It was comical how quickly he walked back. Lucy's brown eyes pinned him before he could take more than a few steps back in. He did his best to quiet the hopeful thoughts. "Is what always like what to me?" he asked.
"The thoughts in people's minds. When you hear them, does it always also involve seeing?"
"Uh, basically." He didn't quite know how to continue with this line of conversation, or even that this would be how it continued. "Sometimes I can only 'hear' and sometimes I can only 'see', but usually it's a combination. Jellal has a theory that it's due to memories that I experience minds the way I do, but honestly, he's more interested in the theoretics than I am."
"Isn't that exhausting?"
"…It can be, yes."
Lucy bit her lip at this. "…I had no idea," she whispered. "I always imagined…I always thought that you were painting pictures in your head from words, like when you read. I had no idea it was that clear."
"Most people don't even know I can read minds. Probably only a handful of people in the whole world who know the specifics of what I can do."
She looked down at her feet. "When you…grabbed me yesterday," Cobra stiffened, "I was thinking how I wanted you to let me go. I was trying to scream at you in my mind, then suddenly your hand went slack and you stared with a vacant expression. I thought you had gotten the message and let me go…" She trailed off as her eyes went back to Cobra, who couldn't help but grimace. "You, saw something though, didn't you? It was more than just me telling you to stop."
"…I didn't hear your words, Lucy." He didn't want to elaborate. Yet her dark eyes pleaded with him to. Cobra sighed. "But I got your message all the same. I saw what you thought of me…from before. Your fear reflected in your thoughts, which brought up bad memories."
What he expected was a nod, a short acknowledgment. What he was not prepared for were the tears.