Bickslow didn't notice Evergreen until she was sitting down beside him on one of the benches on the second floor of the guild. And even then, when he just cracked an eye open to look to her, he was only closing it just as quickly and resting his head back against the wall.
"What are you doing up here?" he mumbled. He'd been sort of given a small area of the upstairs walkways for when he was in the guild and he needed to go someplace quiet to get his daughter to settle without actually going home. It was his quiet box, if anything, since Freed had set runes up making it so all noise outside that small area was dampened, and no one in the guild could hear anything that went on inside the box. It worked, surprisingly, because sometimes all Bickslow wanted to do was be in the guild instead of just being stuck in his house, and from up there, he could still see everything that was going on. That was just something Bickslow had always liked doing, too.
Evergreen shrugged. "Just wanted to check up on you," she answered softly. "How are you?"
It was Bickslow's turn to shrug. "Hmm, tired. Tired… Oh, and, tired." With a sigh, he was lifting the nearly six-week-old he had cradled in his arms up and was holding her above him before bringing her down to kiss her cheeks. "Because someone," he continued, gently kissing the tip of her small nose then. "Has decided sleep is for the weak. You're killin' me, kid. I love you, but you're killin' me. Daddy's gotta sleep too, occasionally." Bickslow wasn't even sure where Scarlett's supposed aversion to sleep had come from, but it was most definitely there. He savoured the times that she had actually napped for more than half an hour over the last week.
The brunette beside him laughed quietly before offering, "I can watch her tonight or something if you want to catch up on sleep. I don't mind, Bix. You know that."
"Nah, it's fine. You don't need to do that."
"Not even if a night off means you can spend another night curled up with Lucy?" Evergreen asked slyly.
"Ever…"
"Question, though," the Fairy mage continued despite Bickslow's cautious tone and side-eyed glared. "I've heard of fuck buddies, but are you and Lucy cuddle buddies now or something?" She'd really been meaning to ask Bickslow about Lucy since the Monday when they'd all seen the two mages sleeping peacefully together, but she'd just been trying to find the right moment to do so. Evergreen knew not to ask about it while Laxus was around, and then where she was curious about it, Freed had only said that it wasn't any of his business just what Bickslow and Lucy were, or were doing.
But really, Evergreen needed to know.
Bickslow wasn't quite sure what was going on. Evergreen asking about Lucy was a really bad thing, and until that moment, he'd been utterly convinced that absolutely no one knew that he'd spent the better part of two and a half days literally curled up with Lucy. Hell, he hadn't even known that anyone else had known that he'd been with Lucy over the last weekend at all. She's just guessing, right?
"Totally guessing," the babies answered, giggling a little too mischievously.
He had to know for sure. "Why are you asking me that?"
"Because we came over on Monday morning to see if you were feeling better," Evergreen started to explain with an all too knowing smirk on her lips.
Oh fuck.
"But then we saw that you were both still sleeping, so we decided to leave you to get your rest."
Bickslow grimaced and tried to sink into the wooden bench. "Who is we?" he asked cautiously. He could deal with Evergreen knowing just how he'd spent his weekend, but he was more than terrified of just who else had found out without him even knowing.
She shrugged as she answered, "Freed and Laxus."
"L-Laxus?" Bickslow choked. Time to move back to Astrantia. But Bickslow wouldn't have even known that all three of them had seen him asleep with Lucy if Evergreen hadn't just told him. In all the times Bickslow had talked to Laxus throughout the last week – which admittedly, had only been for a combined total of half an hour because Bickslow was trying to avoid him – Laxus just hadn't seemed like he had, in fact, seen his best friend and his ex-girlfriend fucking snuggling.
Maybe that was a good thing, though. Maybe it meant Laxus just didn't care if something between them... happened – not that Bickslow was sure if that was what either of them wanted, or if anything actually could happen. Or maybe, it was just Laxus pretending he hadn't seen it at all. That was more likely.
"Wait, you're not actually worried about Laxus, are you?" Evergreen blinked. "Why on earth are you worried about him?"
"Oh, I don't know…" Bickslow found himself answering immediately. "Though it probably has something to do with the fact that I'm kind of fucking his ex-girlfriend." Shit. Why did I say that? Mother fucker. He looked away with a shake of his head as he mumbled, "I'm exhausted. You can't believe a single word I say."
"Yeah, like hell I won't," Evergreen muttered. "But you and Lucy? Really? Is that actually a thing now?" She'd most definitely not been expecting the words that had come out of the Seith mage's mouth, but they made it all the more interesting, and she still needed to know more.
"I'm not answering that."
"Oh, come on. Please? You can't leave me hanging now. I won't tell anyone, I swear it. Please, Bix?"
Bickslow knew Evergreen could go on for an eternity if he let her, though, and she'd eventually just start swatting him with her fan to make him talk. She was annoying like that. But… She was like the sister he'd never wanted or had, and Bickslow really did know that he could tell her absolutely anything because she was brilliant at keeping secrets and deflecting. But Bickslow just still didn't know if talking about whatever the fuck that was going on was the right thing to do. Even then, it wasn't like there was that much to talk about anyway, because there really wasn't anything going on…
Well, kind of.
But then again, Bickslow had just spent the last week thinking non-stop about Lucy, just because of how she'd been the last time he'd actually seen her, so maybe talking about… well, whatever it was, wasn't such a bad idea. He trusted Evergreen. She wouldn't tell anyone – especially not Laxus – about what he told her, so maybe Bickslow really should just take that opportunity to talk about it all. He was confused as all hell about Lucy, so Bickslow was beginning to find himself hoping that talking would clear things up for him at the very least.
So he just sighed before he finally said, "It's complicated."
"I'm sure it's not."
"No… It really is." But aside from the fact that Bickslow really wasn't interested in talking about the fact that there was still something weird as all hell going on between them that was making him annoyingly uncomfortable whenever he went more than a couple of days without being near her, he couldn't talk about it either because he just didn't know how to. He didn't understand the weirdness that was, in fact, making his life just a little complicated, so he sure as hell couldn't talk about it. It was just a good thing he didn't really want to talk about that.
"Well…" Evergreen continued, tucking one foot under her as she turned on the bench to face the Seith mage. "Are you two a thing or not?" That's not complicated, is it?
"Uh, no. Not a thing," he mumbled.
"Then what?"
That… Bickslow wasn't sure of. He hadn't even seen her since the beginning of the week on the Tuesday, and he'd be lying if he said he hadn't spent the last near week worrying a fuck ton about her. She'd just been so distant since that morning, although distant had really just been bordering on plain ignoring again since she'd taken off on a job with Natsu on Friday, the day before, right after Bickslow had simply asked her how her day was when he'd run into her on his way out of the guild. And Bickslow got the message that Lucy didn't want to talk about just what it was that had upset her considering she'd kept denying that she was even upset at all, which was why he hadn't even asked her about just what her blood test results had actually come back with… But it still kind of hurt knowing that she'd chosen just ignoring him and pretending that absolutely everything was fine over actually talking to him.
It hadn't really been that hard for him to figure out that part of why Lucy was ignoring him was because she'd probably actually been pregnant in the first place – or at least, that was what Bickslow's guess was. But to him, that was what made sense. Because Lucy had just been so sure that it was all a mistake and that she really most definitely was not pregnant, because she really couldn't be. But if she'd gone in to see her doctor again on that Tuesday morning to get the results she'd wanted and expected, she would've been fine. She wouldn't have spent that entire fucking day almost refusing to let go of his daughter for more than five minutes – not that Bickslow minded, of course.
And if he thought about it, if it turns out that he really was right and that Lucy somehow had been pregnant at some point for however brief it may have been and she really had found out about it, he could sort of see why she hadn't told him and had pretended she was okay. It wasn't like it was really important anymore, especially if it meant she'd already somehow miscarried and missed it (you know, assuming she had been pregnant at some point in the first place), because there wasn't anything that could be done about it. Just like how there wasn't anything that could be done about Lucy not being able to have kids at all, which was something that was really confusing the hell out of Bickslow if he really had knocked Lucy up.
But he could see that Lucy wanting to maybe just have some privacy would be part of why she wouldn't have told him, too, because Bickslow would be the first to admit he'd completely invaded it over the course of the weekend. He wasn't completely sorry for it and he probably never would be either, but he could still respect that there were just some things Lucy wasn't willing to share. Of course, Bickslow hoped that if Lucy had been pregnant and hadn't lost the baby, that she would've actually told him about it before he'd had a chance to figure that out on his own.
But even respecting her privacy and it being why he wasn't completely annoyed over the fact she was really just ignoring him and avoiding him at that point, Bickslow still wasn't sure what they were. They weren't a thing by a longshot; not an item and most definitely not a damn couple. But they were… Well, they were something, weren't they? There was still that something else there that just made them no longer strictly just friends. Bickslow knew Lucy was just as confused about the entire situation as he was – or at least, she had been before… But with her seemingly avoiding him…
Bickslow really couldn't help but wonder just what it meant. Surely they were still friends though, right? They had to be. He'd gone the last two years being her friend, and honestly, at that point, he was pretty sure he wouldn't cope if Lucy wasn't his friend anymore. She meant way too much to him.
But were they a thing? Hell no. "We're just friends, I suppose," he finally answered with a small shrug. "Nothing has really changed."
"Apart from the fact you're sleeping with her," Evergreen pointed out.
"Okay, but it was just twice. And I highly doubt it'll happen a third time."
"Still, if you're worried about Laxus, then it means there's something else, right?" she said, just to get another side-eyed glare from the Seith mage. "So, even if you two don't end up getting together again for whatever reason, and even if you haven't got any intentions of it happening again, you wouldn't be scared of Laxus if you believed that you and Lucy were just friends."
It was at times like that that Bickslow hated the fact he had a woman as a best friend. They were just too intuitive. Nothing could remain hidden from them. Nothing.
"So," Evergreen continued, as knowingly as ever. "You like her, right?"
"W-What? No. 'Course not. Don't be ridiculous," the Seith mage muttered.
"Oh, come on!" she whined. "You so do."
Did he? Hell, he probably did. That much Bickslow had already realised. But it was just so weird, so he was trying really hard not to think about it much, and it was easier not to think about it, anyway. But Evergreen really wasn't going to leave him alone, so it was with great reluctance that Bickslow mumbled, "Maybe… Maybe just a little bit…" But with the Fairy mage beginning to squeal in his ear, he was quickly continuing, "But it's not like it matters or anything, so don't go thinking that it does."
She'd been prepared to tease the Seith mage endlessly about his crush on Lucy, but now, Evergreen wasn't so sure she could do that. Not yet at least, not when she was confused. "Why doesn't it matter? Are you worried Lucy doesn't feel the same way?"
Bickslow just mentally cringed. This is what he got for talking to a girl about his… feelings: he got roped into actually talking about them. But, really, there were worse people Bickslow could be talking to about how he may or may really like someone he shouldn't. Mira was one of those people that was worse than Evergreen.
But still, now that he'd opened his mouth, Bickslow knew he couldn't shut up. "No, that's not it," he sighed after a moment. Lucy not feeling the same way wasn't an issue in the slightest – or at least it hadn't been before she'd started avoided him – because Bickslow knew she was just as confused about her own strange feelings. "It's just…" It's just that I have no fucking idea why I like her like that as it is, and I don't understand why I can't even go two fucking days without feeling like I physically need her? Yeah. Because that makes sense. "It's complicated, alright?"
"Yes, so you've said."
The Seith mage shook his head. Complicated didn't even matter. "Plus there's Laxus. So, yeah, nothing matters."
"Why are you so worried about Laxus anyway?" Evergreen asked then. "It's been almost a year since they were together, and he's with Cana now anyway."
"That's not the point."
"Then what is the point?"
He shrugged. "The point is that she's his ex." It was like that was all Bickslow thought about, too, even though it was the last thing he wanted to be thinking about when his mind did of course drift to a certain pretty blonde. "So, even if I did hypothetically want something else with Cosplayer, I can't do shit 'cause she was fucking my best friend long before she was fucking me. She's off limits."
Evergreen could only let out a sigh with a roll of her eyes. The male species is completely ridiculous. She didn't understand their moronic 'code' in the slightest and she had no intentions of ever understanding it, but sometimes, all Evergreen wished for was a physical copy of their stupid 'Bro Code' just so she could burn it right in front of all of them. The entire existence of it was just unfair on her – and every other woman that somehow got involved in in its ridiculousness – and took away the importance of her own feelings and wants. "What about Lucy then?"
"What about her?"
"What if something more is what she wants?"
"I doubt it is," Bickslow muttered.
"Okay, but, hypothetically," Evergreen began, deciding to use Bickslow's own choice of words against him – he noticed it, too. "If you wanted to be something more than 'just friends' like you claim to be, and that was what Lucy wanted too, would you deny her that just because of Laxus?"
Bickslow really wasn't sure what he wanted which was a problem in itself, but assuming he really did want Lucy more than he presently did, and assuming Lucy was the same, he was quickly realising that he'd probably still end up being terrified of Laxus' wrath if that scenario was to ever happen. "Yeah, probably," he answered with another shrug. Even if he got to a point where he just really wanted to be something more than whatever he currently was to Lucy, Bickslow realised that he really wasn't going to do a damn thing while Laxus still loomed over him.
It was safer that way, right?
Bickslow had never been one for celebrating Thanksgiving, not even when he'd still been at home and living with his family. It had really always just felt like a waste of a holiday to him, so he enjoyed how his guild family tended to celebrate it in unconventional ways if at all.
That year, Bickslow hadn't had the slightest intentions of doing anything, and he'd just assumed that would be the case anyway since he had a six-week old baby to look after and Scarlett was more important than doing god knows what with his team (and he was most definitely thankful for his daughter so doing nothing and hopefully letting her sleep in his arms had suited him just fine), plus there was the whole issue where Bickslow just wasn't sure if Laxus was plotting his murder or something…
Staying home had really just seemed like the better thing to do to Bickslow.
But then Evergreen had shown up with Wendy in tow and told him that he should have a night off, and with Wendy supposedly babysitting Scarlett for the night, Bickslow had been all but dragged out of his house by the Fairy mage and over to the Strauss house for a Thanksgiving party of sorts – well, after he'd been forced into a nicer shirt at least, one that probably and hopefully didn't have spit-up on it. He hadn't really thought he needed a night off, but Bickslow just hadn't felt like arguing with the woman, and Wendy had seemed way too excited to look after his kid, too.
So that was how he came to be following Evergreen up to the Strauss siblings' second floor apartment a little after the sun had set. They didn't even knock when they reached the door, Mira having already supposedly been expecting them, so Bickslow just continued to follow Evergreen until they were in the surprisingly large living area.
"Oh! Ever!" Mira came hurrying from the adjoined kitchen with a bowl of some kind of salad in her hands – Bickslow really just had no idea what it was. He wasn't big on salads. "You made it!" And then she saw Bickslow just behind the brunette and smiled as politely as ever. "And you brought Bickslow! Ah, the more the merrier!" She really didn't mind though. She'd already had a few more guests turn up to her party than expected. One more didn't matter.
Bickslow didn't need to be a genius to figure out that he hadn't exactly been invited to Mira's little gathering, and he was almost tempted to just turn around and go back home. "Ever…" he said cautiously and quietly. "I wasn't invited, was I?"
"Not exactly, no…" she answered. "But it's fine, really! It's just Mira. You know she doesn't mind."
"That's not the point. Why'd you even bring me here if I wasn't invited in the first place?"
"Well, because… Because I thought you should have a night off!" Evergreen said.
"I didn't need a night off."
"No, but it's nice to have one anyway, right?"
Bickslow crossed his arms where he stood at the side of the room. Evergreen wasn't good at keeping secrets, especially from him, so he knew it wasn't entirely about him supposedly getting a night off. "Ever, why am I here?"
She let out a sigh before glancing over her shoulder to the thankfully empty living room. She figured everyone there was helping in the kitchen or already in the dining room. "Elfman invited me here, okay?"
"Oh, you've gotta be fucking kidding me," he groaned.
"Hey! Don't be like that, Bix!" she hissed.
"Well, can you blame me?" the Seith mage countered. "I mean, you've been dating for like, a year, and you're still needing someone to fucking third-wheel you guys." Admittedly, he knew he was a fantastic third wheel, but he was also sure he'd still have Evergreen insisting that he tags along to things with her and Elfman when they're married.
"That's irrelevant," Evergreen mumbled dejectedly. It wasn't like she enjoyed how things were, but she couldn't help the fact that she was just more comfortable with Bickslow around sometimes. She really freaking loved Elfman, but sometimes, he was a little too much to handle. Bickslow being around always just made it easier and a little less tense.
Bickslow could only sigh and wrap his arm around her shoulders to squeeze her gently. "Alright, fine." He was there, so he might as well try and enjoy himself, and if that just meant third-wheeling one of his best friends to make her weird as hell relationship work, then third-wheeling it was. Though really, sometimes Bickslow couldn't help but wonder why they didn't just break up. He wouldn't have to tag along then.
So finally, they decided to go join everywhere else, wherever they were.
Evergreen's guess was correct in that everyone was in the Strauss's dining room. Everyone actually turned out to be more people than they both expected though, so for a second, Bickslow was just stuck under the archway in stunned – and slightly terrified – silence. Freed was there, unsurprisingly, and helping his girlfriend set up the ridiculously large dining table (honestly, he was amazed at just how large the apartment actually was considering it was just the three of them and they all spent the majority of their time at the guild and not really taking jobs), and Cana was sitting next to Laxus down one end of the table… But next to where Gray and Erza were talking with Lisanna and Natsu, Lucy was sitting, too.
It had only been a day since he'd spoken to Evergreen about how he may or may not feel about Lucy, and as glad as he always was to see Lucy because he still got a sense of relief from just being around her right then, Bickslow almost wished Lucy wasn't there right then, or that he wasn't there right then instead. With Laxus there, Bickslow only felt like it would be wiser to sit on the opposite side of the room and not say a single word to either of them. The last thing Bickslow wanted was Laxus getting suspicious, especially since he seemed to know how he'd spent his last weekend.
So Bickslow just did what he thought was the safest thing to do considering the circumstances, and sat himself down on an empty seat at the end opposite to Lucy, and right between Elfman and Evergreen.
He was a good third-wheel like that.
Lucy waited until after dinner to go find Bickslow. She'd been surprised to see him there that evening – and the look of surprise she'd seen on his face when he'd first walked in with Evergreen made her think that he'd been just as surprised to see her there – but then again, Lucy was aware of just how strange her own presence there actually was. She hadn't expected to be going over there for what had so far turned out to be a reasonably nice dinner, not until her team had shown up at her door and told her they were going to Mira's.
As much as she had (annoyingly and strangely) missed Bickslow over the last week, she'd just thought it would be smarter to hold off on talking to him until they didn't have their respective teams and friends right there next to them.
She found him in the living room right as he was saying goodbye to Wendy on his lacrima it seemed, so she was only cautiously entering the room just in case she was interrupting.
Bickslow looked up when she came in and found himself smiling involuntarily – as usual when it came to Lucy, really. It was beginning to annoy him. "Oh, hey, Lucy."
Lucy couldn't help smiling back at him. "Hey yourself," she replied. "Was that Wendy you were talking to just before?"
"Yeah." He nodded. "Just, uh, checking up on Scout, I guess."
"I'm sure she's fine if Wendy's looking after her."
Bickslow sighed as he plopped himself down on the nearest sofa. "I know, I know… I just worry." He'd come to be incredibly attached to his daughter, and he really didn't enjoy being away from her all that much. Spending the weekend with Lucy when he'd been sick hadn't been that easy to do, but he'd also been just a little distracted by the possibility of Lucy being pregnant to miss Scarlett as much as he probably should've. But still, the older Scarlett got, the more she learned to do, and even at six weeks, Bickslow thought she was much more interesting than she had been when he'd first had the pleasure of meeting her.
"I know you do," Lucy said softly. She watched him lean back against the lounge and close his eyes as she sat down beside him before she quietly said, "You're tired, aren't you?"
"Exhausted," he sighed.
"Why don't you go home and get some sleep then?"
"Ever will be pissed at me for leaving her. Can't leave."
"Why's that?" she asked.
"Oh, because she's in this weird as hell relationship and she needs me to stay and third-wheel her and her manly boyfriend."
Lucy couldn't help but giggle at the sigh Bickslow let out with it. "That sounds like an interesting arrangement." She was sure the Seith mage made a fabulous third-wheel though.
"It is indeed," he agreed. For a second, Bickslow thought that things were normal and that he hadn't just spent the last week wondering how Lucy even was. It didn't feel like she'd been ignoring him for that entire time, probably because of what he thought had happened, and he didn't feel like he needed her to be in the same goddamn room as him to feel even somewhat sane.
It just felt normal. And it felt good. And that felt nice. He didn't want to go and ruin that by asking if she was even okay, considering how she'd been practically avoiding him. She seemed like she was okay, and she'd at least come to talk to him on her own so that had to mean something.
It was just getting back to normal again, and he liked that. So instead of bringing up the fact she'd been avoiding him for a week, he only turned back to her and asked, "So why are you even here? I mean, no offence, but you don't exactly seem to, uh, fit in." Natsu and Happy were really the only ones that made sense to him. He didn't get why Erza and Gray were there either, but Lucy just made the least amount of sense.
"Don't worry, none taken," Lucy laughed. "But from what I understand, Mira invited Lisanna, obviously, since she lives here. Lisanna invited Natsu and Happy, and Natsu invited the rest of us… I think, anyway. I don't even really know just why I'm here, to be perfectly honest. I'd really much rather be at home."
"Ah, me too."
"Oh, there you two are!" Mira said as she came in precariously carrying a tray with shot glasses laid out on the top of it. "I was wondering where you both disappeared to."
She says it like we went off together… Bickslow didn't like that. "Was just calling Wendy…" he mumbled as he sat up slightly and Lucy next to him turned just so she wasn't sitting quite so close anymore. He hadn't even noticed until that moment.
"Well, if you're staying, Cana suggested some kind of game…"
"A drinking game, no doubt," Lucy snickered.
"Oh, of course. I've never played it before, but it'll be fun!"
Lucy didn't doubt how fun it would be. She'd been friends with Cana long enough and been roped into that many different drinking games to know that they were always fun for a little while – well, until the morning came, anyway. But right then, she wasn't so excited. She was more worried than anything, and she couldn't quite tell why.
If it was one thing that Bickslow wasn't when he'd been drinking, it was a nice person. That was just some of the time though, thankfully, but that was something Laxus knew all too well.
Usually it was brought on by something else though, which was why for the life of him, Laxus couldn't figure out just what had made Bickslow so irritable that evening. For a while over dinner Laxus had just thought Bickslow's general disinterest in anything he said and odd snarky comments under his breath were just because he was tired. He'd heard Evergreen say that Bickslow was tired because of Scarlett, and he was known to not have the best moods when he hadn't slept much…
But as the night had gone on, Laxus had realised that it wasn't just because Bickslow was tired. There was something else bothering him. Laxus just didn't know what, and by the time they'd been playing Cana's favourite game for a little while, he was really beginning to get annoyed with Bickslow.
"Okay, my turn," Cana giggled as Mira went around filling up the empty glasses from the previous round. At that point, most were starting to feel the effects of the alcohol, so Cana decided it was time to have a bit more fun. "Never have I ever… left someone unsatisfied."
Bickslow couldn't help but snicker with a glance to Laxus opposite him as he lifted his own shot glass. "Better drink yours, Sparky." He at least knew he couldn't always please someone. That was something Laxus seemed to lack, but that didn't really surprise Bickslow in the slightest.
"The fuck, Bix?" Laxus responded.
Bickslow only shrugged. "That's just how you play the game, man. You gotta drink if you've done it." And you've most certainly done it. Except Laxus didn't know that Bickslow knew that, but then again, Laxus didn't even know himself that he wasn't quite as much of a god in the bedroom as he believed. And really, Bickslow just couldn't help himself. The fact that he could do something that Laxus couldn't had really just amused him to no end and gone straight to his head.
Though he was also sure that he wouldn't have cared even half as much if it all hadn't been about Lucy and Laxus in the first place. Anyone else and he'd have kept his mouth shut. He knew that.
"I know how to play, dumbass," Laxus bit back. "Why the hell should I take the shot?" Part of him couldn't even believe he was asking Bickslow just why he thought he should drink to what Cana had said, especially right then with everyone around them just sinking into the awkward silence that had been created. But Laxus just really needed to know why of all the things Bickslow could decide to comment on for no good reason, it was that he'd supposedly left someone unsatisfied.
Really, Laxus had no idea where it was coming from.
Apart from the fact that he really didn't think he needed to drink to that, Bickslow had never exactly been one for wanting to know what his sex life was like, just like how Laxus really couldn't care less about Bickslow's own sex life (it was bad enough they'd shared a house). Yet now all of a sudden, Bickslow seemed to have no problem bringing the entire situation up. It was just another strangeness regarding the Seith mage's behaviour that Laxus was far too confused about.
Bickslow just couldn't stop the words from coming out of his mouth as he quickly responded, "Because your dick's not as magical as you think it is." Wait, does that mean my dick is magical since I could get Lucy to cum? Shit. Stop thinking. Your dick ain't magical.
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" But then Laxus wasn't even giving Bickslow a chance to answer that before he held up his hand and leant back in his chair. "You know what? Never mind," he added. "I don't want to know what the hell you're on about."
"Wise choice," Bickslow chuckled.
But it was then that Laxus was changing his mind yet again and letting his curiosity get the better of him. There was something really off with Bickslow and Laxus just needed to know what it was. He was sure his brain might explode otherwise. "What the hell is your problem?"
"Problem? I don't have a problem."
"You obviously do," Laxus mumbled. How uncomfortable everyone was around them seemed to be lost to them at that point, but Laxus didn't really care. It wasn't his fault that things were uncomfortable at all. It was Bickslow's. He started it. The way Laxus saw it, he was just putting an end to it. "So tell me what the fuck's going on."
"Trust me, you don't wanna know," the Seith mage muttered.
So there is a problem. At the very least, Laxus was glad that Bickslow could at least somewhat admit that, but he still didn't like it. As annoying as Bickslow was most of the time, the guy was still his best friend, and even though he really didn't show it much, he still worried and he cared. He cared about his team more than he was willing to admit out loud. So as much as Bickslow was pissing him off right then, Laxus still worried about whatever it was that was bothering him. "Trust me, I do," he insisted.
Well, if he really wants to know… "Fine then. You really want to know what my problem is? You're my problem."
"Excuse me?"
Admittedly, Laxus wasn't the only person in the room that was confused by what had come out of Bickslow's mouth. Even Bickslow himself was confused by it, but not because he didn't mean what he'd said. Bickslow was only confused because he didn't really know where it was coming from. Truth or not, he hadn't exactly been planning on letting his little outburst get that far. But now, he couldn't really stop himself.
And maybe the worst part of it all to Bickslow was that he really knew what he was saying, too. It wasn't as entirely alcohol-induced as everyone else probably thought. He was completely conscious and in full control of what was happening, yet he was still confused – and confused was a feeling he was beginning to get used to being.
"You," Bickslow said again, quickly beginning to stop caring about who he may or may not offend – namely Laxus. It all needed to be said, didn't it? "You're my problem."
"Yeah, I got that the first time you said it. You wanna explain that for me though?"
"You think you're some kind of fucking god because you're Laxus freakin' Dreyar and you expect everyone to want to worship you and kiss your ass."
Laxus sat back and stared at the Seith mage in bewilderment. That was what it was about? Really? That he was an asshole most of the time? Because Laxus knew he was. But he'd always thought it was something that was understood and not talked about, because most of the time it wasn't even like he tried to be a bastard. That was just how he came off because talking to people outside of the Raijinshuu or even the guild was most definitely not his strong point.
But he really didn't think he was a god, nor did he expect people to worship him. Maybe a little when he'd been younger and stupider, but not so much anymore. Though he couldn't help but wonder just how long Bickslow had been wanting to say that to him – and more importantly, just how the fuck that had anything to do with his dick supposedly not being as magical as he thought it was. Honestly, Laxus was still having a hard time wrapping his head around that. It was probably one of the strangest things Bickslow had ever said to him.
Laxus only shrugged after a minute. "Alright."
Except as much as Laxus thought that was the right thing to say – he really didn't want to annoy Bickslow further – Bickslow did, of course, disagree. "Alright? Really? That's all you have to say?" He's not even going to argue with me about it? Then again, right then Bickslow decided that it wasn't even unlike Laxus for him to not deny it. "God, you really are just such a cunt sometimes, Laxus. You know that?"
"Hey now…"
"No, really, you are. You won't even deny it, and that's not even all of it!" There was no stopping him now. He didn't even want to stop, and he'd only just begun. There was apparently just too much he'd been wanting to say for far too long, and he already knew that the whole situation with Lucy wasn't helping him in the slightest. "For starters, you couldn't even find it in yourself to actually be fucking happy for me when I told you about my daughter. That hurts, Laxus. It really does."
"Who said I'm not happy?" Laxus wondered.
"Don't give me that. I know you're not. And I get it's weird as hell, but come on, man… Don't fucking lie to me about it."
Even Freed and Evergreen managed to feel a little guilty as they remembered just how they'd first reacted to the news of Scarlett, and Laxus could only shuffle uncomfortably in his seat.
"But you're still just so goddamn arrogant," Bickslow continued despite how uncomfortable everyone in the room was. "You're too up yourself to even consider the possibility that you've fucked a woman and they haven't gotten off." Even if he hadn't known that was the case with Lucy specifically, Bickslow wouldn't have believed Laxus if he'd told him otherwise. That was just close to impossible. Not even he was that good.
Laxus really wasn't all that sure why he should care. Sure, it was probably the truth, but he wasn't going to actually have a conversation about his sex life and whether or not he was actually good in bed (well, he was, because he certainly hadn't had any complaints that he knew of), and he sure as hell wasn't going to get involved in some kind of weird contest, if that was even what Bickslow was going for. Laxus just didn't even care to find out if that was the case, either. The guy was just taking things too far and Laxus didn't really want to listen anymore.
Mira stood with a small frown and quietly mumbled, "I think I'm going to go start cleaning up…" The night was undoubtedly over anyway.
"I'll help you," Lisanna added.
"You should really think about shutting up before you say something stupid, Bix," Laxus said in warning as the two left the room.
"No, screw you." He wasn't done. And he most certainly wasn't scared of Laxus. "You're so much of an asshole that you couldn't even admit that you were the reason Lucy was avoiding you after you fucked up your date with her." He could still remember Laxus making him go talk to Lucy the day after they'd gone on their first date to go and find out what was wrong with her, and he could still remember how disappointed Lucy had been because of how Laxus had acted. It hadn't been Lucy's fault their date had been close to disastrous. It had been Laxus' fault, because he just didn't know how to act or treat someone properly.
And hell, Bickslow could still remember how he'd told Lucy to give the guy a second chance all because he'd known that Lucy had really liked Laxus then (why, he had still yet to figure out). The last thing Bickslow had wanted to do was get involved with someone else's relationship (well, aside from Evergreen's), but he'd gone and done it anyway, because he'd wanted Lucy to be happy and he strangely hadn't wanted Laxus to fuck up something that good.
He of course regretted giving Lucy that small bit of advice though, just because the six weeks that had followed had been horrible for him.
Laxus couldn't stand for that though. He still didn't understand where all of what Bickslow was saying was coming from, but he really was sure they were things he'd wanted to get off his chest for a while. "Bickslow, just shut your mouth."
But unsurprisingly, Bickslow didn't stop there either. "You barely even appreciate the things you have," he continued as he came to stand in front of the Dragon Slayer after he'd gotten up to grab his signature coat from the rack by the hall. "You made the entire fucking guild hate us when you went on that stupid power trip." And granted, they'd really all been at fault for that particular event, but still… "We hurt our family because you let us believe they were all weaker than us, when we were the weakest of them all."
"Bix…"
"But you couldn't even see them as your family or acknowledge them as people you grew up with for fuck's sake."
"I'm warning you, Bickslow…" Laxus almost growled.
"And seriously, it's a fucking wonder you managed you date Cosplayer for more than a week with how incapable you are of actually talking to a human being most of the time. But that's why you're not actually in a proper relationship with Cana, right? Because so long as she's drunk enough to just keep fucking you and not see you for who you really are, you're fine to continue being an asshole who doesn't know how to talk to people."
Laxus didn't bother saying anything before he was turning back to face Bickslow and having his fist meet the guy's face. "I fucking warned you." And really, it had needed to be done. Evergreen always told him violence wasn't the answer, but sometimes, it really was. Bickslow had really just needed to shut the hell up and cool the fuck down. True or not, Laxus didn't want to hear anything else from Bickslow right then. He didn't think anyone in that room did either, to be perfectly honest.
But strangely, Bickslow wasn't even surprised Bickslow had decided to punch him, and as he staggered back while holding his hand over his nose – he didn't think it was broken, thankfully – he was quickly realising just how much he had needed to shut his mouth. He really might have gone a bit too far. "Alright… I deserved that," he mumbled.
"Yeah, you bloody did."
Bickslow nodded once and quickly looked around at everyone still in the room. He didn't think he'd ever had so many people look at him with such disappointment before. "I think I should uh… I should go…" And it came to no surprise to him that not a single person tried to stop him from leaving, though he thought that that was maybe for the best anyway.
He just didn't know what had come over him. He'd only meant to tease Laxus a little, but then it had just gotten so out of hand and… Bickslow knew he'd said some pretty horrible things and he owed a lot of people apologies now.
And still, the fact that his outburst had really had something to do with how confused he was about Lucy wasn't lost on him. It was almost as if Lucy was still dating Laxus and that he was just annoyingly jealous of the guy for taking Lucy away from him.
But that wasn't even the case, and Bickslow knew that. Their relationship was long since over (not that it made Lucy any less off-limits), and no one was taking her away from him. But even knowing that, he still couldn't really change how he felt all of a sudden.
Lucy wasn't even his in the first place, which was something he really did know all too well, so he had absolutely no reason to worry about losing her. He didn't even have a reason to be so mad at Laxus, aside from the part where he'd made it abundantly clear that he didn't really like the whole kid thing. But he still hadn't really done anything wrong, and Bickslow knew that.
All of it was just far too confusing. He couldn't tell if he even wanted Lucy in the first place, but not having her was just as terrifying as Laxus finding out about any of it at all, and Bickslow really, really did not want to be the super terrible friend that got with the guy's ex-girlfriend – or at least, he didn't want Laxus knowing he was the super terrible friend that actually got with his ex-girlfriend and probably, maybe, ended up knocking her up, too.
But if he could actually make sense of everything, that would really just be too great. That was all he wanted. Because it was really just driving him insane at that point.
"Hey, wait up."
He turned to look over his shoulder just to find Lucy pulling her jacket on as she came down the stairs at the front of the Strauss building.
She'd only left barely a minute after Bickslow, but he was already so far away and she was almost having to run to catch up to him. "I'm not as tall as you," she giggled nervously. "I can't walk that fast."
Bickslow only frowned down at her before she began walking alongside him. "Why are you out here?"
"I wanted to see how you were." She shrugged, then was reaching into her purse for the small packet of tissues she always carried before passing one of them to Bickslow. "Here. It's better than your sleeve… Or your hand." But both the black shirt sleeve he'd rolled down and his hand had dried blood on them anyway, but she figured a tissue would still make it a little easier for him.
"Oh. Thanks…"
"He didn't break it, did he?"
Bickslow gave a weak laugh as he dabbed the scrunched up tissue under his nose, trying to stop the bleeding. "I don't think so, no," he replied. "Hurts like a bitch though."
"It looked like it hurt," she giggled, though as soon as her laughter had fizzled out, the awkward and uncomfortable silence was returning in a big way and Lucy was only looking down at her feet and wrapping her hands around her arms as they walked.
She really was wondering how Bickslow was, and it wasn't just because she'd had the pleasure of seeing the guy get what he'd honestly deserved (and it really had looked like Laxus' punch had hurt). It was more about what he'd blurted out to deserve getting punched in the first place – and it most definitely didn't help that she'd been brought up a few times. He'd seemed fine when they'd had a chance to talk just after dinner, but then as soon as Cana had had her turn and Bickslow had snuck that snide remark in about her less than stellar (and thankfully past) sex life with Laxus, it had just all fallen apart so quickly. Lucy was, of course, still intrigued by Bickslow's fascination with the fact that he was at that point the only guy who'd managed to give her an orgasm with something other than his tongue (which was really just something else entirely), but she could ask about that later. Finding out just what the hell had happened at dinner was more important, because she was really quite worried, and she couldn't help but think she was somehow close to ruining a friendship. And that was the last thing she wanted to do.
"So… What was all that about before?" she asked finally with a cautious glance back up to him.
Bickslow let out a sigh as he shook his head. He'd been expecting that from her since she'd made the effort to come after him, and, well… He really needed to apologise, too. "I… I don't really know, to be perfectly honest," he answered tiredly. "But god, I am so, so sorry. I said some really fucking horrible and stupid things."
"It's okay…" It wasn't like he'd said anything she didn't already know, at least where she was concerned anyway. If anything, he'd just brought up some bad memories.
"No, it's… It's not." He reached out to gently touch her arm when he stopped and waited until she was looking up at him in silent question before he added, "I mean it, though. I really am sorry. For everything."
"What are you talking about?"
"All of that stuff that happened before," he said. "You know, when… When we met and all. And uh, fought." And you totally owned me, but that's not the point.
"Oh…"
Bickslow cleared his throat before continuing – it wasn't exactly a topic he liked talking about, but he felt like apologising again. "I know I've said sorry for what happened like a million times by now, but I really do mean it. I'm so, so sorry for what we—I did to you. You know I wouldn't—"
"Bickslow." Lucy smiled warmly as she cut him off. "You know I've forgiven you. All of you. It was a long time ago, Bix. You've changed. You're a different person now. I know you wouldn't hurt me, silly." It had only been a few years since the whole incident – and since they had, in fact, met – but a few years was plenty of time for someone to change, and it was also plenty of time to get to know someone. Bickslow had somehow become one of her closest friends in that time, so she knew how good of a person he actually was behind the ridiculous get-up and his jokes and constant teasing. She'd forgiven him for what had happened long ago. "Besides," she added with a teasing curl of her lips. "If I hadn't forgiven you a million years ago for that, do you really think I would've slept with you? Or dated Laxus for that matter?"
"Uh, yeah, sure…" he mumbled. He cleared his throat awkwardly when they began walking again before continuing, "But um… For what I said inside just before, too… I'm really sorry for that. I didn't really mean to say all of that, but I just… I don't know. But I'm sorry for what I said about you."
She'd seen Bickslow visibly flinch when she'd mentioned Laxus, and how uncomfortable he was now only just made her even more curious. If what had happened just before didn't involve Laxus, she didn't know what the problem was. After all, Bickslow had quite literally said that Laxus was his problem…
"It's fine, really," she assured him with another small smile. "So… Do you want to talk about all that before?"
"Not really."
Lucy nodded. "Okay, how about you tell me just why you care so much about being better in bed than Laxus then?" She really just needed to know. The chuckle that slipped from him surprised her just a little though, and she could only glance back up to him with an eyebrow raised.
"Because I'm a jealous fucking asshole," Bickslow answered almost bitterly before he let out a drawn out sigh. He was quickly realising his answer was one that wouldn't make all that much sense unless he explained it all, and that meant trying to explain his outburst, too… But he figured that Lucy wasn't the worst person to be admitting things to. Not really, anyway, but that might have been the vodka talking at that point. "Okay, look, I really fucking hated it when you were dating Laxus."
"Oh, you don't say?" She surprisingly knew Bickslow and Laxus hadn't been on the best of terms when she'd been dating the Dragon Slayer, but she really couldn't see what that had to do with Bickslow now supposedly being jealous.
Bickslow rolled his eyes at Lucy's giggling. "Shut up," he mumbled. After Lucy gave a small apology, Bickslow just took a deep breath before finally continuing, "When you were dating Laxus, I really hated it because I felt like… Like he'd taken you away from me."
"Oh... Um…"
"It's stupid, I know," he said. He couldn't look at her as they kept slowly walking. "But that's just how I felt because I knew I couldn't really talk to you anymore if you were going to be with Laxus, because I mean, it's not like our conversations then were all that appropriate…"
"And you distanced yourself from me because you didn't want Laxus getting jealous and thinking there was something going on…" she guessed. She'd assumed as much, but Lucy hadn't thought about it all that much. She hadn't really had a reason to with her relationship with Laxus lasting less than two months and with things going back to normal straight after.
Though if she really had to admit it, she could see why Bickslow had thought it necessary to distance himself. She expected Laxus to be the possessive type – which was not at all her type – so she could see the benefit in her friendship with Bickslow going on hold. Laxus really wouldn't have thought Bickslow hitting on her was as innocent as it actually was, not if she'd been in a relationship with another guy…
Bickslow had really just been saving his own skin, and she could see why.
"Pretty much," he sighed. "You were just… You were always one of the people I enjoyed talking to the most, you know? And I know we didn't really talk but I just really missed being able to say anything to you at all when you were with him, because I just didn't know how to have an actual, decent conversation with you then…"
Lucy couldn't help but smile. How Bickslow saw her as a friend was something else she knew, but it was still nice hearing it occasionally. "But we're talking normally now."
"Yeah, but a lot has changed. It's different now."
"I suppose so," she agreed. "But what does you being a little jealous of Laxus when I was dating him have to do with knowing who's better in bed?" Was there some strange reason, or was it just his ego?
Bickslow was sure his nose had stopped bleeding at that point so he only tossed the crumpled tissue into a trashcan on the canal as he passed it, then ran a hand back through his hair and let out another sigh. This was the easy part, he knew it, but he wasn't so sure telling Lucy would be a good idea. He was suddenly sure it was just a little embarrassing. "Well, uh… Laxus is kind of the only thing we have in common, in a weird sense…" he began anyway. "And some people still think that all the Raijinshuu do is worship Laxus and exist just to protect him and all…"
"I know that's not what your team does."
"Yeah, but there's some people that don't. But they think he… leads us. And he doesn't. Not really. But people assume it means we're always going to follow him, and… And that's not true either. We're not always going to agree with him."
"So…"
"So…" he continued, "Sometimes… It feels really fucking good to be better than him. Especially when it comes to things he's a little up himself and conceited about… Like making you cum, for example."
Lucy only thought that Bickslow was the one that conceited, though it strangely didn't surprise her in the slightest that it really did just come down to his ego. She didn't even need to look back up to know he was sporting an annoying smirk.
But even when she wasn't surprised that it was about his ego, Lucy really didn't like the reason that was actually behind it. It was almost as if all she was to him was a means to beating Laxus. Maybe the only reason Bickslow was somewhat interested in her at all was because she was supposed to be off limits to him.
She had absolutely no idea what she and Bickslow were, if they were even anything at all, and she didn't know what she wanted to be to Bickslow. But Lucy was damn sure she didn't want to be someone Bickslow used just to feel like he was better than someone else.
She just didn't want to be treated like that, and especially not by Bickslow.
"God, I almost wish I didn't ask…" she muttered.
"Oh, uh… Sor—"
"And don't apologise, either," she added sternly. "Not if you don't mean it."
He blinked and stared at Lucy in confusion as she kept walking after he'd stopped. "Wait, what do you mean? What did I do?"
It was with a frustrated sigh that Lucy spun back around to face the Seith mage again and said, "You treated me like… Like I'm just some kind of game to you." She knew enough about Bickslow to know he enjoyed his games, especially when they had anything to do with Laxus, so she couldn't help but see herself as part of another twisted game of his. And she hated that.
"Lucy, I—"
"And I'm just… I'm so tired of you always saying that I'm 'off limits' because of Laxus," she cut him off again. "It was almost a year ago, Bix! Who I date doesn't define me forever."
"I know that."
"But you still only treated me like I'm nothing more than a way for you to feel like you're better than your own best friend?"
"Lucy, I didn't." He was almost surprised she didn't interrupt him that time and even let him get more than two words in, but he was worried she'd do it again if he said a single wrong word, so he only proceeded cautiously and softly that time. "And I'm not. But if that's how you feel, I really am sorry, okay? That was never what I intended."
She shifted uncomfortably on her feet as she looked down to the ground. "Then what did you intend?"
For weird feelings not to get involved? "I don't know," he quickly said instead. "But it wasn't that." He made sure to use his right hand – the one that he hadn't been using to hold his nose and so didn't have his blood on it – to rest against her cheek and tilt her head back to face him before he softly added, "I care about you. More than I probably should, I'll admit that. You're far more than just a game to me."
Lucy nodded once. "Good. Because… Because I care about you too." That much was obvious, wasn't it? After all, she had just left a partly (admittedly a ruined party because of Bickslow) to chase after him and see if he was alright. That had to count for something. "You know, because you're… you."
"Because I'm me, huh?"
"You know what I mean," she muttered when they started walking again. Although Lucy had to admit that she had no idea how Bickslow would know what she meant by it, because she didn't even know what she meant. "But, I know I probably don't have to say this either…"
"…Say what?" Bickslow couldn't help but get a little nervous.
She chanced a glance up to him before she said, "Don't think that I'm yours."
Now Bickslow couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, trust me. That won't be a problem," he mumbled.
Now what the hell is that supposed to mean? Despite her confusion, Lucy continued with a slight clearing of her throat, "What you said before about hating Laxus when I was dating him, because you said it felt like he was taking me from you…"
"Oh. Yeah…"
"Just… Just don't think that. Ever."
Bickslow nodded. "Got it." At least he thought he got it. He was honestly just a little confused… and uncomfortable. He was beginning to regret his decision to talk.
"Because you don't really have the right to turn into a possessive asshole," Lucy continued again, just internally grimacing when the words left her mouth. Bickslow wasn't a possessive asshole. She knew that, surprisingly. "No one really has the right to be."
"Alright."
"And, you know… Even if someone did have the right to be a possessive asshole, you still wouldn't need to be… jealous or anything. Because I'm still going to be here and be your friend. It's going to take a lot to get rid of me, you know."
Bickslow nodded again. "Okay then." It really wasn't like he had any intentions of being possessive – ever, really. But jealous? That was something else entirely, and was also something he was very much guilty of being at times. But he was going to work on it… maybe.
He was already sure that him never getting jealous again over Lucy was just wishful thinking, and that was kind of terrifying.
But of course, as they walked, Lucy was beginning to realise that it was wishful thinking on her part that Bickslow never get weirdly jealous – or god forbid actually possessive – in the future, too. She really didn't want him to get possessive and it was the last thing she wanted to deal with since things were crazy enough between them as it was. But knowing Bickslow, Lucy just couldn't help be sure that her rambling had been mostly useless.
She couldn't help the way her lips curled up into a smirk when she glanced up to the Seith mage to ask, "You're still going to get weirdly jealous, aren't you?"
Bickslow's grin was instant. "Oh, totally. I mean, how can I not be when you're supposed to be wearing a big, sparkly, ring! It has rubies on it, you know. It's actually pretty nice."
Lucy rolled her eyes. "You're really never going to drop the whole marriage thing, are you?"
"Never in a million years," he chuckled. He really was incapable of forgetting about it. "Fate is a funny thing, my darling Cosplayer."
"God, you're a dork."
"Yeah, but right now…" He lifted his arm just to wrap his arm around Lucy's shoulders and tuck her into his side. She was really just the perfect height for him to do it. "This dork is cold because he forgot to bring a jacket, so you gotta keep me warm until I'm all warm and toasty at home."
Lucy sighed as she wrapped one of her own arms around his waist. "Well, you're lucky that I'm cold, too, and also happen to really want to go see Scout right now."
For the first time Bickslow could remember ever since he'd had the pleasure of meeting his daughter, he woke up refreshed. And for a moment, all he could do was sigh and smile up to his ceiling as he stretched out in the middle of his bed. His mattress was possibly the best thing he'd ever spent far too much money on.
But then slowly, and much slower than he liked, it was dawning on him that it was far too quiet, and that he had, in fact, woken up refreshed.
He shouldn't have woken up refreshed. He should've woken up with a pounding headache to a screaming infant that wanted formula.
And just to terrify Bickslow even more before he'd even managed to untangle himself from his wonderfully soft sheets, the babies were unusually silent. He couldn't even tell if they were there at all.
Stumbling out of his warm and toasty bed as fast as he could, Bickslow was dashing over to the bassinet still by the windows and was sure he was actually having a coronary when he found it empty. But as he ran straight for the stairs, he was reminding himself he didn't have a reason to worry just yet. He was still waking up, considering his panic, so Bickslow was incapable of remembering just what had happened the previous night after leaving Mira's, but he was sure everything was fine and that his daughter was just upstairs in her room. He rarely put Scarlett to sleep in the nursery, and never at night, just because he felt like he'd miss something or not be able to hear her crying or even get to her in time if something happened. The lack of crying still scared the living shit out of him right then, but Bickslow was just trying to convince himself that his six-week-old daughter had somehow learned to start sleeping through the night months earlier than she should've.
But all of his worry was instantly washing away before he'd even reached the very top of the stairs, because Scarlett was perfectly safe and sound with Lucy, all wrapped up in one of his throw blankets from downstairs in the little alcove at the end of the hall. His memory was slowly coming back to him as his heartrate slowed to a much more reasonable pace. After relieving Wendy, Lucy had stayed for a little while, partly to eat ice-cream with him, and partly to hog his daughter's cuddle time all to herself, but he'd gone to bed not long after that. He'd only told Lucy to make sure she locked the door when she left, but she'd ended up staying, and…
Bickslow kinda liked that she had.
"Could you have made any more noise?" Lucy murmured with her tiredness heard in her voice. "God, it was like a herd of elephants were running around downstairs."
Bickslow couldn't help but chuckle quietly as he dragged his feet over to the window. "Sorry. I was kind of freaking out a little." He only lifted Lucy's feet under the blanket so he could sit in the opposite corner, and made himself comfortable with her feet on his lap. "I didn't know you were staying," he said softly.
Lucy shrugged. "I wasn't originally planning to…" she began. "But then I thought you could use a decent night's sleep for a change, so I stayed and watched Scarlett for you." It hadn't helped that Lucy just really hadn't been too fond of letting go of her to actually go home, but it had mostly been about giving Bickslow some help. "You don't mind, do you?"
"Oh, not at all. I just don't recall hearing her cry at all."
"That's because she didn't. Not really, anyway."
"No kidding."
Lucy shook her head before she looked back down to the infant, still perfectly cradled in her arms and asleep for a little while longer, she supposed. "She was really good," Lucy whispered, smiling fondly as she adjusted the smaller blanket Scarlett was in. "She stayed asleep most of the night, actually."
"How'd you manage that?" he asked almost seriously. And sure, when Scarlett hadn't been sleeping over the last week, Bickslow had quickly realised that the only way to get her to sleep was if he held her. But even then, the kid still cried, and she cried a lot. Honestly, with how quiet his daughter was right then with Lucy and learning that she'd supposedly been that quiet for the entire night, Bickslow was feeling pretty useless. And he was the kid's actual parent! "Are you some kind of baby whisperer?"
"I'm not a baby whisperer," she giggled. "All I did was hold her just like this." That was where she'd been most of the night, too. Just sitting up there against the window, surrounded by pillows and wrapped in the warm blanket. It had been nice up there.
But really, if his kid had to like anyone better than him, Lucy was a pretty good choice. And as much as Bickslow really did love just being able to hold Scarlett as much as he possibly could, he wasn't so interested in doing so right then. His daughter was perfectly fine exactly where she was, and so was Lucy. He knew she was happy then too. It was almost as if he could feel how happy Lucy was right then, like it was slowly radiating from her and seeping into his own soul, that was how sure he was of it. And considering how Lucy had been the last time he'd seen her, seeing her happy was an incredibly welcome change, and the last thing Bickslow wanted to do was ruin it.
And if anything, Bickslow didn't think Lucy was wanting to give up his daughter just yet. If it was one thing he knew, it was that Lucy was very much a fan of baby cuddle time.
"Well, I'm gonna go take a quick shower," he said once he'd had enough of staring at Lucy and his daughter. "And then I'll make you some breakfast if you want. And coffee."
"Mm, that sounds really good," Lucy hummed. She lifted her feet and tucked them under herself when Bickslow got up again, and then was hopefully asking, "Oh! Can you make some waffles today?"
"Waffles? Sure. I can do waffles."
"With… With strawberries! And whipped cream!"
"You know, a please would be nice every now and then…"
"Sorry. Please," she said softly.
Bickslow grinned. "Thank you."
He only managed to get halfway down the stairs before he was really starting to think about how miserable Lucy had been after their germ-filled weekend. It had all just been moved to the back of his mind since the previous night when they'd started talking, but now that there was nothing really else to keep him occupied, it was at the forefront.
He knew that asking Lucy about what her test results from her blood test had actually come back with was not something he could do, just like he knew that straight up asking if she'd actually been pregnant at some point over the last few weeks was an even worse idea. But what he could ask was if she was even okay. And if anything, that was all Bickslow wanted to know. That was all that mattered to him at that point.
So he was turning to slowly climb back up the stairs, and was just leaning on the bannister once he reached the top to carefully ask, "Are you, um… You know, okay?"
Lucy only looked back up when she heard him, but her smile faltered for a second when she realised just why Bickslow was asking it in the first place.
She'd figured Bickslow was probably suspect that something was wrong since she'd been almost unusually distant and absent for the past week. After finding out she really had been pregnant the week before, she just hadn't really known how to feel. Spending the day with Bickslow as she usually had when she'd found out had helped, and she'd known Bickslow had been doing his best to cheer her up as discreetly as possibly, but as soon as she'd gone back home, she'd only realised that actually processing it would be impossible to do unless she was actually alone. It hadn't helped that she really hadn't felt that great either, but for a few days, what she'd needed was space. Leaving for a short job with just Natsu and Happy had really only been because it had been such a long time since they'd taken any with just the two of them and Natsu had thought it would be nice for a change – and Lucy was sure it had been because Natsu had noticed she hadn't quite been herself also.
But now, space wasn't what Lucy needed. She'd had just that tiny amount of time to herself to think and process what had actually happened, and she was back to being herself. And admittedly, there'd been a few moments over the night where she'd been looking down at Scarlett in her arms and she'd found herself wondering what would have happened if she hadn't technically miscarried, but she was okay.
She thought she was, at least.
So she nodded and gave Bickslow her answer. "I'm perfectly okay."
A decent length chapter this time around (yay!). There was supposed to be a lot more to this, but it would've been upwards of 15k words if I'd gone there and I thought this was a nice place to end. So, the next chapter is either going to be a lot longer and so incredibly smutty (yes, yes, yes). Or, the next two will be a little shorter than usual, and still smutty (again, yes, finally).
This chapter is a bit weird, I know. But Bickslow and Laxus have a lot of things to sort out in the next chapter, and then after that... Hehehehe.
Anyway. For those who didn't see Match Made in the Stars (the new entirely BixLu one-shot collection, and if haven't, go look at it!), since I'm back to uni full time and don't get a lot of free time with studying and all that which makes my updates pretty far apart, I'm going to be updating my profile with what I'm currently working on (chapters and one-shots). It's not ones I'll be working on in the future. It's just chapters and stories that I've actually already started working on. If it's not on the list, it does not mean it has been abandoned. I hope that makes sense.
But, that's it. Now, I have an essay worth 40% of my grade for one unit to go start (since it's due in like two days...), so I hope you enjoyed this chapter! If you did, please let me know! And as always, thank you all for the wonderful reviews on the last chapter. Really, you're awesome.