All Characters and locations belong to Hiro Mashima
Thank you to all who have followed and favorited.
Thank you Aya2019, Natsuki Sawada, and Beauty Is Beastly for the reviews
Chapter 2
Lucy arrives in Magnolia and drives on the familiar streets of her childhood. A childhood she wouldn't have had if Laxus hadn't found her. Lucy shakes her head at those memories from before Gramps adopted her. She rolls her window down and breathes in the fresh crisp air. The difference between Magnolia and the city is night and day, along with the scenery, places, and people. Quaint little homes with luscious green yards, and children playing outside. Even the interaction with residents is different. In the city, everyone is busy, busy, busy, no sense of closeness with everyone. In Magnolia, everyone is family and sticks together through everything. An individual's happiness is everyone's happiness. An individual's wrath is everyone's wrath. An individual's tears are everyone's tears.
Lucy turns onto Cottage Avenue and drives a little way up the road until she gets to her grandfather's place. She pulls into the gravel driveway that has a mailbox at the end of it adorning what looks to be with what looks like a fairy with wings on the side. She cuts the engine and gets out of her car. It's a decent-sized home, with three bedrooms and two and a half baths, perfect for her, Laxus, and Gramps. It sits nestled in between some trees that is a five-minute walk to the orphanage Fairy Tail, where she met the best friends anyone could ask for. The house is light blue, with a roof that looks like it needs a little work. She'll have to talk to Laxus about that. A stone pathway leads up the house and she sees some fresh mulch around the hosta plants lining the front of the house. Mira must have been by. It looks as though a little cosmetic work was done to the place. There are large stones around the front door and on the side that the front porch surrounds.
She walks up to the house and Lucy enters without knocking. A white chihuahua runs up to her barking happily, tail wagging back and forth. Lucy squats to pick him up and is given doggie kisses on her face.
"Hey, Plue!" Lucy found the little guy on the streets of Crocus five years ago. The veterinarian estimated him to be about a year old. It was difficult to tell with him being malnourished. Lucy convinced her grandfather to take him in. She couldn't have animals in her apartment plus both Gramps and Plue needed a little buddy in their lives.
Lucy puts Plue down when Mira walks into the entryway. Mira wraps her arms around Lucy and squeezes the life out of her.
"Lucy! It's so good to see you!"
"Mira! It's good to see you too! It would be better if I could breathe," Lucy struggles to get out.
Mira let's go and take a step back so she can look at Lucy. "Sorry, sorry. It's just been too long. C'mon, Gramps and Laxus are in the kitchen." Mira grabs Lucy's hand and drags her through the living room with Plue trotting alongside them. "Hey guys! Look who showed up!"
Gramps is sitting on the stool in front of the kitchen island and Laxus is on the other side.
Laxus walks around the island and puts Lucy in a headlock. "Hey, sis!"
"Laxus! Let go!" Lucy punches Laxus in the gut. "Ow! Ow! Ow! What the hell are your abs made of?"
Laxus just laughs and gives her a noogie before letting go. "What are you doing here early? You weren't supposed to arrive until Thursday."
Lucy fixes her hair and mumbles, "You're lucky I didn't style my hair today." She walks over to Gramps and gives him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Didn't our grandfather say anything? I called him two days ago."
Mira smiles, "No he didn't but it's a lovely surprise."
When Lucy sits on a stool next to Gramps he grabs a hold of her hand and pats it with the other. "That's what I thought which is why I didn't say anything. I can't help but be curious though. It's not like you to take time off of work without proper notice."
"I just thought you would like to see me early."
Mira places a hand on Lucy's shoulder, "Lucy, honey, you can't fool us. While it's true we do like seeing you here, there's more that you're not telling us." She and Laxus walk around to the other side of the island to be able to converse better.
"Uh yeah. Well, the author's convention ended sooner than expected. There was bad food, some type of seafood. I was one of the few who didn't eat the food that got everyone sick. Ren had the night off and I thought it would be a nice surprise getting home early and…" Lucy trails off, looking off to the side, finding the painting on the wall interesting.
"And what?" Laxus growls out.
Mira puts a hand on Laxus's arm and looks up at him, "Laxus honey, let her finish." Mira looks back at Lucy. "It's okay, take your time."
Lucy deeply inhales then exhales which does nothing for the anger that has still been lurking underneath the surface. She looks at Laxus when she replies, "I walked in, and that motherfucker had that bitch bent over the counter. They were so loud they didn't even fucking hear me walk in!" Lucy's voice rises and she's practically screaming at the end.
Laxus growls, "I'm going to fucking kill him."
"Laxus-" says Gramps.
"I hope you gave the both of them a swift Lucy Kick. If not I'm going to go there and-"
"LAXUS!" Mira shouts.
"WHAT?"
"Calm down." Mira rubs his back soothingly. "Lucy, please continue."
Having gathered her composure, Lucy's able to respond more calmly. "They didn't know I was there until I snapped out of my stupor and slammed the door. They stood there frozen as I got my luggage out of the closet by the front door. They both scrambled to get themselves decent before trying to get me to stop so they could talk. Honestly, I wasn't hearing anything they were saying. I stormed out and called Gramps when I got in my car and here I am."
"It's a good thing you're always prepared if something comes up last minute. And I have to agree with Laxus, you should have Lucy kicked them across the city," Mira says.
"Maybe next time I see them. I just needed to get the hell out of there. Now enough about that. How's the restaurant going Mira?"
"It's going great! Lisanna is ready to take over for the two-week honeymoon you paid for. Thanks again!"
"It's no problem! You two deserve it."
"Speaking of the restaurant, we got brunch with the wedding party, and I still got to get ready." Gramps hops off his stool and goes to his room.
"Brunch?" Lucy questions Mira.
"Yes. We're getting together with everyone from the wedding party for last-minute wedding touches. You should come with us."
"I'm not sure if I'm ready to see anyone. The plan was to hide out for the week."
"Lucy, everything will be okay, and everyone will be so excited to see you! Right, Laxus?"
"Huh? What? I was texting Bickslow making sure he's going to make it."
"Did he go out to the club again? He needs to find someone to settle down with," Mira spoke.
"Best man?" Lucy asks.
"Yeah, he's such a good guy but he is so picky."
"Probably because he has a habit of picking up crazies." Laxus snorts.
"I went to that club Blue Pegasus last night. Boy has it changed."
"Lucy! Did you pick someone up?" Mira asks
"Yeah, it's been a while since I've been laid and-"
Laxus raises his voice, "Stop! I don't want to hear about it." Laxus re-reads his text from Bickslow and thinks 'There's no way she's who he is talking about.'
"Alright, I'm ready," Gramps says as he walks out into the kitchen.
They all head out the door and Gramps rides with Lucy to the restaurant.
Time Skip:
Lucy parks in the Seven Dragon's Buffett parking lot, gathering herself before she goes in. She's not prepared for all the questions she will receive about Ren. She takes a deep breath and exhales. 'Alright Lucy, you can do this.'
She is looking forward to seeing everyone and spending time with them. Her visits throughout the years were just to visit Gramps, Laxus, Mira, and the kids in the orphanage. It's not that she didn't want to see anyone, but she has led a very hectic life and didn't have the time. She rarely allowed herself to slow down and take a break. Thinking back, she feels like the biggest asshole.
As she walks up to the building she sees wooden carvings of dragons in front of the restaurant. There are two on the left in front of the big bay window. One is gray and the other is white. There are two on the right in front of that window as well. One is blue and the other is purple. One on each side of the door, one red and the other black. They're all of various sizes and the biggest one of them all is a yellow one perched on top of the doorway. They're all so intricately designed between the carving and the paint job they look exactly like the majestic beings they are. It must have taken the artist quite a bit of time to do this and whoever it was is very talented.
The bell when she walks in rings and alerts everyone inside that someone has entered. The people that are there for brunch are all smiles and two of her childhood friends meet up with her. Natsu yells as he dashes towards her, "Luce!" He wraps his arms around her, lifts her up, and squeezes her tight as he spins them in circles.
"Natsu! I.. can't.. breathe." Lucy manages to get out.
Natsu stops spinning and lets go of a dizzy, struggling to breathe Lucy. "Sorry about that! I've missed you so much. We all have!"
"It's true Lucy, you have to stop hiding from us." Lisanna waddles up to hug her.
"I know, I'm sorry you guys. Gramps always tells me to stop and take a break so I can come to visit but I never listen. And Lis, oh my Mavis, you're pregnant again! Congratulations! How does Iggy feel about it?"
"He's excited to be a big brother. And your grandfather is right! You better spend more time with us after the wedding." When Lisanna lets go of Lucy, Natsu leads her back to the table.
She gives everyone at the long table hugs. Mira, Elfman, Evergreen, Freed, and Rufus. Lucy takes a seat next to her grandfather.
She hears the bell above the door ring and everyone greeting the newcomer. They sit down next to her and when she looks over she sees the man she slept with the night before.
Laxus doesn't miss the looks they give each other. 'Well I'll be damned.' "Bickslow this is Lucy, my sister. Lucy this is Bickslow, the best man."
'What. The. Fuck. What are the chances?' Lucy internally shouts.
Bickslow starts up his motorcycle, a Kawasaki Vulcan S, and begins his journey home. He can't help but feel disappointed. He had an awesome night, the best he's had in a long time. The one time he would have liked a woman to stick around she was gone before he even woke up. Normally he kicks the woman out of his hotel room or leaves hers or her home. He has never slept next to a woman, nor has he brought one back to his place. He never brings them home. He doesn't know why but he feels like the woman he met last night was someone he could have in his life. Shit, he didn't even get a name.
Before he realizes it he's back in Magnolia. He's so glad Laxus convinced him to move to Magnolia with him. Trifecta, where he spent part of his childhood was good for a while until unforeseen circumstances. Then Hargeon was hell until he met a couple who made it worthwhile. He shoves those memories into the back of his mind, stuff he would much rather not think about at the moment. When he met Laxus in college they hit it off. They became best friends and were each other's wingmen until they moved to Magnolia. Laxus reconnected with Mira, and he moved into his grandfather's house to take care of him until he could himself. Bickslow didn't want to intrude so he found his own place.
It was a studio apartment above what is now his store, Bicks' Hand-Crafted Furniture. He moved out of that place once the fixer-upper he bought became livable. It was pretty run-down when he bought it. It sits on a good-sized plot of land tucked behind some trees located a little outside of Magnolia and had a barn that needed fixing up which is now his workshop. He fixed it sporadically when he had the time and money with the help of Laxus, Elfman, Gajeel, and Jellal. It was remodeled into a two-bedroom, two-bathroom home with an open floor plan.
He pulls into his driveway and parks in front of the garage that was added on. A two-door that houses his Dodge Ram. He gets off his bike, hangs his helmet on a handlebar, and walks up to his covered front porch. The sides of the walkway adorn hand-crafted tikis with solar panels. At night all you can see is green light coming from the eye sockets of the tikis lighting up the walkway. He walks into the house and makes his way to his bedroom to change. He has on clean underwear, socks, and jeans so now what shirt? As he's rummaging through his closet for a shirt he receives a text from Laxus.
Laxus – Hey man, are you able to meet Mira, Gramps, and the rest of the wedding party at 7 Dragons for brunch?
Bickslow – Yeah, I just got home. Getting ready now.
Laxus - Where were you?
Bickslow - Went to Blue Pegasus last night. Then back to a motel room with a busty blonde.
Laxus - So what was this one's name?
Bickslow - I don't know, never got her name. She left before I woke up.
Laxus – Wait, you fell asleep together?
Bickslow – Haha yeah, it was a very long night. She did at least leave a note saying she had a great time.
Laxus – We're heading out now. We'll talk more later.
Bickslow – K. Will be there soon
Bickslow is not thrilled about being surrounded by happy couples. He puts on a plain dark blue long-sleeve henley shirt. 'This will have to do.' He laces up his boots, heads out, and leaves on his bike.
Time Skip:
He pulls into the parking lot and finds a good place to park. He makes his way to the front door after parking and sees a head of blond hair through the window that looks familiar.
'No, it can't be.'
He walks in and everyone greets him. He sits in the seat next to the blond woman and when he turns to greet the stranger time is frozen when their eyes meet. 'It is her.'
Laxus looks at the both of them, "Bickslow this is Lucy, my sister. Lucy this is Bickslow, the best man."
'Fuck I slept with Laxus's sister. He's going to kill me.'
"So, you're the Bickslow I've heard so much about." Lucy smiles at him. 'He is a lot more attractive than I remember.'
"You're the sister I've heard so much about." Bickslow can't help but smile back at her.
Before either can say anything else Evergreen breaks the moment, "Not that I'm complaining but why are you early? And where's Ren?"
Bickslow turns his head towards Ever. 'Ren? Her boyfriend Ren? The one Laxus says is the biggest douchebag he's ever met, Ren? She wouldn't…' Bickslow shakes his head, 'she's not like that.'
"What? Gramps is always telling me to take more time off so I thought it would be a nice surprise." Lucy says nervously looking at Bickslow in the corner of her eye. 'I didn't think the questions would start so soon.'
"We're not dumb, we know there's more," Evergreen looks at her accusingly.
"He's not going to be joining us. He's the reason I'm here early…as well as Sherry…" Lucy looks down into her lap. She really doesn't want to talk about it in the middle of the restaurant but they won't let it go until she's given an explanation.
Bickslow's figured out where it's going and makes himself look indifferent on the matter. 'Well, Fuck..'
"No!" All the girls gasp.
"Oh, Mavis! Lucy.." Lisanna exclaims with sadness in her voice.
"That mother fucker." Natsu slams his fist on the table and everything on it clatters. Everyone stops anything from falling.
'This is what I didn't want.' "Natsu, don't. This week is about Laxus and Mira. Don't worry about me right now."
"Fine but if he decides to show his face I reserve the right to kick his fucking ass." Natsu wants nothing more than to break something. But he can't because this restaurant is his sister-in-law's pride and joy.
"Alright but not before I get a few hits in myself." Lucy winks at him.
Bickslow clenches his jaw. 'I would like to throttle the bastard too. Cheating on Lucy. What the fuck.'
"Why didn't you when you found out?" Evergreen asks.
"I was in too much shock after seeing him firsthand balls deep in another woman over the kitchen counter," Lucy says angrily.
"That's not manly!"
Bickslow leans over and whispers in her ear, "That guy is a fucking idiot for cheating on you." He smiles when he sees her blush. When he straightens himself up he sees Laxus staring at them, arms crossed, expression unreadable. Everyone else looks at him like he's insane for even thinking about hitting on Lucy in front of Laxus and Natsu.
Lucy has a blush on her cheeks, 'I hope no one caught that.' Lucy looks around the table. 'Fuck.' She smiles and says, "While we're on my life at the moment, I was thinking maybe I should use up my vacation and personal time and stay here for a while."
"Lucy! That would be wonderful!" Gramps is so excited to hear this news. He's been wanting to spend more time with his granddaughter but she's never around for long.
"Yeah, I mean it's either that or get fired because I know I'll end up Lucy kicking the bitch."
"What about when you do eventually go back?" Bickslow asks. 'I wonder how much time she has to use. I can help her forget all about fuckface. Well worth getting murdered by Laxus.'
"I'll think about that when the time comes," Lucy claps her hands together, "okay so Mira, Laxus am I going to get any blonde, blue-eyed, or white hair gray-eyed nieces or nephews anytime soon?"
Laxus chokes on his beverage. "What the fuck sis?"
"Yeah, Laxus, when am I getting my great-grandbabies? I'm not getting any younger." Gramps puts in.
The rest of the afternoon is full of laughs. Lucy asks Lisanna the gender of the baby, it's a girl. At one point, Laxus makes eye contact with Mira and nods his head towards Lucy and Bickslow. Mira mouths 'really'? He just nods his head.
At around 2 they all decide it's time to go, some of them have babysitters to relieve. Lucy heads to the restroom leaving her purse behind. Mira looks at Laxus and gives him a look that says, 'Don't you try to stop me.' She rummages through Lucy's purse and takes her car keys. He knows her too well and knows exactly what she's planning.
Laxus looks at Bickslow, "Come with me."
Bickslow follows him outside. 'Goodbye world. Still worth it.'
Laxus turns around and looks Bickslow in the eye, expression still unreadable, "Really man? My sister?"
Bickslow replies, "I thought she looked familiar." Laxus growls and Bickslow holds his hands up, "dude in my defense I've never actually met her and have only seen a few pictures. Also, between the drinking and the lighting-"
Laxus puts a hand up to cut him off, "stop. Don't worry about it, just please don't give me any details. It's bad enough that I already know you had a long night with her."
'Wow, he isn't going to kill me?' "Trust me I won't. I can't believe that dick had the gall to cheat on her." Bickslow crosses his arms.
"Fuck that guy. He wasn't good enough for her."Laxus snarls, crosses his arms, and leans his side on the building.
Bickslow retorts, "Is anyone in your eyes?"
Laxus looks at him, "You."
"Dude, don't fuck with me," Bickslow remarks.
"I'm not. I know your reputation isn't what it used to be. Once your business took off you focused on that more. And don't think I didn't catch the way you were looking at her. You're a good man and loyal to those you care about," Laxus says sincerely.
"She just got out of a relationship."
"Then be her friend and take the time to get to know her and let her get to know you. Don't think with your dick."
"That's going to be hard, you know that right?"
Lucy, Mira, and Gramps walk out before Laxus can reply to Bickslow's double entendre.
"I'll see you all later. Lucy, I'm taking Gramps home in your car. I already grabbed your keys. Bye! Love you!" Mira says so quickly that they almost don't understand her. She kisses Laxus. "I will definitely see you later. I Love you."
"I love you too."
Gramps smiles at them, "You have a good day kids." He follows Mira to the car.
That happened so fast Lucy didn't know what to say. She looks over at Laxus. "So, I'm riding with you?"
Laxus smirks. "Nope. I got to go to the dojo. I will be teaching a group of kids today. Later!"
Laxus hauls ass out of there while Lucy and Bickslow stare at his retreating form.
They both yell "What the hell?!"
Lucy sighs, "Mira is rubbing off on Laxus."
Bickslow responds, "Or Laxus is going along with it so he can still get laid."
They look at each other and laugh. "Both!"
Lucy doesn't know where to take the conversation from there, so she compliments the dragon statues.
Bickslow tells her, "That's my work."
Lucy praises it, "Really? That's exquisite work and the detail…"
"Yeah, each one took me took me about a month to do," Bickslow says proudly.
"Really? I would have guessed it would take longer," responds Lucy.
"Well, I've gotten better through the years. It all started as a hobby back when I was a teenager and when I graduated college I made a career out of it. I own a furniture store here in town that has what I've handcrafted and they're all original pieces." Bickslow explains.
"That's.. wow. I'll check it out sometime." Lucy smiles at him.
"As far as these dragons go, well Mira was talking about decorations for the outside and I got the idea from a manga and anime I was into as a teenager."
They start walking towards Bickslow's motorcycle. Well, Bickslow does, and Lucy goes along with him.
"So, seven dragons representing the seven dragon slayers for the Seven Dragons Buffett?"
"Don't tell me you're familiar with it?"
"Yes! Hiro Mashima created a masterpiece. And don't sound so surprised. I mainly hung out with Natsu, Erza, and Gray growing up. 'I'm all fired up' became Natsu's favorite catchphrase."
Bickslow laughs, "It still is." They stop at his bike.
"Is this yours?" Lucy asks, checking out the motorcycle.
"Nah, I stole it," Bickslow admits.
Lucy looks at him and sees that he's just yanking her chain. "Ha-ha very funny." Lucy lightly shoves Bickslow.
Bickslow chuckles. "I got it a couple of years ago. It's a Kawasaki Vulcan S. A sports cruiser with a 650cc twin engine and sixty horsepower," Bickslow explains while patting it.
"I have no clue what you just said."
Bickslow laughs, "It's badass. So, you want a ride home since you've been abandoned?"
"Do you have an extra helmet?"
"Yup. You're lucky, I normally don't have it with me." He pulls an extra helmet out of the side compartment. "Here ya go."
"Thanks. I hope I'm not interfering with any plans."
"Nope. No plans and the store's closed today." He gets on the bike and Lucy climbs on behind him and sits on the extra seat. He grabs her legs and pulls her forward.
The sudden action causes Lucy to grab his sides. "Eep. What are you doing?"
He grabs her arms and has them wrapped around his torso. "You might want to hold on tight. Don't want to lose you."
She holds on tight, resting her left cheek on his back. Bickslow starts up his bike and Lucy feels the vibration in her lady bits. He pulls out of the parking lot and decides last minute he's going to take her for a ride. He heads in the opposite direction of Gramps' house.
Lucy sits up a bit to be closer to his ear and asks, "Where are we going?" loud enough for him to hear.
Bickslow yells back, "I'm taking you for a ride."
When he gets to a back road he speeds up causing Lucy to hold on tighter and press herself more against him. She can't help but get turned on, between soaking in Bickslow's warmth and the motorcycle being like one big vibrator.
Neither can Bickslow with the feel of her body pressed up against him, her breasts up against his back. He can feel her heat from getting turned on.
They go for a 2-hour ride. Bickslow would love to stay out longer but Lucy's ass will get sore.
When they make it back to town Lucy rises enough to be able to ask in Bickslow's ear, "Take me back to your place?"
He smiles back at her and nods his head. He looks back towards the road and grins. 'My pleasure. Maybe we can be friends with benefits?'
A/N: Lemons Ahead!