**This version of chapter 6 is exactly the same but shouldn't have the formatting issues of the first posting. Thank you SassyKiki!**
Ceramic pots thumped against the countertop as Lucy unloaded her shopping bag. She was careful not to touch the plants, unsure if touching either one would cause a reaction. The bag of poisonous berries sat next to the plants, but Lucy thought better of leaving any of her purchases on the kitchen counter where she might accidentally poison herself. Instead, she moved them to the window sill, hoping Natsu wouldn't climb through the window before she decided where to store the dangerous items permanently.
The plate of pancakes was no longer next to the stove and she could hear the shower running, so she figured Cobra was out of bed. Waking up next to her bedmate had been less strange than it usually felt waking up next to anyone that wasn't her teammate. That was likely because there was little to cause morning-after regrets since they'd only cuddled, plus he looked sickly. His skin had been washed out and pale instead of its deeply tanned color. He looked more like he had the flu than on the healing side of recovering from fatal injuries. He hadn't stirred when she'd gotten up, though she was fairly certain he was awake. She could feel his alertness, like the fog of sleep hadn't quite left his mind but he was alert enough to know where he was.
Lucy had managed to untangle her limbs from his so she could slip out of the bed. He hadn't gotten up throughout her entire morning routine or when she'd cooked breakfast. She'd looked in on him one more time, finding him curled tightly on his side beneath the blanket with a pillow smashed over his face, so she decided to leave him alone and track down some natural poisons. Lucy hoped fueling his magic would clear up the last of his lingering injuries, assuming that was the problem.
A few more minutes passed before the shower turned off and the bathroom door opened. Cobra rounded the corner into the living area wearing more of Gray's castoffs that Lucy knew had been in her dresser. When she raised a brow in question, Cobra waved away her thought and said, "I didn't dig through your panties. I already knew where the clothes were from last time."
"Oh ok, glad you're not a perv like the other guys in my life." She smiled when he rolled his eye and went on, "You look pretty terrible. I got some poisons that might help."
Cobra looked over at the plants and asked in surprise, "Are those holly berries?" His feet started moving before he even realized it. He tore open the bag and tossed a handful into his mouth. Holly berries were one of his favorite plant based poisons. Lucy laughed when he moaned in pleasure but he ignored her as he ate a few more. Around the berries, he nodded at the flowering plants asking, "Why'd you pick those two plants?"
"Well, I already knew hydrangeas were toxic if ingested because we had a stupid dog that ate flowers when I was a kid. He died, which I'm sure you guessed. I asked the worker at the plant nursery if there were any other plants I should look out for and he warned me about how toxic oleander plants could be, so I bought one of those too." She smiled a little at the memory as she added, "I'm pretty sure he thought I was planning to commit murder when I added the holly berries to my order."
Cobra snorted as he picked a leaf from the oleander plant and popped it in his mouth. "Yeah, probably. You could kill a crowd with this shit." He could feel the toxins circulating in his system, relieving some of his ongoing weakness.
"Is it helping?" Lucy asked as she stepped closer and placed the back of her hand against his cheek. She was worried about the pale and clammy look to his skin.
He flinched away at the contact and swatted at her hand. "I'm not a fucking child."
"Oh, get over yourself. I just want to make sure you're alright. You look sick." She stepped forward and aggressively grabbed both sides of his face, pulling his head down closer to hers. "And your pupil is dilated. Maybe I should ask Wendy to come check you out again."
"Damn it, woman." He pulled her hands away from his face and stepped out of her reach. "I'll be fine in a little while. These plants have enough toxins to give my magic a boost for a week. It'll heal me better than Little Blue can." He wouldn't admit to Lucy that he had been ok, not great but tolerable, until she'd gotten out of the bed earlier. The pain in his head had increased tenfold, becoming nearly unbearable. He'd barely had the energy to get up and shower, only the tempting smell of food pulled him from beneath the blanket and pillow.
"Alright, I'll leave you alone for now." Lucy reluctantly walked back to her kitchen to wash the few dishes left behind from cooking breakfast.
Cobra hoped what he said wasn't a lie. He knew part of his weakness was due to needing strong poisons in his body, but there was something more he couldn't identify. His body felt weak, the fatigue from the evening before still present. Something was draining his energy. Even after sleeping well for several hours, an odd thing for him, he still felt tired. He had an idea of what it might be but didn't know how to begin addressing it.
From the kitchen, Lucy asked loudly, "Do you think that guy's magic is still affecting you?"
What the fuck? Did she just pick that up through their connection? Cobra still hated the bond more often than he liked it. As much as he was starting to get attached to Lucy, something he'd finally admitted to himself while eating the pancakes she'd cooked with him in mind, he still didn't want anyone in his head. He was a hypocrite but didn't care. Eventually he answered, "I dunno. It might be."
The sound of water sliding over dishes ended just before Lucy leaned against the sink while she thought over the possibility. Her mind was quick, putting together things Cobra hadn't told her. She didn't know the dark mage planned to absorb light magic to replace his death magic, but she guessed light magic could counteract the effects of a death spell. The intelligent blonde was putting together an idea that might actually work. When she'd gotten her thoughts together, she walked out of the kitchen and sat on the floor in the open area where the dining table used to stand. She patting the spot in front of her as she said, "You already know what I'm thinking so get over here."
"So demanding. Can I even get a please?" Cobra grumbled as he grabbed the last few holly berries from the bag and left it empty on the window sill.
"Pretty please, my prickly pear?" Lucy asked in a high pitched voice. Cobra had to swallow down a giggle at her words, the effects of the toxins kicking in. This was why he loved holly berries.
He sat in front of her while saying, "I guess since you asked nicely." He tossed the last few berries into his mouth and mirrored her position, legs bent and crossed in front of him with his hands on his knees. Lucy scooted forward until their knees touched and grabbed his hands, turning them palm up. She placed her palms into his and relaxed her fingers around his wrists, then closed her eyes. Relief swept through him at her touch and he could feel the light of her magic cancelling out the darkness of the death magic still trapped within his body.
"You just want to hold my hand." Cobra joked, unable to stifle urge to giggle that time. The mix of holly berries and oleander leaves was more potent that he'd expected. The high mixed with the sudden drop in pain from her touch and he was feeling really good.
"Maybe later. Right now I'm trying to save you." She cracked an eye open for a moment and smirked as she thought, Again.
I'm sure I'll have to save your clumsy ass again soon.
Without opening her eyes again, Lucy smiled widely, having heard his thought. He figured she would. She was in the beginning stages of meditation and they were connected physically through their hands, so she would probably pick up on most of his thoughts now. He focused on clearing his mind of all the ridiculous, bubbly rambling brought on by the deadly toxins. It would be best to avoid her hearing the shit swirling around in his head, so he did his best to keep his attention on watching her work.
The power in the room grew as Lucy drew on her magic. Having done this regularly for so long, she was able to tap right into her second origin, pulling forward a heavy load of power. It twisted around the pair with their hands being the center point of the swirling energy. Cobra could smell the power of the Celestial World, recognizing it from the celestial spirits he'd encountered over the years. It was crisp, like the cold air on a snow covered mountain, but sweet like flowers blooming at midnight – a poetic thought he hoped hadn't just been broadcast to Lucy. No need to let anyone know he had more emotional depth than a puddle.
A glowing ball of magic formed over each of their joined hands, the two orbs spinning wildly. The bright light seemed to emit a warmth that permeated Cobra's skin, seeping into his pores and pumping through his veins. His breath came fast and his eye widened at the sensation. Lucy's magic was entering his body, spreading through him leaving behind a feeling completely the opposite of the death magic. The essence of life flowed into his body through their joined hands and poured into his soul through their bond.
Lucy's loose hair floated in the whipping air, her skin glowing and features taking on an ethereal quality. Cobra stared, no longer caring if she picked up on his thoughts as he became awestruck by her beauty. Her head tipped back slightly as the power surged to a new height, lips parting with a sharp intake of breath. The same rush hit him a second later as the magic entering his body and soul seemed to join somewhere in his core, impacting with the dark remnants of the death spell. His chest bowed forward and his head flung back as the darkness sizzled and then fled from his body, dispersing into nothingness in the light magic surrounding them.
Lucy released her magic, letting it settle back into her as she opened her eyes. Cobra nearly collapsed into her when the forceful flow of magic ceased suddenly. He pressed against his knees, her hands still covering his, as he sat back upright and looked at her. Both were left panting heavily from the experience, remaining silent as they stared at each other..
"It's gone." He whispered, feeling anything louder would shatter the atmosphere. The dark spell had been erased entirely, leaving him free of the weight he hadn't realized was pressing down on him. Beyond that, there was a lightness in his chest he'd never experienced. Something about her magic completed him; filling the gaps in his soul that had existed for so long he didn't know what it was like to live without them.
They moved on the same breath, leaning into each other, meeting where their lips touched. Her hands were on his chest, fingers spread wide while he fisted her hair, pulling her closer to him. Lips parting, their tongues met and the tingling burn of his ever present poison raced across her taste buds. She moaned at the flavor, sliding her hands up and behind his neck. They both rose to their knees, bodies pressing together in need. He bit at her full lower lip then released it to kiss along her jaw to her neck, where he sucked gently on her skin and pinched it between his teeth. His hands traveled down the sides of her breasts to her waist until he reached her hips, pulling her against him.
A sound of pleasure escaped Lucy as she ran her hands down and around to his back, enjoying the way his muscles flexed as he moved. She pushed her hands beneath the hem of his shirt, wanting to feel his skin against her palms. Cobra shuddered at the contact, loving the way her hands felt on him, how she didn't notice or care about the unusual texture of his scarred skin. Lucy pulled her hands around to his front, feeling the ridges of his abdomen and back up to his chest, now bare beneath her fingers. She pushed against him, making him fall backwards onto the floor. Moving her legs to either side of him, she straddled his waist and looked down at him, his shirt halfway up his body exposing the delicious looking skin of his torso.
Cobra's hands slid from Lucy's hips to beneath her short skirt, rising to palm the globes of her ass, gripping tightly. "You're feistier than I expected." He pressed up into her core, making her hiss with pleasure
Lucy leaned down to nibble on his ear and then whispered, "You have no idea." The images flitting through her mind of everything she wanted to do reassured him that there was an entirely different side to this woman that needed to be explored.
As she worked her way down his neck, sucking and nibbling on his skin while grinding into his hardness, Cobra had a brief moment of clarity. His distracted mind focused just long enough to notice the way their souls seems to be merging together. He put his hands against her shoulders, pushing her away as he said, "We have to stop."
Lucy's hands trailed down his body as she let him push her up. "What's wrong?" Her sex addled brain was slow to pick up on their connection, but she heard his thoughts after a second.
-souls are merging together. Fucking soul bond is the biggest cock block I've ever run into.
"Oh." She said, her demeanor switching from turned on to shocked disappointment in the space of a heartbeat. "I guess merging would be bad, huh."
"Yeah, we'd be tied together tighter than an old married couple with eleven kids." Cobra's hands had a mind of their own where they rested on her smooth thighs, drawing a moan from Lucy as his thumbs slid back and forth on the sensitive flesh of her inner thighs. She had the best fucking legs he'd ever seen, and her ass was the perfect combination of firm but soft.
Lucy's soft laugh drew his attention back up to her face. She smiled down at him, tracing along the contours of his stomach as she said, "I don't think you're half bad yourself."
Cobra turned his head away, knowing he was probably blushing up to his ears. Fucking soul bond giving everything away. He looked back at her face, noticing how red and inflamed her lips were. The irritation made a trail that mapped every place his mouth had touched from her lips down to her neck. He reached up to stroke a thumb across her bottom lip as he said, "I think you're having a reaction to the holly berries, or maybe the oleander. You're going to feel like shit soon if I don't give you an antidote."
Lucy ran her teeth over her lip, only now realizing how irritated the tender flesh was. "Well, go ahead. I don't want to get sick as repayment for helping you." She looked at his hands, expecting to see a gas leaking from his fingertips like the last time he'd used his poison magic on her.
With a smirk, he said, "I have a better idea."
He leaned up, capturing her mouth with his and pulling her bottom lip between his. He ran his tongue across the plump flesh, and then gave her other lip the same treatment. When he pushed his tongue into her mouth, swiping it across hers, she could taste the difference. The taste of his kiss had been tangy before but now tasted sweet, granting relief to the slight burning sensation in her mouth. The slight nausea she had hardly noticed creeping on before faded immediately.
When he broke the kiss, her hands held him close to her. Hoping to keep things moving forward, she brushed her lips against his as she whispered, "Would it really be so bad?"
"Worse than you could imagine, I'm sure." He gently kissed her lips once more before pulling away completely. Everything inside him protested ending this moment instead of fully bonding with her, all except the small doubt he still carried. It told him he would ruin Lucy, with nothing to offer her but the pain of his existence.
He could feel her objections forming, so he cut her off with, "Besides, your partner is almost here and I'd rather be gone before he sees me. I don't feel like dealing with his bullshit so early."
Lucy stood up and adjusted her clothes as she muttered, "Damn it, Natsu."
Lucy watched Cobra as he walked to the front door, stopping to shove his feet into his boots. Separating from him now, knowing he was leaving, it was causing a pain in her chest so severe that it felt physical. The desire she had for him, not just sexually but on a deeper level, left a hollow place inside her. Delaying his departure, she asked, "Are you going to the guild?"
"Yeah, got shit to plan before we head out again." Cobra stood up straight and looked at Lucy, unsure how to walk away. He could feel her soul crying out for his and knew his was doing the same for hers. It almost hurt, but it was for the best.
She gestured toward the hooks on the wall and said, "Virgo mended your coat. It should be just like it was before."
He nodded and slipped into the garment, then opened the door. He looked back at her one more time before turning away and closing it behind him. The click of the door securing into the frame sounded just before Natsu's feet hit the outer edge of the window.
Lucy hurried over to move the plants before Natsu knocked them down as he climbed through. Her partner opened his mouth to say something about the ugly new flowers, but the scents in the air hit him, distracting him from the comment. He landed on the floor and then turned to look at Lucy with a look of surprise and betrayal on his face. "Seriously, Luce?"
She put her hands on her hips, preparing for the argument. "Seriously, what?"
"Not only are you messing around with Cobra, but Gray too?" His voice rose and his hands waved around as he exclaimed. "What the hell?! Why didn't you invite me? You always say no when I ask but you finally said yes to Gray?! It's not fair!"
Laughter burst from Lucy, doubling her over as she slapped her knees. She could feel Cobra's amusement through their connection, so he could probably hear everything through both her and Natsu's souls. When she could speak again, she said, "Natsu, no. Dear God above, no. I did not invite Gray over for a threesome with me and Cobra."
The pink haired man looked confused as he said, "Then why –"
"Gray hasn't been here. Cobra was wearing some of his clothes."
Natsu's eyebrows scrunched in confusion and then shot up to his hairline. "Oh!" He exclaimed, repeating again louder, "Oooh!"
Lucy's laughter died out when Natsu's expression turned to one of disappointment. Before she could ask what his problem was, he said, "Why him, Luce?"
"What do you mean?" She asked as she turned away to go get some water. The taste of Cobra was still strong on her tongue, so that meant Natsu could probably smell him on her breath. Being a dragon slayer had to be weird.
Natsu followed her into the kitchen as he spoke, "He's just going to hurt you."
"Why do you think that? You were fine with us being friends. Why is this so much worse?" She handed him a glass of water, knowing he would take hers if she didn't.
"I dunno, Luce." Natsu stared down into the water as if it might hold the answers. He thought for a few seconds before saying, "It was ok because Cobra needed you. He needed a friend. The guy was messed up and needed a good person like you to help him out. But this is different and I'm worried about you. You love people too easily and somebody like him doesn't know how to love at all."
Lucy was dumbfounded at Natsu's words. It still amazed her sometimes how deeply her best friend understood her. As much as she didn't want to admit it, he had a valid concern. She already cared deeply for Cobra but he seemed to pull away every chance he got.
Natsu added, "Ya know, if it's just about needing some dick," his voice trailed off while he gestured to himself with his free hand.
Lucy snorted and then said, "Never gonna happen. I don't know how you and Gray are able to have sex without it changing your friendship."
He shrugged off her comment as he said, "Alright, but it's your loss. The invitation is always open if you change your mind."
"Thanks, but no." Lucy shook her head trying to ward off the images his suggestion brought to her mind. "Seriously, though, I'll be ok."
"Well, duh, cause you have me." He declared and then drank his entire glass of water in one go. When she set hers down half empty, he finished it off for her.
The pair headed to the guild after Lucy fed Natsu breakfast because was 'starving' since he'd only eaten one meal after waking up, which Lucy assumed was probably only an hour earlier, though it was nearly midday. The guildhall was as packed as the day before with most of the mages unable to go out on a job request. There was talk of Master Makarov assigning community service as a way to improve the guild's image. Lucy hoped he would just do it already to give everyone something to do.
Bored Fairy Tail mages were always drunk, which meant Natsu was pulled into a brawl shortly after they walked through the door. He was smiling happily when a chair smashed into the back of his head. When he popped back up, he looked at Lucy with his thumbs up saying, "I'm ok!" and then jumped into the fray.
She just shook her head and walked up the stairs, hoping to find some sane people at the top. The individuals she found could mostly be described as sane, or close enough. Cobra's huff of laughter drew her eyes to his place leaned against the wall behind the table occupied by his team. When he didn't return her gaze, she got the idea. Their soul bond had been closed off for a little while now. The lack of connection left her feeling raw but she tried not to focus on it, unsure what she could even do about the obstacle between them. He seemed to be against wherever this soul bond was taking them but she had already accepted it. Call it fate or just the inevitable outcome of their situation, but she didn't have a problem with it. His ongoing resistance was starting to get to her, though.
She walked over to sit with Levy at the only other table, knowing Gajeel's absence meant he was part of the brawl on the lower level. Freed and Laxus sat opposite them, the former with a book in hand and the latter with his headphones on. They were an odd couple, in Lucy's opinion, but she could kinda see it now that it was a thing. They balanced each other, probably in the same way she and Cobra would balance each other. She looked over at him to see if he'd pick up on that, but he continued to ignore her.
Pushing away the hint of rejection she was feeling, she said, "Hey, Lev, whatcha readin?" Looking over the smaller woman's shoulder, she could see an old book about magical objects.
Without looking up, Levy answered, "I think I found information on the stone used by the dark mage they're looking for. If I'm right, it's called the Stone of Light and it's really powerful when used properly."
"That sounds like a bad thing." Lucy said with a frown.
"Definitely," The script mage said, nodding her head vigorously. "It operates similarly to a battery, but with an endless capacity. In theory, if it were charged long enough, the stone could be detonated like a bomb with the magical output taking out an entire city. But it doesn't sound like that's what he's doing."
The ruckus from downstairs filled the silence as Levy flipped through a few pages until she found what she was looking for. "Read this page. It's all about how to use the stone to cleanse an infestation of dark power."
Lucy skimmed over the words while asking, "So, this mage could cleanse his death magic and then, what? Use the stone as a new source of magic?"
"Essentially, yes." Levy agreed then went on. "The problem with that will be the stone's stored energy will continually run out, so he will need to have a way of restoring it. The stone can draw power from natural light sources like the sun or stars, but doing it that way would take much longer than simply stealing magic from a mage."
"That explains a lot," Lucy said quietly as she continued reading over the text, filling in the details Levy left out of her explanation. The book didn't say, but Lucy was fairly certain the mage's plan would make him insane if he succeeded. There would be no balance in his magical containers. His natural magic would be gone, replaced with a source that would fluctuate depending on how often or how strongly he drew on it. Not to mention his body may not accept a magic type totally the opposite of his natural affinity.
When she reached the portion explaining the writer's theory on the stone's origin, Lucy gasped in shock. "I might be able to track it!"
"How?" Jellal asked as he stood and moved to the table shared by the two women.
Lucy slid the book to him when he sat next to her, pointing at the section she'd just read. "If it's true that the stone came from the Celestial World, I should be able to feel it the same way I can feel keys."
The leader of Crime Sorciere asked, "Does that mean Sorano could find it as well?"
Lucy looked at the former Celestial Mage and hesitated before speaking. "Maybe, but that will depend on how in tune she is with her Celestial magic. Do you still practice it?"
Turning her nose in the air, Sorano snapped, "No. Why would I? That magic is inferior."
"Right." Lucy muttered sarcastically, trying but failing to contain her offense with underlying frustration already affecting her mood. "Anyway, the answer to your question, Jellal, would be a solid no. She probably couldn't feel an object from the Celestial World until it slapped her in the face."
Sorano squawked in indignation while her teammates laughed, including Jellal who tried to cover his amusement with a cough. Once he recovered, he said, "So you're our best hope to finding Ken quickly."
Lucy shrugged as she said, "Maybe. That depends on if the stone truly is celestial in origin."
"Well, that decides it. You'll have to come with us." He said with a nod that seemed to settle all chance of argument in his mind.
"It was in question?" Lucy asked in irritation. No way were they leaving her out of this, even if it was a little reckless to go chasing after a dark mage that may target her for her light magic.
"There's a great chance you would be abducted during any battle with the mage, especially if the stone has increased in strength." Jellal answered somberly, confirming her assumptions.
"Well, damn." Lucy huffed. "I hate getting kidnapped. It's such a hassle."
Her blasé attitude drew snickers from everyone but Cobra, who finally looked her way but only to glare at her.
Jellal went on, unintentionally offending Lucy. "We will keep you out of the battle with the mage to ensure your safety."
Lucy didn't respond but a slight twitch in her brow gave away her frustration with being so easily disregarded. Like always, she was being pushed to the side so she wouldn't get caught up in the danger of a battle. Did Jellal forget Lucy had been part of two major battles against the members of his guild, whom she played a part in defeating?
The soul bond came open and she felt a surge of Cobra's irritation with her thoughts. His sudden willingness to communicate with her only made her angrier. Hadn't he just been ignoring her, and for no logical reason that she could think of? But now he felt like communicating when it suited him? It just pissed her off more.
She turned an annoyed look on him and thought, I don't remember asking your opinion.
"Tch" he hissed quietly as he looked away. His growing ire poured into her for a brief second before he shut down their connection again.
Erza made her way over to sit next to Jellal, crowding their side of the small table further. Done with the ongoing brawl, the requip mage had climbed the stairs just in time to hear the last few things said. "I can attest to Lucy's battle prowess. She has grown greatly and is now much more proficient in a fight."
"Exactly. I'm not an untrained 17 year old anymore." Lucy added, taking an obvious shot at a few of the individuals nearby.
"We'll see about that." Cobra snapped rudely at her as he moved to leave. His teammates all looked at him, surprised by his outburst. All the souls gathered in the seating area were suddenly abuzz with curiosity, not understanding why he was so angry over the conversation. Most of them had no idea he and Lucy were more than acquaintances or, at most, friends in passing. He descended the stairs and left the guild, walking with no direction in mind. He needed to get the fuck away from Lucy.
His anger had grown more and more as the conversation progressed, to the point he might accidentally start releasing poison into the air. He was pissed off at Lucy for being difficult, at Jellal for agreeing to allow her to help, but mostly with himself for caring. Why the fuck did he even care? She should mean nothing to him, but instead he was so attached to her that he could hardly function without thinking of her. And it wasn't like he could move forward with her. He was just stuck in this fucking limbo of halfway permanently bonded. The added closeness from their exchange this morning only made it worse. He could barely contain himself around her with the way his soul tried pushing him to be near her.
He'd felt great when he left her apartment, if not a little torn apart by leaving without her. The feeling of euphoria was crushed as he listened in on her conversation with Natsu. Cobra hated realizing how right the other dragon slayer was. Lucy would only end up hurt in a relationship with him. He'd known that all along, but it was hard to accept when someone else pointed it out.
Trying to avoid her apartment, Cobra walked in the opposite direction until he was on the outskirts of town. He stopped abruptly, knowing he was being followed.
"What the fuck do you want?" He asked without turning.
"Just making sure you don't do anything stupid." Midnight answered as he walked the remaining distance to stand beside his long-time friend. They stood side by side in silence for a short time, staring into the forest beyond. Midnight waited patiently, knowing Cobra would speak when he was ready.
Eventually, Cobra said, "The fire eater is right. I can't offer her anything and will only end up hurting her."
Midnight didn't know all the details but it didn't matter. He was really just here for Cobra to vent. He could find out what happened later. Without an opinion to offer, he asked, "Well, what does she think about it?"
"She doesn't disagree that I'll hurt her but thinks it's worth it." He huffed a self deprecating laugh and scuffed a boot across some dead grass while he muttered, "I don't fucking understand why, though."
The smaller man was quiet for a bit before asking, "So, what's the problem?"
Cobra shrugged, "She's too good for that."
Shaking his head, Midnight looked at his friend and said, "Erik, you're being stupid. You go along with everyone else's ideas, not giving a shit about what goes on in the world as long as you have something to do each day. You never give a fuck about anything, but now you do? Just go for it. Be selfish for once."
When Cobra stayed quiet, Midnight added, "Can it really even be considered selfish to accept something someone is offering to you freely?"
Still silent, Cobra considered what his friend was saying and waited for him to finish, knowing he's wasn't done yet. The other man always had a lot to say once he got started. Cobra was proven correct when Midnight continued his speech, "I've never known you to be selfish. Yes, you're a murderous asshole with a temper to rival a demon, but you're not selfish. You need to go for what you want this time or you'll lose her, probably to her partner. I've seen the way he looks at her and even at Erza sometimes. He wants all of his team to be a weird, sex sharing, job taking family. If you wait too long and she gets lonely or heartbroken enough, she'll probably do it just to fill the hole."
"She would be better off with them."
"Would she, though?" Midnight asked, disagreeing. "She seems like the type to want devotion and commitment. She wouldn't get that in a polyamorous relationship."
Unwilling to admit Midnight might be right, Cobra remained silent again.
"Let her teach you how to love. It's not so hard when you have someone showing you how." Thoughts of Meredy filled Midnight, showing Cobra exactly how the other man learned to love through the pink haired woman.
"Disgusting." Cobra spat, finally speaking again. "You can keep that shit to yourself."
Midnight laughed softly and said, "It's not like you didn't already know."
"Yeah, but I didn't need to relive it." Cobra said as he turned to start walking back the way he came. He wasn't fully convinced he should pursue this connection with Lucy but he wasn't so angry now. It would be safe for him to be around people without accidentally poisoning someone.
The two men walked in silence while Cobra tried to locate Lucy through their bond. He opened it up fully again, a little disappointed to realize she'd figured out how to clamp down on her end of the bond. It didn't surprise him since she seemed to figure everything out with time, but he was hoping to find comfort in her endless emotions.
Even with the dampened connection, he could tell she was near her apartment but not in it, probably at the market on the next block. His magic worked in his favor, allowing him to press past her attempt to block him and listen to her soul as he would anyone else's instead of through their soul bond.
Her earlier frustration with him was still present, but it was now overshadowed by sadness. Knowing he was the cause of her sadness tugged at him, making his desire to see her grow. Maybe he would try talking to her about this to see where things went.
He was still several blocks away when it became clear the person she was interacting with made her uncomfortable. Cobra tried hearing the soul of the other person but couldn't, as if something was blocking his magic. Realization settled in at the same moment Lucy noticed she could feel a celestial object on the person, alerting her to the man's identity.
Suddenly, Lucy's presence disappeared entirely. Cobra started running in a blind panic with Midnight a few steps behind him shouting, "What happened?"
"He's here. Ken, he's here!" Cobra said and didn't bother to explain any further.
Half a minute passed and the two men were nearing the site of her disappearance when her soul pinged Cobra's magic again. Her soul had reemerged several blocks over but she was hurt, badly.
"Shit!" Cobra exclaimed, turning back and then going to the right down a side street he hoped would put them in the correct direction. He couldn't pick up on Ken's soul at all, but nothing in Lucy's soul indicated the dark mage was still near her. Her recent memory told him Ken had tried to abduct her but she fought back savagely, and then broken his nose when he tried to steal her keys. When his attempted abduction ended in failure, he'd stabbed her in the stomach out of anger and left her to die.