"You….lost." she said, her voice soft as cotton candy, echoing off the walls.

Rogue looked up at her, his torso and every cut on his body mended by her hands and clean, sterile bandages. Yukino looked down at the floor, her eyes looking misty. She was quiet, he knew that already. Frosh and Lector were off grabbing some things, mending their own wounds. Suddenly, Rogue bit down hard on his lower lip, his eyes narrowing.

"I'm a failure." He spat, making her look up at him, her lower lip trembling.

"No…"

"Yes." He insisted, swallowing hard as his fist curled up, white knuckled and angry. "I failed."

"You…you tried-"

"Doesn't mean anything. I didn't even have an interest in him."

Yukino looked down again when he cut her off, clutching one arm with her hand, her palm warm and forgiving, anchoring her as she looked off to the side, tears settling in her eyes. She was weak, she deserved to lose but Rogue?

Rogue couldn't leave Sabertooth. It was his home, the place he belonged. But then, she wanted it to be her home too, didn't she? She let a gentle sniffle spill out of her, barely audible but it made Rogue whip his head up, looking at the teary woman in front of him, her hands shaking.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry you lost." And her voice wavered, Rogue saying nothing. His red eyes fixed upon her, standing in the center of a cheap model room she managed to snag after he lent her some money. He and Yukino were relatively close after all.

No one else came looking for him to help except for her. She had walked the path he and Sting went off on, despite her fragility. She got medicine, she pulled him away from Sting and his anger to help him. But Rogue wasn't angry more so than disappointed and she was finding it hard to handle his surprisingly unwinding composure.

So she did what she always did: she tried to shrink into herself. Her hand clenched around her forearm as she looked away, unable to meet his gaze.

Rogue felt himself soften up. Yukino wasn't one that was easily disliked, after all. She was too kind for that, too kind for Sabertooth and Rogue knew that he was in for the same treatment she got, but he wouldn't stand for it like she did.

He'd take the bastard and shove his katana down his throat, make HIM strip in front of her, redeem them both but no.

He can't do that, can he? He sighs, standing up careful, mindful of his wounds and made his way over to her. She whipped her head away instantly, so he couldn't see her eyes but rather just her cheek.

"Yukino, stop."

"I'm sorry."

He sighed again, grabbing her wrist and pulling her hand off of her arm, watching as she shook more from the gesture. She hunched her shoulders over and he saw how she clenched her teeth around the meat of her lower lip, her small form folding in on itself easily, as if she was so used to hiding away.

He supposed she was.

"Stop it, Yukino…I'll be fine."

"No!" she cried out, finally letting the dam break as she released a sob. "No, it isn't FAIR. This is WRONG!" she said, trying to press into herself more so than before. Rogue felt something in his gut twist as she ripped her wrist from his grip and hugged herself, nails digging into flesh. "Not you…" she whispered, hiccupping.

"Calm down."

She only shook her head, his apathetic voice not soothing her at all. Rogue started feeling his composure cracking. He was going to do something he was going to regret if she didn't calm. He was going to level half the city if she wouldn't stop crying.

He didn't like to see her crying.

"No, no, it isn't FAIR-"

"STOP IT!" he said, finally snapping at her final sob. She gasped, jerking her head up to finally look at him. Her tear stained face sucker punched him right in the gut, seeing the glistening of her tears in two twin tracks on her face. She looked as if something had ripped apart everything she believed in the world, like every ideal she had was a lie. "…Stop it." He said, more calmly now, reaching his hands out and sighing, grabbing both her wrists and removing them from around her self-hug.

She seemed to be like an earthquake by how hard she was shaking as he held onto them, feeling her pulse frantically beat through her skin.

"I'm sorry." She said finally, looking down, deflating, lazy tears still dripping off of her face.

"I was the one who lost, remember?"

She closed her eyes. Rogue almost grimaced. He had a way with people, that was for sure. Okay, fine, time to just man up. He can comfort Frosh and she's a girl too. With a precise ease, he curled her arms around his waist and released her wrists once she encircled him. Her eyes snapped open at the gesture while he carefully put his palm against the hollow of her lower back, gently pressing her forward.

"I…what?"

"Stop crying."

Her lower lip dropped down, seeming to glisten in the dim lamplight of the room as she looked up at him, eyes confused but hopeful. Slowly, all too slowly, she tightened her grip on him, careful not to press too hard so as not to irritate his injuries. She gently lay her head down, snapping off their eye contact in favor for listening to his heartbeat.

She nodded against his chest. "I'll…I'll stop."

"Good." She looked up at that, pulling away only slightly and sucked in a harsh breath.

Rogue didn't smile often, but it was sure a sight to see. She gulped hard, wanting to bury her face in his bandages to hide her flush. He chuckled at that, finding some comfort in her awkwardness. He heard her breathing, watched her chest rise and fall as she kept eye contact with him.

"I…I don't want you to leave SaberTooth." She said, her voice all breath. He thought for a moment, running his free hand up to play with a strand of her hair. He gently curled his fingers around the strands, looping them around, short as they were.

"I don't have any interest in that right now." He said, smiling still. His defeat was fresh in his mind, but she didn't care that he lost. Of course she would be the only person to worry for him other than Frosh.

He moved forward, pressing his palm harder against her lower back so she was against him as their lips met, soft and subtle. They weren't the kind for forceful kisses, after all. This was Yukino, she was so very breakable. But she tightened her grip around his torso, angling her jaw to meet his mouth more.

This was the time to lick the wounds, to mend, to heal.

He'd deal with Sabertooth later.

Total cuddlefluff, total sweetness, so much that I felt my teeth rot but I couldn't help iiiiit! After I wrote my StingxMinerva hate!make out scene, I HAD to write one for Rogue as well.

Those dragonslayers need some lovin'. Sorry if I got them out of character, I really tried. Rogue can be very apathetic, but when what happened to Yukino happened, he actually gave a damn. And it's weird cause I don't think he just gives damns out just like that! Hah! Also, yes, I think Frosh is a girl. I also think that Rogue is plenty sensitive inside and he could reach out to a kindred soul like Yukino.

I regret nothing! It's all RoYu and nothing hurts! MWAHAHA!