Hello everyone!

Finally I've made the stupid decision of starting a new fanfic. Thankfully I have many of the chapters pre-written and they only need a bit of editing, so it won't take up too much time.

This is my first Sting x Rogue fanfic, so any tips on characterization would be really wonderful. :)

All flames go to Natsu. Enjoy :)

~Black Dawn~

-Chapter 1-

It had been an exhausting day for Sabertooth's Guild Master. Despite what everyone thought, Sabertooth destroyed things almost half as much as Fairy Tail. This results in enormous stacks of paper that only pile higher and higher on Sting Eucliffe's desk. He had spent the entire day sorting out where money needed to be sent, filling out various paperwork, and ordering his guild members to fill out apology letters. If there was one thing Sting loathed more than paperwork, it was having to boss his friends around. As much as he enjoyed being Guild Master, he prefers to act equal to his peers rather than higher than them.

He makes his way through the town just as the sun sets, accompanied by Lector, Rogue, and Frosch. Sting much desires a quiet walk home with his partner and their Exceeds, but as Saber's Master, he had no such luck. People swarm him with questions left and right, to which he had to answer.

Absolutely exhausted, he turns down a side street that will lead him to the outskirts of his town. To his displeasure, a large group of girls block his path. "Look!" one of the girls exclaims. "There they are! The Twin Dragons!" Instantly the two young men are swarmed by the giggling fangirls.

"You're so hot," breathes a curvy blonde by Sting's elbow. Most men would find her extremely attractive, but Sting simply brushes her off and tries to push through.

A short brunette says to Rogue, "You're my idol, you're just so perfect!"

Rogue, unsure how to react, replies hesitantly, "Thanks?" He shoots a desperate look at Sting, who was much better at dealing with these kinds of situations.

"Look, as much as I appreciate the compliments, we're trying to get home," Sting sighs. "Can you please let us through?"

"Are you both single?" blurts a green-haired girl in a black dress. A chorus of giggles follows her question.

"Not interested," Rogue says flatly before Sting can say anything. Despite his cold attitude, the girls persist on, yelling all sorts of praise and questions. One of the girls even tries to pull off Sting's jacket.

At that, Sting snaps. "Go away!" he shouts, feeling slightly violated. He pulls his jacket out of her grasp, grabs Lector with one arm and Rogue's wrist with the other, then proceeds to make his way through the mob of fangirls. Rogue barely even has time to pick up Frosch before Sting bursts through the crowd. The White Dragon doesn't let go of them until they reach the safety of their shared house.

Finally home, Sting relaxes. "Jeez, I'm so tired..." He yawns, heading for the bathroom. "I'm calling first shower." After an incredibly long, hot shower, Sting goes to find Rogue. "Hey," he says, sticking his head into their shared bedroom. Rogue, who was seated on his bed, looks up from his book, his vibrant scarlet eyes eyeing Sting's still damp hair. "Your turn."

Rogue closes the book softly, setting it down on his bedside table. "Okay," he says softly. "Thanks." He stands up and makes his way to the bathroom. Sting frowns, able to tell that there's something off about his partner. Just as Rogue's about to enter the bathroom, Sting grabs his arm just below the elbow. Rogue freezes, turning his head to face Sting.

"Are you okay?"

The simple question catches Rogue off guard. He averts his gaze, not wanting to meet Sting's eye. "I'm fine."

Sting tightens his grip. "I know you're lying," he whispers. "Look me in the eye, Rogue." The dark-haired wizard slowly moves his eyes back towards Sting. Something unreadable sits in his red orbs, only causing Sting's worry to increase. "What's wrong?" Rogue remains silent, but doesn't break eye contact. The silence is heavy with emotions that Sting can't name, weighing both of them down. Sting sighs, giving up. "If you don't want to talk, that's fine, I guess."

"It's not your fault," Rogue suddenly says, pulling his arm out of Sting's grasp. He then promptly shuts the bathroom door in Sting's face. Sting remains in front of the door, shocked into silence. After what seemed like forever, he heads to the kitchen. The two Exceeds are sitting on the table, playing some sort of game with marbles. Sting forces a smile onto his his face. "Hey, Lector, Frosch, want some dessert?"

Meanwhile, in the shower, Rogue presses his forehead up against one of the cold porcelain walls. He takes a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. He hadn't meant to snap at Sting the way he did, he had simply been on edge. Once again, he had been hearing the voice of his shadow, whispering awful things in his ear. The shadow told him of a possible future, a fate that Rogue considered almost worse than death. "You will fall to darkness...Frosch will die...and you will kill Sting..."

Sting's voice echoes from the kitchen, and Rogue's Dragon Slayer hearing picks it up easily. "How 'bout ice cream on cookies?"

"Aw, yeah!" Lector cheers loudly. "That sounds awesome, Sting-kun!" A few banging sounds follow Lector's excited shout, but soon die down. After a long moment of silence, Lector suddenly says, "Sting-kun? Is Rogue-kun okay?"

"Fro wants to know too, sama," Frosch adds.

Rogue only catches half of Sting's sentence, "-not going to tell me." Rogue strains to hear more, wondering what else his partner was going to say about it. Did Sting know that it was the shadow again? "I have an idea about it... I'm a little worried, to tell the truth. But he'll be alright, as long as we stick with him, eh?" The two Exceeds both agree enthusiastically, but Sting wasn't finished. "Yet...still...there's a part of me that's worried sick... I'm scared," Sting's voice cracks slightly with emotion, sending a shiver down Rogue's spine. He really wasn't used to hearing Sting upset like this.

"I'm scared of that shadow...whatever it is," Sting continues with heavy sadness in his voice. "It's just...when Natsu-san told me about Rogue's future counterpart from Eclipse...I laughed it off. I was so frightened by what Rogue could become that I pretended it was nothing. Cuz that's what I always do...I don't really break down about that stuff, you know? Especially now that I'm Guild Master...I've got an even bigger reputation to uphold."

During a long break of silence, Rogue tries to comprehend what he just heard. Sting was scared too? What did Sting have to be afraid of?

A long, breathy gasp reaches Rogue's ears, barely audible over the shower. When Sting speaks again, Rogue can hear in the blonde's voice that he's crying. "I just...I don't want anything to happen to him... He's a part of me, you know? Friend can't even describe it...I can't use anything other than partner when it comes to him... I care about him so, so much... If something happened to him, it would destroy me too."

Rogue finally lets the tears fall that he'd been holding back for the last week or so. They slide down his cheeks in hot and salty streaks, blending with the shower water. His heart had never felt so conflicted. Half of him cried out of fear for the uncertain future, while the other half cried tears of joy knowing that Sting cared as much as he did. Rogue has lived his entire life feeling isolated and alone, never knowing exactly how to properly open up to people. Hearing that someone felt so strongly about him, and saw him as an equal...it moved him beyond belief. Rogue tuned out the rest of their conversation, and instead melts into his own tears.

Back on the kitchen floor, Sting wipes tears from his cheeks. "Sorry," he croaks. "I don't know what came over me..."

Lector, who was a little bit scared and worried, simply replies with, "I-It's okay, Sting-kun." Deciding to make light of the situation, he says in a teasing tone, "Although I didn't know you were so crazy for Rogue-kun."

Lector's words make Sting's stomach churn in an odd sort of way. The impact they had on him was different than almost anything he'd ever experienced. His cheeks hot, he tries to come off nonchalant as possible, "Pssh, I have no idea what you're talking about. It's just Rogue."

"I don't think so," smirks Lector as Sting prepares to rise from his knees. The White Dragon freezes in place, his face an interesting shade of pink.

"Fro thinks so too, sama!" Frosch agrees, raising a paw.

Sting groans, "Oi, stop ganging up on me here. Do you want ice cream or not?" As he serves the Exceeds ice cream and cookies, Sting's mind was a whirlpool of thoughts. He'd always seen Rogue in a slightly different way than the way he saw the rest of his guildmates. He'd always been...special, for the lack of a better word. He was that mysterious boy in the shadows, seemingly emotionless, but truly a complete softie. Sting had never really known what to call the way he felt...he had tried curiosity, jealousy, and even admiration, but none of those fit. As he pulls the chocolate ice cream out of the fridge to make dessert for Rogue, he comes to the realization that he'd been oblivious to for the longest time: there was no way these feelings were just platonic.

The sound of soft footsteps echoes in Sting's ears as Rogue enters the dining room. He comments on the Exceed's ice cream cookie sundaes with no emotion in his voice as Sting makes his way to the other room. "Yo," Sting grins at the Shadow Dragon, "I got you some too, don't worry."

Rogue's serious features soften, a rare smile gracing his lips. "Thank you." He gratefully accepts the bowl and spoon, then sits in his seat at the table.

They eat in silence for the longest time, not making eye contact. Sting's attention drifts away from his dessert and instead fixes on Rogue. His crimson eyes are swirling with emotion, betraying the emotionless expression on his face. Knowing that he's going to get nothing out of his partner, Sting stands up and stretches his arms up towards the ceiling.

"G'night, everyone. Seeya tomorrow." On his way out, he gently touches Rogue's shoulder in a comforting manner, hoping to relay the fact that he is still worried. Rogue glances up for the first time since he sat down, his red eyes wide with surprise. He watches his partner's retreating back with a heavy heart, desperately wanting to tell him to stay. But his head disobeys his heart, and instead he rises to clean Sting's abandoned dishes from the table in silence.

Thanks for reading :) Please leave a review with your thoughts, it'd really make my day!

~ForeverDreamer12, signing out!