Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail

Sting didn't know what he had been thinking. His hand slid from her wrist to her slim waist as he let his eyes drift closed. Her lips felt so good against his, so soft and warm.

But she wasn't reacting. The angel slayer was simply standing and waiting, waiting for it to be over, he realized. The kiss had been forced; Rin didn't want it. Instantly, he released her from his hold and took a step back.

She stood there, no emotion visible on her pale face. Snow started falling again, thick flakes raining from the skies and decoration her jet black hair. Sting wanted to speak, but he simply couldn't.

He watched as the fairy approached him and laid an item on his palm, before closing his hand into a fist. Then, without a word, she turned and left, but as their gazes met one final time, he swore he saw teardrops shimmering in the bright moon shine between the falling snow. And then she was gone.

Sting opened his balled fist, revealing a sight that made his eyes water. The necklace he had given her the day before. The glimmering snowflake charm that she had claimed to love so much. Her final goodbye.

The blonde fell to his knees, his aura amplifying as he gave his magic free rein. White light danced through the pitch black skies as his ice cold teardrops fell to the gravel ground below him.

"AAAAAARGHHHHH!" He screamed, the light exploding, shimmering, dancing, an anthem of endless sorrow and regret. To anyone else it was simply fireworks lit an hour to early. But to Sting it was something completely different.

All the feelings he had been bundling up within him, erupting into one orchestra of emotions. The gravel beneath him cracked as he let his fists slam to the ground, again and again, until his knuckles were torn and bleeding.

He was being completely drained.

Sting didn't notice the approaching shadows until Rogue kneeled beside him. "I'm sorry." It was the only thing the teen could offer before the white dragon fell into his arms and cried.

Rogue had told him that he wouldn't be his shoulder to cry on, but he had heard and seen everything that had happened. And honestly, a part of him wanted to punch Sting straight across the face. But he couldn't reverse what had happened.

Both of the shadow dragon's best friends were hurting and he knew it, but he didn't know what he could do about it. So he just stayed like that for a while, embracing the sobbing and broken vessel that used to be the lively dragon slayer he called friend.

Rogue watched and scoffed as Sting hiccuped and swayed, barely holding onto his consciousness. That idiot had used up too much of his magic at once during his little brake down.

Carefully, Rogue let some of his own magic flow into the weak body of his companion, who was standing on his feet before the shadow dragon could even blink.

He looked up at Sting, who - to his surprise - was offering him a sad smile as he held a hand out for the raven haired tiger. "We're both sorry." The blonde offered as Rogue took his hand and pulled himself up. But before he could utter a single word, Sting had dashed off.

Thumping footsteps and heavy breathing filled the atmosphere as a certain dragon slayer dashed through the dimply lit streets, his blonde hair no more than a flash of color against the ever consuming shadows.

Sting was breathing heavily when he arrived at Rin's house. He didn't stop running though. All the way to the doorstep. The white dragon slayer stood before the threshold, ringing the bell relentlessly.

He banged on the wood with all his might and shouted; "RIN! RIIIN!" No answer. The lights in the large house were diminished and there was no sign of any form of inhabitant. If she hadn't returned to her house, were had she gone?!

Sting yelled out in frustration, gripping his blonde tresses and falling into seat on the steps in front of the door. He was so wrapped up in his regret that he didn't even sense her lingering scent.

Rin was there. She had been for the last half an hour since when Sting had arrived. The fairy was crouching behind a corner only few meters away from her homestead. She didn't want to go out to meet him. She couldn't. So she waited.

The blond teen was just sitting there, his head resting in the palms of his two hands, but she knew he wasn't asleep. Every now and then, she could sense his wary, sapphire gaze scanning the area. Rin had concealed her magic and scent, so he shouldn't be able to sense her.

She brushed a loose strand of jet black hair out of her face and pulled out her phone. 11:57 pm. 7 missed calls and 24 messages from Sting and 2 messages from Rogue.

The ice wizard read the latter's contact attempts. 'Don't be so harsh on Sting.' Rogue had written, and; 'You know he didn't mean whatever he said.'

She swallowed hard. She knew he didn't mean it, but she just couldn't get over it. It's not that she was angry about the insults, she was more so angry about the way he had talked about Rogue than her.

She ran a hand through her long dark tresses, now damp from the continuous snowfall. The silver in her hair seemed duller, more lifeless.

She sighed as she admitted the thought: What made her refuse to go out there was the fact that all the insults he had thrown her way had been truthful. She knew he was just pissed and needed a anger outlet, but behind every false statement there is an element of truth, no matter how small it may be.

Rin didn't want apologies. She wanted a break. She wanted time to herself to sort her problems and flaws out. But even if it weren't so. She grazed her slender, pale fingers along her lips and did a sharp breath intake. The kiss. She didn't know how to react or what to do. What had it meant?

Thousands of questions swarmed her mind and the black haired mage groaned. It was too much for her. She looked back around the corner and her lip began to wobble.

It was almost midnight already; the fireworks would go off in any second, Sring would go find Rogue, they would return to Sabertooth and Rin would never see or talk to them again.

She would have liked to let herself believe she was fine with that, but there Sting was, sitting alone on her doorstep on the grand festival night, waiting for her return so he could apologize. In that split second a light flashed.

The fireworks lit up with a bang, decorating the night sky with colors from all around the spectrum, leaving beautiful shining dust and color in their wake as they soared across the pitch black heavens. And Sting was still alone. She saw him raise his head to the sound, saw the silver lining his faded, sapphire eyes.

Footsteps rang through the empty air as Rogue approached his comrade. For a single moment, Rin and his gazes met, his crimson stare burning through her, but to her surprise he didn't say anything; he simply continued on and sat down nest to Sting.

The twin dragons sat in silence as tears leaked from the blonde's eyes. Rin had turned away and was leaning against the cold wall, her eyelids squeezed shut as teardrops of her own cascaded down her smooth face.

Regret.

Fear.

Sorrow.

She felt everything at once and wanted the emotions to stop. But Sting and Rogue didn't leave. They waited. Waited for her. The white dragon slayer would occasionally check his phone for any response, but nothing came.

Rogue had seen her though; why didn't he tell? Rin stayed in the shadows and relaxed. Their train was leaving at 3 am, so they had too leave at some point soon, but - unconsciously- after some time the fairy herself dozed off.

Her eyelids fluttered open again later to the sound of footsteps and voices. They were leaving. Rin checked her phone: 02:30 am. They had waited this long for her.

She shifted her weight and stretched her leg, as she had gotten a cramp from the nap. The black haired beauty watched the two tigers retreating backs in agony until they disappeared into the shadows of the allies beyond.

A sudden shock hit her like a brick to the head. That had been her last chance to say goodbye, to change her mind, to apologize. Luckily, they had carried around their small amount of luggage because she had not suspected to come back here with them tonight anyway.

She had won the battle against her heart; suppressed the urge to run up to her two friends and apologize for everything.

She finally was free again, able to do anything she wanted without thinking twice about consequences, but she had lost the two people most dear to her. A rather pyrrhic victory.

Rin slowly stumbled to the door, staring down at the place where the twin dragons had been sitting with a woebegone expression concealing her usual ebullient features and as she unlocked the door and crossed the threshold, she acknowledged with much reluctance that it would never be the same between them again.