Time for another chapter! Like I said in the first one, this one isn't going to be getting updated very frequently at all. Still though, I shall do my best to work on getting a new chapter up once a month while I can!
"Are you sure you'll be okay on your own for a little while?" Lucy asked as she slowly backed into the front door, her worried eyes focused on Bickslow who was leaning his head on the breakfast bar. "If you want me to stay, I can. I can get Virgo to bring me a chan—"
Bickslow groaned into the counter as he slowly lifted his head and turned to look to the blonde by the door. "I'll be fine for an hour," he cut her off suddenly. "She's asleep right now, so you can go and do… whatever it is you need to do." Bickslow was honestly far too tired to even remember what it was Lucy had said not even an hour earlier. He was sure it involved something to do with her needing to go shower and change since she'd accidentally and not intentionally spent the night (or at least most of it) on his lounge, but half of the conversation had gone in one ear and out the other.
Lucy sighed as she nodded, and she finally reached out to wrap her fingers around the metal handle of the door. "Alright, fine," she said quietly. "I'll be as fast as I can though, okay? Just, you know, try and get at least a little bit of rest while it's quiet, or at least have a hell of a lot of coffee or something. A thirty-minute nap can do wonders though. Seriously."
"Jesus, Cosplayer," Bickslow chuckled. "You make it sound like you actually care about me."
"W-Well, I do, and I mean… You're my friend and all, and I'm just… You know… I'm just trying to look out for you and help you."
The corner of his mouth pulled up into a smirk as he finally pushed himself from where he leant over his island counter, and he looked over his shoulder at Lucy as he turned to his fridge. "You're cute when you blush, you know that?"
"B-Bickslow!"
"What? It's true." Okay, so maybe it was his sleep deprivation talking, but she really was cute when she blushed. Like, more so than usual. But no matter how much sleep he'd had (or not had, really), Bickslow was well aware that he probably shouldn't have just called her cute – especially not after just finding out that he was supposed to have married the woman.
But really, he couldn't help but say it. He'd called her hot, sexy, downright delicious on multiple occasions (to her face, no less, and each time she'd been wearing something that he was convinced would look better hiked up or on the floor somewhere), but never cute. Cute he reserved for… Well, no one, actually. Bickslow didn't call anyone cute. Cute was what you called people you actually liked, and Lucy? Yeah, Bickslow didn't really like Lucy. There was a difference between wanting her spread out on his bed and wanting to kiss her (it was a little strange that he wanted to, but he mostly ignored that), and take her out or something.
… All of which he probably would be doing right about then, should he actually have stayed and let his family force him into getting married, because right then, they would have been married for four fucking years.
Four years!
Four years of being forced to be together for the sake of their families. Four years where he'd have been married to her… To say that Bickslow was having a hard time dealing with all of that in his sleep deprived state was an understatement, because right then, all he could think about was how they'd still managed to be in each other's lives – though, granted, not even close to being the way it could have or should have been. It wasn't like that was a problem though. Oh no. Bickslow had never wanted to get married then, and neither had Lucy – especially not to someone she didn't know. It was really a good thing that it had all been called off when he'd left, and Lucy had thanked him profusely for that right after they'd calmed down and it had been decided that his daughter's name was going to be Scarlett.
Still, though… They'd ended up in the same guild and had been in the same guild for ages, and neither one had realised that the other was who they'd been betrothed to at some point.
Lucy Heartfilia – friend, supposed to have been wife, cosplayer, technically should have been the mother of his children at some point (thanks to their family values and all that), and now, his guide into the world of all things parenting. Because he really was useless.
So… Yeah, maybe calling her cute in his sleep deprived state wasn't the best idea, considering all things. Not that he didn't mean it though, because he did. She was cute – among other things – but regardless, he should not be hitting on her when she was doing him a huge favour. He knew that much. Looking back over his shoulder at the blonde by the door, he really did have to fight the urge to smirk, because she really was adorable all flustered and having no idea what to say. "Sorry," he said as sincerely as he could. "No more complimenting you. Got it."
"That's not… I just…" It really wasn't that she had a problem with Bickslow complimenting her, it was just a little strange and unexpected. Cute was new. If it had been anything else – like, for example, him blatantly telling her that she would look a whole lot better without clothes, which he had done on numerous occasions – she wouldn't be internally freaking out about it. Taking a steeling breath, she looked over to Bickslow in the kitchen as she slowly pulled the door open behind her, and she quickly muttered, "Thank you, I think… But… I'm just… Gonna leave…"
"See ya soon, Cosplayer."
A sigh escaped her before she shook her head and finally stepped out onto the small porch, closing the painted black door and leaving the not-so quietly laughing Seith mage alone in his house with his newborn daughter. Lucy was sure that Bickslow was never actually going to give that name up, he'd been calling her it for so long.
A part of her didn't actually mind it though. She'd been dealing it long enough to know that he was mostly harmless. Sure, he was a huge flirt and incredibly pervy when he really did want to be, but she'd been friends with Bickslow long enough to know that he never really meant any of it. All of it was just part of his sense of humour and how he had fun.
Still, she'd been putting up with it for a while and she had found herself laughing (while simultaneously shaking her head or being just a little mortified) at just a few of his crude jokes… Namely one involving Cinderella and what had happened to her once she got to the ball, and then one about a bride smiling on her wedding day. But, even though she did find just a few of his witty (or not so witty) one-liners just a little entertaining on the odd occasion, Lucy had yet to figure out just how Bickslow had so much fun with annoying the living hell out of her, because he really only made of point of trying to get a reaction out of her. No one else.
Of course, Lucy had put that one down to Bickslow just having nothing better to do with his time and he'd figured out how to irritate her enough without getting himself kicked through a wall. He just liked to have fun, and after being in Fairy Tail for so long, Lucy knew how to have fun.
As Lucy finally began her trek home, she stopped in the middle of the stone path in the yard, and she turned around just to take in everything around her. She'd been past his house a million times before – the brick two-story townhouse with the tree that shaded the entire yard, and the small porch that covered the black painted door. It was a nice house, undoubtedly, and it was in an even nicer part of the town (or at least it was nicer than the quarter she lived in). But she'd never once expected Bickslow to live in that part of town. Hell, she'd never expected him to have a house like that, either – maybe a studio apartment or at least a small house or something, but never a two-story home with a closed in yard (both front and back, she knew, considering they'd come in through the back which she noticed was definitely kind of nice with the outdoor entertaining area), and definitely not a decorated yard.
But, as she looked around, she couldn't help but smile at the little tombstones that decorated the well-kept (surprisingly) yard, each of them with the names of his teammates, no less. Even though she'd only been in Magnolia for a couple of years, she'd seen the decorations that came out every year around Halloween every year she'd been there, but she'd never once expected them to be Bickslow's. Granted, she'd also never exactly walked into the gated yard to see the names on the decorative tombstones. If she had, it probably would have clued her in on who lived there.
She couldn't really focus on that though. Later, she'd probably ask when Bickslow had moved in or something, but then wasn't the time to do so. She still had to get home and shower and change, and then come back just to take him out shopping for everything he would need.
So turning again, she left the decorated yard behind her, and walked through the black metal gate at the front of it and began her walk home, finally. She was only a little glad that it wasn't that long of a walk, because she was almost beginning to wish she had time to go and have a nap.
Bickslow couldn't help but groan a little bit when Lucy pulled him into the first store of the day. Now that it was decided that Bickslow really did want to keep his daughter and not give her up for adoption, he had a lot of things to buy. Furniture, clothes, toys and whatever the fuck else he was supposed to use to help her learn or something-or-other, and then whatever the hell it was he was supposed to feed her, since whatever his neighbour had given him to help with Scarlett was only enough for a couple of days at most, so he figured out.
Scarlett was actually with his neighbour, Vanessa, again. Though Bickslow had never exactly been on the best terms with his neighbours, the woman with a family of her own to look after was quickly becoming one of his favourites. Aside from Lucy in that moment, of course, because seriously, she was being a godsend right then. But, once Lucy had come back to Bickslow's house, coffee in hand just to try and perk herself up for another long and busy day, she'd politely tried to explain that it was going to be a lot easier to do all of their running about without having to take a newborn with them. Besides, it really wasn't the best idea to take a one-week-old baby out in public. If she'd been a little bit older, then it would be different, because then Lucy wouldn't be worrying about her getting sick when she was so young. Bickslow didn't need that on his plate, so, it was just safer for his neighbour to look after her for a little while.
So after heading down to town hall to get her birth registered and officially listed as his daughter (Lucy had been far too excited in that moment, and Bickslow had found it just a little contagious), he'd been dragged off to the largest store with everything baby-related in Magnolia.
As he followed Lucy in, he cringed, and without his visor (again, something he'd realised he'd left at home halfway to the damn store in his sleep deprived state), it was definitely easy to tell just how uncomfortable and out of place he was and felt. Everything was so bright and colourful and never in a million years (or maybe closer to around ten or fifteen) did Bickslow imagine he'd actually have a reason to come into a store like that.
"So, what first?" he asked quietly, quickly catching up to the blonde with just a few quick strides. Bickslow just had no idea where to begin, there were that many things he was only just coming to realise he needed to buy. All of which, thankfully, could be found in one place. Or… At least most of them.
Lucy shrugged as she pulled a cart from the bays and pushed it in front of Bickslow for him to start to push. "Well, how about we start with the basic necessities?"
"Sure. Not that I really know what any of those are," Bickslow mumbled, and just as quickly as Lucy rolled her eyes, the corners of his mouth pulled up into a wide smile. With a hand out, gesturing to the aisles in front of them that took up at least half of the store, he said, "But by all means, lead the way, Cosplayer."
Fighting the urge to groan and sigh in frustration, Lucy quickly turned on her heels to begin to scout the ends of the aisles down one end of the store, and Bickslow slowly followed behind her as she ducked into the first aisle after having seen what she had deemed a good starting point – something to feed her, and considering Bickslow physically couldn't himself, since he was not the child's mother, that meant formula.
The two continued to duck in and out of aisles as the trolley slowly became more and more filled. Formula, nappies, bottles and everything else to go with them, wipes, creams, towels, cloths, soaps and shampoos, plus a few things Bickslow was sure he had lying around in his own bathroom, like cotton balls and such. And that was really just the beginning, or so Lucy had said. He didn't even know there would be so many things he'd need, but hey, without Lucy, he'd be a lost cause.
As he continued to follow her though, he could only watch in a little bit of wonder. She knew so much about it all that it was beginning to make him feel just a little bad. He was the one with the baby, but he was the one who was clueless about everything. When she explained what she did know about each and every item she placed into the cart, he was more than grateful. He listened to every single word she said about why he would need something, and he was going to do his damn best to remember it. He had to at least make an effort, because after all, he was the one who had decided he wanted to keep his daughter and be her father. There was no way he was going to do that without knowing how to do it. He had to try and do his best.
And Lucy knew that he was trying too, and when he asked his own questions about why he would need a particular something, or why he'd need multiple of something else, she found herself not fighting the urge to roll her eyes or sigh with her growing frustration about Bickslow's serious lack of knowledge when it came to children, but instead she tried her best not to tell him how glad she was that he was doing all of it. Lucy still hadn't figured out why she had been so worried about Bickslow deciding to give Scarlett up for adoption and why she had been so relieved to know that he just had to keep her, but a part of her didn't want to figure it out.
But just knowing that Bickslow was, right then, an actual father was something Lucy was having just a little bit of a hard time wrapping her head around, no matter how much she found herself really liking it. And that in itself was more than a little strange, but she wasn't trying to figure that one out either. It was just a little funny to her, though, that the first person in the entire guild (or at least that she knew of, because the guild had definitely grown quite a fair bit in the short years she'd been there, and even then, she still wasn't on speaking terms with absolutely everyone, despite what everyone else thought) aside from Bisca and Alzack to have a kid, was the guild's resident prankster and pervert.
She still liked it though, for some reason. She liked that Bickslow was truly willing to learn, and seeing that in him – that seriousness when he was known for being anything but serious – had Lucy sure that he really wouldn't be the worst father in the entire world, even though he was convinced he would be. But that was still okay. He wasn't going to be the best, but Lucy was going to help him as best he could. And, once his team got back from their job, she knew that they'd do their best to help him out with his daughter as well.
For now, though, it was just her, and she felt incredibly honoured that Bickslow had come to her of all people for help. He could have gone to Mira, or even Laxus and his team first, or even anyone else, for that matter. But he hadn't. He'd come to the person he spent more time trying to make laugh and pressing her buttons out of anyone else in the entire guild, and she did like that. She wasn't going to tell Bickslow that though…
It was as they were standing in one aisle just a little while later when a clerk from the store came up to them, smiling brightly with her bright pink shirt on with the store's emblem on it. "Hi there!" she beamed at the two, her hands clasped in front of her. "Anything I can help you two with today? When's the little one due?"
Lucy looked up from the small box she held in her hands, just to see the woman with the dark red hair looking directly at her. Her eyes went wide when she realised just what it looked like – that they were together and shopping for their own child – and her face quickly turned a shade that could only make Bickslow begin to laugh quietly to himself when he figured out just what was going through her head.
She couldn't help but quickly glance down to her flat stomach before she quickly placed the box in her hands back on the shelf next to the small first aid kits, and she forced a smile as she smoothed down the front of her shirt. Granted, it probably wasn't the best thing to do. "I'm… I'm not pregnant," she squeaked, still aware that her face was searing hot. It wasn't like she knew everything, but she also didn't want help from the sales clerk who had basically just said she looked like she was pregnant. That was something she definitely did not appreciate.
"Oh?" The woman suddenly looked between the grinning Seith mage who was, for whatever reason, finding it all too entertaining, and to the blushing blonde who made a point of trying not to seem as embarrassed as she actually felt. "How old, then?"
Lucy stared in shock at the woman as she tried to figure out if there was a polite way to tell her to go the fuck away and mind her own goddamn business. Sure, Lucy could see that she was probably just being overly nice and trying to do her job (she would probably be of great help when it came to people who knew nothing about what to buy, like Bickslow, actually), but when she was sleep deprived and was trying to figure out how she looked like she'd had a kid (or was having one), she was not willing to accept that help.
What could she say? She was a little stubborn.
But before Lucy could even get a single word out, Bickslow quickly stepped forward and his arm went over the blonde's shoulder. "A week old," he answered, the wide grin with his tongue lolling from his mouth making it incredibly obvious he was just having far too much fun. Seeing the utter shock on the woman's face as she stared at the equally as shocked blonde beside him, Bickslow quickly looked down to Lucy just to see her glaring at him from the corner of her eyes, and he said, "Looks great, doesn't she?"
"Uh… Yeah," the woman muttered. She was having a hard time trying to see how Lucy could have possibly given birth just a week prior. A very hard time indeed, considering she truly did look great – three-quarter sleeve tee that was tight enough to show that she was definitely was in great shape, and jeans that were definitely too tight for her to be wearing if she'd had a baby just a week earlier.
"But…" Bickslow continued, doing his best to make the situation just that little less awkward than he'd already made it. "We're good here. Thanks though!" Okay, so he probably should have eased up on the enthusiasm with it, but he meant it. He didn't particularly need the somewhat nosy woman following them (or them following her) around, and he was definitely more than happy and fine with just Lucy.
For now, Bickslow still didn't particularly want people to know. Even if the woman was just a stranger who was definitely not likely to tell anyone he actually knew that he was shopping in a baby store – with Lucy, no less – he still wanted to keep it between people he actually trusted. Like Lucy, and his neighbour. He just wanted time to settle and get adjusted with everything as best as he could before everyone else found out. Until his team got back at the very least, Bickslow had no intentions of going to the guild or talking to anyone other than Lucy, because as weird as it was, he was sure that Lucy was the only person he really needed then.
Of course, Bickslow wasn't going to tell her that. Oh no. He might have been prepared to beg her for her help just the day before, but things had changed. All he could do was hope that Lucy would stick around for a little while longer and help him get through it all, because he really didn't know where he would be even right then if it wasn't for her.
The woman nodded once, only glancing between the two who she had quickly deemed as an odd couple (at least in her eyes), and then turned to walk back down to the end of the aisle and out of it, leaving Bickslow and Lucy to their devices.
As soon as she had left the aisle and they were alone, only the ambient sounds coming to their ears in the massive store, Lucy turned just to elbow the Seith mage in his side, just under his ribs. "What the hell was that?!" she hissed, eyes narrowed as Bickslow laughed while a hand rubbed at his side.
He shrugged. "That, was fun."
"Fun?!" Lucy quickly caught up to Bickslow once she'd gotten over yet another round of initial shock and he'd slowly begun on his way down to the other end of the aisle. "That was not fun," she mumbled. "That was… Embarrassing. I mean… Do I… Do I really look like I'm pregnant?!"
An eyebrow shot up as Bickslow looked back down. "Seriously? Not even close, Cosplayer. Perfect as always," he answered truthfully. When he said she looked great just before, he did kind of mean it. Just like he meant it when he called her cute just that same morning. Perfect, though… Well, he wasn't really sure what that one was, but already the day was proving to be interesting, but it was quickly becoming very fun. "And yeah, it was fun. At least it was for me."
Lucy sighed as they slowly walked around to another part of the store, and as she did so, she couldn't help but move her arms away from where they were folded just under her bust. She really wasn't entirely sure why she was feeling so incredibly self-conscious about her body then, because she knew she looked good. She hadn't had a baby, and she sure as hell didn't look like she could be having one or had just had one a week earlier. She knew the store clerk was just being nosy in an attempt to be helpful (though unwanted), but Lucy also knew she was going absolutely insane.
First it was Bickslow calling her cute, and then she found herself feeling just a little flattered (strangely) by it. Now it was saying she was perfect, and Lucy had to admit that it was actually kinda nice. Normally, it was blatantly hitting on her and trying to piss her off, but that day, it was different. But she liked that different for whatever reason, even if Bickslow calling her perfect was a mystery within itself, but it had actually sounded like he… meant it? When Lucy quickly stole a glance as they turned, she saw that Bickslow didn't even look remotely closed to fazed by it at all.
And for a moment as they slowly walked in silence, there was a soft smile on her face. Bickslow was just a little bit reassuring and had made her feel just that little bit better about herself, not to mention less embarrassed. But… Then she remembered that Bickslow had decided to have a bit of fun, and that smile was quickly lost and replaced with a scowl. He could have had fun without making it seem like she'd had a baby and they were together. That wasn't fun at all.
Back to being just a little bit mad at Bickslow, she quickly argued, "No, that was not fun. And why are you so set on always making everything fun anyway?"
"In general or now?"
"There's two different answers?" Lucy asked, a perfectly shaped brow lifted in slight amusement. Bickslow shrugged, and she only let out a sigh with a quick roll of her eyes. "Both then."
He stopped just after Lucy when she turned to look at a shelf with towels and flannels and everything of the sort, only quickly glancing up to him as she waited for his answer. "Well," he began, reaching for a purple handtowel that he was convinced was actually as soft as fur. "In general, because I spent the first eighteen years of my life being told what I can and can't do, and I was expected to become someone that I didn't want to be, so I have fun because I can. Even if people think they can stop me, they can't really. I just like being able to do what I want and being happy. Enjoying life, I suppose."
That, he expected Lucy to be able to understand, at least just a little bit. He didn't really know what her life was like growing up, but he suspected it to be just a little similar to what he'd been subjected to. Still, no one had ever actually asked him why he was the way he was, and that's what Lucy was essentially asking him. Very few people actually knew who he actually was as far as his name went, but there were even less who actually knew anything about how he'd grown up. Lucy was one of those people, and if anything, she had first hand knowledge when it came to being forced into living a life that one didn't want.
Bickslow had always hated that though. Truly. He'd always liked being just a little different, because in a world where differences weren't all that tolerated, it was really his only form of freedom – until he'd just up and left when he'd truly had enough of it all. It had been bad enough he was the only mage in that generation, having skipped his father and having a younger brother who didn't end up being born a mage, so even right from birth, he'd had a reason to stand out, but he'd enjoyed that.
So when it came down to it, Bickslow really was just enjoying life. He was happy doing all of it, being the odd guy in the guild with a penchant for making people either hate his existence for pissing them off, or making them laugh. The girls, the jokes, the easy-going attitude – that was how Bickslow had fun, and after spending the majority of his life having that happiness suppressed because of the world he'd been brought into, he wasn't going to let it up and change it for anyone.
Apart from his daughter, of course. Now that she was in the picture, Bickslow knew that some things would have to change, whether he wanted them to or not, but that was okay. He knew he would still be happy, even if he could see his life doing a complete one-eighty in the future, but it would be a different kind of happy. He couldn't explain it quite yet, but there was a feeling in the centre of his chest, and when he thought about how his life was truly going to be changing for the better, that same feeling grew into something else that made him feel… strangely warm. He really wasn't sure what it was, but he liked it. That's what he did know, but he wasn't going to tell Lucy that. She didn't need to know that.
"So you're basically just being a troublemaker because you didn't get to when you were younger?" Lucy asked as she placed two neatly folded towels in the cart, and she quickly explained, "The softer ones will be easier on her."
Bickslow nodded – to both the question and the statement. "Something like that," he agreed, and he slowly began to follow her down to a different part of the store again. "But as for now…" A smirk suddenly pulled at his lips that Lucy didn't see, being too busy looking at the items on the shelves on her side of the aisle. "Well, considering I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be getting laid for the next eighteen years, and the only action my dick will be getting will be from my hand, I have to find other ways to entertain myself. Like, annoying the hell out of you just that little bit more, for example." He paused just to look down to the blonde who was back to being adorable in her blushing state, and holding back on the urge to burst out laughing, he said quietly, "I mean, unless you want to help me in that department too."
Oh, he couldn't help but get that one in there. Even if he meant it as a somewhat harmless joke, the slap on his arm he'd gotten just as he couldn't hold his laughter in any longer was definitely worth it.
That was all he was going to get though. Lucy was telling herself not to freak out – or at least make a point of not showing it. She was going to ignore what Bickslow had just said and will herself to stop blushing up a storm, and not give him the satisfaction of screaming at him for being a giant ass and perv. She'd done that enough and had learned that it had no effect on him whatsoever. So instead, she just shook her head as he continued to laugh (she was sure that it was echoing around the entire store, that's how loud he was getting). "You're one of a kind, Bickslow," she said quietly. How Bickslow had come from such a high societal family with values and morals and standards that she knew all too well, and ended up being that kind of person, she had no idea.
It wasn't like she was the person her father raised her to be either though. Sure, she wasn't anywhere near as bad as Bickslow, or half the guild, and she still had her moments where she was far from ladylike, but she still held on to some of the beliefs she'd grown up with. How could she not? She'd spent almost her entire life in that kind of world, and there were times where she still felt like she was truly finding herself and having to remind herself that some things she was allowed to do, or others weren't important as they'd once been.
In a way, she was a little envious of Bickslow. He'd found who he was and he happy with who he was. It wasn't like Lucy wasn't happy, because she was more than happy with her second family and her friends.
But Bickslow… Bickslow was just… A mystery, almost. She couldn't even begin to picture what Bickslow would have been like when he was still with his family, not when the one right in front of her was seriously one of a kind. Lucy was sure there was no one else in the world that was like Bickslow, and that, she found herself liking about him. He'd truly become who he wanted to be, regardless and despite of what everyone wanted him to be and thought he should be, and he just didn't care about any of it. He was happy, and that was what mattered.
Still, though, he was a mystery. Even when Lucy knew just a little bit more about him, she felt like she knew even less. He'd almost always been an enigma within the guild, just like his entire team, and if Lucy was telling the truth, she thought it suited him. The author within her had truly thought of so many plots for him in her head that it wasn't even funny (not that she'd ever tell Bickslow that, or how there was a character in one of her scrapped stories that was heavily influence by him). The man behind the visor; hiding in plain sight, perhaps? The fact most people knew little about him was what made him so interesting.
Of course, now that she would be spending time with Bickslow to help him – with his daughter and only his daughter – she was hoping that she would be able to crack the mystery that he was. She wanted to see if there was another side to him when he wasn't around everyone or at the guild, because with what Lucy had seen so far, he seemed to be far more laid back.
But maybe that was the fact he was probably stressed out beyond all belief, a little terrified of what he was now doing and taking on, and was severely lacking sleep. Not that any of it seemed to hinder his near overbearing personality and tendency to be a depraved moron.
"That's the entire point," Bickslow chuckled. "And thank you." Being called one of a kind was definitely a compliment in his opinion, even if it was never really intended to be one.
Lucy rolled her eyes. As she cleared her throat then, suddenly feeling the heat flare up on her cheeks again, and she stole another glance towards Bickslow just to see him smirking at her. He knew she was thinking about something, and he was waiting for her to spill. Lucy could see that. So, she did… "You know, though…" she began, rather awkwardly and quietly. "The entire you not getting laid for the next eighteen years thing… Some people actually find the entire single dad thing… attractive. So I mean, there's that to keep in mind… Unless of course you really do want to just avoid sex for the next eighteen years, then in that case, I wish you luck."
"Are you one of those people?"
Oh, dear god… Why did I say that? What have I just gotten myself into? Should've seen that one coming. "No," she scoffed. "Not a chance, Bickslow."
"Worth a shot," he sighed. It wasn't like he expected any other answer, but still, it amazed him that she'd even said it at all. Unexpected, but great, undoubtedly. And he was definitely finding his shopping trip a lot more fun than he'd ever expected. But there was more fun that could be had. Much more fun… "I have another joke for you though," he said, looking back down to the blonde beside him with a mischievous grin.
Lucy pursed her lips as she looked up to him suspiciously. Bickslow saying that was never exactly the best, because it always followed with a crude joke. "What's this one then?" she asked slowly, looking to Bickslow from the corner of her eyes as they turned down the last aisle.
Oh, this will be good… The truth was that Bickslow had been waiting to find a reason to tell Lucy this particular joke for far too long. Now, it was the perfect moment. With his grin only becoming more mischievous and cheeky with each second, and making sure his voice wasn't loud enough to travel down to any other shoppers in adjacent aisles, he began, "How is a woman like a condom?"
She had to fight the urge to just stop and hit her head on a shelf or something. Anything to make it stop before he even finished what she was sure was a terrible joke.
"They both spend more time in your wallet than on your dick," he finished.
"Charming," she sighed. Truthfully, Lucy realised she should have expected something along those lines, since that was what almost all of them were like.
"Oh, come on. That's all I get?" Bickslow whined. "I thought it was great. It's fitting and all, considering the circumstances." Getting only a slightly questioning look from the blonde, he continued, "I mean, I have a kid because I apparently forgot to wear one, not that I remember it at all, and you're here, spending all of my money. Totally perfect."
Totally perfect… Yeah, right. Though, Lucy did have to admit it was actually pretty good considering the circumstances, and was just a little entertaining once she thought about it that way. "First of all, I would have thought you'd make a point of being safe, considering how much you seem to sleep around," she said, somewhat sternly.
"Not always in the right mind to exactly remember… Besides, someti—"
Lucy held up her hands as she bit back a groan of disgust. "I don't need to know about your sex life, Bickslow," she interrupted, only getting another amused look from the Seith mage as they came to a stop. It was bad enough she was even having to say any of it at all, but really, she expected the guy to have at least a little bit of common sense when it came to protection considering his lifestyle choices.
Bickslow shrugged. "You kind of brought it up, but okay…" I probably shouldn't tell her that she's more than welcome to really know about my sex life… Yeah, I've said enough this morning.
"I was just saying," Lucy muttered. "And secondly, I am not spending your money. I am merely helping you spend it yourself. There's a difference."
"Not by much."
"Oh, just shut up already," she huffed. "We need to go find clothes for your daughter."
With another laugh, Bickslow let the blonde storm off ahead of him and to a separate part of the store before he began to follow her. She was really far too easy to get riled up sometimes, but he had to admit, that's what made annoying her so fun. It didn't help that she really was just a little adorable when she blushes and pouts.
But it was definitely more about fun. He wasn't going to focus on how his mind was definitely not in the right place that day. He had to focus on the fact he was having fun by annoying her, and not that he was finding himself wanting to do it more just because she got embarrassed and it was cute, and by under no circumstances was he to focus on just how amazing her ass looked in her jeans right then.
Definitely not that. Or at least, he wouldn't tell her that. He might have to just make a point of following her a little ways back though, rather than just a step or two behind…
"Hey Bickslow," Lucy said softly, briefly looking up from the clothes she was folding in her lap before she placed them in small piles beside her on the large (overly, she noted. She realised it probably wasn't all that surprising Bickslow had a king size bed, considering his habits) bed. "Can I ask you something?"
Bickslow's eyes flicked over to the blonde sitting on the edge of his bed, neatly folding all of the clothes they'd bought just a couple of hours earlier, now that they were clean and dry after being washed along with everything else. He'd done his best to avoid making a joke about how after all that time, there she was, on his bed, but it was getting really hard to keep his lips sealed. Bickslow had told himself that he wasn't going to make any jokes for the rest of that day after he'd told her yet another terrible one in the store (one that someone else had overheard and had given him a dirty look for), and he was going to stick to that.
No more jokes, no more complimenting her on her looks or calling her cute, and no more staring at her ass. He could survive with those terms, considering he'd inflicted them on himself.
Shrugging, he looked back down to the bassinet that was in pieces on the floor in front of him, and said, "Sure." Lucy could ask him anything she wanted and he'd probably tell her. Sure, he had his secrets, but for the most part, he was an open book. It didn't help that he really didn't mind actually talking to Lucy in this kind of way; spending time with her and all that jazz.
"I just wanted to ask why you live here," she mumbled, placing another folded onesie down beside her and reaching into the washing basket that was on her other side. Lucy knew it was a strange question, and although it wasn't personal, she really didn't feel like it would be that odd if Bickslow decided he didn't want to answer it.
She'd only seen the downstairs area, and she really had to admit that it was a nice place – open living area with the modern kitchen and nice furniture, full pane windows at the back of the house that looked out into the small yard that was almost completely paved, apart from the one tree in the corner by the tall fences that shaded it all nicely, and then the master bedroom… Holy hell, Bickslow had a nice room. King size bed that was so high and comfortable her toes couldn't even reach the ground, more windows along one wall that looked out into the yard, walk in wardrobe that went into the semi-ensuite bathroom on that floor (though she'd realised that yesterday, admittedly), and then just everything else he had in there.
Bickslow's house was truly undeniably nice, but the only problem was that Lucy almost thought it was too nice for Bickslow.
When he only gave her another glance, as if to say 'please elaborate', she sighed quietly to herself before looking up again and continuing, "I just mean you have a really nice place, and I'm guessing it's at least a three-bedroom house—"
"Four, actually."
"Four," Lucy nodded, correcting herself. "So you have a four-bedroom house, that is really incredibly nice, and you live by yourself. I know I'm probably overstepping, but I just have to ask… Why exactly do you need a four-bedroom house?" Lucy knew she was prying too, and probably being just a little too critical, but she couldn't help it. She wanted to know more about Bickslow, and the issue with where he lived had been bugging her since she realised just where it was he did live.
Bickslow only reached for the instruction leaflet again, quickly reading over it to make sure he had the right pieces, and he shrugged. "I don't need a four-bedroom house," he answered. "I was actually thinking of selling it since I don't even go upstairs myself anymore, but… I don't really want to now."
"Because of Scarlett?"
He nodded. Moving with a baby was going to be troublesome, and he didn't want that. "But, as to why I have a four-bedroom house to begin with…" he continued, keeping his eyes trained on the pieces in front of him as he began to finally assemble them. "The rest of my team used to live here. We bought it a couple of years before we got stuck on Tenrou, when this area was still getting built, and because we basically only do S-Class missions because of Laxus, it was pretty easy to just put all of our savings together to buy the place. No rent, no mortgage. Easy."
Lucy remained silent as she started to fold up the clothes and towels again. It made sense for Bickslow to have such a large house if he'd lived with his team, and she could definitely see them be able to afford buying it and paying for it in full. Of the few S-Class missions Erza had taken them on, even with damages, her share of the reward had always been more than what they ever got combined on most other jobs they took.
"At the end of last year though, Ever decided she was done being surrounded by boys, so she moved into the dorms to 'surround herself with more civilised company'; Laxus moved out about six months ago; and then Freed and I tossed a coin a couple of months back, and I got to keep the house so I moved into this room since it was empty."
"Why did Laxus and Freed move out though?" Lucy asked, reaching for the last item in the basket. "I can sort of understand Evergreen wanting to leave, but why the other two?"
Bickslow shrugged. "We were fighting a lot and getting into all kinds of arguments after a while, and we didn't really want to split up as a team, so after Ever moved out, we all talked about us all living separately," he said, idly twisting a screw into place. "It was fine for a while, I suppose. We had fun and we were around each other like all the time, but it was just us then."
"You don't have fun with your team anymore?"
"We do, but it's kind of different now. After we got back from being frozen on Tenrou, everyone kind of… Grew up? They started getting their lives together. I mean, Ever started sort of seeing Elfman around the time she moved out, and then Laxus left just after that thing between you two went up in flames…"
Lucy groaned. "Please don't even talk about that." It was a month and a half she didn't particularly want to remember, because dating Laxus had truly had been a terrible idea, and they'd both known it. Though, it hadn't quite gone up in flames like Bickslow had said, since they'd actually ended on pretty good terms and were definitely better off as friends. Being just friends had actually made them closer, strangely, but it still wasn't exactly like they were the best of friends. "Though, I can see why he made a point of us never staying here," she mumbled.
When they'd been together and were actually sleeping together, it had always been at her place (or that one time they decided to get a hotel because Laxus was feeling slightly romantic for a brief moment, though it had really only been because he'd known Bickslow was home and hungover, not that he ever told Lucy that since she didn't know where he lived or who he lived with, and Lucy's apartment had been getting a slight renovation after her team completely destroyed her bathroom somehow), but she'd always been curious as to where he'd lived when they'd been dating.
"Oh, so you two actually were sleeping together. Not sure why he didn't bring you here though," Bickslow chuckled, only to get a folded up shirt thrown at him from where Lucy sat.
There was a reason Bickslow only teased her, and had stopped entirely once he'd found out his favourite cosplayer was dating his best friend; she was off limits. Not completely, but enough that all Bickslow could ever do was tease her and annoy her. Of course, once they'd broken up and decided whatever the hell they were doing was definitely one of the worst ideas either of them either had had, Bickslow was free to go back to making her the target of all of his way too inappropriate jokes.
As long as he didn't actually try to sleep with her, all was fine.
"Probably to make sure you didn't overhear anything that is none of your business," she said quickly.
"Overhear, huh? Just what would I have heard?" He was too far gone to even care right then. Lucy's face only became an ever darker shade of red, and her eyes only got wider. Aside from the fact that seeing her simultaneously pissed off and embarrassed was still cute, he was having way too much fun. Clearing his throat with just another glimpse in her direction, and trying his hardest not to burst out laughing, he did his very best to raise his usually low voice and began, "Oh, Laxus. Mmm, fuck yes, Laxus! More, Laxus! Please, Laxus! Fuck me harder, Laxus! Something along those lines, maybe?"
"B-Bickslow! That's… You… Sh-Shut up!" she shrieked. Whether it was right on the money or not (it wasn't really far from being right, but with Laxus… Yeah, it had never been all that spectacular, if she had to be perfectly honest), she didn't want to be talking about her sex life with Bickslow. It was bad enough she had slept with his best friend at all, and he was sitting there and saying any of that. In fact, Lucy didn't particularly want to be talking about anything with Bickslow at all right then. Quickly getting to her feet, ignoring the searing heat on her face, she quickly muttered, "You're such an ass sometimes."
Just as soon as Lucy stormed out of the room with Bickslow quickly realised he'd taken things too far and had royally fucked up, the unmistakable whimper was heard from the basket that was sitting on the ottoman at the foot of his bed, and he grimaced. So he might have been just a little bit louder than he should have been when he got far too into the moment, and when his daughter was asleep in the same room… Yeah, she wasn't going to stay asleep for long, especially when he was imitating Lucy and Lucy was yelling at him for imitating her.
Bickslow quickly got up from where he sat on the ground, leaving the bassinet that he was still trying to put together on the floor in front of the windows, and he went over to where the basket sat on the ottoman to gently lift her up and out of it. "Come on, it's okay," he said softly, only beginning to slowly pace the parts of the room that weren't covered in the black pieces of wood that made up the legs of the bassinet or the white box-like part of it that he was glad was modern and not frilly.
From what Lucy had told him, rocking her should help soothe her, so that's what he was going to do. Already, he'd realised hearing Scarlett cry was the worst thing he'd ever heard, and he truly hated hearing it.
"Cosplayer's leaving," Pappa's quiet voice came into his head over the sound of his daughter crying.
He rolled his eyes as he continued to look down to Scarlett, pacing and quietly shushing her as he gently rocked her in his arms. Bickslow already knew he really wasn't very good at the whole parenting thing, but even if it only been two days at most, he also knew there were things he was going to pick up as he went, because already, that's what had happened. Of course, with the help of Lucy.
But… If Lucy was planning on leaving, then he was completely screwed. He wanted her to stay, if anything, because he had to admit that he liked having her there. Even if she was only there because she was helping him figure out and learn how to be a parent, he liked that she was there at all. He couldn't let her leave though. Not yet, anyway.
Thankfully though, Scarlett was really only crying because she'd been woken up by them (at least he assumed so), so it had only taken a minute or so to get her to quieten down a little, and Bickslow was seriously hoping it would always be that easy. He could deal with that.
Making his way back down the short hall with only the door to his bedroom, the bathroom, laundry door and a linen closet just opposite, he saw Lucy just about to pull the front door open and leave. "Hey, please, I'm sorry, okay?" he said quickly. "Stay. Please."
Lucy sighed as she dropped her hand from the door. She was more than a little pissed off at Bickslow for what he'd said, and when she had barely slept (not that she would complain), she just didn't really want to deal with whatever else Bickslow decided to do and say. Sure, she'd promised him that she would help him with Scarlett, but right then, she just did not want to. Screw getting to know the guy. She tried and it ended up with her feeling utterly embarrassed for not the first time that day.
"Why?" she asked quietly, her mouth twisting into a tight line as she firmed her gaze. He seemed to have his daughter under control for the most part, somehow (he really wasn't as bad and useless as he thought, because with what she'd seen in just the last day and a half, she'd seen that he was a quick learner), so would it really be the end of the world if she did leave? Surely he would survive on his own, because after all, she was a newborn and slept a hell of a lot – there weren't that many opportunities for him to fuck it all up. Even if he did get stuck though, he could just call her, and if it was necessary, she would come over in the middle of the night if he needed her to.
She meant it when she said she would help, but right then? Right then, it was far too tempting to just leave, despite knowing that Bickslow was just having fun – like he always did. The only problem was that when Bickslow had fun, she found she didn't always.
"Because I need you to stay. And I want you to stay," Bickslow answered. No smirks, no grins, no laughing. He meant it, whole heartedly. "Please."
She arched a brow as she folded her arms. "You want me to stay?"
Bickslow shrugged, quickly looking back down to Scarlett who was thankfully almost quiet again. He wasn't sure why she was focusing on the fact that he wanted her to stay and not the part where he actually said he needed her. But whatever. She probably already knew he needed her, if anything. "Yeah, I do," he admitted. "I love talking to you, and I mean, I don't exactly talk to that many people, aside from my team and Gajeel, really. But you're great, and I love that you're willing to actually help me at all with Sco—Scarlett, shit, because it's not like I've ever really been the nicest person to you in the past, since I really just annoy the hell out of you because I can and it's fun. And… And even just before, I know that I was being a massive jerk, and I do that sometimes. I can be a jackass sometimes. Most of the time, actually. I know that. Now that I actually think about it though, I'm probably part of the reason they all wanted to move out in the first place…"
Bickslow knew very well he wasn't always the nicest person. It wasn't always intentional though. It was just what happened when he had a particular sense of humour. Bickslow always knew he got on everyone's last nerves, but he'd never cared. To him, that was what made it all the more entertaining. Pranks, making people want to hate him – he almost loved it far too much.
When it came to his team though, he certainly didn't make an exception with them. He'd been friends with them long enough that they knew exactly what kind of person he was and what he did, but even when they could put up with it for the most part, there were definitely times when he pissed them off too much. And really, it wasn't always what he intended to do. Bickslow knew there were lines he shouldn't cross sometimes, and even though he tried his best not to, it happened occasionally. What he found funny, others didn't. That was something he'd gotten used to over time, and mostly, people had accepted that there were times where he'd overstep and offend someone and he wouldn't mean it.
What he'd said to Lucy then though… Yeah, Bickslow knew it was a big mistake, and he definitely regretted it. He'd crossed the line that he shouldn't have, and he'd pissed her off just that little bit too much that time. He'd been an ass – as usual – and he was sure that she wouldn't want to actually be around him anymore. He was glad and way too thankful that she'd helped him at all, but he couldn't see her wanting to do so anymore. Which would suck, if he was perfectly honest, because he really did like talking to her.
If she wanted to leave because he'd been too much of a jerk, well… He wouldn't blame her. "Um, you know what? Never mind. Just forget that," he mumbled, slowly turning as he looked back down to Scarlett. The sooner all was quiet again, the sooner she could fall back asleep. "I'm sorry for what I said, but, if you really want to leave, then you can. I'm not going to stop you. You're probably tired anyway, since you stayed here last night and all, so… Yeah, you can go if you really want to. Thanks for helping like, yesterday and today though. So much. Just… Yeah…"
Lucy watched as Bickslow slowly disappeared back down the hall by the stairs on the opposite side of the large room, and a sigh escaped her lips when she found herself sliding the strap from her bag off her shoulder and dropping it back down on the island counter close to the door. She didn't really want to leave all that much, but Bickslow really had pissed her off. She could put up with more than half of the things he said, but right then, he'd really crossed the line and leaving really was far too tempting.
But the difference then was that Bickslow actually knew that he'd done something wrong. He rarely knew when he'd said something he shouldn't have, or if he did know, he rarely showed it. He'd definitely never shown regret when it came to anything he said to Lucy though, that was for sure. Right then though, he did. He knew that it was what he'd said that had made her want to leave in the first place, and Lucy could tell that he genuinely was sorry.
If he meant it, then Lucy would give him another chance. Talking to Bickslow – like actually talking to him when he wasn't being a massive jerk – was actually nice, because when he wasn't joking around and wasn't so worried about constantly making every situation fun, he was actually a decent person to be around. They'd never really just talked about anything at all. Even when she'd been dating Laxus and she'd sat with the rest of his team and talked to Evergreen and Freed, she'd never actually talked to Bickslow. When she'd been with Laxus and she'd spent time with the Raijinshuu, Bickslow had always been silent. Incredibly silent, actually. She'd known what it had been about, too; she'd been dating the guy's best friend and even Bickslow had known it wouldn't exactly be appropriate to continue hitting on her (sort of). And considering that was the extent of what their conversations were, he'd just said nothing.
But now? Now she could actually talk to him, and she enjoyed it. And he enjoyed talking to her – more than she expected him to. She'd promised to help him with Scarlett, and figure everything out, and she would. She would stay, and she would give him another chance, because he was sorry.
So with her arms folded across her chest, she slowly made her way back down the hall, and she stopped in the doorway to his bedroom, looking to Bickslow as he sat back down on the floor on the opposite side of the room in front of the windows. "I have conditions to staying right now, and coming back any other day," she said firmly.
Bickslow looked back up as he slowly began to pull another piece of the black rocking frame towards him. "Yeah?" He was sure he'd agree to any fucking condition if it got her to stay, because he really did like the company, and he couldn't stop himself from beginning to smile.
"Firstly: no more talking about my relationship with Laxus. Ever, actually."
That one was easy. Bickslow didn't exactly like talking about to begin with, since it was weird. He just got a little carried away. "Deal," he nodded.
"Good," Lucy sighed, slowly beginning to walk into the room. "Secondly: no more jokes or hitting on me… Unless it's in good taste. Maybe."
"Good taste? You mean… I'm allowed to hit on you if it's in good taste?"
"Um… Okay, maybe not…" Lucy mumbled. Giving Bickslow permission to actually hit on her was not really what she'd intended, and it was definitely not a good idea. She honestly didn't think that anything that could come out of Bickslow's mouth could ever be in good taste – that's just the kind of person Bickslow was. She'd only really meant that he could continue being who he was around her if he stopped being a huge perv and kept his jokes to an appropriate level. But maybe with Bickslow, that just wouldn't happen. "Thirdly," she continued, clearing her throat as she kept her eyes down. "We're not going to talk about either of our sex lives. Ever. You're not going to hear about mine, and I definitely do not want to hear about yours."
"Deal," Bickslow said almost regretfully.
Nodding, Lucy stopped at the foot of the bed and she looked down at Scarlett, and then she reached down into it just to pull her into her arms. Lucy liked holding her for whatever reason; wrapping her up in the soft blanket and holding her until she fell asleep again. She didn't know what it was, but Scarlett was definitely special. She'd held babies before when she'd found herself babysitting for just a few tiny jobs, but Scarlett was definitely different. She'd be lying if she said Scarlett being more than adorable wasn't part of the reason she wanted to help Bickslow.
As Lucy sat down on the edge of the bed again between the empty basket and the folded clothes and towels, her legs crossed under her and Scarlett cradled in her arms, she looked back up to Bickslow. She could see that something wasn't sitting right with him. His brow was furrowed and he was uncomfortably silent again, and it wasn't because the assembly instructions for the frame were confusing him. No, Lucy knew what it was about.
He was trying to keep his mouth shut because he didn't want her to leave.
She sighed then, and she rolled her eyes before she finally broke the silence in the room, and she said, "Alright, you can say it." Whatever it was he wanted to say, he could.
Bickslow shook his head. Nope. He was going to be behave. "Don't know what you're talking about," he mumbled.
"Bickslow. Just say it," she sighed again. "After that, you have to behave. Just say whatever it is you want to say. Get it all out and over and done with."
There was a moment of silence where Lucy only stared at Bickslow, waiting for him to finally say whatever it was he needed to get out, and Bickslow deciding if he should actually do it. If she was giving him the chance to get it all out before he practically burst from having to keep his mouth shut (sort of), then he should take it, right? After that, he had to make sure he followed all of her conditions.
But she was letting him say whatever it was that he needed to say… And that? Yeah, he was going to fucking take her up on that offer.
Looking up again with a mischievous grin that made Lucy only pale slightly, he leant back on his hands, and he quickly said, "Whatever Laxus was like in bed, I could do better. What do you call a guy who cries while masturbating? A tearjerker. Sorry, I wanted to tell you that one when we were out earlier but I didn't get around to it. You're more than welcome to get firsthand knowledge when it comes to my sex life though, and I really, definitely want to know more about yours. I can imagine you being a screamer if the guy knows what he's doing. Or girl, if you're into that. That would be kinda hot, to be honest. How are you even single anyway? I mean, you're hot as fuck. Have you seen yourself? No wonder Loke is practically in love with you and half the town is after you. You know I kinda wish I hadn't left my dumbass family? Just 'cause I would've got to nail you and you totally would've loved it. If it wasn't for Laxus, I would actually be trying to sleep with you, and I am just a little annoyed that he asked you out at all because it totally means you're off limits and I can't even say half of what I want to say most of the time because he's my best friend and you're his ex and the bro code is a thing. Although, you are on my bed right now, with my daughter, which is kind of weird to say and I'm still getting used to it, but take out the entire kid thing, and you'd definitely look a whole lot better if you didn't have clothes on."
Lucy arched a brow. "Are you done?"
"You're actually really pretty though. With clothes," he said a little slower and a little softer, only smiling at the blush that crept up on her cheeks. "And… Once my team gets back, and everyone is done freaking out and I'm not convinced I'm going to royally fuck up this entire parenting thing and her life any time soon, I… Am going to take you out somewhere. Like, to dinner or something. Or just drinks or whatever. Not like a date or anything, because that would be weird, but just to thank you. I mean, if you wanted to. I have to do something, because right now, you're kind of like my favourite person because of what you've done, and you probably don't think it's much at all, but to me, it's a lot. Because I'm seriously useless and I have no idea what I'm doing. So, yeah… Now I'm done."
So, he might have gotten a little off topic, but once he'd started, he couldn't stop himself. Sure, he actually was just a little annoyed that Laxus had asked her out at the start of the year because it meant that she really was off limits to him (specifically, really), so even if Lucy would ever be into him – just a little bit – it could never happen. He still didn't actually want to date her; he just wanted to sleep with her. That wasn't going to change any time soon, just like how he couldn't actually do anything other than joke about it.
But she was pretty though. Even Bickslow had to admit that. That was in good taste though, right? Maybe. Bickslow wasn't sure, just like he wasn't sure about what he was going to do to actually thank her. For some reason, dinner or something like that had been stuck in his head when he'd been told to get some rest the night before – when Lucy had told him to. Sure, it probably wasn't the best, since taking her to dinner would probably make it seem like a date, but he thought it would be kind of nice. Maybe.
There were many things Bickslow wasn't sure of right then, and as he leant forward again to look back down to the instructions, his brow furrowed again, he found himself wondering if he actually did kind of want to take her out on an actual date. Or something close to it maybe.
Oh, he was just far too confused. And even if he did want to take her out on a date, he couldn't. She'd dated his best friend, and even if their entire less-than-two-month relationship had been incredibly weird and they really did not work together in the slightest, that meant he could never date her. Regardless of whether or not he actually liked her in that way, which he was sure he didn't. And Lucy definitely didn't like him, nor would she ever like him. He was very, very sure of that.
No, he didn't want to actually date her. Not at all. He just wanted to sleep with her and annoy the hell out of her because he could and it was fun. That's all it was. Though… Now that he'd gotten everything out, he had to follow her conditions and behave if he wanted her to stay, which he really did. It would be hard, for sure, but he'd still try.
Lucy though… Lucy was stuck feeling, well… In all honesty, she had no idea how to feel about what Bickslow had said. If she thought about it, she felt a little flattered. Not so much about the first part of what he'd said, because that, she expected. Maybe not so much the part where she was apparently off limits and Bickslow was kind of mad at Laxus for asking her out (that just confused her a little), and where he said he wished he hadn't left, because if he'd stayed, he would have actually married her, but it was really all over him wanting to sleep with her – or, as it turns out, not really.
It was the second part of what he'd said that had Lucy feeling just a little flattered, because he'd complimented her again and meant it, where it wasn't him hitting on her just because he could. Sure, it was still about her looks, but coming from Bickslow, it was surprisingly nice and it definitely warranted her feeling like her face was on fire. And then saying that he wanted to take her out to thank her, and sure, it was a really nice thought – even though it would be a little weird and way too similar to a date – but she would be more than happy with just a simple thank you. Just the words, not even a card. She didn't need anything else.
"Uh, well…" She cleared her throat just as she looked back up again, and softly said, "That was definitely interesting, and thanks, I think… But you really don't need to do anything to thank me."
"I kind of do," Bickslow insisted. "You really are doing a lot for me, and you don't have to at all. But you are, and it makes you great. So yeah, I'm gonna do something. Eventually."
"No, you don't."
Bickslow looked back up then. "Yes, I do. End of story." He was stubborn. Very stubborn, actually. He would do something to thank Lucy, that was for sure, no matter how much she didn't want him to. He didn't know what he'd do, but he'd do something. He had to. A simple thank you just wouldn't be enough.
A sigh escaped her lips when she shifted on the bed ever so slightly, just to get comfortable again, and she looked down to Scarlett. Surely helping Bickslow with her wasn't that big of a deal. Lucy didn't think so at least. Anyone would need at least a little bit of help in the same situation. He'd had a week old baby quite literally dropped off at his front door when he hadn't had a single clue that she existed or was going to exist at all. He was a single parent suddenly, when he'd had no intentions of ever being one (especially not then), and especially when he had no idea how to be a parent at all… Yeah, things were a little scary and stressful right then, and he definitely needed help.
There was nothing wrong with that either. Bickslow was her friend – her very odd friend, admittedly – and when a friend needed help, you helped them. That's just what Lucy was doing, and she didn't need anything special for doing so. But… She also knew Bickslow was stubborn. If he wanted to do something for her to thank her, then there was no stopping him.
"Fine," she mumbled with a roll of her eyes. "But seriously, a simple thank you will be enough. That's all I want, to be honest."
"It's not enough, but thank you anyway. I mean it."
"You're very welcome," she said with a soft smile, only getting a shake of a head from Bickslow. That was what Lucy liked though – the actual conversations where he wasn't trying to hit on her or where he was being a massive jerk. They'd actually been having a decent conversation before the entire Laxus thing got brought up… She liked that conversation. A lot. She just couldn't really remember where Bickslow had been going with it. "Hey… What were you saying before? About your team and everyone moving out?"
Bickslow's brows drew together as he moved one of the finished legs to the frame out of the way to put the other together. What exactly was I saying before?
"You were saying everyone grew up," Pippi answered his thought.
"And then you were impersonating Cosplayer when she's getting screwed by Sparky…" Pappa added.
"Yeah, I don't think that's what she meant," Bickslow silently mumbled.
"Probably spot on though."
Puppu was suddenly giggling in his head, then chirped, "But imagine her saying all of it with your name instead."
Oh… He had though. At least once. But that wasn't the point. The point was that he'd been talking about his team moving out and all of that, but then he'd gotten off topic with the entire Laxus and Lucy thing. Now though, he could remember just what he'd been saying before he pissed her off and almost made her leave.
"Right, so, everyone started growing up, I guess," he said quickly. "Ever wanted to leave because she didn't want to live with three guys anymore, and then she started seeing Elfman anyway. Laxus wanted his own place after you two broke up, and then after that, Freed started dating Mira and we just kept arguing so one or both of us had to move out, and then I ended up being the last one here because we tossed a coin and I won. Kinda."
"So basically everyone started getting their lives together, and you didn't," Lucy said.
Bickslow shrugged. "Pretty much. Although, now I guess it's my turn to do that since I have a kid now and all… Still though, they're still my best friends and we still work as a team. We just can't spend every second of every day with each other anymore. Besides, Ever spends half of her time with Elfman, and Freed is usually too busy with Mira. Laxus is… Who fucking knows what Laxus does half the time. I think he's dating Cana now. Or at least sleeping with her. I don't even know."
"They're not dating," Lucy said. "They're something, but they're not dating." It wasn't like Lucy minded though. She was better off being friends with Laxus, and they both knew it, so if he wanted to sleep or date or do whatever with one of her closest friends, then she really didn't care. Seriously. Sighing, Lucy looked back up then, and she said quietly, "So it basically came down to everyone just needing to go and live separately so you could keep your friendship."
"Something like that. Don't ever live with your team though. Even if you get along with them fine on jobs, living with them is a whole different story. It's not convenient, and it's just messy."
"Note taken," she said with a smile.
It wasn't like she had any intentions of ever living with her team. It was bad enough they all broke in enough as it was, and more often than not, she'd wake up to find Natsu in her bed or come home to find Natsu in her bed, but she really didn't think what was left of her sanity would last very long if she actually lived with them. They drove her insane at the best of times, and having to live under the same roof as them (though, that roof probably wouldn't last very long when she had three very destructive teammates) would be a nightmare.
It was only when the room fell into silence again though did Lucy realise she had one more question to ask. She knew why Bickslow had the flashy four-bedroom house (and it made sense), and she could understand his team all moving out as they grew up and started getting their lives together… But why had Bickslow been the last one? Sure, he was definitely going to have to start growing up now that he had a daughter, but why had he been so set on sticking to the kind of life where he only had a daughter at all because he'd been stupid and forgot that there were consequences (or maybe he just didn't care?) to his lifestyle.
That was what Lucy wanted to know, and if asking why Bickslow lived alone in a house that was far too big for just him wasn't prying, then what she wanted to ask definitely was.
"Hey, Bickslow…" Lucy said softly, watching as Bickslow briefly looked up from where he was just in front of her and joining the two main pieces of the rocking frame together. "Can I ask you another question?"
"Go ahead."
"Why haven't you ever like, settled down?" she asked slowly, only getting a raised eyebrow from the Seith mage when his focus turned to her. "I mean, I'm not saying that anyone in your team has exactly settled down or anything, because you're all still young so there's no rush to do so… I just…" She paused just to let out a frustrated sigh, then, "You say everyone was getting their lives together in a way, but why weren't you? Well, until now, obviously, and it's great that you know you'll have to and all, but… If this hadn't happened – if you hadn't known about Scarlett – would you have eventually settled down or anything?"
"That's more than one question," he mumbled.
Lucy smiled awkwardly as she shrugged, her lip between her teeth. "All parts to the same question, if you think about it," she contended. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I'm just curious."
So she wants to know why I don't date… Alright then. Like everything else, Bickslow didn't actually have any problems with telling Lucy anything, even if it was about something like that. Besides, it gave him something to talk about, and he could so ask Lucy why she didn't date after he'd finished explaining why he didn't. "Well… Would I have eventually settled down and all that? Yeah, definitely," he began. Starting with the easiest and the last was the best way to go. "It just wasn't really supposed to be like this or any time soon. You know, find the right girl and all that…"
"That's kind of sweet," she murmured, and she couldn't help but giggle slightly at the glare she got from Bickslow. Apparently he didn't like being called sweet. "So you're waiting to find the one?"
"No, I'm not," he grumbled. "But to answer your question as to why I haven't ever settled down or started getting my life together, it's because I'm not interested in dating or doing anything like that right now. I mean, it hasn't really been that long since I left, and technically if I'd stayed with my family, I would have been married at like twenty, and I just don't really want to get anywhere close to that right now. Eventually though, sure. But even if I wanted to actually date someone, it's not like I'd have the time to now anyway."
"Are you disappointed about the way things turned out though?"
Bickslow looked back up again. "Because things didn't exactly turn out like I'd expected them to?" She shrugged, and he sat back on one hand just to look at Scarlett in her arms, back to being asleep (or at least getting there).
Sure, on the few occasions he'd actually thought about having kids and having a family and all that, he'd definitely never pictured it turning out like things had. He still wasn't even interested in actually settling down any time soon or dating (much to Mira's disappointment), but eventually, he would have been. But was he disappointed with how things hadn't gone to plan? No, not in the slightest.
He had a daughter, and yeah, just yesterday morning he was freaking the hell out and had no idea if he even wanted a daughter. But now? Now, he was definitely sure he'd made the right decision, because already, he loved her. How could he not, though?
It didn't really matter to Bickslow that he was well aware that he barely had his head above water right then, and that he really knew nothing about kids, because he was glad. He was so fucking terrified that he had a baby, but he was more than happy about it. "No way," he finally answered. "Never really been a fan of doing things the way you're supposed to anyway, and this is… Well, this is basically that. I'm not disappointed in the slightest about this though. I love her, 'cause she's my kid. I don't think I'd change any of it though."
"Aww, that's definitely sweet," she giggled.
Bickslow rolled his eyes. "Fine. That one you can have." It was just a little sweet. Even he had to admit that. "But… You asked me why I don't date," he said slowly. "Why haven't you dated since Laxus?"
Lucy shrugged. "No one worth dating," she answered quietly. She'd said she didn't want to talk about her relationship with Laxus with Bickslow, but that had been a simple question with an even simpler answer.
In all honesty, Lucy just wasn't interested in any form of relationships. Her relationship with Laxus at the start of the year had been the last time she'd actually been in one, and then getting called a home-wrecker by the mother of Bickslow's child not too long after that had been enough to make her want to just stay single. No boyfriends, no guys in bars who she'd never see again… Just no one. She didn't need any of that.
She wasn't going to tell Bickslow that though, not when the answer she'd already given was enough.
And Bickslow was more than fine with that answer. He didn't really expect much either way. He'd just been curious, because even if it was just a tiny insight into the life of Lucy Heartfilia, he would take it. Talking to her was nice, and he was already realising that it was a whole lot better than trying to piss her off.
So that was fun. The M rating is definitely coming in now, and even if it wasn't there for Bickslow's mouth, it's definitely going to be needed in the coming chapters... Hehehe.
There's a lot of things in here that I really didn't expect on adding, but hey, they just happened, and I like them, so they stayed. Hopefully you like them too. The Lucy and Laxus thing was definitely one of those things that I couldn't help myself with, and it's really going to make things interesting in the next couple of chapters. Very interesting.
And, thank you all so much for the reviews! You guys all know I love them.
As for Bickslow's last name... Well, we'll just have to wait and see to find out what it actually is...
Anyway, as usual, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! This story is definitely the most fun to write (at least, Bickslow is more fun to write in this than my others), and I can totally do things in this that I can't bring myself to do in my others... But that's not the point. Or maybe it is. Who knows anymore?
I look forward to seeing what you thought of this chapter!
Until next time.
- April