The place should have been condemned.

Was it safe to go inside? That would be a good reason to turn back. No one could accuse him of chickening out if the building itself was unsound. Maybe it would have been better if he'd gone and begged someone else for help. Orga. Yukino. Even Minerva! What had possessed him to think this was a good idea?

Swallowing his pride, Rogue reached out and knocked.

-o-

"It's around here somewhere…"

"This wouldn't be a problem if Natsu knew how to clean."

"Oy! Don't talk about me like I'm not here. And you live here too. Why don't you know where it went?"

"Because I'm not the one who needs it," Happy teased.

Natsu growled and ducked his head back into the hole he'd dug (in his mound of tossed aside possessions) and looked around, shifting through old toys and books that he needed to return to Lucy eventually, trying to find where his scarf could have fallen. How had he lost it? He could have sworn it was around his neck!

"Natsu."

"Hang on. I think I see it."

"But Natsu…"

Ignoring the cat, Natsu pushed against the wall of his hole, not wanting to try and yank his precious scarf out from under something heavy and tear it. The shift collapsed the wall on top of him.

"Natsu, someone's at the door."

"Aye… I'll be right there."

It took a minute to extract himself and the scarf. Wrapping it around himself as he climbed down from the mess, he peered at the window. Too dark to see anyone. Cana had predicted a full moon, but when Natsu and Happy had sat down and started making forest hiking plans she'd decided not to mention that there was also going to be a downpour completely blotting out the night sky. They'd have been caught in it if he hadn't misplaced his scarf.

"…not home?" he caught a voice outside saying. They'd been quiet, almost too quiet to hear over the drum of rain on his roof. A visitor at such a late hour, in such horrible weather, or even at all was strange enough. Someone who was aware of how sharp a dragon slayer's hearing was?

Natsu growled and stomped up to the door, grabbing it and swinging it open. "Gajeel, if this is about the cotton, I don't want to hear what you-"

He froze, staring at the sight before him. Even getting beaten up, Rogue had looked perfectly composed whenever Natsu had seen him. Sure, being drenched could take that look away from anyone, but it was more than that. Something about his face, which usually looked completely indifferent…

"Uh… come in."

Rogue looked away, but nodded and entered when Natsu stepped aside.

"Where's Sting?"

"At… home." Natsu scowled, waiting for Rogue to say more. Why was Sting back home when his partner was miles away in the rain? What was wrong that Rogue had sounded so strained when he said that?

"Why don't you get out of those wet clothes?" was what Natsu heard himself asking instead. "I have a jinbei around here… somewhere. You can change into that while your things dry."

Rogue nodded again and undid his cape, but waited until Natsu had found the spare clothes before stripping down the rest of the way. His every action was so hesitant that Natsu decided it would be best to busy himself with getting a fire ready to distract himself from Rogue's dressing. Neither spoke while he hung the clothes over the heat.

"Where's your cat?" Happy asked.

"Frosch… stayed home too. I'll let her know where I am… soon."

"Something happened?" Natsu asked. It was obvious, but Rogue hadn't lifted his gaze above knee level the whole time, and Natsu couldn't quite bring himself to be blunt when someone he'd seen as so stoic looked so dejected. "Sit down. Our evening plans got messed up, so we started making dinner late. It'll be ready in a half an hour, if you plan on staying that long."

"Is that alright with you?"

"Yeah. What did you come here for anyway? A rematch?" That clearly wasn't it, but Natsu hoped that if he wanted that to be the case hard enough, then that would turn out to be the case.

Rogue shook his head. "I just needed somewhere to stay for… um… the night."

"Oh. The rain took you by surprise too, huh?" Natsu asked. "But it's weird that you'd be doing a job without Sting. I thought you two were always together."

Rogue flinched. "Together…?"

"Yeah… uh… you two just seemed close and… really! Sit!"

Rogue looked around. Sit where? There was a couch, but an old tub rested on it. There was no dining table with chairs. Not even a mattress. Did Natsu want him sitting in the hammock? He stared for a moment, then decided to just get down on the floor. It couldn't be dirtier than anything else in the place.

"There. So what were you doing when you got caught in the rain?"

"Coming here," Rogue confessed.

"Eh? It wasn't a job?" Happy asked.

Rogue shook his head.

"Well, tell us why you came already?" Natsu demanded, taking a seat on the floor across from Rogue.

"I… uh…" It felt odd to be tongue tied. He'd already come this far. Why couldn't he just say it? This wasn't him! "I… I'm… do you… remember the spell that went awry the final day of the Grand Magic Games?"

Natsu laughed. "Oh yeah! That got Jellal knocked up with Erza's kid. Man! It was great watching him try to explain that to her."

"But then once she figured out what he was saying," Happy covered his mouth and snickered. "Chu, chu, chu."

Rogue's shoulders sagged in relief. He didn't get what Happy was saying, but if Natsu had already seen someone else in his situation that made things easier. "I'm pregnant as well."

"Huh? With Gajeel's kid?"

"No." It practically came out as a growl. Rogue bit his lip and looked back down. He couldn't afford be rude just then. "No. Sting and I… are… were together, so when the spell struck me it made him the father."

"Were?"

"Well… we never… got that far," Rogue admitted, "so he doesn't believe me. Never mind that a man can't get pregnant that way anyways! He said I was cheating on him! How could he have been such an idiot? I never-"

"Uh-let me check on the dinner," Natsu said before bolting back across the room.

Rogeu blinked, realizing he'd let his feelings get the best of him. He couldn't really help it. He'd already spent most of the day crying. Finally getting mad about it was probably healthy. Cheating! As if he'd ever! Sting should have known better than to think that! He… had to have known better…

So had it just been an excuse to kick him out? The thought hadn't even occurred to Rogue, but now that it had he couldn't think of anything else. Tears threatened to start falling again and he blinked rapidly to ward them off. He was Rogue Cheney. He didn't have emotional outburst. Certainly not in front of rivals.

When the silence stretched on for too long Happy became uncomfortable enough to ask, "You're avoiding Sting for the night then?"

"You two should make up tomorrow," Natsu added.

Rogue shook his head. "He told me not to come back. Just… shoved me out of the door screaming the whole time." Shit. Don't cry. Don't cry. "But I'll only be here for the night. I can figure something out in the morning."

Natsu nodded, a gesture that no one else would see since he was scouring his cabinets for a third clean plate while he did so. "I wouldn't want to make you go out in the rain while you're pregnant, so it's fine if you stay. If you're not going back to Sting, and you came here, then is your guild busy right now? When your other friends get back-"

"Sabertooth isn't a good guild for making friends," Rogue cut in. "I have Sting and Frosch, and Lector. That's it. They're all still at home."

"So… do you… have any emergency cash for a time like this?"

"Yes. It's at home with the jack-with the idiot who doesn't ever want to see me again." Just thinking about it made Rogue feel sick. Or was that morning sickness? No… no that was just thinking about it. "I'll have to find a job in the morning. All I was thinking about this afternoon was somewhere to stay when it started raining." If he didn't have something worked out by that time the next day, at least it would be a clear summer night when he had to sleep outside.

"Why can't you work at Sabertooth?" Natsu asked.

"Because… the doctor I saw said I can't do any work that involves fighting. My magic isn't good for much else, and if I can't work I won't be allowed to stay in the guild. As soon as they learn I'm pregnant they'll send me a letter telling me to resign.."

"They don't let people go off active duty?"

In some cases, but his wasn't one of them. Rogue shook his head.

"How are you planning to work at all then?" Happy asked.

"I don't know. Get hired as a waiter somewhere? I can apply at a new guild once I've… once the kid's born." Once I've given birth. Why was that so terrifying to say? "I won't trouble you after tonight. Thank you for letting me stay."

"It's not a problem," Natsu insisted, though what he was about to say might be. "You can stay until after you've given birth, if you want. Mira says waiters don't make much, and you need to save up to buy things for the baby, right?"

Rogue had to focus to keep his jaw from dropping. Stay the whole eight months he had left? Sure it was a sty, but he'd hardly be able to afford better with what wages he'd be able to earn without magic, and if he didn't have to worry about rent, then that would make it easier to focus on the other financial nightmares, like keeping fed and preparing for the child's arrival. "You'd let me stay?" Really? He knew Natsu was supposed to be kind despite his penchant for wrecking houses, but this… was above and beyond. He was nearly a stranger!

Natsu paused in the middle of plopping a tuna casserole onto the plates he'd manage to find to smile and nod for Rogue. "I can speak to Gramps too about getting you work. We just moved back into the old guildhall and some of the members who left during the time we were gone are coming back. He's been saying we need to hire people to help with the bar again. If I ask him, it would probably be okay for you to join as an inactive member and help Mira with orders. Then once you can really work again you don't have to worry about finding a guild."

"I…" Forget swallowing pride. This wasn't even a moment where that was a consideration. Rogue shifted on to his knees and got down in the deepest bow he could manage. "Thank you."

Natsu smiled wider and set the plate down for Rogue. "You can sleep in the hammock. I'll move the tub off the couch and back to the bathroom and sleep there for the night. Rather than look for work tomorrow you can help me find a better bed for you."

"Thank you," Rogue repeated, coming up from his bow. "I can't thank you enough. Will you be alright on the couch?"

"Eh? I'm not sleeping on the couch. It's all soggy from having the tub on it."

"Then where are you-"

"I'm sleeping in the tub."

Rogue gaped.

"Huh. I didn't know you could make that expression."

Setting his plate down on the ground, Rogue asked, "Wouldn't it still be wet in the tub?"

Natsu shrugged. Between cold wet fabric and a wet tub… actually, they both sounded unpleasant, but the tub still won. "I couldn't make a guest sleep on a wet couch, and the hammock can't fit two people without them lying against one another. You're eating for two, right. Eat up! Is something wrong with my cooking?"

It was slimy, but Rogue wouldn't have called it bad. He took a bite to appease Natsu then said, "I wouldn't mind sharing a bed. I'd be more comfortable with that than knowing you're in the tub."

"Eh? Fine. We can both spend the night in the hammock, but we'll need something set up for you tomorrow, right Happy?"

"Aye." Happy cheered. "And a crib, and a baby bottle, and…" he snickered, eyes sliding to Rogue in a way the raven haired man was certain he didn't like, "a maternity dress."

Against his will, Rogue's hand went down to his still flat stomach. Maybe this wasn't such a great offer after all.

-x-

STA: Until further notice, this will probably update slowly. My focus is going to Inhuman right now. I mostly just wanted to get this up before Sting and Rogue could almost certainly switch guilds or whatever other shit storm is coming in the manga could happen so I wouldn't have to justify the story ignoring those things happening.

I'm trying out something I really hate to see in summaries. 99 times in 100 when people put a question in a summary it's got a really obvious answer that makes me feel like there's no point in even checking out the story, but a lot of people still read those stories so I figured I'd give it a shot.