#bixlu

[raijindork]

I did a thing and finally got a story updated. So here we are, Chapter 21 of How I Met You.

I'll come back and do my usual formatting for these tomorrow, probably.

[fairymama624]

New to Tumblr

uh.. hey? I'm new here to tumblr. I've recently been attempting to write my own fanfiction. My username on ff.net is FairyMama624. I believe that is what I go by on here too. I digress. I have a Bixlu and a Lalu ff posted on there and plan on joining AO3 to post there as well. I've come in search of inspiration and ideas, as well as fellow Fairy Tail fans.

That's all for now.

~FairyMama

[isabellafoster13]

Chapter One: Runaway

Lucy sat on the red covers that lay atop her large bed. The black curtains that hung from the corona above her canopy bed were pulled closed. The blonde teenager looked up from her book at the curtains and smiled. They were a gift from her mother before her death. The black curtains had a starry design on them, all eighty-eight of the night sky's constellations mapped out with golden threads sewed into the black, mesh fabric. Lucy reached out to one of the slits on either side of her bed and pulled back one of the curtains. Her brown eyes looked towards the large window that sat across from her.

She could see the full moon.

It was time.

The young woman sat her book down, stepped out of bed, and walked across her expansive bedroom to her large closet. Opening it, she reached in and pulled out an outfit that she had stashed in the back of her closet. She quickly walked back to her bed, laying the outfit down. She quickly slipped out of her nightdress and into the sleeveless, white-and-blue shirt, the short blue skirt, and tall, black leather boots. She fastened her brown leather belt around her hips, making sure that her whip and three keys, two gold and one silver, were fastened to her belt.

She made her way over to the large window. The pushed it open, looking down at the grassy ground below her. Steeling her resolve to escape this lavish prison, she walked back inside and grabbed a rope that she had managed to sneak away from the gardener's shed. She tied one end of the rope to her bedpost. Once secured, she went back to the open window and through the other end of the rope outside, watching as the end reached just a few feet above the ground. Lucy smiled, happy that her calculations were correct.

She took the rope in her hands and stood upon the window sill, turning her back to the outside world. Taking a deep breath, she began scaling down the mansion wall, going slowly so as to not lose her footing or grip. Once she reached the end of the rope, she let go, allowing herself to land on her feet. Lucy looked around, making sure that none of the guards had appeared. When she ensure that the coast was clear, she made a break for the forest that surrounded the estate.

She knew where she was going.

For she had long been planning this.

The blonde ran until she reached a town that had a train station. She stopped on the platform, leaning back against it as she breathed heavily, beads of sweat sliding down her pale skin. She waited a few minutes to catch her breath before walking over to the booth where she bought a ticket with the money she had tucked into her boot. She boarded the train and waited for it to take off towards Crocus.

Looking through the window, she could see the sun peeking above the horizon, just slightly. She knew that her father would notice her disappearance soon. She laid down as best could on her seat, closed her eyes, and tried to get as much sleep as she could.

"Now arriving at Crocus!"

The loud boom of the conductor's voice woke Lucy. The blonde sat up and rubbed her eyes. With a yawn, she stood up and walked off of the train. She exited the train station and stepped into the warm sunshine. Looking up, she squinted and saw the sun was directly above her in the sky. She looked back at her surroundings.

Crocus was the same as when she last visited a couple of years ago. All around her were large houses, stores, and restaurants. Lucy smiled, excited to be away from the mansion that her neglectful father had trapped her in. She began walking, searching for a magic shop. She hoped to not only buy a few new keys, but to also found out where the nearest apartments are.

After searching for some time, the blonde finally came upon a large magic shop. She dug out the money that she had tucked into her boot before entering. She was greeted by a middle-aged woman behind a counter as she scanned the shelves and glass casings, her brown eyes peeled for any keys.

By the end of her search, Lucy had found two silver keys. Happy that she was able to find any, the young mage walked to the counter to pay for the keys. "Ah, a celestial spirit mage, I see." The woman observed. Lucy nodded, smiling broadly. The older woman gave her a warm smile before asking, "Which ones are those?"

Lucy answered, "Horologium the Clock and Pyxis the Compass."

The woman nodded as she spoke, "that'll be forty-thousand jewel, dear." Lucy handed over the money, knowing that she had saved up enough for her first week in Crocus. That was enough time to find a place to live and a job.

Just before she turned to leave, Lucy asked, "do you know if there are any apartments for rent nearby?"

The woman nodded. "Just two blocks north, dear." Lucy thanked the woman and with a wave of goodbye, she walked out of the store and headed north. By the end of the day, Lucy had successfully found a place to live. Now with that done, she had to find a job. She sat in a bakery that also functioned as a cafe, sipping her iced coffee, and looked through a newspaper, looking for jobs that she was qualified for. Eventually, she sighed and set the folded newspaper down on the table she was sitting at.

The owner of the cafe approached her, folding her arms across her chest and donning a kind smile. The woman had greying brunette hair pulled into a tight bun. She was plump and clothed in a blue dress and white apron. Lucy looked up at the woman, raising an eyebrow. The woman spoke, "if you're looking for a job, then I can employ you. I've been looking for an employee for some time now." The woman pointed to a "help wanted" sign that sat in the window.

Lucy mentally face-palmed. How did she not see that sign? She looked up at the woman, asking, "what would I be doing?"

The woman answered with a bright smile, "you'll be taking orders, serving pastries and drinks, boxing to-go orders, making drinks, making deliveries, and running various errands."

Lucy sat her iced coffee down. "I won't be doing any baking, will I?"

The woman shook her head. "I will be doing all of the baking."

"So, basically, I'll be a waitress and a gofer?" The woman nodded her head at the blonde's question, causing Lucy to smile. It sounded like a job she could do. She decided to ask one more question, "how much will I be paid?"

The woman answered, "100,000 jewel a week."

Lucy raised her eyebrows at that. It was definitely enough to pay her rent and groceries. She nodded her head, accepting the job offer, as she questioned once again, "when do I start?"

"This Monday."

Lucy nodded her understanding and thanked the woman for employing her. The woman walked away and into the back of the bakery to tend to her baking pastries. Lucy picked up her cup and left the bakery. She was quite surprised at her luck. As she walked back to her apartment to retire for the day, she became more and more excited about her first job in five days.

[lupinsinactivemainblog]

This is my artwork for the Mashima's heros Big Bang hosted by @ft-ez-bb !! please check out @geekyjuvia25 's fic https://archiveofourown.org/works/29180436 !!!

[fairytail-multishipper]

Could I get some Bixlu and Frecana headcannons pretty please? 💖

Send me a character/ship and I’ll tell you some headcanons

Please let me know if you want nsfw in your ask or I’ll assume sfw

Bixlu

Bickslow really wanted Lucy to teach him Celestial Spirit magic

She did teach him, but Lucy wasn’t willing to part with any of her Spirits

So she just taught him how to summon the Spirits

She told him that he could have any of the new keys they find together

Bickslow likes to tease Lucy that she’s a clingy cuddle bunny

While they’re cuddling

And he’s holding on to her for dear life

Lucy’s always been a bit more on the chubbier side, and Bickslow loves it

Not only does he think she’s the prettiest woman on the face of Earthland

But he also loves blowing raspberries on her stomach

Frecana

Freed is such a smooth flirt, it’s almost too much for Cana’s heart to handle

He can make almost anything sound sexy and flirty

Cana’s flirting style is much more... Direct

Obvious pick-up lines that are mostly sex-based

Their dates are like the spaghetti scene from Lady and the Tramp

Freed’ll find any excuse to kiss her

She doesn’t mind though

She loves pda and kissing him in public

All over each other always

But not enough to get them kicked out anywhere, of course

[dragonshost]

"There was an etching of a bird on the door." For the sentence thing! (if, you know, you want to)

There was an etching of a bird on the door.

It was in flight, probably some sort of swallow but that was about all that Bickslow could figure from his limited knowledge on birds. Still, the image stuck in his head in a way he had trouble articulating. Maybe it was because he knew it meant something to Lucy, even if he wasn't sure what that would be. He wondered if Laki had carved it for her as a housewarming gift.

Which brought him back to his original purpose in coming to her door in the first place, his own gift for her poorly wrapped and held awkwardly under one arm, and so he raised his hand to knock on his friend's door, desperately hoping that she would like what he'd spent half his latest reward on.

[purplepixie512]

Broken Spirits, Snakes, and Souls (on Wattpad) https://my.w.tt/BAWPLOv1y5 Lucy starts going on more solo missions after Tartarus, but what happens when a mission with natsu goes wrong and Lucy gets captured? Will Team Natsu and the rest of Fairy Tail find her, or will it be someone that she never expected that didn't even know she was missing? What happens when bickslows soulmate goes missing and he has yet to tell her and only master knows? Will he go crazy before they find her? Will they ever find her? Cobra knows what his mates soul sounds like and he's fairly sure its the blonde chick from fairy tail that he's tried to kill twice, but what happens when he finds her in a terrible condition? Will love blossom? Cover art by miss-zei.tumblr.com

[swampraven]

𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟

Category: Anime/Manga » Fairy Tail Author: brenslow Language: English, Rating: Rated: M Genre: Hurt/Comfort/Romance Published: 01-27-20, Updated: 01-27-20 Chapters: 1, Words: 4,451

[furidojasutin]

fluff prompt: ‘Just me and you, yeah?’ from this list requested by @raijindork

pairing: Bixlu (Bixlow x Lucy)

universe: canon

rating: K+

Lucy squeaked at the sudden attack. One moment she had been sitting comfortably on the picnic blanket and the other she found herself getting thrown over the shoulder of her boyfriend. How dare!

“Bix!” She heard him cackle and wondered what she even expected. Going somewhere with the seith mage was never boring. It was similar to going somewhere with his best friend Natsu; just with less destruction and the difference that Bixlow was allowed to do things to her that no one else could.

Sometimes she hated having such a soft spot for him. “Let me down! What are you doing you moron!”

More cackling met her words and Lucy let out another squeak as her body slipped forward a little. Bixlow had her safe in her grip as he ran around the grassland without a clear destination in mind but the position she was in was awkward.

Nevertheless laughter finally erupted from her lips. It had the seith mage smile, stopping in his cackling sounds for a moment but not in his movements. “I'm gonna show you the world!”

“Pff!!” Was he now? The world of the grassland they had settled down at to have a relaxing picnic? This wasn't relaxing! “That's not the proper way to carry a lady! I can't even see anything really,” she laughed and held onto him as she felt the man adjusting her position.

“I thought you don't like all that lady stuff.”

“Well I don't- necessarily-” She hated to be forced into prim and proper dresses, she hated the faked politeness and the non-existent freedom of a noble life. But there was nothing at all wrong with some gentlemanly attitude towards her! Both was good, wild and gentle! She needed a good rhythm.

“So quit complaining, Cosplayer. I'm making an effort here just for ya!”

“You're an idiot!” Lucy huffed and again he laughed. She didn't expect him to actually turn around and head back to where they had laid out their blanket and basket with drinks and snacks but she figured that this is what he was doing now.

A minute later the two mages found themselves sitting on the soft blanket once more. Bixlow had nearly tripped before reaching it. It had almost caused Lucy a heart attack but nothing had happened beside her shirt totally ruffled and almost revealing her bra. Not that this would have been scandalous; nobody else was in sight and this was her boyfriend after all. He had seen far more of her than this.

Running a hand through her blond hair Lucy sighed before watching the seith mage lie down. It was always nicer to see him without his visor on, and clothes that were leaving absolutely no inch of skin of him to see. He looked happy, she thought. And wasn't she too? She definitely was. Despite the almost-heart attack and the moment of her getting scared of being picked up like that out of the blue when just about to doze off, she was fond of the light-hearted atmosphere they got out of this.

It was always so special. It always drew a smile from her. A genuine smile.

Bixlow grinned at her. Lucy knew it was a either a dare to say something agitated or an invitation to join him. She decided for the latter.

“So, you want to show me the world?” The question came after the two of them had just looked into each other's eyes for a moment. Bixlow's eyes were so unique; a wonderful shade of crimson.

“There's lotta places we haven't seen yet,” he answered and his reply was more thoughtful than she had expected it to be. She wasn't sure if he had wanted for his thoughtfulness to get to the surface but she was glad that it did. Lucy knew that it had always been one of Bixlow's dreams to run an own theater or circus without animals. Just fun attractions, mostly acrobatic and funny ones. She knew that he loved to see different places and even though both of them had seen their fair share on journeys thanks to their life as mage, there was still so much to discover.

“I think I would like that,” she muttered finally and gave him a gentle smile. They were both laying on their side and looking at each other. Thinking about this suggestion, she didn't want to leave Magnolia and her friends behind for all too long. But there was nothing against a prolonged vacation every once in a while, and enough time for them to see as many places as possible.

If he wanted to show her the world, then she would go with him gladly.

“Just me and you, yeah?” Another of Bixlow's typical grins sneaked onto his face but Lucy could see the softness in his eyes. Oh how she truly loved to see his eyes.

Smiling, her own brown eyes bearing just as much softness, she leaned forward to place a kiss on the tip of his nose. “Just me and you.”

[theghoulthatwrites]

To Heal the Heart

Fandom: Fairy Tail

Pairing: Bixlu

Summary: Nobody knew exactly what Lucy did during the Battle of Tartarus in order to save her family, except for Laxus. She has withdrawn from her team and the people around her, unwilling to let them into her soul. That is, until a certain blue haired Seith mage worms his way in. -Complete overhaul of the original story written 3 years ago, with hopefully an intent to complete.

Rated: K+

FF.net | AO3

Chapter 1

Lucy Heartfilia's childhood was, by no means, one that could be considered traumatic. Given the status of her family, Lucy's upbringing was very much the norm of their society. But that didn't discard the fact that Lucy wanted more. She didn't want to be married off to some old entrepreneur that would no doubt increase her father's wealth. Lucy want to be free; she wanted to have the ability to choose. She wanted to choose who she dated, what she wore, what she did with her time. If she had stayed with her father, Lucy would have lost the mere possibility of a different future. So she left – without looking back. 

While her childhood wasn't necessarily a horrible one, Lucy didn't come out of it unscathed. A deceased mother, an absentee father, scores of nannies and servants did not stop the young girl from feeling alone. Lucy grew up learning to internalize her emotions, confiding in no one. Why would she?Her father rarely spoke to her and the servants were merely collecting a paycheck from her father.

Fairy Tail had truly become Lucy's family in the time that she ran from her old life. The warmth of companionship, the ability to do what she wanted – the freedom; Fairy Tail had given her all of that and more. She fit right in among the colorful characters of the guild, who each brought their own strengths to the family. Lucy quickly became known as the "Light of Fairy Tail," due to her infectious positivity and her selfless personality. And Lucy was fine with that. Nobody suspected the Celestial mage's light to go out.

After the battle with Tartarus, Lucy was finding herself struggling to keep up her bubbly personality in front of her family. It hung heavily on her soul that she had broken Aquarius' key in order to summon the Spirit King so that they would have a fighting chance. Nobody in the guild – save for one person – knew what she did during that fateful battle. Her own team was completely unaware that Lucy had broken a piece of herself to save them all. She didn't regret saving her home, but she mourned for the heavy loss that resulted.

Lucy wore the broken key on a chain around her neck, hidden by uncharacteristically high necklines and baggy tops. Strangely, the guild didn't seem to even take notice of the blonde's sudden change in attire. Of course, there had been a few disbelieving faces the first time she walked into the guild in form fitting capris and a baggy sweater. That disbelief passed quickly as Lucy continued to act as she always had; cheerful and positive.

-

It was another normal day at Fairy Tail; Natsu and Gray were fighting, Cana was drowning herself in copious amounts of beer, the usual. Lucy sat at the bar, sipping on a strawberry milkshake while she watched all the activity around her. The guild doors creaked and she turned around to see Laxus arriving. She smiled slightly as Natsu attempted to coerce the older Dragon Slayer into fighting. 'Some things never change', she thought, watching as Laxus simply punch Natsu across the hall and continue on his way to the bar.

"You know that you'll never hear the end of it for no using magic, right?" she asked as the older man claimed the stool next to her.

Mira appeared with a tankard of beer, depositing it in front of Laxus. He took a large swig before answering. "Ain't my fault that he can't take a punch."

"Fair point," Lucy laughed.

The pair fell into silence, both sipping on their drinks, while Lucy's thoughts turned towards the Lightning Dragon Slayer beside her. Their first meeting had not been good. Laxus and his team had attacked their own guild, all because they believed their guildmates to be weak and inferior. Not to mention that he was rude to just about everyone. It wasn't until he had helped defeat Grimoire Heart did Lucy begin to see the changes he went through in his time of exile from the guild. Since then, Lucy had steadily grown closer to the older mage. They were so close these days that Lucy had actually started calling Laxus her brother and vice versa. 'If anybody had told me that I would one day be Laxus' little sister, I would have had them committed to a psych ward', she mused.

"So, how's it been?" she heard him ask, interrupting her trip down memory lane.

Lucy shrugged impassively. "Can't complain, really."

"Blondie, you know what I'm talking about," Laxus muttered. "Out with it."

Sighing, Lucy swirled her milkshake with the straw, avoiding Laxus' gaze. She lowered her voice for only him to hear. "It's gotten worse."

Laxus watched as his sister's gaze bored into her glass as if it held all the answers. His heart ached to see the young woman so despondent. He wanted to take Lucy away from it all. Away from all the feelings of pain, sadness, loneliness, worthlessness. As a Dragon Slayer, second generation be damned, Laxus had an intense desire to protect his family from the world. Of course, the whole guild was his family, but Lucy was different. His inner dragon had claimed the Celestial mage as his kin, the most important connection Dragon Slayer's could have aside from a mate. Therefore, it physically pained Laxus to watch as Lucy slid further and further into despair.

"I went to the doctor a couple weeks ago," she continued, "and he prescribed some medication. But all it's done so far is change my appetite. Meaning, I eat less often and when I do eat, it's at the strangest times."

"... Is that why you made me bring you food at 3 am the other night?"

Lucy smiled ruefully as she nodded. "Sorry about that, I didn't have any food at my place."

"Well then," Laxus grinned, "aren't you just the luckiest mage in all of Earthland to have me for a big brother?"

Lucy couldn't suppress her giggle as she slowly stood up from her stool. Tossing some jewels onto the bar top, she glanced around the hall before planting a quick kiss on Laxus' cheek.

"Where are you going?" Laxus watched as she turned away and began walking towards the doors.

"For a walk," Lucy called over her shoulder, waving a hand in the air. "I'll call you if something comes up!"

Laxus watched as the young woman left the hall, so quick and quiet that nobody but him noticed her departure. Sighing, he picked up his beer and wandered over to the table that housed his teammates. He knew that she shouldn't be left alone, but he also knew that following her would only make her angry. He'd watched her closely for years and he knew her tells. When Lucy began avoiding eye contact, something was wrong.

-

"Hello, Laxus," Freed greeted as Laxus flopped into a seat at the table, grunting his own greeting. "Is there something wrong?"

Laxus debated on his answer. He could always use the excuse of too much paperwork, but he didn't feel like lying to his team. Freed would shut down, thinking that he'd upset the man in some way and Evergreen would just pester him incessantly until he told her the truth. Bickslow wouldn't have pried, he never did. The Seith mage always opted to wait it out for Laxus to offer the truth himself. Looking up from his beer, Laxus decided to give a generic version of the truth.

"I'm just worried about Blondie." Laxus watched as Freed and Evergreen's eyes widened in disbelief. "What?"

"Why Lucy?" Both Freed and Evergreen asked simultaneously.

"Isn't she always happy?" Evergreen couldn't recall a time when the resident Celestial mage wasn't sickeningly sweet and cheery.

Laxus didn't offer any explanation. He lapsed into a brooding silence, taking swings of his beer and ignoring the stares of Freed and Evergreen.

Bickslow watched Laxus from beneath his helmet. It was obvious, to Bickslow at least, that whatever was going on with Lucy was legitimately bothering the Dragon Slayer. 'I wonder what Cosplayer could have done to put him in a mood like this', he wondered to himself. While Freed and Evergreen prodded Laxus for information, Bickslow discreetly beckoned on of his babies to his side.

"Follow Cosplayer, but don't let her notice," he instructed the little totem.

"Follow Cosplayer!" The little totem, Pip, bobbed up and down excitedly before zooming out of an open window to follow Lucy's soul.

Watching Pip disappear, Bickslow told himself that he was only doing it for Laxus' sake. While it's true that Bickslow would do almost anything for his best friend, Bickslow knew that it wasn't only for his friend's benefit. He did it because he also cared deeply for the girl. The advantage to wearing a helmet was that Bickslow could watch the people around him with relative anonymity. Bickslow had notice a slight change in Lucy's character and decided to take a peek at her soul. Lucy's soul was normally a bright pink color with many large swirls of gold; it was one of the most beautiful souls he had ever seen. But since Tartarus, those golden swirls had been losing their luster and disappearing.

It was with that image in mind that Bickslow had sent Pip to follow the woman.

Stretching her arms over her head, Lucy strolled through the streets of Magnolia, smiling at the shopkeepers and children milling around. She made her way towards the forest bordering the East edge of the city. Entering the trees and shrubs, Lucy allowed her hands to brush against the bark of the trees and through the leaves of the shrubs. She kept walking until she came upon a familiar clearing spotted with clusters of wildflowers – some of which she planted. Lowering herself onto a soft patch of grass, Lucy leaned back until her back touch the grass and crossed her arms over her stomach. 'This place is a Godsend', she sighed contentedly. Here, she could be truly alone. Nobody knew where she went when she wanted to be alone, not even Laxus. The strong scent of the blooming wildflowers all but completely masked her scent, making it so that not even her nosy teammates could find her – with Natsu leading, of course. Even her spirits knew not to appear unless explicitly called by her.

Lucy yawned lightly and closed her eyes, basking in the warm sunlight until her eyes drifted closed. The serene atmosphere of the clearing never failed to lull her into sleep. It was so easy for her to surrender herself to the world of dreams here.

[

"Natsu! Erza! Gray! Get up!" Lucy cried, looking at her friends' unconscious bodies mere feet away from her. She was battered and bruised all over her body, bleeding profusely from a stab wound on her right thigh. The building around her was destroyed, the walls crumbling around her. "What can I do... There has to be something!"

She wracked her brain furiously, despite the pain lancing through her body, desperately searching for a way to defeat the enemy. Nothing. For all her knowledge and quick thinking, Lucy was coming up empty. She curled into herself, unaware of the water spirit watching her intently.

"Lucy..." Aquarius moved in front of her key holder, waiting until the woman looked up with tear filled eyes. "There is a way to defeat them."

Lucy's eyes widened. "W-What?"

"Summon the Spirit King."

Her breath caught painfully, her body tensing. She knew how to summon the Spirit King, but it came at a great cost. In order to summon him, a golden key – a Zodiac key – would be sacrificed. The spirit wouldn't die – they couldn't – but the key would be broken, unable to ever summon the spirit again. Lucy stared at Aquarius, shocked. "I... I could never do that, Aquarius... I made a promise to never harm my spirits – my friends."

Aquarius ignored the woman's refusal. "Use my key, Lucy."

Lucy's bottom lip trembled as she watched the very serious gleam in her spirit's eyes. Aquarius was willing to destroy her gate to help Lucy and her family. She knew that it had to be done, if Fairy Tail was to make it out of this battle alive, but her body refused to move.

Sighing, Aquarius removed her own key from Lucy's ring and took hold of the girl's shaking hand. She pressed the key into her palm, curling her fingers around the cool metal. "There is no other way, Lucy. We both know that."

Lucy looked down at her hand wrapped around the key. She knew. She had to do it. For the first time in her entire life, Lucy had to break a promise. And it was quite possibly the biggest promise she would ever break in her entire existence. Lucy took a steadying breath – not that it helped much – and lifted her arm, her body aching in protest. She used the last ounce of her energy to channel her magic into the key. "Open... Gate of the Spirit King!"

Lucy watched, helpless, as a blinding light erupted around the water spirit. She watched as the spirit's water wrapped itself around the mermaid, taking her spirit back into the Spirit Realm. Just before disappearing completely, Aquarius looked back at her holder – the girl she had witnessed grow into the woman she was today.

"Aquarius...!" She screamed the spirit's name until her throat was raw. Tears began to fall furiously from Lucy's eyes, mixing with the blood on her cheeks. Lucy's pained cries continued as the water spirit disappeared from her sight forever, leaving the Spirit King in her place. The key in her hand cracked, but didn't shatter.

Lucy held the broken key in a death grip to her chest as she doubled over, sobbing. She didn't watch as the Spirit King defeated the enemies around her, she just continued crying.

]

Lucy awoke violently, shooting up into a sitting position. She was sweating profusely and panting as if she had run a marathon. Taking deep breaths to calm her nerves, she glanced around the clearing; the sun was beginning to set, casting the world in a subtle red glow. She didn't know exactly how long she had been asleep, but it couldn't have been more than a couple hours.

Her breath hitched painfully as tears began to gather in her eyes, stinging. Lucy brought her knees to her chest, burying her face in them, fighting to keep the tears from falling. Logically, she knew that there was no other option during that fateful battle. Unless she wanted to herself and her entire way of life to be wiped out, Lucy had to sacrifice something dear to her. There was no point in succumbing to tears after the fact. 'But it hurts so much... Aquarius...' She reached to her chest, clutching the broken key hanging from her neck. Lucy's heart felt as though it had been penetrated with a white hot knife, utterly broken and painful.

Lucy stayed in that position for what felt like hours, all the while holding onto the key and forcing her tears and sobs down. She froze when she heard leaves rustling behind her. Assuming it was just a woodland creature, Lucy barely spared a glance in that direction. But her eyes widened as she realized that it wasn't an animal, it was a person. 'Nobody knows I'm here...' Lucy lifted her head higher, watching as whoever it was slowly approached the clearing. She couldn't conceal the shock and disbelief from her face once she recognized the man stepping from the forrest.

"Bickslow...?" His name came left her mouth in barely a whisper.

"Yo."

-

Pip had kept in contact with Bickslow since leaving the guild, letting him know which streets she was walking on and even the direction she was headed. 'The forest? That's odd...' Bickslow figured that Lucy was just going home for the day. His worry increased marginally when he felt the blonde's soul twisting in pain and sadness; Pip had also been silent for a couple hours.

He glanced across the table at Laxus, noticing with slight surprise that the man was pale. Laxus was sitting in tense silence, his eyes pinched in acute pain. He hadn't ordered another beer – or even finished the one he had – and he was oblivious to Freed attempting to catch his attention. Bickslow had never seen Laxus look like that. 'What the fuck is going on?'

Bickslow silently berated himself for not following the woman himself – he was even irritated with Laxus for not following her. He appeared to have a better idea of what was happening, so why hadn't he followed after Lucy? Of course, Bickslow figured that Laxus had his own reasons why he didn't go after her – maybe she didn't want anyone to follow her.

"Bickslow!" Pip's voice popped into the Seith mage's head, breaking him from his thoughts. "Lucy cry! Lucy in pain!"

Bickslow didn't waste a nanosecond from the time Pip finished talking, he immediately jumped from his seat and began running out of the guild. He didn't spare a single glance for his dumbfounded teammates, he was acutely focused on finding the blonde.

Laxus' head snapped up the second he heard Bickslow's chair scrape on the floor. He barely had time to register the look on the man's face before he was sprinting towards the doors. It was Lucy. Laxus had known that Bickslow sent one of his babies to tail the blonde; he also knew that the man harbored feelings for his little sister. So when Bickslow jumped from his seat, Laxus was barely a beat behind him. He slammed through the guild doors mere nanoseconds after him. Behind them, Freed and Evergreen sat at the table with open mouths. 'What the hell just happened?' Evergreen thought.

It bothered Laxus that he could barely smell Lucy's scent. He inhaled deeply, nostrils flared, searching for even the slightest hint of strawberries and vanilla. It was useless, he couldn't get a good lead on her exact location and that only served to increase his worry substantially. Defeated, Laxus simply ran after Bickslow, since he seemed to know exactly where to go.

-

"Yo."

Bickslow slowly and carefully walked towards Lucy. He noticed that her face was free of tears, but her large brown eyes were utterly drowning in them. Her soul was still twisted in pain and grief. Usually, he didn't deal with crying women – or upset women in general. Whenever Evergreen was upset, which was often, Bickslow just shut his mouth and gave her space. But this was Lucy. Looking at the blonde's soul, Bickslow couldn't let himself leave her alone.

He stopped a few feet away from her, his babies hovering around him. He just stared at Lucy, wracking his brain for something to say. Clearing his throat, he mumbled the only thing he could conjur up. "Are you okay, Lucy?"

Lucy barely registered the man's use of her first name, instead wiping her eyes with her hands. "I'm fine."

'Sure as hell don't look fine, Cosplayer.' Bickslow just looked at her.

Unable to handle his gaze, Lucy looked at the little totems floating around him. "What are you doing here, Bickslow?"

Bickslow shrugged. "I had Pip follow you," he stated, offering nothing more. Pip landed on Bickslow's shoulder.

"Follow Lucy!" Pip squeaked happily.

Lucy had no chance to respond as Laxus burst from the treeline behind Bickslow and ran straight for her. He dropped to his knees in front of her, breathing heavily. He sniffed the air around his sister, nose crinkling at the tinge of salt in her usual scent.

"What happened?" Laxus gently pulled the woman to his chest, burying his nose in her hair.

Lucy sighed, unable to stop a few tears leaking from the corners of her eyes. "I dreamt again."

Laxus growled softly. He knew exactly what her dream was about and it bothered him that he could do nothing to stop it. "You said you were going to call if something happened."

Lucy eyes rolled slightly. "It's not like I planned on falling asleep and dreaming, big brother. I just wanted to be alone for a while."

"Still..."

"Um... I hate to ruin this beautiful moment of feelings," Bickslow chimed in. "But will somebody please explain to me what's going on right now? Like, why Cosplayer is calling you 'big brother'?"

Laxus and Lucy bother turned their heads towards Bickslow, having forgotten he was even there. He had been so silent during their exchange. Laxus quietly looked at Lucy, eyebrow raised.

Lucy returned her brother's look, shaking her head. "Not here."

Laxus nodded and gathered Lucy in his arms before standing. He ignored Lucy's pointed stare – the one reserved for when he went full big brother mode – and gestured for Bickslow to follow him. "Where to, Blondie?"

"What the fuck is happening right now?" Bickslow asked again under his breath.

Lucy ignored Bickslow, pondering where the best place to have this conversation would be. It was an easy decision, really. She rested her head on Laxus' shoulder as she spoke, "Your house. I don't want Natsu and the team to appear randomly."

Bickslow raised his eyebrows, though hidden by his helmet. He stood still, trying to figure out for himself just what the fuck was going on, until he heard Laxus grunt. Looking up, he realized that the two blondes were already at the treeline. Snapping himself out of his stupor, he quickly rushed after the pair.

-

The trip from the forest to Laxus' house was made mostly in silence, with the exception of their footsteps. Every now and then, Laxus would whisper something to Lucy and she would smile slightly. Bickslow followed a small distance behind the pair, a look of confusion underneath his helmet at the sight of Lucy comfortably resting her head on Laxus' massive shoulder.

After what felt like hours – to Bickslow at least – the trio finally arrived at Laxus' house. Bickslow watched as Lucy pulled a small key from her key ring and unlocked the door. 'Strange... Laxus doesn't give out keys to his house,' Bickslow thought, surprised that the blonde had one. With the door opened, Laxus stepped over the threshold and headed for his living room, with Bickslow trudging in behind him. Bickslow gingerly sat on the sofa, his babies settling in the space around him as he removed his helmet, placing it on the cushion beside him. He waited silently as Laxus placed Lucy on one of the overstuffed armchairs carefully before claiming the one next to it.

"So-" Bickslow was cut off by a sudden flash of yellow light, temporarily blinding him. He blinked his eyes back into focus and saw that a ginger-headed spirit stood in front of Lucy, bowing slightly. Bickslow grumbled at being cut off, his questions once again ignored. Laxus shot him a warning glare, effectively silencing the Seith mage from his irritation.

"Lucy," Loke greeted his master, leaning down to give her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Hi, Loke." Lucy sighed when he pulled away from her face. She felt slightly annoyed at the fact that her spirit opened his gate on his own; she sometimes hated when they did that. But, Lucy figured that Loke was here for a reason, so she decided to forego the lecture.

Loke reached into his blazer and pulled out a sealed envelope along with a large lollipop. He held them out for Lucy to take. "A letter from Aquarius and a gift from Plue."

Lucy's eyes widened slightly at the mention of the mermaid spirit's name. She willed her hand not to tremble as the took the gifts from Loke's hand. "Thank you, Loke. Please tell Plue I will summon him in a minute."

"Your wish is my command, Princess," he drawled, dramatically placing a hand to his chest and bowing from the waist. He ignored Lucy's eye roll as he bent to place another kiss on her cheek. He lowered his voice and whispered, "Read it when you're alone or it's just you and Laxus. Aquarius made that stipulation when she gave me the letter."

Lucy nodded quietly and tucked the letter into her bra, ignored the strange look she received from Bickslow. She gave Loke a small hug before he disappeared in another flash of bright yellow light. Before she addressed the blue haired Seith mage in front of her, Lucy softly touched Plue's key and summoned the little dog spirit. She laughed softly as the spirit popped out of thin air and landed gracefully in her lap. Immediately, Plue latched onto Lucy.

"Pu-Puun," he cooed, burying his small face in her chest. Lucy smiled warmly and placed her hand on the little snowman's head, stroking it gently. She bent her head and placed a kiss on the spirit's head before finally acknowledging Bickslow across the coffee table.

She cleared her throat delicately. "So, what exactly do you want to know?"

Bickslow forced his attention from the small spirit seeming to try and suffocate himself in Lucy's chest, slowly meeting Lucy's warm brown eyes. He had so many questions. But where was the best place to begin? Sighing, he opted for the slightly less confusing question he had. "Why did you call Laxus 'big brother'?"

"After my humiliating defeat by Flare at the Grand Magic Games, I was confined to the on-site infirmary. Of course, Flare was playing dirty by threatening to kill Asuka during the fight, but that's beside the point." Lucy shook her head. She was still angry with herself for being unable to protect her guild and defeat the Raven Tail mage. "One day, Laxus came to see me. Needless to say, I was caught off guard; we were barely even acquaintances, after all."

Lucy glanced at Laxus from the corner of her eye. She grinned at the almost embarassed look on his face. Turning back to the mage before her, she continued, "What really surprised me was that look in his eyes as he took in all the bandages covering my body. He seemed... Angry. At first, I wrote it off as new found concern for his guildmate. As you saw in the clearing, that is no longer the case."

Lucy giggled when Laxus shot her a pointed look. "Anyway, after the games and the whole Eclipse gate debacle, Laxus and I slowly began talking more at the guild. We even went on a couple missions together once we became more comfortable around each other."

Bickslow's face lit up in a sudden realization. He looked at Laxus. "So all those 'solo' jobs you went on were actually with Lucy?"

Laxus nodded. "Made for a nice break from you three."

Lucy reached over and patted Laxus' hand. "Please don't get me off topic, big brother. I'm trying to explain your hidden squishy side to your teammate."

"Now, as I was saying... After growing comfortable around each other, it was almost inevitable that Laxus would catch me in the middle of a forest, isolated and crying. Our sibling-esque relationship sort of went on from that point. Of course, there more to it than that, but that's a conversation for another time."

"Well, I gave her a very lengthy lecture on the dangers of wandering into a forest alone before anything else happened." Laxus looked pointedly at Lucy's sheepish smile.

"Okay..." Bickslow nodded, trying to process the information just given to him. He knew Laxus had to have some softness to him underneath the hundred layers of macho and strength. He just didn't really expect it to be found by the blonde Celestial mage sitting next to the huge man. Rather than dwell solely on that topic – he still couldn't fully wrap his mind around the subject – he moved on his next question. "What did you dream that was so painful? Your soul was twisted in grief while you were sleeping."

Lucy froze for a second, bowing her head and fiddling with Plue's paws. The spirit stood on her lap to nuzzle his face into Lucy's neck comfortingly. She winced and looked up when Laxus flicked her forehead.

"I can tell him if you aren't up to it," he offered. He knew it was hard for Lucy to talk about it.

"No, I'll do it. I suppose I should get used to saying it if I ever gain the courage to tell the guild," she sighed. She took a deep breath her steady herself, looking up to meet the red eyes of Laxus' teammate.

"Do you remember when your team was poisoned by that demon during the battle?" She waited for Bickslow's nod before continuing. "Well, my team and I went on to fight Tartarus, leaving you four in Wendy's care. Unfortunately for us, we came extremely close to being killed by the demons that were attacking us in the Cube."

Bickslow blinked. He hadn't known that.

"But, as you can plainly see, we survived," Lucy stated blandly. "However, there was a reason for that. Me being that reason."

"I thought that Natsu was the one that defeated the demons..." Bickslow was growing more confused. "Then... how did you defeat them?"

Still fiddling with Plue's paws, she answered, "I summoned the Spirit King."

Bickslow's eyes widened in shock. She had said it so nonchalantly, as if summoning the strongest spirit he knew of was no large feat. Despite her cool tone, Bickslow could see the way her eyes hardened in pain. "I'm guessing that was something amazing, you saved everyone in the Cube. But I also get the sense that there's more to the story."

"Summoning the Spirit King is different from summoning any other spirit. He has no physical key or gate," Lucy explained. "The only way to summon him is to use what it called a substitution summoning. Essentially, you use a golden key as compensation for the lack of a key specifically for the Spirit King. The only way that a substitution summoning can succeed is if the holder has a very strong connection the spirit represented by the key."

"Hold on... You used one of your Zodiac keys to summon what is possibly the most powerful being in the world?" Lucy nodded. Again, Bickslow got the sense that there was more. "What else happens?"

"You know, Bickslow, you're a lot smarter than you appear," Lucy remarked, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly. Bickslow just gave her a blank stare, waiting. She sighed. "The downside to a substitution summoning is that the key used as a substitute is broken; that spirit can never be summoned again."

"Which... Which key did you use?" Bickslow watched as Lucy's brown eyes filled with tears.

Lucy felt Laxus' big hand rubbing circles into her back, offering comfort. Her hand trembled slightly as she reach under the neckline of her shirt to pull out a chain with a golden key hanging from it. The key was had a deep crack running its entire length. "Aquarius told me to use her key."

Bickslow stared at the broken key. His mind came to a complete stop as a single thought took over all others. He knew just how much Lucy treasured her spirits, they were family to her. The sheer knowledge that Lucy had gone against all her beliefs to save their guild left him breathless. "Lu-"

Finally, Lucy allowed the tears burning in her eyes to fall, not giving Bickslow a chance to say anything else. She buried her face in her hands, her teeth clenching tightly. Her breathing turned ragged as she tried to take deep breaths during the cascade of tears. Plue frantically tried to calm his master.

"Pun Pun!" The little snowman tried to burrow his way between Lucy's arms to wipe her tears with his small paw. He cooed sadly.

Lucy couldn't even give the little spirit a smile at his attempt to comfort her. But she did remove her hands from her face to wrap Plue up in her arms, holding him to her as she cried. She could feel Bickslow's gaze boring into her, but she wouldn't look at him. 'I bet he thinks I'm weak,' she thought. 'Little Lucy Heartfilia, crying her eyes out even though she single-handedly saved the guild from destruction.' She barely registered large arms being wrapped around her shuddering frame and lifting her from the chair. A small amount of pain was relieved when she realized that Laxus had placed her in his lap, nose buried in her hair, letting her soak his shirt with her tears. Lucy twisted her fingers in his shirt, clinging to him.

Laxus looked up from his sister, catching Bickslow's eye. "I'm going to put her bed. We'll see you at the guild tomorrow."

Bickslow nodded silently and stood. He grabbed his helmet from the sofa and slowly made his way to the door.

"Bix," he heard Laxus call softly. Bickslow stopped and turned his head towards his friend. "If you tell anyone about this conversation, I'll make sure you wish you had never found out."

Bickslow couldn't help the shudder that went through him at the look in his friend's eyes. He could clearly see the warning and promise of extreme pain his Laxus' blue-gray eyes. He took one last look at Lucy, now sniffling and hiccuping in her brother's arms.

"You got it, Boss," he promised.

-

Bickslow walked the streets of Magnolia in a daze. His mind was reeling from the onslaught of information that his was given. His head ached as he processed the realization of what exactly happened during Tartarus. If Lucy hadn't sacrificed one of her beloved spirits, they would all be dead. She would be dead. That thought made his heart shoot with pain. He knew Lucy was strong; she'd fought him twice and beaten him both times. But now her strength had evolved to a whole other level in his eyes; if betraying your own beliefs and promises was any indicator of that.

He was starting to have a newfound respect for the small Celestial mage. She was almost on Laxus' level of respect, in his eyes. A level that Bickslow thought no other person would be a part of.

As he lay in bed, Bickslow's thoughts turned to her soul. Lucy had one of the most beautiful souls he had ever seen. Even when he fought her for the first time during the Fantasia incident, Bickslow was attracted to the blonde's soul. Her soul radiated peace and comfort to all that came into contact with her, himself included. He ground his teeth in frustration; her beautiful soul was losing it's light and he didn't know how to stop it.

A new thought appeared in his mind. Bickslow was going to make it his goal to rekindle the waning Light of Fairy Tail. There was absolutely no way that he was just going to sit back and hope for the best. He was going to do something about. After all, he did like as more than just a friend and comrade.

[raijindork]

Souls & Spirits - Ch. 60

Summary: Everything seems to fall into place when the right  person comes into your life. That was what Bickslow realised, anyway,  but if it hadn’t been for them getting paired up for a job together, he  never would have realised that Lucy was that right person who would  light up his world in ways he never thought possible. Pairing: BixLu Rating: T/M (Mostly T. Explicit chapters marked.) Words: 5000~ Read on FF.Net.

After several years, the final chapter has arrived.

“You’re a little asshole, you know that?”

Bickslow gasped dramatically, quickly covering his son’s ears with his hands. “You take that back!”

Laxus puffed out his chest and crossed his arms. “No,” he insisted. “Hunter’s an asshole.”

“He’s nine months old!”

“Yeah, and he’s an asshole,” Laxus once again insisted, leaning down just to ruffle his newphew’s short cobalt hair. “Aren’t ya, buddy?”

Hunter merely looked up at Laxus for a moment and started giggling, his tongue just barely peeking past his lips. The first time Bickslow had seen that Hunter had managed to pick up that particular trait, it had been in the middle of the guild a few months early, and at first, he’d thought it was just a coincidence. But then it had happened again, and again, and then Lucy had seen it and berated him for a week for teaching their child bad habits. Now though, Bickslow couldn’t help but feel a little proud every time he saw his son do his little tongue wag.

“He’s not an asshole,” Bickslow argued though, finally taking his hands away from Hunter’s ears—he’d heard far worse anyway, much to Lucy’s annoyance—just to sit back on the soft, cushioned floor of the guild’s new playroom. “Jax is an asshole.”

Laxus straightened back up and narrowed his eyes at his friend. “Now you take that back. Jax isn’t an asshole, Hunter is—“

“Your kids are both fuckin’ assholes,” Gajeel groaned from the other side of the room, his daughter on his lap with one of Levy’s Rune Basics books in front of them both. Gajeel had argued it was too advanced for a kid who wasn’t even two, but he’d lost that war the second it had begun. “Just like their fathers. So both of you, shut it.”

“Ash-hole!” Gajeel’s daughter said triumphantly. Bickslow and Laxus paled when the toddler grinned and began triumphantly echoing her new favourite word. “Ash-hole, ash-hole, ash-hole!” she said.

Laxus wasted no time in scooping up his own toddler under one arm and making a quick departure, mumbling something about going and hiding behind the bar as he went. Bickslow could only laugh nervously as Gajeel continued to glare at him. It was probably a miracle that Hunter wasn’t old enough to talk yet or he’d be saying the same things. “Look, it’s not my fault,” Bickslow defended himself. He would maybe admit he was part of the problem, but it was most definitely not entirely his fault. It was Laxus’ fault, too. “Technically, you said it too.”

“I’m telling Shrimp it was you,” Gajeel said.

“You wouldn’t.”

Gajeel grinned menacingly. “I would.”

And Bickslow knew all too well what that meant. Gajeel would tell Levy, Levy would tell Lucy, and Lucy would… Well, Lucy would yell at him for teaching their friends’ kids bad habits, too. “Hundred jewels and you blame Laxus,” Bickslow offered instead. He didn’t really want to give Lucy more reason to yell at him. She’d only just stopped yelling at him for breaking the living room window a week earlier whilst playing with the babies and Hunter. Granted, it had been snowing all of that week and getting it replaced had taken a few days, but Bickslow really didn’t like it when she yelled at him. She terrified him.

“Two hundred and deal.”

Bickslow would, of course, take that deal. It was a bit of a bargain, especially by Gajeel’s standards. Two hundred jewel was merely a fraction of how much the guitar he’d had to replace all those years ago had cost him. Still, Bickslow groaned as he pulled himself up off the plush mat for a moment just to fish the crumpled jewel notes out of the inside of his cloak and toss them loosely in Gajeel’s direction.

“Pleasure doing business with my, my friend,” Gajeel said, cackling as his pocketed the money and turned the page for his daughter.

Bickslow sighed again and rolled his eyes, turning his own attention back to Hunter still giggling a little too maniackly for his own tastes as he slammed the poor totems into each other. “Yeah, yeah,” Bickslow grumbled under his breath. “Now who’s the asshole, huh?” Only assholes used blackmail as a threat, and Bickslow seemed to know all too well that it was Gajeel’s way of getting under everyone’s skin.

“Ash-hole!” Gajeel’s daughter giggled again.

That time, as Gajeel glared at him and no doubt plotted a murder, Bickslow could only grin sheepishly as he took a page from Laxus’ book, jumping up, grabbing his son, and leaving the playroom as fast as possible. “It’s not my fault!”

###

Lucy stirred awake at the sound of the lock being turned and she stretched her arms above her head just as Bickslow made it inside into and into the dark foyer. “What time is it?” she asked, straining as she stretched out her hands.

“Late,” Bickslow sighed, shutting the door behind himself gently. Hunter would be fast asleep at the other end of that hall and the last thing Bickslow wanted to do was wake him up. Bickslow wasn’t sure what it was about four-year-olds being allergic to bedtimes and sleep, but he knew from experience that getting his son to bed was a nightmare and he didn’t want to wake him unnecessarily. He could wait until morning to see his son. “Too late.”

Lucy didn’t have her keys nearby to check the time, but the street outside was quiet—no quiet conversations just outside in the street as party goers and bar patrons made their way home—so she knew to take Bickslow’s word for it. She shifted slightly, scooting to the front edge of the lounge and then patting the soft back cushions behind her. “Come here,” she said.

The lounge certainly wasn’t big enough for the two of them, but Bickslow would indulge his wife for a few moments in the peace and quiet and quickly kicked off as much excess clothing as he could. His boots, cloak, belt, and wrist guards sat in a pile by the foot of the sofa, and he groaned from aching muscles and a growing bruise on his shoulder as he carefully climbed into the crampled space behind her on the comfortable lounge. Lucy always smelled of home—those days it was apricot body scrub—and he closed his eyes as he buried his face in her hair.

“Sometimes I wish I could just stay at home forever, with you and Hunter and the babies and all those annoying spirits of yours.“

“They’re not annoying, thank you,” Lucy scoffed.

He smiled and chuckled quietly as Lucy elbowed him gently in his stomach. “They are annoying. Especially Loke. And to think I kept his secret for all that time.”  

As if to prove Bickslow’s point, Loke cleared his throat from the foot of the sofa, by Bickslow’s clothes. “We are not annoying,” the spirit insisted, pushing his glasses back up his nose at Bickslow’s groan and Lucy’s giggling. “I merely aim to help make Lucy’s life slightly more tolerable and assist in any way I can. Although, given that she married you and refuses to divorce you after all this time, I’m not sure my best efforts really do much.”

“Loke, man. Come on. You hurt me.”

“Oh, no. What a shame.”

Bickslow didn’t miss the spirit’s grin before returning to his own world. He doubted he’d ever be best of friends with his wife’s prized spirit, but after several years together, Bickslow could almost say that Loke summoning himself at inopportune moments just to annoy him wasn’t actually that annoying after all. Still, he would go to the grave calling Lucy’s spirits annoying.

“See? Not annoying,” Lucy giggled. “And, you can’t stay at home forever. I can’t stay at home forever either.”

Bickslow sighed into Lucy’s shoulder. He knew. He knew it was unreasonable. It was just as unreasonable as them leaving the guild before Hunter had been born. Sometimes, part of him still wouldn’t have minded giving up his job—just stop working as a mage, and find a normal, safe job somewhere. He still wouldn’t have been able to stay at home every second of every day then, but he wouldn’t go days, sometimes weeks without seeing his family.

The list of moments and firsts he’d missed grew longer each time he took a job. Lucy’s, too. He’d missed the birth of his son. Lucy had missed Hunter’s first steps. They’d both missed his first words that weren’t just complete gibberish that not even Freed or Levy could decipher. And, Bickslow wanted to say that the next baby would be different, when they came in just a few more months, but he knew it wouldn’t be the case.

“I know I can’t,” Bickslow said. “But I want to.”

“I know you do.”

“Thanks for not divorcing me yet, though. Honestly a miracle you haven’t.”

Lucy laughed, and she turned on the sofa so she could face Bickslow and press soft kissed to his cheek and his lips. “Maybe next year,” she promised. “Happy anniversary, Pixie.”

“Happy anniversary, Cosplayer. I’m sorry we missed another one.”

She kissed the tip of his nose gently. “Don’t be. It’s fine.” As far as Lucy was concerned, they had plenty more ahead of him. Missing a couple was nothing. “But, I did get a little something. Freed called earlier this morning to let me know you probably wouldn’t home until late. Help me up, will you?”

Bickslow didn’t get much of a chance to process Freed being one step ahead of him as he helped Lucy up, and watched her disappear back into the dining and kitchen. She came back a few moments later with a pink cake box, a glass bottle, and some glasses.

“Now, I know it wasn’t for our first date, but, it’s still one of my favourite dates.” Bickslow couldn’t stop grinning as Lucy laid out the plain chocolate cake, save from the messily frosted five in the middle, and popped the cork on the large bottle. Lucy didn’t miss the concerned look he gave her when she poured the liquid into the glasses, and quickly said, “Sparkling apple juice!”

“Cake and wine—well, apple juice,” he chuckled, pulling himself up from the couch just to drag Lucy back onto his lap and smother her with even more kisses. “I love it. I love you. You know, I’m pretty sure I was in love with you then, too.”

“I know.”

“What do you mean, you know? How did you know?”

“You’ve told me,” Lucy answered, giggling around a mouthful of rich chocolate cake. “A few times, actually.”

Bickslow scowled as he snatched away the fork Lucy had been using to pick up the next piece of cake, shovelling it in his own mouth before she could take it back. “Well, fine. But it’s true anyway. Probably.” He shrugged, leaning back into the sofa with another bite of cake. “All I know is, I must have been super fucking in love with you to willingly get hurt that many times. All by this very date, by the way,” Bickslow said, energetically gesturing between themselves and the food on the coffee table.  

Lucy gawked at him. “I never hurt you.” Well, apart from those times where he was helping her train down in Hargeon, but Lucy didn’t count those.

“No, you didn’t. But your team sure did.”

“Oh, yeah? When?”

“Well, there was that time I pissed off Gajeel—“

“Gajeel isn’t with my team,” Lucy pointed out quickly.

Bickslow dismisseed it with a slight shake of his head and roll of his eyes. “No, he’s not. But I broke his guitar and he broke my nose.”

Lucy smiled, a soft turn of her lips that almost had Bickslow concerned. “Oh, I remember that one. That didn’t have anything to do with me though.”

“It kinda did.”

“Yeah? How so?” Lucy snorted.

“Well, it was right after I’d properly asked you out. So, you know…” His cheeks warmed as he lifted the glass of apple juice, hiding behind it some as he tried to sink further into the sofa and away from Lucy’s growing smirk. “I was happy and shit,” Bickslow said bashfully.

Lucy had to cover her mouth from squealing and laughing too loud, lest she wake Hunter up just down the hall. She was vaguely aware of the fact that it was a miracle they hadn’t already woken him. “Aww,” she crooned. She leaned into Bickslow’s side, squeezing his cheek and making it just that little bit more red. “You were happy, huh?”

Bickslow groaned and pouted. “Yes, I was, thank you.” He rolled his eyes and tried to fight off the infectious smile when Lucy giggled again and pressed light kisses against his cheek. “Anyway, the point is, it was your fault I got into trouble with Gajeel, because I had a major crush on you obviously, was super fucking happy because you, for some fucking reason, agreed to actually go out with me, and I was doing dumb shit because I felt on top of the world. Okay?”

“That’s adorable.”

“No it isn’t.”

“Yes, it is,” Lucy giggled. She settled into his side comfortably, resting the cake box on her lap and offering a bite to her husband. “You’re still on top of the world though, I hope?”

“Oh, abso-fucking-lutely,” Bickslow mumbled around the cake. He didn’t need to think about that answer.

“What about the other two then?”

“Well, then there was that time that Erza threatened me with her swords.” He couldn’t help but grimace slightly. “You know, for the time I apparently stole your first kiss in the guild, in front of everyone, because I couldn’t figure out a way to talk to you in the guild without making everyone question just why the fuck I was talking to you in the first place.”

“Oh, yeah,” Lucy said. “She made you come apologise in the middle of the night.”

Bickslow nodding, sipping on the fizzy juice. “I still have that scar on my hand, you know.”

“No you don’t. I’ve seen your hands.”

Maybe not physically. “Fine,” he conceded. “Anyway, then there was that time after our third date, where I stayed over but then Natsu came to your apartment in the morning and he threw me into your coffee table.”

“I really liked that table too…” Lucy mumbled.

“It was a table.”

“But it was a nice table. It was one of the first things I bought when I moved to Magnolia…” Granted, it really hadn’t been the fanciest table—it was a coffee table, and a plain and cheap one at that. But it had been something she’d done on her own.

But, Bickslow understood that. “I know it was,” he said softly, tilting to rest his cheek against the top of her head for a moment. “But, and I may be biased, but I think I was a pretty damn nice boyfriend.”

Lucy scrunched up her nose, shrugging slightly. “Eh… Better boyfriend than husband, sure.”

“Excuse me?” Bickslow feigned his shock, pulling himself away abruptly. There was a glint in Lucy’s eyes and a smirk plastered on her lips. “And how would you know, huh? Who you comparin’ me to? I know for a fact I’ve been your only boyfriend, ever, Cosplayer.” He wore that badge with pride. Weirdly.

“Yeah, and I know for a fact that you never had a proper girlfriend before me, either,” Lucy said, prodding the Seith mage in the chest.

“…Okay, fair point. But, you did marry me, so at the very least, you thought I was a good enough boyfriend five years ago.”

“Maybe I just didn’t know any better,” Lucy said, almost wistfully as she settled back against her loving husband. “Alas, you knocked me up so now I’m stuck with you… Oh, the misery.”

“Mm. Poor you,” Bickslow agreed. His hands were by Lucy’s waist, poised and ready. “Poor, miserable, Lucy.” He didn’t give Lucy a chance to get away before he tickled her ribs, wrapping his other arm back around her waist as she squealed and planting soft kisses all over her cheek and lips. “I don’t know how you cope, Cosplayer. Being stuck with me, your doting, loving husband, and our wonderful son, and another perfect child, and let’s not forget all of your niblings and my sisters and… Yeah, actually, never mind. I feel sorry for anyone who has to know those two fuckwits.”

Lucy snorted. Years later, she still found the feigned animosity between the Alderwood siblings all too amusing. “My life is just so horrible.”

“So very horrible.”

She craned her neck to look up at him, a soft smile on her lips that reached her eyes and she kissed him again gently. Sometimes, Lucy still just loved sitting there on the couch with Bickslow, on the quiet and late nights, and forgetting—even if it was just for a moment—that a world existed beyond them. The quiet nights were rare, but when they did happen, Lucy cherished them. Her heart was full—Bickslow’s too, she knew—and when Bickslow grinned down at her, with the same goofy, wide grin he’d had since their first date and that their son had woefully inherited, she still felt those gentle butterflies in her stomach.

But, as happy as Lucy was in the warm bubble of her husband’s hug, the sickly sweet scents of apple juice and cake could only mask so much. “You need to go have a shower,” she said, “and we need to go to bed. I’m definitely not falling asleep on this lounge with you, either.”

Bickslow knew better than to disagree, and he was sure his spine would thank him anyway.

###

"Harper! Get back down here!” Bickslow shouted up towards the guildhall’s rafters. “Don’t make me come up there,” he threatened, only causing the small girl clinging to the wooden beams to giggle even louder.

Beside him, Laxus snickered into his fourth cup of coffee for the morning. “You know Blondie’s going to be back any minute now and she’s going to kick your ass if Harps doesn’t have both feet on the ground,” he said.

“I know,” Bickslow said through gritted teeth, continuing to glare up at his daughter twenty feet above them. The second Lucy had left the guild to grab some extra supplies in town for the parade later that night, Harper had run straight for the rafters. The girl had turned four barely six months earlier, but she was already double the menace Hunter had ever been at the same age. But Bickslow narrowed his gaze to the five totems circling Harper, bobbing up and down in the air. “Babies, you know better.”

“Harp! Fly! Harp! Fly!” the babies cheered.

But, Bickslow didn’t get much more of a chance to yell at the babies for taking too many orders from a four-year-old, or try and convince said four-your-old to come back down on her own before he felt a sharp pain in the side of his head from someone getting a fistful of his hair and tugging on it. “Ow, ow—“

“Why in the world is my child hanging from a beam?” Lucy demanded, one hand on her hip as she tugged forcefully on her husband’s hair, having him leaning over just to lessen the pain. It wasn’t her fault he refused to cut it though; if he’d merely let Cancer give him a trim she wouldn’t be able to yank on his hair that was just about long enough it needed to be tied up.

“It’s not my fault!” Bickslow said. He was keenly aware of Laxus snickering at him, and he was sure he could hear the familiar giggling of his daughter above him too.

“Then why do I see the babies up there, huh?”

“Because they keep listening to her!” Bickslow winced, trying to pry his wife’s fingers out of his hair. He didn’t need to glance at her to see the fury that was no doubt aimed at him.

Still, Bickslow would maintain that it wasn’t really his fault. His daughter just really had a knack for bossing the babies about—more than Hunter had ever been able to, and more than Lucy had ever been able to as well. He’d tried telling his babies to just stop helping the damn kid get into mischief too, and it had worked for all of about five minutes, but then Harper had wanted the babies to help her get into the tree in their backyard one day, the babies had refused, Harper had started bawling her eyes out and before Bickslow had had a chance to figure out why his daughter had been having a tantrum, she’d been swinging happily from a tree branch with the babies giggling around her. He’d even tried taking the babies out of their bodies when they were at home, too, but hiding the babies from his daughter didn’t work too well when Harper could, in fact, see them anyway. That much, Bickslow wasn’t too fond of. Lucy, however, had just about wet herself from excitement from finding out her then almost four-year-old had inherited at least some Seith magic. She’d been just a little disappointed when Hunter hadn’t, but that disappointed had quickly dissipated once he’d borrowed Lucy’s Canis Minor key whilst playing and claimed it for his own.

Of course though, Lucy knew she couldn’t do much in the way of Bickslow’s babies doing whatever it was their precious spider monkey asked of them. That was, as far as Lucy was concerned, entirely a Bickslow issue. So, she let go of his hair, finally, crossing her arms over her chest instead. “Harper, honey,” she said gently. The festival parade was beginning in a few more hours and truthfully, the last thing Lucy wanted to be doing was having to coax her child down to the ground again. She had a float to finish decorating! “Come on down now, please. Aunt Mira will make you a nice big milkshake if you come down now!”

“No!” Harper shouted, shaking her head as she continued to cling to the beam.

Sometimes, not that Bickslow would admit it, it was tempting to just let his daughter do what she pleased, mostly because when she got what she wanted she was happy and his childrens’ laughter had long since replaced Lucy’s on his list of favourite things in the world. But even high above him, Bickslow could see the devilish little grin on her mouth and hear her giggling at them because she damn well knew she was in trouble and enjoyed it far too much for reasons that Bickslow would never understand, and even if Harper might as well have been a miniature version of Lucy, he knew for a fact that she got the attitude entirely from him. His sisters had made sure of telling him that the last time they’d visited.

But, while Lucy was fine just promising milkshakes, Bickslow knew it was time to pull out his trump card. “Harps, if you don’t get down here right now, we’re not going to watch the parade tonight,” he said.

Harper sat up, gasping. Even Lucy was a little surprised at his threat. But Bickslow meant business. Sure, he didn’t want to miss the parade, or even the fireworks from his favourite rooftop in town, because he’d not missed a single year since the guild had gotten back together, but Bickslow wasn’t really sure what else he could do to get his daughter to come back down to earth.

“No see Mama?” Harper asked.

Bickslow shook his head. “Nope. No fireworks either. And it won’t be just you that doesn’t get to see the parade or Mama or the fireworks. Hunter won’t be able to go either. You don’t want Hunter to miss out, do you?”

And for a moment, Bickslow thought he’d finally won. It was an offer too good to refuse in his eyes, and as Harper sat quietly, he knew it would be just a few more seconds before she was telling the babies to take her back down to the ground. But then she leant back down to hug the beam, shaking her head again. “Nope! I stay,” she said instead.

“Harps! Stay!” the babies cheered.

When Lucy flicked his ear and muttered something about their kids being brats, Bickslow knew he’d deserved it.

###

Lucy squealed the second arms were wrapped around her middle, and her straw hat when flying in the gentle breeze when she was pulled down onto the soft picnic blanket. “Stop doing that!” she giggled, swatting Bickslow’s arms away and doing her best to wriggle out of his soft grip just to try and fetch her lost hat. “I’m going to hurt you one day, you know that.”

Bickslow shrugged, grinning as he instead leant back on his hands. Sneaking up on Lucy from behind was, undoubtedly, one of his favourite things. “You have before,” he reminded her. As far as he was concerned, it was an occupational hazard. Still, it had been years since she’d last impulsively swung at him, thinking he was just some random creep.

“Fine,” Lucy admitted. With her hat back on her head, shielding her from the harsh summer sun, she sneaked a glance back to her children playing in the field—Hunter was chasing Harper around, with Plue doing its best to keep up—before joining her husband on the blanket and stealing a gentle kiss. “But you’ve deserved it, each time.”

Across the field, Hunter only groaned as he looked over to his parents at an inopportune time. “Ugh, gross!”

Bickslow rolled his eyes at him, all but ignoring the growing blush on Lucy’s cheeks as he did his best to irritate his child even further and take Lucy’s cheek in his palm and kiss her again. The park was mostly empty, aside from a few stragglers, and Bickslow had never cared about being affectionate in public. “Go play, babies,” he murmured, smiling against Lucy’s lips, and when he distinctly heard his son yell at them to quit being gross, he couldn’t help but chuckle. “Oh, fine, stop your whining. Jeez.”

“It’s fine,” Lucy said, an airy giggle escaping as she instead accepted just leaning into his side. “We’ll have time for that later. Hunter wants to have a sleepover with Jax tomorrow. As long as you let Harps have the babies for a little bit we’ll be able to sneak away for a few minutes.”

“It’d be better if we could have no kids for a night, but I guess one is fine for a night.”

“Hey,” Lucy laughed, elbowing him in his side. “You’re the one that had baby fever, remember? You don’t get to complain about them now.”

“But that’s for babies,” Bickslow whined. “Teenagers are annoying.”

“We only have one teenager. And only barely.” Although, the fact that her baby boy was officially a teenager did have Lucy feeling just a little wistful from time to time. He’d been so small once, and now there he was, just about taller than her and rolling his eyes at any form of affection she tried to offer him.

“Still counts.”

Lucy tried not to roll her eyes. “Mm-hmm,” she mumbled.

“Speaking of no kids for a night though,” Bickslow began after a moment, trying not to get too distracted by figuring out just what his children were yelling at each other about. “Picked up another job flyer today. Thought we could do it together. I’m sure we could get someone to watch the kids for a day.”

Lucy couldn’t even remember the last time they’d gone on a job, just the two of them. It had been years, at least—before Harper had been born, even. It had been easier when it had just been Hunter. Getting a babysitter or timing it with a sleepover had been fine. But once they’d had Harper, Lucy had just never really liked the idea of leaving the kids without both of their parents for a day or two. But, Hunter was older, and Harper was nearly nine. Leaving them with someone else for a day or two would be different, surely. “Maybe,” Lucy hummed. “What kind of job?”

“Just this small gang that’s taken up residence there, I think. Nothing major.”

“Where is it?”

“Cartervale.”

The corner of her mouth twisted up into a soft smile, and Lucy wasn’t the least bit surprised to turn back to Bickslow and find him grinning at her. “Cartervale, huh?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, I guess if it’s just a quick job…” Lucy picked herself up from the blanket, readjusting her hat quickly. It’d been years since she’d even heard Cartervale, but now all Lucy could think about was whether that one little inn still existed. “Should probably still go ask the kids to see if they’d be okay with both of us leaving for a couple days, though…”

“Yeah, maybe.” Bickslow wasn’t going to tell Lucy that he was pretty sure that Hunter probably wanted both of them to leave him alone for a couple days, because she probably already knew it.

He could only watch with with a wide, tongue-hanging grin as Lucy slowly backed away, onto the soft grass and towards the open field where their children were. She was up to something, he knew; the cogs in her brain were ever turning, and the less than innocent smirk on her lips still occasionally had his heart skipping a beat. But Bickslow waited, just for a few more moments, before he rose to his feet, only giving Lucy a chance to sneak up and join in on the fun their children were having, before he went and chased after them all.

[miss-zei]

happy birthday to @raijindork !!

I think the idea of them sparring is cute > u <

[isabellafoster13]

This idea for a oneshot just popped into my head along with a few others, so I decided to write it.

BixLu is far too underrated. I love it so much and I wish there were more fics about them. I think that they'd have a great dynamic either romantic or platonic. I wish that they interacted more in the show. I honestly don't know why exactly why I love BixLu, I just do. Then again, that's the same reason I have for loving a majority of rare Lucy pairs.

WARNING: MENTIONED BEATINGS/TORTURE AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Saving My Cosplayer (Bixlow x Lucy)

"Hey, Cosplayer!"

Bixlow walked over to the blonde celestial wizard that he had a crush on since she beat him during the Fantasia incident. Lucy turned around on the stool she sat on at the bar and smiled at him, returning his greeting with "hello, Bix. What's up?"

Bixlow gave her a large smile and said, "come to see if you wanted to hang out sometime." His 'babies' repeated the words "hang out" as they floated around his head.

Lucy laughed lightly at the small, wooden totems before responding, "I'd love to hang out with you. I'm going on a job with Natsu once he and Gray stop butting heads, so how about when he and I get back?"

Bixlow narrowed his eyes under his visor, a feeling of jealousy building up in his stomach. He knew that it was silly to get jealous over Lucy and Natsu being partners, but he just couldn't help it, he was pretty sure that the Fire Dragon Slayer had a crush on Lucy. Ignoring the unwanted feeling in his stomach, he gave the blonde his trademark grin with his tongue hanging out and answered, "yeah, Cosplayer, that sounds great!"

Lucy smiled, a heavenly smile in Bixlow's opinion, in response before leaning to the side in order to peer past him and at the brawl that was beginning. Bixlow turned around when he noticed that Lucy was grimacing at the sight. Upon turning around, he saw that not only were Natsu and Gray fighting but now Gajeel and a few others were getting involved. Bixlow couldn't help the laugh that escaped him when he heard Lucy groan and mumble something about needing a month-long break from Natsu.

He turned around to see the celestial wizard of his affections stomp past him, up to Natsu, grab him by his scarf, and drag the whining pyromaniac out of the guildhall. Bixlow gave a hearty laugh at that before walking back upstairs to Fairy Tail's second floor and sitting down at the table that he and his team frequented, intent on waiting for his Cosplayer to return so he could finally do what Laxus, Freed, and Evergreen have been bugging him to do, and make a move on Lucy.

Three days passed and every day Bixlow would arrive at the guild early to sit at his usual table and watch the guildhall doors, waiting for Lucy's return. He's had a massive crush on her since the Fantasia incident when she kicked his ass. He had always thought that she was gorgeous, but that battle, along with the time he spent befriending her, showed him that she was also strong, smart, kind, and many other things that Bixlow loved in a woman.

After he was beaten by the celestial wizard, his interest was sparked. After a while of getting to know and befriending her, that sparked interest turned into love. He would so often find himself looking forward to seeing her, pushing himself to ask her to take a job with him but ending up failing and wishing that she would approach him about taking a job together, and cursing himself out for passing up a perfect chance to ask her on a date due to his stupid nerves.

Eventually, he told Freed and Evergreen about his feelings for Lucy in hopes of them coming up with some sort of solution for him. Freed had actually put down his book and informed him that his only option was to confess to Lucy. The rune mage explained that if Lucy ended up rejecting him, then Bixlow will be able to get over her faster since he'll have the knowledge that his feelings aren't returned rather than pine for her longer and never know if he ever had a chance. Freed went on to explain that if Bixlow confessed his feelings and she felt the same way, then he'll no longer be left to question if he could have ever gotten with her.

Evergreen, however, had jumped up and attempted to dash away to the bar so she could tell Mira of this new piece of information and team up to put Bixlow and Lucy together. Fortunately, Bixlow was quicker than her and was able to grab his friend before she could tell the dreaded "Demon Matchmaker." The brunette eventually stopped struggling to free herself from his grip and sat back down. She informed him that she agreed with Freed. Bixlow had many times tried to confess to Lucy, but ended up chickening out every time.

When Laxus returned Bixlow had made Freed and Evergreen promise to not tell their returned friend. He found out that his two friends went back on their promises when the very next day Laxus dragged him outside, behind the guildhall. Once outside, the Lightning Dragon Slayer had demanded that Bixlow explain what the other two had told him about their seith mage having romantic feelings for Lucy.

Since then, Laxus, Freed, and Evergreen had been bugging Bixlow to confess his feelings. He would always say that he would confess, but end up either not doing it or finding an excuse to not even try. His three friends got so tired of the whole thing that Laxus banned Bixlow from going on a job on his own or with another mage that wasn't Lucy. Freed even went so far as to place runes around the Fairy Tail guildhall with the rules that Bixlow could not leave unless the sun had set or he was with Lucy. Evergreen, not wanting to be outdone by her two male friends, enlisted Mira to keep an eye on Bixlow whenever his three friends were away and make sure he doesn't somehow find a way around Freed's runes or go against Laxus' ban.

So, now Bixlow was waiting for Lucy's return, determined to get Laxus, Freed, and Evergreen off of his back and found out once and for all if she felt the same way. The seith mage downed the rest of his beer and waved off Mira when he noticed her bringing him another one. He didn't want to even be a little bit intoxicated in case Lucy came back today, after all, it was still morning.

He returned his shielded eyes to the large wooden doors and watched, wishing that he had asked Lucy when she was expecting to return to the guild. He placed his elbow on the table, propping his left arm up, and rested his chin in the palm of his hand. He released a sigh through his nose. He was bored. It was boring having to sit at his team's table and wait for the blonde woman to return from her job, but he was willing to power through the boredom if it meant getting to finally ask her out. He just hoped that he'd be able to actually do it this time because he wasn't sure how much longer he can take Laxus' ban, Freed's runes, Evergreen's enlisting Mira's help, and all three of their pestering without trying to deck any of them.

Bixlow was snapped out of his thoughts when the sound of the guildhall doors burst open, creating a loud 'bang' noise when they slammed against the walls. He straightened his slouched posture as he took in the sight that drew the attention of the rest of the guild.

Natsu was horribly beaten up. His clothes were dirty, torn, and covered in blood. He was covered in bleeding injuries and already-forming bruises. He was obviously in pain. He took a few steps forward before collapsing to his knees, Lisanna and Mira managing to catch him before he fell forward. Bixlow watched as Mira sent Levy to find Wendy and to inform Master Makarov that something had happened. The seith mage had to take a few moments to process what he was seeing before he jumped to his feet once he was suddenly hit with realization.

Lucy had gone with Natsu.

He jumped over the railing of the guild's second floor, landed on his feet easily, and ran to Natsu. He kneeled down in front of the badly beaten dragon slayer and demanded through clenched teeth, "where is Cosplayer?"

Natsu struggled to answer. After what felt like hours, he finally managed a pained whisper as tears pricked the corners of his dark eyes, "s-she was t-taken...I c-c-couldn't sa-save her."

Bixlow turned to an also injured Happy and demanded to know where the job request that Natsu and Lucy had taken was. The trembling, wounded blue exceed dug into a pouch that he had been carrying. Bixlow immediately recognized the pouch and the belt that it was attached to.

It was Lucy's. He could tell by the celestial spirit keys that glimmered from inside the pouch.

After being handed the job request, Bixlow grabbed Levy who had just returned with Wendy, but was unable to locate Makarov. He pulled the letter mage to the guildhall doors and order her to take down Freed's runes. The shaken Levy didn't argue or even tried to ask why he wanted her to do such a thing. It took longer than Bixlow would have liked, but she eventually succeeded and the seith mage was out of the guildhall faster than anybody could blink.

He wasn't going to let Lucy be taken from him. Not when he still had to tell her his feelings.

Lucy strained against her restraints. She was sitting on a wooden chair, inside a small, stone room. Her arms were chained behind her and her legs were also bound by chains. In front of her, across the stone room, was a locked, metal door. She glared at it, as though it would open up just like that.

She was tired and in pain. Her tank top was now a cropped tank top and covered in dirt and her own blood. Her skirt was almost completely ripped off of her body. She was covered in still bleeding wounds, there was even a large gash above her left eye, the dried blood practically gluing her eye closed. Her golden blonde hair was coated in dried blood and had lost its trademark luster.

She's already given up on screaming for help or for her captures to release her. Her voice had gone hoarse and painful to use. How long had she been here? She had no idea. She and Natsu had taken a job that seemed easy. Take out a few dark mages. That was it. She and Natsu had estimated that they would be back in a week.

The two mages and their blue exceed had managed to track down the dark mages that they had to defeat. However, the pair were quickly ambushed just as they were about to attack. They tried to fight back, but there were too many dark mages attacking them all at once, and the two Fairy Tail mages and exceed ended up being overpowered and beaten.

Natsu and Happy managed an escape, but Lucy was too injured and tired to attempt escaping. Natsu had promised to come back for her. That was a while ago. Lucy didn't have her keys. They were taken from her when she, Natsu, and Happy were captured. Lucy found holding onto the hope of being rescued increasingly difficult.

"So, what did the boss say he wanted to do with the girl?"

Lucy struggled to raise her head at the sound of a man's gruff voice from the other side of the metal door. Another voice, a deep, feminine one that belonged to a woman, answered, "take her to Bosco and sell her. She's really pretty. She'd surely go for a lot of money."

The man laughed crudely before banging his fist against the metal door and shouting at the beaten celestial wizard, "you hear that? You're gonna be some man's pretty little plaything." The two dark mages chuckled to themselves and walked away.

Lucy dropped her head. She wasn't surprised that she didn't start crying at that reveal. Since being captured, all she has done is cry against her own judgment. She hated that she showed such weakness, but her body just would not stop the tears. She had cried so much already that she probably didn't have any tears left to shed.

She felt the last shred of hope she had slip away.

She's never going to see her friends again.

Never going to fight alongside her spirits again.

Never going to gossip with the other women of Fairy Tail again.

Never going to get the chance to tell Bixlow that she loved him.

She hadn't been a big fan of Bixlow at first, but when she saw how much of an effort made to befriend her, she gave him a chance and became his friend. Now, she was glad that she did because she found him to be very funny, nice, surprisingly smart, and dependable. 

She mourned that she wouldn't be able to tell him she loved him, go on dates with him, and have the future she always dreamed of with him. She wasn't ignorant of the possibility that he wouldn't return her feelings. She knew that it would hurt if he didn't feel the same way, but she would be fine with remaining his friend. She just wished she could have worked up the courage to confess to him. 

Lucy had no hope left. This was it. She was going to be taken to Bosco and sold to some fat, old man. 

Boom

She raised her head at the distant sound of an explosion. She strained to hear the shouting of the dark mages accompanying muffled sounds of fighting. She felt her hope returning. Did Natsu return for her like he said he would? Did he send someone to save her? Was she going to get out of here at last? Was she going to finally get her chance to tell Bixlow that she loved him? 

She painfully strained against her chains, listening to the sounds of fighting and shouting that ever so slowly got louder. She listened for a familiar voice, but was unable to hear someone that she recognized due to the overlapping of loud voices and continuous sounds of magical attacks destroying anything they hit. 

A small smile appeared on her face, but it quickly dropped when she heard a man on the other side of the door growl to someone else, "we need to get the girl out of here. Nyx and Robin are waiting outside. They'll take her to Bosco and sell her." 

Lucy felt her hope begin to slip away once more and despair fill her gut once more. She listened to the sound of the metal door being unlocked before it screeched open. Two large men stalk towards her and unchain her. One of the men grip her arm painfully, causing the blonde to whimper as she was yanked to her feet on weak legs and roughly dragged out of her small prison. 

She tried to struggle out of her capture's grasp, but was in too much pain and too weak to succeed. She switched to screaming for help. She managed to only get out a few screams before the man clamped his other hand over her mouth, quieting her as he continued to drag her away from the sounds of fighting. 

Once outside, Lucy saw two women waiting to take her away to Bosco. Before she could be passed off to the pair of female dark mages, the man pushed her to the ground with a pained shout. Lucy landed on her front, unable to pull herself up or to even lift her head. She internally grimaced as she listened as the man's screams of pain were joined by the two women's own pained screams. After a few minutes, the three dark mages' screams weakened before quieting entirely. Lucy could feel herself fall into unconsciousness when she finally heard a familiar voice murmur to her as she was picked up by the mage that saved her, "thank goodness we got here just in time. Bix is going to be mad that I was the one to actually save you."

Freed? 

The last thought on Lucy's mind was recognition of the voice.

Bixlow paced back and forth in the infirmary that Lucy had been resting in for a whole day now. After he got through Freed's runes he managed to contact Laxus, Freed, and Evergreen and tell them about Natsu having returned heavily injured and Lucy missing. The three mages left their individual jobs with promises of returning to their job posters and rushed back to Magnolia. The group of four then got the location of the dark mages' hideout from Natsu and formed a plan to save Lucy as well as complete Lucy and Natsu's job for them. 

The fighting lasted longer than expected, but they managed to succeed. Bixlow, Evergreen, and Laxus had met outside with reports that they were unable to find Lucy while they fought. It didn't take long for Freed to materialize from several runes with an injured, unconscious, and half-naked Lucy in his arms. Bixlow had rushed towards his friend and took Lucy into his own arms, trying to not freak out. The group hurried back to Fairy Tail to find Porlyusica assisting Wendy. 

A whole day later, Bixlow refused to leave Lucy, barely ate, and was unable to sit still. Porlyusica had stated that Lucy needed rest and should be waking up any day now before she hit a few mages and left. Natsu was in the main part of the guildhall, able to hang out with his guildmates but not take any jobs or join brawls for a few weeks. Lucy was determined to be in a worse state due to having been with the dark mages longer and was most likely tortured based on the freshness of many of her injuries as well as their degree of severity. 

Bixlow bit his lip to the point that it seemed as though he was going to make it bleed. He stopped in his tracks when Lucy groaned in pain. Bixlow whipped around to see her struggling to sit up with a grimace of pain on her bruised and cut-up face. He rushed to her side and gently pushed her back down on the bed as he softly urged, "you need to stay in bed, Cosplayer. You're not in good enough condition to get up." Lucy whimpered a little as she obeyed. Bixlow felt his heart ache at the sound. He hated seeing her so injured and in pain. 

Lucy looked up at Bixlow as he sat in a chair next to the bed, scooting it closer so he could hold Lucy's hand and look her in the eye. He fought the tears that stung his eyes. He was conflicted about if he should confess to her now or wait until she was able to get out of bed and walk around without being in an incredible amount of pain. Almost losing her had scared him beyond belief and he wasn't sure if he could go much longer without telling her of his feelings for her. 

Just as he was about to ask if she wanted anything, the blonde spoke weakly, "Bix, I have something to tell you." The seith mage suppressed the feeling of hope that bloomed in his stomach. He silently nodded for her to go on. 

Lucy continued in such a soft voice that Bixlow had to lean a little bit closer to her, "I love you. I've loved you for some time now." 

Bixlow looked at her with his eyes widened behind his visor and his mouth slightly agape. He couldn't believe what he had heard. Lucy loved him too? Was this actually happening? He used his free hand to pinch his arm, digging his fingernails into his skin. When he didn't wake up in his own bed at home, he concluded that this was all real. 

He looked back at Lucy to see that she was giving him a look of apprehension, as though she was expecting him to reject her. Bixlow let go of Lucy's hand and placed it on her cheek, careful to not hurt her. He leaned forward, stopping when his lips were just centimeters from hers. He whispered, "I've loved you since you kicked my ass before the Fantasia Parade." He then closed the distance between their lips in a gentle kiss, one that Lucy didn't hesitate to return.

[sassyhazelowl]

43. falling in love with their best friend’s partner au + bixlu if you decide you want to write it ~

This stumped me for far longer than it should’ve because I had 3 completely different endings in mind. I had to sit on it and see what the muses really wanted to do. Mildly AU-ish by default but not terribly so.

It wasn’t as if he was poaching his bro’s girl, but damn if it didn’t feel that way somehow. The barbed needles digging under his skin, exaggeration and absurdity twining together at every glance from beneath smoky lashes that was flicked his way; he had to get away before it drove him mad.

Or before he did something so irredeemably fucking stupid.

When Laxus of all people was giving him warning looks, telling him to sit his ass down and quit tweaking, there was a problem. And Ever, oh God, Ever, had even taken a bit of a time out from her narcissistic bubble to quietly take him aside and ask if he was okay. He’d never been more scared for the world order than seeing her tender expression and the worried tone she used that was so not Ever.

Bixlow was not okay.

The sole miracle, bless whatever good karma he’d earned in his last life, was that of all people, Freed was blissfully cocooned in the lovely-dovey free fall so common in new relationships, and he wouldn’t notice the elephant in the room if it were doing zumba in dancing cat tights.

And to make things worse, Freed and Lucy were that revolting couple that sparked gossip and bitter jealousy and sighs of envy in their oblivious wake of perfectness. All good-hearted bickering over academic topics that put everyone else to sleep or tears, casual hair play in public without a thought about it just to test a shampoo, the rose-strewn candle light dinners Bix helped set up like the good friend he was. Extra. They were so extra it was painful.

Speaking of painful, Bix rather be on a mission in the sewer system of Crocus after an extreme bender than where he was right now. It’d be more comfortable than the swaying, cramped private train car he found himself in with one half of the Golden Couple.

The wrong half. The right half. He didn’t know.

But her perfume was filling the small space in a heady way and every time the tracks took a turn their knees tangled up. Lucy didn’t seem to notice much, seriously laying the specifics of the mission out with a bit of wry humor, smiling at his witty quips and throwing back a few of her own.

“Bix, we’re friends, right?” She tilted her head a bit as she asked, eyes gleaming. “I mean, it’s not just because of Freed, is it?”

His reply caught in his throat, hard, and stuck there, a searing jabbing every time he tried to swallow it away. Lucy leaned forward earnestly, adjusting her top a bit and brushing wisps of golden hair back behind her ear. 

Were they? You know, friends? Or was this one of those situations where Lucy was his best friend’s girl and Bix was way too into the forbidden? Fuck. 

Fuck.

Instinctively, a lie coiled around his tongue.

“Because...” she continued becoming serious and the laughter drained from her eyes, “Girls have a sixth sense about some things that guys don’t.”

He croaked with his heart in his throat, “Freed?”

“Doesn’t know, at least not that I know of anyway. But, Bix, he’s a pretty smart guy. You’re his best friend, and you know him better than anyone. Even me, as much as it hurts to admit it. And he knows you better than anyone too. It’s a sucky situation.”

They lapsed into an uncomfortable silence, the tiny car suddenly stuffy and his skin prickling with heat. The cloy smell of perfume, the same one that was so heady, was now suffocating. She didn’t bring it up again when the conversation started up again, the silence too hard to bear, but the ultimatum was crystal clear.

It was days before he had the courage to bring it up again. Once again, swaying in a private car on the train. This time going back to the guild, mission successfully completed. Whatever tangle of personal problems lay between them, Bixlow and Lucy could still knock it out of the park on the professional end, and the mission was a cinch. 

“Hey, are we friends?” Bixlow threw Lucy’s question back at her. She gave a smile, precious and sunny, with only a moment’s hesitation “I think so. I mean, you’re so much fun and we get along great, so yeah, I’d say you’re my friend.”

Chest squeezing, he realized she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. How could she be so calm about this? It was like she knew. Things clicked into place... oh shit, so that’s what happened between her and Gray. What a dick he was dragging it back up. Losing his nerve, expression pinched, he fiddled with the window, letting fresh air in.

“But not... more.”

She winced, “Look, I’m dating your best friend. I can’t predict the future but right now I’m dating Freed. Bix, I shouldn’t have to say anymore than that. It isn’t excuses, and yeah, we could be great, friends to lovers right? But... its just not on the table right now. At all. I’m not like that... you’re not like that... it wouldn’t be fair.”

Fair. Yeah, that’s exactly what Bixlow was worried about right now, haha. Right. Fucking fair. Fucking Freed. Fucking feelings. 

Swinging up the bag at his feet, he unconsciously responded to the chipper voice telling the passengers they’d arrived in Clover Town. 

Space was what he needed. Time to process. A friendly but impartial ear and some drinking buddies. Maybe a few life or death missions where he could rend a few souls into confetti.

“Going?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay...” Lucy bit her lip in that way he knew by heart and for a second he thought she might change her mind, “Safe journey. Come home soon... Freed and I will miss you.”

Alternative ending one: poly relationship bixfreluAlternative ending two: Freed gets fucked over, and not in a good way haha

[antomec]

In Sickness and in Health

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, APRIL! ( @raijindork )

Just in the nick of time! I was so worried I wouldn’t be able to post this in time for your birthday because of school, but I’m so happy I was able to. I hope you had a wonderful day, because no one deserves it more than you. And now, without further ado, I present the fluffiest fic I’ve ever written.

Words: 1277

Pairing: Bixlu (duh)

Summary: When Lucy falls sick, it’s up to Bickslow to care of her. And the methods he uses is not entirely orthodox. BixLu, oneshot, rated T for swearing. Beware of fluff.

Bickslow flopped onto the bed. “I just want to lay here forever, I feel so crappy.”

Lucy looked at him incredulously. “Shut the fuck up, you aren’t the one with the flu.”

“Alright, fine. We can feel crappy together,” he answered, pulling Lucy closer and snuggling up to her.

“Bix, stop, you’re going to get sick because of me.”

Bickslow tried ignoring her. But it was pretty hard when she gave him a fucking wet-willy. “Did you just-?” he asked in shock, one hand clasping his ear.

“Give you a wet-willy? Yes, I did, because you wouldn’t get up.” She sat up in bed and smirked at him in victory. “I haven’t slept in ages, Bix. So get off already.”

Bickslow looked at her, affronted. “You can’t banish me, this is my bed too.”

“Not while I’m sick, so get out,” she said decisively, and pushed him unceremoniously to the floor. “Get out already,” she whined.

“Ooh, someone’s salty today,” Bickslow remarked, sticking his tongue out.

“What do I have to do to kick you out, short of me actually getting out of bed?”

Bickslow pouted, but he still left the apartment. “That’s alright, I’ll be sweet to counter your salt.” He frowned at himself. “That was too cheesy, wasn’t it?”

The corners of Lucy’s mouth pulled up a little. Bickslow grinned wider at the sight, and opened the door. “Get better soon, Cosplayer,” he said, blowing her a kiss. Lucy’s giggles filtered through as he slowly pulled the door shut.

Lucy woke up to the door crashing open. Her hand shot to her keys on the cabinet beside her, but she faltered when she registered Bix’s voice. “Honey, I’m home!”

“Bickslow, I’m sick!” she yelled back. “I’ve told you not to wake me up like that a hundred times,” she added as she saw him walk through her bedroom door, gently opening the door with his back while holding a tray in his hands. “That better be soup for me,” Lucy snarked.

“Would you ever expect anything less of me?” Bickslow answered, setting the tray down on Lucy’s lap. He pushed a spoon into her palm and sat down next to her. “Eat it.”

Lucy didn’t needed to be told twice. Despite the fact that she still felt sticky from all the sweat and that she probably needed to brush her teeth, she finished the little bowl in less than a minute. Bickslow whistled lowly. “Looks like someone was hungry.”

Lucy grinned at him, her stomach full and her body demanding another nap. Almost as though as he had read her mind, he pushed her shoulders down, and hefted the tray off the bed. “Sleep,” he ordered.

And sleep heeded his words as she drifted off peacefully.

When Lucy woke up, she glanced at the clock to know how long she’d passed out. She had only started calculating when Bickslow entered the room, wearing his pajamas. He even had his fluffy slippers on, and he reserved those for special occasions.

“I vote for today to be pajama party day, “ he announced.

So that’s the special occasion.

He pulled Lucy up from the bed, and set her gently on her feet. He made a show of sniffing her, and declared, “Miss Stinky-pants, you need a bath. And luckily, there’s a tub filled with hot water and clothes left in the bathroom,” he added, pushing her along to her bathroom. “Never thought I’d say this, but I liked it better when you were feeling up to complaining.”

Lucy swatted at him, but he dodged it cleverly, and gave her a final nudge. “Hurry up, or you’ll be late to your own party.”

Lucy decided to comply. After all, she really needed a bath.

When she stepped out later, steam curling around her feet, she felt better than she had in ages. She supposed she’d better thank Bix for everything he did. A sudden shriek suddenly caught her attention and she raced to the living room. She glanced all around in worry, but the only thing that was out of place was Bix on the floor, holding his head with a look of pain.

She looked at him a little more closely, and figured out what had happened. “Bix, don’t tell me you actually slipped wearing socks?”

Bickslow pouted at her. “I think I got a concussion. Mind wearing that sexy nurse outfit from last Halloween again?” he asked, pausing once before he sneezed.

Lucy spied one of his fluffy slippers and swiftly picked it up and threw it at him. The bath must have cured her if she was already hurling stuff at her stupid boyfriend.

Bickslow jumped up and pulled her in close. He flung her hand up and clasped it, his other hand making its way to her waist. Lucy’s eyes widened when she realised what he was about to do. Maybe the medicine was making her less receptive, but she finally noticed the music in the room.

Bickslow whispered, “Let’s dance.”

Lucy beamed at him.

When the music started building, Bix started twirling and dipping her, but it was never refined. Bickslow ruined all the grace to it by dancing in his usual clumsy way, adding in new dance moves, and he even did the fucking chicken dance. Lucy laughed the whole time, and she nearly peed herself at the sight of all his antics.

When they had danced to their hearts’ content, Bickslow pulled them along to Lucy’s bedroom. When he opened the door, Lucy softly gasped. “Bix, how did you manage to do this in the time that I took a bath?”

Bickslow chuckled. “I came prepared,” he answered and opened the door wider. Inside, somehow he had hung up tiny twinkly fairy lights that shone a muted yellow over a giant pillow fort. Lucy peered closer and she realised that not all the blankets were hers – some of them she recognised from the days she stayed over at her boyfriend’s.

She turned to Bix, and muttered, “Thank you.”

“No need to thank me,” he answered gallantly. Suddenly, he swooped down and swept her legs out from underneath her, easily lifting her into his arms. “Wanna enter the fort now?” he asked roguishly.

Lucy laughed, and she supposed that was answer enough as Bickslow walked through the door.

“Hmm, Lucy,” Bickslow muttered. “You’re hogging all the blankets.”

Lucy tossed under the covers, blinking her eyes open blearily. It’s mid-October, but somehow being under the covers seemed stuffy, and weirdly warm. She wrote it down to sharing the bed with Bix, but it still irked her for some reason.

Bix shivered and it caught her attention. A thought crossed her mind and she gingerly put her hand across his forehead. She quickly snatched her palm away, because he was burning up.

Bix stirred underneath her hand, and she didn’t think twice before smacking him on the head. “I told you that you’d get sick if you cuddled with me!”

“Who’s sick?” he mumbled. He paused a second to collect his bearings – and then he started sneezing. Violently.

“For fuck’s sake,” Lucy exclaimed, flipping over to grab the box of tissues on her nightstand. “Here, here, wipe yourself.” She shoved the box into his hands.

After he blew his nose, he asked Lucy quietly, “Would you mind making me some soup?”

“No, ‘cause I’m still sick.”

Bix grunted, and Lucy felt an arm curl around her middle and pull her closer. “Then we’ll be sick together.”

Lucy snorted, but this was some sort of a stalemate, she supposed.

Besides, a sick Bickslow was something rare and she fully intended to exploit this moment.

[kaatastroph-e]

Title: ( I have yet to find a goddamn title I’m sorry )

Pairing: Bixlu (Bickslow x Lucy Heartfilia)

Rating: G

Gift for: @raijindork

A/N: HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY APRIL! I feel really bad for not being able to finish yesterday but hAVE THAT BODYPAINTER! BICKSLOW AU

Even after all these years, the feeling of the painbrush drawing on her bare back still achieved to give her shivers.

...then again, she suspected that it wasn’t the tools as much as the hands working with them.

 Lucy Heartfilia heard the ‘cling’ of his instruments being put back on the tray, felt his hands brush aside her golden locks, felt the caress of his lips against the skin behind her ear and the whisper of his voice:

“Are you cold?”

She smiled. Always so concerned about her comfort; that was her Bix alright.

“No,” she whispered back, “it’s perfect.”

“You’re perfect”, he shot back quietly and she jabbed him in what she assumed to be his ribs, a laugh escaping her.

It was silent for a moment – which was the norm, really. She has been Bickslow’s model for a long, long time, even before they started dating and before he asked her to marry him – by painting the question on her stomach. He always had worked in silent, only exchanging a few words here and there. Focus was critical.

A few minutes again, she spoke again.

“However, I do believe that I would be much happier without this”, she pointed to the blindfold covering her eyes, “obscuring my sight.”

He chuckled. Enjoying her suffering, it seemed.

“You’ll see soon enough”, her lover told her, his voice teasing but with a hint of pride in it – the piece decorating her back must be the start of a true masterpiece. She then heard rustling, some footsteps—

“I want it”, Lucy squeaked as a pair of warm hands settled on her stomach, “to be a surprise.”

He kissed her barely visible bump, then her neck and finally her lips, booping her nose as he returned to his seat and started working again.

“I hope it’ll be worth the wait”, she huffed, a blush adorning her cheeks.

   And, oh, it was.