Opposites Attract

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL AND THE COVER IMAGE!

Being the new guild master had definitely taken its toll on Sting. He worked late hours, filled out paperwork until he passed out on his desk, checked on every guild member's health before his own and never found the time to go on jobs anymore. However, his hard work was paying off, as Sabertooth became more powerful and the members became happier. The guild members felt safe and looked forward to coming to the guild, which was everything that Sting had hoped for.

Rogue was worried about his friend. He understood that the other dragon slayer was simply trying to improve the guild and make everyone happy, but Rogue couldn't remember the last time he had seen Sting come home to sleep. Rogue was usually asleep by the time Sting came back and when he woke up, the blond would already be back at the guild, finishing more paperwork. The shadow dragon slayer had tried to convince his friend to rest and that he would help with the paperwork, but Sting was stubborn and refused every time.

The main problem that arose from Sting's stubbornness was the decrease of money. Since the dragon slayer didn't leave the office, he didn't go on jobs and couldn't receive the rewards for successfully completing the tasks. Since the blond didn't let Rogue help him with the heavy workload of a guild master, the shadow dragon slayer decided to go on a job and give the rewards to the other mage. It had become a ritual for them to go on jobs together and then split the rewards, but Rogue knew there was no point in trying to convince Sting to leave the desk if there was unfinished paperwork that needed signing.

Without notifying Sting, the shadow dragon slayer picked a job and quickly made his way to his destination. He left Frosch behind, worried that she could get hurt and that she would miss Sting and Lector too much. The mage knew that Lector would take good care of Frosch and that she would be safer at home than with him. Rogue was also slightly hoping that Frosch and Lector could convince Sting to rest for a while and get away from that desk.

The job seemed simple enough and had been something that the dragon slayer duo had done many times: kill a creature that had been causing havoc and created fear amongst the people. Rogue had arrived at his destination, spoken to the people about the creature's whereabouts and travelled further, until he found the cave of the beast. The people hadn't given much information on the beast and the dragon slayer didn't know what to expect. However, he hadn't expected a beast that closely resembled a dragon with its size, wings and ferocious glare.

The creature was ruthless and left no time for Rogue to prepare himself for the onslaught of attacks. The mage retaliated with his own attacks, but it didn't seem to have any effect on the beast. With a swipe of its massive tail, Rogue was flung into the air and the beast let out a growl of satisfaction, as the mage landed on the hard ground. The dragon slayer grunted in pain and tried to get himself back on his feet. Before he could get up, however, a large claw pressed against his chest and kept him lying on the ground with the giant beast above him.

Rogue saw the beast's jaw opening and lowering towards him. For some reason, the mage was completely frozen and didn't even try to struggle against the large claw that was pinning him to the ground. The beast's head was coming closer and the dragon slayer wondered if this was the end for him. He didn't want his life to end yet; there were still things he wanted to do and things he wanted to say. The shadow dragon slayer wanted to tell Sting that he wasn't just a best friend. Throughout the years, Rogue's feelings had become more than that and he knew he was in love with the blond. He had tried telling the other male often, but his courage always died before he said those three words and he was scared that the blond didn't return those feelings. They had been best friends for years and he didn't know if he could live without Sting by his side, because they couldn't be friends anymore after his confession.

Before his thoughts could drift any further, a blinding light surrounded him and the beast. Rogue closed his eyes, not being able to withstand the brightness from the light. When the light faded, he opened his eyes and noticed that the giant beast wasn't hovering over him anymore. He also noticed that the giant claw wasn't pinning him down and that he was free to move. Before he could get up from the floor, a gloved hand entered his eyesight. The glove looked very familiar and when the shadow dragon slayer looked up, he saw his best friend staring back at him.

Sting smiled and Rogue couldn't help but return it, whilst grabbing the offered hand with his own. With a quick pull, the two dragon slayers were standing next to each other and were ready to face this beast together. The earlier attack from the blond had temporarily stunned the beast and caused it to shut its eyes. Rogue felt a hand near his own and felt a surge of magic starting to surround him. The feeling was familiar and the shadow dragon slayer immediately knew what the other mage wanted to do: a unison raid. The feelings of combining two people's magic was exhilarating; it was only something that could be done between two people that truly trusted each other.

The unison raid had been successful and it had completely annihilated the beast. Once the two mages finished their attack, the extra surge of magic slowly started to subside and a calm feeling washed over Rogue. He knew that the creature was dead and that he was safe because of his best friend. Sting faced the other dragon slayer and looked him in the eyes. Before Rogue could say or do anything, he was captured in a tight hug by the blond. He was startled, completely shocked by Sting's unusual behaviour. He wasn't sure how to respond, but decided to wrap his arms around the other mage.

"Why did you go on your own? Do you know how worried I was?" It took a few moments before Rogue reacted to the blonde mage's questions. Still in shock from Sting's sudden behaviour, the shadow dragon slayer answered with the first thing that had come to his mind.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to bother you." Sting slowly started to release his best friend and stared Rogue in the eyes.

"Rogue, you are far more important than paperwork. You should have just asked and I would have done this job with you. I don't even want to think about what could have happened to you if I hadn't come in time." The sincerity in Sting's voice easily convinced the Rogue that the blonde mage was telling the truth.

"I'm sorry," Rogue repeated. He genuinely hadn't wanted to worry Sting and regretted his decision to do this job on his own.

"Don't apologise. I'm just glad you're alright. I don't think I could have dealt with the loss of the love of my life." Two pairs of eyes widened in surprise at Sting's slip of tongue. Although the words were true, the blond had never intended to actually confess to the other mage, worried that he could ruin their friendship. However, with the recent moments of seeing Rogue almost being killed, his thoughts were still jumbled and he had spoken out his feelings without realising it.

"You love me?" The blond gulped, knowing there was no point in lying. The other mage was a dragon slayer and had definitely heard him. Sting nodded slowly, anxious to find out if is feelings were returned or if he had just ruined their friendship. His answer was a quick, chaste kiss on the lips and a blushing raven head. The blond felt ecstatic, knowing that his feelings were returned. This time, it was Sting that initiated the kiss and he could tell that he would become addicted to Rogue's lips very quickly. When he pulled away, there was still a light blush dusting the other male's cheeks and a small smile graced Rogue's face.

The two dragon slayers proved to each other that they truly needed each other. After all, they were two sides of a coin, yin and yang, light and dark. They were the perfect definition of 'opposites attract'.