A/N: And now we're back with the third installment for this Valentine's "one-shot" lol. I'm so glad you guys have enjoyed this story.

You remember how this was supposed to be a one-shot, then became a two-shot? Then this was supposed to be the final chapter? Yeah… I'm adding one more. The scenes are already set and I'm not adding anything new to them. This chapter is just already at 10k and the last three scenes I had planned will make it way too long.

So, to reiterate… again… I have déjà-vu… There will be one more chapter after this one, a fourth chapter to conclude the story.

There will be a short note at the end, just a little addendum that some of you may be interested in.


Crave Your Truth


It wasn't often, even though Lucy and Cobra had been spending more time together, that they were seen sitting together in the guild. More often than not, Cobra wasn't at the guild. Lucy understood it though. She understood that, while he did want to get to know the other members of Fairy Tail a little better and for them to get to know him, Cobra couldn't handle how loud it was all the time.

But that day, even though it was busy and there had been non-stop brawling since just after breakfast, Cobra and Lucy sat beside each other at the bar and ate lunch together. It wasn't anything too big, but they wanted to at least get something in their stomachs before taking a job with Natsu and Happy later that afternoon.

It was the first job Cobra would take with Natsu, the first time they were going to try and work together. Lucy was definitely nervous though. What if they couldn't get along? What if Natsu got on Cobra's nerves to the point that he just poisoned him? And, of course, what if Cobra realized that Lucy's best friend was, in fact, so annoying that he couldn't be around her anymore?

"Now that's just silly," Cobra said, watching as Lucy sighed and took the first bite of her sandwich. "I'm more likely to poison him than disappear. You should know that."

"Yeah, but I don't want him to get poisoned."

"It wouldn't be deadly," he smirked, taking a bite of his salad. "But I'll reserve poisoning for enemies, okay?"

"Thank you," she giggled. She glanced over at her glass of water, then to the disgustingly green smoothie sitting in front of him. "What is that?"

"My drink." He chuckled when her tongue snaked out at him. "Apples, bananas, kiwi, mango, pineapple, spinach, spirulina, alfalfa, broccoli, kale, garlic, wheatgrass, barley grass, ginger, and parsley."

Lucy blinked slowly. "... What?"

Cobra laughed and pushed the glass toward her. "I gave Mira the recipe so I could order it when I'm here. Try it."

Lucy frowned but wrapped her lips around the straw. She took a small breath and nearly gagged right then. It smelled fucking disgusting, and made her wonder how Cobra was able to handle it in the first place. Still, she took a small sip, drawing back from the drink as though it was going to suck out her soul. It was kind of sweet, but mostly just gross. The weird gritty feeling left on her tongue, how watery it was even though it looked like a smoothie. But it was a thick kind of watery, like she'd poured partly curdled milk in her mouth.

Cobra snorted when Lucy took a large sip of her water. "More for me then."

"Where did you get that recipe?"

"I made it," he shrugged. "Well, it was inspired by some drink I saw in a store, but I fixed it up a little. Added the apples and kiwi to sweeten it." He was about to take another bite of his salad, then his eye caught on her sandwich.

Lucy felt his stare as she lifted her food, and glanced at the Poison Slayer only to find him frowning at her sandwich. She knew he was a vegetarian because he didn't like how meat tasted, but she smiled and held it out to him anyway. "It's roast beef with bacon," she offered.

Cobra pursed his lips for a moment, then ignored how Mira was staring at them with a curious gleam in her eyes when he leaned forward and took a tentative bite of her sandwich. Once it was in his mouth, he wanted to gag. The mayonnaise and onions and pretzel bun, he didn't mind, but the crunch of the bacon, the grease, and how it tasted to have thin strips of beef sitting in his mouth made him want to hurl.

Without a thought, he grabbed Lucy's free hand and dragged it closer, then spit out the food into her palm. "That…" He shuddered, grabbing his drink and taking a large gulp.

Lucy stared down at the food in her hand, then back to Cobra. It wasn't often that he was grossed out by something. That little scrunch in his nose was precious. With a soft laugh, Lucy shook her head and popped the piece of sandwich into her mouth.

"I don't know how you eat that shit," he muttered.

Lucy wiped her lips and hand on a napkin and, without thinking about where they were, leaned over to press her lips to his cheek just when Cobra took a large bite of his salad. "Same way you drink that shit."

He glared at her, but still smiled when she pulled back to look at him.

"You're kinda cute when you want to be." He huffed and sent his attention back to his food, but Lucy still caught the barely visible flush to his cheeks while she took another bite of her sandwich.


It didn't take much for Cobra to realize that Lucy was more comfortable giving him pleasure than taking it for herself. What took a little longer to understand was why. She had made a point of kissing him from head to toe and finding every spot on his body that he liked to have her touch. He'd been a desperate mess by the time she finally came to kneel between his legs and put her lips on his cock with the only other contact in their clasped hands while he writhed and groaned and gripped the sheets until he finished in her mouth.

From his birthday, through the S Class exams - which, she had been put up for promotion and succeeded - and into the new year, Lucy seemed as though she'd forgotten about wanting him to watch her masturbate. He didn't bring it up, and she didn't think about it.

But that day, when he came to her apartment and saw the blonde in her robe and heard the bath running, Cobra heard it. She was embarrassed. Nervous to let herself go in front of someone else. She'd been too self-conscious while with Gray, and it made her lock up, unable to reach that blissful release. But she was horny right then, so ready for it that she was willing to try.

Cobra smiled while leaning against the frame of her bathroom door, watching as her fingers wriggled beneath the flowing water from the tap as she filled the bath. Her hair was already tied up, baring her pale, slender throat. Without a word, he went back to her bedroom and undressed. By the time he returned with a towel around his hips, the water was off and Lucy was facing the door, already untying the sash while she looked into his hungry eye.

He'd yet to see her naked. Pale silver fabric parted between her breasts and down her center, then shifted and slid down to the floor. And then she was bare, her cheeks flushed while she forced herself not to look away from his face or to hide her body.

The sugary scent of her wafted through the air as his gaze travelled lower, down to the natural swell of her breasts, her puckered nipples. Her pinched waist and the barely visible scars from when she'd been poisoned. The swell of her hips and the trimmed patch of blonde between her beautiful legs.

"You're staring," she whispered. His eye snapped back to her face, and Cobra smiled while slowly coming forward to wrap his arms around her. His hands moved from her shoulders to clasp at the small of her back.

"Well, it's hard not to stare," he chuckled, kissing her hair. "You sure?"

Lucy nodded, brushing her nose across his chest. She didn't even need to ask if they could just sit in the bath for a little bit to get used to being that way.

"Alright." They carefully got situated in the tub with Cobra taking a seat first and Lucy settling herself between his legs. And both mages laughed when water sloshed out of the tub from being overfilled for two occupants. Lucy lifted the plug, setting it back when enough water had drained.

"I'm not really a bath kind of guy," Cobra said.

"Baths are magical," she grinned, laying her head back on his shoulder. "Maybe you'll enjoy them more after today."

"Only if you're in it with me." He took a slow breath while gently massaging down her arms to the tips of her fingers, listening to her content hum.

When his lips pressed lightly just behind her ear, Lucy giggled and bent away. "That tickles."

And that was definitely different for him. Normally Lucy just melted when he kissed her there, but now that she was aroused, he couldn't. Figuring her out was going to be a challenge, but it only made him grin. He did like a challenge, and if the reward for this was being able to have her come apart in his arms, even if he wasn't doing a thing to help her, then he was all for it.

"I'll tell you right now," he said, resting his chin on her shoulder as Lucy's hand slipped between her legs, "I'm gonna get hard."

"Seriously?"

"Even if I was in the other room, I would," he admitted. "Your soul sounds really fucking sexy right now." His lips turned down only slightly when her fingers paused in their quest toward her bundle of nerves. Ah, that's right. Lucy didn't like dirty talk, and while that was mild in comparison to what he could have said, Cobra reminded himself that this was about finding out what she liked. And about Lucy being comfortable enough to let loose. Maybe when she was really into it, he could try again. But not then, and maybe even not this time.

'How does a soul sound sexy? Mm, that feels nice.'

She pushed one finger into her sex, drawing it out just as quickly to circle her clit. And even though Lucy's eyes were closed as though she was caught in some fantasy behind her eyelids, he could hear it. It was just blank.

She didn't fantasize about a damn thing, not even him - not that he minded, it was just weird. The blonde simply let her fingers do the work that they needed to so she could get off. She was detached from it, and when he listened a little closer, Cobra at least felt a little better knowing that this was exactly what she did normally.

Only quiet whimpers left her barely parted lips. He still let his gaze trail across her creamy flesh, down to her breasts to see that each shaky breath she took in had her nipples peeking out on the surface of the water. She took a deeper breath, nibbling her lip when her leg twitched against his.

'Maybe he could kiss me a little…'

Cobra grinned and let his lips trail across her collarbone, listening to how her breath stuttered. When he kissed the column of her throat and drifted higher toward the shell of her ear, her soul hummed and purred and Lucy's legs parted just a little more. She could feel his arousal pressing into her back, and Cobra did his best to ignore the soft brush of skin over him every time she shifted.

'Come on… So what if he's watching? Well, it's kinda weird that he can see me, but I asked him to… But it's embarrassing. What if I make a stupid face?'

Cobra said nothing as he buried his nose in her hair, turning so his eye couldn't see what she was doing. Even though she wanted him to watch, if it was too much for him to see her like this then he could help her out.

'Well, now he can't see me. God, this is embarrassing.' She moaned a little louder, then clamped her lips shut as pleasure streaked through her. Her toes curled and her legs tensed, feeling the coil within ready to snap. And even though her fingers drew tight circles over her sensitive bundle, and she could feel her release building, she was stuck. It just wouldn't fucking happen.

Her eyes clamped shut and her nipples hardened as they pushed out of the water. Cool air kissed her tingling skin. God, she was so close. It had seemed so easy for Cobra when the tables had been turned. And maybe it had been. He hadn't really seemed to have an issue with her watching him.

"Because it was hot as hell," he whispered. "Feeling you next to me… When I was the one working it off."

Lucy whimpered and bit harshly at her lip.

"Just relax," he said, kissing her hair. His head shifted so he could see her face contorted in a pleasured grimace. The flush on her cheeks reaching down to her gently heaving chest. "You look so beautiful like this."

'I can't… God, I want to… But I just can't when he's watching me…'

Slowly, Cobra's hand slipped beneath the water and across her hip. His thumb drew slow circles, drifting closer to her center. "Can I?" he whispered, smiling when her eyes snapped open and she froze once their eyes locked.

"Y-You…"

"Just here." His fingers gently teased her lower lips, easing closer to her entrance then gently pushing two fingers into her. Lucy bit her lip, still unsure of herself even as Cobra started slowly caressing her inner walls in long, languid strokes. "Don't stop, Lucy."

She gasped when his other hand closed over hers, his fingers covering her own and pressing them to her clit. And once she started to work herself back into a decent pace, his hand moved again, gently massaging her thigh. Cobra couldn't stop the soft moan mirroring hers when Lucy sifted her fingers through his hair and pulled him into a timid kiss. And even though she didn't say it, he could hear the desperate pleas from her soul for more and faster and to touch her right there, harder.

Lucy broke away from the kiss with a startled whimper as he gently pinched her nipple and started scissoring his fingers within her. His lips locked onto her collarbone, kissing and nibbling the sensitive flesh as she climbed higher.

Her back arched into his touch as he plucked and pulled at her nipple then switched to the other breast. "Like this?" he whispered.

She nodded quickly, her hips curling of their own accord. Sensations assaulted her, his fingers within her, twisting and curling and pushing deeper than before, her own on her clit, the soft brush of his hair along her wrist where she gripped it. How he teased her nipples, massaged her breasts just the way she wanted him to. His lips brushing across her cheek and jaw and throat in gentle, encouraging kisses.

'Shit… Is he gonna make me… God, my hand hurts.'

"C-Cobra!" Lucy gasped as his hand left her breast and insistent, calloused fingers took place of hers over her clit.

"Can I?"

"I-I don't kno - Oh, god!" She clutched at his thighs as his fingers moved faster than before, plunging as deeply as he could and wildly scissoring within her slick passage while his other hand teased her sensitive bundle mercilessly.

What he wouldn't give to tell the blonde how much he wanted her right then. Watching her begin to writhe in his embrace, hearing her harsh breaths over the slosh of water onto her tile floor. Feeling her fingers digging into his legs to anchor herself as her body drew taut under his ministrations.

He wanted to tell her just how wet she was, how much he wanted to taste her sweet pussy and feel her release coating his tongue.

But this was more than enough. Her soul thrummed and growled with desire, whispered words that Lucy was unaware of normally saying while in the throes of passion, pushing herself further toward ecstasy. So, instead, Cobra decided to let her hear him saying it.

"Come on," he whispered in her ear, nipping gently at the lobe, "You can cum for me. Let me feel it, Lucy." At her silent, albeit unconscious request, Cobra pumped his fingers harder than before, with more force than he would have thought she would want, feeling her arousal slicking his fingers and tinging the water with its scent. Not that she could smell it, but he could. Sweet mother of god, he could smell how close she was, how ready her body was to fly over the edge.

"Th-There," she gasped. "Oh… O-Oh, Cobra… Cobra! Oh god…" Her jaw clenched as the cord within finally snapped with enough force to bow her back from his chest, a strangled cry crackling in her chest and her hips twitching and curling toward his slowing fingers. One hand dropped into the water, pushing him back into her still-spasming sex before he could withdraw completely, holding him in place.

With slow, teasing strokes, Cobra let her ride out her release, smiling when her fingers shakily brushed across the shackle-scar on his wrist. She was more breathtaking in that moment than ever before. Because he'd finally been able to see her letting go, embracing his touch, begging for it. It was pure ecstasy, seeing her and hearing her soul sigh, unraveling just a little more. With a hidden smirk, his fingers twitched over her clit, sending a shocked exhale out of the blonde. "Again?"

She nodded, crying out when his finger flicked across her bud. A slow brush, feeling every ridge of his fingerprint, sweeping beneath and upward. His mouth was claimed roughly by her, lithe tongue plunging between his lips. And even though she'd been embarrassed at first, Lucy had no problem crying out his name against his lips as the Poison Slayer pulled a second orgasm from her already quivering body several minutes later.

And when Lucy finally melted against him, whimpering in sated bliss as Cobra's fingers slid from her sex, her eyes peeked open to see his hand moving through the water and finally resting on her thigh. He didn't try to taste her right then, to put his fingers in his mouth and suck her essence from them. She'd hated it when Gray did that after fingering her, how he would moan and hum like it was the most delicious thing in the world. It was weird.

Then again, Lucy hated even more that she was comparing Cobra to Gray. There was no comparison. Cobra understood her better than Gray ever had when it came to things like this. So why was she?

"That's normal," Cobra whispered, brushing his nose across her flushed cheek as his arms wrapped around her waist. "You compare with what you know."

"I shouldn't," she sighed.

Except Cobra really didn't mind it. With a small smile, he said, "I like it when you do. Knowing that I make you happy…" He pressed a soft kiss to the corner of her lips, then nuzzled just behind her ear. "I don't mind you making me feel like I can do something right for once in my life."

"What do you mean?" Lucy frowned.

"I've made a lot of mistakes. And this?" Cobra couldn't stop himself from tightening his hold on her with not just his arms, but his legs pressing more firmly against hers so she could feel him surrounding her. "This is one thing I never thought I'd have with the shit I've done. Someone like you is just too perfect for a bastard like me."

"I'm not perfect," she whispered, hands brushing over his legs beneath the water.

"But you are to me," he said. "And that's all I care about."

She couldn't stop the heat from spreading across her cheeks while she forced his lips away from her neck to look into his eye. Cobra wasn't one for wearing his emotions out in the open, but she could see the sincerity and adoration in his gaze, felt it in her pounding heart. "You're perfect to me, too," she smiled. Lucy snuggled closer as Cobra slid them both a little lower into the water, his chin resting on her shoulder once more. "Happy Valentine's Day."


Once the weather had warmed and the pool opened at the guild, every mage in Fairy Tail flocked to it. There was no shortage of fun to be had between sitting on lounge chairs and drinking and chatting, or roughhousing in the water. Laxus stayed beside Gildarts, the guild's current Master chuckling and deep in conversation with the Crash mage currently on medical leave - a new probation set up by Wendy for mages who came home injured from jobs, with set time limits on how long they had to wait before being allowed to take another. Gildarts wasn't happy about being categorized as a Red, but he assumed that having a heart attack while on a mission with Cana warranted at least a little restraint.

Natsu and Gajeel were arm-wrestling beside Erza and Elfman, trading partners over one another and ramping up the stakes and difficulty in new and interesting ways.

Gray sat at one of the few umbrella-covered tables with Cana and Mira, watching as Juvia laughed and splashed in the shallows with Asuka.

"Gray, when are you and Juvia going to get married?" Mira asked with a smile.

"I dunno," he muttered. "I'm kinda over the whole marriage thing."

"Just because it didn't work out with Lucy doesn't mean you can't find that kind of happiness with Juvia."

"It's not that," he said. He took a long gulp of his frosted beer when Mira raised a brow at him.

"Well, you and Juvia have been an item for a while," she said slowly, counting the years in her head. Five years already. How time flew. "Don't you think she wants you to propose?"

"Probably," he muttered. "But she gets it. I don't want to get married again. I did it. It was horrible."

"How was it horrible?" Cana laughed. "From what I could tell, you and Lu were great until we found out you were banging Juvia behind her back. She was always telling us about how perfect it was living with you and all the stupid mushy shit you guys did."

"No one's gonna give that up, are they?" he scowled. "Yeah, I cheated on her and I should have just left her when I started regretting it all, but I was an idiot who married her instead."

The two women beside him blinked in surprise, but it was Cana who spoke first with narrowed eyes and her hand clenching on her mug. "You mean, you didn't want to marry Lucy to begin with?"

"Not really," he huffed.

"But you did it anyway and took her virginity…"

"I guess, yeah."

"Gray, what the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Nothing," he spat. "I was drunk when I proposed, and Lucy was too, but then she remembered it in the morning. It was stupid. I never wanted to be married, but I figured it was better than breaking her heart."

"So you strung her along for three years?" Mira hissed. That wasn't even counting the time they'd dated before even getting married. "Gray, that's…" Her jaw dropped when tanned fingers curled around Gray's head and slammed it down onto the table with an audible crunch, her deep blue eyes shooting up to see Cobra standing behind the Ice Make mage and snarling down at him.

"You broke my damn nose!"

Cobra turned Gray's head to the side then leaned down and pulled the lollipop from between his lips while looking into pained, teary eyes. "You're lucky that's all I fucking broke," he growled. "I don't know where you get off thinking it's fine to tread all over a woman, but you'd better wake the fuck up little boy."

"Get the hell off of me!"

Cobra pushed his head further into the table. "What you haven't told them is that you've been fucking Juvia since she joined the guild," he spat, "Since before you got together with Lucy. So, not only did you string Lucy along, thinking everything was perfect, and make her fall in fucking love with you… You had everyone thinking Juvia was a goddamn lunatic because she was just trying to be closer to you in public, even while you were dating Lucy out in the open."

"Gray!" Mira hissed.

"Oh, tell me he's kidding," Cana sneered.

"That's none of your business," Gray said, glaring at Cobra. "And what would some asshole like you know about treating a woman right anyway? You're a criminal, Cobra."

"A criminal I might be," Cobra grinned, moving closer until Gray could feel his breath across his face. "But when I hear some piece of shit thinking about Lucy the way you were, I feel it's well within my rights to knock some goddamn sense into them. She will never take you back, asshole. Don't even consider it."

"I-"

"I know everything you did, Gray," Cobra sneered. "Every lie you told, every nasty little cunt you fell into that wasn't either of them. I'm the one who showed her you were cheating to begin with, and Lucy fucking trusts me more than she ever trusted you."

"Bullshit," Gray said, fighting to push Cobra off and grunting when the Poison Slayer dodged his every attempt.

"Do you want to know why?" Cobra lifted Gray's head from the table, forcing his gaze over to where Lucy was being thrown around in the pool by Natsu as a clear distraction. "Because I can hear her soul, and she knows I'd die for her. I would do anything to hear her soul singing every single day that I'm alive. You saw it that day, didn't you, Gray? When you had to bring her to me? When I saved her life?"

"I could get her back," Gray scowled. "All I have to do is tell her you attacked me."

"In her best interests, I assure you," Cobra chuckled. "But here's the rub. As soon as I'm done here, as soon as you fucking understand that I'm never letting you near her again? I'm going over to her and telling her the truth." He really did enjoy the way Gray's eyes widened in horror. "Oh, not about what you did. That's for a rainy day. I mean, I'll be telling her about coming over here. And do you want to know why?"

"Because you don't lie to people?" Cana smirked.

"Goddamn right, I don't," Cobra chuckled. "Now, be a good boy and stop thinking about Lucy in any way other than as a guild mate. Because if you don't, I'll come to your house in the middle of the night, gut you from tits to testicles, and then make you watch me literally fuck your intestines before I kill you. Have I made myself clear?"

Gray stayed silent, simply glaring through the pain as Cobra's grip on his hair tightened. Slowly, the Poison Slayer put the lollipop back in his mouth, then shoved him back into his chair and walked off toward the pool where Lucy was panting and struggling to pull herself from the water.

"That guy's a total psycho," Gray muttered, putting a hand to his nose. All three mages at the table watched Cobra pull another lollipop out of the pocket in his swim trunks, open it, then pop it into the blonde's waiting mouth once she was standing.

They were silent while watching Cobra talk to Lucy, her brow furrowing with concern. And then her eyes darted toward Gray and went wide in horror at the sight of his bloody face. She scowled while looking back at Cobra and just when Gray was sure the Slayer would get a Lucy Kick across the pool and the scolding of a lifetime, something else happened entirely.

Lucy gently pulled the lollipop from between her lips, just when Cobra said something else and cupped his hand around her blushing cheek and drew her closer, then pressed his lips to hers.

Cana whooped and catcalled along with others in the guild when Lucy's knees visibly weakened as Cobra deepened the kiss, his arm wrapping around her as she leaned into his embrace. "That's what I'm talking about!" the Card mage hollered. "Get some, Lu! You sexy fucking bitch!"

Lucy slowly pulled back, smiling shyly up at Cobra, and only the other Slayers could hear her stuttering whisper of, Well, I guess the guild knows we're together.

Cobra's only response was a shrug as he put the lollipop back in his mouth. Once Lucy had done the same, he grinned down at her and lifted the blonde into his arms, then jumped right back into the pool.

Mira giggled when they surfaced and Lucy started splashing Cobra before jumping on his back and demanding he carry her, pointing her lollipop toward Natsu. The fact that he simply laughed and dunked the blonde again by falling backwards onto her was odd, but still so distinctly Cobra that Mira just couldn't handle it. "They're going to make beautiful babies," she sighed as Lucy crawled onto Cobra's shoulders and the pair challenged Erza and Natsu to a game of Chicken Fight.


Lucy and Cobra were lying on the couch at her apartment, wearing their normal "required" clothing for relaxation at nearly nine at night. The lamp in the corner provided just the right amount of light for them to read without it being too bright, especially as their eyes grew heavier when the night wore on.

Cobra teased Lucy about her choice of reading material until he realized that it was in another language that he'd heard of but had never actually heard spoken. They'd gained a new hobby together, when they had late nights spent inside - which both not so secretly loved their nights in. They laid on the couch with Lucy curled up between Cobra's legs and her head on his chest, and draped a blanket over themselves. Then one would read to the other. Once they finished a book, they would switch. And this time it was Lucy's turn.

"You look confused," she laughed.

"I have no idea what this shit says," Cobra frowned. "Or what it's about."

"It's an epic poem," she said, smiling while his hands burrowed beneath the blanket and caressed her bare stomach. "It's about a warrior who travels across kingdoms and defeats monsters."

"As most epic tales tend to be about," he smirked.

"Well, there's a dragon in this one."

"I've read a couple with dragons before."

"This is the one that predates all the others. It's where they stole it from. And the warrior's a woman." Alright, that one, he had to admit, piqued his interest. Nearly every epic he'd cracked open had a manly warrior doing manly things and - 'Good fucking God, Elfman's been reading too many of these!'

"And you're planning on reading this… how?" He was suddenly struck into silence when Lucy looked at him over her shoulder, out of the corner of her eye, and a soft and reminiscent smile curled her full lips. Damnit, he was turning into a sap because of her. But he just couldn't find the will to hate it nearly as much as he probably would have years before when he'd still been with Crime Sorciere. She was breathtakingly, painfully beautiful like this.

"My mom used to read this book to me," she whispered. "And I had Freed teach me the language after we rebuilt the guild in X791."

That explained the look on her face. Not the part about Freed, but her mother. After years of being in her company, even having accompanied her on a trip or two to Acalypha to visit her parents' graves, Cobra understood the bond she'd shared with them. To a point. It wasn't something he'd ever had, but hearing the memories trickling through her soul, the happy and sad and heartbreaking, gave him a pretty good idea of what it was like to even have a family.

And Lucy's mother and father were still a large part of her life to that day. She wrote them letters, and went to clean their graves and set new flowers. She had a picture of them on her desk with a small memorial candle that she lit on the annual commemoration of their respectives deaths.

"If I ever have kids one day," Lucy sighed, her fingers brushing across the scrawling text on the worn leather cover, "I wanted to be able to pass this on to them. Just a piece of my mother and all the women in the Heartfilia line."

That was the first time she had ever mentioned wanting a family in the future. And Cobra, for all he knew just how he felt about Lucy and how she felt about him, wasn't really sure where that left the two of them. They were together, but… was that something she wanted with him?

"But you know what it all means, right?" he whispered, forcing himself to focus on the blonde once again and not the worried knot souring his gut.

"I do." She smiled while pressing her lips to his. "You'll hear it, right?"

"Yeah, I'll hear your soul translating it," he chuckled. "It might get a little confusing though, hearing two languages at once."

"Well, I have the translated version on the shelf," she giggled. "Want me to grab-"

"No." His arms tightened around her, pulling her closer as he threw one leg over hers. "We're both comfortable. And if you have the translated one, then I can read it later to see what the story's about."

"But you won't understand if you ignore my soul," she frowned.

"True, but I will get to focus all my attention on hearing you speak another language," he grinned. "And that's a treat all to itself." Oh, how he loved the way her ears burned a bright red when she was feeling shy. "How about this? You read this to me, and I'll read the translation to you?"

"Deal," Lucy said instantly. She snuggled closer and carefully opened the book, then started to read.

Hwæt! We Gar-Dena in geardagum,
þeodcyninga þrym gefrunon,
hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon!
Oft Scyld Scefing sceaþena þreatum,
monegum mægþum, meodosetla ofteah,
egsode eorlas, syððan ærest wearð
feasceaft funden; he þæs frofre gebad,
weox under wolcnum, weorðmyndum þah,
oðþæt him æghwylc þara ymbsittendra
ofer hronrade hyran scolde,
gomban gyldan. Þæt wæs god cyning!

While she read, Cobra let himself get lost in the gentle lilt of her voice as she emphasized each word in a way that he never would have considered. He tried to follow the text on the page, but there were characters he'd never seen before, and it all just looked like gibberish. Still, when he drowned out Lucy's soul and only listened to her voice, it was almost as though she was singing some distant, soothing lullaby.

And because he was so focused on the words coming out of her mouth and soaking in every foreign sound she made, Cobra forgot all about her mention of wanting children, and the fear he had of telling her that it was something they'd never have.


It was officially a first for Lucy, seeing Cobra the way he was right then. How he smiled with a group of people surrounding him, threw jokes around left and right, and seemed to not have a care in the world.

Crime Sorciere had come to Magnolia to visit just when the temperatures started dropping, and as soon as he knew they were going to be in town, Cobra had informed Lucy that she was more than welcome to come over and spend time with them. He even admitted that he wanted her to be able to feel comfortable around them, because the other former Seis members were the closest friends he had and every time they'd been in town - though it was seldom and he usually only found out the day they were coming that they'd be there - she'd already been out on a job with Natsu.

Of course, Lucy had agreed. She'd helped him cook dinner and saw his excitement mounting the closer his four friends came to the apartment. And the more Cobra was excited, the more she fed off of it until she was nearly bouncing by the time they'd knocked on the front door. And Cobra had simply laughed when Lucy dropped the knife she'd been washing and dried her hands off, shouting that she would get the door and he should just keep working on the pasta, then dashed out of the kitchen and threw the door open.

The looks on their faces had been hilarious. Even Midnight's jaw dropped at the sight of the blonde - wearing a long-sleeved crop top and jeans instead of a sports bra and comfy pants - answering the door instead of Cobra.

And when Lucy heard the soft mutter of, "Good job, Macbeth. You got us lost," from Angel, she couldn't help but laugh and invite them inside. As soon as Cobra popped his head out of the kitchen to tell them to hurry the fuck up, they'd relaxed. Lucy had never thought that seeing her of all people would make the former criminals scared.

It was even more amusing to see the utter shock on Cobra's face when Angel walked in and removed her coat, revealing a very pronounced belly. The fact that he'd nearly dropped the plates he was carrying toward his dining table (Lucy tended to forget that he even had one with how rarely they used it), almost had her laughing out loud. Except there was something else in his gaze that had the blonde pausing. She couldn't be sure what it was, but it was gone in an instant and Cobra was placing the plates on the table and drawing the former Celestial mage into a hug while simultaneously punching Midnight in the head for knocking her up.

She'd never had the opportunity to talk with Midnight, Angel, Racer, and Richard like this before. Even when they visited the guild with Jellal and Meredy, they mostly kept to themselves. She still found it strange that they all went by their birth names now.

But now she could see how Sorano's smile could reach her eyes and make her even more beautiful while talking about her and Macbeth joining Sabertooth to be with her little sister, Yukino, and finally settle down. How Sawyer was actually a huge pervert, but muttered his comments only when Sorano couldn't hear him; she'd witnessed the pregnant woman putting him in a headlock for a harmless that's what she said. And it was more than heartwarming to find out that Richard had finally found his brother.

Cobra - Lucy hadn't known his name was Erik until Sorano started calling him that, but he didn't look too happy about that name being used - was all smiles. They were easy smiles that usually only she saw. And she couldn't find it in herself to be jealous of having to share in his happiness, because this was a whole new side to the Poison Slayer that she was having a hard time not swooning over.

"So, Lucy," Sorano said while twirling her spaghetti around her fork, "How did you and Erik get together?"

It was so refreshing to hear the question like that, and not how long have you been dating or when did you start fucking or anything else.

"Well," she smiled, remembering the silliness of it all, "It all started before Gray and I got divorced in X795."

"You think so?" Cobra frowned.

She nodded, soft pink dusting her cheeks. "I never would have known he was cheating on me if it wasn't for you, Cobra," she said, turning her attention back to Sorano. "But a few months went by and the women in the guild were trying to get me back out there."

"That sounds idiotic," Macbeth said. No one disagreed with his assessment.

"They kept dragging me out," Lucy laughed, "And every time we passed a certain someone's apartment, he'd tease me. I'm not sure what changed though."

Cobra chuckled and swallowed his food. "I heard you didn't want to go out. And the other thing."

"Other thing?"

"Touching."

"Oh." Lucy's cheeks burned even brighter while her gaze dropped to her plate. She hadn't known the real reason he'd started inviting her over. Somehow, it had never really come up. "A-Anyway, he propositioned me from his window with candy and sweatpants."

"It was a bit nicer than that," he laughed. "Downright sexy, actually."

"You wish," Sorano giggled. "So, did you do it?"

Lucy shook her head, smiling right along with Cobra. "I ignored him for months. Even when he sat there, eating candy, I didn't think he was serious. Then he threw me a piece and it had a note on it. I came over a two months after that, and we ate about three bags of Valentine's candy in total silence. Then we just hung out over here when I wanted to hide from the guild."

"Two whole years of it before you even tried to kiss me," he smirked, his eye naturally softening as her hand rested on his atop the table.

The other mages present watched in silence as Lucy's fingers gently twined with his. "Well, I think you guys are perfect for each other," Macbeth said, drawing everyone's attention to him. "There aren't many people outside of us who would understand Erik's issue with being touched, Lucy."

And the blonde understood exactly what he meant. Cobra had told her a while ago, when she'd seen him shirtless and wanted to kiss every scar on his body - which she did - where they had all come from. His torture had made him physically closed off. It took a long time for him to be alright with physical contact again, even with the Seis, and though he no longer had panic attacks from being touched on just his shoulder, the slow pace they'd taken before even holding hands had helped him be more comfortable with her. And he'd appreciated every moment where she might have tried to hug him, but simply held his hand instead.

"But you do," Sorano said softly, a small frown curling her lips.

"Not like you guys," Lucy said. "But yeah, I get it. I liked taking my time and getting to know him."

"But enough about that," Cobra said, clearing his throat. He turned his attention back to Macbeth and Sorano. "I wanna know more about this baby. Boy or girl?"

"We don't know," all four mages sighed in unison.

"Every time they try to check the sex, the little stinker moves," Richard chuckled.

"Do you want to be surprised?" Lucy asked.

"God, no," Sorano said. "I want to know. Macbeth here is indifferent."

"I'm surprised he was awake long enough to fuck you," Cobra smirked, receiving a glare from the Reflector mage. "But, I can help… if you want."

"You…" Sorano blinked in surprise at the gentle smile on the Poison Slayer's lips. "Really?"

Without another word, Cobra stood from his seat and made his way around the table to kneel beside her. She turned slightly and watched with everyone else as his hand smoothed over her belly.

"Head," Cobra chuckled, bringing his other hand up to touch the other side of her baby bump, "Ass." His eye closed while his hands moved again. "Hands… Feet…" With a sly smirk his hand shifted slightly. "Uh-oh, I think I feel a tail. You're having a demon."

"Fuck off," Sorano laughed, tears already welling on her lashes.

His eye slowly opened and he looked up at his old friend. "Her soul's beautiful, Sorano. Just like yours."

"E-Erik…"

While Sorano leaned forward and hugged Cobra, Midnight stared at the pair with wide eyes. "Her?" he whispered. "We're… The baby's…"

"You're having a daughter!" Richard grinned, pulling the stunned Reflector mage into a tight hug. "The love between you has made a beautiful little girl!"

Lucy smiled from her seat, watching as the former Oracion Seis curled themselves around Macbeth and Sorano and kept congratulating them on the news. And when Cobra blindly reached back and pulled her closer, Lucy didn't fight it. Just like she didn't fight Sorano latching onto her and crying about how happy she was, or how she wished Lucy could feel what she was feeling so she wouldn't be the only one crying.

Luckily, Cobra piped up with, "Don't worry, Maybelline's makeup is running worse than yours." It made Sorano laugh when she looked over to see Macbeth's eyeliner and mascara trickling down his pale cheeks in thick black streams where he was sandwiched between Sawyer and Richard.

"Be nice, Uncle Erik," Macbeth sniffled, smiling at the wide-eyed, slack-jawed stare he received from the Poison Slayer.


Hours after Crime Sorciere left Magnolia, with Sorano and the others explaining that they were heading to Sabertooth so she and Macbeth could get settled in, Cobra sat in the darkened window seat and stared out to the slumbering city as the sun crawled higher and dimmed the few visible stars in the sky. He could see each little puff of air that left him in a pale, chilly cloud. He could hear Lucy's even breaths where she slept in his bed, where he wished he'd been able to keep sleeping beside her. A soft breeze rustled the drapes and chilled his cheek, making him even more aware of the tears sliding down to his chin.

He'd loved seeing Sorano and Macbeth, Richard and Sawyer. He'd missed them, and knew that they really should stay in better contact. It was proof enough that he hadn't even known Sorano was pregnant until she was nearly seven months along. What if one of them had died? How long would it be before he'd have found out something like that?

He'd resolved as soon as Sorano had come inside, he was going to change that. Cobra was going to make an effort to call them, to stay up-to-date on their lives and the things happening around them. With a niece coming - he was still shocked that they would even consider him something like an uncle for their child - he refused to be out of the loop.

Slender fingers slid across his shoulders, lightly massaging while they worked from his spine outward. "Can't sleep?"

He sniffled and lowered his gaze. "Something like that." Her hands went still when she heard him sniffle again, no matter how quiet it was.

"Are you alright?"

Cobra shook his head, letting her slowly pulling him back away from the window. She didn't make him look at her, didn't force him to turn around. Instead, Lucy's arms wrapped around his bare shoulders and her cheek rested against the top of his head. Her hands were warm as they brushed across his upper arms. He could feel the extra warmth radiating from her, from being curled up beneath the blanket, the soft brush of her nightgown across his scarred back. And when her lips puckered against his scalp, Cobra's eye closed to soak up the soothing lullaby of her soul.

"Bad dream?" Lucy whispered. He shook his head again, turning his cheek against her arm and bringing a hand up to brush across her soft skin.

She knew well enough that he wasn't a peaceful sleeper. It was no small miracle he didn't flail while caught in memories of the past. And somehow, Lucy never minded that he would sometimes wake up pouring sweat, that the sheets would be soaked with his perspiration. She'd been worried the first time it had happened, scrambling from the bed as he rushed out of the room, then standing in the doorway as Cobra emptied the contents of his stomach into the toilet. And even though he'd yelled at her to get the hell out of his home, she'd stayed. Lucy had wet a washcloth and gently pressed it to the back of his neck. She'd stayed awake with him the rest of the night and when Lucy had fallen asleep just as the sun crested the horizon, he'd whispered his thanks to her for not leaving him alone.

"Is this about Sorano and Macbeth?" she whispered.

He hated that she could do that. That she was able to figure him out so easily at times. And though he wished he could tell her no, Cobra had never been a liar. So instead, he stayed silent. But his lack of a response was enough of an answer for her.

Lucy's arms tightened around him and her hands rubbed soothing circles on his arms. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He figured it was best if he just told her. Just came out with the truth. But the words caught in his throat and when he finally spoke, his voice was a ragged, broken whisper that betrayed just how deeply he felt the pain in his soul. "I-I can't have kids, Lucy."

"What do you mean?" she asked softly. "Because of-"

"No, not the Tower." He didn't blame her for thinking that he was scared of being a bad father because of his own childhood. She didn't know most of what had happened there, but the scars on his body from being whipped and beaten were proof enough of his torture. "I always wanted kids, I just… can't."

"How come?"

So, Cobra told her the story, no matter how his voice cracked with emotion, of what Brain did to him. To all five children he'd "saved" from the Tower of Heaven. How he'd drugged their food once they'd all turned fourteen and took them to a doctor who gave the boys vasectomies, who tied Sorano's tubes to prevent her from getting pregnant. And while Cobra was unconscious, Brain had the Dragon Slayer lacrima implanted in his chest.

They were told after waking up what had been done to them.

"Brain told us he didn't care if we had sex, but the last thing he wanted was babies fucking up our plans. I-I heard it though. He didn't want us attached to anyone, and having a kid with someone would breed 'useless attachment'."

"But you're still able to… well, to get off," Lucy frowned.

"Yeah, it's just semen though," he said. He'd been just as surprised by the distinction when he'd researched just what had been done to him and the others. "There's no sperm in it." He hadn't known that it was two separate parts of his body making the shit that came out of him. Then again, Brain hadn't exactly been big on the sex education front while raising them.

He went on to explain how he'd looked into having it reversed surgically when they had broken out of prison - when Lucy and the others were still stuck on Tenrou - but his body absorbed anesthesia because of the lacrima. He couldn't have pain medication. He couldn't be put under or numbed for the procedure, and with how delicate it was, there was no way Cobra could withstand the pain like he did with suturing himself up after missions.

"What about Macbeth and Sorano then?" Lucy whispered.

"He can have surgery," Cobra said. Macbeth had the procedure reversed and Sorano had her tubes "untied" so she could bear children. They went to a fertility clinic to help the process along. "Th-They wanted a family, so they made it happen."

He knew this was the first time she'd ever heard him cry, and when Cobra turned in Lucy's arms and buried his head against her breast, she caught sight of the tears shining on his cheek. She saw the devastation sitting so plainly on his usually calm features that she didn't stop herself from crawling into his lap and holding him as close as possible.

"It was my one w-wish," Cobra cried. After getting away from Brain and realizing that he really could have a normal life if he so desired, it was still never meant to be because of the lacrima he'd never wanted. "And I wish more than anything that I could give that to you…"

She would be a wonderful mother. So kind and caring, willing to discipline but still able to be gentle and affectionate. And just thinking about seeing Lucy the way Sorano had looked, so happy, how she glowed from that little life within her, made him want it that much more. Thinking about what it would be like to hold her and rub her swollen belly, to hear that sweet little soul thriving inside her, only made his tears come more forcefully.

"I'm so sorry," he sniffled. "I sh-should have told you sooner..."

"Cobra, you don't have to apologize to-"

"And if you can't be with me because you want a family-"

"Cobra!" Lucy scowled. "What makes-"

" - a-and there's no point for us to be together… Then I'll understand." It wasn't until he'd started talking that Cobra came to realize just how much it would crush him if Lucy left. She'd become everything good in his life. But if she couldn't be with him, he'd find a way to move on. He would be alone again, but so much of his life had been spent that way that maybe he could go back.

Except he knew he couldn't. Now that he'd had a taste of the perfection that rested in being with Lucy, Cobra couldn't go back to his solitary life. They spent nearly every day together - at his apartment, hers, the guild, sometimes on jobs - unless she was on a job with Natsu or out with the women in the guild. He slept beside her almost every night. And every time he woke up with her in his arms, Cobra was content. Happy. So complete that he didn't know how he'd gotten so fucking lucky to have her.

He'd never be the same if he lost her.

Her fingers carded through his hair, nails drawing gentle circles across his scalp and behind his ear as the tears soaking into her nightgown were matched with her own on her lashes and cheeks.

"I'm s-sorry," he whimpered against her. "I wish… I wish I could fix it."

"Cobra," she sighed. "It's okay."

"It's not!"

"No, it really is." She forced him to look at her then, to see that she was crying as well. Not because she was sad over the news he'd given her, but because of how much this upset him. "Having a family has only ever been a pipe dream," she whispered, brushing away the tears on his cheek. "I never expected to have kids with anyone. Or to find a man who'd want me to have them. Even with Gray, I just couldn't see us having kids. It's something I accepted a long time ago."

"But you want kids," he whispered. "I can hear it."

"Sure, deep down I think about what it would be like to have a baby," she nodded. "And I knew that if I ever miraculously got pregnant, I would love that little one with all my heart. But I'm not giving up on you, or on us just because we can't have kids."

It broke his heart when she pictured, right then, deep in her soul, what their child might have looked like. A little boy with his eyes and hair, her complexion, and both their temperaments. Or a little girl that looked just like him, maybe with Lucy's nose and lips, who learned Cobra's magic or hers, or didn't have any magic at all. Some child they would never be able to have.

"But, without kids life will maybe be a little easier," she said. "We won't have sleepless nights with a screaming baby. And kids are expensive, so we'd save a lot of money in the long run. And you wouldn't have to go on a murdering spree if we had a daughter, and she brought home a boyfriend. And we don't exactly live the safest lives as mages, so we'll never have to worry that a job going wrong will leave our child as an orphan."

And even though Cobra knew that Lucy was just trying to be positive about it, trying to help him feel better, it only made things worse. Because he wanted those sleepless nights, and disgusting diaper changes, and begging the little one to just stop crying. He wanted to wanted to use the money they made to make their kid's life a happy one. Yes, he wanted to threaten every perverted little bastard with dismemberment for even thinking of coming near their daughter. And Cobra would gladly cut back on the solo missions, take easier jobs with less pay, if it meant their child would have both parents growing up.

Eventually, Lucy realized that nothing she said had worked, that he was just too upset to see the reason in it all. There was nothing they could do to change things, but that didn't mean that this was all going to crash and burn. He'd known since the beginning, since they'd first kissed and through the years, that he couldn't have kids. It was only when they'd seen Sorano that this had started to bother him.

But maybe that's all it had taken for reality to settle in for him. His friends had been subjected to the same thing, but they were able to have it fixed. Sawyer and Richard could do the same if they so chose. But Cobra was stuck just the way Brain had wanted him to be, and knowing that made Lucy's heart ache for him.

She kissed the space between his brows and pulled his head to her shoulder once again, a sad smile pulling at her lips when he held onto her with everything he had. He trembled in her embrace, but she didn't mind it. Instead, she focused on the fact that this was the first time he'd opened up to her so fully. The first time all of his walls had come down with her present.

Her fingers brushed through his hair, across the scars on his back and shoulders, and her lips lowered to his pointed ear. "All I need to be happy is you, Cobra. Nothing else." And when he nodded against her, Lucy knew he felt the same. Her gaze lifted to the window, looking down at the first flurries of the year that kissed the lightening street below his apartment, and Lucy smiled sadly down at Laxus, who had stopped dead in his tracks and stared wide-eyed to the open window above, hearing everything the Poison Slayer had said.


End A/N: I don't do these notes at the end often anymore, but for anyone who's interested, the epic poem Lucy reads to Cobra is Beowulf in the original Old English. I'm obsessed with it. Obviously, I changed the protagonist in Beowulf to be a woman for the sake of this story… because I can. The first eleven lines aren't talking about Beowulf (the character) anyway, so there's nothing that needed to get changed as far as that's concerned.

For a little reference, Old English was used as a basis and inspiration for Tolkien's Elvish languages, because he was a "Saxon" scholar (he studied those bad boys).

If you want to know what this section sounds like, I recorded myself saying it for you guys. I had to memorize the first eleven lines of Beowulf in OE, and I still know them to this day. I apologize if the quality's a little wonky. I had to do it in the garage where it's relatively quiet at five in the afternoon. My house is a zoo.

Here's the link to that (remove the spaces):

chirb. it/ vMn67B

I'll see you next time for the (actual) final chapter of this story.