A/N: I know, I said I would be posting on HMBTO or HP next, but my dear LittlePrincessNana convinced me that this needed to be written as soon as possible. Just a little songfic two-shot for you guys this time, but I think you'll enjoy it. A big thanks to Dragon'sHost and Eien no Touko for showing me the glory that is CoLu!

The song for this chapter is 'You Grew On Me' by Tim Minchin. Which can be found on youtube, here: watch? v=frNpdG4F9mw … So, open up that link, pause it, and wait for the line that tells you to hit play. :D

The butterflies in her stomach just wouldn't stop, no matter what she did. Lucy paced behind the stage at the guild, waiting for her name to be called as the first one up for the night. When Mira had found out that Lucy had been writing music since before she had joined the guild, and had read some of the lyrics to a love song she'd written back when she was still infatuated with Laxus, the white-haired barmaid had made it her mission to get Lucy to sing one of her songs for the guild. Surprisingly, Mira didn't seem to have that demonic aura around her when it came to those lyrics, even though they had very clearly been about the Lightning Dragon Slayer. She hadn't even batted an eye over the fact that Lucy had written a love song about the guy that Mira herself was engaged to. Then again, it wasn't as though Lucy was planning on trying to move in on him in the first place, since it had been when just after their first time participating in the Grand Magic Games. No, Lucy had most definitely moved on. She had a Slayer of her own—not that anyone knew they were together.

"That's your doing, Bright Eyes. Not mine. And I'd say you moved up, more than moved on."

Lucy rolled her eyes as Cobra's voice echoed through her head, still smiling because she was able to practically feel his single eye boring through the curtain while she was pacing like a nervous ninny. "Get outta my head, Rumplesnakeskin…" she shot back, grinning when she heard his very distinctive growl echoing through the boisterous hall. That single sound set her nerves on edge in a completely different way that what she had been experiencing before. He knew just what the rumbling noise that vibrated through his whole being did to her, and that was when she realized he had done it on purpose.

"Now you're gettin' it."

"That's playing dirty, Erik… Now my panties are soaked, and it's all your fault," Lucy pouted playfully, even though Cobra couldn't actually see her. His response though, paired with how he somehow managed to sound cocky as hell even in her head, was enough to let her know that he was fully aware of her the look on her face… and glad he'd put it there.

"Damn straight. I'll gladly take the blame for that. I can smell you from here…"

Lucy rolled her eyes again and sighed in mock aggravation.

"Keep rolling those pretty little eyes of yours, and I'm gonna gouge them out… Then I'll have a matching set."

"I don't think you'd look right with both eyes, let alone brown ones." Lucy giggled softly and looked down at the dainty gold chain that hung around her neck, her thumb running across the stone pendant that had a mesmerizing combination of reds, purples, and blacks swirling around one another and giving it an almost fluid-like appearance when the light caught it just right. Three years prior, Lucy would have blanched over the ex-criminal threatening her with bodily harm, but since they'd started seeing each she'd come to realize it was his own messed up way of saying something nice—at least when it came to her. Cobra hadn't changed much in the three years he'd been a part of the guild—especially not as much as the other two members of the Oracion Seis that had come with him—aside from his desire to start his life over and overall lack of malice. Sorano would have come along to join with Cobra, Midnight, and Sawyer, but she had decided to go to Sabertooth to be with her younger sister, Yukino. And she had taken Richard with her.

Sawyer, previously known as Racer, had become fast friends with Jet, and had even worked with him so often that he joined Team Shadowgear. He was a prankster as it turned out, and couldn't help but go after the most intimidating members of the guild simply because he could outrun them—something that Cobra had assured her and everyone else was all in good fun. Since joining three years before, he'd even found a woman and settled down. Something that irked Jet and Droy to no end when Levy had told them she had eloped with Sawyer the week before.

Midnight still refused to acknowledge his birth name, even to the others that had been in the Tower of Heaven along with him. He was very reserved, had given up on that sadistic side of himself that Brain had created, and turned out to share the same love for knowledge that Freed had. Needless to say, the odd mage that still constantly slept on his flying carpet had become a member of the Raijinshuu, and could even be seen having conversations with the other four members of the team with a soft smile on his pale face. The most surprising turn of events for Midnight was his successful courtship of Erza. How he'd managed to convince her to go on a date, to give up on Jellal, or anything else was beyond them all—and both parties were annoyingly silent on the matter, although Erza did always have a highly suspicious blush when the subject was brought up.

Cobra though… He stayed as a solo mage even after Erza and Natsu had invited him to join the team. He only spoke to Kinana because she used to be his snake, Cubellios, and he hoped to rekindle the friendship they had once shared. He started speaking to Lucy because she was apparently the only sane person in the guild, and she had been determined to get him into a conversation at the time. To the rest of the world, he was a distant, uncaring, and unflappable asshole. Lucy had been lucky enough to get a glimpse of who he really was, to see what his smile really looked like when he was genuinely happy, and how peaceful he looked while he was sleeping. He still had a twisted sense of humor, found morbid topics absolutely hilarious, and was always keeping his hearing (both regular and through his Soul Listening magic) tuned in to alert him to the slightest hint of danger. Where both Midnight and Sawyer had warmed up to the guild, Cobra was more closed off than Gajeel was back when he'd joined, regardless of the warm welcome the guild had given all three of them when they'd wandered in all those years ago.

Lucy carefully peeked out from the far edge of the curtain and her eyes roamed across each of the guild's boisterous members, landing on the table in the darkest corner that held her boyfriend and his oldest friend, Kinana. Lucy was ecstatic that he'd been able to reconnect with Kinana now that she wasn't cursed to live her life as a snake, and she could see every time he looked at the purple-haired barmaid that he really did value the woman that had once been his only friend. He was speaking softly to Kinana about something, but seemed to notice when Lucy was looking at him, because he paused with his mouth still open and gave her a questioning look. "Tell me I can do this, Erik…"

Cobra smirked and Lucy watched as he gave her an almost imperceptible nod. "You've got this in the bag. You know I would have stapled those lips of yours shut by now if you couldn't carry a tune."

Lucy nodded and gave him a nervous smile, disappearing behind the curtain once again. She held the little swirling stone tenderly between her thumb and forefinger, reminiscing about the day Cobra had given it to her. It had been their first Valentine's Day together, when he still had issues with her touching him unless he initiated the contact first. Back then, she had to let him come to her even if they were going to kiss, and she'd still only been able to let her lips touch his when it happened. It was obvious to her that he wanted to do that and a whole lot more when they were alone together, but his aversion to physical contact almost always stopped him. The few times it hadn't, Lucy had gotten to feel his warm and inviting hands covering her own, but nothing more.

That first Valentine's Day, he'd dragged her to the train station without saying a word, and they sat in silence the entire ride. Once the train stopped, he'd grabbed her hand and dragged her yet again through a town, the neighboring forest, and up a precariously steep incline until they were standing on a cliff that overlooked the southern ocean of Fiore. They sat and watched the crashing waves hundreds of feet below them, and just as Lucy was about to ask what was going on, Cobra turned and wrapped his arms around her, nestling his nose in her hair. It had been the most physical contact they'd ever had, and Lucy had been shocked into stillness over not only the contact itself, but over just how good it felt to have him holding her.

She smiled happily at the memory, thinking about how she'd been able to feel his heart pounding erratically in his chest. When he'd pulled away just enough to look into her eyes had been when Lucy fell head over heels for him. They had been together for months by then, and it was the first time she'd been able to feel his chest against her, his arms wrapped lightly around her much smaller frame. They hadn't done anything more than kiss or hold hands, but the mere thought of him feeling comfortable enough to let so much physical contact happen in the first place had floored her. Cobra gave her the necklace after he slowly settled himself behind her, with his legs spread on either side of hers and her back to his chest. He had tried to play the gift off as nothing more than an obligation because of the holiday, but Lucy hadn't cared in the slightest. She saw it for what it was—he was opening up and letting her in.

A year and a half had flown by after that day, and now Lucy was standing behind a curtain and getting ready to do something she never thought she would. She was going to not only openly tell Cobra just how much she loved him, but in front of the whole guild. He'd been right when he said it was her doing that their friends—Dragon Slayers excluded due to their heightened senses—didn't know they were a couple. Lucy didn't want any added pressure on Cobra when they found out, because he still could hardly touch her in public. When they were behind closed doors, he didn't have a single issue with feeling her body pressed against his while they laid down on the couch and watched movies, or when he slept over and they woke up cuddled up to each other. He still had to be the one to allow her to touch him, but now it was more than just holding his hand or kissing. She didn't blame him for the snail's pace that the physical side of their relationship had taken, because his past had left him with some serious emotional scars that would take time to heal now that he was in a better place. She was willing to give him all the time in the world to get to the point of doing anything more than holding her.

"You know I want to…" Cobra told her sadly.

Lucy smiled again and shook her head. Cobra was quite literally at war with himself over the lack of intimacy between them, no matter how often she reminded him that he'd get there eventually. It didn't matter to her how long it took, because what they had was enough. He loved her, even though he'd never actually said it; she only knew because she had come out and just asked him if he did or not, and all Cobra had done was nod. Lucy loved him just as much, and made sure to tell him as often as possible. Of course, they joked around about things like sex and he already knew just what to do to get her going, but he was nowhere near ready for that much contact yet. At least, not where his anxiety was concerned. "I know, sugar. Someday... And when we do, you'll never be able to get rid of me. I already know I'll be a limp noodle once you're finished."

"Lucy, did you pick a song?" Mira asked as she walked up, smiling and holding a clipboard to her chest.

"Yeah, Mira. We've got a piano, right?"

Mira nodded quickly and rushed off to get the piano up on the stage with Laxus' help, and Lucy took several deep breaths. She shook her hands out, wrung them together, then shook them out again while she waited.

"You'll do fine. Just pretend we're at your place."

Lucy wanted to reply, wanted to drag out the moment before she walked up onto the stage, but that thought flew right out the window when she heard Mira clearing her throat as the music from the speakers cut off completely.

"Alright, everyone. It's time to get the performances started!" Mira paused as the guild cheered, their excitement nearly palpable. "First up, we've got a newcomer to the stage. It took some convincing, but our secret songwriter is finally going to share one of her pieces with us! Everyone give a big cheer for Lucy!"

Shock registered throughout the guild in stunned silence for hardly more than a breath before everyone started cheering again. Hollers of encouragement rang out from one end of the room to the other, giving Lucy a boost in confidence. With one last deep breath, she steeled herself and made her way onto the stage, giving everyone in the room a nervous smile as she walked over to the piano. She took a seat, running her fingers lightly over the keys for a moment before filling her lungs with what was supposed to be a calming breath.

"Damn, I never thought you'd look that sexy sitting at a piano, Bright Eyes."

[Alright, hit play on that video]

Lucy giggled softly as she looked over to see Cobra watching her with excitement and lust swimming in that single purple eye of his. She blushed and kept her gaze locked on him as she started slowly playing the introduction. It wasn't anything special, just something soft and tender that made her think of the first time she and Cobra had kissed. It was silly when she thought about it now, but that had been the only thing that was on her mind when she'd started writing this song for him.

As she played, Lucy smiled and spoke into the microphone hooked to the empty music stand on the piano. "So, I've been writing music for a while now, but this song is one that's very close to my heart. It started out as a way to address this myth that love happens at first sight… Or that it's better if it happens at first sight. I don't think that thing that happens at first sight is love. I think love creeps up on you. So… This song is dedicated to the one that made me feel that 'creepy uppy' kind of love."

She smiled softly as everyone laughed, a light blush dusting her cheeks, and adjusted the microphone just a bit before she started to sing.

You grew on me like a tumor
And you spread through me like malignant melanoma
And now you're in my heart
I should've cut you out back at the start

Cobra's eye went wide in surprise when Lucy had started playing. He'd known she played the piano for a while, since he saw the keyboard sitting the corner the first time he ever went to her apartment, but the way her soul started humming along with just the notes that her delicate fingers set ringing across the silent guild had him utterly enraptured. When she started to sing, her soul swelled with the one emotion he could never get enough of hearing from her. Love. The lyrics themselves were obviously Lucy's own way of feeding into his sick sense of humor, but that only made him hang on every syllable that passed her plump, delectable lips even more. She'd written a song for him. The guy that couldn't even get past hugging or kissing her because he couldn't bear the thought of being touched and hurt again. He knew she would never torture him the way he had been while he was still a kid. He had even checked her soul about a dozen times to see if there was just the smallest hint of that kind of depravity hidden deep within her, but it was wholly nonexistent. The woman he'd fallen in love with had the purest heart and soul he'd ever come across. If there was anyone he should have trusted all this time, it was her.

Now I'm afraid there's no cure for me
No dose of emotional chemotherapy
Can halt my pathetic decline
I should've had you removed back when you were benign

Lucy closed her eyes and let the short instrumental fill her while she thought about the countless times she'd mulled over just what it meant to be in love with someone. She always thought it was supposed to be this huge, complicated, tangled mess of emotions and self-doubt while they both came to realize what they were feeling. That didn't happen. Once she realized she loved Cobra, felt that odd skip in her heartbeat while she was flooded with hormones,and a sense of happiness the likes of which she had never experienced before while looking up at him that day, he knew it. She hadn't told him at the time, of course, but his ability to hear her very soul let him know the instant it happened- and that it was more than infatuation, but actual love. He had eventually told her what it sounded like to him whenever she thought about him, or when he wasn't in the guild and suddenly showed up. If there was ever a time that Cobra could be considered a true romantic, it was when he was describing the unique way her soul thrummed at the mere thought of him, how some soft melodic harmony would start echoing inside of her and consequently into his head. He'd told her it was probably the most beautiful thing he'd ever heard, and even more so because it was Lucy that was feeling that way.

I picked you up like a virus
Like meningococcal meningitis
Now I can't feel my legs
When you're around I can't get out of bed

I've left it too late to risk an operation
I know there's no hope of a clean amputation
The successful removal of you
Would probably kill me, too

The guild as a whole was torn between laughing over some of the metaphors Lucy was using to describe her love for the mystery person, and trying to figure out just who it was that had made the sweet blonde even more vibrant while she was singing about him. The music swelled, and each of them could feel their own hearts mimicking the growing power of the chords that filled them from head to toe. No matter how proficient a few in the guild were when it came to music, or how much any of the members of Fairy Tail could relate to a song they had heard at one point or another, this song in particular seemed to somehow make all of them start thinking about the one person they cherished more than anything. It was clear that she was deeply in love with whoever this person was, because Lucy wasn't one to exaggerate anything. She truly believed that losing this mystery person would kill her, and that fact alone had everyone wondering who had been able to capture her huge heart so intensely.

You grew on me like carcinoma
Crept up on me like untreated glaucoma
Now I find it hard to see
This untreated dose of you has blinded me

Lucy took a deep breath while the song grew in power, feeling those nervous butterflies leaving as she lost herself in the song she'd written with her Slayer in mind. They had spent such a long time together, and without that distraction of a physical aspect to their relationship, she felt that her love for him was on a deeper level than she could have ever experienced otherwise. She knew the person that Cobra was inside, because he'd allowed her to see who he really was. Without something like sex taking up any time between them, Lucy and Cobra had been able to really get to know one another on an emotional and intellectual level that she had never thought was possible. He was closed off with everyone around him, except for her. He wasn't great at talking about his emotions, but Lucy could tell how he was feeling more often than not by the way he said things. When she spent more time with him, she'd come around to his way of thinking concerning his sense of humor. Over the course of their relationship, Lucy had gained one of the best friends she could have ever asked for. That connection to him made waiting for the day he could move past his haphephobia to finally take the next step in their relationship worth it, because there was more that she loved about him than what he was capable of in the bedroom.

I should've consulted my local physician
I'm stuck now forever with this tunnel vision
My periphery is through
Wherever I look now, all I see is you

Lucy paused for only a moment and opened her eyes to look right at him, feeling something deep within her quite literally quaking at the intense gaze that met with hers. She knew he could hear what was going through her head while she played, how she kept running through different moments in their relationship, and that each note and word that passed her lips was filled with the love she felt for him. There would never be anyone else for her; that was something she was sure of. Cobra was it. He was all she needed to be the happiest girl in all of Earthland. She smiled when that thought ran through her head—like it had countless times when he wasn't around and she was missing him—and Cobra's eye widened marginally in shock.

When we first met you seemed fickle and shallow
But my armor was no match for your poison arrow
You are wedged inside my breast
If I tried to pull you out now I think I'd bleed to death
I'm feeling short of breath

The air in Cobra's lungs stalled when Lucy's voice grew in strength, her soul singing in a perfectly pitched harmony that both shocked and soothed him. All the little jokes about her love for him being like a disease that she would never be able to get rid of didn't make a lick of difference when he heard and felt just what she meant by his piercing her heart with his poison. Lucy had been the only person he'd met that wasn't afraid of him, that never treated him differently based on his past, or the fact that he was overall a pretty off-putting asshole that enjoyed watching people squirm. She saw right through the years of armor he'd created for himself to survive with his lot in life, and like the damn warrior she truly was… His beautiful blonde girlfriend had cut down those walls until he was left bare before her.

You grew on me like a tumor
And you spread through me like malignant melanoma

Cobra was trapped in her honey brown gaze as she let loose and belted out each syllable, only vaguely registering that she was singing loud enough to make him wince and cover his ears… And he would have done just that, if it wasn't for her soul. It called to him more intensely than anything ever before, quite literally drawing him up from his seat and towards the stage. He was trapped in her siren song, and he knew it. It begged for him to go to her, to hold and love her with everything he was worth. He couldn't care less where they were at, or how many eyes had shot to him while he walked past the otherwise enraptured guild members. His sights were set only on the woman that was baring her heart and soul so openly that it was nearly deafening. Each note, each chord… Every small inflection in her voice rippled over his skin, making his aversion to anything touching him disappear while he basked in that warm glow of love shining in her eyes only for him. When it came to Lucy, he hated that he couldn't handle letting her touch him on her own, because he knew she would be gentle and tender—that she wouldn't try to hurt him. So, even though he still struggled with that particular demon from his past, this was something he could handle. He bathed in the symphony that flowed from deep within Lucy and let himself be enveloped in the serenity and love she was offering him, feeling her wrapped protectively around him as only she could do with her soul alone.

I guess I never knew
How fast a little mole can grow on you…

Lucy's eyes softened as she blushed and kept her gaze on Cobra standing just in front of the stage. She had no idea what had possessed him to come closer, to stare at her with his emotions so openly sitting on his otherwise closed off face. When the final notes of the song were fading into the utterly silent guild, her foot holding onto the sustain pedal to prolong the inevitable explosion of energy from everyone that had watched her perform, Lucy couldn't help but smile lovingly down at Cobra while he just stood dazedly in front of her. "I love you, sugar," she whispered.

Those four words seemed to do the trick in breaking Cobra from his stupor, and he shook his head before vaulting himself up onto the stage while Lucy slowly moved to stand in front of him. He could see and hear just how badly she wanted to hug him and kiss him, to show not only himself but everyone around them that her love for him was never-ending. She didn't move though, knowing that even after all this time he'd lock up if she tried to touch him first. He took one final step forward as her curiosity drowned out the shocked thoughts of everyone around them, then his lips spread into a devilish grin that he knew made her melt like butter.

Lucy gasped when Cobra pulled her into his arms, her chest pressed tightly to his, and moaned softly when he swooped down to capture her lips in a heated caress. Her hands stayed at her sides while she waited for him to grab them and place them where he could handle her touching him, but she was otherwise lost in the way his lips so hungrily devoured her.

A low and lust-filled growl grew in Cobra's chest as he slid his hands lower on her back until they were just over the swell of her perfectly rounded ass. She was still frozen in place, waiting for him to let her know what he wanted, but what Cobra wanted was for Lucy to lose control with him. The way it had felt letting her voice wash over him had put him at ease, and that anxiety he'd struggled with ever since Brain took him in never made its presence known like it usually did when she was in his arms. Her small whimper made another growl rumble through him as he pried her soft lips open and delved into her mouth for the first time in months, and Cobra was finally rewarded when her hands slid over his chest and tangled in his hair.

Lucy was breathless, her lungs begging for the oxygen they had been deprived with how Cobra was kissing her. He'd never been so passionate before when they had kissed, and she felt for the first time ever just how affected he was by her when he groaned and gripped her ass as he pulled her even closer. Finally, when she felt as though she would pass out—although she wasn't sure if it was from forgetting how to breath, the realization that Cobra was letting her kiss and touch him as she pleased, or the fact that she'd just confessed her love for him to the guild and was now giving them a very public display of it while Cobra kissed her senseless—he lifted his head and nipped at her lower lip playfully.

"I love you too, Bright Eyes." One corner of his lips lifted when her breath stuttered, and just as he was about to lean back in to pick up where they'd left off, one slurring voice rang out into the air.

"Get a room already!" Cana shouted happily as she started flipping through her notebook to find the bets on who Lucy would end up with. She had to compare it to Cobra's own page, and then cross-reference that with the time frame notebook she already had opened so she would know just how much money she was about to gain. She already knew that she was one of the only people that had bet on those two falling for each other, since most people were waiting for Natsu or Gajeel to confess to Lucy, and everyone believed that Kinana was the only one Cobra would want to be with based on their history. When asked by Mira why she had bet on Lucy and Cobra, which was the demon woman's passive-aggressive way of checking to see if Cana had cheated by using her cards to read their fortunes, she had simply said that she could tell they were already in love. Mira had scoffed at her at the time, pointing them out while they were on opposite sides of the guild, and told her that they couldn't be more different, and that Cana couldn't be more wrong. What Cana had failed to mention was the fact that she had caught them in passing while they were out in the woods one day. They were just sitting under a tree and talking to each other, but there was something between them, she was sure of it… and they'd just proven her right.

Lucy stuttered and blushed a deep crimson, watching as Cobra's lips descended to hers again while he chuckled. She squeaked in surprise when his hands moved from her ass to wrap around her legs and he lifted her in one smooth motion. Her legs locked around his hips and she mewled softly as his calloused hands slid over her thighs to her ass again.

"I'm fine with that suggestion… How about you?" Cobra asked while jumping off of the stage and taking long strides to get to the guild's entrance. Everyone in the guild was still completely silent as far as any shouts of surprise or horror were concerned, but their minds were all stuck on one thing.

"Cobra?! How did I not see that coming with that song?!"

Lucy moaned and pressed herself closer to him, her hands in his hair tightening only slightly while she deepened the kiss. "Definitely." When Cobra growled again, most likely having heard just how much she agreed with getting him behind a closed door so she could rip his clothes off and bang his brains out, Lucy let out a sultry laugh and rolled her hips against him as he pushed the doors to the guild open. "We'll do whatever you want, Erik. I'm all yours."

Cobra hoped that by the time they reached his apartment—which was closer to the guild than Lucy's only in the time it took to get there—he'd still be able to let her touch him this way. He'd wanted all of her—to drop his head between her legs and see if her arousal was just as sweet at it smelled, to lick and suck and kiss every inch of her, feel her lips and hands brushing over his bare flesh, to gently grasp her bare hips and slowly lower her onto himself, and definitely spend hours writhing and moaning in ecstasy with her—since before he'd given her the necklace she always touched when she was thinking about him. His past had held him back before, but he was determined to stop it from continuing to affect him when it came to Lucy. She had opened up to him in a way no one had ever tried or cared to, and had stayed by his side even when he tried to get rid of her 'for her own good'. No matter what had happened Lucy stuck with him, and was nothing but understanding and patient with his issues. It was something he'd always loved about her, and now he was going to finally show her just how much… "That's good, because I plan on taking you up on that offer of keeping you in bed and making sure you can't feel your legs…"

That's it for the first chapter, guys! I hope you enjoyed it. As I mentioned before, this was a request from my wonderful triplet, LittlePrincessNana. Talking about wanting to write some smut turned into this, and you'll be happy to know that the smut I wanted to write last night will be provided to you in the next chapter.

Haphephobia is a real and mildly rare fear of being touched. It stands to reason that someone who was subjected to the kinds of things that we know happened in the Tower of Heaven would have an issue like this, and that single thought is what brought about the majority of this story. It started as me listening to the song used in this chapter, and thinking it would be hilarious for Lucy to sing to Cobra, and that he'd be ten kinds of turned on by her feeding into his sense of humor. Obviously that morphed a little bit and delved into their love for each other, but yeah. I'm happy with what came out of this taking a life of its own.

So, Review, Follow, Favorite! I love you guys!

~~GemNika.