Bickslow could say with total confidence that there weren't many things in the world that scared him. But when it came to Laxus walking into his house right then, Bickslow was honestly terrified.

Now, as much as Bickslow wanted to just ignore the guy and just focus his attention on the attractive blonde on his lap, he really couldn't. One, he was frankly quite terrified of having Laxus actually walk into his room to see him fucking his ex, and two… He seemed to have broken a world record for losing an erection in the shortest amount of time. Laxus was a boner killer if Bickslow had ever seen one.

Naturally, the last thing Bickslow actually wanted was for Laxus to really walk in on him and Lucy, and hearing the thunder god's heavy footsteps echoing down the hall, Bickslow knew he didn't much time to… Well, to get his dick out of Lucy's cunt and then try and find some clothes.

"Bix? I know you're here," Laxus called again.

Lucy groaned into Bickslow's shoulder. "Make him go away…" Laxus seemed dead set certain on ruining her sex life, it seemed – or at least that was what Lucy thought right then. First he ruined it when he was the one dating her, and now he was ruining it when she was finally having sex that actually felt good (and really, part of her did want to just wrap herself around the Seith mage forever, simply because he could make her cum and she wanted to keep him, damn it!).

But still, Laxus being there? That was making Lucy incredibly pissed off.

"I, uh… Yeah, I really wish that was possible…" Bickslow mumbled. Laxus going the fuck away would be a goddamn blessing. But no, that wasn't going to happen. And not even Lucy stirring her hips, sighing in frustration and probably to convince him that he should try and make Laxus go away was going to work. And no matter how much Lucy wanted it to happen, no one was going to be getting fucked right then (and strangely, that didn't really have that much to do with the little problem Bickslow had where he wasn't fucking hard anymore).

Well, no one was going to be getting fucked apart from Bickslow, at least – just… not in the way he'd liked, not that he'd ever particularly liked being the one to be fucked in the first place, but that wasn't really the point. The point was that Laxus was about to fucking murder him. In his own home. God, what am I going to do with Scout?

Laxus was getting closer to the door still, so Bickslow did the only thing he could think of to slow him down and stop him from actually walking in. "Y-Yep! Just… Just give me a few minutes!" Bickslow shouted back down the hall, grimacing at the sound of his voice cracking slightly. "Just… getting changed…" He heard Laxus stop almost right outside the door, and for a second Bickslow only stared and waited for his best friend to just push the ajar door open the rest of the way and catch him balls deep in one Lucy Heartfilia.

But it didn't happen. And Bickslow let out a shaky breath when Laxus instead turned and said, "Oh. Right then." It wasn't like Laxus wanted to watch the guy get changed anyway.

Bickslow took that opportunity to turn his attention back to Lucy, right as she was admitting silent defeat to herself and separating herself from him, and then collapsing down onto the bed beside him with another groan and with a scowl on her face. God, she was just so fucking cute when she was pissed off; and had he not been completely convinced that Laxus was about to murder him, Bickslow would just be thinking that Lucy really would be the downfall of him one day.

So, leaning down just to quickly kiss the woman's forehead, Bickslow was saying, "Well, it's been nice knowin' ya, Cosplayer," and then jumping back out of bed to find some clothes and throw the condom in the trash in the bathroom. "God fucking damn it. Cock-blocking son of a bitch. Fucking fuck," he cursed under his breath while he struggled to put on his clothes without tripping over his own feet. Behind him, Lucy's scowl was as clear as day as she pulled Bickslow's sheet clean off the bed and picked up her own clothes.

Bickslow had to take a steadying breath before he finally pulled his bedroom door open and ventured into the hall. It was rather daunting, knowing he was going to meet his death soon, but he still tried his best to keep a straight face.

Laxus looked up when he heard Bickslow coming down the hall, and he put down the cupcake he'd been picking at. "Since when do you bake cupcakes?" he asked, bringing his thumb up to his mouth to lick the icing off his fingers one by one. It was vanilla, and almost sickly sweet.

"Uh, since today, I guess," Bickslow lied, forcing a grin as he finished pulling his shirt on over his head. "Thought I'd try something new, y'know?"

"Right…"

He cleared his throat. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. "Why are you, uh… here, anyway?" Bickslow decided to ask. Considering they hadn't talked since he'd gotten drunk on Thanksgiving a week earlier and called the guy a cunt to his face (…again…), Bickslow really was wondering why Laxus was there.

Laxus made a point of looking away then as he rubbed the back of his head. He wasn't very good at apologising, so when he did do it, he didn't always know just how to go about it. Laxus was still going to try, though. "I… came to apologise."

"Apologise?" Bickslow raised an eyebrow at the Dragon Slayer. "What the fuck for? For punching me in the fucking face?" Because that, Bickslow would take an apology for. It had fucking hurt, even if he knew he'd deserved it.

"Well, yeah," Laxus mumbled. "That, and… And the rest of it."

The rest of it? What the hell does that mean? "You mean the part where you're a raging cunt most of the time?"

"Bix, I swear to god, man."

Bickslow shrugged. "Just trying to make sense of things here." He couldn't exactly forgive Laxus when he didn't really know what he was supposed to be forgiving him for.

Laxus tried hard to keep himself calm before he said something stupid. The guy was his best friend, and here we was, trying to extend an olive branch and make up for how much of a shitty friend he'd been over the last couple of months, and Bickslow was just being an asshole. Sometimes Laxus didn't know why he bothered.

It was then that Laxus noticed the small, brown leather bag sitting on the coffee table by the bookcase, and the golden and silver keys peeking out of it. And there was only one person in the whole work that Laxus knew to have that exact pouch. Suddenly, Laxus wasn't so sure he wanted to be apologising for anything.

"Is that Lucy's?" He pointed to the coffee table and watched as Bickslow's eyes widened in panic. "Is she here right now?"

It's fine. He doesn't know yet. "Um… Yeah…" he mumbled. Bickslow knew there was no point in actually lying to him. He couldn't compete with Dragon Slayer sense. Besides, Lucy was always there, and Laxus knew it. It wasn't that out of the ordinary for Lucy to be there.

Except… Laxus knew that wasn't the case, and Bickslow completely gave it away when he took a step back into the table right when Laxus stepped forward. Bickslow didn't want Laxus anywhere near him right then, and Laxus already knew why. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me."

Bickslow winced. Fuck. I'm dead.

He could already fucking smell her on him. And quite honestly, Laxus didn't know whether to be downright pissed or just flat out confused. Truthfully though, he was both – just mostly the former. But judging by how uncomfortable Bickslow was suddenly looking, Laxus figured he already had his answer. "Of all the fucking people, Bix. For fuck's sake." Laxus shook his head, taking a step back and not doing anything to hide the mask of almost disgust on his face then. "Of all the people for you to stick your dick in, and you choose her."

Bicksow pushed past the taller man to put some extra distance between them (quite frankly he was terrified of Laxus right then), and walked around to the kitchen instead. "Just fuck off, Laxus," he snapped.

Laxus couldn't do that, though. Oh no. He needed answers, because he was feeling pretty damn betrayed right then. "How fucking long, huh?" Laxus demanded. Bickslow made a point of pointedly ignoring him, grabbing a clean cloth from the lukewarm soapy water in the sink and beginning to wipe down the messier sections of the counters. "You going to answer me or what?"

"Nope."

"Why the fuck not? I asked you a question. Fucking answer it."

"No," Bickslow said firmly. And before Laxus could even ask why, he continued, "Because it's none of your damn business, so just back the fuck off already." He really wasn't in the mood to deal with Laxus being a jealous asshole right. Hell, Bickslow was never going to be in the mood to deal with Laxus being a jealous asshole. But right then? He was most definitely not in the mood. Especially not if Laxus was going to be an insufferable prick about it.

But still, Laxus wasn't seeing eye-to-eye with Bickslow right then. And he really had no intentions of leaving until he knew just what the hell had happened. "None of my business?" He stepped around the counter, stalking up to the Seith mage just to shove his shoulder twice until Bickslow was leaning against the fridge door, and then once more as he snarled, "You made it my fucking business when you slept with her, dumbass."

And just like that, the last of Bickslow's patience dwindled down to nothing, and he just snapped. "Yeah? And so what if I am sleeping with her?" he began to argue, paying little attention to his word choice and just what one particular verb said. "That doesn't mean you get to come in here and be a fucking prick about it."

"Oh, yes it bloody does," Laxus laughed darkly. "You just couldn't fucking help yourself, could you? Jesus, Bix, I actually thought you were a better person. You really just jumped at the chance to fuck her, didn't you?"

"Just fuck off already." Bickslow rolled his eyes and shoved the Lightning Slayer away from himself. "Stop acting like you still own her. She's not fucking yours."

"And she sure as hell ain't yours either."

Bickslow couldn't help but chuckle quietly to himself, shaking his head slightly as he began hastily cleaning up again. "Oh, you have no idea how wrong you actually are…" he mumbled. And that wasn't to say that Lucy was his, because he knew damn well she wasn't – and would probably never be – but she was supposed to have been. She could've been. And Laxus really just had no idea about any of that.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. Forget it."

At the mouth of the hall, Lucy was emerging just in time to see Laxus spin Bickslow around and grab him by the collar of the shirt, stretching the fabric around his fist, and shoving him back against the counter hard enough to actually make the Seith mage wince. "Tell me what you fucking meant," Laxus demanded.

"Nothing. I meant nothing," Bickslow snapped. "So just fucking let go of me."

"Not until you tell me what you meant."

"It doesn't matter. Laxus, seriously, let fucking go." Not even the Thunder God himself was immune to his magic, and Bickslow was all too tempted to resort to using it right then just to get him off him.

Laxus noticeably loosened his grip then, but that did nothing for the venom that was still laced in his voice as he took a guess at what Bickslow had meant. "What, you tryin' to say you two are a thing now? Is that what you meant?" he growled.

A thing? Hell, Bickslow had no idea what they were. But even if he did, he wasn't going to be admitting it to Laxus. "It's none of your damn concern. I thought we went through that."

"And I thought we went through you being a decent enough person to not fuck someone else's ex, but look where we are!" Laxus pointed out. He'd really thought it was just common sense for Bickslow to keep his dick away from Lucy. But apparently not.

And still, Bickslow just grew more tired of that conversation with each passing second. He had better things to do with his time than defend himself against something he really shouldn't need to be defending himself against at all – although admittedly, it was probably the first time that he was seeing things from Lucy's perspective: that Laxus didn't matter and he shouldn't even be worried about him in that situation.

The problem, however, was that Laxus himself didn't see it that way. And Bickslow had honestly seen it coming.

"Just stop with that already, Jesus fucking Christ, Laxus," he shouted. "You don't own her. Stop trying to act like you do."

"Why don't you take your own damn advice?"

And that was where Lucy drew the line and had to intervene. She knew how close they were (well, supposedly), and she hated seeing them at each other's throats – especially when she was the reason for it. All of it was just so completely ridiculous. So, storming into the kitchen, Lucy was shouting and drawing their attention, "Hey! Both of you, stop that!" They quickly turned their heads to look down at Lucy now standing next to them; Bickslow was only relieved she was actually dressed. "You're both being goddamn idiots right now," Lucy shouted, continuing to glare up at them with her hands balled into fists at her sides. "Just stop it."

Laxus quickly let go of Bickslow and took a step back from the man. He swallowed thickly, his mouth feeling dry all of a sudden. "But—"

"No, be quiet. I don't want to hear it," Lucy interrupted. If he'd been about to come up with an excuse for being a giant ass-hat, Lucy just didn't want to know. No excuses were going to be heard that evening. But, before she could tell Laxus off (and oh, was he going to get it), Lucy was turning her attention to Bickslow beside him, still only staring down at her with a sense of terror in his wide eyes. "You," she began, narrowing her eyes at the Seith mage. "We talked about this before, Bickslow. I told you I was sick of being seen as nothing but a game to you, and I told you not to be a possessive asshole."

Bickslow could honestly handle being told off right then. He knew he deserved it. All he could do was nod once, ignoring how small he was suddenly feeling in front of Lucy, despite being close to a foot taller than her.

"And you." Lucy finally turned her attention to Laxus, just to see the smug smirk beginning to make an appearance. That just made her blood boil.

Laxus was, whether he wanted to admit or not, the sole person to blame for that situation. Everything had been damn fine until Laxus had walked in. And for the reason for that, Lucy just wasn't sure – she hadn't heard that part from down in the bedroom – but somehow, it had still ended up with those two just about ready to murder each other for something completely stupid. And right then, Lucy had quite honestly never been so disappointed in someone she'd once cared about.

And so, lifting her hand from her side, she slapped him. So hard that his head turned and Bickslow was left standing there utterly stunned and internally rejoicing with the babies that were giggling and cheering inside his head.

"You, Laxus," Lucy continued, her burning anger making even Laxus feel small alongside Bickslow. "Have absolutely no right to act this way."

"But… But Bi—"

"If you don't shut your mouth, I will slap you again so hard that you actually see stars," she threatened. "And Bickslow, wipe that smirk off your mouth before I slap you too."

"Y-Yes Ma'am," Bickslow nodded. How did she even see that? She hadn't even been looking at me!

"Don't try and blame him for this," Lucy said. She wasn't going to defend Bickslow, not really, because he certainly hadn't been completely innocent himself. But still, she was sure as hell going to call Laxus out on his shit, because he deserved it. "You're the one that came in here and decided to be a jerk. You had no right to treat Bickslow that way, and you certainly have no right to treat me like a piece of property! And I'm sick of that! From both of you!" Admittedly, Laxus was mostly at fault for that, but even Bickslow had shown his tendency to be annoyingly possessive, and it was not a trait she found attractive in the slightest. But from Laxus, it was worse. "I am not yours. I'm not Bickslow's either. And I don't know why it's so hard for you two to get it through your thick heads that I have never actually belonged to either of you! I'm my own goddamn person and I'd appreciate it you could both actually treat me like that!"

Laxus was, for the first time in a long time, actually speechless. And judging by how Bickslow was still silent and left almost gaping at the blonde, Laxus suspected that Bickslow was feeling the same way. Admittedly, there was a part of Laxus that was still pissed as all hell, and even more annoying, a little let down. But a much larger part of him could sort of, kind of see why Lucy was so mad at him.

He really didn't understand the entire Bickslow thing – why Lucy felt the need to inadvertently defend the guy, or why Bickslow had fucked her to begin with (and why Lucy had even let him). But the rest of it, where Lucy was pissed at the way he'd been treating her, and because of what he'd said about her in a way, Laxus could sort of understand. He'd been a bit of a dick. And the only reason Laxus could even admit that (at least to himself), was because he didn't want to be the kind of dick that super possessive of whoever it was he was with (or not with, in Lucy's case). Even Laxus had his standards.

And when the two of them still just continued to stare at her in silence, wallowing in the remains of their precious pride, Lucy only groaned and let out a sigh of frustration as she turned on her heels to fetch her shoes and her purse. Pathetic! The both of them! For all they had to say to each other, they had nothing but excuses to say to her it seemed. And so fast, her good day had gone to hell and now all Lucy wanted to do was break out that bottle of coconut rum she kept at the back of her pantry and watch Alice in Wonderland to cheer herself up.

"Nothing to say? Really?" Lucy muttered under her breath, shooting one more pointed glare in their direction as she stood up, zipping her boots up as she went. "God, typical." She snatched her purse and keys off the table and stormed right out of Bickslow's house then, letting the door slam behind her on her way out.

Bickslow was still utterly speechless, though he was feeling increasingly more guilty and just plain miserable by the second. Guilty, because he was partly to blame for Lucy's anger right then. And miserable, because he seemed to be fucking up the one good thing in his life (well, apart from his kid, of course) before he'd even had a chance to really experience it.

And it was all Laxus' fault. Because everything was Laxus' fault right then. Sort of. Bickslow had to be able to blame someone other than himself. It made him feel better.

But still, when Laxus just glanced back to him after the door had slammed, Bickslow only shook his head and walked around him to get on with cleaning the kitchen. "Just go. I'm not in the mood to deal with your ego," he mumbled. And he half expected Laxus to just argue with him some more, maybe tell him again just how much of a shitty best friend he'd been for getting with the guy's ex…

But he didn't. Instead, only grumbling a little bit, Laxus stormed out right after Lucy, swiping one of the vanilla cupcakes cooling on the rack on his way out. He wasn't exactly in the mood to deal with Bickslow either.

Laxus quickly caught up to Lucy outside, and Lucy sighed through her nose and shook her head before he was even walking in stride with her. "What do you want, Laxus?" she muttered.

He shrugged. "Who says I want anything?"

"Because you're following me."

"Well, sorry to break it to ya Blondie, but my apartment happens to be in this direction," Laxus said.

Lucy muttered something that not even Laxus could decipher under her breath then, and decided to just keep walking. She figured she wouldn't be shaking Laxus anytime soon.

And admittedly, his apartment being roughly in the same direction as Lucy's was not the only reason Laxus had decided to walk with her. Hell, it wasn't even a reason at all. Laxus still just wanted to know what the fuck was going on, and if Bickslow wasn't going to tell him anything (not that he hadn't already), then Lucy sure as hell would. Or so Laxus hoped.

"You know, if your slap is that hard, I'd hate to be on the receiving end of one of your punches," he began, trying to get a little rise out of her. He figured it would be smarter to try and lighten her mood than just straight up ask her why the fuck she'd been stupid enough to fuck Bickslow. He also didn't think Lucy would appreciate being called stupid, either, so he was definitely going to try and avoid saying that out loud. The woman really did hit hard. Almost surprisingly hard.

Lucy scoffed. "Don't tempt me to enlighten you on what that feels like."

Oookay, she really is pissed. But if joking wasn't working, then Laxus really had no other choice but to just get on with asking the serious questions, and for his own safety, he stepped away, just so Lucy couldn't turn to fucking thump him like he suspected she might if he ended up hitting a nerve. Carefully then, Laxus finally asked, "So, like… Are you two a thing now, or…"

Lucy groaned. "Why is that so important to you?" she snapped. She should've seen that coming a mile away though. Of course Laxus was going to be bugging her about that again. Of fucking course he was.

"Well, because—"

"Because he's supposedly your best friend, and because we dated it totally makes me off limits to practically every single person you happen to be friends with, right?" Lucy finished for him.

Laxus' steps faltered for a moment and Lucy continued to storm on. She'd pretty much taken the words right out of his mouth. Although admittedly, they sounded a little stupid when someone else was saying them. "It sounds pathetic when you say it…" he mumbled.

"That's because it is pathetic," Lucy said. "It makes you sound like a damn teenager. Not to mention that acting like a possessive asshole just makes you an asshole and a jerk."

He felt his face begin to burn. Lucy really wasn't holding back on calling him out. "I, uh… Um…"

"And for the love of god," Lucy continued, much to Laxus' delight since he realised he didn't even have anything to say anyway. "Who I decide to sleep with – or not sleep with – is no one else's business. Stop acting like I owe anything to you, Laxus. Because I don't."

"I never said you did," he mumbled.

"You asked me if Bickslow and I were a 'thing'."

Laxus shrugged again. "Yeah, well, are you?"

"Jesus Christ, Laxus. Are you serious?"

"What? I wouldn't have to ask if one of you two morons would just answer the fucking question!" Honestly, it was just a yes or no answer. Laxus couldn't figure out why the two of them just couldn't straight up tell him the truth. He was almost inclined to think Lucy was fucking perfect for Bickslow at that point – she was being just as frustrating as Bickslow had been right then, just telling him that it was none of his concern. And frankly, Laxus was just sick of hearing it. "So either you are with him, or you're not. It's fucking simple, Lucy."

"I… I don't know, okay?" Lucy snapped. "And I'd appreciate it you would stop yelling at me about it!"

"…Sorry," Laxus mumbled. "But seriously… What the hell does that mean?"

"It means that I don't know," she repeated softly. Lucy had no intentions of telling Laxus anything more than that, though. As far as she was concerned, she'd answered his annoying question, even if it wasn't the answer Laxus had wanted. It was the only answer she was capable of giving him anyway, because it was the truth.

She just really didn't know. Still. And it was probably bugging Laxus just as much as it bugged her that she really had no idea what the fuck Bickslow was to her – and what she was to him. It was just so… complicated.

Laxus clicked his tongue, shoving his hands into his pockets. Lucy's answer really hadn't been the one he'd wanted, but he had a feeling that it was all he was going to get out of her. Her answer did make it easier to assume things, though, and at that point, Laxus was almost entirely convinced that his best friend and his ex-girlfriend were at the very least sleeping together. And that… Laxus really didn't like. It was a disturbing mental image.

"Fine then," he mumbled eventually. He didn't need to be a genius to know that Lucy didn't particularly want to talk about it anymore either. Laxus could deal with Bickslow being a miserable jackass, but not so much Lucy. There was a line with Lucy, and even Laxus could admit he'd passed that line a long time ago. So, he decided to try and change the subject the little, asking, "So, how've you been then?"

Lucy couldn't help but laugh. "Really? You're asking me how I've been now?"

He shrugged, smirking as he answered, "What? We haven't really talked for ages. 'Course I wanna know how you've been."

It was true, Lucy realised. They hadn't talked lately. For the most part, it had been for Cana's sake, though. Lucy just hadn't wanted to step on her friend's toes or let her get the wrong impression, because on more than one occasion, Cana had drunkenly (unsurprisingly) blurted out that she sometimes thought Laxus was still into her – and every time, Lucy had promised that it was just so far from the truth that it wasn't even funny, because frankly, Lucy was a little convinced that Laxus hadn't even been into her in the first place, and that he'd really just wanted to fuck her and that was it.

…But then Scarlett had happened, and then Bickslow had happened, and… Well, part of Lucy had been wanting to avoid Laxus because of it all as well. She hadn't been scared of him, not like Bickslow had been (and it had taken Lucy until that very evening to see just why he had been so goddamn frightened of his best friend over something so stupid), but it wasn't like Lucy had wanted to face Laxus as soon as she could. She'd known Laxus would flip and demand to know what the fuck was going on, and part of her had just wanted to be able to give him an actual answer. Like, 'yes, we're kind of a thing now,' or 'no, not even close to being anything other than friends.' She hadn't wanted to be stuck admitting that she really just didn't know. But she'd really had no choice, because the guy had fucking almost walked in on them, and damn it, Lucy was still mad at him for stopping her from getting laid.

But they hadn't talked just for the sake of talking for a while. And even if it had mostly been for a good reason, Lucy didn't really like it. Even less since she was only just realising that her trying to keep her distance just so Cana and Laxus could be whatever the fuck they wanted to be was just as bad was what Bickslow had done when she'd been the one dating Laxus instead. The whole thing was pathetic.

But they were still friends, and friends were supposed to talk. So Lucy had no problem with indulging Laxus with his subject change right then. It was a good thing anyway. "I've been good," she answered with a smile. "What about you?"

"Been better."

"Are you going to tell me what that is supposed to mean?"

Laxus lifted his shoulder in half a shrug. "Oh, well, you know… Got called a cunt and an asshole by my best friend. My girlfriend decided she needed to think about just what the hell it is she wanted with me. Oh, and then I got to walk in on that same best friend fucking my ex-girlfriend," he deadpanned. "So, yeah, been better." Things just weren't going his way right then. It was beginning to really suck.

Lucy crossed her arms, her mouth twisting into a firm line as she glanced up to Laxus beside her. "You didn't technically walk in on anything," she muttered. "Don't be so dramatic."

"Probably came fucking close to it, right?"

"…Maybe."

"Well, at least you're not straight up denying you're fucking him," he sighed. It was better than what Bickslow had done, that was for sure.

"Oh, like you didn't already know. You wouldn't have been so pissed if you didn't assume it was true anyway."

"…That's a fair point," Laxus agreed. But still, everything going wrong in his life all of a sudden was, in fact, related to Bickslow. Bickslow was single-handedly causing everything to go wrong. And to think he'd been going to fucking apologise to the guy for how he'd been acting. Laxus certainly had no intentions of doing that. Hell no.

Lucy only shook her head. She'd hoped Laxus would be able to hold a conversation without feeling the need to whine about Bickslow again, but it seemed he couldn't. She should've known better, though. "Look, Laxus," she began, sighing, "I'm tired and I'm still really not in the best mood, so if you're just going to complain, then I'd really appreciate it if you would just leave me alone right now so I can walk home in peace." Lucy really had no interest in listening to the man complain, especially not if he was going to continue acting like Bickslow was the reason for all of his problems right then (and he probably very well was, but that wasn't the point). Laxus had to take some responsibility, at least for Cana kind of breaking up with him – not that they were actually together, as Lucy had heard a million times.

Laxus stopped in his tracks for a moment, Lucy walking on ahead of him with another shake of her head. He couldn't help but feel a little affronted. Lucy was supposed to be nice, damn it. Then again, as far as Laxus knew, Lucy had been spending almost all of her time with Bickslow… The jackass has probably ruined her – although that thought came with a disturbing mental image and he had to supress a shudder.

But, if Lucy didn't want to hear him complain. Then fine. He wouldn't complain. He could shut up for a little while. So he caught up to her once again in just a few quick strides, lifting up his hands in mock defence as he mumbled, "Fine, no more complaining."

"Good," Lucy said.

He nudged her gently with his elbow then, getting her to look up with an eyebrow arched at him curiously. "We should hang out again some time," Laxus suggested. "Like, I dunno, get a drink or something. You still do that, right?" He wasn't very good at hanging out with people, but when he did, drinking was usually just his go-to idea. Although it had been a long time since he'd done that with Lucy, so as far as he knew, she really could've decided to stop drinking in that time. He doubted it, though. No one in their guild could remain completely sober for long.

"Do I still do that…" Lucy muttered under her breath. She scoffed. Stupid question. But… Lucy had to admit that she wasn't sure about actually taking Laxus up on his suggestion. She had a feeling that it just wouldn't be a good idea, but she wasn't sure why. "I don't know, Laxus…" she mumbled. "Are you sure that's going to be the best idea?"

"Oh, come on. It'll be like old times." Lucy cringed, and Laxus corrected himself, "'kay, not like, old old times. But… We haven't done it for ages. Come on. It'll be fun."

Lucy doubted it, she really did. But… She just couldn't bring herself to say no to it. It can't be that bad, she told herself. What's the worst that can happen? Lucy figured that the worst thing to happen would be that Laxus starts complaining again, at which point, she'll either pack up her shit and leave, or drink so much that she doesn't even remember Laxus complaining and whining like a fourteen year old.

"Alright, fine. Sure," she said, and Laxus couldn't even help but grin just a little excitedly. "I guess we could… go get a drink or something." Admittedly, it wasn't her favourite thing to do, but she'd survive. "When did you want to?"

"Gotta leave tomorrow for a job," he said. "Should be back on the weekend, though. Saturday night, if you wanna?"

"Saturday should be fine." Assuming her own team didn't find a job to take before then. Lucy doubted that, too, though, especially since they'd just come back from one. Glancing up to him again, Lucy quietly said, "I take it Bickslow won't be going with you on this job?"

Laxus' scoff was the only answer Lucy needed, and she shook her head, letting out a quiet sigh into the cool air. She wasn't surprised Bickslow wouldn't be going with them. He probably hadn't even known that his team and Laxus would be leaving for another job anyway. And even if Bickslow had known and had wanted to go, Lucy doubted he'd want to now. Not after all that had happened with Laxus just a few minutes earlier and on Thanksgiving, too.

Lucy still wasn't too sure how she was supposed to feel knowing that she was seemingly the root cause of all of their problems.

She bid good night to Laxus then, ending their conversation and walk together before Laxus could say anymore, and then increased her pace just to make her point known to the Lightning slayer. There wasn't really anything else she could say to Laxus right then, nor was there anything else she wanted to say to him.

Laxus got the message though, loud and clear, but he shrugged it off. He'd mostly gotten what he wanted out of her, and now he had the weekend to look forward to.

She visited Bickslow the next afternoon after stopping by the guild in the morning. No one seemed to bat an eye whenever she got up and announced that she was off to check on the Seith mage and Scarlett, not even Natsu. Lucy supposed it was a good thing, though, because she certainly had no intentions of telling any of her team that she'd long since stopped visiting Bickslow just because he needed help with his daughter.

When she got to Bickslow's, letting herself in as she usually did, she found herself walking into some kind of hell. Or close to it. Scarlett was screaming and crying and then crying some more, the babies were zooming around the ceiling repeating 'Scout crying!' and 'Scout angry!' over and over again, and Bickslow was standing at the end of his kitchen counter, just next to the door, with his forehead on the bench and his hands over his ears. Lucy had no idea what the hell had happened for that kind of chaos to happen. She almost didn't know where to begin.

Somehow, Bickslow managed to hear the door over all of the noise, but when he looked up and saw Lucy there, he couldn't help but groan. He really just wasn't all that glad she was there right then.

He didn't get a chance to ask her what she was doing there before Lucy shouted over the top of all the noise, "What the hell is going on here?!"

Bickslow shook his head, standing up and pointing over to where Scarlett was in her swing and giving him a headache. "She just won't shut up," he answered. "She's been crying all fucking day. I just… I can't get her to stop! I don't even know what's wrong with her!"

All he wanted was for her to just stop crying. From the moment she woke up after her morning nap, and until then, she'd been crying almost non-stop. He'd tried feeding her, only to get thrown up on. He'd tried changing her. He'd tried giving her a bath. He'd tried holding her, and he'd tried leaving her alone in her swing or in her crib to see if she was just sick of seeing his face (it wouldn't have surprised him). She'd refused to sleep, so at that point, Bickslow was almost convinced her crying was because she was just fucking cranky and tired. But still, no matter what he did, he just couldn't get her to stop. The longest she'd gone without crying was thirty minutes, and that had been before noon.

And as far as the babies went… Bickslow had lost control of them when he'd lost his sanity – again, sometime before noon.

Lucy quickly dropped her things to rush over to Scarlett. She didn't doubt Bickslow's decisions as a parent, or even him as a parent in general, but just letting her sit there screaming? That wasn't good. Lucy was sure Scarlett obviously wanted something.

Except before Lucy could even bend down to lift Scarlett out of the seat on the swing, Bickslow was spinning back around and shouting, "No, don't fucking touch her, Lucy."

Scarlett continued to cry, but the babies overhead fell silent in an instant, all of them slowly lowering to hover around Lucy's shoulders. Lucy jumped slightly, sucking in a sharp breath, and for the first time since she'd first met Bickslow, she found herself actually almost frightened of him. She wasn't worried that he would actually hurt her, because Lucy quite honestly doubted that Bickslow even had it in him to do that. But she'd just never really seen him like that, so mad and seemingly prepared to actually do something he'd probably regret later, and that was what frightened her. She just didn't know what it was she'd done to deserve it, either.

She took a step back, stopping when she bumped into one of the dining chairs. "But—"

"Stop. Just stop," Bickslow yelled. He rubbed at his forehead as he turned again, shaking his head slightly and beginning to pace. "I don't need your help, okay? She's my kid. Not yours. I'm the one who needs to know how to take care of her. Just… Just fucking go. Seriously. Get out." He waved towards the door with his back still to her.

He just needed her to leave, because he just really didn't need her help. He didn't fucking want it, either. Lucy was always coming to the rescue, and as honourable as her intentions had always been, and as much as he'd enjoyed it in the past, he was over it. If he couldn't even figure out why his own kid was crying so much, then what was to say he'd be able to do anything for her in the future?

It was just him. Not him and the guild, not him and his team, and certainly not him and Lucy. It was just him. And he sure as hell wasn't the type of person to let himself rely on someone else for very long. He'd relied on Lucy enough, and Bickslow just didn't want her there anymore. He needed to be able to deal with it all alone. Lucy being there for moral support, or whatever it was she'd been calling it, just wasn't going to cut it, either.

Lucy just didn't know what she was supposed to say to that. She could usually deal with people yelling at her – her father had done it enough after her mother had died – but right then… Right then, she was finding it incredibly difficult to keep herself from trembling. And still, Lucy just had no idea what it was she'd done to make Bickslow so mad, or upset, or… or whatever it was that he was right then. Everything had been so perfectly fine up until the previous afternoon, what, with Laxus turning up. But Lucy didn't seem to think that Laxus was the cause for Bickslow's anger right then.

It was something else.

Sniffling slightly, and nodding to herself, Lucy only crossed her hands in front of her and slowly returned to the small sitting area at the front of the living room to collect her bag and coat that she'd dropped on the table. Two of the little totems, Pippi and Peppe as she'd learnt, flew down to nudge her stomach and her shoulder (their little way of telling her not to leave, she already knew) but she shook her head and gently pushed them back up towards the ceiling.

Lucy let the door close softly behind her, and as soon as it closed, all she could hear was the gentle whistling of the breeze and a dog barking down the street. The sound-proofing runes that Freed had set up years earlier were still doing their job.

She only made it halfway down the path before she stopped in her tracks, and looked over her shoulder back to the front door. Lucy knew she should just be leaving like he'd told her to, but she just… couldn't. His words had stung, and she wasn't going to lie and say that she was fine and that what he'd said hadn't bothered her at all – because it had hurt. But Lucy knew Bickslow well enough to know that right then, he wasn't himself. Not even close.

As soon as she turned around and began heading for the door again, she knew she was risking just making things worse and pissing him off even more, but she was going to take her chances. If it turns out that Bickslow really doesn't want her help anymore, even just a little bit, then she would accept it. He was the parent, not her, and he had every right to want to do things on his own and not have to rely on anyone else. Lucy could respect that, and she could respect and acknowledge the fact that maybe… Maybe she had been doing too much for him over the last few weeks.

Still, Lucy just couldn't walk away from a screaming child whose parent was clearly exhausted and just at the end of his rope. She just couldn't. She cared too much about both of them to actually do that.

So, she was storming back inside, dropping her things on the coffee table by the sofa and bookcase, and heading straight for where Scarlett was still sitting in her swing and screaming her little lungs out. And once more, Bickslow only groaned and rolled his eyes when he heard his door slam again. He'd really thought she would just go the fuck home. It was bad enough he'd had the babies fly into his head and yell at him for yelling at her, but now here Lucy was, back again.

"Lucy, I swear to fucking god, I wasn't kidding when—"

Lucy had already picked Scarlett up and moved her to one arm by the time she came up before him, pushing him out of the kitchen and then pointing to the back of the house. "Just be quiet. Go and get some air, Bickslow," she commanded, shutting him up in an instant. She wasn't scared of him in the slightest. Not anymore. "Go on. Outside. Now."

He tried to argue with her all the way to the door to his backyard at the back of the lounge room. Every word he'd try to get in, Lucy would just shake her head, keep pushing him back towards the door (with the help of the babies, the damn traitors), and rudely interrupt him, telling him that she frankly didn't care what he had to say right then and that he just needed to get some fresh air and breath for a moment.

As soon as he was over the threshold, Lucy quickly slid the glass door closed and locked it, locking the man out of his own home. Bickslow banged on the door, but Lucy's only response with her back to him was to lift up one her hands and flip him off. He huffed in frustration, muttering under his breath, "Fine then!" Rude. Bickslow could hear the babies giggling in his head now, and he scowled as he watched them twirl merrily around Lucy's head as she made her way back to the living room where Bickslow wasn't able to stare.

He could still faintly hear Scarlett crying from his back patio, since Freed's runes extended all the way to tall fences that separated each house's back gardens, but since he'd quite literally been locked out of his own house, it wasn't like he could actually do anything about it. Bickslow did, unfortunately, have no other choice but to just let Lucy deal with his kid. Or try to, at least. Really, he doubted Lucy would be able to get her to stop crying, because if he couldn't, then there was no way she would be able to.

Looking around at the small deck, Bickslow tried to think of something to do to occupy himself. When the rest of the team and Laxus had been living there, none of them had been very fond of spending time outside, so they'd really only bought a few chairs and a table for the patio.

It was a nice day out, he realised. The sun was out for a change, and even with his sweatshirt and long pants, Bickslow still felt the winter chill in the air. He stepped down off the back deck and onto the grass, testing it to see if it was damp or just cold. He surmised cold, so he lowered his other foot and then walked to the middle of the yard, before sitting down and then stretching out on his back. Bickslow could feel the warmth from the sun on his cheeks, and he let out a sigh before taking a few deep breaths.

It was so peaceful out there. He could hear leaves of the trees rustling in the gently breeze, and the dog down the street barking, and even the kids at the small park behind his house playing. He couldn't hear his daughter crying anymore, although he was sure she still was, and he couldn't hear the babies being annoying little shits in his head, either. But even with the noises coming from around him, it was still peaceful. It was quiet. Bickslow had almost forgotten what quiet even sounded like after the day he'd had.

Peace, as it always did, let Bickslow finally think, though. He couldn't do that with Scarlett screaming. Bickslow knew that he shouldn't have said what he had. He shouldn't have shouted at Lucy the way he did. Even if it had really just been a few minutes since he had, Bickslow regretted it. He knew who Lucy was to him, or he at least had his suspicions of what she really was, and that alone was enough to make him hate how he'd treated her in that moment. And even then, all she'd ever been trying to do was help. She'd done so much for her, and she'd stayed far longer than he'd ever asked her to, and Bickslow was thankful for that. He truly was. Lucy already knew that he just didn't know how he'd ever be able to thank her for everything she'd done.

Yelling at her though… Yelling at her did the opposite. Bickslow could see that now.

But admittedly, some of what he'd said, and some of what he'd thought when he'd seen her walk in the first time and he'd just fucking flipped… He still meant it.

He didn't need Lucy anymore. Not really. But he'd known that for a while, and so had Lucy. Scarlett wasn't her child. And as Scarlett's only parent who did actually give a shit about her, it was his job to be able to take care of her and make sure she was okay. He was the one who needed to know how to get her to stop crying when all she did was scream and cry.

Bickslow just didn't want to have to rely on anyone more than he ever needed to. Because he didn't want his daughter to grow up and think she had to rely on anyone but him. He should be able to give her everything. That was his job.

And he'd accepted that he was never going to be a perfect parent, but knowing that he'd failed to even figure out what was making his own child so upset that day was fucking terrifying to him. And he hated it. He hated that he just hadn't been able to do anything about it, no matter how hard he'd tried.

After a little while, Bickslow heard the glass door slide open, followed by the sound of Lucy presumably stepping out onto the patio, and then her softer footsteps on the grass as she came towards him. What Bickslow didn't hear, though, was any crying. He lifted his arm from where he had it shielding his eyes to see Lucy sitting down next to him, temporarily blocking the bright light as she lowered herself to the grass with Scarlett still in his arms.

Lucy pulled the small blanket she'd taken from the lounge off one of the totems and laid it out on the lawn with one hand and the help of the other babies. "Did you ever think, that maybe," Lucy began softly, crossing her legs under her and gently laying Scarlett down on her tummy in front of her. "She was just crying for the sake of it?"

Bickslow pushed himself up on his elbows, turning to look in almost stunned silence at his daughter actually not crying for a change. "She's… not screaming anymore," he mumbled.

Lucy shrugged, continuing, "Sometimes babies just cry. Doesn't mean there's necessarily something wrong. And then sometimes… They just get overwhelmed." She looked down to Scarlett looking between the cardboard book filled with almost garish and obnoxiously bold cartoons, and then around herself. She was getting better at lifting and turning her head, but she still couldn't quite push her chest up off the ground yet. She was getting there, though. "Her world is growing each day, you know. She's learning new things every day."

Bickslow slowly followed his daughter's gaze, his own eyes settling on the shady tree in the back corner and to where the canopy had shaded the back of the yard just in front of them.

"Besides," Lucy added, "She's almost eight weeks. It's pretty common for her to be getting cranky right about now."

"Uh… Why?"

"Wonder week!" Lucy answered. Bickslow gave her a blank look, and she let out a sigh. "Have you read any of the books you bought?"

"…Some of them," Bickslow mumbled. He hadn't read any of them for a couple of weeks now, though. He'd kind of just given up on them, thinking he'd just learn as he went. After the first few weeks, Bickslow had really just assumed parenting was that hard. Scarlett had proved him wrong.

Lucy shook her head. "You should really start reading them. At least some of them," she told him. Luckily for Bickslow though, she'd read some of them, mostly when she'd been letting Bickslow get some sleep. "Anyway, babies usually go through periods where they get cranky and they just cry all the time. They're called the wonder weeks, supposedly. They're like, little leaps in their development that come from their brain changing and all that. It's mostly about their senses, I think. They get more control over them, and become more… aware of them, I guess."

Bickslow sat himself up and crossed his legs under himself as well, turning himself so he could pick Scarlett up and then sit her down in front of him, watching as she kept trying to look around at things. He was sure Scarlett turned straight to Lucy when she started talking again.

"But, they're still learning, and sometimes all of these new things that they realise they can do scares them. So they usually cry and just get really mad at you."

"Right… Of course…" He dropped his head to his palm and groaned into it. "I should've known all of this. Fuck me…"

Lucy shrugged. "It's not the end of the world."

"But it is. I'm just… I'm out of my depth with all of this."

"Bickslow, you're not," she whispered. "You're doing fine."

"Only because you've been fucking baby-sitting me," Bickslow scoffed. And, he was thankful for it, he was. But Bickslow knew damn well that he wouldn't even be sitting there having that conversation with Lucy at all had she not even been there for him at all. He would've given up on the whole parent thing before he'd even given his daughter a name if it hadn't been for Lucy.

Lucy leant back slightly. That was what she'd been waiting for. For Bickslow to yell at her again and make it clear that he didn't want her there anymore.

Looking down to her hands folded in her lap, she said, "I was only ever trying to help, because that was what you asked me to do. But if you really don't want it anymore, and if you really don't want me here, then fine. Just tell me." If it turns out that Bickslow really had meant what he'd said, then Lucy would accept it. But until she heard it again, she just wasn't sure.

Bickslow's head shot up. "What? No, I… I do want you here," he quickly said before his hung his head again. He owed her one hell of an apology, he quickly realised. "I'm sorry," Bickslow said softly then. He let Scarlett go just so she could topple over onto the soft blanket and look up and around at things again. "For what I said before… I'm sorry. I really am. I shouldn't have said all of that. I shouldn't have shouted like I had, either."

Lucy let out a little sigh. "It's fine. I understand." She suspected he'd just been exhausted and overwhelmed, almost a little like Scarlett.

"No… You… You don't," Bickslow said. Lucy probably thought she understood it, but there was no way she could understand all of it.

"Then help me understand," she whispered. "Tell me what I'm doing wrong so I can fix it."

"You haven't done anything wrong, that's the problem."

"Then what?"

He sighed into his hands. As he'd come to learn, Bickslow had no problems telling Lucy anything, at least for the most part. She was the one person he'd never really cared about showing his weakest sides to. But even if he had no problems letting Lucy see him in his vulnerable moments, telling her that she was essentially one of the main reasons for him feeling like such a shitty parent was something else entirely.

But he couldn't lie to her, either. Especially not when she was asking him to explain it to her.

"You just… You do so much for me – for Scout…" he finally began, still hiding his face in his hands. "And you have no idea how much I appreciate you for it all, I mean that… But you're just always here to… To rescue me when I'm fucking everything up with her, and I shouldn't need rescuing. You know so much more than I do. You… You always have the answer to everything that's wrong with her, or seem to know what she needs better than I do, and I just…" Bickslow shook his head lightly before continuing quietly, "I feel like the worst damn parent on this planet sometimes. And I really do love how much you've done, and I don't want you to forget that. But you're just… You're just so much better than me at all of this, and… And it just bugs me so fucking much sometimes."

"Oh." Lucy could only sit there for a moment, processing the words she'd just heard. She'd never thought that what she'd been doing was actually just making things worse for Bickslow. The last thing Lucy had wanted was to ever make him feel like he wasn't a good father – not that she could ever think that he was one anyway. Hell, to Lucy, Bickslow just being there at all for Scarlett was making him a good parent, because it was a whole lot better than the kid's mother. But still, Lucy had only ever been trying to help. She'd never meant to stand on his toes or make him feel like less of a parent. If Bickslow had told her sooner how she'd made him feel, then she would've made damn sure to back off. "Have you… Have you always felt like that?" she whispered.

Bickslow shrugged. "I don't know."

"I see…" Lucy mumbled. She sat forward slightly to lay a hand on Bickslow's arm, gently bringing his hand down from his face. "I'm sorry I made you feel that way though, okay? That was never my intention. I hope you know that."

"I do know," he whispered.

"You're allowed to not know the answer to everything as well. Just as you're allowed to mess up occasionally, or even admit that you need a break sometimes. You're a good dad, Bickslow. Don't ever doubt yourself on that. You're Scarlett's parent, not me. And I truly am sorry that you think that I could be even remotely better than you at any of this. I don't know as much as you think I do."

"You still always have the answers to things I can't figure out on my own, though…"

"Not always," Lucy said softly. "Most of the time I'm just looking at a situation through fresh eyes. You're exhausted, Bix. I know you are. You have a newborn daughter. Like I said, you're allowed to not know the answer to everything all the time. You're learning every day just as much as she is. Besides, two heads are better than one, right?"

He shrugged. "I guess."

Lucy crept forward slightly, sitting up on her knees instead, and reached forward to cup Bickslow's face between her hands. "I am capable of keeping my distance, you know. I mean, you somehow have a baby that's actually yours and is cute as all hell—"

"Hey!"

"—and I may really, really love getting to snuggle with her, because seriously, she is adorable. But I can back off. If that's what you really want me to do, I can do it." She would do that for Bickslow if that was what he thought he needed, maybe just to believe in himself.

Bickslow wasn't sure if that was what he needed, though. He wasn't sure that was what he wanted, either. Maybe it was just up to him to not be so bothered by Lucy doing so much, because it was times like that, where Lucy actually talked some damn sense into him, that he really did appreciate her being there so often. And if she kept her distance, even just a little bit, he wouldn't get that from her.

But maybe that was what he needed after all. For Lucy to just remind him that he wasn't fucking up half as much as he thought he was.

"I don't know…" he finally sighed, looking back down to Scarlett still lying on the blanket in front of him and seemingly happily enjoying the sun and the birds. She was a happy baby again, and Bickslow sure as hell liked that. "Seriously though… How did you get her to stop crying so quickly?"

Lucy shrugged. "I just gave her something to look at," she answered. She hadn't really done anything, to be honest. She'd held her for a little bit and tried to calm Scarlett down that way, and then just gone and got one of her books from upstairs.

"Well, thank you."

She smiled. "You're welcome. Although… If it makes you feel any better, you've still got at least a few more days of her being fussy if it really is a 'wonder week.' You'll have plenty of opportunities to make her stop crying yourself."

Bickslow groaned into his hands again. I have to put up with more of this crap? Am I going to sleep at all? The babies in his head told him no. "Fuckin' awesome," he muttered. "Maybe they should've called them hell weeks." There was nothing wondrous or wonderful about a screaming infant who refused to nap and mostly didn't even want to eat.

"Oh, don't worry. It's definitely hell for you," she smirked. "The wonder is for her."

"Great…"

Lucy giggled to herself as she untucked her legs from under herself and then shifted so she could lay down on the edge of the blanket just next to Scarlett. "Don't worry," she said, stretching out on her back and crossing her ankles. "You'll be fine. I believe in you."

"At least someone does…" Bickslow mumbled. But, if Lucy believed in him, then he'd be fine.

On Scarlett's other side, Bickslow laid himself back down on the lawn so he could go back to looking up to the sky. It was still a little cloudy and a little cool, but the sun was out and shining brightly and it almost reminded him of home. "It's a nice day today," he mused.

She glanced over to Bickslow for a moment. She wondered if she should tell him about what Laxus had said to her the previous afternoon, or about how they were going out together on Saturday. Part of Lucy felt like she should tell Bickslow, but at the same time, she just wasn't sure it would be the best idea. She didn't really want to ruin afternoon. Not again, at least.

So she bit her tongue, and let out a gentle sigh before she looked back up to the same sky that all three of them seemed to be watching right then. "It really is," she eventually agreed.

Lucy had seen Laxus drunk multiple times by that point in her life. She'd learnt long before they'd even been dating that he got a little handsy when he'd been drinking, so by the time he'd slung his arm around her shoulders in the booth at the bar they'd visited, and started complaining about one of her best friends right in her ear, Lucy just really hadn't been fazed by any of it. The only thing that had bothered her was that he'd insulted Cana – and apologised for it just a few seconds later – but everything else, Lucy just hadn't minded.

She'd learnt to put up with a hell of a lot from Laxus, mostly in the few months that they had been together. And for the most part, she'd only put up with all of his crap just because under all of it, he really was a good friend. He wasn't half as much of an asshole as he let everyone believe. Well, for the most part, at least.

By the end of their night though, Lucy had started to remember why she'd been so hesitant to agree to spending time with him in the first place. And it wasn't that she hadn't enjoyed herself, because she had. Until Laxus had gotten drunk and whiney, they'd actually been having an enjoyable conversation – one without any mention of ex-partners, possible partners, or just what (or who) it was they did in their spare time. It was just a normal conversation where they'd actually had a chance to catch up. And although they'd staved from talking about Bickslow (to Lucy's relief), Laxus had still wanted to know more about the guy's kid, and Lucy had been all too willing to oblige.

But… Then Lucy had started feeling guilty. Why? She had no idea. But she'd started wishing she had at least mentioned to Bickslow that she was hanging out with Laxus that night. And Lucy knew that she didn't even owe Bickslow that, because it really wasn't anyone's concern who she decided to spend time with… But she'd still wished she'd told Bickslow.

Lucy just didn't like the idea of keeping things from people, and she seemed to especially dislike keeping things from Bickslow.

Laxus' apartment was closer to the bar than Lucy's, so when she'd eventually gotten sick of hearing him complain about Cana not sleeping with him anymore, she'd decided to call it a night and tell Laxus that he needed to get home and get some rest. He'd protested all the way out the door, but Lucy had persevered and done the right thing (by her standards, at least) and made sure that he got home in one piece.

Finally, they reached his apartment on the third floor of his building. When Laxus fumbled with his keys, cursing under his breath about why they were so tiny (they weren't), Lucy rolled her eyes and took them from him, trying the lock until she could find the right key. "You're a… A good person, Blondie," he slurred, struggling to keep his balance in the narrow hall as Lucy tried the keys. "Lookin' after my drunk ass."

She sighed through her nose. "That's because we're friends. Not necessarily because I'm a good person," she said. Although she liked to think she was a good person, and she always tried to be. But her being a good person wasn't the reason she was making sure Laxus was getting home. Friends looked out for each other, and even if she believed that Laxus was very well capable of looking after his own drunk ass, she still wanted to make sure. Finally, she found the right key and pushed Laxus' door open, and turned to hand his keys back to him. That was when she really became aware of how close he'd been standing – almost too close for comfort – and she had no choice but to tilt her head up slightly, just so she wasn't left staring at the collar of his purple dress shirt. "W-Wow, okay…" Lucy laughed nervously. "Didn't see you—"

"We were kinda good together, weren't we?" Laxus asked. He towered over her the same way he always did, but in the narrow hall with his hand resting on the door frame, it only made it worse.

"Us? We weren't. You know that," she said.

Laxus shook his head. "We could've been, though." He knew they'd been terrible together. But they'd also never really done anything together. It was the same as with Cana. All it was, was sex. And it was fucking boring. Of course they didn't work when that was all there was to it. That shit never worked.

"No… No, we really couldn't have been," Lucy insisted.

"Whatever," Laxus grumbled. He would disagree right then. Leaning down, he dropped his head closer to Lucy's level just so he could smirk and murmur by her ear, "But c'mon, you gotta admit we had fun…"

"Not sure what planet you were on when we were dating," she scoffed.

"Oh, don't fuckin' lie, Blondie. You know we had fun. And we could have more fun right now if you wanted to…"

"Uh, no, thank you…"

Laxus pouted. "What happened to catching up? Come on, it'll be like old times." Besides, the last time Laxus checked, neither of them were exactly attached to other people, so in his eyes, there was really no reason for them not to sleep together right then.

Lucy simply just wasn't interested though, not in any of it. She was almost amazed that Laxus was even saying any of that as well. Was he that drunk that he seriously believed she'd be willing to get into bed with him? Even without Bickslow being a factor, they'd still ended things for a good reason. They hadn't worked. Not even a little bit.

And even if they had worked out, and their break-up had really just been because they'd drifted apart or something else, Lucy still had no intentions of ever actually sleeping with him again. She'd endured six weeks of terrible, boring sex. And strangely enough, there was such a thing as too big. More than once Lucy had been not-so blissfully reminded of that.

Laxus went so far as ducking down again just to try and kiss her, but Lucy had seen it coming a mile away and turned her face away just in time, holding up her hand in front of herself just to stop him. She really wasn't going down that road. "Laxus, no," she said firmly. Laxus pulled himself away slightly. "Just stop. Please. I'm really not interested."

He stepped back then, finally moving his hand back from where he'd been supporting himself on the wall. "Right, sorry…" he mumbled almost sheepishly. Of course she's not interested. He rubbed the back of his neck as he lifted his head, looking into his apartment and finally moving through the doorway and out of the hall. Lucy had stepped out of the way, almost making a point to keep her distance, and Laxus had to refrain from slapping his own forehead. What was I thinking? He hadn't been, he realised.

Bickslow had been right with at least some of what he'd said over Thanksgiving. He didn't really know how to talk to people. And he probably had been part of the reason that him and Lucy just weren't compatible even in the slightest. It might take him a lot to actually get there, but occasionally, Laxus would admit that he was a jackass sometimes. Most of the time, even. He'd also admit that he wasn't that great at being turned down, either, but sometimes he needed it. Like right then, for instance. Because sleeping with Lucy? That would've been a bad idea. Laxus was just glad one of them had a functioning brain right then.

Lucy nodded to herself as her fingers toyed with the sleeves of her sweater. "Well, I should… You know, leave…" she said softly. She doubted saying that she'd had a good time would be worth it, because any fun she'd had that night had quickly been ruined.

"Yeah, night," Laxus mumbled. "Get home safe."

She had already rounded for the end of the short hall and the stairs by the time Laxus had closed his door and she heard the click of the lock. She carried herself quickly on her feet downstairs and then into the cool night again. With her pink apartment building in sight, Lucy finally slowed down, and for a moment, she only stood outside the front door, wondering what it was she wanted to do. A moment later, she was turning away and continuing down the street, straight past her house and instead heading for another familiar street.

Lucy was sure she was at least a little stupid by the time she was walking up the path out the front of Bickslow's house. It was late, but still not quite midnight. She almost hoped Bickslow would actually be asleep and not hear her knocking on the painted black door when she did, but it opened not a moment later, revealing the surprised and confused Seith mage. He'd only been awake to give Scarlett a bottle, and he'd been about to go back to bed. He certainly hadn't been expecting any visitors, much less ones that had a key to his house anyway.

But, Lucy didn't even give him the chance to ask anything before she was stepping forward and rising onto her toes to press her lips to his. She also didn't give herself the chance to say anything, much less let herself actually think.

She knew that things were complicated with Bickslow, and she hated it. Just how she hated how she was just drawn to him all the damn time. She just wanted things to be simple. She wanted to know what it was they had between them. Because whatever it was, she kind of loved it.

She wanted to figure things out with him, if there was even anything to figure out. Somehow, Laxus' horrible attempts to get in bed with her again had let her realise that.

But before Bickslow could even kiss her back, Lucy was pulling away, her hands dropping back down to her sides and her warm lips separating from his own. And without a single word, she turned and walked back down the steps and onto the path, and then back out onto the street, finally taking herself home for the night.

A/Ns: Oooo interesting. Just kidding. I don't even know anymore. Anyway! I didn't actually realise that it had been six months since I last updated this. And for that, I'm sorry. Then again, I'm also not sorry. You all know me. You know I have a lot of stories and a lot of WIPs etc. I don't have the time (or skill) to update everything every week. I wish I did, but I don't. So, thank you to everyone for actually putting up with my weird-ass updating schedules. (Lol, remember when Souls and Spirits used to be updated multiple times a week? Good times...)

But. Yes. This chapter. Okay, I said it was going to be a super long one, and I might've promised smut. But, next chapter. I pinky promise. I had a lot to add to this chapter, and at first I thought it was only going to be like 7-8k, but then the rest of it happened. At the same time, I know that this chapter doesn't have much, but the next chapter will hopefully make up for it. Also, since I am still pretty much a moron when it comes to all thing baby-related, please let me know if I'm writing anything wrong. Pretty much everything I write is basically just from research online. Hence, the whole 'wonder weeks' thing. Baby forums are honestly like my top source for fics like this. So if you have any advice or knowledge you wish to share, I'm all ears.

If anyone is curious though, the next chapter is titled "The Unexpected Visitor".

Anyway, now for some other news. For those that read Shattered, my BixLu Week 2015 story, I am actually continuing that with a few one-shots. There's a little note about that on my profile. Basically, it's going to be titled "Shattered: The Lost Chapters". It will be M for one chapter, since that particular chapter fills in the gap between chapters 7 and 8 (yes, the smut). The other two will be more continuations of the epilogue, essentially. I'm super excited for this, to be honest. I've had it planned for a really long time now.

Also... The next chapter of Brothers, Sisters, and Unfortunate Husbands will hopefully be coming soon. It's a super cute chapter, one with lots of baby Andra and Cobra and I'm excited to start writing that one as well. And, also, in case anyone is curious about A Peculiar Situation and that cliffhanger I left it on: yes, I will be working on that again soon. I've found the motivation to do so.

As for the rest of my stories? Who knows. I'll update them when I update them lol. Also, if it wasn't obvious, no, this chapter was not proofed. I was just so tired and I wanted it updated. If you spot any horrible errors that actually make it difficult to read (you know, other than the odd missed word or typo), please let me know and I'll actually go through and edit this like a good writer for once. (I promise I wasn't this lazy when I first started lmao.)

Anyway... Hope you liked it! (I've said that I don't want to be the person who actually asks for reviews, but seeing all of your comments for this fic in particular always make my day.) And, now, finally, the end of this super long author's note.