A/N: I'm so happy with the response that my CoLu Week entry got! There will be an epilogue. Some time. Eventually. When I figure out what the heck to write for the perfect ending. In the meantime, here's some more CoLu. I was listening to Alice Cooper, and it happens that my favorite song is "Poison," which, wouldn't you know, screamed that it needed to be part of a CoLu one-shot. Which might (probably will) be a two-shot.

Let me know what you think :D On y va!

Your cruel device
Your blood, like ice
One look, could kill
My pain, your thrill

Midnight issued his final instructions before sending the rest of the neo-Oracion Seis to take out the Fairy Tail members who were coming to rescue the blonde celestial mage. He glanced up to see her being slowly but surely drawn into the giant orange heart of the clock. One of her eyes was her normal brown, but it was glassed over. The other reflected the patterns of the clock as she merged with the device.

Nothing really elicited emotion in him since losing Cubellios, but for some reason the sight of the blonde vanishing made him smile internally. She hadn't been directly responsible for the loss of his only friend, but she had contributed to it. She and the rest of her guild. Now they would all suffer.

He turned from the sight to find his intended opponent. The blonde could burn in hell for all he cared.

Cobra woke up in a cold sweat. He listened intently for a moment. Sometimes he shouted when he had this particular nightmare, and he wanted to be sure that no one had heard him if he did this time. The rest of his guild mates remained quiet. He heard their deep breathing and a few stray dream thoughts. Midnight was the only one awake, and even his thoughts were mostly quiet. Satisfied that he hadn't made any noise, Cobra sank back onto the ground and stared up at the night sky. He could just make out a few stars through the tree branches.

He scowled and rolled over to face the forest. The stars only reminded him of her. It was bad enough that he dreamed about her sometimes, usually when he knew that he would have to see her.

Cobra closed his single eye and tried to go back to sleep. He wasn't even sure when the guilt started, but it was annoying as fuck. He was a wanted criminal, a cold-blooded murderer. He hated everyone and everything. While the neo-Oracion Seis was trying to merge the blonde with the clock, he hadn't given two shits about her. He actually got a thrill at causing pain to the ones who had taken Cubelios from him: even her.

But now…

Cobra growled at the quiet night surrounding him.

"Did you hear something?" Midnight asked. Cobra didn't bother facing him when he replied.

"No."

Midnight didn't question him further as he sensed the dangerous mood of the closest thing he had to a friend. He'd noticed that Cobra became more difficult than usual whenever a visit with the Fairy Tail mages was imminent. He figured it was just because Cobra was still sore about the fairies defeating him twice. Without a doubt they would be seeing Erza and Natsu, the two who had destroyed Cobra in their previous encounters. For that matter, Midnight still didn't particularly enjoy seeing either of them. He found it vaguely disturbing how easily they had forgiven the former Oracion Seis members for their past transgressions. It was something that he didn't understand, so it made him uncomfortable. Still, even he had been forced to give in to the kind nature of the celestial wizard in particular.

Cobra heard Midnight's thoughts on the matter, but he didn't bother to correct the reflector mage. No one needed to know how his thoughts had changed towards the blonde. Hell, he couldn't even explain to himself how that had happened or when. He wasn't even sure what exactly the change was. He just knew that he didn't hate her and he felt guilty for the pain they had caused her. Worse, he felt guilty for enjoying that pain. And it pissed him off to no end that she could elicit these feelings in him. He'd grown used to feeling nothing but anger, but now…

Cobra growled again and shut his eye tightly. He needed some sleep if he was going to be on his game the next day when they met with the fairies. He finally drifted to sleep only to plunge back into the depths of the dream.

I want to love you but I better not touch (don't touch)
I want to hold you, but my senses tell me to stop

Crime Sorciere met with the team from Fairy Tail the next day. Cobra stood to the back of his group as far from the fairies as seemed reasonable. He found himself tuning out the blueberry talking to the she-hulk as he focused on the souls of everyone around him. He knew that he shouldn't, but he did it anyway.

Sure enough, as soon as he began focusing on the souls, one in particular drowned out all of the others. Cobra nearly fell over listening to her. With most people, he could hear actual words as they thought in linear patterns or about specific things. But her soul… her soul was a song. A goddamn symphony. He couldn't pick out individual thoughts or even words; instead it was like a choir of angels harmonizing with a full orchestra.

He knew what to expect by now, but it still hit him like a sucker punch to the gut. Surprising both because he didn't hear it coming and because it hurt like hell. Listening to her soul was a beautiful agony that bowled him over every time they met. It was a drug that he couldn't let go. He could fall into the opium dreams of her soul's singing for the rest of his life and he wouldn't mind as it slowly destroyed him. He didn't remember her soul sounding this beautiful when they met before as enemies, but maybe he had been too busy drowning in his anger and misery to listen.

Midnight nudged him in the ribs, and Cobra realized that the blueberry was talking to him.

"What?" Cobra snapped.

"I'm surprised, Cobra. Normally you hear everything whether anyone wants you to or not," Jellal said with the tiniest of smirks.

Cobra snarled at him, but then he heard a light giggle from the fairies. His heart jumped in his chest at the sudden violin solo coming from the blonde. What he wouldn't give to hear that sound again over and over. With an absurd amount of willpower, he focused back on Jellal.

"Laugh it up, blue balls. Now what did you want?" Cobra snarled. He heard the violins again, and he had to discreetly dig his talons into his arm to keep from turning to stare at the celestial mage. He smirked a bit at Jellal's exasperated expression.

"We need you to scout the land around the tower where the dark object is rumored to be kept. Lucy will be joining you."

Erza's lips thinned slightly, but she didn't protest. Cobra heard her ranting in her mind about leaving Lucy alone with him, but apparently she and Jellal had already settled this argument. Part of him wanted nothing more than to jump on this opportunity to be alone with her, but that was why another part of him wanted to do whatever it took to not do it.

"Why?" Cobra asked. He heard an oboe emitting a mournful sound, and he wondered what caused it. Was she that upset about being alone with him?

"You are always our scout," Jellal said. Cobra rolled his eyes.

"I'm aware. I meant why her?" He jerked a thumb at Lucy, and the oboe sounded again from her soul.

"You really weren't paying attention, were you?" Jellal asked with a frown. He rubbed at his temple and continued. "Lucy's spirits can report back so that we can join you immediately rather than having to wait for you to return. Time is of the essence. We don't know who else is looking for this or how much of a lead they may have."

"Fine. Let's go," Cobra said.

He finally looked at the blonde, and his heart stuttered again. The sun lit up her golden hair to create a halo effect around her crown. Her innocent brown eyes were fixed on him intently. Her lips had formed into a tiny pout, but her expression was otherwise a mystery to him. He hated that he couldn't pick out her thoughts beyond the orchestra of her soul. Her arms were wrapped around her waist, and the traitorous little voice in his head whispered that it would be so much nicer if it were his arms instead. Cobra grimaced at the thought, and he heard a low bass note as her song slowly shifted to something far more sad, but no less beautiful than before.

He still couldn't tell exactly what she was thinking, but he did know that he had done something to upset her. That made him feel lousy. Worse, it made him want to reach out and hold her even more than before. He needed to get this job over with before she started to completely undo him.

"You coming or not?" He asked.

Without waiting for a reply, he trudged off into the surrounding trees. Jellal had gone over the location of the tower the day before; they had a hell of a trek, and Cobra could tell this job was going to wear on him. He heard the blonde's soul begin to follow him through the trees.

I want to kiss you but I want it too much (too much)
I want to taste you but your lips are venomous poison

Lucy tried to keep her breathing even despite the rapid pace that Cobra had set. He seemed eager to get this task over with, so she wasn't going to hinder him. Still, she had hoped that maybe in this time alone she could get to know the cantankerous poison dragon slayer. Lucy was a master at getting people to open up to her, and it was something that she relished. She'd already made progress with nearly all of the other Crime Sorciere members on their random jobs together over the past year.

Richard had been the easiest. He hadn't been part of the neo-Oracion Seis, so he didn't have as many hang ups about forgiveness from her in particular as the rest of his guild. The angular man was so open to the idea of love and kindness since his exposure to Nirvana that it only took a few sentences before he was spilling his heart to Lucy.

Sorano had been next. She had actually approached Lucy asking to speak to her former spirits to apologize for her treatment of them after seeing the way that Aries and Gemini leaped to help her without hesitation on an early mission. The former celestial mage had been in tears while speaking to the spirits. And Sorano fervently believed Lucy was the reason the celestial beings had forgiven her so easily for her past cruelty.

It took a little longer to get Sawyer to speak, but Sorano had told her that it was because he just didn't talk all that much to begin with. He was still suffering some of the effects of his power increase; namely, he still had some animalistic qualities that made speech difficult. It was weird the first time that he sniffed her in greeting, but Lucy rationalized that it wasn't that different from something that Natsu would do.

Macbeth had taken the longest of the four she was now on fairly good terms with. Then again, he was generally asleep whenever she saw him, so that hadn't helped her cause. He also seemed to bear the most guilt and remorse since he'd been the leader of the clock debacle. It took a solid four months of bits and pieces conversation before the reflector mage began actually talking about himself. She thought they might actually be making progress towards real friendship, though she still wasn't sure how Macbeth felt about that.

And then there was Cobra. She didn't even know his real name.

Lucy's gaze drifted to the back of the slayer leading her through the forest. He had to know her intentions. He seemed to thoroughly enjoy reminding everyone that he could hear everything they were thinking. Still, though he hadn't stopped her from making progress on befriending his guild mates, Cobra hadn't helped her make progress with him. He avoided all of the Fairy Tail mages when possible, but Lucy felt that he avoided her more than the others. She often caught him watching her closely, but as soon as she would meet his eyes, he always glanced away and deflected attention by calling out someone's thoughts or making a jab at Jellal.

She just didn't understand him. The others seemed genuinely interested in atonement for their past, but Cobra was just sort of… there.

Usually, Lucy tried not to think too much about him when in his presence because she didn't want him to hear exactly how much she thought about him when they were separated. She knew she shouldn't let herself dwell on him as often as she did, but each time they left a mission with the independent guild, Lucy found herself daydreaming about the slayer.

Her thoughts started drifting down that bent as the walk became even more boring with Cobra refusing to partake in her attempts at conversation. She noticed that he actually sped up a bit whenever she tried to get him to talk, and as her breath started coming in small pants from the unaccustomed exertion, she figured it was better to just not force the issue unless she wanted to end up full out sprinting after him. Instead, she let her mind wander.

And of course, it wandered to his perfectly shaped ass.

She couldn't actually see it right now under his heavy white trench coat, but Lucy had seen it often enough during fights with dark guilds and Zeref worshippers to have ample drool-worthy mental images. Granted, it was still with other clothes on. Her imagination could fill in the rest, though. She stared at the back of his head and wondered if his thick maroon hair was as soft as it looked. The pointed tip of his ear peeked through the deep red locks, and she mused on the sensitivity of that area. What would he sound like if she ever got the chance to nibble at the bit of cartilage?

She wished that he wasn't stalking rapidly through the forest ahead of her so that she could see his face. She'd surreptitiously studied him many times after catching his gaze on her. The deep blue, nearly purple, of his single eye haunted her dreams after each of their missions together. She knew every curve and indentation of the scar over his closed eye as if she had run her fingers over it. But it was the cruel curve of his lips that really enchanted her.

Lucy shivered as she contemplated the mental image of his lips in his usual smirk. It wasn't a smile, but Lucy was glad to see even that from him. She remembered during the clock how emotionless he had looked with his lips in a straight line, never a curve up or down. Now, at least he was moving towards some sort of expression, even if it was just amusement at the expense of his guild mates. She would love to see a real smile on him. Maybe as she kissed him softly in the morning as they both woke up wrapped around each other…

Lucy was startled out of her thoughts when Cobra suddenly stopped in front of her so that she collided with his back. He turned to glare at her, and she felt her cheeks heating up. He must have heard every bit of that, she thought.

You're poison, running through my veins
You're poison
I don't want to break these chains

Their jaunt through the forest was torture of the sweetest kind for Cobra. He let the soothing sounds of her soul wash over him as they walked. She occasionally tried to talk to him, but he just sped up each time that she did. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk to her. Far from it. He just knew that if he opened up to her, even the tiniest crack, the feelings he was trying to push aside would surge up.

Still, as long as she wasn't trying to speak to him, he could let himself enjoy the symphony emanating from her. He could let himself have that much, right? As a dragon slayer, he needed to eat his element. He enjoyed poison of any variety, and he loved the way he felt when the poison began humming through his veins. Her soul made him feel like that. He wanted to steal her and lock her away in a tower so that he could feel that delicious hum through his entire body whenever he wanted.

Of course, that would also mean his certain demise because he knew without a doubt that her team would rush to rescue her from the evil poison dragon.

Her soul started out at its usual pitch and tone, perhaps a little muted from the sadness he'd heard before they started from the clearing where the others were waiting. As they progressed, he heard the song changing. Happiness bubbled from the strings as the percussion sections struck up a lively beat. It took more willpower than he liked not to turn and stare at her in wonder. He wondered what could possibly be making her so happy when she was stuck wandering through the forest with him.

The song changed again as they neared their destination. The saxophone started up above the other instruments in a solo so sultry that Cobra felt himself growing hard just from the sound of it. What the hell was she thinking about to make her soul sound like that?

Cobra stopped suddenly, and the petite blonde crashed into his back. He stiffened as the soft mounds of her breasts pressed into him, and he had to bite back a groan. He jerked away from her and whipped around with a glare on his face to hide the need she stirred in him.

"Watch it," he snapped. Lucy flinched as her cheeks turned bright pink.

"S-sorry," she stammered. She ducked her head so that he could only see the halo of the dappled sunlight streaming through the leaves onto the top of her head. The percussion section in her soul beat out a staccato rhythm as the angelic choir vocalized a nervously warbling melody.

"Never mind," he said. "We're almost there. Stay put while I go on ahead. I'll be back in a few minutes. Stay out of sight."

Lucy nodded, and Cobra headed further into the woods. He could hear souls in the crumbling tower just ahead. He was already gathering information from them as he crept closer to the building. Since Lucy was just the messenger for this task, it was safer to keep her away from the building itself. He tried not to think about the reasons he wanted to keep her safe in the first place. He didn't have time to be distracted by the blonde. He needed to get in and get out so this mission could be finished and he could go back to his fairy-free existence.

Lucy plopped down by a tree and ran her fingers absently over her key ring while she waited. She dropped her head back against the trunk to stare up through the leaves where hints of blue sky were just visible. She was definitely glad to have a chance to sit down for a little while after the pace Cobra had set for the last hour. She hoped the others were already starting this way; otherwise it would take them forever to reach the scouting duo. Not that Lucy really minded the chance to be alone with Cobra for a little longer. She just had the feeling that the poison slayer didn't appreciate the opportunity nearly as much as she did.

A twig snapped from the direction Cobra had left. Lucy sat up expectantly. He hadn't been gone for very long, so maybe no one had made it to the tower before them?

That hope was quickly dashed as a thin man in heavy black and red robes emerged from the trees. His black hair was slicked back, and he had a thin goatee and mustache. Lucy's hand flew to her whip as she vaulted to her feet. Heat flared from the keys at her side, and her free hand reached for them.

The man thrust out a hand and a thick vine made of shadows darted from his hand to grab her wrist. He wagged a finger at her with his other hand.

"Ah-ah. It's not polite to greet strangers by immediately reaching for a weapon, little girl," he said with a twisted smile.

"Sorry, the Vaudeville villain hairstyle put me on edge. You should probably take care of that," Lucy quipped.

She pulled at the shadow vine, but it only tightened around her wrist. She gasped as it bit into her skin. The man frowned at her before shooting another vine from his other hand. Lucy kicked off from the tree to dodge it as she pulled out her own whip and cracked it towards the man. His frown deepened, but he barely had to move to flick away the tip of fleuve d'etoile with his shadow vine.

"Stop struggling, and you won't be harmed. Probably," the man said.

"Hmmm, let me think. Possible non-harm or definite kicking of your ass?" Lucy said.

She popped out her hip as she put a finger from the hand wrapped in the vine to her chin in mock thought. The man merely blinked at her. Lucy used his confusion to give her the time to wrap her hand around his shadows and yank as she spun and cracked her whip at him again. Now that she had a grip on his shadow vine, she hoped she could use it to her advantage. As long as he didn't catch her with another one, she should be fine.

The man snarled and started launching the shadow vine from his free hand at her again and again. She dodged each of them, but she could feel herself tiring. She was already worn out from the forest trek, and she hadn't had much of a chance to rest before Mr. Vaudeville showed up.

"Impudent girl," he spat. "You have no idea who you're dealing with."

"Nope. Not a clue," Lucy said.

She kicked off the tree and used the vine in her hand as leverage to backflip over his latest strike. Her own whip wasn't making any contact. She needed to get to her keys. Her mind flicked through the pros and cons of just dropping her whip and lunging for the keys, but the momentary distraction was enough for the man's other shadow vine to snap out and hit her right hand. She yelped as the crack left a welt on her forearm, and she dropped her whip in her shock.

Her hand dropped to her keys as she tried to dodge the next strike, but the shadow vine wrapped around her waist, pinning her arm to her side. The man drew out the vine around her wrist to toss it over a tree branch above her before tightening the slack again. Lucy bit back a shriek as the move nearly pulled her arm from its socket and lifted her feet from the ground. The man laughed darkly as he slowly walked closer to her.

"My name is Manios. I am the leader of Shadow Vulcan," he said. He switched his magic so that both vines were in one hand while the pianist fingers of the other came up to caress her cheek. "You should have listened to me. Things would have been so much simpler for you. Personally, I don't enjoy hurting pretty girls like you. However, I do have a few of my underlings who will be more than happy at the gift you will make for them."

Lucy inwardly blanched at his insinuation, but she kept her features calm as she stared into his red eyes.

"But first, what are you doing here all alone, little girl?" He asked. His fingers tightened into a pincer grip on her chin, and Lucy had to bite down on the scream that wanted to crawl out of her throat as his fingernails dug into her skin.

"Just taking a stroll through the dark guild infested forests," Lucy gasped out. Manios scowled at her and pinched harder while the vines around her waist and wrist both tightened considerably. Tears pricked at her eyes, but there was nothing she could do about that.

"I don't appreciate being baited, girl," he said. "Tell me why you are here alone."

"Who said she was alone?"

Manios whipped around to find Cobra lounging against a tree with his arms crossed. He took in the scene nonchalantly, though it took a lot to maintain the façade when he saw a tear escape down Lucy's cheek. Manios narrowed his eyes at Cobra.

"I know you," Manios said. He chuckled. "The last I heard the Oracian Seis were rotting in prison. Again. How did you get out?"

"The Oracion Seis is a dead guild," Cobra said, ignoring the question. "Funny. Soon they'll be saying the same of Shadow Vulcan."

Manios snarled. His magic shadow vines convulsed around Lucy's wrist and waist. Cobra's rage had been building as soon as he'd heard the wild crashing of cymbals and erratic blasts of trumpet that he knew meant she was fighting someone. Lucy's whimper when the magic vines tightened set the rage ablaze even more than the evil thoughts of the Shadow Vulcan leader.

Cobra's coat sleeves vanished as his arms formed purple scales and wicked yellow talons. Red and purple poison dripped from his claws. Manios sent a shadow vine streaking towards him, but Cobra was no longer there to be hit. The dark guild leader growled in frustration as each of his attempts hit empty air as Cobra advanced on him. Manios dodged backward, keeping a tight hold on the vines holding Lucy. Cobra heard the intent and Manios ended up dodging directly into the clutches of Cobra's talons.

Cobra's grip tightened around the man's windpipe with one hand while the other grabbed Manios's wrist and punctured it. The shadow vines holding Lucy vanished and she dropped to the ground. Her good arm landed in front of her to keep her from falling on her face. Her other arm didn't seem to be functioning quite right, and she thought it might be dislocated after all.

"Star Dawn, get one of your spirits to tell the others where we are," Cobra said without taking his eyes off Manios, who was slowly turning as purple as Cobra's scales.

Lucy summoned Virgo and sent her to find the others before pushing to her feet and slowly approaching Cobra.

"Don't kill him," Lucy whispered as she came up to Cobra. She was careful to stay on the side with his good eye. She cautiously stretched out a hand to lie on his shoulder. He turned to glare at her, but she kept her hand where it was.

"Why not?" He growled.

"Fairies don't kill," she said with a shrug.

"I'm not a fairy."

"But I am. I can't let you just kill him with me standing right here."

"Then go somewhere else."

Cobra unconsciously loosened his grip at the surge of sound from her soul at his words. The woodwinds alone nearly deafened him with their angry chirps. Cobra's eye darted to look at the suddenly furious blonde. He flinched at the sight of her left arm hanging awkwardly, and he finally noticed the pained sound of horns beneath the cacophony. Without a word, Cobra dropped the unconscious dark mage to the ground.

"Thank you," Lucy whispered before sinking to the ground as well.

Cobra crouched beside her and began inspecting her shoulder. Her soul settled into its normal soothing tones as he checked her over. He hoped the others arrived soon so the sky maiden could heal her. The shoulder wasn't dislocated, but it was badly bruised, and he was afraid there might be minute muscle tears. He noticed a few extra viola notes as his fingers brushed over her skin, and he even noticed a shift in her pulse. Was she that scared of him touching her?

He drew back, but Lucy grabbed his hand.

"Thanks for saving me," Lucy said.

"Not like I could just let him kill you, Star Dawn," he said with a shrug. She didn't let go of his hand, and he didn't try to pull away for a moment.

"Why did you call me that?" Lucy asked. "Star Dawn?"

Cobra felt his cheeks heating up, and he hoped that his dark skin tone would cover it up. He drew his hand away and sat back on his heels.

"It's a symphony by Alan Hovhaness. No. 53, Op. 377."

Lucy raised an eyebrow at him, and his blush deepened. How the hell was he supposed to explain that it was exactly what her soul sounded like when she was calm? Luckily he didn't have to because their guild mates burst out of the trees around them at that moment. Wendy rushed over to Lucy and started inspecting her shoulder while Jellal and Erza crouched around the dark mage who was still bleeding out into the grass.

Cobra finally turned his gaze from Lucy to scowl at the fire dragon slayer who desperately wanted to kick Cobra's ass for letting his blond partner get injured. For once, the poison slayer couldn't blame his hotheaded counterpart. He could still hear the faint undercurrent of pain in her soul, and it made him want to kick his own ass for not arriving to help sooner. As the sky maiden healed the blonde and her soul returned to its usual melody, the tension seeped out of him. Cobra hadn't even realized how tense he was until his shoulders relaxed and the song from her soul set the blood humming in his veins again.

Your mouth, so hot
Your web, I'm caught
Your skin, so wet
Black lace, on sweat

After defeating the remainder of Shadow Vulcan easily with their leader incapacitated, Fairy Tail and Crime Sorciere decided to stay in the shadows of the tower for the night instead of moving on. The Fairy Tail mages set up various tents provided by Lucy's maid spirit while those from Crime Sorciere scouted for firewood and prepped dinner. It wasn't the first time the two groups had camped together after or during a mission. Yet tonight, Cobra found himself wishing more than ever that Jellal had just let them leave. He knew why the blueberry didn't, of course. He could never say no to Meredy, and the pink-haired witch always wanted more time with Natsu if she could get it.

It had originally shocked both guilds when the two announced they were in love. Well, it shocked everyone but Cobra. Lucy didn't seem particularly surprised, either. Everyone else had gone practically catatonic at first before congratulating the two with a night of merrymaking. Cobra still wasn't sure where the hell the sake had come from that night or how there was enough of it to drown a small village.

Tonight would be far quieter. For one thing, there was no mysterious alcohol to make the women more incomprehensible than usual and the men more prone to starting fights. For another, everyone was exhausted from the fight with the dark guild. Even without their leader, it had taken some exertion to get Shadow Vulcan to surrender. Cobra leaned back away from the others gathered around the fire as they talked quietly. He tuned them out to focus on Star Dawn's symphony.

She had gone to a river nearby to bathe. The other women had gone with her, but she was still gone. According to Gray's thoughts, Star Dawn had a tendency to take absurdly lengthy baths. He heard a tremble in her song. A sour note that was quickly glossed over, but it bothered him. He knew that he shouldn't investigate. If anything, he should tell the She-Hulk that Star Dawn needed her. He just wasn't sure how to explain how he knew that but wasn't able to give specifics. He didn't even know for sure that she needed anyone. Maybe she was just tired.

He scanned the souls of the others before silently slipping into the trees towards the river.

He found her on the river bank. Her body glistened in the moonlight where she hadn't dried off. She had only put on her bra and underwear: a matching lacy black set that had his mouth watering at the contrast between her creamy skin and the dark, barely-there material. She stared up at the stars visible through the tree canopy where it opened a bit above the river. She didn't look unduly disturbed. He contemplated just slipping back to the camp, but then he heard the sour note again.

Without consciously deciding to do anything, Cobra stepped towards her. He dislodged a stone, and it clattered into the water. Lucy whipped around with one hand reaching towards the bundle of clothes nearby where he was sure she had her keys. When she recognized who it was, she stopped and settled her hands back in her lap as she turned back to the stars.

He settled cross-legged on the bank beside her with his hands propped behind him so he could lean back to look up at the stars, too. He knew that he should just go. He was caught up in her enough as it was. The silence was comfortable with the sound of her soul carrying on smoothly now, but he was painfully aware of her state of undress. It baffled him that she didn't seem the least bit concerned about him seeing her like that. From Gray and Natsu's thoughts, she tended to kick the shit out of anyone who saw her in her underwear.

He'd come to check on her, but now he didn't even know what to say. Normally, it was so easy to supply the right words because he could hear exactly what the other person was thinking. It wasn't a gift he used to help people often, or really ever, but he knew that he had the capacity if he was just a nicer person. But with her… Her soul was nothing but music to him. And right now it was giving him exactly zero clues.

"What are you doing here, Cobra?" Lucy finally asked. She turned slightly so that he was no longer looking at her profile. Her eyes sparkled in the moonlight. Without thinking, he reached out to rub a drop of moisture away that was clinging tenaciously to the tip of her nose. A tinkle of piano keys sounded from her soul.

"You know, most people use a towel to dry off instead of sitting in the cold night air," he said.

"Do they?" Lucy asked. She arched a brow at him. He nodded sagely, and she giggled.

"Is that what you came to tell me?" She asked.

"No," he murmured. He desperately wanted to look away, but he was caught in the web of her brown eyes, slightly silvered by the moonlight. If fairies did exist, he was sure that she was one of the illusive creatures in that moment.

"Then, what?" She asked.

She didn't back away as he slowly leaned closer to her. He marveled at the way the choir of angels in her soul began to trill the closer his face edged towards hers. He wondered what other sounds he could pull from her soul. He was so caught in listening to the music as it reached a feverish pitch that he didn't notice his lips were dangerously close to hers. Then, they were touching, and her soul, which he always found beautiful, upped the ante to something truly breathtaking.

He never wanted that sound to end, but it eventually occurred to him that he was kissing the light of the fairies. And she was kissing him back. His eye snapped open, and he backed away from her. Lucy blinked at him in a daze while Cobra tried to look anywhere but at her. He had finally succeeded in picking out a boulder on the far side of the river to stare at intensely when her soft hands came up to rest on his cheeks and brought his gaze back to her.

"Kiss me, Cobra," she whispered. Her eyes were wide and full of a yearning that he understood only too well. He'd been pushing it back for so long now. Without pausing to let his more rational side question the wisdom of his actions, Cobra dove back in to claim her lips again.

The rest of the night was a blur of fevered touches and needy sighs as he took her on the riverbank. And for the first time, he heard words from her soul. Well, one word over and over: Cobra.

"Erik," he murmured as he sank into her waiting heat. "Call me Erik."

The sound of happiness and need from her soul as it whispered his real name over and over was everything he had hoped and never expected to obtain. He didn't even care that someone from her overprotective team was bound to come looking for her and probably slay him on the spot. He would die a happy man after hearing the soul of an angel singing his name.