A/N; This story is a kind of continuation on the 1-shot I did forever ago called "Bad Dates Gone Right". This is absolutely a BixLu story and is kind of a rom-com of sorts. It's based on the song "Bubbly" by Colbie Callait.

Enjoy, my delicate marionettes!

~ MrsPuppetEx

Bright brown eyes open to a new day as Lucy jumped out of bed and hums a little tune in her head while walking into the bathroom to begin her morning routine. She was feeling wonderful as she rubbed the new oils she'd bought specifically for this day onto her body. She was finally happy, had found the man of her dreams, and, now, finally, she was ready to tell him how she felt about him.

After the blonde finished her morning routine, she slipped out of her apartment door- not before clipping on her belt to her waist and grabbed her picnic basket- and made her way towards Fairy Tail. She continued humming that catchy little song in her head as she balanced along the edge of the canal, her smile bright and cheerful to anyone she passed on her way to the guild.

The important day was upon her and she could barely hold in her excitement as she'd planned this day meticulously for months now. It was simply a day that would, hopefully, be one she could tell her future children about one day as she tucked them into bed.

That thought alone made her bite her lip as that brilliant smile returned, brightening her beautiful features as she approached the guild doors. Lucy took a moment before pushing them open and scanned the rowdy room for one face in particular.

She tried not to giggle, oh, how she tried. It failed horribly when she saw the man she'd been looking for take an errant fist to the back of his head and get knocked to the ground. The blonde snorted a bit, still trying to keep the giggle in.

What did her in was the goofball of a man sitting up on the floor of the guild and tilting his head to the side as he gave her that signature grin of his that had that black guildmark proudly on display for her to see.

Lucy broke out in laughter, holding her stomach with her free hand as she let loose the laugh she'd been trying to force back down. It was so harsh a bout of laughter that she nearly lost her grip on the picnic basket, the handle sliding in her grip as she attempted to regain her composure.

"Careful there, Cosplayer," Bickslow said as he snagged the basket from her hand and sent her a cheeky grin when she glared half-heartedly up at the tall man.

"What have I told you about that awful nickname?" She pouted, her bottom lip poking out adorably.

Bickslow chuckled and leaned forward to place a kiss on her nose, making her scrunch her nose to look like her other namesake. "You love it, babe," The Seith Mage decided with a smirk when Lucy simply rolled her eyes. "Shall we, m'lady?" He asked, offering his arm to her.

Lucy giggled and looped her arm with his, grinning cheekily up at the man. "Of course, good Sir Knight," She said in mock grandeur as they walked out of the guild and sent waves to their friends behind them.

Brown eyes scanned the park, looking for the perfect spot for their picnic. She noted a place under one of the weeping willow trees near the playground and decided that would be the perfect place for the two of them.

The pair made their way across the park, earning waves and greetings from many of the civilians who were out enjoying the sunshine. Since she'd been around Bickslow, she'd noticed he'd relaxed more about his magic and was less insecure about what others thought of him.

It was nice, she thought as she smiled and laughed with the jokester of a man. She was happy to help bring him out of that secret dark place that no one had even suspected he would be in with as silly as he was. But, now he never even wore his visor, the piece of metal long-since tossed into the ocean.

Lucy reflected on their first date, how they hadn't even known they would be going on a date in the first place, having been a blind date set up by Mira and Laxus when Lucy's love life seemed to be going downhill. She'd dated many men in and out of the guild, most never getting past the first date, and it had left her with a sour taste in her mouth.

He'd done things differently and had taken her for the best takeout she'd ever had- a place they frequented together twice or so a month- and they had swum with manatees. Sure, she hadn't exactly been dressed for swimming, but the spontaneity of it was what had made her agree to a second- and then a third- date.

She and Bickslow had been dating for nearly a year at this point, having spent nearly every day they were both in town from jobs with each other. They'd gone on countless dates, spent innumerable hours together at night.

It certainly felt like the best time to tell him what was on her mind and in her heart.

"Bixy?" Lucy began, taking a deep breath to steady her nerves before downing the last of her wine as an added buffer. She waited until he'd drawn his attention to her, hid red irises locked onto her brown ones as he watched her curiously. "I-"

She let out a squeal of pain as a ball hit her right in the face, a horrible crunching sound making her want to gag. Bickslow immediately checked over her face and deemed her nose broken, meaning a trip back to the guild to see Wendy and the end of their little picnic.

Lucy sighed in resignation, she would just have to tell him another time.