Thank you to everyone that has reviewed! I can't believe how much you guys are liking this story.
I need an opinion... To anyone that has written stories and had to decide between rating it T and M - At what point do you bump it up to M? I have this as T right now because, seriously, there are some hot and heavy movies out there rated PG-13. This story probably won't get more explicit than this chapter is, though this definitely isn't the last of that sort of scene. So, after reading this chapter, does anyone think I should move the rating up? Review or PM me to let me know. Thanks!
Please expect and excuse typos. I tried to catch them all but made way more mistakes than usual with this new, ergonomic keyboard I'm using. It feels weird but is so much more comfortable!
It didn't go unnoticed by Sting when Rogue and Lucy slipped back into the guild hall, sneaking in from the direction of the back room Yukino had shown Lucy earlier that day. His above average observational skills were part of what made him such an awesome master. Nothing happened at the guild that he wasn't aware of. Like Orga and Rufus. They thought they were so sneaky, but Sting knew the truth.
A quick glance over at Orga showed the god slayer hadn't missed the couple's arrival, either. Sting would let them hide for now, since it would only be a matter of time before they were outed by the green haired giant. Orga could never keep his mouth shut around Rufus, enjoying gossip as much as his not-so-secret lover.
Watching the pair now settled in the shadowy corner Rogue usually haunted, Sting realized they were almost like new people. He hadn't seen his partner looking this relaxed and carefree since they were children, before they had been separated after the death of their dragons. Even Lucy looked different. The smile she directed at Rogue was a little brighter and looked more genuine than any Sting had seen on her.
The White Dragon Slayer was feeling pretty proud of himself for bringing them together again. He felt he deserved a pat on the back, even if things didn't go according to his plan. But when did they ever? Now that Lucy and Rogue were together, Sting would have to see if Lucy could help him out with Yukino. He didn't understand how the woman could be so blind to his affections. Sometimes he wondered if she acted naïve on purpose, but that couldn't be it. No woman in their right mind would pass up the chance to be with the great Sting Eucliffe. He'd just have to talk to Lucy. His newfound sister was close to Yukino, so maybe she could give him some pointers.
While Sting was busy plotting, Lucy and Rogue were enjoying being close in a way they had never been before. Since stepping out of the water in the park, the two had barely stopped touching, only parting long enough for Lucy to change back into her mini shirt and shirt. Even now while sitting at the table in Rogue's corner, his arm was wrapped around her waist with his thumb rubbing small circles on the skin exposed beneath the hem of her shirt. They were quiet, just soaking in the other's presence while waiting to see how long they could sit together in peace.
As expected, it didn't take long for word of their arrival to spread. Orga's loud whispering was overheard by several people, so the news spread like a wild fire. Rogue felt his shadows stir in irritation when he noticed one of the most annoying mages in the guild heading towards their table. He assumed the man had a death wish with the way he constantly tried to get on the dragon slayer's nerves.
The slightly intoxicated smelling man leaned forward with both hands planted on the table and leered at Lucy before giving Rogue a disbelieving look. "Looks like you finally found one willing to be your girlfriend." Turning back to Lucy, the man openly stared at her cleavage before meeting her gaze and adding, "The others couldn't stand him for more than a night. Not sure what you see in a broody one like him."
Rogue's temper flared but he kept a tight hold on his shadows. He knew from experience the overconfident mage would lose interest after being ignored and go away. Lucy seemed to have a different idea, though. The blonde leaned further into Rogue's side and stared up at him with an exaggerated look of infatuation before turning back to speak to the intruder. "I'm his first girlfriend, huh? Well, that's perfect since he's the first guy I've ever called my boyfriend."
"Why waste your time on him when you could have someone like me?" The man gestured to his entire body as if the choice were clear.
Lucy's arms wrapping around his waist kept Rogue from unleashing the shadows building around them and her head against his shoulder cut off the growl building in his chest. "No thanks. I'm good. He's the only one I've ever really wanted, the man of my dream. I highly doubt you could compete."
The dragon slayer only vaguely registered the man making one last insult before walking away as he thought over what she'd just said. Did Lucy really feel that way? Even being unsure of the answer, the idea still made Rogue happier than he thought possible.
Hours passed quickly with guild members coming and going to greet Lucy after they realized their visitor had returned. The earlier pool party had moved fully into the guild hall and been transformed into a karaoke party, complete with Orga's horrible singing. Rogue wasn't sure what to think when the giant talked Lucy into joining him. The dragon slayer knew from experience that Lucy sung nearly as badly as Orga. Maybe it was the alcohol, but the blonde didn't care about how she sounded or looked as she sang and danced on the stage in front of so many strangers. She was having fun, way more fun than she'd had in a really long time, and didn't want it to end.
When Rufus closed down the bar for the night, most of the mages started making their way out of the guild to wherever they would continue partying. Several of them invited Lucy along, she'd always been a social butterfly and made friends easily, but she turned them down. The blonde was tired after staying out late the night before with Yukino and Loke, waking up early, and then running around all day with Ryos. Plus, she doubted he was a partier and didn't want to be away from him for long after having only just been reunited.
It was an odd moment for Lucy when she realized only 24 hours earlier her life had felt completely different. This day had brought a whirlwind of emotions and changes that gave the blonde hope for the future for the first time since she started struggling with her sanity so long ago.
"Why did you get so quiet?" Rogue asked when he realized Lucy hadn't spoken in awhile and seemed to be deep in thought. She had been in an animated conversation only a few minutes ago with Yukino and Sting when the two joined them at their table, but was quiet now.
"Nothing, really. Just thinking about things."
"Good things?"
"Definitely." When Lucy smiled up at him like she was in that moment, it made Rogue's chest uncomfortably tight, but in a good way. Like he might burst if she didn't look away soon.
Sting's obnoxious voice ruined the moment. "Ok, love birds. That's enough with the gushy stuff. We gotta leave so they can close down the guild hall." Turning to look at Yukino, he asked, "Will you be alright to get to your apartment with Lucy?"
"I'm sure we'll be fine." "I'll go with them."
Yukino and Rogue spoke at the same time, which was weird to Sting. Rogue never cared about making sure anyone got anywhere safely. It must be about Lucy. He shrugged and said, "Well, I guess we can just all go together. I'm not in a rush to get home anyway."
As they walked out of the guild hall and down the two blocks to Yukino's apartment, Sting paid close attention to Rogue, trying to figure out why the guy got so worked up about the girls walking such a short distance. His twin seemed to become more agitated with each step, losing the relaxed aura he'd had all afternoon. It was kind of annoying when Sting thought about how possessive Rogue was acting. Did he really think she'd leave or just disappear? The blonde man suddenly realized that was exactly what Rogue's problem was and felt as dense as Lucy always accused him of being for taking so long to figure it out. Of course that's what Rogue was afraid of. He did kind of have a good reason for it.
When the girls waved goodnight and went inside Yukino's first floor apartment, Sting turned to Rogue. "You gotta get it together, man. She's not going anywhere tonight. You'll wake up tomorrow and she'll still be right here where you left her."
"I know that." Rogue snapped, no longer bothering to hide his building irritation. The voices of his darkest shadows had been whispering to him for several minutes, reminding him of the last time he'd said goodbye to Lucy. He'd suffered through so many years without her, never realizing how deeply he'd fallen into his darkness until she'd brought him back to the light. Rogue never wanted to experience that again.
"Hey," Sting's hand on his shoulder ended Rogue's thoughts. "It'll be alright."
Knowing he couldn't do anything more to help his brother out, Sting turned to leave and let Rogue get through this on his own. The guy would probably stand out here all night just to make sure nothing happened.
Rogue stood there for what felt like hours, a feeling he assumed was fairly accurate, listening to Lucy and Yukino talk. His blonde mate didn't leave out many details of their afternoon together, something he was equally proud of and embarrassed by. She described kissing him in a way that made him wish he could be right there next to her so he could kiss her again. Yukino's girlish squealing dampened the feeling, though.
Eventually, both women went their separate ways for the night. He hadn't known until that evening that Yukino's apartment had two bedrooms, having never really socialized with his guildmates. Sting's scent all over the place let Rogue know his twin had been here often, though.
When the apartment became completely quiet, Rogue moved to hide in the shadows near the window of the room Lucy slept in. Her light breathing comforted him, reminding him she was still in there and hadn't disappeared again. The dragon slayer knew he was behaving oddly and was slightly disappointed with himself, but he ignored all of that in favor of just listening to Lucy breathe.
At some point, the blonde must have rolled over or pulled the pillow over her face because Rogue could barely hear her anymore. The panic he felt hit immediately and it hit him hard. Voices in his mind taunted him, telling him she was gone and he should recede back into the darkness where it was safe with them. He wouldn't give in, he couldn't. So, Rogue did the only thing he knew he could do to remind himself she was really still in there.
Sliding in through the tiny crack beneath the seal of the window wasn't hard in his shadow form. Rogue reemerged in the darkest corner of the room where Lucy slept and just stared at the lump that was her body in the bed. Seeing her long, blonde hair spilling out from beneath the pillow covering her head calmed his racing heart and quieted the voices in his mind. Even with her face covered, the dragon slayer could now hear her breathing more clearly.
Now that his panic had eased, Rogue was feeling like a complete stalker. Why in the world was he hiding in her room, staring at her while she slept? If Sting saw him now, he'd never let Rogue live it down. This was probably the lowest of lows for him. It was unacceptable of him to act this way.
The dragon slayer had just begun gliding towards the window to escape when Lucy started to stir, making him freeze in place. Moving drowsily, the blonde pulled the pillow off and sat up to look around. It was easy to see with the annoying street light shining so brightly through the window. She was glad to realize her instincts weren't wrong when she saw Rogue hiding in a shadow.
A sleepy smile tugged at her lips as she said, "Hey, weirdo. Can't sleep?" When he only shook his head in response, she went on, "Well, quit acting like a creeper and come here."
Lucy pulled back the blankets, motioning for Rogue to join her. "It'll be just like the good ol' days when you used to sneak into my bed when you had a nightmare. But this time you don't have to keep a pillow between us."
Though he was embarrassed at the reminder of his once childish behavior, Rogue immediately stepped out of the shadow and kicked off his shoes before joining her in the bed. She didn't resist when he put his arms around her to pull her against him with her head tucked under his chin. The dragon slayer was glad she said to leave the pillow out of the way. It had been appropriate when they stayed together at the inn but this was much more comforting. Feeling her body against his erased the lingering doubts in his mind.
Lucy wiggled until she could pull one of her arms free and laid it over Rogue's arm so she could reach up to play with his hair. She started weaving her fingers through it, playing with the silky, soft strands exactly like she used to when they were younger. Well, he was a lot younger. With a soft sigh, she said, "This is nice, much better than before. Now I don't have to worry about feeling like I might be a creepy pedophile."
Her horrible joke made him laugh quietly, which made her laugh in turn. When they were quiet again, Lucy pressed her lips to his skin and whispered, "Goodnight."
The blonde was asleep again almost instantly, but Rogue laid there for awhile trying to stay awake. He wanted to enjoy this feeling as long as possible. Her fingers had stopped moving rhythmically through his hair but still occasionally twitched against his scalp, as if she felt his need for comfort even while asleep. Lucy was here, she was real, and he wasn't going to lose her again. With the tension in his chest completely eased, the dragon slayer let himself be lulled into a deep sleep by the sound of her breath moving in and out of her lungs and her heart beating slowly in her chest.
Morning came quickly, the sun waking Rogue before Lucy. He lay still in the bed, not wanting to disturb her while she slept a little while longer. Though they both had shifted during the night, their legs were still tangled together and his arm was wrapped around her body while her head was resting on his shoulder with one hand on his chest. It was an excellent way to start the day, in his opinion.
The sweet moment was ruined when Yukino opened the door and a shrill squeaking noise escaped her. Rogue couldn't believe he didn't hear her coming, but assumed he must have been too distracted by Lucy, who was now awake and looking around confusedly. The white haired woman apologized over and over, hiding her face in her hands. "I had no idea you were here! This is so embarrassing."
Lucy sat up, still groggy from having woken suddenly from a deep sleep. "Don't worry about it, Yuki. We were just sleeping."
"I'm just going to go and uh, um, start some coffee." Yukino scurried out of the room with a bright blush on her face and closed the door behind her.
Plopping back onto the bed, Lucy said, "Well, now I'm wide awake. I wonder why she acted like a blushing virgin."
"Probably because she is."
Lucy stared at Rogue in disbelief. "No way! I just assumed she and Sting had something going on with the way they act around each other. Are you telling me they aren't together?"
Rogue nodded, which sent Lucy's mind running with possibilities. She had to help her fellow Celestial Mage out with that. The blonde couldn't believe those two had been in a guild together for so long and were still dancing around each other.
Throwing back the covers and standing from the bed, Lucy stretched her body until her back popped. She missed the way his eyes traveled over her body taking in the way her thin top did nothing to hide her curves and the panties she slept in barely covered her ass. How had he not noticed how little she was wearing last night? Rogue looked away from her just in time for Lucy to miss his ogling when she turned and said, "I'm going to hop in the shower. My hair still stinks like river water."
"Mine does as well. I'll need to leave so I can shower…" Though he didn't finish the thought, Lucy heard the unspoken end of that sentence 'but I don't want to go without you.'
"You probably have spare clothes at the guild, right? If you want, we can head over there when I'm done so you can use the showers before anyone else get there."
Rogue nodded and a small knot of insecurity unwound itself in him. Lucy wasn't bothered by his fear of leaving her side. What he didn't know was that she felt the same way. Fear of losing Ryos again was what kept Lucy from sleeping well before he'd been next to her and why she was so aware of his presence in the room.
Hearing the arrival of another person to the apartment, Rogue said, "It sounds like Sting is here. I'll go see what he wants since he's probably looking for me."
It didn't take Rogue long to find the kitchen even though he'd never been in the apartment. Sting was already seated at Yukino's table with a cup of coffee in his hand next to what appeared to be Rogue's usual long sleeved shirt and pants along with his preferred soap.
With a nod towards the pile, Sting said, "Figured you didn't make it home last night and you'd be wanting a shower." His nose crinkled a little before the blonde man went on, "Yeah, you definitely need one. You stink."
Rogue rolled his eyes but still sat next to his partner and accepted coffee from Yukino with a nod. Looking at Sting, he said, "Thanks."
"Eh," the other slayer shrugged, "that's what brothers do."
When the shower turned off, Rogue waited long enough for Lucy to finish dressing and then stood from his seat at the table with his clothes and soap in hand. Just as he was about to knock on the bathroom door, Lucy opened it and jumped in surprise. "Oh, Ryos! I didn't know you were standing there. Being a creep again?"
Her teasing smile, the smell of her freshly cleaned skin still warm from the shower, and the way water dripped from her wet hair onto her exposed skin overwhelmed his senses. And the way she said his name so casually. It did something to Rogue. He stepped into the bathroom, which forced Lucy to take a step backwards, and closed the door behind him while dropping his things on the counter.
"Ryos?" Lucy asked, slightly confused by his actions. The sound of his name on her lips brought a hunger to his eyes that Lucy recognized. She needed him, too.
Stepping closer to him, the blonde put her arms around his neck and pressed her body fully against his as he leaned down to meet her lips. His hands roamed over her waist and hips, thrilling him with the way her curves felt beneath his fingers. An entirely different sort of ache built in Lucy, one she was familiar with but had never felt quite to this extreme.
Reaching down beneath her hips to lift his mate, Rogue set her down on the countertop and she immediately wrapped her legs around him, pulling him tightly against her. The heat of her core was warm through his thin clothes, making him shudder slightly. He broke away from their kiss to work down her neck, licking and sucking as he went, while his hands traveled beneath her shirt. Just as he was about to cup her breasts, loud banging on the door made them both jump. Sting's annoying voice was like cold water dumped on the couple. "Hey, Yukino just finished making breakfast. Hurry up."
A disappointed huff left Lucy's lips as she let her head fall against Ryos' chest. She felt him rest his head against the top of hers as she said, "I guess I should go out there."
He nodded but stopped her from leaving right away when she hopped off the counter, pulling her in for one more kiss. Lucy felt like electricity was coursing through her body by the time he let her go.
Just before she stepped out of the bathroom, Rogue asked, "Can we go somewhere together this morning?"
"Sure. Where do you want to go?"
"It's a surprise, but you'll probably figure it out before we get there."
The blonde looked down at her outfit for the day, wondering if tiny denim shorts and a tank top were appropriate attire. Before she could even ask, Rogue said, "What you're wearing is fine."
With a beaming smile, Lucy left the bathroom to join a disgusted looking Sting and completely oblivious Yukino in the kitchen. The white haired woman asked, "Was the shower alright? I was afraid the hot water might run out. Seems to happen often in this building."
"Oh, the shower was great. Definitely hot enough."
Sting snorted loudly before adding, "Yeah, I bet it was."
