This is a technically a fic from way back in *drumroll* 2015. The series that it was a part of is now permanently defunct, so I had it deleted and I'm putting this up again since I enjoyed it the most of the two that I published under Snips of Ships (also it's CoLu week and I have no entries yet so consider this repost of things to come). So enjoy this (again) and happy CoLu week! (I swear I will have entries this year I will have two soon dangit)
Cobra always knew that different couples gave off different soul readings whenever one was thinking of the other.
Jellal was like a damn alarm clock, ticking in the most irritating way whenever he was thinking of the psycho red-head (which was always way too often for his liking). Erza's soul on the other hand, always reacted calmly towards Jellal; her soul emitting a soothing aura that never failed to creep Cobra the hell out.
Natsu's (unsurprisingly) was like a blazing fire of passion towards Yukino, who always responded in kind with her soul's, admittedly much more gentle, fire. For all the ragging Sorano did on their partnership being an "unholy union" and that Yukino could do so much better, Cobra really saw no complaint with how they treated each other.
Sorano's own soul fluctuated between a jumbled mess and cool as could be around Gray, who (also like his power), stayed steadfast and cool in his love...most of the time. That rare five percent of the time he wasn't was a joy to watch, as Gray turned into a stuttering, red hot mess of himself.
He could go on and on and on about each of the soul's held special quirks when they were in love. Mirajane's lit up in a quiet sort of ecstasy, Max's was usually calm but could whip into a frenzy faster than any of his sandstorms, and Kinana's (by comparison) was the most soothing of the bunch, a soothing melody that Cobra definitely didn't mind listening too (although her boyfriend was another matter entirely).
Until recently, Cobra never thought he'd have to deal with a soul that was in love with him. Such a thing had never even crossed his mind before. But, surely, he'd heard so many different souls screaming out their love for one another that you'd think it would have been obvious when one was doing the same for him.
Apparently not.
It took three whole weeks for Cobra to even notice the difference in Lucy's soul. Three whole weeks of him being an idiot and not even wondering if something was different even when it seemed to him Lucy was acting a little stranger around him than usual.
Finally, he decided to take a closer look one day, and to say he was shocked was an understatement.
Her soul was a symphony of stars and wonder, one that, when focused on him, seemed to soar above and beyond what he had come to expect from her. It wasn't as strong a bond as most of the other soul's he had heard, but the sheer intensity on her feelings towards him was almost unbelievable. The song her soul played both energized and relaxed him, an anomaly that put a stop to his very being just so that he could just sit and listen. It was like nothing he'd ever heard from a soul before, and yet, he wanted to continue hearing it for as long as he possibly could.
This was really what it was like to have someone care for you that deeply? Cobra was at a loss for words.
Shocked by what he heard, he didn't even question her about it until a few days later. At first, she almost denied it, not quite like she was embarrassed, but like she wasn't quite sure if what he was saying was true. She did admire him and enjoyed talking to him quite a bit, but was it really like that?
After a few more days of bumbling and awkwardness, a collective "screw it" arose in both of them and they went on a date.
Turns out, it really was just as he'd thought; with maybe just a bit more of his own affection for the blonde than he thought as well.
Now they'd been together for almost a year, and while it certainly wasn't always easy (a certain demon and blue cat come to mind), it was all worth it to him. He was going to protect that beautiful sound until the end of time itself.
And although he could never hear the melody inside himself he knew he must be singing too.