(Again, still on hiatus, just clearing out my doc manager. And, since these are all written on tumblr anyway, I guess anything in this collection will be excluded from my hiatus anyway.)

Prompt: "Why are you crying?" for BixCo.

Company

Bickslow was on his way back home after returning from a job with the Raijinshuu and Laxus when Bickslow heard it. Or more accurately, the babies heard it – the faint, muffled cries of someone coming from the alleyway – and then they were telling Bickslow about it. And, Bickslow knew that it had to be someone important, or at least slightly so, because otherwise his souls wouldn't have told him about it at all, so he let his curiosity get the better of him and he carefully veered off the cobblestone street and into the dark confines of the narrow alley.

It was at the end of the alley, under a flickering light on the wall and hidden behind empty trashcans and crates that Bickslow saw who it was the muffled sobs had belonged to. But when Bickslow had ventured into the alley, the last person he'd been expecting to find was him, hunched over with his back against the wall and his head on his knees. But the white coat, the silver cuffs around his arms, and the spiked maroon hair instantly gave away his identity.

Cobra had yet to notice Bickslow lurking in the shadows just beyond another pile of crates though, which meant Bickslow had time to think about just what it was he was going to do. Was he going to sit down next to the man and ask him what was wrong, like any decent human being would, or… would he just turn around and slink back out onto the street as quietly as he could and pretend he didn't see Cobra at all? The latter was what Bickslow thought Cobra would appreciate the most, because if it was one thing he'd come to learn about the man in the few years they'd been acquainted, it was that he didn't wear his heart on his sleeve and he wasn't one for letting people in.

But the former…

Bickslow suspected that it was because he knew how little Cobra liked showing his emotions, that he wanted to sit down next to him and ask him what was wrong. They weren't even friends though. They'd said a handful of words to each other in the time they'd known each other. What was to say that Cobra would even talk to him at all?

He could still try though, surely. The worst that could happen was that Cobra would tell him to fuck off, and that was something Bickslow could handle – he'd heard it enough, that was for sure.

So… Bickslow stepped forward, his feet carrying him deeper into the alley until he was no longer shrouded by shadows but was in the warm, yellow light of the lamp, and Cobra finally noticed that he wasn't alone.

It took the Poison Slayer a moment to recognise the cloaked-and-visored man walking towards him. "Bi-Bickslow?" Erik wiped his sleeve across his eyes and sniffled before wiping his nose. "What the fuck are you—"

"Move over, will you?" the Seith mage grumbled as he made to sit down beside him. The alleyway wasn't wide enough for him to sit opposite Cobra, and he'd tucked himself into a nice, cramped little corner. Bickslow didn't think Cobra would appreciate being sat on, though, so asking him to move had been the polite thing to do.

Reluctantly, and as best he could, Cobra scooched over on the cold concrete to make room for the larger man. Even then, there still wasn't much room, so Cobra was well aware of how close Bickslow was to him right then. There wasn't a shred of space between them, and he instantly became aware of the warmth from the other being so close to him.

"You were crying," Bickslow stated before the other had a chance to question why he was there again. "Why?"

Cobra glanced to the Seith mage and he couldn't help but glance back a second time when he realised Bickslow had removed his visor. He made a point of looking away again before he snapped back, "Like it's any of your damn concern."

Bickslow frowned. He'd expected as much, but that didn't mean he liked it. "That's true. It's not really any of my concern…" Bickslow agreed, carefully. "But…"

"But what? You trying to tell me you care or some fucking shit?"

Bickslow bit his tongue. He couldn't give Cobra the excuse that he cared because they were guildmates, because they just weren't. And they didn't know each other well enough to say that it was because they were friends, either. Simply put, Bickslow just didn't have a reason to care. But he did. And he couldn't exactly tell Cobra that, could he?

"You don't have to tell me if you really don't want to," Bickslow said softly. "But if you do"—he shrugged—"then I'm here. Hell, tell me to just fuck off if you really want to."

And, as much as Bickslow expected Cobra to take him up on that offer and tell him to fuck off and mind his own business, it just didn't happen. Cobra didn't say a single world, which only led Bickslow to assume that maybe, part of Cobra really didn't mind the company.

Neither said anything for a while after that. Bickslow still got the impression he wasn't exactly wanted there, and he wasn't going to push Cobra to talk if he didn't really want to. And Cobra was just wondering if there was really any point in talking to Bickslow at all. He already knew why Bickslow was there – his soul had given it away, and Erik doubted that Bickslow had been aware of it at all – but now the question was whether or not the guy was going to judge him, or laugh at him, or… anything else, really.

He watched Bickslow then. He watched his face, mostly because the man was too busy staring down at his hands as he picked at the chipping polish on his nails, and as Cobra watched, and listened, he couldn't really find a reason to actually tell the guy to fuck off. He'd heard stories about the Seith mage though, most of them overheard from when Lucy had complained about him flirting with her or just being an annoying son of a bitch just because he could. But Erik wasn't seeing any of that then.

Strangely, he was only seeing someone who did, for some unknown reason, care. Just because he could, it seemed. And Cobra didn't really know how he was supposed to feel about that.

"Tell me, how many freckles do I actually have?" Bickslow suddenly said, still staring at his hands and continuing to pick at the flaking and chipping polish. "I say it's zero, but Freed and Ever say there's at least ten."

"W-What the fuck?"

The corner of Bickslow's mouth curved up into a tiny smirk. "I know you were staring at me. It was a joke. Relax." His skin was flawless, Freed and Evergreen be damned.

Now though, Cobra could see just why Lucy complained about him so much. The guy definitely could be annoying when he obviously wanted to be.

Still… That didn't really bother Cobra much then. And he still couldn't really find a reason to not talk to him – well, other than the fact that talking just wasn't Cobra's thing to begin with. But even that wasn't really important to Cobra right then. He almost wanted to actually let Bickslow in; to let him see that vulnerable side of him that he always made a point of hiding whenever it reared its ugly head.

He'd stopped crying by then, though that hadn't stopped the odd sniffle or how his eye was still red and puffy from when he had been crying – disgustingly and embarrassingly so – before. He kept his gaze trained on the stack of crates beside him when he finally spoke, asking, "Do you ever worry about ending up alone?"

Bickslow looked back up with an eyebrow raised. "What, do you mean like, not getting married?"

Cobra shrugged. "Something like that, yeah," he mumbled.

"I… I don't know," Bickslow answered quietly, eyes casting down to his hands again. "I don't really think about any of that stuff, to be honest." Whether or not he ended up with someone just didn't matter to Bickslow. He didn't really want to end up with someone, either. "I guess as long as I have my friends around, then… I don't really have a reason to worry about being alone."

"Right…"

Bickslow quickly realised he wasn't being much help right then though. "Why do you ask though?" he asked softly. "I mean, is… Is that why you're… upset? Because you're worried about being alone?"

"Makes me sound fucking pathetic when you say it like that," Cobra muttered.

"You're not pathetic."

He sure felt like it, though. Hiding in a fucking alley and crying because he was scared of ending up alone? That was the definition of pathetic to Cobra. He hated he felt that way at all, though. He certainly hadn't wanted to end up crying about it, either. But he just hadn't even made it home – or, at least to the dingy motel he was staying in – before he'd just broken down, and that was how he'd ended up in the alley at all.

He sniffed and wiped his sleeve across his eyes again before letting out a shaky sigh and continuing, "Everyone's just moving on and shit, being happy and all that, and then I'm just… being pathetic and fucking crying over it like a loser." Cobra shook his head. "Fucking hate myself sometimes." It was so fucking stupid, though. He liked being alone, but there he was, fucking terrified of it. Everyone had just started moving on without him, living their lives like any normal person did, falling in love and getting together with people… And then he was there, being mopey and miserable as shit, because he was pathetic.

"Don't say that…" Bickslow whispered.

He understood where Cobra was coming from, though. He didn't exactly feel it himself, but he understood it – that fear of being left alone while everyone else around you moved on. It was frightening, but… Bickslow had to admit that he was surprised Cobra even felt that way. He didn't know him all that well at all, but… Well… Cobra was—

"Right, because I'm an asshole I'm not allowed to actually end up with someone and not be alone," Cobra scoffed. Bickslow hadn't needed to say it out loud. His soul had said it all for him.

"I didn't mean th—"

"Don't bother. It's fine." He was an asshole anyway. Cobra wouldn't deny that. He wasn't going to accept an empty apology. It was just a waste of words and breath.

Bickslow stared guiltily down to his lap again, dusting the pile of chipped polish off quickly. He wasn't really sure what he was supposed to say anymore. He wasn't even sure he'd been any help at all, to be honest. But… That didn't mean Bickslow was going to give up just yet, though. He'd wanted to help, and he still did.

He nudged the man beside him though, and he forced a smile when Cobra turned his attention back to him. "Well, if all else fails," Bickslow began, "I'll be here. We can be alone together then."

He was offering him nothing more than his company, and strangely, Cobra found himself being just that little less afraid of ending up alone in the world. At the very least, he'd have the Seith mage.

A/Ns: This one does have a possible sequel. If you want it, please let me know, so then I can actually write it...