny bathroom when Violet was watching cartoons or playing with the dogs. They'd even almost done it in the kitchen on the counter once bright and early on a Sunday morning when Violet had still been asleep. But the kid always seemed to show up at the wrong time – or, knock on the bathroom door that wasn't usually locked and ask if Lucy was pooping. And that was an epic turn-off, unsurprisingly. Bickslow had had to cover his mouth with his hand to stop from bursting out laughing.
"What the hell does that mean?"
"It… It means we've tried to… You know…"
"Ah, but Vi is being a cockblock, right?"
"Erik! Don't say that!" Lucy hissed. Of all things that he could've called their daughter, that was not one Lucy liked. "But… Yeah, she kind of is…"
Erik snorted. "Of course she is." Kids were annoying like that. "When was the last time you even got laid then?"
Lucy made a face as she counted in her head. "Three… years? Something like that?" she mumbled. She didn't really know, to be honest. It wasn't exactly something she'd ever paid much attention to. She had more important things to think about. Although she could recall the last person she'd slept with having been one of Erza's friends, and it had been a total disaster. Lucy had just been glad it had only been one afternoon.
"Woman, that is depressing as all hell."
"No it's not!"
"It is," Erik insisted. "You need to go and get laid. Like, right fucking now."
"Easier said than done…" she muttered. It wasn't exactly like she could just go out and get laid. She had responsibilities!
"Uh, did you forget the fact you have a boyfriend? Who, I mean, is obviously attracted to you – and if he isn't, well he's a fucking moron." Erik may not be attracted to her, but he still thought she looked good. Even more so, now that she wasn't an awkward eighteen-year-old and was actually comfortable in her own skin, faded stretch marks and all. "Go fuck your boyfriend, Blondie."
Lucy huffed in annoyance and pouted. The fact that he was telling her to go get laid wasn't the issue. It was that he was forgetting one important thing. "And what about Vi, huh?" Lucy pointed out. "I can't exactly just leave her with a sitter so I can go and have sex. That's… That's irresponsible. I'm not doing that."
"See? This is why you need to get laid. You're getting grumpy. Go let off some steam."
"I'm not getting grumpy!"
Erik begged to differ. He knew what Lucy was like when she was grumpy, and she was getting grumpy. Of course though, her grumpiness didn't scare him, so that was why he could shrug and continue, "We've had dinner, so all she needs is to take a bath and then go to bed, right? Strangely enough, I can handle that." He did actually know how to be a parent, despite how little he saw his daughter.
"I know you can…"
"Which means you are free to go over to your boyfriend's house, and fuck him senseless. And if you don't, then I'm going to drive you over there myself and I don't think either of you would want that." That would be ten kinds of awkward. But still, as Lucy's best friend, it was his job to make sure she got laid. "Besides," Erik continued again, taking a sip of his black tea. "You really need a night off. So go take it. We'll be fine for a few hours. I'll tell Vi you just went out for a little while."
Lucy's mouth twisted into a firm line as she considered it. She had no problems leaving Violet with Erik, and she certainly didn't doubt his parenting skills. He'd never actually been a bad parent; he just hadn't been (and still wasn't) able to do it full-time, and Lucy had always been okay with that.
But still… Could she really just leave her daughter for one night, just to go and have sex? Wouldn't that make her a bad parent?
…Of course it wouldn't… Right? She was a great parent, and she knew that. Her life had essentially been put on hold for Violet – not that she would've had it any other way – but now, she had a really good thing going in her life, and Lucy didn't want to lose that. Besides, the fact she was a parent didn't mean she had to go without sex. That was just stupid.
And damn it, she really did need a night off. Lucy couldn't even remember the last time she'd had an entire night off. She didn't even know if she'd had one at all. The most she'd ever had was a few hours, but she'd always been back to tuck Violet in and kiss her goodnight.
Setting her tea down, Lucy got up from the lounge and looked back down to the maroon-haired man while nodding slowly to herself – more to convince herself than anything. "You know what? I think… I think I just might have a night off."
"That's my girl," Erik grinned.
She rolled her eyes as she made her way to the bathroom. She only brushed her teeth and her hair and spritzed a little of her favourite perfume. Her clothes, she didn't think she needed to change – not when they'd hopefully be on the floor somewhere anyway. There was a tiny voice at the back of her head that only wondered if she was really going to do it, but Lucy ignored it as she grabbed her shoes and her bag and returned to the living area. "Are you sure you'll be fine with Vi? I mean, I can—"
"Lucy, I'm telling you, I can handle her," he assured her. "Now go get some dick, and don't even think about coming back until you've had at least three orgasms."
Lucy wasn't going to question it. She knew Erik too well for that. And instead, she nodded, bid the man goodnight, and went to leave the apartment. She'd barely gotten down the end of the hallway before she was turning right back around and walking straight back into the apartment, and Erik only watched with an eyebrow raised as she dropped her bag and made for the hall.
When she came back out again, however, after just a few more moments and in the same leggings and t-shirt as before, Erik couldn't help but snicker into his tea. "You put on your pretty underwear, didn't you?" he mumbled.
"Shut up."
Lucy woke in an empty bed that wasn't hers, and she couldn't quite help but panic, thinking that she'd overslept horrendously and Bickslow was already up and going about his day. Sitting up and holding the sheet to her chest, she looked around the still dark room. Bickslow was walking back in as soon as she looked to the door, and she couldn't quite keep the smile off her lips.
"Morning," she said tiredly. Or at least I hope it's still morning… Although if Bickslow only being in boxers and climbing back into bed beside her was anything to go by, then it had to be before noon at the very least. "Where'd you disappear to?"
"Just letting the dogs out," Bickslow answered. His arm draped across her middle to slowly pull her back down onto the mattress, and he leant forward to press a gentle kiss to Lucy's lips before adding, "I imagine you'll be having to leave soon."
"What time is it?"
"A little after six."
Lucy let out a quiet sigh. She hadn't meant to stay the entire night, but… Bickslow had convinced her otherwise, and it had already been well past Violet's bed time by the time she'd collapsed down onto the bed utterly exhausted. But if it was six, then Violet would be up soon just like she always was, and Lucy didn't really want to leave Erik trying to come up with an excuse as to why she hadn't returned by morning – he'd had to give an excuse for her disappearing as it was, and honestly, Lucy didn't think she wanted to know just what he'd told their daughter.
"Soon, yeah," she said. "I kind of wish I didn't have to, though…"
"So do I," Bickslow agreed. It wasn't the first time he'd woken up next to her, but it was the first time it had been in his own home and not from a four-and-half year old running in and shouting at them that it was breakfast time. That, and it was the first time he'd gotten to wake up to his girlfriend being naked, and, well… That was just an epic bonus. A really, really great bonus. "But, um… Before you do go…"
"Hm?"
"Can I ask you something? About… About Erik?"
Lucy raised an eyebrow at Bickslow's obvious hesitation, but she shrugged into the pillow as she gave her answer. "Of course you can."
Bickslow was fiddling with the corner of the pillow, twisting it enough that he was almost going to work a hole into it as he nervously began, "I, uh… I know that Vi wasn't exactly planned, but… How long were you and Erik, like… together?" It wasn't a proud moment for him, asking his girlfriend just how long she'd been with the father of her child, but it was a question that had been stuck in his head since the previous afternoon. He was never going to get in the way of things between them, especially between Violet and her dad, but… Damn it, Bickslow just wanted to know what he was competing with.
"We weren't," Lucy answered.
"…But before Vi was born, I mean?"
She shook her head. "We weren't together at all." It was a mix of confusion and relief that set on her boyfriend's face then, and Lucy couldn't help but let out a quiet giggle. He was jealous of Erik, and Lucy only thought it was rather adorable. But, Lucy didn't have any secrets to keep from Bickslow, not ones that had anything to do with Erik. "I've known him since high school, and he's been my best friend ever since. We slept together once in college. We had way too much to drink after exams, and that's really all there is to it. You don't have anything to worry about, Bix. I promise you that."
"I… I wasn't worried…" he mumbled.
"You so were."
"…Okay, maybe just a little bit," Bickslow admitted guiltily. Lucy laughing at him and worming herself under his arm again to snuggle up to his chest made him feel less guilty, but still. He felt an apology was in order, even if he was now rather glad he'd asked at all. "But you and Vi are just… I love you both to pieces and I feel so damn lucky to have you in my life at all… And—"
"Bickslow."
"—then I see how excited you are just to be able to see him, and..." He found himself trailing off when a finger was placed over his lips and he was forced to lift his eyes and meet Lucy's gaze.
"Bickslow, just be quiet for a few seconds, okay?" she said with a soft smile gracing her lips. Bickslow nodded, and she removed her finger to let her hand rest on his cheek instead. She could feel her heart fluttering in her chest, and her stomach doing some kind of gymnastics routine, but it was a very welcome feeling at that moment. "You said you love me," she whispered with her smile growing wider. "Well, Violet too, but… You said you love me."
He shifted almost uncomfortably and felt an unwelcome heat amass on his cheeks. Bickslow knew he'd said it. He'd wanted to say it for months, too – since the first sleepover on Lucy's living room floor, when he'd known for sure that he was so completely head over heels for them both – but Bickslow had been scared of saying it too soon and scaring her. He'd just wanted to prove to Lucy that she'd made the right decision (as far as he was concerned, at least) of letting him into their lives. And, well… Bickslow thought he had proved that by now. There was no point in denying it or keeping it to himself anymore.
"Well, yeah…" he murmured.
"So you meant it?"
"Of course I did. I meant every word."
He loves me. He really loves me. Lucy couldn't stop herself from leaning in and pressing her lips to Bickslow's. His hand found her waist while she was rolled onto her back gently, and their legs became tangled with each other and the sheets as their lips slowly moved together.
She'd never expected so few words to mean so much to her, but there she was. Bickslow was someone she could genuinely trust though, that was something Lucy was now sure of. He wasn't going to hurt her, and he wasn't going to hurt Violet. He cared – he genuinely and truly cared about her and her daughter and Lucy knew that. And while Bickslow said he felt lucky to have them in his life, Lucy sure as hell felt like she was the lucky one. Bickslow was like a rare gem, a one in a million, and Lucy was absolutely and completely head over heels for him, too.
That much, she was now sure of.
By the time Lucy did get home though, a little closer to 8 a.m., Violet was well and truly up and plastered to the front of the T.V. with her scrambled eggs on toast, while Erik sat behind her sipping on his breakfast tea. Violet was far more excited to see Lucy than Erik was (not that he wasn't at all, because he definitely was), and as soon as Lucy was in the door, Violet was hopping up from her cushion and running up to her mother to give her a big hug.
"Mummy! Mummy! I missed you!"
"I missed you too, sweetheart," Lucy said. She ducked down to kiss the top of her daughter's head once she'd been freed from the girl's hug. Had Erik not put on 101 Dalmatians for her, Lucy was sure Violet would be asking all kinds of questions about just where she'd been all night. But for the time being, spotty puppies were more important so Lucy didn't take it personally when Violet quickly returned to her breakfast and movie.
With a sigh though, Lucy sat down on the sofa, right next to Erik, and he couldn't help but snicker as he set the magazine he'd found aside to turn and ask suggestively, "So? How many?"
Lucy knew exactly what he was asking, of course. "In total or just this morning?"
Erik's only response was lifting his arm from the back of the lounge to give the woman a well deserved high-five.
The final boarding announcement was heard and Lucy looked over her shoulder to see the last of the people waiting in that lounge passing through the boarding gates. She sighed when she turned back to Bickslow and Violet, nervously twisting the handle of her carry-on bag. "I guess I should go then…" she mumbled.
"You'll miss your flight if you don't," Bickslow pointed out.
"True…" Lucy sighed. Missing her flight was the last thing she wanted, especially since it wasn't one she was paying for herself. It was just that she was so nervous about leaving, regardless of the fact that it was only going to be four days. Lucy had never gone more than one night away from Violet (and that one night had been with Bickslow of all people, unsurprisingly), so she was naturally scared of getting on a plane to head across the country for a few days. She cast another worried glance over her shoulder before she crouched down in front of Violet, reaching forward to hold her little face between her hands. "Are you sure you'll be okay while I'm gone? I can stay if you want me to. It's okay."
Violet shook her head. "Nope! You go!"
"Are you sure, Vi? Are you really, really s—" Lucy was cut off by Violet placing her palm over her lips. All Lucy could do was blink, staring wide-eyed at her nearly five-year-old daughter.
"I sure," Violet said softly. "You can go, Mummy."
Lucy sniffled, nodding to herself and then pulling her daughter into a tight hug. "When did my baby grow up and become so independent?" Lucy was realising that she was the one that was getting all the separation anxiety, not Violet! Still, if Violet said she was going to be okay for a few days, then Lucy was going to believe her. Standing and just letting her hand rest on top of Violet's head when she began to hug her waist instead, Lucy looked to Bickslow and asked, "What about you? Are you sure you're okay with this?"
"I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't okay with it," Bickslow smiled. He had absolutely zero problems with looking after Violet for a few days. Hell, he'd strangely been looking forward to it all week. Besides, he was the one to have convinced Lucy to take the trip anyway, just like he'd convinced her to take the promotion that went along with it. She'd deserved it. "I'll be fine. So will Vi." He leant in to quickly press a kiss to her lips, then said, "Now go get on that plane before it leaves without you."
"Right, okay, I'm going!" She couldn't help herself from standing on her toes to quickly kiss her boyfriend back, quickly saying, "I'll text you when I land, okay? I love you!"
"Mm-hmm, love you too."
Lucy crouched down in front of Violet again to pull her back into her arms. "Oh, I'm going to miss you so much!" she said, squeezing the girl tightly and tucking her head under her chin. "Now, you be good for Bix, okay? Don't get into too much trouble. We want him to like us, remember?"
Violet giggled, nodding her head. "Yes, Mummy."
Lucy sighed. She was absolutely fine with leaving Violet with Bickslow for a few days. Violet was absolutely fine with staying with Bickslow. Bickslow was absolutely fine looking after Violet. Everything and everyone was fine. Lucy knew that. So, she really had no reason to just get on that plane that was about to leave behind her. And sure, two of those days in the capital involved a training conference of sorts, but the other two involved visiting one of the country's most renowned spas and Lucy was definitely looking forward to being pampered. Especially since it was at her company's expense – their way of saying thank you for all of her work over the last four years she'd worked there.
With another sigh, Lucy quickly kissed her daughter's cheeks and then her forehead before giving her another quick squeeze and rising to her feet. "Well, I really will miss my plane if I don't get a move on at this rate…" she mumbled before looking down to Violet once more. "But I'll be back just in time for your birthday, okay, sweetie? And I'll call you every night before bed and—"
"Final call for boarding, final call for boarding for last remaining passengers. Last remaining passengers on Ishgar United Airlines, flight IR702 bound for Crocus, please board the aircraft now…"
"Okay, I get it, I'm coming! Jeez…" Lucy was surprised they hadn't called her by name; surely she was the only one not on the plane already. Securing her purse over her shoulder, Lucy turned on her heels and began to finally head for the boarding gate, all while waving behind her to her favourite humans (well, two of them at least). "I'll see you in a few days! I'll miss you guys!"
"Bye, Mummy!" Violet waved back.
Bickslow stood by, silently watching as Lucy finally made it through the boarding gate and past a very relieved flight attendant. And as soon as Lucy was out of sight, he looked down just in time to see Violet's face fall slightly. She'd miss Lucy, he knew that. As grown-up as she tried to be sometimes (she'd been reminding everyone she saw that she was turning five in just a few more days!), she'd still never been away from Lucy for very long. But of course, Bickslow had expected all of that, and he was definitely going to do his best to take care of her and make the next four days and three nights fly by.
"You wanna stay for a bit watch her plane take off?" Bickslow asked softly, and Violet could only nod as Bickslow reached down to take her hand and then walk her over to the lounge with the tall windows.
He was supposed to be dropping her off at school right then, but surely there was no harm in staying for a few extra minutes.
Two o'clock came around, and when Bickslow made no effort to move from his desk or stop what he was doing, Freed, Evergreen, and Laxus all shared looks of concern. He was supposed to be picking up Violet from pre-school, and considering it was almost all the way across town and the traffic at that hour was always horrendous, Bickslow really should've left by then.
Freed decided it was about time he tried to get the man's attention. Clearing his throat, he called his name. "Bickslow."
He had headphones on, and when he was really into his work, chewing on the end of his red pen as he sat back in his chair with a manuscript on his lap, he was off in his own little world.
So when Freed's attempt to get Bickslow's attention ended up being in vain, Evergreen tried next, taking a sticky-note, crumpling it up in her hands and then tossing it over the short cubicle. "Oi, Bickslow!" Not even that seemed to get his attention, even when the sticky-note flew right past his head and landed just behind his chair. Evergreen slumped in her chair in defeat, crossing her arms against her chest and muttering under her breath, "Oblivious fool." Honestly, she didn't know how he could be so out-of-it sometimes.
So, it came down to Laxus to get his attention. And with a roll of his eyes, Laxus only slid out from his desk on his chair, and then kicked the side of Bickslow's to have him startled back to reality. "It's two o'clock, idiot," Laxus muttered before Bickslow could yell at him.
"What? No it's not," Bickslow snapped, pulling the earbuds out to glare at his co-worker. "What the hell are you talking about?" Last he'd checked, it had only been a quarter past twelve. There was no way it could be two already.
"He's right, Bickslow," Freed said.
"No, it can't be." Bickslow shook his head and made a face. He scooted his chair forward to return to his desk, setting the manuscript and his editing pen aside so he could open up his laptop and check the time. "See? I told you. It's… fuck! Why did no one tell me it was already two?! God damn it… Shit, Lucy is going to murder me." Day one of looking after her kid, and he's already late to picking her up from preschool.
He didn't stick around long enough to hear them all say that it was up to him to manage his time and that they had, in fact, tried getting his attention beforehand to no avail. With just his keys and his wallet, Bickslow ran out of his building as fast as he could to go jump in the car. It was a twenty minute drive to Violet's school, and that was when the traffic was on his side. The traffic in that city was the sole reason he used public transport so often every other day.
At half passed, Bickslow was running into Violet's classroom, only stopping at the door to hunch over as he caught his breath – not even constantly chasing after three chaotic canines could keep him fit, it seemed. The run from his car to the courtyard next to the classroom had definitely done a number on him, and it really wasn't far at all.
"Bickso!" Violet jumped up from where she sat at one of the groups of tables with a maths colouring sheet, and ran over to Bickslow to wrap her arms around his hips and hug his side.
"Hey, monkey." He smiled down at her as he regained his breath, reaching down to gently stroke the back of her head as she seemingly refused to let go of him. He was mostly used to that, though. "Sorry I'm late. I, uh… I got stuck in traffic," he lied.
"It's okay. Mummy forgets sometimes too," Violet giggled. She lifted her head to peer up at Bickslow just to see him cringe. Bickslow had only known her for the last six months, but somehow Violet had already figured him out completely and managed to get him wrapped around her little finger. And for the most part, Bickslow had no idea how it had happened.
Violet eventually let go of him to return to the table and put her crayons back in the tub in the centre – her teacher always said she was one of her favourites because she cleaned up after herself. Bickslow followed her after giving a simple wave to the teacher with another student (Lucy had made sure to introduce them a few days prior, just so the school didn't end up calling the cops on him or anything), picking up her backpack from the hook labelled 'Violet' and swinging the strap over his shoulder. "So… You're not mad at me for being late, are you?" he asked carefully.
Violet shook her head as she got up again, waving to her teacher as she grabbed Bickslow's hand to drag him out of the classroom. "Bye, Miss Graham!" she said happily before looking up to Bickslow and giving him a bright smile. "Not mad."
"Are you sure?"
She nodded. "Uh-huh!" Violet didn't think she had any reason to be mad at Bickslow. Lucy was late every now and then, and that was fine. She always got ice-cream and cheeseburgers after school when Lucy was late, though, and that was always great. But that did remind her… "Can we go get ice-cream, Bickso?" Violet asked sweetly.
It was Bickslow's turn to see right through Violet then. "Are you trying to blackmail me?"
"…Maybe." She knew what blackmail meant from Gajeel.
And if ice-cream was going to stop him from getting in trouble with Lucy, then ice-cream it was. Besides, he couldn't say no to Violet when she gave him that sweet and innocent smile, even if it was just a façade. "Then yes, we can go get ice-cream," he sighed. "But only after we stop by my work for a few minutes so we can go see Laxus and Freed and Ever." He needed his phone, and Violet liked those three anyway. Bickslow knew it.