He took his hand away and stared at the two. Macbeth's mouth formed a conflicted line. Mirajane's dark aura had since faded to nothing. Hands clasped tightly, she looked from him to Macbeth in awe. "You…did that for them? Even as a dark guild?"
"…There were other reasons he doesn't know about," he heard Macbeth mumble. "It's…complicated."
There seemed to be a new form of respect for him in Mirajane's eyes. Well, he needed a bit of that himself. "I don't want to take anything from her, Mirajane. I don't know if I can give anything…but I need to at least make our debt equivalent again. Please." The last word slipped out unexpectedly; his desperation made manifest. Mirajane's hands went behind her back, her head bowed.
"It's…hardest to accept what you know to be true, I've found," she said. "I thought I was over being guilty about things I couldn't control…but I suppose I still need a reminder of it from time to time."
The way her voice dropped as she spoke, reminded him of a time he hadn't mentioned. One where Macbeth had cried, not because he was hurt, but because Cobra failed and Macbeth had to rescue him. That'd been a nasty one, he'd been in bed for weeks afterward. I'm sorry, I should have known that it was a trap. As if Macbeth was the mind reader. Cobra wondered how many times Mirajane had cried over people who she felt responsible for. Maybe they were perfect for each other.
Mirajane looked up towards the top of the apartment building. "I still don't think this is a good idea…but it might be a worse idea to not let you. I waited too long to go in, but I see you're prepared for what might happen." He felt a jolt as he realized she was letting him go first. She still watched him like a hawk as he made his way forward, swiftly passing her.
"Wait, Cobra," he turned around and fumbled to catch a key that was thrown at him. "It might be a bit hard to get in if you don't have a key…not that it's stopped Natsu any."
He stared at it in shock and mild embarrassment. Would he have actually tried to break into Lucy's apartment without it? That was something he would have never lived down.
"Oh, and Cobra? One last thing…remember what I said yesterday about breaking her heart, alright?" The barmaid smiled. One that he knew would haunt his nightmares for the rest of the week. Yep, those two were perfect for each other, he thought as he headed inside.