IT'S STINGUE WEEK *throws confetti*

I'm going to try to get all of these up ASAP, but a few of them may be late, who knows. I've got a choir concert and a band concert back to back, as well as three tests...so I may be a little busy.

Anyways, enjoy~

Verse: Canon

Rating: T for language and implied suggestive themes

Summary: There was simply too much white...Sting wasn't sure he could handle it.

Stingue Week Day 1: White

Sting Eucliffe had never been this nervous in his entire life.

His hands were shaking, palms were sweating, and his heart was pounding faster than he thought was possible. "I might puke," he says weakly, adjusting his tie for the fifteenth time since he'd put it on.

"Dude, you need to chill." Natsu pulls on his black suit jacket, dusting it off slightly. The small rose pinned on the chest is more elaborate than the one on Gray or Rufus' suit. Natsu is the Best Man...at Sting's wedding.

Sting's wedding.

"I AM GOING TO PUKE!"

"Calm your shit!" Gajeel barks from nearby, helping Lyon find something. "You're fine!"

"Honestly Sting, it's way less stressful than you think it will be," Alzack walks up to him, followed by Rufus. "It's natural to be nervous, but there's no need to have a panic attack. What are you afraid of, Sting?"

Sting breathes in deeply, his hands clenched into fists. "Everything."

"You're scared of me?!" Natsu exclaims, mouth open in an 'O'.

"Not of you in particular, just of what you could do," Sting stresses the final word as he moves a hand to the bridge of his nose. He pinches it tightly, breathing in and out slowly. "I swear to god, if you break ANYTHING-"

"I'll kick his ass," Gray threatens. "If he fucks up your day Sting, I'll make him pay."

"Same," Gajeel's sadistic grin spreads across his face, sending shivers down Sting's spine.

"Or Erza or My Lady will do it," Rufus chuckles.

Sting looks down at his plain white suit, the only black sticking out being the crooked bow tie. A single dark red rose is pinned to the side, open just enough to annunciate the petals' shape. There was just so. Much. White. It made him extremely anxious. What if he spilled?!

Just then, Rogue's voice echoes from the back room, "I don't know! You're the one setting that up, not me!"

Sting's eyes go wide with nerves. He springs behind Natsu, trembling. "Hide me," he whispers. "He can't see me like this!"

The others roll their eyes. "Get a grip, man," Orga shakes his head.

A man in a full black suit save a white bow tie storms into the room, dark hair pulled back into a ponytail which flies out behind his head. His red eyes are flashing with anger, his brow knitted with stress. "Does anyone in here know what the FUCK happened to the cake?!"

Multiple people flinch. They hadn't seen Rogue this hysterical in ages. The man in question whirls towards Natsu, opening his mouth to speak, then closing it again. His eyes land on the trembling blond clutching onto Natsu's shoulders from behind. Rogue's face softens as he steps forward towards Sting, reaching over Natsu's shoulder to fix Sting's crooked bow tie. "You need to stop messing with it, silly." He smiles fondly, stepping back to make sure the tie is straight.

The others watch openmouthed as Sting's shoulders relax a bit, stepping out from behind Natsu. Both of the Twin Dragon's moods change from maniac to a sudden calm within a matter of seconds.

"Amazing," Lyon mumbles as he fixes his hair. "It's as if he flicked a switch."

"They really are something," smiles Hibiki.

Rogue takes Sting's hands in his, squeezing them gently. "Relax," he says softly. "I can tell you're stressed... It's just another day with me."

"Yeah, the most important day of our life!" Sting laughs nervously. "Kind of a big deal, Rogue!"

Rogue's smile only widens. "All the more reason to be calm...try and enjoy yourself. This is supposed to be fun." He pauses for a second, an excited glimmer in his ruby eyes. "Sting, we're getting married."

His sudden excitement lights a spark of confidence inside of Sting's stomach. A grin spreads across his lips, brightening his eyes. "We're getting married," he repeats. He squeezes Rogue's hands, laughing slightly. "Married!"

Rogue can't help but to smile from his fiancé's childish enthusiasm. "See, that's what I'm talking about. This is a celebration. Nerves are natural...hell, I'm extremely nervous, but there's no need to get worked up." He kisses Sting's forehead lightly, brushing aside Sting's messily combed fringe. "And fix your hair, you dork."

"Ughhhh," Sting groans in frustration, trying to organize his messy sprawl of spikes.

"You're both going to be fine," Rufus says primly. "That is, if you practiced dancing."

"DANCING IS MAN!" Elfman roars.

Sting's eyes widen in panic. "What type of dancing?!"

"The salsa," snickers Natsu.

"Tango," Lyon adds over his shoulder.

"Totally the truffle shuffle," Dobengal nods.

"No!" Rufus looks appalled. "Ballroom! Stop trying to make it worse! And Dobengal, please take off your mask, this is formal occasion!" Dobengal grudgingly follows out Rufus' request, folding his mask and slipping it into his jacket pocket.

"He's like a nagging mother," mumbles Ren. Hibiki and Eve nod once in agreement.

"You'd think this was his wedding," grumbles Gajeel.

"What the fuck is the truffle shuffle?!" Laxus questions to himself more than anyone.

Rogue breaks apart from an embrace he had just shared with Sting to ask, "Did anyone ever find the cake?"

"No," the group choruses.

"Dammit," Rogue groans, pinching the bridge of his nose, mirroring what Sting had done earlier. "I shouldn't be worrying about this, this is not my responsibility..."

"Then don't worry about it," Jellal comments as he enters the room. "I'll go find Erza, she'll probably have an idea. If not, I'm sure Mira and Lisanna can whip something up real fast."

The tension dissipates from Rogue's chest. "Really? Oh, thank you so much, Jellal...we owe you."

Jellal shakes his head. "You owe nothing. I am simply here to atone for my sins, and therefore must commit acts of good."

Half the room sweatdrops. Sting snorts loudly, "Well, according to a fraction of the population, this entire wedding is a sin, so you're doing much to help out in that regard."

Laughter echoes throughout the room. "Oh Sting, our entire guild is a sin," Rufus laughs.

A knock sounds on the door, silencing the group of men. "Everyone decent?"

"Yes," everyone choruses.

The door swings open, revealing Lucy dressed in a long gold dress. "It's time, guys. Places."

"Did they get the cake?" Jellal asks, pushing forward.

"Yes, everything's all set," Lucy smiles, looking towards the Twin Dragons. "You guys ready? We can hold it off for like 20 more minutes if you need some more time..."

"No!" They both turn to look at each other, surprised at the other's eagerness. They laugh in unison, snickering over their own stupidity before Rogue quickly adds, "We're ready, Lucy." He squeezes Sting's hand one final time. "We've been ready for a very long time."

Sting had to admit, he almost cried when Makarov suggested he would walk Sting down the aisle.

"You have to have someone, don't you?" he had said. "I'm sure Mira wouldn't mind walking Rogue. You're important to us...friends of the Fairy Tail guild are family."

Sting takes a deep breath. The way they'd decided to work this out, as their wedding wasn't exactly normal, was that they would have the whole rest of the wedding party go first, then Sting would go, then finally Rogue. Rogue promised Sting he'd be right behind him, that he wouldn't leave him standing there with his nerves.

And yet...Sting was terrified. Terrified that Rogue would abandon him, that he'd trip on his way up, that he'd stumble over his words in his vow, or worse, forget his vow entirely.

"Breathe, Sting-sama," Yukino says softly, placing a hand on Sting's shoulder. Her gold Maid of Honor dress shimmers under the sunlight. "Everything's going to be perfect."

"Perfection doesn't exist..." Sting mumbles, messing with his collar nervously.

"I think," Yukino smiles, "that you and Rogue-sama are one of the most perfect matches I've ever seen."

Sting can't help but to smile back. "Yeah..." he breathes. "I think so to..."

"Here we go!" Erza shouts, her hands cupped around her mouth. "Time to begin! Places everybody!"

"Don't forget to smile, Sting-sama!" Yukino says cheerfully, rushing off to her place beside Minerva.

"Oh trust me, I'll smile so much my mouth will hurt," Sting grins. Makarov appears by his side, extending an arm. Sting slides his arm into the crook of the older man's elbow. Behind them, Rogue smooths his hair, then extends his arm for Mirajane. She smiles wildly, then whispers something in Rogue's ear. His face flushes red with obvious embarrassment, and he hisses something back at her under his breath. Mira giggles mischievously.

Noticing Sting's unwavering stare, Rogue's cheeks are tinted with another blush as he smiles at him. Sting can't stop himself from blowing a kiss and winking, mouthing, 'You look hot'. Rogue's face burns, but he gains his composure fairly quickly, smirking back at Sting and responding, 'Right back at you'.

Mirajane giggles again, muttering, "eye sex" under her breath, causing Rogue to try to hide behind his bangs. Sting laughs, because Rogue looks hella cute when flustered.

One by one couples line up out in front of the Sabertooth Guild Hall. Frosh, the "flower girl", stands in front of Sting. "When does Fro go?" it asks slightly impatiently.

"Just a little longer," Sting reassures it. "Trust me, I'm just as ready as you are."

"Tell me about it," Rogue chuckles from behind him. "All these endless days of wedding practice...I'm so done with it. I just want to get married already..."

"Same," Sting replies, not daring to turn around in fear he'd miss his entrance. Makarov prompts Frosch, leaving only the engaged couple and their escorts. "Here we go," Sting breathes. "I'm ready."

And so, he steps through the doors and into the makeshift aisle. The sound of Rogue's sleek shoes against the floor behind him give Sting a bit of reassurance: he is not alone in this sea of white and gold.

Rufus sits at the piano, playing a song he composed for the occasion, as there was no bride to play for. Not that it mattered, as Rufus' song was a masterpiece. He'd taught Rogue how to play it to, and every now and then he'd play it for Sting with the worn piano in their living room.

It brought back memories of these past few months of engagement. It had been stressful, but the feeling of growing excitement fueled the two of them to live each day to the fullest. Sting remembered all those late nights, either on the back porch gazing at the stars, or in bed in each others' arms, leaving marks on their bare skin as they fall into pleasure.

As he steps onto the riser, turning around, his eyes land on Rogue, and he appears to shift under Sting's gaze to the boy he once knew. Sting still remembers the first time he met Rogue: the shaggy, dark-haired boy with fierce red eyes and a small stature.

Sting had been a hot topic in the small town: the little boy who fought for money and never lost...until he was challenged by the young Shadow Dragon. Worn out from a previous fight, and not expecting much from the smaller boy, overconfidence faded into failure after a long half hour of fighting. Rogue had won, taking the money Sting had needed for food that evening.

Sting had fallen to his knees, begging for a rematch, some way to receive food. The other boy had tipped up Sting's chin, looking him straight in the eyes as he spoke in that soft, yet firm voice of his, "Follow me."

From that moment on they'd been together. Rogue retrieved food from Phantom Lord after his training with Gajeel, coming to their shared "home" of a cardboard box every evening, and Sting would spend his days on the streets, fighting for money just like he used to. They cuddled together for warmth inside the thin cardboard, their Exceeds snuggled against their chests.

Rogue had never cried...in fact, he'd never shown any emotion at all. Until one night, after Phantom disbanded, when Rogue broke down into sobs on the curb, his dreams all shattered into pieces. If Sting had understood what he was feeling, then he would say it was right then that he knew they would never leave each other's side.

And as Rogue took his place across the alter, facing Sting, this thought blossoms into full bloom, an explosion of color. The pastor begins talking, but neither of them were listening, instead gazing deep into their partner's eyes. The pastor drones on and on while Sting melts into Rogue's soft ruby eyes.

Nothing mattered but the two of them.

The pastor clears his throat loudly, lowering his book to address the couple. "You may now state your vows."

With unsteady hands, Sting unfolds the piece of paper in the pocket. Sting takes a deep breath, hands shaking. He cannot mess this up. "Rogue," he says a little too softly, his voice trembling. He can tell Rogue is supporting him by the way his eyes sparkle under the lights above. In that moment, Sting decides to take a risk. He takes the prepared speech and crumples it up in his hand, shoving it back into his pocket. A few murmurs come from the crowd, but they quickly fade.

Sting tries again, much stronger this time. "Rogue, I wouldn't want to be standing next to anyone else in the world right now. You are, without a doubt, the most wonderful person I've ever had the privilege of meeting. Things of beauty in this world do not hold a candle to your smile. When you are happy, my world lights up with colors so bright that it's almost blinding.

"I promise that I will never let you fall to darkness. I will not give you my light unless you ask for it; instead, I will show you the light you hold inside of your own heart. I will show you the way the rest of world sees you; the way I see you. When you look in the mirror, you will not see the timid, broken boy you think you are, you will see the strong, beautiful Dragon Slayer that you REALLY are.

"I promise to treasure you every single breathing moment, and even when you sleep for the last time, I will not leave you. My love for you knows no bounds, and it will never fade away. I love you, Ryos. And I promise you I will always be here for you, no matter how dark times become...

"My love...is eternal."

Finally Sting feels a weight lifted off his chest, exhaling the final pieces of fear. He'd done it. And hell, that wasn't even the vow he prepared: it came out of nowhere.

He can hear someone crying, and he's almost positive it's Mirajane. The 'aww's coming from the crowd bring an embarrassed flush to Sting's cheeks. Had it been too cheesy? But when Sting lifts his head to look at his partner and sees the tears shining on his cheeks, Sting knows he did well.

Rogue takes a moment to calm himself down, carefully wiping away the tears with his pointer finger. He clears his throat and stands up straight. Had he memorized his, or did he decide beforehand to go in cold?

"Sting," his voice is gentle, yet it is enforced with emotion. "I cannot even express the gratitude and love I have for you. You are the light in my life, the escape when everything is black all around me. You've saved me from myself more times than I can remember. I live for your touch, your words, your smile that barely ever leaves your shining face. I can say, without hesitation or doubt, that you are the brightest person I know. I can't imagine living without you, Sting. I won't be a burden to you; instead I will be equal to you in love and in life.

"I will support you, cheer you on, comfort you. I don't expect anything in return but your heart, as I will give you all of mine. I am not yours, and neither are you mine. We are not separate. We are one. You complete me, and I will do the same for you. I love you, Sting Eucliffe. And somewhere deep down...I think I always have."

Sting can't stop the tears from coating his cheeks, so unbelievably moved by Rogue's vow. It resonated somewhere deep in his chest, right within his heart. Rogue's tears have returned, a beautiful smile spreading across his lips.

The pastor removes his glasses to wipe his streaming eyes, mumbling something about beauty as he raises his book up once more. He sniffs, then regains his composure. "Ahem." He turns to look at Sting, the silence in the room extremely tense. This was it.

"Sting Eucliffe of Sabertooth, do you take Ryos Cheney to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Sting couldn't help himself, the next words slipping out before he could stop them, "Fuck yeah I do." Multiple people laughed, and to Sting's relief, Rogue chuckles along with them.

The pastor mumbles something about how thankful he is to be holding this ceremony in a guild hall instead of a sacred church, then turns to Rogue.

"Ryos Cheney of Sabertooth, do you take Sting Eucliffe to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Traditions already broken, a warm smile spreads across Rogue's face as he replies, "Is that even a question?" He looks back at Sting, holding his gaze with teary red eyes. "Yes...I do."

The pastor shuts the book dramatically, nodding towards the duo. "I pronounce you married. You may kiss."

Sting grins lopsidedly, "May?" He steps forward, taking Rogue up in his arms. "Nah," he laughs when their forwards are touching, "Pretty sure it's a requirement."

"Shut up," Rogue chuckles.

They close the distance between their lips, eyes closing, arms pulling each other close. Somebody screams excitedly, and then the rest of the hall explodes into cheers. Sting can hear the noise in his ears, but his eyes remain shut, melting into Rogue's kiss. Don't think...feel.

They hold on for much too long, their Dragon Slayer enhanced lungs providing them with an excess of air. The pastor clears his throat awkwardly, but he is ignored as Rogue's arms loop around Sting's neck, pulling him closer.

Someone whistles. A voice that sounds suspiciously like Gray shouts, "THIS IS PORN!" to which someone screams, "WHERE IS YOUR SUIT?! YOU'RE THE PORNO HERE!"

The Twin Dragons finally break apart, laughing as a boxer-clad Gray scrambles around trying to find his tuxedo among the chaos. The newlywed couple descends into the crowd, hand in hand.

"Eucliffe-Cheney, huh?" asks Hibiki. "A little long, don't you think?"

Sting opens his mouth, most likely about to make a crude comeback when a Rogue interrupts with, "Like I said earlier, we are equal. If one of us took the other's name, it would imply he is greater."

"Is this some sort of weird fight for dominance Dragon Slayer thing?" Orga grumbles.

"Probably," remarks Rufus from his elbow.

"Oi," Sting laughs, "we all know I'm the dominant one here."

"Right," Rogue smirks. "That's totally the case allll of the time."

Sting's cheeks flush. "Th-That was one time!"

"Three!" Rogue counters.

"One!" Sting fires back.

It takes only seconds before they're facing each other, eyes narrowed, lips curled into a sneer as animalistic growls escape their throats. Rufus coughs awkwardly and slowly leads Orga away, leaving the newlyweds to their intense staring contest.

"Wait until you're alone, won't you?" teases Lyon as he approaches them. They pull away, blushing like mad and turning away from each other with an exaggerated "hmph".

The wedding party then proceeds to help clear away the chairs, scrambling to throw them outside and clear a dance floor. Everyone is working together to make sure that everything is set up according to plan, especially those who heard Gray's and Gajeel's threats about what they would do if someone were to mess the day up for the Twin Dragons.

Once the room is cleared, the newlyweds take the dance floor. After a moment of silent arguing, Rogue switches their position so he is leading.

Orga snorts, nudging Rufus. "Dominant, huh?" Rufus only chuckles in reply.

The DJ (who is really just Lector in sunglasses) cues up the song for the first dance. It has been "their song" since they'd first heard on it on the radio lacrima station: Light, by Sleeping at Last.

They sway together with perfect synchronization, their souls connected just like a Unison Raid, hearts swelling in their chests. Sting begins to sing along softly to the song, a warm, loving smile only spreading wider and wider across his lips. Rogue can feel tears in his eyes as he slowly starts to sing as well, heart erupting in his chest. He knew that from now on, Sting would be there to love him, cherish him, protect him, just like always. Except that now they had matching rings to seal the promise even deeper inside of them, connected from their ring fingers to their heart.

Rogue rests his head on Sting's shoulder as they sway together, breathing in his husband's scent. Sting's voice in his ear is soft and soothing, and hell, he's actually in tune and in key for once. He harmonizes with the White Dragon Slayer, feeling his heartbeat in the way their chests brush together in every turn.

The song ends, the last note lingering the air, supported by only Sting's breath until it fades away. A few people clap respectfully, but the rest of the group shatters the moment with loud screams of excitement. Figures.

For the next few hours everyone danced until their feet hurt, and quite a few people got drunk or at least tipsy. Sting knew that Rogue hated it when Sting drank much more than a single glass, so he downed his single champagne and then stayed away. They spent the evening dancing in each other's arms, feeding each other cake, and talking with absolutely everyone.

As the evening goes on, Sting can't help but to wonder about the way his partner recited his vow. After shooing away a few extremely drunk Blue Pegasus members, a lewd Bacchus, and a sobbing Juvia, Sting is finally alone with Rogue. "Hey," he says gently as he takes his husband's hand to pull him back out onto the dance floor, leading this time. "Can I ask you something?"

"Why would I say no?" Rogue replies with a smile. A slight blush creeps into his cheeks, looking away slightly as he quickly adds, "Don't answer that."

Sting laughs, knowing well that is partner is referring to the few times he's asked awkward questions with other people present. "Haha, no, not that. It's about your vow."

Rogue's head snaps back to facing Sting, his attention grabbed. "Oh?"

"I'm just curious, did you memorize that whole thing?" Sting asks, slowly spinning Rogue in a gradual circle. "Because that must have been extremely nerve-wracking."

Rogue laughs, shaking his head as Sting finishes the spin and pulls him close again. "Oh, no, of course not. I saw you crumple up your script and thought I should just improvise too. I feel like it's more heartfelt and honest that way."

"Can I read the old one?" Sting teases.

"Only if I can read yours," Rogue responds smugly, touching his forehead to Sting's.

"Oh hell no."

They laugh in unison, knowing well that both of their vows were probably much too formal on the paper and not like them at all. It was hard to be heartfelt when you were trying too hard. "We should read them tonight," Rogue chuckles. "Just for a laugh."

Sting snorts. "Is that really the first thing you wanna do when we get back?"

Rogue flushes dark pink. "What did I say about awkward questions?"

Sting simply raises an eyebrow at him. "No one's listening."

A small smile spreads across Rogue's face as he lets out an over-exaggerated sigh. "Oh, I suppose so." They both burst into laughter again, snickering when people look over in drunken confusion.

"To answer your question," Rogue whispers in Sting's ear the next time they're close enough in the rotation, "I mean we should read them after that."

"Figured as much," Sting smirks.

"Then why the hell did you ask?!" Rogue exclaims, pulling back to start another spin.

Sting chuckles as he rotates Rogue around a little too fast, moving his feet slightly above tempo. "Because I wanted to see you get embarrassed about it."

Rogue rolls his eyes as Sting pulls him back up to his chest, so close they could feel each other's breath on their skin. "Figured as much."

Sting snorts as he replies jokingly, "Then why did you ask?"

That sets them off again, laughing over how different and yet how similar they are. Opposites attract, they do say. But it seemed that every day they found more and more similarities, and their bond only got stronger.

The rest of the night was a whirlwind of white until the party ended and they walked home together in silence, holding hands and brushing shoulders. Once they were home, they fell into each other, joining into one in perfect unison, breathing into each other's hearts and souls. Afterwards they laid awake, laughing over their cheesy vows and awkward stories from the years they'd been together, reliving the past in its full glory.

Looking back on it, they would both agree without hesitation that day was one of the best of their lives.

For nothing was more important to them than each other.