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Finally finished this chapter~ The first scene was so hard to write, I wanted it to be just perfect augh... I hope it came out okay XD

Thanks so much for your feedback everyone~ I really appreciate all of the kind words, as well as the favorites/follows.

Enjoy~


~Black Dawn~

-Chapter 3-


Rogue pushes open the door to the church with a sigh. Pastor Alden was dusting one of the pews, his head down, humming as he works. He lifts his head up at the sound of the Twin Dragons' footsteps, a smile working it's way onto his face. "Ah, welcome back, you two. Did you have a nice evening?"

"It was nice...until the thieves showed up," Sting replies, sounding slightly upset.

"Already?!" Alden exclaims. "Goodness, normally they only show up at night! Did you deal with them?"

"Yes, we had them arrested," Rogue folds his arms across his chest. "It seems they were actually looking for us."

"Good work," Alden smiles. "Odd that they were searching you out, though. Were they looking for you specifically?"

"They seemed pretty shocked once they found out who we were," Rogue admits.

"That's because they thought we were weak and then I kicked their asses practically by myself," Sting grumbles.

"Only because you didn't want me to help," Rogue puts in gruffly. "Which, by the way, what was that about?"

"You'll understand someday," Sting mumbles, then walks off towards the back of the church. "Alden, is the room in the back?"

"Yes, it is. I'm afraid there's only one bed..." Alden sighs. "I could get you some extra pillows and such if-"

"It's fine," Rogue cuts in. "We're used to it." He unfolds him arms, then follows Sting towards the back. "Thank you very much."

"The same goes to you," Alden smiles. "You boys have been a great help. I'll definitely call upon your guild next time I need anything."

Rogue smiles back warmly. "Thank you. That means a lot. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, you two."

Sting had already disappeared down the hallway by the time Rogue made his way to the back of the church. With a sigh, he pushes the door to the hall open, hoping that Sting wasn't mad at him. It almost sounded like there was something bothering him. Did he say something insensitive again? Rogue sighs, hanging his head. "I am such an idiot..." He stops in front of a slightly open door, assuming that this was the room. He enters slowly, hoping to not make Sting any more angry. To his shock, he hears a banging sound in the bathroom, repetitive like a drumbeat.

"Dammit!" he hears Sting curse. "So damn close! After all this time... Fuck, he probably thinks I hate him..." Another bang echoes in Rogue's ears, following by a hiss of pain.

Rogue cautiously approaches the door, then knocks. "Sting? Are you okay?" To his surprise, the door opens a moment later. Sting's hair is disheveled, and his eyes are slightly red. His shoulders are slumped, as if he was absolutely done with the world. His knuckles are slightly red, most likely from punching the floor.

"You don't hate me, right?" Sting says softly. "You do realize that when I told you to stay out of it, it wasn't because I doubted your abilities or wanted to show off...?"

Rogue smiles slightly, placing a hand on Sting's shoulder. "Of course," he says softly. "I could never hate you. We may disagree sometimes, or have trouble communicating what we're thinking, but that doesn't mean I care any less." The second Rogue says the words, he regrets them. 'Shit. Was that too obvious?'

But Sting only grins in return. "Phew. I got worried there for a second." Yawning and running his fingers through his messy hair, he walks over to the bed. He pulls his boots off, then collapses on top of the covers.

Rogue slowly shrugs his cape off his shoulders and slides off his boots. He joins Sting on the bed, staring up the ceiling. The two of them lie there in silence for a while, until Sting finally moves to get underneath the covers. He lies facing the wall, not looking Rogue in the eye. Rogue slides under the covers as well, but faces the back of Sting's head instead. His mind whirling like a storm, he finally speaks his thoughts. "What was it you were going to tell me earlier?"

Sting freezes up, lying perfectly still. After what seemed like forever, he replies, "Nothing important."

"Lying isn't going to do you any good, you now," Rogue sighs. "I know it was important, otherwise you wouldn't be this upset about it."

Sting finally turns around, his face very close to Rogue's. "I can't just tell you now..." he says. "It doesn't work that way."

Rogue closes his eyes, trying to comprehend what Sting could possibly mean by that. "I...I have a few ideas of what this could be about...but...no real evidence to prove any of them right..."

To his shock, Sting answers, "It's probably the one you think is the least likely. Or, at least, the one you want to be right but lack the confidence in yourself to even consider it to be true..."

Rogue's eyes snap open. 'Does he know? He has pinpointed it right on the mark, but is that really what he's freaking out over? Could he actually...feel the same?' Rogue takes a deep breath, looking Sting directly in the eyes. "I...I don't know...how can you know what I'm thinking of...?"

A small, slightly nervous smile spreads across Sting's face. "Ask me."

Rogue takes a deep breath, his heart pounding like crazy. "I-Is it what I think it is?"

Sting can hear it in the way he speaks, the slight hope, the part of him that is so self-loathing that he couldn't possibly think that any of this was real. He gently presses his forehead against Rogue's, all fear gone now. He had what he needed to know. It was all spelled out in Rogue's vibrant red eyes. He leans forward just a tiny bit more so their foreheads touch. "Yes," he whispers. Sting closes his eyes, knowing what's to come, throwing all logic out out the window. Now was not the time for thoughts, now was the time to feel. He understood now, and he knew Rogue did too.

As their lips met in the middle, it was as if a piece fell into place. It was just...right. Gone now was the awkward tension between the two of them, replaced by mutual understanding. Finally they had come face to face with the thing they'd both been too scared to admit, smashing through the final wall between them. There was no turning back now.

Sting's lips were soft and surprisingly gentle as he melts into the kiss, an unimaginable flooding from his lips through his whole body. His eyes were closed tightly, not needing to open them. The beauty of the moment was already there: the spark, the emotion, Rogue's comforting scent in the air, the closeness of their bodies...it was all perfect.

Slowly they broke apart, their lips still tingling. Rogue could still feel the warmth in his chest, like a hearth fire, welcoming and bright. A single tear makes its way down his cheek, his emotions going wild. Someone actually cared about him... Sting gently wipes away the tear with his thumb, a gesture so small yet so kind that Rogue had to hold back more tears. Slowly Sting removes his hand and pulls him close, feeling the warmth of his partner's body against his.

They both stayed right there, foreheads still touching, breathing in sync as they slowly began to drift off to sleep. Not knowing if Rogue was awake, nor caring whether he was or not, Sting speaks the words he'd been holding back for so long. "I love you."

Beside him, Rogue smiles in the dark, too shy to reply just yet. Not that it mattered, as he knew that his feelings were as vibrant as the sunset.


ONE WEEK LATER


With a sigh, Rogue shoves his dark bangs out of his face. Sabertooth wasn't very busy that day: most members were out on jobs, and those that weren't were simply hanging out. Yukino is talking to Minerva with a wide smile on her face, Ogra is joking around with his teammates, and Rufus is reading a book. Sting emerges from his office holding a stack of papers. "Oi, Rogue, help me put these new requests up." Rogue opens his mouth to protest at Sting's demanding tone, but softens when his partner's face lights up in a smile. "Please?"

"Sure," Rogue replies, taking half the stack and heading towards the request board.

As he begins pinning them up, Sting cups his hands around his mouth and shouts, "Hey! New jobs are going up if any of ya want to come!" Many people cheer, pleased to have more of a variety of work. (The last jobs had been only a waitressing job and a yard-cleaning one that didn't pay much). About half the lingering members crowd around the board as the Twin Dragons finish up the posting. Rogue instantly steps out of the way, knowing that if he didn't, he'd be shoved out of the way by some of the more eager members.

Sting walks over to Rogue, holding a paper. "Hey," he says, presenting the paper. "I snagged a job for us. How 'bout it? It seems to fit us to a T." Rogue studies the paper, reading the description. It was an A-class job, a monster-fighting job to be specific, and it called for two highly skilled wizards with good teamwork and compatible magic. The pay was a good amount, slightly more than typical on a job like this one.

"Sounds good," Rogue nods. Sting grins, shoving the paper into an inside pocket in his jacket. After calling for their Exceeds, the two of them head out of the guild hand in hand, the feeling so casual and right that Rogue couldn't help but to smile. He can feel everyone's eyes on them, all them knowing that the two of them had confessed their feelings. They'd accepted it so easily and nonchalantly with remarks like 'Finally' or 'Took you two long enough' or 'You weren't already dating?'. Rogue had almost cried, as he had been afraid that they'd think it was gross or something. Sting had grinned his lopsided smile, turning to Rogue with an 'I told you so' look in his eyes. It had been one of the highlights of the week.

Without any discussion, the duo silently agrees to walk the four miles to their client's location instead of taking the train. Neither one of them felt like ruining their day with transportation. The walk was long, but not boring. Sting kept things entertaining by pointing out little silly things that people in each town were doing, much to Rogue's amusement. Despite Sting's sporadic personality, he actually was very perceptive, and noticed many things an ordinary person wouldn't. Rogue's smile didn't leave his face the entire time.

Sting knocks cheerfully on the door of their client, his smile still glued to his face. The door opens, and Sting says happily, "Hey there, we're from Sabertooth and we accepted your-"

"Come in, now," the old man says quickly, looking behind them as if worried that someone may be watching. "Hurry, hurry." The smile is instantly wiped from both Dragon Slayer's faces at this man's behavior.

"What's wrong?" Rogue asks as the man closes the door tight, locking it with three bolts.

"Nothing!" the man laughs. "I'm just happy someone's finally here, those bears are getting out of hand, haha..."

"Bears?" Rogue frowns. "The request said you were having trouble with mutant insects, not bears."

The man freezes, a look of fear flashing across his face. "Did it? Must of been a misprint. No, I need help with bears." He rushes into the kitchen, cleaning out some cups. "So, uh, which one of you is the Guild Master?"

"Me," Sting replies, raising a hand slightly. "So, where are these monsters, whatever they are? We'll get to work right away!"

The man coughs. "They, uh, are only active at nightfall. S-So," he pours some tea into cups and sets them down on the table, "come have some tea while you wait, I don't mind at all..."

Rogue sniffs the tea, uncertain. He opens his mouth to comment on it, but Sting beats him to it. "What's in this tea?"

"I-It's lavender," the man says, sweating. "I-If you'd prefer something else, I c-can get you-"

"No," Sting interrupts him. "It's fine. I was just making sure of something..." Rogue locks eyes with Sting, and they silently agree that there's something very fishy about this guy. Even though the tea does just smell like lavender and nothing else, Rogue can't help but to suspect that something's up. Maybe he'd done something to the honey, cream, or sugar?

The man swallows. "Um, e-excuse me...I have to use the restroom. I'll be right back." He rushes off towards the back of the house like a lightning bolt. Instantly Sting snatches up the sugar and honey and places his nose to them.

"Normal," he says with slight disbelief.

"What's wrong, Sting-kun?" Lector asks as he and Frosch climb onto the table.

"That guy is acting so suspicious," Sting replies, setting down the dishes and picking up the cream. "I mean, how could they misprint the request like that? And why did he bolt the door?"

"Bears aren't nocturnal," Rogue points out, folding his arms across his chest.

"That too," Sting places the cream back on the table. "I mean, this guy is screaming guil-" He stops as the client steps back into the kitchen, looking slightly more relaxed.

"Sorry," the old man apologizes, approaching the table.

"Tell us a little more about this job," Sting says, leaning closer to the man. Rogue recognizes the look on Sting's face easily. It was a perfect combination of his I suspect bullshit face and his you better obey me or I'll kick your ass face.

The man gulps, his nervousness returning. "I-I, well..." He quickly glances behind him, then looks back at Sting. "L-Look, I kind of lied about this job."

"Oh really?" Sting says sarcastically.

"I need to speak to you, G-Guild Master," the man stammers. "A-Alone."

"No," Rogue stands up before Sting can stay anything. "If you need to say something, you tell both of us."

Sting puts his arm out, pushing Rogue back slightly. "Rogue, it's okay." He locks eyes with the Shadow Dragon Slayer. "I'll be fine. Don't worry." On his way outside, he says, "I'm the Guild Master, remember?" He winks at Rogue, a grin on his face, then disappears outside.

Rogue's frown deepens. He could see the suspicion in Sting's eyes as he walked out, which he most likely tried to hide from the client. The longer Rogue waited for them to come inside, the more anxious he became. Something still was definitely off...there was something he was missing...

Then it hit him. "Why didn't I see it before?!" he cries, rushing towards the door. "How did he know one of us was the Guild Master if he didn't request us?!" He fumbles with the knob, then shoves the door open. The old man stands there in front of the door, his eyes wide. Seeing that he was alone, Rogue lashes out at the man. "Where is he?" His crimson eyes flash dangerously as he leans closer to the man. "Tell me!" he snarls.

"I'm sorry!" the man cries. "I had to! They have my granddaughter! I wanted to warn you, but I wasn't sure how! They were watching and listening in-!"

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Rogue screams, grabbing him by the collar. "WHO ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? WHERE THE HELL IS MY PARTNER?"

Tears of fear fall from the man's eyes. "I'm sorry!" he wails again. "All I know is that they're called Black Dawn-"

"A Dark Guild!" Rogue hisses, turning away from the man. Lector and Frosch, who had followed Rogue to the door, shy away from his intense glare. He whirls back to the man. "What do they want with Sting?" his growls through his teeth.

"I don't know!" The old man is getting hysterical. "Something about a lacrima! I'm so sorry! I wish I could help you but-"

"You've done enough!" Rogue shouts. "Lector, Frosch, go back to the guild! Tell them that Sting's in danger, and to wait for a message from me!" The Exceeds activate their wings and fly away, frightened and worried sick.

Rogue turns to the old man. "I'll be sure to get your granddaughter back too," he says, his voice low and dangerous. "What's her name?!"

"Leora," the man chokes. "I-I'm so sorry, Dragon Slayer... I should've found a way to t-tell you..." He gulps. "Will your friend be okay, you think?"

"He's not my friend," Rogue replies, his voice hollow. "He's so much more than that." With that, he turns on his heel, his cape swirling behind him as he makes his way into the forest. It was time to follow Sting's scent. He was going to save Sting, the way the White Dragon Slayer had done for Rogue emotionally so many times in the past. It was time to return the favor at last.


I apologize for any OOC-ness. I just figured Rogue would act the way he did because he got so angry when questioning people about Frosch, and that was a more lighthearted situation than this one.

Thanks for reading~!


~ForeverDreamer12, signing out!