The guild hall was as loud as ever, but you barely noticed with Bickslow leaning back in his chair beside you, his boots kicked up on the table like he owned the place. His Seith dolls floated lazily overhead, chiming in with little singsong voices that earned them a few annoyed glares from nearby guildmates.

“Water baby~” one of the dolls crooned, hovering right in front of your face.

You shot it a sharp glare, only for Bickslow to chuckle under his helmet, tilting his head your way. “Don’t get mad at them,” he drawled, voice thick with amusement. “They’re just jealous I get to date the Water Dragon Slayer.”

Rolling your eyes, you flicked your fingers, sending a thin ribbon of water snapping playfully across his chestplate. He let out a mock gasp, leaning toward you. “Ohhh, dangerous. She’s feisty today.”

“Keep it up, and I’ll make sure you’re dripping wet before you even step outside,” you warned with a smirk.

Bickslow leaned in closer, visor glinting, voice dropping just enough for only you to hear. “Careful, babe… that’s starting to sound like a promise.”

The ribbon of water you’d flicked at him hadn’t even dried yet when Bickslow leaned back, shaking with laughter under his helmet. His Seith dolls circled you like buzzing bees, chanting in eerie little voices, “Loooovebirds, loooovebirds!”

You groaned, pinching the bridge of your nose. “Seriously? You program them just to embarrass me, don’t you?”

Bickslow rested his chin on his hand, visor tilting toward you, his grin audible even without seeing it. “What can I say? You look cute when you’re mad.”

Before you could bite back, a loud bark of laughter echoed from across the guild. Natsu had caught on, slamming his mug against the table. “Oi, oi! Looks like somebody’s got Bickslow wrapped around their finger!”

A chorus of chuckles and whistles followed, Cana raising her drink. “Didn’t think I’d live to see the day he’d actually sit still for more than five seconds—guess our little water dragon tamed him.”

Bickslow didn’t miss a beat. He leaned toward you again, ignoring the teasing, his voice low and smug. “Tamed? Nah. She didn’t have to. I chose this cage.”

That earned a whole new round of whoops and whistles from the guild. Your face heated, and in retaliation, you let a stronger wave of water whip up and smack him in the chest—hard enough that his chair rocked back.

The guild roared with laughter. Bickslow just laughed louder, visor tipped your way as he said, “See? This is why I love her.”

“Kiss her then!” Natsu hollered across the hall, pounding his fist on the table. Gray groaned, “For the love of—do we have to watch this?” but even he couldn’t hide the smirk tugging at his lips.

Cana, never one to miss an opportunity, raised her glass high. “Yeah, c’mon! Give us a show, Bickslow! Prove it’s not just talk.”

The dolls spun faster around your head, chanting now in sing-song voices, “Kiss, kiss, kiss, kiss~!”

You buried your face in your hands, groaning. “I hate all of you.”

Bickslow’s laughter was muffled but unmistakably wicked. He leaned closer, tilting his helmet so only you could hear. “You know I’m not shy, right? I’ll do it. Right here. In front of everybody.”

The guild’s voices rose into a frenzy of teasing and chants, and before you could retort, Bickslow tapped a finger under your chin, tilting your face toward his visor.

“Better decide fast, babe,” he teased, voice dripping with amusement. “Either I kiss you… or I let the dolls do it instead.”

The dolls leaned in dramatically, puckering their floating little mouths.