A/N: This...is super late. My excuse? I REWROTE THE ENTIRE THING LAST MINUTE! Also, this is 20K, let me be. A VERY IMPORTANT NOTE PLEASE DON'T IGNORE: This is super rushed. Super. Super. Rushed. And for a reason.

This is sort of a prelude to a longer fic starring the same concept, different loss of sense. As in, if this seems crazy rushed to you? I'll have a multichapter version out starring Lucy and Cobra, but it will definitely develop the relationship more. I just wanted to test the waters with this one, see how I would fare. Enjoy, and concrit is much appreciated!

"So?" Jude Heartfilia demanded, "What's wrong with her?"

Layla Heartfilia shot her husband a warning glare as she sat next to her six year old daughter, patting at her feverish head with a cool, damp cloth. Worried brown eyes traveled to stare at the petite doctor before them, who crossed her arms over her generous chest with a sigh.

Dr Elizabeth Metrodora was widely regarded as one of the best doctors in the country of Fiore, despite having only held the title for the past six years. She was one of the few doctors in the country that were capable of utilizing healing magic to a degree, and was efficient in her practice as surgeon and Magical Illness Diagnostics Expert. Her rounded face was drawn into a frown, and her bright green eyes were hooded as she once again gave her patient a cursory glance.

"She will live," her voice was low, lilting accent barely noticeable. "However, I cannot cure her."

"What do you mean you can't cure her, you just said she'd live!" Jude's face was livid. Running her hand through her short black hair, Dr Metrodora continued, "If you would silence yourself, sir, and let me finish?"

Red in the face, he backed down.

"Lucy has a disease that falls under the Level 4 category of Organic Magic Diseases," Layla let out a horrified gasp, tears welling in her eyes. "L...level 4...?"

"Layla?"

"Jude, my illness falls under level 2!"

"Sir, ma'am, if I may?" Dr Metrodora gave both of them an annoyed glare. "This particular disease is what we are tentatively dubbing Sensory and Magic Container Equivalent Exchange. Lucy is the fifteenth diagnosed case in the country. It is genetic, and thus far recessive. Lady Heartfilia noted she was the recessive carrier of this particular gene, and I assume that Mr Heartfilia also has the gene for this. To put it simply, she would have endured Lady Heartfilia's particular illness, however, a mutation on the part of Mr Heartfilia turned that gene into the one that causes this.

"This disease is tricky. It strikes only one of the five senses, and there is no way to tell which one. She was born perfectly healthy, but as her magical container expanded with age, her eyesight began to deteriorate. Essentially what occurs is that in order for her Magic Container to continue to grow, her body taps into her sense of sight and weakens that to support her magic. We do not know why as of yet, this is a fairly new disease. She will eventually go blind."

"B-blind? Can't you just...seal away her magic? That way there's nothing to leech at her sight!" Jude said desperately. Dr Metrodora scowled, resisting the urge to pull out one of her many scalpels and silence the man for interrupting again. "Were you born this stupid, or is it contagious? Have you any idea how detrimental inducing magic deficiency would be at such a young age? The girl would die before the night was over!"

"Please..." Layla pleaded, crossing the room to grasp the young doctor's hands. Where the elegant woman's hands were soft like velvet, toughened only at the index and thumb fingers of her right hand from years of Key handling, the doctor's were rough all around from utilizing sharp implements. The difference was there, but at the moment they were united in one cause-saving Lucy. "Is there anything we can do to...to halt it? Even temporarily?"

"Lady Heartfilia, she will not go blind right away. As of right now, she is -0.5 in both eyes. Barely any loss. It will take years for her to go fully blind," Dr Metrodora assured the blonde woman. Brown eyes bore fiercely into forest green. "How long?"

"Fifteen. I suspect she will be fifteen by the time she loses her sight," the raven headed woman bit her lip. "Although, if I do have your permission?"

"Anything," Jude breathed.

"I will try my level best to slow down the process. I may be able to give her another three or four years of sight if you allow me to act as her personal physician," Layla tugged the woman into a tight embrace, sobbing quietly. "Thank you...thank you so very, very much..."

"It is not a problem," Dr Metrodora murmured, patting her back. "My oath was prevention is preferable to cure, and since there is no cure or prevention...then I swear to you, I will make her life as easy as possible till then."

"Mama...?" Lucy called weakly, "I'm hungry..."

"W...what would you like, darling?" Jude asked, stroking her hair. A childish pout broke over her tiny lips. "Watermelon!"

"Anything you want," Jude promised.

"Forever."

"Someone's a little out of it today!" Mira smiled cheekily as she stopped before the resident Light of the Fairies. Lucy laughed dismissively. "Oh, it's nothing, Mira! Just...I'm expecting someone today."

"Is it a boy?" to her right, Cobra snorted into his drink. "As if."

"Are you saying she can't land a boyfriend?"

"No, I'm saying, 'as if she would give you godbabies on a whim'," Lucy rolled her brown eyes in amusement. "Go back to failing to get drunk."

The visiting Crime Sorciere member raised his bottle before taking another swing. It was the independent Guild's third visit this month, and as per usual, Cobra had found himself at the bar, either keeping his purple headed best friend company, or quibbling with the blonde Celestial Mage he had grown slightly fond of.

"If it isn't little Lucy," a warm, accented voice came from nearby. Lucy's eyes brightened, and she leapt out of the stool. "Dr Metrodora!"

"Oh for heavens sake, you little blonde nuisance, I've told you countless times to call me Elizabeth," the gray haired woman scolded, hugging her tightly. "Oh, how I've missed you, my little aventurier!"

"Hey! Who're you?" Natsu demanded, pushing Lucy away. Wendy nearly dropped her mug as she stood in awe. "D...Dr Elizabeth Metrodora...? Oh my goodness, I'm so honoured!"

"Heaven have mercy on my ancient soul, are you Wendy Marvell?" the bluenette nodded, overjoyed at having been recognized by the elder woman. Bright green eyes lit up. "You, little one, are infamous amongst us medical doctors! I must sit down with you later for a talk, but first...Lucy. Come, child, we have much to catch up on."

As Lucy was led out of the Guild by the woman in the lab coat, Cobra's brows furrowed in unnatural concern.

Both their souls radiated worry and resignation.

Something was wrong.

"How bad is it?" Lucy asked as glowing blue hands dropped from her eyes.

"Bad," Elizabeth replied clinically, "You've got several months, a year tops. That burst of energy Miss Milkovich gave you with her Second Origin rapidly sped up the process. Had she not done that, you would have had another few years."

"I don't regret it," Lucy said. Her blurry vision came into focus as she placed in her specialized contacts. Blinking, she stared at her long-time physician. Age and stress had worn years into the woman's face. Wrinkles decorated her skin, and her hair had greyed far too soon for her fifty something years, but that did nothing to dampen the gleam in her green eyes. "These work perfectly!"

"I designed them, of course they did," and, to Lucy's immense joy, it had done nothing to control her ego.

"You don't regret it?"

"No. The magic burst helped me during the Games and after, when the Dragons invaded," a soft smile graced her plump lips. "If the loss of my sight comes due to protecting my family and my future, then so be it. If I could go back in time, I'd do it all over again."

"Just like your damn mother, you are," Elizabeth laughed. After several moments of companionable silence, the doctor spoke again. "I was there, you know. In Jude's final month."

Lucy's brown eyes welled with tears. "You saw Michelle, too?"

"I had an inkling something was off about that girl, but yes, I met her. Jude was worried about you. He had no idea how poor your eyesight had gotten, wouldn't stop asking if I'd come up with a cure to help you," a bitter smile spread across thin lips, "I told him I wasn't a miracle worker. There is no cure, but the man was insistent. Even in his final moments, it was all 'Lucy this' and 'Lucy that'..."

A sob spilled forth from Lucy. Even now, the knowledge of her father's death cut her deep, almost a year and some after. Elizabeth placed a hardened, slightly powdery hand atop Lucy's and squeezed gently. "I know this isn't the best moment, but I need to ask, Lucy. Does your Guild know?"

"No," Lucy wiped at her eyes, "They have no idea. I guess I need to tell them, huh?"

"You do need to. Would you like me to-?"

"No! I...I'll do it myself. Thank you, Elizabeth," Lucy embraced the woman she had known nearly her whole life tightly. The gesture was returned with the same eagerness. "Seven years, you little devil child! When was your last physical? Come on, I'll get you to a clinic and give you a full body one, see if that idiotic move you pulled damaged anything else..."

"Pincushion, I swear to God, one more projectile comes this way and I'll corrode all your piercings, and that includes the ones down south!" Cobra snarled, batting away at the crudely fashioned metal implement before it collided with Kinana, who laughed merrily. Gajeel's face reddened as Levy became rather flustered, squeaking as her imagination ran wild.

"Oh for goodness sake, Erik, must you let out such sensitive information to the poor public?" Kinana asked. Her best friend shrugged, selecting a bottle of whiskey from the tray she carried. The amber liquid sloshed within the crafted glass as he chugged it down quickly. "It's funny."

"To you, maybe," Lucy grumbled. She had not thought of it before, but she was certain Cobra knew of her illness. If he did, she was thankful he was keeping silent about it.

"No, I've no idea what's wrong with you," Cobra said in an undertone, staring at her intently. "You've done a fine job at hiding it away, Bright Eyes, and it's making me very, very curious."

Lucy snorted at the irony of her nickname. Bright Eyes, he called her, when her eyes were losing their light so rapidly. Cobra's eye narrowed. "Losing the light...?"

"It's nothing you need to worry about, Cobra, go back to drinking," Lucy toyed with the little umbrella in her drink. She rarely chose to imbibe as heavily as she was today, but she didn't want to feel anything right now, especially within the walls of her joyous Guild. She would not let her sadness infect the happiness here, and alcohol proved to be the most effective method to cordon the feelings.

"I think that this is something serious," Cobra continued, as if she hadn't spoken. "I think that whatever this is, is life threatening."

When she did not reply, his indigo eye widened. Glancing around, he made sure the other Slayers were occupied before sliding closer to her and moving till they were a hairsbreadth apart. "Lucy? Is it life threatening?"

Not in the way you're thinking, Lucy thought, staring at him blankly. Cobra growled irritably, moving closer still, till their noses were aligned. "Then in what way, Bright Eyes? Don't fucking make me get invasive."

"Oh my God!" Mira's scream had them jerking apart. Ocean blue eyes twinkled brightly as she stared at the pair before her. "You two are dating?"

On the second floor, Laxus choked on his beer, hacking up his lungs as his watery eyes stared down at the blonde he had all but adopted into his family. "E-excuse me?"

"No! He's just being an oddball and invading my personal space!" Lucy waved her hands quickly. Cobra nodded, affirming her. "Just trying to fluster her."

"Yeah, right! Ain't nothing that can fluster Luce! Well, naked guys do. Remember that time in the bath house, Luce?" Natsu slung an arm over her shoulder. The blonde let out a little squeak as Mira's gaze fixated on them. "Oh...?"

"Nothing! He was being a perv and came into the ladies side-"

"Unisex!"

"Full of ladies, that means something!"

"Now who's the super perv?" Gray called from his seat beside Sorano, who snorted in derision. "You're still one to talk, you naked bastard."

"You're supposed to support me, dear."

"Fuck you."

"Hear that? Naked bastard!" Natsu crowed. Gray made quick work of dropping to a battle stance, which Natsu mirrored all too eagerly.

"Idiots," Lucy mumbled, turning back to her drink. Cobra continued to observe her out of the corner of his eye, commenting only for her ears. "Your heart beats healthily, you breathe with ease. I see no paleness, no sweat. No bruising. You have dark circles beneath your eyes, concealer is not working for you."

"Please, I will explain soon, just...please," Lucy begged. Cobra gave considerable pause before nodding.

"Lucy! Watch out!" Kinana screamed. Cobra snapped his head around just in time to see a tan and pink blur crash into the blonde, who was sent careening over the bar top and on the floor on the other end. With a hiss, he threw Natsu into a table nearby and vaulted over the counter, dropping to his knees beside Lucy, who stared at the wood beneath her in horror.

"My contacts!" she wailed, patting around for them.

"Contacts? I didn't know you had to wear those!" Mira crouched down as well, peering around the floor for the little concave lenses. Lucy knew her own efforts were futile, as her eyesight had deteriorated to the point where even the floor was blurry with her face several inches from it. She had to try to hide the severity of it, however, and made it look as though she were merely checking the grooves between the planks for them. "Yeah, I've had them for a while now. Nothing too severe, just...corrective."

"Tch, get out of the light you fuckheads!" Cobra ordered, glaring at the crowd that had amalgamated. They dispersed once they realized there was nothing of interest going on, leaving the three Mages plus one barmaid searching around the ground.

Lucy felt her heart stop when her vision started tunneling slowly. She focused on keeping her breathing even, knowing that Cobra could hear her, and blinked furiously, trying to rid the black spots that were slowly taking over. Trembling fingers braced themselves on the floor, and her breathing became shallow as everything went black.

"Bright Eyes?" Cobra's voice was right beside her, and she turned to face his general direction. She felt him stiffen as he caught sight of her tears, and then he cursed aloud when he heard her soul.

"Fuck! Bright Eyes, calm down! Hey, hey, focus. Breathe. Breathe," his warm hands forced her face to remain still. Lucy let out a strangled sob as she realized she had well and truly gone blind.

No amount of mental preparation could have steeled her for it.

"Shit, no, breathe! Don't hyperventilate-crap! Wendy!" Cobra roared, sweeping Lucy into his arms. Her body quivered, so much so that she looked like a leaf in fall. Lucy found that her breathing was getting shallower and shallower and her ears were ringing and the sounds were fading and-

"Lucy!"

"You," Elizabeth's accented voice hissed venomously as Lucy came to, "Are in so much fucking shit."

"Hey," Cobra warned, "Fuckin' put a lid on it, you crotchety old hag."

"It's okay, Cobra," Lucy murmured, blinking.

She could see. Her vision was blurry, extremely so, but she assumed that was because her contacts weren't placed in. The grey blob that was Elizabeth hovered over her, as did the red and pink tones of Porlyusica.

"Stupid human," Porlyusica grouched. "Have you any idea what you've done?"

"How long?" Elizabeth asked.

"How long what?" Cobra asked. As Lucy rose up, bracing her back against the metal back frame of the bed, she could make out the vague form of his body as it was perched beside her by her hip.

"You haven't told them?" Elizabeth was surprised. "You told me-"

"Natsu happened," Lucy replied.

"Lucy suffers from a Level 4 Organic Magic Disease," Cobra inhaled sharply as he registered the doctor's thoughts.

"Holy fuck," he whispered. "Sensory and Magic Container Equivalent Exchange? There's only ever been thirty registered cases..."

"Lucy was the fifteenth," the Celestial Mage in question shook her head with a sigh. "It's fine. Elizabeth, can I get my contacts?"

The silence was palpable.

"Human..." Porlyusica began slowly, "You are wearing your contacts."

Lucy felt her heart stop.

She hadn't lost her contacts before at all.

"Don't pass out again," Cobra shifted closer, grasping her jaw and forcing her to stare at what she assumed was his face. "You...we'll fix this."

"Incurable, you stupid Slayer," Porlyusica snapped. Lucy heard the bed shift as Cobra faced the other woman. "You can't make stronger contacts?"

"I have, but with that fall...and the fact that she hasn't been telling me about her little tunnel episodes...Lucy, you've got two weeks. A month tops," Lucy let out a strangled wail, covering her mouth with her hands.

She had a month. A month before she would never be able to see Natsu's infectious smile. A month before Gray's easy grins would be lost to her eyes forever. A month before Erza's vibrant scarlet hair and fierce gaze would be a hazy memory, before Wendy's sudden growth spurt would be told to her instead of observed. A month before she would never get to see Laxus' affectionate glances, before she would never be able to read Levy's novels. Elfman and Evergreen's secret escapades would never be witnessed by her. Mirajane's loving, motherly face would never be seen by her brown eyes.

"Hey, hey, easy," Cobra's thumb rubbed her jaw. "You have a month. One month to make it count and burn those things into your mind."

"How am I gonna tell 'em?" Lucy sobbed, drawing her knees up to her chest and pressing her forehead to them. "That I'm g-going blind?"

"I will," Cobra said, much to the shock of the occupants of the room. Lucy lifted her head, squinting her eyes to focus a little better. "Why?"

"Look, I...I don't know, but you're gonna need all the help you can get, and I think I'm best fit for the job."

"Why you?" Elizabeth interrupted rudely. "Wouldn't that blond demon brother of hers work?"

"Laxus doesn't have the medical expertise I do," Cobra replied.

"You have a medical degree?" Lucy asked in disbelief. Cobra snorted. "God no. In every cell block in the Tower, one slave was selected to act as the medical tech to save their doctor's time. I was that one slave. This won't have been the first time I've witnessed someone lose their sight. Infections back then were fairly common and all I had to work with were the basics, so I had to help those blinded escape guard's notice for as long as possible. Got me into a bunch of shit, but..."

"Thank you," Lucy whispered, crawling forwards. Her arms caged around him, pulling back when he stiffened. "S-sorry..."

"Don't do that again," he said. "Dragon Granny, Metronome, you got those contacts ready?"

"Metronome. Original," Elizabeth deadpanned. "But yes, they're here, I-"

"I'll do it. Might as well get used to it..." Lucy felt Cobra's thumb and index finger pull at her lids, and a tan finger came for her eye. She flinched back, rolling her eyes up. Cobra cursed again. "Bright Eyes, you gotta trust me. Just look straight ahead, dammit."

She mumbled an apology and did as she was told, resisting the urge to whimper when his finger moved to remove her old contacts.

"Okay," Cobra lifted his hand again, "Look up."

Lucy felt the familiar cool of the contact being placed in her and and she blinked rapidly, adjusting it till it slid over to over her eye properly. Cobra repeated the action with her other eye, and suddenly the world was clear. Cobra's face was stony, as were the visages of her doctors, and Lucy fought back tears as she realized this may as well have been the last time she would see the two.

"Dragon Granny, maybe, but Metronome will be around," Cobra assuaged her fear. Porlyusica frowned slightly. "I will remain around. The old lady has requested my assistance in your case, little one, so you will see much of me."

"So...how do we tell them?" Lucy asked in a hushed whisper. Cobra stood, stretching for a moment before extending his hand to her. "You walk down, say hi, smile, then break it to them when somebody asks what's up."

"J-just like that?"

"Just like that."

Lucy took his hand.

"Lucy!" Natsu yelled, running forward. "You're up! What the f-"

"Down, Dragneel," Cobra commanded. Hearing the boom of his Alpha's oddly serious tone, Natsu complied, narrowing his deep green eyes in suspicion. "What?"

"Questions later, food first," Mira said firmly, waving Lucy over with the promise of a smoothie.

"Thank you, Mira," Lucy stared at the model's face with a burning intensity. She needed to remember the way her blue eyes softened, the way her cheekbones were pointed, the gentle curve of her cupids bow and the plumpness to her lips. The way her white hair cascaded in waterfall like waves around her.

"So?" Laxus demanded. "What happened?"

Cobra's hand brushed hers. She turned her head slightly to meet his bright purple gaze. "Just like that," he mouthed, and she nodded shakily.

"I...I have a disease-" Mira dropped her tray, hands flying to her mouth in horror. Silence blanketed the Guild in the revelation. Lucy began to shake once more as Laxus' terrified blue eyes implored her brown ones.

"So...so what, y-you're dying or something?" he managed to spit out. Natsu let out a warbled noise from the back of his throat, grasping the tops of Lucy's arms with a force enough to bruise. Scared, childish green eyes stared at her as he spoke, "Y-you're not dyin', Luce. You can't be-you're fine, you're okay! I can...you sound healthy and you...you can't die!"

Lucy shook her head repeatedly as Natsu's hysteria only increased. She knew just how badly the thought of her dying affected him, having witnessed Future Lucy pass in his arms during the Games, he could not bear to see his Lucy, present Lucy, die, too.

"I'm not d-dying, Natsu! I just...this is a Level 4-" Cobra cut her off. "They don't get that talk. How many of you know what Sensory and Magic Container Equivalent Exchange is?"

"No..." Wendy breathed out, horrified. "No!"

"One," Cobra nodded. "Anybody else?"

"I...that's...there's only been thirty cases...!" Freed said. Lucy could see the wheels turning in his head as he struggled to recall just what it was. Levy had frozen, her book on her lap as her fingers remained in the air.

"Three. In layman's terms, this picks one of the five senses and saps it as the magical container of a person grows. For Lucy..." Cobra trailed off, staring at the blonde, who realized what he was trying to do. He wanted her to tell them. Lucy cleared her throat. "I...I've been losing my eyesight since I was six."

"You're goin' blind?" Gajeel asked sharply. Lucy gave him the affirmative.

"Oh my God," Jellal looked nauseous as he stared at the blonde. "Oh my God, it was Ultear. She used Second Origin and...she sped up the process. How...how much longer do you have?"

"A m-month tops. M-most likely t-two weeks," Lucy bit her lip and struggled to speak in a steady voice. This was harder than she had imagined, telling her family that soon she would be unable to see. That she would be unable to watch them grow.

"Wendy can fix you!" Natsu insisted, staring wildly at the bluenette, who shook her head. "This is...there's no cure, Natsu!"

"You can fix her, Wendy, you can! You've done so much before, and...you're the best doctor! If we got Chelia-" Cobra snarled, grabbing the Fire Slayer by the collar. "Listen to me, Natsu. There is no cure. This disease feeds off her magic, and-"

"So seal her magic!" Natsu screamed. "Seal it!"

Lucy dropped her glass and began to cry in earnest. Cobra shoved Natsu into a chair and moved to face Lucy. "No."

"I w-wasn't g-going to! I can't..."

"What's the use of havin' your magic if you go blind, Lucy?" Natsu yelled, "You can't fight that way!"

Cobra's fist shot out before Laxus' could.

"You son of a bitch..." Cobra growled. His face was furious as his body trembled and he reared his fist again. Lucy grabbed his wrist, and he jerked out of her grasp, glaring at her. Teary brown eyes pleaded with his, and he relaxed only slightly before whipping back to stare at the floored pinkette.

"How could you fucking ask her to seal her goddamn magic? So what if she can't see? She can still fight," Cobra hissed, breathing heavily. "She can still fight. Her magic is her last fucking connection to her mother, you twat, you asking her to seal it so she can live with half-assed sight is you telling her to give up what she left her manor for. The ability to use her mother's magic. She knew what Second Origin would do and she went with it for this goddamn guild and those stupid fucking Games!"

"You...you knew that Second Origin would do?" Natsu looked hurt. "You knew it would make you blind faster?"

"It was worth it," Lucy smiled sadly, "It helped especially during the invasion. So no, I don't regret it, Natsu."

"I...I hate you," Natsu spat, tears streaming down his face, "I fucking hate you, Lucy. Why didn't you tell me? We're nakama, you're supposed to tell us these things-!"

"With your reaction right now it's no fucking wonder she didn't," Cobra's voice was colder than Gray's magic. "You hate her for something she can't control? You hate her because she didn't tell you to make the hurt a little easier? No. You hate her because this is exactly what you would do but you can't take the hit. Stop projecting, Natsu."

"Screw-"

"Dragneel, go off," Cobra's voice took the tone of the Alpha he was once again, "You are to go to Sabertooth and remain there until you calm down. Tell Eucliffe and Cheney, and when you get sense knocked into your head, you can come back with them," glancing at Lucy's drawn face once more, he said, "I'm giving you less than two weeks."

Lucy's heart thudded. Two weeks. He was telling Natsu to come back before the minimum was over so she could see her best friend and commit his face to memory, and pull along the two other Slayers so she could do the same to them, too. Cobra was...being considerate. Oddly so.

"But-"

"Go," the word was twisted as it left his mouth, and Natsu straightened, staring blankly at the former slave. "Yes, sir."

"Don't fuckin' call me that," Cobra grumbled, "I hate it when you people call me that..."

Natsu nodded and left, not glancing back even as Lucy lurched forward to grab onto him. Cobra grasped her upper arm lightly over where the beginnings of bruises were showing. "Let him go and cool off."

Turning to face the rest of the silent Guild, Cobra spoke, "Now that the drama is over, are there any questions?"

"How will you fight?" Max's question was not meant to insult her, this much Lucy could tell. She frowned. How would she fight? Her magic was a support system, where she had to order her spirits to utilize certain attacks to defend or take down opponents based on their magic and what she could see coming. If she couldn't see anything coming, then...

"There have been plenty of blind Mages in the past," Midnight drawled, "She wouldn't be the first. Might have to pick up some kind of hearing magic like Erik, but she'll live."

"I'll begin research immediately," Levy volunteered. Her eyes glinted in determination as she faced her best friend. "I won't let you suffer, Lu-chan! If we can't stop you from going blind, we'll fight to make sure you can fight for yourself and live as normally as possible!"

"I will assist as well, Levy. The Raijinshuu specialize in eye-magicks, so I could help see if there is a hearing magic that would supplement similarly," Freed turned to the ashen-faced Laxus, who gave his permissive nod.

"Your eyes will need treatment even when blind," Wendy mumbled, "Excuse me, I need to visit the library to find books on magical treatments for optic nerve damage..." Lucy watched, worried, as the blossoming woman left the Guild in a daze. Mest, catching her eye, gave a small nod. "I'll go make sure she doesn't get hit by an S.E. Plug crossing the road or something."

"Your house is gonna need some renovations for the first few months without sight," Max said. "You know, handrail in the bathtub, furniture with less...pointy edges."

"I'll add the metal hand stuff and some sort of indicator for the room and direction you're headed," Gajeel offered. Laki gave her nod as well. "The edges that must be cut for ease shall be handled by me."

"R-rent?" Kinana stammered out, flushing when eyes fell to her. "W-well, she's going to still have to pay rent, and if she c-can't go on missions by herself, we should set up a sort of a f-funding till she's able to."

"Great idea, Kinana!" Mira clapped her hands together. She ducked beneath the bar and pulled out a new book, flipping it open to the first page and staring at the crowd. "Her rent is 70,000 per month, and we also must set up a separate funding for food and other necessities! If you are able to, please put your name down and select a job to take at your own leisure for this!"

The book was passed around, and Lucy felt tears dropping down her face as she saw every Mage scribble his or her name in the lines.

"Y-you guys..." Lucy covered her face. Her entire body shook with the force of her tears. "Thank you...thank you all so much..."

"We are Fairy Tail," Master Makarov's gravelly voice intoned, "One person's sadness is everybody's sadness. One person's joy is everybody's joy. One person's troubles is all of our troubles. We will stand by your side, Lucy, this is family."

"Um..." Kinana cleared her throat again, "Who will stay with Lucy? I mean, she's gonna need a little help...n-no offense...sorry!"

"I will, Kina," Cobra said for the first time since Natsu had left. All eyes fell on him, and he continued indifferently. "I'm best equipped for the job. Back in the Tower-"

"You were the medic," Erza whispered. She had taken residence by Lucy's side, cradling her sister-figure to her chest. Nearby, Jellal's eyes widened. Cobra gave a brief nod, and asked, "Who was it for you?"

"Me," Jellal said. His eyebrows furrowed. "I don't remember seeing you at supply collection."

"I don't look anything like I did when I was a kid," Cobra, though clearly uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was going, replied. "I was lighter, my hair was brown, eyes were brown, and my ears were rounded. I looked just like the next kid."

"Then how did..." Lucy waved her hands at him. He shrugged. "The lacrima fucked me up."

Laxus made a noise of agreement. "Same. I was a lot...scrawnier."

"Well, this went splendidly," Elizabeth said, ascending the stairs from the infirmary, Porlyusica at her heels. She gave Lucy a cursory glance. "I'm off for now, the old hag wants to consult me on some kind of medication to help lessen the blackouts."

"As if," Porlyusica muttered, "The old biddy practically demanded it of me."

"Blackouts?" Laxus glared at the demure blonde before him, who flinched. "How long?"

"L-less blackouts and more tunnel-vision...only for a few moments at first, but the time they've lasted has grown...a lot."

"Hence why I'll be with her," Cobra said. "I can hear her anywhere, and she doesn't need to do anything to get my attention."

"If you need anything," Laxus said softly into her ear as he bent down to engulf her in a bear hug, "Anything. You tell me."

Lucy sniffed and hugged him just as tightly. Her warm brown eyes stared at Cobra over the vast expanse of Laxus' back. He was somewhat disconcerted by the grateful looks members were giving him, and the oddly proud stare of Jellal.

Lucy couldn't help but think that he looked somewhat cute when he was put on the spot like this.

He glared right back at her, and she giggled lightly.

She missed the way his gaze softened slightly as her eyes closed.

"So...this is my home," Lucy waved at the small space. "I...bedding will be an issue-"

"I'll take the couch," Cobra said. Lucy made a noise of protest. "Are you insane? You're already doing so much-"

"Unless you want to move into a new house, or you want me to share your bed, the sofa is the only option," Cobra froze as Lucy's mind began whirring. "No. I was joking!"

"I'll start looking at housing listings right away," Lucy gave an affirmative nod. The Poison Dragon Slayer groaned, throwing his hands up in defeat. His blonde charge was more stubborn than a bull...

"Everything is pretty self explanatory, so...is there anything you'd like stocked up in the fridge? I keep some ghost peppers in there for Natsu, along with a healthy amount of sriracha sauce. Laxus stores his little lighting Lacrima in a bag with Gajeel's precious metals..." Lucy trailed off. She had no idea what qualified as a suitable poison for Cobra. Would he be sated with the basic bleach she had in the bathroom, or would he prefer something a little more powerful, like cyanide? Unless he wanted poisonous plants, which she was certain wouldn't be too hard to find. The greenhouse nearby grew a healthy amount of belladonna for research purposes, and buying a few berries wouldn't be too much trouble.

"Bleach is good," Cobra said. He had parked himself in front of her bookcase, peering at the titles intently. "I'm fond of Inland Taipen venom, but I refuse to let you get me that, you'd end up killing yourself. Snake venom is something I enjoy, you'd be able to get your hands on the basic things from a zoo. In terms of plants, nightshade is nice. I'm content with bleach for now."

"Then I'll go out tomorrow to the greenhouse and ask for some poisonous plant berries. We can grow them right at home," Lucy made her way to the bathroom, digging around the cupboard for the large bottle of bleach. Once she entered the kitchen, she dug around for the bottle of pink lemonade she kept hidden beneath the sink from Natsu and poured a bit into a glass set out. Once she uncapped the bleach, she hefted the heavy bottle into the air and was about to begin pouring when it was yanked from her grasp and Cobra's furious face entered her line of sight.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" he roared. "Do you want to kill yourself? What the fuck-"

"What the hell are you talking about? Pink lemonade-" Cobra froze. "Pink lemonade? This is...this is Windex."

"B-but..." Lucy's gaze fell onto the bottle, where she squinted her eyes to focus on the hazy label. "It...it looks like the bottle of pink lemonade I keep under the sink!"

"Your eyesight really is getting worse," Cobra's voice was oddly worried. "It's only been a day..."

"I...I'd been attempting to expand my magical reserves this week," Lucy confessed, flinching under his sharp gaze. "There was no point in just sitting around as useless as I was, so-"

"You're not useless," he snapped. Exhaling shortly, he pinched the bridge of his nose. "You're not useless, stop being so fucking self-deprecating. And hopeless. This isn't a fucking death sentence. Look...certain kinds of Windex contains ammonia, and ammonia and bleach mix to create chloramine vapours. Inhaling it is hazardous."

Lucy nodded shakily.

Her eyesight would have ended it for her had it not been for Cobra. How was she supposed to fend for herself on the battlefield if she could barely make out the labels on a bottle? She would end up dying tripping over her own feet at this rate.

"Well, it could have been worse," Cobra slid into the chair before her, a glass of bleach in his grasp. "You could have...I dunno, mixed vinegar and bleach."

"What does that do?" genuinely curious, Lucy stared at the man before her. The two products were wonderful cleaning agents, and they surely wouldn't be too harmful...

"If you call creating toxic chlorine gas 'not too harmful', then yes. The mix is delicious for me, but will kill you," an amused smirk danced on his lips at Lucy's flabbergasted expression.

"I...but...they're so innocuous!" she sputtered. Cobra snorted. "You would be surprised at the amount of dangerous shit you can mix using the contents of your bathroom sink."

His eye met hers somewhat shyly. "You...wanna know more?"

"Please!"

"Well, chloroform is fairly easy to make, all you need is..."

"How was your first night with Cobra?" Laxus asked as he settled down next to Lucy. Mira swept by, depositing his customary beer as she made her way over to assist Kinana in un-jamming one of the taps.

"He was really nice," Lucy replied. At his incredulous look, she amended, "Well, nice for him. He told me all about making dangerous chemicals with household products."

"You...are you serious?" the Lightning Dragon Slayer was at a loss. Lucy was silent for a moment. "You know you can make chlo-"

"Stop. Seriously, I'm fine. What a fuckin' weirdo...who does that? Like, 'hey, you're going blind and I'm your new roommate, let's talk about poison!'"

"Well, to be fair, when you first visited you told me about the kind of circuit my house used to get electricity," Lucy steeled herself as she continued. "Also...I...kind of almost died yesterday."

The beer bottle shattered in his grasp. "What?!"

"Mixing chemicals! I mistook Windex for pink lemonade and almost made, uh...chloramine gas? I think that's what he called it..." Laxus rubbed his face anxiously. "Fuck, Lucy. This is getting bad. Thank God he's around-"

"To what, keep me safe?" Lucy snapped. "I can look after myself!"

"Clearly."

"Excuse me?" Lucy's voice was flat. "Just what is that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what you think it means. You yourself said it, you nearly died. Look, you can fight, yeah, but how's that gonna help when you're not able to fuckin' read labels to make sure you're drinking vodka and not acid or something?"

Lucy reeled back in hurt. Her exact fears from yesterday were being parroted back to her. How was she going to be able to support herself? She would barely be able to carry out basic tasks without her eyes. She wouldn't be able to read labels, dodge attacks, cross the road...had Natsu been right? Was it really worth losing her sight for her ability to use her magic? To keep expanding it?

She knew, in her training, that by asking Capricorn to help her further her abilities, she was asking to speed up the process. Where before she would've been somewhat fine till twenty-two, here she was, just shy of twenty, with weeks left to commit everything she loved to memory before she would be unable to see anything for good.

"Oh for fucks sake, not again," Cobra groused irritably. The Poison Dragon Slayer was almost antsy as he glared at his blond Beta, stealing covert glances at the woman by his side. "Nice going, Dreyer. Bright Eyes, for the fiftieth time, nothing you can do about it. Stop moping."

"He's right though, I'll be completely useless-" Laxus made a strangled noise and waved his hands. "Okay, whoa, back up. I never said-"

"You implied-"

"Different-"

"Both of you need to shut up for five fucking seconds!" Cobra huffed. "Look. He's right in the sense that you'll be vulnerable. I'm here to kind of...make it go away, almost. But you, copper wire, need to find your fucking chill. She isn't gonna die mixin' chemicals, especially because she isn't gonna be handling them after today."

A sharp indigo glance her way had her sinking in her seat. "I mean that in a non-insulting way. I have a specific eyeballed ratio I like to follow."

"I'm gonna...go-"

"Memorize people's faces, got it," Cobra waved a hand dismissively.

As she spent the rest of the day walking around, talking and sitting with her Guild Mate's and burning their happy eyes, facial structures, hair colours, and even the way their skin was darker in certain areas, to memory, Lucy was acutely made aware of several things.

First, and foremost, it was like she was made an invalid. At every table, someone had helped her into a chair and placed everything within ridiculously easy access of her person. They made sure to direct her, verbally, to the next table, where the process repeated. Second. They seemed to almost pity her. They spoke as if she was going to be dolled up and sent away as a sacrifice to some dragon rather than merely losing the light in her eyes, and that, above all else, hurt. It hurt that they treated her with kiddie gloves, that they acted as if she was terminally ill.

It was one thing when she did it, but when others did it...she felt like an animal, being observed with curious, sometimes pitying, sometimes awed, stares and she felt suffocated by it.

She did not notice the way Cobra's eye darkened as the day progressed.

"I think," Lucy stated, "That this one is better! See, it's even got a pool!"

"Bright Eyes, it's got six bedrooms. At most we need three. And what the hell are we gonna do with a pool? The Guild has one," Cobra flipped the page, pointing to another house. "This one I like. See, two bedrooms, secluded..."

"In the middle of the forest!" Lucy protested. Cobra furrowed his brows. "So?"

"Oh my God, no forests. Ugh, you are impossible..."

It had been four days since Cobra had moved it with her, and they had only just begun the process of selecting a new house. Lucy wanted to find one preferably before the week was out, just in case her eyes decided to die out on her before she was able to find one that satisfied her. A wise decision, it seemed, because Cobra had a certainly odd taste in housing, selecting houses that were so far away from the public that, had she not trusted him, she would have worried he was plotting to end her existence away from Guild sight.

"Fine, genius, your turn," Cobra handed her the magazine with a scowl. Lucy brought it close to her face, squinting at the somewhat blurry letters as she read the prices. "Hey, this one's cheaper than my place! It's only 60,000!"

Cobra pulled it back. "It's 80,000."

"Look at you two, acting all couply and picking out houses!" Mira giggled, much to Lucy's embarrassment. "Next thing you know, you'll be buying onesies..."

"Mira!" Lucy squeaked. Honestly, did she have to make this more awkward than it already was? Just this morning she had run smack into a soaking wet Cobra as he exited the bathroom, with only a towel wound around his waist. She had spent fifteen minutes in the bathroom calming herself down, much to her roommates amusement-he had spent the entire time laughing as her thoughts went further and further down dirty-ville. She could still remember the way the droplets traveled down his well-defined abs, catching in the faint maroon happy trail...

"Careful, Bright Eyes, I see a little drool," he teased.

"Fuck you," she mumbled, turning back to the book. Her eyes caught one house and her heart skipped a beat. "This one."

"Huh?" Cobra moved in closer, peering over her shoulder. Lucy shifted slightly, inhaling as subtly as she could. He smelt of musk, rather like a forest after the rain, and something bitter just underneath. Shaking her head, she pointed. "See? It's of a decent price, towards the edge of town so you get your seclusion, has two bedrooms..."

"Near the greenhouse, by the teaching hospital..." he mumbled. "It's gonna need a lot of repairs, but...I like it."

"Oh! Repairs?" Mira looked about ready to expire with joy. "It's like a married couple buying a fixer-upper! Oh, you'd make such beautiful babies..."

"One, no babies, Mira, he's just a friend," Cobra made a noise of agreement as he scribbled away numbers on a pad of paper. "And two, how would I know how pretty they would be? I won't be able-I mean, I can't see into the future, can I?" Cobra's hand stopped moving.

Lucy stared at the countertop with troubled eyes. She hadn't thought of this before, but it did beg a good question. How was she supposed to see her children, if she did have any? Could she protect them if she couldn't-

"Stop," Cobra hissed. He made a jerking movement with his head to Mira before turning to Lucy. "You being blind won't make you a shitty mom, Bright Eyes."

"Oh, Lucy," Mira looked horrified. "I'm so sorry, I didn't..." a determined look crossed her face. "Give me fifteen minutes," she zoomed to the bar, extracting one of her many books and grabbing her graphite pencils and coloured pencils, slashing away at the page with a fierce snarl on her pretty face.

"What in hell is she..." Lucy trailed off as Cobra let out an amused chortle. "She's plotting our babies."

"What?!" she nearly dropped the magazine. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry!"

"Don't be, I'm kind of curious myself."

Lucy turned to the numbers on the paper before him, pulling them near her. "What are these?"

"Mortgage rates, potential loans we may have to take out, costs of repairs..." he pointed to each individual section. Lucy nodded with a soft sigh. This was turning out to be more expensive than she had previously thought.

"Not an issue if we split the cost. I don't have a credit history, so the loans are up to you to get," Cobra said. "I can get some money myself, but not in a way you would approve."

"No stealing," she deadpanned. Cobra shrugged. "Then I'll have to snag a couple jobs. Maybe a few of the bounty variety..."

"They still have those?"

"Yeah. Hey, Bright Eyes, how long did the spots last this time?" Lucy winced. "You noticed, huh?"

"Kind of hard not to."

"Two hours this morning," she rubbed the back of her neck. "God I'm a mess..."

"Natsu hasn't returned...stupid pyrofuck, I told him to haul ass soon..." Cobra stared at the Guild doors, as if the aforementioned male would run with apologies spewing from his lips.

"It's fine-"

"No, it's not," Cobra surprised her with the sheer ire in his tone. Lucy had to wonder why he cared so much, why he was going to such lengths for her. Why he was angry where she felt nothing.

"I care so much because you're my fucking friend, Lucy. When Crime Sorciere came to you all for the first time, you were the first to accept us with open arms. You helped us get acclimatized here, made us comfortable, and now it's time for me to return the favour. I'm angry because that shitstain is supposedly your best friend and is dicking around like a goddamn ten year old who was denied candy," though his words were meant only for her ears, it caught the attention of the other Slayers present. Despite the blur of her vision (it appeared her contacts were failing her yet again), she could make out the looks of...she didn't know what to call it. They looked upset, angered, but resigned at the same time.

"Here!" Mira slapped the book in front of Lucy, who jumped up, startled. "Your baby girl."

The picture was so lifelike Lucy had to pause and ensure it wasn't an actual photograph. The chubby cheeked five year old smiled toothily up at the blonde from the paper. Smooth, mocha skin covered rounded cheeks, an upturned button nose, and trailed off with her neck. Her brown hair rested in two ponytails at the top of her head, falling in neat curls from the bows. Her eyes were the same indigo as Cobra's and Lucy couldn't help but stifle a little cry. Even though she knew this would never happen, that this child would never come to be, she was so elated that she could see a possibility. Something to hold on to.

"Damn, Bright Eyes," Cobra's voice was odd as he spoke, "We would make pretty cute kids."

"Thank you, Mira..." Lucy pressed her head into the barmaid's flat stomach. "Thank you so much..."

She didn't notice Cobra fold up the paper and tuck it into his pocket, and the soft look Mira gave him as he did so.

It was on Tuesday, May fifth, X793, at precisely 3:15 AM that Lucy went blind.

They had moved into the house just that day, a small, run down thing of equal value to her old place, with a scraggly backyard, worn wood flooring, and a leaky roof, but it was home. It had a sort of haunting atmosphere, reminiscent of the Konzern after her mother's death, and she felt almost drawn to it despite all its failings. In spite of his complaints, it was easy to see that Cobra had a soft spot for it, too, what with the way he had fought against the competition for the place. One well aimed, trademark manic grin, and the keys had been thrust in Lucy's hands faster than lightning.

She had retired to bed early, citing a terrible headache, while Cobra had merely waved her off with a 'watch your step' as his goodnight.

Lucy awoke to a heaviness in her head that she hadn't gone to bed with.

Wincing, the blonde blinked as she tried to adjust her eyes to the pitch black of the room. Sighing when nothing happened, she stared out the window.

Only to realize she couldn't see anything. Not even the twinkling stars.

Lucy fought to breath calmly, hoping to steady her racing heart, and squeezed her eyes shut. She counted to ten and opened them again.

Still nothing.

Lucy placed her shaky legs on the floor, a poor choice on her part as she couldn't support herself in her terror. No amount of mental preparation could have steeled her for this. She had spent over ten years readying herself for the day she went blind, making her promise to herself that she would accept it with a smile and move on with her life, but she was scared.

Shaking, she braced her feverish forehead to the cool wood of the floor and drew her knees up to her chest, swallowing back the bile that threatened to make its way up her throat. Her heart pounded so loudly it drowned out any other sounds of the night, and she could feel it beating painfully against her chest. A lead had dropped in her stomach, making her more nauseous than she had ever felt.

She wasn't ready to say goodbye to being able to see.

"Bright Eyes? What's wrong, you...oh fuck!" Cobra snarled. She could barely hear his heavy footsteps approach, and she felt his hands on her shoulders, pulling her up. "Oh fuck, fuck, fuck! She said two weeks! It's only been..."

"T-Two weeks...today marked two weeks..." Lucy sobbed. In her joy with the new house and the impending move, she had all but forgotten her time line. She had hoped that she would last the month, but apparently she wasn't as lucky as her parents had thought her to be.

"It's my fault, I should have remembered...crap, breathe, Lucy, look-fuck, just...focus on my voice. Breathe. Breathe with me. In for seven, out for nine, got it? In...out...in...out..."

His voice, despite the panic laced in it, was steady. Gravelly due to the fact that she had most likely woken him up with her bumbling, but on a regular day, she knew how smooth and tenor-like it was. She found comfort in his repeated words, obeying his commands as he lulled her down to a calm enough state that she could breathe.

"Okay, I'm gonna pick you up and we're gonna go to the doctor's," Cobra hooked an arm under her knees and around her back and lifted her up. The sudden loss of contact with the ground made her wary. She normally had no qualms with being carried like this, but without her sight, she found it difficult to trust him when she didn't know where they were going.

"You have to trust me," his voice was close to her ear. "This will only work if you trust me."

And, for a reason she could not identify, she said, "I trust you."

His grip tightened on her as he hurried out of their home.

"Figures you would lose it exactly on the two week mark," Elizabeth's accented voice trembled just slightly as she snapped off her gloves. Lucy sat with an expressionless face, her unseeing eyes focused on the wall before her. She could feel the familiar comforting heat of Cobra's body by her side.

"If you can't say anything productive, then shut the fuck up," Cobra's voice was less gravelly now, more alert. Porlyusica snorted. "What crawled up your ass and died?"

"You," he shot back.

"So...this is it, then," Lucy murmured. Silence fell across the room as she felt two pairs of eyes and one whole one focus on her. "I'm really..."

"SAMCEE finally caught up to you. You're not the only one, either. Miguel, Sanjana, Fa, Ruby, Will, Robbie, Nikki, Daya...they eventually lost it, too. I think Sanjana had it worst, poor girl lost her sense of touch all over..." Cobra's sharp growl cut through the doctor's rant. "Lady, I'm serious, keep a lid on it. Yeah, maybe that chick got the short end of the stick, but Lucy's suffering now. Don't try to make her feel better by telling her she could have had it worse."

Lucy shook her head. She knew how godawful Elizabeth was at comforting, how tears made her extremely uncomfortable, and upset people only served to turn her into some sort of machine that spat out statistics and half-assed reports. This was her way of expressing her sadness, and if it meant telling Lucy to grow a pair...then the blonde would suck it up.

Cobra scoffed, but remained silent as the greying woman continued to go on and on about treatment and headaches.

He didn't let Lucy key in on the tears that poured down the woman's face, and when her voice began to tremble, he filled in the gaps until she could.

"I know you hate touching, you don't have to," Lucy murmured, "I could get Loke to."

"No," Cobra said simply, grasping her hand. "I don't like it when people touch me. I can touch them if I feel like it."

"Glad I incite such trust," she said dryly. The morning had been a hassle for the both of them, despite the fact that neither had slept since they returned. Lucy had curled up on the sofa, mourning the loss of her ability to write, read, observe the stars, and the thousand other things she did on a daily basis. Cobra had sat nearby, stopping her only when he felt her thoughts took too dark of a turn.

"Of course you do," his reply was equally dry. "Anyway, the Guild is nearby, all I have to do is-" he broke off, a rumble beginning in his chest. "Son of a bitch..."

"What?"

"Dragneel is back."

Lucy froze. "Maybe now isn't-"

"No," Cobra's voice was cold, "He needs to know he fucked up. Big time."

Lucy was tugged forward quickly, nearly tripping over her feet in her haste to keep up with her roommate's pace. Cobra's hand crushed hers in a vice grip, almost painful, and he relaxed it suddenly, mumbling out an apology before slowing slightly.

"Lucy!" Natsu's voice was exuberant. "Hey, I'm b-what's wrong?"

"You were too late, you inbred, asinine, childish brat," Cobra's voice was guttural. "Today marked two weeks."

"But the doc said a month!" Natsu's voice was panicked. Lucy squeezed her eyes shut, attempting to pull away and retreat somewhere. She heard a glass drop and a collective gasp of horror spread throughout the Guild.

Let me go, Cobra, please, I can't...I can't do this!

"At the maximum," Cobra refused to relinquish his grasp. If anything, he pulled her closer, open for the world to see. "You missed it."

"Lucy-nee?" Sting's voice was low and scared. "You didn't...not...not now..."

Lucy whimpered as he spoke. Sting had grown to become a younger brother of sorts to her, all sorts of fun and mischief and cuddles, and the fact that she hadn't had a chance to see him one last time cut deep.

"I...I..." breathing was becoming difficult again. She wrapped her arms around herself and bent forward slightly, gasping for air. This was too much. Too much too soon, people were everywhere but nowhere, and she didn't know what to do. She had spent every moment since joining the Guild practicing what she would say to them in front of a mirror, but every last word she had thought of, the strength the had forced herself to build, all crumbled down the moment Natsu let out a strangled wail of denial.

"Bright Eyes, breathe, dammit," Cobra's hot breath fanned the shell of her ear as he spoke. She felt one of his hands gripping her upper arm tightly, but only for support.

I can't...I can't...

"Yes you can, the hard part is over, they know. They know."

Warm, familiar arms ensconced her frame, pulling her chest flush to a chest she knew was sun-kissed and placing her head right over a scar covered by a white scaled scarf. Hot tears dropped onto her shoulder as Natsu's trembling voice began. "L-Luce, I...I'm so s-sorry...so sorry...please forgive me...p-please."

"It's okay," Lucy sniffed, hugging him just as tightly. "I just wish I could've seen your face one last time."

"Lucy," Rogue's dulcet tone came from behind Natsu. "If I may?"

She gave a brief nod.

"What if you touched his face and got a picture that way?"

"That's a great idea!" calloused hands drew hers to press against heated cheeks. "Go."

Lucy's hands gently stroked the narrow bridge of Natsu's nose, passing over his chapped lips, running up smooth cheeks and over delicate cheekbones, over his wide forehead, and back down, repeating the process. A small laugh fell from her lips. She could almost see him in her mind's eye.

"Me next!" Sting yelled, though his voice wavered slightly.

With a smile, Lucy turned on him next.

Living with Cobra was an experience.

He only ever helped her move around when they were in a new area, like the greenhouse, or out in the public, preferring she bumble around herself. She was not exempted from chores, goodness no. She would clean vegetables and rice for supper while he handled the stove as she mixed together pre-measured ingredients. Making the beds was up to her along with doing the laundry, while he took the folded clothes away. Dusting and wiping was as far as she got until Cobra presented her with a fancy new mop with a pump spray, purchased via an infomercial, and he took care of brooming and organizing. They were an efficient team, and all the while, Lucy was aware of the reasoning.

He wanted her to know she could still function while blind. Maybe not to the capacity she could before, but to a degree, she could. He knew just how hard she had fought for her independence, having been privy to her soul many a time, and ensured that she never lost it. And for that, she was grateful.

"Easy with the water, Bright Eyes, you're gonna drown the poor plant," Lucy hastily righted the pail in her hand, flushing as she felt him come up behind her. In the month and a half they had been rooming together, Lucy had become...hyperaware of her roommate. She knew just how warm his body would be, was certain she could recognize him based off a brush to his chest, and his hands...his warm and calloused hands were her favourite thing in the world. The way they held onto hers when they were outside, guided her in the kitchen, pulled her out of the way into the aforementioned chest during Guild brawls...

"S-sorry. Could you pass me the packet of belladonna, please? I think I left it on the porch in the brown bag," a few seconds of plastic bags rustling, and the thin pack of seeds was in her grasp. Nodding gratefully, Lucy dug her fingers into the soil to make a little hole for the seeds.

Lucy had a fondness for using her hands to do things nowadays. Having to compensate for lack of sight, touch had become her new 'sight'. Guild Mate's were all too pleased to let her come into close contact with them, and Levy had made it her immediate mission to educate the both of them on braille. Freed had given up on finding an auditory back up magic for her when he learned of this, and instead tried to find a 'touch' magic if it existed. Rufus Lohr had been contacted, and the two long-haired males become strong allies in finding it. Mira had seen this as an opportunity to attempt to get the two of them to hook up, much to Lucy's amusement.

"You've done a pretty damn good job with the garden, Bright Eyes," Cobra complimented, taking a seat next to her.

"I wish I could see what it looked like, you have any idea how difficult it is not over planting? I've taken to throwing bags over where I left off the last day," Lucy scowled, pulling at yet another weed that got in her way.

"The weeds are mostly gone. The perimeter is soil, very dark and rich, and is about two feet in width. The center of the perimeter is grass, pretty dead, but I'm sure you'll find a way to fix that. You've got an admirable vegetable patch growing on the far left, and herbs are right next to it. You're working on my poison corner, leaving you with one quarter of the perimeter to grow flowers. I smell perennial's in the east corner, so I'd avoid that," Lucy's hands stilled in their movements as she let his voice paint a picture in her mind.

It was things like this that confused her.

Cobra seemed so abrasive, so crass and cocky and merciless, but underneath it all there was this. This man who was considerate and inclusive, awkwardly kind and terrible at comforting, but so...perfect. Lucy wanted desperately to figure out why. She wanted to know why he was this way with her only, why he cared so much.

"I'm this way because I just am," he murmured, his voice much closer than before. "I've said it before, Bright Eyes. You're my friend. I'm an asshole, yeah, but I do have my considerate moments."

"I would focus my mind, if I were you," Lucy felt him unravel her fist, dropping the seeds into the hole. "On the plants. Belladonna is my favourite, avoid fucking up."

"Asshole," she mumbled. Her hand began to pull in the dirt, piling it over the seeds, when his fell atop hers, maneuvering it gently over the soil. Lucy's breath hitched as his fingers led hers over the dirt, smoothing it down and pressing their hands over it.

"Dinner will be ready in an hour," he said, "Wash up soon and come cut the carrots."

Even an hour later, her hand burned from the contact.

"Okay," Lucy exhaled. "I can do this."

"Of course you can, dear," Loke said in an amused tone. "Now. What job would you like?"

"Whatever pays the damn bills. You know Cobra spent over 30,000 on our electricity bill this month? Sneaky bastard thought because I'm blind I wouldn't notice, but oh no, Virgo told me everything. One, he jacks up the heating to ridiculous temperatures because he gets cold easily, and he stays up all night watching infomercials," the blonde ranted. She could feel Loke's body tremble as he held back laughter, and she punched his arm with a scowl. "It's not funny, Loke, I might need to stage an intervention. He bought us a goddamn frozen yogurt machine. It's been sitting in storage for three weeks, Loke. Three weeks."

"It sounds to me like you need marriage counseling," Loke chuckled. Lucy flushed brightly, hoping that Cobra hadn't heard. Unlikely, given his magic and proximity to the duo, who were next to the job board by the bar, a scant several meters from the man in question.

"It sounds to me like you need to shut the fuck up and help me find a mission!" Lucy hissed. She heard Loke sigh and lift his hand, most likely going to grab a paper. "I take it spiders are out of the question?"

"Oh my God, get those away," Lucy's arachnophobia was legendary in the Guild. Only Cobra knew why, however, and he laughed to this day when asked about it.

"Looks like we can do this one," Loke pressed the paper to her hands. "Involves returning a baby basilisk to its research lab."

"Snakes and fairly easy, this is perfect. Cobra!" Lucy called.

"I hear you," he said, pulling the page from her grasp. "Mira! We're taking this one!"

"Where do these roots keep coming from?!" Lucy scowled, bracing herself against the trunk of a tree as she, yet again, narrowly avoided death by tripping.

"They were already there. Again, would you like me to carry you and make life easier on the both of us?" Lucy nodded eagerly, and within moments, she felt Cobra's back by her knees. Looping her arms around his neck, she hooked her legs around his waist as he rose.

"Sorry," she said automatically, "Am I too heavy?"

"No," he said, "Remind me to kill the blue demon shit when we get back."

"Why?"

"You're not fat, he's just weak," Lucy slapped his chest lightly, secretly marveling in the hardness of it. "Don't be rude!"

"He's the rude one. I thought you weren't supposed to comment on a woman's weight?" Lucy could feel the vibrations of his voice against her chest, feel his soft hair tickle the side of her face that was against it, and feel the way his heart beat beneath her hand. It was during these times that she could appreciate her loss of sight, for without it, she doubted she would have ever noticed.

"Very true. Let me guess, Sorano?"

"Brain, actually," Lucy's incredulity must have made it's way to her face, because she felt Cobra stretch to get a look. "I know. Three ground rules he gave me and Midnight. One, never comment on a woman's weight. Two, never guess her age-"

"Actually, I find it kind of amusing when people try to do that with me. Anyway, what's the third?"

"If you're lucky enough to find a woman who blesses you with the opportunity to bear your child, you worship the damn ground she walks on," Lucy fell silent for a moment, tightening her grip on him. She couldn't remember her father ever doing any of that with her mother. She could hardly remember him looking at her with the deep affection Cobra's words brought to mind. Cobra's hands squeezed her legs in a comforting gesture, exhaling softly. "Sorry, Bright Eyes, that wasn't-"

"It's fine. Your future wife is a lucky woman," she laughed weakly.

They moved in silence for what seemed like hours, until Cobra froze.

"Bright Eyes, I smell it," he whispered. Unlocking her legs from him, she slid down his body, missing the way he bit his lip and let out a small hiss as she did so, and pressed her back to his, tugging at her whip, which unfurled softly with a slither.

"Poison Dragon's Grip-" Lucy heard him cut off by a grunt, and fear filled her. Blood pounded in her ears as she glanced around wildly, unable to tell when the snake would come for her.

She wasn't ready.

"Only you can do this, Bright Eyes," Cobra's voice was low in her ear, and she stifled the urge to scream at the proximity. "Staring into a basilisk's eyes will blind me. You, on the other hand...what can it do to you? I tell you where it strikes next, and you take it down."

His hands grasped her shoulders firmly in assurance, and she relaxed slightly. She could do this.

"He's coming from in front of you, he's ready to strike. Three seconds. Two. One!" the basilisk was heavier than she thought originally. A lot larger, too, with the way it seemed to stretch over her. Lucy snapped her whip forward, throwing it off her and pinning it to the ground.

"Bend back!" Cobra yelled, "It's gonna bite!"

Lucy screeched, throwing her head back as it shot up, hitting her chin lightly. Cold. It was very cold and slimy.

"It's coming for your neck!"

Lucy rolled off and snapped her whip out again, ignoring the pain in the back of her head in favor of activating Fleuve d'Etoiles. Satisfaction filled her face when she heard it hiss in response to the water-and-electric leather wrapping around it.

"Knock it out!"

Lucy couldn't very well throw it into something and accidentally lose her grip on it. Panting heavily, she fumbled for her keys.

"Open! Gate of the Lion, Leo! Loke, keep your eyes shut! Cobra, you, too!" two hands tugged her up by the pits and she fell back against her Lion Spirit gratefully. "Temporarily blind the snake?"

"On it! Oh, Regulus, grant me your strength!" warmth from the light spread through her body. Lucy felt lax as her death-hold on the whip handle loosened. The snake, no longer protesting as Loke's bright fist collided with it, dropped, pulling Lucy's hand towards it.

"Nice job, Bright Eyes," Cobra's voice was smug as his hand clapped down on her shoulder. "I told you that you could do it."

Lucy blushed.

"Only you would fall sick on your fucking birthday," Cobra sighed. Lucy cooed as his blissfully cool hand pressed against her feverish forehead.

Cobra resisted the urge to smile. Under a pile of blankets, two pillows under her head and two on top of it, Lucy was the picture of a lazy Sunday afternoon. Her face was bright red and sweaty, and her nose was rubbed raw from a morning of blowing it. Messy as she looked, he found it rather adorable.

"Cobra..." she purred, "Burrito blanket!"

"Burrito what?" a quick glance into her chaotic soul revealed what she desired. With a snicker, he flicked off the pillows and threw off the blankets. Lucy keened, curling in on herself. "Cold...so cold..."

"Bright Eyes, you gotta stretch out so I can roll you," complying to his demands, he made quick work of swaddling her tightly in the several blankets she had stolen from the linen closet and smirking when she began to wriggle like a worm to find her 'comfy spot'.

"Cobraaaaa," she crooned, her unseeing eyes fixated near his chest.

'It's hot...it's cold...I want medicine!'

"Nuh uh, no more meds. The Little Dragon said you couldn't have more until eight hours after your first dose. You've still got three hours to go." Wendy, with her insanely dark circles and pale features, had been an absolute demon when handing out her instructions to him. So much so that even Mest couldn't calm her down. Cobra had told the other man before he left that it had to do with a failed test, and so, cursing Elizabeth and Porlyusica for their cruel ways, Mest had bounded after the Sky Slayer, intent on procuring comfort food and flash cards.

"Cobra..." exhaling softly again, he replied, "Yes?"

"Hold me."

Cobra felt the air exit his body in a dizzying whoosh at her request.

The little blonde vixen really had no idea what she was doing to him, did she?

He had known, all those years ago when they met during Nirvana, that there was something about her soul that called to him. Be it the similarity in their strife's, or the purity of hers that contrasted the darkness of his, Cobra knew it was different. During the Infinity Clock debacle, he was surprised at the degree to which the tortured screams of her soul bothered him. So much so that he had asked Midnight if he could switch out for guard duty. It wasn't until he walked into Fairy Tail as a Crime Sorciere Mage and actually talked to her that he realized why.

Mates.

He had spent three weeks consulting with Rogue, who was not only one of the Slayers raised by a Dragon but also one of few mated ones. Three weeks of examining every facet of the bubbly blonde's soul to confirm the notion, and every examination yielded the same results; a portion of her soul traveled on the exact same 'wavelength' as his did, sang the same song. Rogue had told him that while he hadn't had the same advantage of Soul Listening as Cobra did, he had still managed to snag Sting after weeks of a grueling courtship, so he had to look deeper than that.

So Cobra did.

He felt himself inexplicably drawn to the blonde beauty. Her soul was one of the most amazing things he had the fortune of listening to, an a capella of heavenly voices that, amazingly, drowned out the rest of the world. For the first time in nearly thirty years, Cobra was able to listen to just one soul, was able to ignore the restless din of the rest. On top of that, she was witty. Intelligent. She kept him invigorated, eager to spark debates with about everything and anything.

Hence why when he found out about her illness, he had been the first to volunteer as her caretaker. The moment she had been given a timeline...her soul had grown so dark, so desperate, so utterly terrified, that he felt sick to his stomach. He couldn't bear to see the light in her soul to go out with the one in her eyes. He refused it. Even if they would never glow the way they did, she would forever be his Bright Eyes.

The two months he had roomed with her had been the best in his life, while simultaneously serving to be the reason he was certain he would expire of a coronary at an early age.

Lucy had no idea what she did to him. She would wander around the house in tiny bathrobes, showing off mile-long legs and creamy breasts bursting from the top. Bent over her garden, her perfectly rounded and firm behind was presented to him whenever he passed by. Cobra knew that, when she could see, Lucy had similar physical attractions to him, but now that she could not, she had grown addicted to his touch. So he did it. Often.

His hands would move with hers as they smoothed soil in the backyard. He would correct her cutting pattern. Brace her hips when she dusted something. Took her outside so he had an excuse to hold her hand. Dragged her on missions that involved forests so he could carry her on his back to avoid her tripping on roots. It was a low technique, he knew, but...he was scared. He was scared that if he acted on his feelings, she would reject him. Destroy the friendship with her he valued so deeply, despite the knowledge that she, too, had grown attached to him in a similar manner.

He would let her make the first move. Ensure that she knew exactly what she was getting into by dating a monster like himself. He wanted her to have a change with somebody else if possible, though the thought angered him, he knew she deserved someone with a clean slate.

"Cobra..." she moaned, pulling him from his musings. "Lie with me...?"

"I'm here, Bright Eyes," he lay beside her carefully, pulling her close. "No point with the damn ten foot layer of cloth you got going for you..."

"I like being near Cobra," she yawned, pressing her head to his collarbone. "He makes me feel safe and happy..."

Affection flooded him at her words. He made her feel safe. Cobra, the venomous, vindictive, merciless monster from the Tower made her feel safe. He wondered how she would react to Erik, the quiet, intellectual, and pacifistic boy he'd locked away with the Tower.

"Thanks-" a snore cut him off. He chuckled. Of course he would spent four hours trying to get her to sleep, only for a brief cuddle to conk her out.

"Happy birthday, Lucy."

Lucy awoke to darkness and pain. Though the first was no surprise, having been the situation since she had gone blind four months ago, the second was new.

Her fingers groped around, finding soft cloth and squishy mattress beneath her. She placed her hands atop each other, finding bandages wrapped around them and what seemed like an IV running into the back of one. Hospital, then. She was most likely in a hospital.

"Lucy-nee?" Wendy's soft voice came from her left. "It's okay, you're safe. Do you remember me?"

"Of course I do, Wendy, why wouldn't I?" Lucy attempted to get up, only to grunt when she felt something belt like hold her waist down.

"Because you were a hot mess when they brought you in. And the last time you woke up, you didn't recognize anybody. Laxus had to shock you unconscious before you shanked Kinana, and we've been keeping you sedated since."

"W...what happened?" Lucy couldn't remember anything. None of it. All she could recall was picking up a solo mission from Mira and waving goodbye to Cobra at the train station before-

Her head throbbed in protest at the onslaught of memories. She whimpered, pressing her palms into her eyes to alleviate the pain.

"Bright Eyes! Hey, easy, quit thinking for a minute. Wendy, I'm taking off the restraints."

"If she-"

"I will deal with it if she has another episode," Lucy felt waves of relief crash through her as Cobra undid the restraints, immediately latching onto him. His musky scent washed over her, soothing her, and his arms hesitantly came up to engulf her in his grasp. "Cobra!"

"I'm here. I hear you," his shaky breath blew over her neck. "Fuck, Bright Eyes, you scared the crap out of me."

Lucy furrowed her brows. "I don't know what-"

"What happened," Laxus's tired voice said, "Is that I am an idiot and my insomnia nearly got you killed."

"Laxus?" She heard his heavy footsteps approach, and the bed dipped. "Talk to me?"

"The solo you took was approved by me for the general public, but it was supposed to go on the S-Class board first. The Mage you were supposed to take down uses some kind of hellish nightmare magic, Midnight mentioned some kind of similarity to Real Nightmare when we consulted him, and we would have preferred S-Class to go first. I hadn't slept in a few days, and-" Lucy placed her fingers on what she hoped was his lips. "It's okay. I'm here and alive."

"That wasn't what we thought when you were brought in," Cobra's grip on her increased. "There was blood everywhere. Mest only just got to you in time when he was sent out, Direct Lined his ass back here so fast...and you were totally gone. Your soul was...it was a mess, Lucy. That nightmare was-" Cobra exhaled sharply. "Do you remember it at all?"

"No, she won't," Mest's voice was comforting to hear. A smooth, deep, somewhat nasal-toned, but not enough to be annoying, voice that reminded Lucy of warm cocoa. "I sealed it when you sedated her. Consider it my super late birthday gift."

"Thanks," Lucy smiled brightly. She felt Cobra shift slightly, facing the youngest male in the room. All the while, he had not let go of her. "The Mage?"

"Not to worry about him," the friendly tone was replaced by something darker, and it was then that Lucy remembered just how powerful the twenty-three year old was. He was, after all, one of the few S-Class in the Guild with the actual title. "He was dealt with."

Lucy heard Cobra utter a low 'wow' before turning back to her. "You. You need sleep."

"I've had enough," she complained.

"No. Little Dragon, Circuit Breaker, Hedgehog Head, all of you, out," a chorus of protests rang out at the nicknames, but Lucy heard the echo of feet leaving the room.

"Lie with me?"

The second bedroom in the house was mostly a ruse at this point. Since her flu on her birthday two months prior, Lucy had taken to asking Cobra to stay with her in bed for the most ridiculous of reasons-a nightmare, tapping noises outside, at one point she had claimed the monster under the bed. Eventually, Cobra had just slipped in next to her before she could call him back.

Feeling powerful arms around her small frame again, Lucy immediately snuggled up to the man, who placed his chin on her head as per usual.

"You really did scare me," Cobra said quietly. "The blood just..."

"I'm here," she held the cloth of his shirt between her fingers, "I'm okay."

"No more solos," the demand was spoken in a calm, if not slightly wavery voice. Lucy smiled softly.

He was worried. Immensely so. She knew that Cobra was irrationally overprotective of her, why she did not know, so when she had proposed going on a solo, it had taken three hours of gross sobbing on her behalf, Laxus's coercion, and signed medical go-aheads from Wendy, Elizabeth (who had yet to return from her trip to Oak Town and had sent a crudely worded letter in her steed), and Porlyusica (who proceeded to chase Cobra around with a broom for daring to drop by her house) before he had agreed. Midnight had to hold him down and clamp his mouth shut as Loke assisted the blonde in picking a mission, and Mest, all too cheerfully, knocked him out at the train station before he could stop her.

"Fine. Only missions with you and Team Natsu. Happy?" he let out a grumble of assent, burying his nose in her hair. "Fine. Now shut up and let me sleep, it's been three damn days."

"You haven't slept in three days?!"

"Your fucking fault. I can't sleep if you're not next to me, some next level Pavlovian conditioned training shit..."

"You're not gonna do Fantasia this year?" Lucy stirred her milkshake idly as Cobra took his spot next to her.

"Nah. I'd rather not fall off one of the floats," she replied. She could almost see the look of disbelief her roommate shot her.

"Excuses, Bright Eyes, do not work with someone who knows you're making them," Lucy shook her head again. There was no reasoning with the man, was there?

So she left her soul open to him.

She didn't want to do Fantasia because she couldn't. Working on the floats required a hand-eye coordination she no longer had, and she didn't want to risk injury upon the other participants. Yet another disadvantage of her lack of sight. Besides, what could she do up there? She couldn't very well dance again, that required weeks of perfecting the choreography assigned, and even if she could, it would take longer for her to learn the dance, dragging everybody behind.

"That's bullshit," Cobra finally hissed. Lucy could feel the hole his indigo gaze was burning into her, and she shivered just slightly.

"Bullshit. You're just...fuck," the chair scraped as he got off and stomped away, leaving Lucy in the literal and metaphorical dark.

She sighed and signaled Mira for another milkshake.

"Are you sure you don't wanna join me on my float?" Laxus inquired one last time.

"I'm fine, Laxus. You go off and wow that crowd with your lightning magic. I'll keep an ear out for you," she laughed.

"Damn straight you will. You stick with the twin fuckheads, they're visiting to watch."

Stick with them so you don't get lost in the crowd, you mean. Lucy plastered a bright smile on her face and indicated that he come forward. Her hands reached out, patting his outfit. She felt a soft, silken coat beneath her fingers, with heavy furs on the collar and wrists. Cool metal met her wandering digits as she passed the shoulders, with chains that looped around to his back. A silky shirt with an embroidered pattern lay beneath it, with large buttons that were closed only halfway up his chest.

"What exactly are you supposed to be?"

"A lightning God," his smugness radiated from his tone. Lucy snorted. "Of course."

"Alright," Laxus gave her a quick hug. "I'm off to go show up Nanodick, ciao."

"That's a new one," Lucy felt Mira's hands clap down on her shoulders tightly.

"Mira! Why aren't you on you float yet? The parade is starting soon!" Lucy stumbled over her feet as the Take Over Mage wheeled her to who-knows-were, although the direction they were headed in seemed in line with the way to the green rooms. Mira thrust her into a chair once they rounded a corner (although it was more likely they entered a room), and patted her head. "Call out Cancer!"

"Why-?"

"Do it!" Lucy fumbled for her Keys, rubbing the tops till she found the design for the Crab Constellation, and swung down. "Open! Gate of the Crab, Cancer!"

"What can I do for you today, ebi?" Lucy heard the rustling of pages, and eventually Mira let out a triumphant yell. "This one! Can you manage this in...five minutes?"

"Of course, ebi! One moment," Lucy sat in stunned silence as she felt his hands shift through her hair, pulling and twisting and pinning at will. At one point, she felt his scissors heat up as they swept through, and what felt like a curl brushed her neck before it, too, was swept up. She squeaked as something multi-toothed and pointy dug into her head at the front, sitting in comfortably. A tiara, perhaps?

"Beautiful," Cancer murmured, "A princess."

"That's what we're aiming for," Mira sighed wistfully. Realization dawned on Lucy. "No! Mira, I can't do Fantasia, I'll-!"

"Oh, hush up! Cancer, this is what she'll be wearing, can you do her makeup accordingly?" Lucy heard fabric rustle, and to her keen ears, it sounded like there were multiple layers.

"Oh, that's...it would be my honour."

Lucy yelped as she was pulled up and her comfy sweats and tank top were ripped off her. Nearly toppling over as Mira lifted one of her legs to place in the dress, Lucy braced herself on the chair and did the other, standing ramrod straight as the dress was pulled up her body. To her immense relief, there was no corset so she could breath easy. It was off the shoulders, that much she could tell, and fitted up until her waist, where in flared into goodness knows how many layers. Her hands brushed the bodice, running over hundreds of little tiny bumps that made no discernible pattern. The skirt was silky and brought to mind the dresses she wore as a debutante, made only of the finest silks. Her hands caught a bundle at the top-middle part of the skirt that fell to both sides and up to meet in the back, just as the appendages were snatched and forced into silky gloves.

"Mira, what on earth are you doing? I can't do this!" her feet were slipped into heels. Panic bloomed in her chest. She hadn't worn anything but slippers and running shoes since she had lost her sight. To wander around in heels was to sign her death warrant.

A brush danced over her face, switching occasionally for another one, and lipstick was smeared on. Mira switched her current earrings for something a little heavier, with what she assumed was a matching necklace on her face.

"Oh my God," Mira whispered in awe as she stepped back. "She's..."

"Gorgeous," Cancer finished. Lucy felt her heart skip a beat at his words. Just what had they dolled her up as? Some sort of princess?

"Come on!" Mira pulled at her hands. Lucy felt Cancer leave silently just as they exited the room.

"Where are we going?" she received no reply. "Dammit, Mira!"

"Finally, you took for-" Cobra stopped speaking. Mira giggled. "Perfection takes time to create!"

"Damn straight," she thought she heard him mumble. Two warm, calloused hands replaced the barmaid's on her shoulders. Hands that she had become very familiar with in the five months since her sight had gone. He stood still as her hands explored his torso. A double-breasted coat made of some stiff material, metal on the shoulders, chains that looped from the metal to the middle of his back...a prince, perhaps?

"Not my idea," he muttered, placing his hand in the middle of her back and leading her up the float.

"Then whose?" she snarled. Cobra shifted. "I said the out wasn't my idea, the rest of it..."

"Why?" betrayal was clear in her tone. He knew she couldn't do this. He knew just how uncoordinated she was. Why was he forcing her to do this, then? To see her fall and laugh with the crowd?

"I would never laugh at you for something like this," he snapped. To her surprise, he wheeled her in front of him, pulling one of her hands in the air with his and tugging her body flush to his. Instinctively, her other moved to his shoulder. "You beat yourself down too much. I'm forcing you to realize you're capable of still living on, Lucy."

The float began to move.

"You remember how to dance?" Lucy shook her head. "Too complicated! Especially-"

"One-two-step shouldn't be an issue," the blonde smiled softly. Her first lesson in dancing had involved that, at the tender age of five. "See? Just do that. Let me lead."

"T-talk to me? Please?" her heart pounded in her chest as she heard the faint cheers of the crowd. How much longer till they were up?

"About two minutes. The float in front of us is some sort of...ice heaven. Gray and Sorano are at the top, he made them ice wings. Juvia and Totomaru are at the bottom. She's doing water tricks, and he's doing something with blue fire to compliment. Some sort of couples theme, I think. Behind us are Gajeel and Levy, who stole my fucking idea," he raised his voice for the last part, spinning suddenly. Lucy didn't need her sight to know he was flipping them off. "What did they do?"

"Dragon and the trapped princess," he huffed irritably. The crowd was getting louder, and Cobra's movements were getting more complicated. His grip on her tightened. "You gotta trust me."

"I trust you," she breathed softly, tilting her head up to meet his. Though she couldn't see, she could imagine his face perfectly. The thick scar that covered his eye, the way a little tuft of maroon hair fell from the spikes of its brethren, the permanent scowl his lips were twisted in, the delicious mocha of his skin...

The crowd was deafening. Lucy winced in sympathy for her partner, whose extremely sensitive ears had to be suffering at the moment. She heard him snort lightly as he spun them around slowly. "Understatement. I even shoved earplugs in them, no avail."

"I'll be sure to be extra quiet when we get home for the next couple days," she promised.

"Good," he said simply. Lucy felt him let go of her waist, twirling her in a wide arc. Her skirt whooshed as it flew in its multiple layers around her, wrapping close and unflaring as she stopped. He pulled her close, moving at a faster tempo.

"What are we supposed to be?" she asked. Cobra chuckled. "You haven't figured it out yet, Bright Eyes?"

"Blind here," she deadpanned. He laughed richly and spun her around him, catching her as she was about to make her second rotation. "Ah, I see."

"I don't."

"Blind jokes are very becoming of you," he pulled her back to his chest tightly, lowering his mouth to her ear. "The night sky, Bright Eyes. You're the night sky."

"Diamonds," she whispered. Her hand fell over his on her waist as they both traced the diamonds on the bodice. "Diamonds for stars."

"The two gauze things are supposed to be the two borealis," he said, turning her to face him as they took up their original pose.

"What are you?"

"The moon," he stated in an undertone. Lucy burst into uproarious laughter. "You're wearing white? Oh my God, what I would sacrifice to see that!"

"Thank God you can't, I look like a fucking mess," she could almost see him wince. "But for some reason the women in this crowd find it very appealing."

"Wedding attire," Lucy managed, "White is wedding attire." She tried to squash down the jealousy that budded in her chest. She had feelings for Cobra, that much was evident to her. In the five months they'd roomed together, she'd grown to crave his presence. He was in equal parts kind and aggravating. He lifted her up and teased her mercilessly. He made her feel worth something. He was intelligent, he challenged her, and he did things like this to make her feel normal. For these women to see him in wedding attire while she couldn't was...painful. It hurt that they were able to see a part of him that she couldn't.

"If it helps," his lips brushed the shell of her ear, "I've only got an eye for you. Literally and figuratively."

Lucy blushed furiously, lowering her head. Cobra's chin nudged the side of her head. "Why are you hiding? I, and most of the guys in the crowd, find you blushing to be quite adorable. Though I'd prefer if I were the only one seeing it."

Lucy was certain she was steaming. "Stop that!"

"Stop what?"

"Being so confusing! I know you know how I..." Lucy felt her stomach drop as she forced herself to continue, "How I feel about you. But you don't...you never..."

"Because I want you to make the first move. I've made my intentions clear," their dance was now a slow shuffle. Lucy pressed her forehead to his shoulder, inhaling his musky scent deeply. "I don't know what they are."

"I like you, Lucy," he stilled their movements, tilting her head up. "I like you a lot. I'm not as selfless as you think I am. I think you're fucking brilliant. You're witty, your soul is...it's indescribable. The most beautiful song I've ever heard. It's what we've been dancing to this whole time. You're absolutely beautiful, you...you're so incredibly forgiving."

Lucy felt her heart thud erratically as his lips ghosted above hers. "May I?"

"Please."

The kiss was soft and consumed her. The screams of the crowd at the action were muted to her as he pulled her closer still, his lips unmoving against hers. Her arms wound around his neck, one of her hands running through his hair. Lucy could see fireworks behind her eyes, and her lips tugged into a bright smile. Cobra's mouth began to slowly move with hers, drawing her lower lip between his and sucking softly before releasing. He tasted like something bitter, tangy enough to make her mouth burn slightly. He pulled back, tapping his forehead to hers.

"There," he said softly. "That's my intention."

"To kiss me?"

"To be yours, if you'll have me," sharp ears picked up on the desperation in his voice. He had wanted this a while. Wanted her a while. The thought sent a thrill down her stomach and had her heart working overtime. She smiled so widely she was certain her face would break. Her hands cupped his cheeks and she nodded. "Yes."

"Y-yes?" he sounded surprised.

"Yes!" she laughed. "Of course, Cobra."

"Erik. My name is Erik," he punctuated between the pecks he bestowed to her lips.

"Erik..." Lucy tested it out. She liked the way it fell off her lips with ease. He kissed her again. "I do, too."

And with that, he lifted both their hands in the air till they made the symbol of the Guild, one finger pointed to the heavens.

"I still can't get over it," Levy sighed.

"It's been two months, Levy," Lucy reminded her.

"It's still so romantic!" the bookworm cooed. "Right, Mira?"

"I have to stop to remember to breathe when I think about it," the barmaid said as she passed.

"Can I tell you something?" Lucy leaned forward conspiratorially. When she felt her best friend's hot breath near her face, she whispered, "I can't either."

The two burst into a fit of giggles as they held each other for support. Wiping at the tears that welled in her eyes, Lucy straightened with a heavy sigh. She heard Levy echo her, and then she said, "So what's he like?"

"Much the same," Lucy confessed. "I mean, he's a lot more...affectionate, but he's not really changed much. I'm glad, too, he's weird when he's being nice."

"Gajeel is exactly the same. I like my tsundere man just as much as you like yours!"

"Levy, I'm not sure Erik qualifies as a tsundere. He's just as asshole for the sake of being an asshole."

"Except when he's with you."

"Exactly," Lucy said, sipping at her drink contentedly.

She could safely say that the two months she spent dating Cobra had been two of the best months of her life. She hadn't been lying when she said he hadn't changed much. He still was a right miserable bastard who spent most of his days in the Guild chatting with Kinana, debating with her, or fighting with Natsu when his demands became too annoying. At home, duties remained equally divided, but he was far more touchy now. His hands would linger on her when they passed, and when they sat on the sofa watching (in her case, listening) to the TV, he was content to leave an arm around her. Bed time began normally, with him spooning her, and ended in a sprawling of limbs when they awoke.

His kisses...Lucy blushed as she thought about them. Cobra was more than pleased to utilize his new status as boyfriend to kiss her senseless whenever he deemed appropriate. Which was often. More than once, she could remember being pinned to the kitchen counter and having her mouth expertly plundered by his, and too often to count, the second they got into bed, Cobra rolled over top of her and proceeded to render her breathless. Not that she minded, however, she was all too willing to reciprocate.

"Oooh, she's blushing!" Cana squealed, surprising the Celestial Mage so much that she dropped her drink all over her lap. Cursing, she felt around the countertop for spare serviettes, finding none.

"Tell mama Cana," the strong scent of alcohol registered in Lucy's nose, which wrinkled in response. "How's the man in the sack?"

"Cana!" Lucy hissed. "You can't just ask that!"

"That good?" she laughed raucously. Mira's hand touched Lucy's and placed the serviettes in it. Grateful for the intrusion, the blonde dabbed away at the spilled mess on her lap, scowling when she felt how sticky it was. She would need a change of clothes.

"It's not that," Lucy grumbled, "There's a time and-"

"Don't tell me you haven't done him yet?" Lucy remained silent, swiping at her thighs.

"Holy shit!" the Card Mage shrieked, "You and him haven't fucked yet?"

Lucy felt her cheeks and ears burn in embarrassment as she ducked her head. She was happy that she had left her hair down that day, using it as a curtain between herself and the gossiping Guild.

"It's none of your business what we do in our personal time, Cana!" she snapped.

"Damn fucking straight," Cobra's loud baritone came from behind her. "Just like it's none of the Guild's business that you got married to Bacchus last week and are trying for a child."

And with that, Lucy was pulled away from her chair just as Mira screamed and the Guild went into an uproar.

"You didn't have to do that," Lucy said after a while. Their walk home had been silent, and Cobra had shifted from tugging her by the wrist to interlacing their fingers and strolling by her side amicably.

"She was making you uncomfortable and prying. She got what she deserved."

"Two wrongs don't make a right," the blonde moved to the side till she found the ledge of the canal. Cobra held her hand in a vice grip as she ascended it, and they moved along slowly. The cool evening air felt blissful against her heated skin, and she craved a dip in the water that ran by her side, if only to remove the stickiness of the drink on her skin.

"Wait till we get home, the river water isn't the cleanest," he warned her. Lucy blanched. "I've swam in there so often...wait, you know I swim in there! You've seen me! You never bothered to tell me?"

When he stayed quiet, she pulled her hand away and crossed her arms, teetering dangerously.

"Bright Eyes, careful!" Lucy swatted at his arms as he made to grasp her waist. "No! Can't believe you'd let your girlfriend take a dip in dirty water..."

"No, Bright Eyes, seriously, careful-!" Lucy shrieked as she tripped over a cracked portion of the ledge that jutted up, pinwheeling her arms as she felt to the side and into the water.

The cold water had her gasping once she was submerged. Not a wise decision as her lungs filled with fluid. Gagging, she fought to break the surface, difficult because she couldn't gauge the distance between herself and air. Eventually, she escaped with a wheeze, coughing painfully to expel the liquid.

"Lucy! Shit, I fucking told you to watch out, " Cobra grunted as he pulled her to dry land. Her teeth chattered as she rubbed her arms in a futile effort to warm herself, and then a heavy weight dropped on her. She placed her arms in the sleeves of Cobra's thick white coat, nearly moaning at the warmth it seemed radiate. Not a moment later, Cobra had her in his arms and he began brisk walking back home.

"S-Sorry, " she stammered. Her head lay against his broad shoulder, and he hefted her higher, till her forehead was pressed to his neck. "I should be the one saying that."

"Y-y-your clothes will g-g-get w-w-wet."

"Fuck it," he responded.

They continued in silence for a while. Cobra did his best to keep her close and ward against the night air, while Lucy was focused on the beat of his heart beneath her fingers. She adored the steady rhythm, the sound it made against her ear when she rested her head on his chest on Sunday afternoons.

"Does it really bother you?" he finally asked. "That we don't have sex?"

"It's only been two months, Erik. I'm fine. Cana was just being Cana," she shot him an assuring smile.

"But it still bothers you," he concluded. Lucy sighed softly, her unseeing eyes staring blankly ahead. It wasn't that the no sex bothered her, goodness no, it was more Cobra's reluctance to be touched unless he was the one initiating it. She knew it had more to do with the fact that he had been abused severely in the Tower, and she didn't blame him, but hearing her friends rave about the wonders of dropping surprise kisses on their significant others, or tackling them to the ground and squeezing the daylights out of them...that was what she craved.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I know you want to do that, but...not now. I trust you, I really do, my body just needs to catch up with my mind."

"It's okay, Erik, it's really okay. I don't care that I can't, I'm over the moon that you feel comfortable enough around me to touch me as is. It means a lot."

"One day," he promised her, "One day you'll be able to initiate contact with me whenever you want to."

"I'll hold you to it," she closed her eyes and smiled.

"Erik! Do you need your shirt ironed for tonight's New Years Eve party or did you do that already?" Cobra watched, amused, as his girlfriend rounded the corner dressed in one of his large shirts and an oversized pair of shorts she had mooched off Laxus at some point, brandishing an iron threateningly.

"Already done and on the hanger," he replied. She smiled beatifically, turning back and making her way to her room to finish with her dress.

The smirk on his face vanished instantly as he turned to stare at the infomercials running on the TV, for once ignoring the overly chipper announcer in favour of deep musing.

It was almost six months since Lucy had gone blind, and nearly three since they first began their romantic entanglement, and he had yet to tell her about the mateship.

Which was, in part, why he didn't want to have sex with her. His aversion to touch had been slowly, but surely, been whittled away by her through the months. Sure, there were still moments he could feel his blood pressure skyrocket when she touched him too suddenly, but those were far and few in between.

His main issue was mating.

He had spoken with Rogue shortly after asking out Lucy, and the Shadow Slayer had explicitly stated that the first time would be incredibly, incredibly difficult to do for him if he didn't intent to mark her and mate with her. Rogue had had a similar problem with Sting, who wanted to complete the ritual immediately, but Rogue had wanted to wait more, just to get used to a relationship first.

Cobra didn't want to force Lucy into mating with him. He wanted her to tell him in words that left no questions that she was ready to be bound to him for life. He wanted her first time to be pleasurable, not full of him trying desperately to hone in his blasted magic from binding to hers permanently. Lucy's patience was never-ending, but he hated lying to her. Hated having her believe that this was an issue she could help with, because it wasn't. This was all him.

Tonight, he resolved. He would tell her tonight.

"You have yet to tell her about the mateship?" Rogue asked. Cobra inclined his head and threw back another shot. The two were seated on the tables at the second floor, glancing down at the party below. Sting was making a fool of himself as he did a horrible rendition of the macarena to whatever unholy trap music was playing, several members laughing as he stumbled over his feet. Minerva and Max were chatting with each other, trying desperately to keep their joined hands hidden from Mira's view. Laxus was busy attempting to keep an extremely drunk Freed from kissing Rufus, who looked rather flushed himself. Yukino was seated next to Sorano and Gray, both of whom were cheerfully detailing what they would do to Natsu should he shatter her heart. The Fire Slayer in question was leading his best friend in what could only be described as a brutalization of the salsa, but Lucy looked elated.

Cobra kept his eye trained on his girlfriend as she followed Natsu's dramatic footsteps, laughing as they tripped over themselves, and continuing to dance even so. She was a vision dressed in an empire waist dress, layers of tulle flowing down to midthigh, her hair flying around her in curls.

"Tonight," Cobra responded. "I'm telling her tonight."

"Have you thought of the fallout?" Cobra's eye snapped towards the Shadow Slayer, who stared back dispassionately. "Fallout?"

"You haven't told her for three months. You volunteered for this because of it. Think of how she'll feel. Betrayed. Lonely. Trapped by your traditions."

"I won't let her feel that way. I had an interest before I knew!"

"She won't know that," Rogue said softly. Cobra glared at him as he took a swing from the bottle of vodka, finishing the contents quickly and rising. "She will."

"Whatever you say," Rogue turned his attention to Sting, who had their Exceeds in his grasp, twirling around stupidly.

Cobra detested loud music on a principal. It clashed annoyingly with the sounds of peoples souls. He could name several people in the room whose souls matched the beat of the music fairly well; Sting, Natsu, Gajeel, Orga, Mirajane, Wendy, Mest, Laxus, and Max most notably. Lucy's soul, however, did not mix well with this particular beat, so it was easy to isolate her even as the lights went out and the pulsing of the multi-coloured lights took its place. He walked up behind her, jerking his head at Natsu, who bounced his eyebrows before sidling away to drag his girlfriend into a dance. Cobra drew her close and smirked when he heard her heart rate pick up.

Not too loud for you? she smiled up at him coyly. He rolled his eye and bent down till his mouth was at the shell of her ear. "Very loud. We need to talk."

Can't wait till X794 rings in? We've got twenty minutes!

"Now. Please."

He pulled her to the little gap beneath the stairs that led to the second floor. He glanced up to see Rogue staring down at them. The Poison Dragon Slayer gave a brief nod, and the other man returned the gesture, observing the events to come with slight unease.

So what's up, Erik? Cobra exhaled shakily, running his hands through his hair once and grasping her shoulders. "You know why I volunteered to look after you, right?"

Because I was your friend at the time and you knew how to look after a blind person? That's what you told me.

"That...that's part of it. Look, Lucy, you promise to hear me out?"

Her lips were twisted into a frown now, brows furrowed as she stepped closer to him. Up top, Cobra could see Rogue getting ready to drop down and assist in explaining if need be. What, Erik?

"You...the reason I offered...it's not that...fuck," he took a steadying breath again. "You're my mate."

"I...you...what?" alarm raced through him as he smelled her tears over the alcohol and sweat of the room. "So the only reason you helped was because I was your mate? What the fuck does that even mean?"

"It means our souls are linked. It's partially why I offered to help. Look, I'm not saying-" Lucy shook out of his grasp, trembling as she backed up. Betrayal was clear on her face, and she covered her face with her hands, rubbing discretely at her tears. "I...I can't. I..."

With that, she bolted from the room, shoving people out of her way as she moved to the front doors. Cursing, Cobra made after her, only to bump into Sting, who stared at him with a cool face. "Let her be. Rogue is following her."

"She can't see, idiot, she'll get hurt if she doesn't know which way to go!"

"Rogue is with her," the blond said simply.

Cobra sat down and swore violently.

"He meant well," Lucy heard Rogue say as he followed her at a distance. Lucy snarled wordlessly as she tripped over yet another loose cobblestone, reaching down and yanking off her blasted heels. The cold stone ground was blissful against her heated and swollen feet, though it did little to cool her ire. Lucy followed the general direction home, operating on muscle memory alone to guide her there.

"He kept this hidden from me for months," Lucy hissed. "Months! And lied to me about-"

"Because you would react like this. You're no better than Dragneel when he found out about your illness," Rogue's words were cold, cutting, and kept her in place.

"This is a little more serious than that! He's only pursuing me because of this crappy bond! How do I know this was real? Any of it was actually me feeling anything?" hysteria rose in her breast as she went on. "This is dictating my future! I'm not operating on free will-!"

"You know why he hasn't had sex with you? It's because that's how you finalize the bond. I'm certain he could have at any point and claimed you, but he wants your permission. He didn't ask you out because he wanted you to. You were uninfluenced by the bond, he felt the effects but waited in you. Those things you feel for him? They're real. They're entirely genuine and based off you. Stop being petulant, Lucy, I know you're better than this," Rogue's hands wheeled her around to face him, and though she could not see, she could imagine the way his eyes must have darkened and the thin line his lips must have been pressed into.

He was right.

This was all her. All the feelings she had for him were real. If she hadn't known about the bond before hand, if she could remember the moments she had fallen for him little by little, surely it was her will. If he had known and held back and let her decide where to go with their relationship, then it was still her. He made it clear that he would do nothing to hurt her, nothing to force her, going so far as to utilize a genuine fear of his to disguise his desire to mate with her. Cobra had cared for her, he made that obvious. Cobra had been nothing but good to her, nothing but gentlemanly.

She was an idiot for lashing out at him.

"I need to go back," she gasped, breaking free of his grasp and bolting back in the direction of the Guild, cursing as she fell flat on her face. Wincing, she sat up and rubbed her raw knees and blew on her scraped palms. A low chuckle came from Rogue, who scooped her up and began to walk back slowly. "If I have your permission, I can make this go faster."

"Shadow-?" he laughed. "Yes."

"You can do that?"

"Show rather than tell, every author knows this," he said cheekily. Lucy nodded, and then they were flying. She felt cold, immensely so, but everywhere. She could feel the night air, the cold stones they swept across, the dirt as it scraped all over her, and it was amazing. Rogue set her down quickly, steadying her as she got used to being solid again.

"That was insane and I want to do it again," she sputtered.

"After you tell him, yes, I would be pleased to do it. Your face was rather amusing," Lucy smacked him lightly and pushed through the doors. "Uh, Rogue, could you...?"

He guided her to the back, maneuvering her through the crowd and towards the back where Lucy swore she could feel Cobra's magic. As they reached an uncrowded space, she ran forward, colliding with Cobra's hard chest. His arms came up around her immediately, holding her close. His hot breath fanned across her neck and ear, and she had never felt safer in her life.

"Erik," she breathed, pulling back. Her hands cupped his cheeks, running across the smooth planes. She rubbed her thumb across the scar that bisected his eye, and he leaned into her touch.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm so, so sorry."

Ten!

"I should have told you sooner," he protested, she shook her head.

Nine!

"I should have trusted you. I was being an idiot. Forgive me?"

Eight!

"Always. It was my fault anyway."

Seven!

"Nobody's fault. Erik..."

Six!

"Hm?" he kissed her scraped palms, and she could feel his lips pull down in a frown. "Lucy, what-?"

Five!

"I fell," she laughed. "Erik. I love you."

Four!

She felt his breath stutter against her palm. He pulled her flush to his chest, cupping her cheeks. "You...you love me?"

Three!

"I love you."

Two!

"And I would love to be your mate."

One!

"Happy New Years!" the Guild screeched collectively, and Cobra sealed her lips with his. The kiss was urgent, furious, and heated as hell. Lucy could see sparks dancing behind her eyes, and she felt like she was floating. Cobra's hands palmed her ass, squeezing as she jumped and hooked her legs around his lean waist. She deepened the kiss, plunging her tongue into his mouth and tasting the bittery tang she craved. He moaned, running his hands all over her body, up, down, inside her shirt, under the edge of her bra, every place she needed him, he was there. She scraped his scalp, forcing his mouth to press harder, deeper, more insistently, against hers. He reciprocated eagerly, thrusting his tongue to meet hers and begin a battle for dominance. She traced his face, the way his jaw worked as he made her see stars, down to his neck where she slid her fingers across the dip of his collarbone. She groaned as she traced his chest and felt his heart pounding wildly against its barriers, the way his abs rippled as he supported her weight. It was almost like she could see again.

"I love you," he panted as he broke away. "Not because of the mating thing. Before that. It was all me."

"I know," she breathed, "I know."

"Oh gross, snakeface, quit fucking with Luce in the corner!" Natsu yelled. Lucy moaned, pressing her heated forehead to Cobra's sweat-slicked neck, smiling deviously as her tongue flicked out to lick his pulse. He groaned deliciously at the contact, and he craned his neck to most likely glare at Natsu. "Fuck off, Dragneel! As if we'd do it here, especially with what's to come."

"Literally and figuratively," Wendy snickered, and Lucy heard Mest squeak in a rather feminine manner. "Oh God, those perverted bastards got to you, too!"

"I'm a healer, Mest, trust me, I know everything," Lucy heard a thud. Had he actually passed out?

"No way!" Natsu screamed. "You two are...?! Oh hell! Oh hell!"

Lucy could picture the way Natsu's tan face had probably turned a fetching shade of green, his eyes had gone plate-wide, and his mouth had dropped open.

"Mates?!" Natsu wailed. "Why Luce? Why? Oh you poor soul!"

"Mates?!" Mira's shrill voice was heard over the loud music. "Meaning soulmates?"

"Yeah, soulmates," Gajeel's voice was somewhat terrified as he continued, "As in Bunny and the Alpha are gonna fuck, oh gross."

"Babies?!"

"If she wants them, then plenty," Cobra said. His voice was almost euphoric, giddy, and sounded like everything good in the world.

"Babies!" Mira screamed. "Little babies! Oh I can't-!"

Another thud. What was with her Guild Mates and passing out? Laughing, Lucy stared up at the general direction of Cobra's face and smiled softly. "Love you, Erik."

"You, too, Bright Eyes."

A/N: Oh God, I'm gonna go crawl into a hole and pass out, this is the worst thing ever. After I buy tickets to see Magic Mike XXL, that is...

Bye, Felicia!

-Touko