Standing By

by howlingwolvesonfire

Cobra's life takes a turn for the weird when a certain white-haired demon offers him and Lucy an especially interesting job–as love doctors. With inward and outward conflict brewing, can Cobra keep his cool against those looking for love advice? Or will he–and Lucy–fall victim to something far worse? Told in drabbles. Updates daily.

43. Day 2 (Part 10)

The next little while passed slowly for Cobra, the inevitable time to return to the horrific love-doctor shack making what would have been a rather nice walk down the back alleys of Magnolia sullen. Or maybe it was just the weather. There was a strange haze around, probably due to the usually humid spring they were experiencing.

Eventually, after walking around, doing some perfectly normal people watching from perfectly normal corners of the city, and eating some reserve rations Jellal had stockpiled, he made his way back to the building. Cobra strove to be as discreet as possible, taking special care to try not to let a single person see him entering the building. Luckily for him, there wasn't anyone from his guild out or anyone from Lucy's. It was just a perfectly average day of the week, and he was a perfectly average man entering a perfectly average establishment. Wow, was this how normal people felt entering their offices? Hopefully, with only half the amount of anxiety, the ex-criminal was currently experiencing.

Lucy sat in one of the two chairs, a cup of what he smelled as tea wafting its scent across the room. It made him relax a bit as he entered. She turned slightly to look at him and grinned. "You were about to be late."

"I didn't want anyone tailing me."

"Oh? Did you circle the building three times before going in?"

"...You can never be too careful." He stayed standing. Something about the place still made him feel as if he needed to be ready to run at any moment. Maybe it was the single exit in a small, enclosed space that brought back more bad memories of less than pleasant rooms. He took a moment to banish those thoughts. Didn't want Lucy seeing him fidget.

"I made us some tea if you'd like. Mira did say she would indicate that this place is...open, so I suppose all we can do now is wait." She gestured to another cup, which had the same smell coming from it. He gingerly accepted it, appreciating the warm liquid, even on the hot day.

Waiting...if that's all it turned out to be, maybe Cobra could get used to this.