Souls Entwined: Remake

Chapter 9

After Bickslow got over the initial shock of Lucy wanting to see his eyes, the two sat deep in conversation. Lucy had been the one to spark up the conversation when she asked for the story behind his totems, or his 'dolls' as Lucy said. Bickslow had told her the truth, not wanting to lie to her even if it made her uncomfortable. But she had kept surprising Bickslow when she didn't even grimace at his words. She had even started to fondly pet one of them that had made their way slowly towards her across the table. Lucy wasn't sure of their names but they were starting to grow on her. They weren't as creepy as she had thought now that she had seen them up close. They were actually quite cute. Lucy was slightly oblivious to the lovestruck expression that Bickslow was sending her way as she smiled at his totems. Mira, who had been watching from behind the bar the entire time, wasn't and she silently squealed and mentally started to plan their wedding.

Since she was enjoying spending time with Bickslow for the first time, she didn't see Cobra arrive in the guild. The crimson haired man had used his dragon senses to guide his eye in the direction of where Lucy and Bickslow sat. He could see that Bickslow wasn't wearing his mask, even though he could only see the man from behind. Lucy's smile was so wide that he didn't need his dragon senses to know that she was enjoying whatever they were talking about. Had it been any other man with Lucy, Cobra would've been overcome with jealousy. But the scene he saw made him crack a small smile before walking over to join the two in the corner where they sat alone. Lucy was laughing at something that Bickslow had said when Cobra stood at the end of the table. The way that the conversation stopped so abruptly made Cobra a little anxious. Was he interrupting something private? Did Lucy or Bickslow not want him to be around?

Lucy calmed his nerves as she scooted along on the bench to make room for him. She was still nervous about interacting with Cobra. He had a very intimidating appearance but that isn't what bothered Lucy. It was the cold and heartless aura that he gave off that made Lucy be weary of him. However, the small smile he gave Lucy quashed those feelings and she was eager to get to know what Cobra was really like. As much as she had the right to refuse to accept them as her mates, she believed that everyone was entitled to a second chance. Lucy had already been proved wrong about Bickslow so it was only fair that she do the same for Cobra. The blonde girl put both her elbows on the table and rested her head in her palms, dainty fingers cupping her own cheeks. "So, what are everyone's plans for tomorrow?"

Sheepishly, Bickslow rubbed the back of his neck, "I actually don't have much to do. I was supposed to be sitting with my team to discuss our next mission but... I'm sure they'll understand if my attention is on something more important." Lucy laughed but it came out as more of a giggle. It made the blue haired man blush from the cute sound while Lucy was cringing at herself on the inside. Ignoring her growing embarrassment, she turned slightly to look at Cobra, waiting for an answer. Trying to play it off as cool as possible, he shrugged, "Well you know, I...I..." Cobra gave up on his act and sighed, "I'm doing nothing." Amused, Lucy laughed to herself behind her hands before composing herself. She sat up straight in her seat as she spoke, "Maybe you would want to come to the beach with me and the rest of team Natsu?" The two men were pleasantly surprised by Lucy's invitation. Not only would they be granted the gift of seeing Lucy in a swimsuit, but she had invited them herself. Without prompting! It could only mean that she was starting to (if she didn't already) enjoy their company and wanted to be around them.

Unknown to them, Lucy hadn't actually planned on going to the beach tomorrow but she was sure that her teammates would be more than happy to attend. Maybe they should make it a day out for the guild. Now that was a good idea. Everyone had been working too hard lately and they needed a break. Lucy stood up and grinned, "I'll be right back." The two men watched as Lucy made her way over to Makarov's office and head inside. They looked at each other but neither of them knew what she was up to. Cobra could've used his magic to find out but he didn't think she would appreciate him reading her thoughts without her permission. Lucy gently closed the door behind her and approached the guild master's desk. The blonde girl giggled as she watched Makarov glare at the large piles of paperwork that surrounded his large desk. His raised his head to look at Lucy, "Yes my dear? Is there something that I can help you with?" Out of nervousness, Lucy shifted her weight from side to side and fumbled with her fingers. She cleared her throat, "Well I was just thinking that everyone should have a break. We've all been working hard and I think we would all like to have a day at the beach together. There's one close by and it's usually pretty empty."

Makarov jumped up onto his desk and kicked away a few piles of paperwork that looked rather important. He smiled and clapped his hands together, "What a wonderful idea! When were you thinking?" Lucy tried not to laugh at his actions as she answered him, "Tomorrow." Nodding his head, he pretended to think for a moment before heading out of his office, gesturing to Lucy to follow him. He made his way onto his little podium where he usually made important announcements. He cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Listen up! Lucy has had the brilliant idea for everyone to have a day to relax. We will all be going to the beach tomorrow. There will be no missions or paperwork. I'll say it again, no paperwork. I don't want to see a single sheet of paper. Everyone meet there as early as you can." Lucy felt that the paperwork part was a little unnecessary but she knew it was to please himself than anything else. Lucy heard a few cheers and saw her minna looking up at her. The guild was suddenly bursting with excitement. It had been a while since the whole guild had gone on a trip of sorts all together. They usually only got together to compete in tournaments or competitions.

Without trying to get any more attention, Lucy made her way back to her table with Cobra and Bickslow. She sat back down and smiled at the two men in front of her, "Are you excited for tomorrow? Huh?" Biting her bottom lip in slight excitement, she looked between the two men. They nodded, but said nothing. It wasn't convincing in the slightest. Her smile fell into a frown, "What's wrong?" Bickslow was quick to recover his mistake, "Oh no, we're happy you invited everyone. We all kinda deserve a break." Cobra piped up to add onto Bickslow's comments, "We just wanted to spend time with you. Just you." Lucy nodded, she guessed she could understand that. Her minna could be a little rowdy and if all of her team showed up, she knew that she would most likely not get a single moment to herself. Feeling a slight burst of confidence, she mumbled, "Maybe we could go out somewhere afterwards?" At their hesitance, she added, "Just the three of us?" This made them both smile and nod. Bickslow grinned, "I'll look forward to it Lucy." Cobra got up and walked over to the bar, but not before he said, "I'll see you tomorrow, Princess."

Bickslow leaned over the table to give Lucy a small peck on the cheek before standing up. He reached for his mask and attached headpiece but Lucy was quick to put her hand on top of it. "Please don't put it back on again." He grinned and Lucy saw a hint of red cover his cheeks as he took the mask and held it under his arm, "I won't. But just for you Lucy." Bickslow winked at Lucy and this time, it was her turn to blush. She could feel the heat rise to her face and it only got worse as she peeked over at the bar and saw Mira. The white haired woman was smirking at Lucy and she wiggled her eyebrows at the girl. Lucy groaned in embarrassment and covered her face. Not wanting to be alone anymore, she made her way over to her team's table to find Natsu and Gray bickering again. Sometimes Lucy felt like the mother of her team, constantly having to stop her children from fighting with each other. Juvia was cheering Gray on from the side while Happy was doing the same for Natsu. Sighing, she put her hands on the back of their heads and knocked their heads together. "Do I even have to ask why you're arguing?" Both boys immediately started shouting over each other, trying to convince Lucy that it was the other one who started it. Lucy was starting to get a headache from all the noise and she glared at them, making them quickly shut up and go quiet. She rolled her eyes and chuckled a little, even if they were annoying, they were family.