"You…you like her?" Cobra repeated. Maybe this was the true prank. Tricking him into thinking such a horrid thing was real. Given Macbeth's burning face, the chances appeared slimmer by the second.
"You've got it wrong–it's not like–just–" Macbeth put his head in his hands. "I should've just left you alone to rot in here."
Cobra's mind churned as he thought through yesterday's events with new eyes. Macbeth's disappearance and fearful posture suddenly turned much more awkward and shy. When he'd dragged Cobra back…that had been an act of fury because he ignored her. Even Mirajane's actions, with her gentle demeanor, suddenly seemed so much more affectionate…Oh, Zeref again. Could it be that she felt the same way about him? It couldn't be, and yet the way she looked at him, albeit with some surprise… "How long has this been going on for?" Cobra finally forced out.
Macbeth flinched. "Technically, it hasn't even started…" he mumbled.
"Just…let me get one thing straight. You told her about me specifically to score points with her, right?"
His guildmate's eyes shifted around the tent. "Like I said before, I didn't do it intentionally. It just…slipped out one day. She didn't pry."
"But you still did it for her, not out of coercion."
Macbeth threw up his hands. "Yes, fine Erik. I wasn't coerced. I didn't do it for blackmail. I did it for a girl. Happy now?"
No. "How did I not know?"
At this, his tentmate rolled his eyes. "Like I'd ever tell you that…although it's not as if you'd ever ask about it." He sighed. "I swear if I couldn't make it so hard for you to read my mind, everyone at camp would probably know by now."
At this, Cobra stood still. Something about Macbeth's last sentence…the more the words echoed in his brain, the more a powerful emotion began to stir within him. He put a hand to his mouth as the air in his lungs grew short, his breathing labored. It built up and up until finally…
A/N: I'm sure most of you already figured this out, but it's been a loooong time coming for me!