Chapter Text
"I haven't been inside yet," Mirajane spoke. "But I was going to check on her. I haven't seen her since yesterday morning. I'm…worried." Cobra's hand slid off his face to reveal a figure close to tears, embarrassment replaced by guilt. He didn't have to be a mind-reader to get the weight that was on her now.
Macbeth hovered around her, hand reaching out before pulling back. His indecisiveness was equal parts comical and annoying. Normally, his guildmate was much more confident than this. It was so strange seeing him this way that Cobra had to mentally refocus on his current objective.
He took a deep breath. "I need to go inside and talk to her."
Mirajane's eyes turned cold, the wetness in them shining like ice. "I wouldn't advise you to do that right now."
Cobra stiffened. "I can't take that advice."
"Right, like you wouldn't take my advice from yesterday." Mirajane sighed. "I'm thinking of what Lucy needs right now, Cobra." And it isn't you, unsaid words added.
Normally, Cobra would agree. The argument was still fresh in his mind. What he should do is leave her alone, wait until all of this blows over, go away for a while, and then come back and apologize. Except…what if he left and then didn't return? What if he put off seeing her because he still wasn't sure if she hurt? It was just like him to keep things at a distance, to cover up the parts that were hard, uncomfortable, unbearable, and pretend they weren't there or deflect until others gave up. There was an…ease. A comfort of putting off and putting down. It could be so simple.
The flame inside him quivered. It didn't want to put off or put down. It wanted to climb higher and higher, to give off enough warmth to stave off the cold. But going higher required letting it be exposed to outside winds and bitter rains. Ones that could snuff it out in an instant if they wanted. Because it was so very cold out there. And the flame so very, very small.
And yet, despite all that…there was a desperate feeling that it had to try or risk losing itself anyway.