Author's Note: Heyo!

This chapter is being posted a little later in the day because I almost didn't wake up to post it- not gonna lie. I've been worshipping the porcelain gods with a biznasty stomach bug so I might miss tomorrow's update. To be honest, the only reason I remembered today's was because I couldn't fall back asleep. qwq''

All of that aside, things are finally getting more and more light-hearted with Rogue and Lucy because she's finally talked about all the crap that she'd going through. The sad thing is that all of those things are canon- I didn't make a damn one of them up for the sake of this story at all. I explain a little more about how I personally believe the mating process to work and then there's more fluffy RoLu goodness in the end. c; hope you guys like it. I'm very happy everyone laughed so much at Minerva's pussy up statement- those comments made my day so much brighter.

I'm going to go back to focusing on getting in better health and I'll see you guys next time I update! (hopefully tomorrow if I'm feeling well enough, if not then Friday.)


The Release

With thoughts more scrambled than the eggs Lucy made for breakfast for him and his crew, Rogue walked probably a little too slowly to the guild hall. His mind was working way too quickly, way too messily, for him to properly settle on one thought for too long. He was worried as hell because this wasn't his story to tell. This wasn't a subject to be taken lightly, either. And it was something entrusted to him to pass along. Trust that he felt like he didn't deserve. But, at the same time, he felt happy about it. The minor (or, rather, major) jealousy he felt at not being able to soothe the woman on his own when she had nearly single-handedly soothed most of his doubts alone... That was gone. It wasn't completely gone, as it was still nagging at the back of his mind, but it was replaced almost completely by happiness.

She trusted him.

He was the one she opened up to like this. She could have gone to Yukino, Minerva, Rufus... Hell, she could have gone to Natsu- the thought of which only made him madder than he was already. But, instead of them, she came to him. Lucy, one of the most beloved people of all time... The woman who almost completely cleansed his hands of her blood (though that would never truly leave, that much he knew), the woman who brought back Fairy Tail when everyone was certain there was no hope for the disbanded guild, the woman who has been tortured more times in her life than he dared to think about and still came out with her chin high...

The beacon of light that was Lucy Heartfilia.

She opened up to him before she did her team. Before her best friend, Levy. And that made his inner dragon purr and beam in happiness. It was the only thing- the only thought- that helped put a pep back in his steps so he didn't seem too out of it. Or, at least, he hoped it did. When he entered the guild again, it didn't seem like people were looking at him strangely. That tended to happen when he had upsetting thoughts on his mind, and it didn't happen this time.

Thankfully.

He didn't think he would be able to handle the news he had to be the bearer of on top of ignorant people giving him the look.

At the bar, Rufus was seen mixing drinks like the pro he was while Minerva and Orga seemed to be in the middle of a heated debate. If it were an argument, neither of the two would have those grins on their faces. And, really, it wasn't until Dobengal looked his way that his presence was even noticed by any of the three members of his team.

"Rogue," the ninja greeted with a nod.

He nodded in return, noticing that his name alone was enough to get everyone's attention to face him. Well, 'everyone' being the three people who actually mattered at the moment.

"Dobengal, I understand you've taken position at the bar more times than you should have been this week, but I will personally give you twenty thousand jewel if you man it for another hour or three."

Everyone in the guild was silent now, looking at the shadow mage curiously.

"Rogue? What's goin' on, man?" Orga asked, his tone careful.

The shadow mage shook his head and bit his lower lip gently.

I just... I don't think I can handle them yelling at me about it...

He inhaled shakily and crossed his arms in an attempt to seem more composed than he actually was- but the four at the bar saw right through that. He knew they did. But, he had to take pointers from the blonde woman currently alone in his house probably crying. And that thought hurt his heart a shit ton more than he ever wanted to admit aloud. She was stronger than anyone else he knew, emotionally, and even though his own emotions were an absolute mess he could never get a proper handle on... He had do to the same thing she always managed to do. Ignore his own shit to help others.

"Minerva, I need you to go get Yukino and take her to my house. Tell Sting he needs to meet the rest of us in the office."

"A team meeting?" Rufus inquired, his brows furrowing so much that you could actually see the emotion of worry on his face past the mask he wore. "What's going on, Rogue?"

The shadow mage set his eyes hard. "It's about Lucy. Something very important. She wants to talk to Minerva and Yukino herself- probably to tell them about what's going on. And she requested that I tell everyone in our team and the rest of the Slayers about it."

Orga was instantly out of his seat. "Shit, is it that serious?"

Rogue, his eyes already cold, felt his jaw clench and he grounded his teeth together a little. "It's... It's a lot worse than just one small thing affecting her to retreat like this. I'll elaborate when we're behind closed doors."

"Don't worry about the jewel, Rogue," the ninja said, nodding to him. "I'm sure my feelings are aligned with everyone's when I say she's a member of Sabertooth- official or not. If it's for her safety and comfort, I don't mind working a little more than usual."

Only then did the red eyed man realize everyone had been listening up until that point when the entire guild seemed to agree in unison. Surprisingly, that sated a little of his worry and a smile- rare to see without the blonde woman around- lifted the corners of his mouth. "I don't think you guys realize how happy she would be to hear that."

Minerva stood from her seat, placing a gentle hand on the ogre's shoulder to relax him at least a little bit. "So she wants to talk to Yuki and I herself..?"

"Yes."

"Is there anyone else that needs to be added to our group?" Rufus asked, stepping out from behind the bar.

It was then that Rogue had to make a decision. Lucy wanted him to tell her team when they were here tomorrow, but he didn't know if a Lacrima Comm call would suffice. In fact, he planned on skipping that altogether to just tell them in person... But there was one other person he felt needed to know. "Go ahead of us to the office and get Master Makarov on the line. Make sure his office is soundproof. I don't need the Slayers finding out about this before tomorrow night."

"Understood. I'll use the guild's comm. It should be better to get a hold of him that way" Rufus said with a nod before heading to the office.

Rogue sighed and shook his head. This wasn't his story to tell, but here he was. While it bothered him a little that he had to be the bearer of bad news, all it took was one thought to calm him down. That she trusted him enough to ask him to help her. Fully mated yet or not, she was still the single most important person in his life. And he was more than happy to help her like this. Worried? Yes, he was very worried. Scared? Yeah, that too. Was he ready to do this? Probably not. But he would do it. For her, he would do anything.

While wrapped up in his thoughts, Minerva had tiptoed (and pulled the largest Saber down) to place a kiss on his cheek. "I'll be back later, okay?" she whispered, a soft but worried smile on her features.

"You stay safe," Orga said, pulling her into a hug and placing another kiss to the top of her head.

She scoffed playfully. "Please. You might be the strongest member of our guild, but I'm a damn close second and you know it. I can handle myself," she responded.

He chuckled at her words, his laugh rumbling in his chest in a way that seemed to calm the territory mage down. "I know, I know. I can't help but worry, though. Y'know what ya mean to me."

"I know," she whispered, even softer than her first whisper. "I love you."

"And I love you," he said, placing a final kiss to the top of her head. "Now go. You've got a Fairy needing you."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going," she said, waving him off as she pulled away and walked out of the guild.

The worry that seemingly saturated her heart and overwhelmed her feelings never once showed itself on her face. She's had years and years of experience- the experience she needed to perfect the poker face she sported now. If anyone from Fairy Tail asked, she would adamantly deny how close of a friend she considered the blonde woman to be and brush it off as mere acquaintanceship. It would be a completely bullshit statement- not that they would ever know. Minerva had come to think of Lucy as an adopted sister of sorts and it was that feeling that only made the worry gripping at her person even worse.

Of all of their team, Yukino lived the closest to the guild and it didn't take long to get to her house. Thankfully.

The black haired woman didn't know if she could handle being alone for another second. Not with the thoughts that threatened to make worry visible.

So the moment that she came up on the quaint little white house, she wasted no time in pounding her fist against the blue door. "Yukino, Sting! Get your asses covered, I'm coming in!"

Hey, at least she gave them a little warning this time.

She didn't need a dragon slayer's acute hearing to hear the rather loud and grumpy grumbling coming from somewhere further back in the house. No, the moment she opened the door, she knew Sting was going to be angry. He was spending time alone with his mate and, really, Minerva was the only woman with enough courage (or was it sheer stupidity) to briefly come between a dragon slayer and his mate. She had heard from Rufus about the training Lucy and Yukino were doing and she had heard about how horribly Sting retaliated to it. The moron. Yukino would never get stronger like she had wanted to if he kept coddling her like that.

It took about two minutes of Minerva standing there in the doorway for the two to come out- dressed just enough to cover themselves. Yukino was obviously clad only in a shirt of Sting's that he probably left here long before this particular night and Sting only had on a pair of pajama pants. The black haired woman hoped- in vain- that the two at least had underwear on... But with how quickly they came out as compared to times previous, she knew they didn't.

"Mini, what are you-"

"We were in the middle of something, Minerva," Sting interrupted the soft spoken woman harshly. "What do you need?"

She raised a brow at him, her eyes not showing even a hint of amusement to them. "Get your slayer calmed down, Yukino, I'm not here to fight him but I swear I will."

He growled at the tan woman aggressively before Yukino put her hand on his shoulder. The light haired woman rubbed at the upper portion of his back and the slayer calmed down a little- but not completely. "What's going on?"

"It's Lucy."

At those two words, the mated couple froze and the man's anger almost completely left him at that point. They made no move to speak, so the territory mage continued.

"Sting, I told you last time I barged in here that I wasn't going to interrupt your sex time-"

"We just got finished, actually," Yukino interrupted with a soft smile on her face- causing a crimson blush to coat the slayer's cheeks.

Minerva snorted in response and she rolled her eyes. "Never took you for the post-sex-cuddle type, Sting. But anyway. I told you I wouldn't interrupt your shit unless it was important. And, from what Rogue said, it's more than a little important."

"What did he say?" the blond asked.

She shrugged lightly. "I assume she finally opened up to him about what's been bothering her because he called a team meeting in your office- one that Makarov is apparently going to be listening to, as well. He said that Lucy wanted to talk to Yuki and I personally, but wouldn't say much more until everyone was behind closed doors."

Yukino nodded and Sting left her to walk further back into the house. "We'll get dressed. Do you mind waiting for us outside?"

"I don't mind, but I'd suggest hurrying up. The way Rogue was talking has everyone in the guild hall thinking she's about to die in twenty minutes."

"That is so not funny right now, Minerva!" Sting hollered from whatever room he was currently occupying.

She simply snorted and shrugged- not that he could see. "It's true. That's how worried everyone is."

Yukino nodded and went back further into the house with Sting while Minerva, as promised, waited outside for the couple to finish getting dressed and ready.

When the two came outside, Sting had given Yukino a goodbye kiss- that Minerva gagged as loudly as possible in response to (that he flipped her off for)- and they parted ways. Yukino and Minerva headed west towards Rogue's house while Sting headed east towards the guild. Though the two women were free to talk about whatever they wanted at that point, neither of them said a single word. Their hearts were too heavy and their minds too frantic to focus on talking- though they probably should have. It took only four minutes to reach Rogue's house, but it felt like they had only been walking for sixty seconds. Time flies when you're preoccupied.

And the moment they opened the door, they were met with a sobbing Lucy. She was curled up on the white couch, clutching her knees to her chest and holding something in her hands so tightly neither woman could see what it was. Her hair was slightly damp and she was wearing a strange white shirt that said Leos do it best and was wearing her lion slippers- but they were unsure if she was wearing anything other than those two things. Her hiccuping and pained cries were the only thing that made the two tigresses close and lock the door and literally run over to her side.

Lucy was pulled gently to rest on Yukino's shoulder and Minerva was rubbing the blonde's back gently.

"I-I'm sorry... I'm so.. So sorry..." she cried out, curling in on herself even more.

"Sweetie," Yukino cooed, "there's nothing to apologize for. You're hurting and you're allowed to hurt."

"Come on, Lulu," Minerva said softly. "Just let it all out and we can talk after you're done, okay?"

The blonde's cries got louder at that point, her shaking got worse and her tears fell harder. No matter how upsetting it looked to be, the two women were happy that, finally, she was letting out everything she had held to herself to that point.


The inside of the master's office was like a commercial for eye drops gone wrong.

The elder man on the lacrima screen looked to be in such pain that anyone who didn't know what was just spoken would think he just watched Natsu, Erza and Gray get their asses handed to them and were on their death beds. Orga held his head in his hands, his elbows resting on his knees, and with this way his hands were positioned it was rather obvious he was attempting to shield the others from seeing the tears slipping off his cheeks and nose to fall to the floor. Rufus had his back to the group, but the gentle shaking of his shoulders spoke levels to what they couldn't see. Sting had punched a hole in one of his bookshelves and was pacing the floor in a vain attempt to hold back his own water works. The two exceed were holding each other, not making much sound on Orga's lap.

Rogue was the most composed- but that didn't mean that tears weren't lining his own red eyes.

"My child dealt with all of this on her own and held her head high the entire time," Makarov said glumly. There was a pause as he composed himself at least a little- though the sniffle from the elderly man let everyone know what it was that he was really trying to compose. "I caused her so much heartache..."

"It was not you alone, Master Makarov," Rogue said softly, trying to look anywhere but at the crying grandfather. There was something particularly heartbreaking about seeing someone like him cry. "You had your reasons for doing what you did, just as Natsu had his reasons for leaving the way he did and Gray and Erza had their reasons for not contacting anyone at all for so long."

Sting, in a fit of anger, punched his desk hard enough to splinter the wood. His other hand came up to cover his eyes. "Natsu should have at least told her to her damned face..."

"What's done is done," Rogue said, taking an unsteady breath. "I agree, but like I said. He had his reasons."

"And nobody... Nobody bothered to see past their own reasons and their own feelings to open their eyes?" Rufus accused pointedly.

It fell silent again. Orga sat back against the chair, looking up at the ceiling as though it would give him the answer to life, the universe, and everything.

"Blondie's held so much in it's insane," he said, his usually loud voice shaking. "I mean, other people go through a bunch'a bullshit too... But most people break after a while and tell at least someone..."

"Well, she told her spirits," the shadow mage reasoned.

The teal haired man shook his head. "Not what I mean and you know it."

"My child lost her mother at such a young, impressionable age.. Was looked at by her father as an item and a means to an end.. Carried the full weight of the Phantom Lord attack on her shoulders.. Carried the weight of the Infinity Clock... She's been tortured emotionally by her dear Aquarius and her father, physically by Gajeel, Flare and Minerva... She carried the weight of the Eclipse Gate and the Zodiac Rebellion on her shoulders... And lost her dearest friend. Her last line to her mother. And then we turned her backs on her." Makarov recounted, his hands coming up to cover his face. "And I didn't help her like I should have.."

"Gramps, you didn't know," Orga said softly. "None of us knew."

While Sting looked to the teal haired man like he had grown a second head (at the 'disrespectful' name he called the elder man), Makarov let out a wet laugh. The Holy Dragon Slayer was obviously unaware of the rather strange friendship that had bloomed between Orga and Laxus- resulting in Orga being comfortable enough around the short man to call him whatever he pleased. In response, the old man didn't even mind what he was called. The Fairy Tail wizards all called him the same thing, so to him, it only further proved that the two strongest guilds in Fiore were allied a lot closer than just with paper.

"I still should have been there," he whispered solemnly.

Rogue shook his head. "I was there. I know it means nothing, but from the moment she entered my life officially, I've done all I could to keep that sadness from her. I've known her for almost two full years and she's just now telling me, sir. There's nothing you could have done to get her to talk sooner than she did."

"And I can't thank you enough for being there for her when we were all too blind to see it."

Rufus used his handkerchief to wipe the tears from his eyes before turning around to finally face everyone once more. "Is there anything we can do now? Precious time has already been lost to us and-"

"There's not much we can do, Rufus," the red eyed man said solemnly. "She's hurting and comforting can only do so much. She doesn't want- or need- pity for her loss and all we can do is treat her like normal and help get her back into the swing of things. She seemed like she was feeling leagues better than she has been already."

The long haired blond man nodded and crossed his arms.

"Master Makarov, would you ask the dragon slayers to bring their mates- and Wendy- along tomorrow? I think Lucy would like to see them," Rogue asked.

The man cleared his throat and nodded. "They're all still here in the guild. I can tell them.. But.. Are you going to be safe, son? You too, Sting."

"We'll be fine," Sting replied, his throat hoarse. "Yukino's here to keep me grounded and Rufus has been looking into books on Rune Magic."

"Ask Lucy to help you, son. She's been learning from Freed and Levy to be more flexible no matter the situation."

Rufus attempted his usual smirk- though it didn't work as well as he wanted it to. "We'll just assign Lucy to assist Rogue, then."

Rogue groaned. "Rufus-"

"No that's actually a good idea, though," Sting interrupted the black haired man, his blue eyes wide. "Lucy's got your back, Yuki's got mine, and Rufus can write the runes around Yuki's house for me!"

The short man blinked and furrowed his brows. "Son... Are you saying what I think you are..."

Rogue groaned loudly and slapped his forehead loud enough for it to echo in the room. Orga looked like a lost and confused pup while Rufus actually managed to fix his smirk.

"We are, sir. Our dark dragon has been trying to deny it, but it's true," the memory mage said, obviously taking pleasure in Rogue's crimson red face.

Sting snorted. "I mean, his reasons for denying it are valid and damn good, though. He doesn't want to put her through anything else."

Makarov- to Rogue's surprise and chagrin- chuckled loudly at this. "Son, I have three dragon slayers of my own- one of which is my blood grandson. While I agree with your reasons, I can tell you that you need to tell her soon. Being a slayer, I know you'll protect her with your life and you've already done so much for her when I was too blind to see what she needed. You're more than okay in my book."

Orga groaned and stretched- popping his back in the process- before speaking up. "Okay okay, I get it I'm a half-wit here that can't keep up with y'er weird ass lingo.. But seriously, someone, fill me in already!"

"Lucy is Rogue's mate," Rufus and Sting said simultaneously.

"Ohhh.. Oh. Oh shit man, are you serious?!" the ogre yelled, jumping out of his seat, throwing the exceeds down on the ground without meaning to.

"Orga-san! Watch out next time!" Lector scolded, helping the still-sniffling Frosch up.

If the shadow dragon's face could get any redder, it would have. "..Yeah."

Makarov laughed again. "There's nothing to be embarrassed about, my boy."

"There is when you have no choice in who it is and your mate could very well not want to be with you," Rogue growled out- though the growl sounded more like a plea to shut the topic off before it got out of hand.

Sting paused but nodded in agreement. "Man, I get that feeling. Trust me."

The old man furrowed his brows. "Boys, do you not understand how your mates are chosen?"

The dragon slayers- and Rufus- shook their heads.

Makarov shook his head and sighed. "It's not some luck-of-the-draw or random thing. Your inner dragon recognizes people you have strong feelings for- strong respect, strong friendship, strong love, strong hatred even... And it narrows those people down to the people you feel the most comfortable around. When you first meet your mate- as well as others you will develop strong bonds with- you will feel very comfortable around them for no apparent reason. And, out of those people, your inner dragon will analyze them to find the strongest one. The one who balances your qualities out best. But, more than that, your mate will have touched you- your magic.

"They will have reached out and went right past who you show yourself to be and went straight for who you really are. The moment they prove that they can see through that and see who you really are is the moment your inner dragon decides. The moment their magic reaches out to you is the moment they reciprocate the feelings. And, once your inner dragon has accepted them and their magic touch, it will be finalized."

The room went silent, listening to the information given and thinking it over. Orga was the first to speak up after a pregnant pause.

"So does that mean Rogue and Lucy have been talkin and meetin in secret?"

Sting barked a laugh. "They sure as hell have been! Sending letters to each other and talking on the comm like some stupid romance movie-"

"Sting, shut up before I shove my boot up your ass," Rogue threatened.

"Don't worry, son. I already know. Mirajane and I stumbled upon the letters you sent her."

"She.." he paused, his eyes going wide. "She kept them?"

"HA! You're heart going all ba-dum ba-dum, loverboy?" Orga teased.

"Rogue?" Frosch asked with a shaking voice, gaining everyone's attention. "Does this mean Fairy-san is Frosch's Mama like Yukino is Lector's?"

The black haired man groaned even louder. "I swear, I'm going to murder you," he growled low enough so that only Sting heard him before turning his attention to his exceed partner. "You'll have to ask her that, Frosch."

"Rogue, listen to me," Makarov said sternly all of a sudden. "This happened with Laxus. After he realized Mirajane was his mate- that I'm still beyond happy about- he tried to ignore it for a little over two weeks. In those two weeks, his magic pool began weakening and he couldn't hold down much food at all. The more you fight it, the worse off you'll be."


Back at Rogue's house, the women were in worse shape than the men at the guild were. Virgo sat on the edge of the coffee table in the living room, petting the blonde's hair softly and wiping her tears every so often. However, Lucy was sandwiched between the two Sabertooth women. Yukino had her back against the arm of the couch and Lucy had her back pressed against her, sitting between her legs that the light haired woman had wrapped around Lucy's waist. Lucy's head lay rested on her shoulder, giving Virgo access to pat and play with her hair whenever the spirit felt that she needed to. Minerva was laying on her side between Lucy's legs, her head on Lucy's shoulder and her legs trapping Lucy's right leg between them.

Tears had been shed like crazy over the hour and a half that they sat there. With the stories and feelings that the blonde woman was talking about, it was almost like she cut open her chest and slammed her heart down on the table for everyone to see. Virgo had showed up about thirty minutes into the story to make green tea for the women- adding in the honey that Lucy liked to her drink. Minerva and Lucy both bonded over their similar stories; Lucy's father saw her, for the longest time, as a porcelain doll that was to be groomed and raised as he wanted her to and sell her off to the highest bidder to expand their family's railways. Minerva's father saw her nearly the same- as a figure he could groom and raise and mold to what he wanted as a heartless and cruel weapon of war to further their guild and their strength. Though the end result and aim of their fathers were vastly different, the results and affect on the women were one in the same.

Minerva had apologized at least another four times to Lucy for the Games and for how she was during the war with Tartaros. Yukino had shared her background as well, garnering more tears, but later apologized to Lucy as well. Not for anything bad, though, and Lucy almost didn't accept the apology. She had apologized for forcing the King to make Lucy make the promise that she did and for not realizing the sacrifice it took for the blonde to have access to the Star Dresses. Lucy didn't like the apology because it hadn't been Yukino's fault in the least bit, but she accepted it begrudgingly.

Now, as the women sat there in a cuddle pile, sniffling and calming down from how hard they had been crying, the silence seemed all too welcoming. The three were tired, exhausted from the emotions and crying that they had done, but Lucy was finally feeling better. Genuinely feeling better. Not just distracted, but actually better. She had finally gotten everything- and she meant everything- off of her chest. From her childhood, the guilt she felt from the guild, and the wars she's seemingly the cause of to Aquarius and how bitter she had been about everyone leaving her alone like they did. Everything was finally off of her chest. It left her feeling heavy but simultaneously light. Like she could almost feel her heart and soul finally beginning to repair on their own.

And, even though the silence was very welcomed, it was Minerva who broke the silence and brought a change of topic- something that was also welcomed. "So where the hell did you get this shirt? Did Leo get you this?"

The blonde laughed, leaning her head against Virgo's hand a little more as the spirit played with her hair. "No, actually, this is Rogue's t-shirt."

Yukino grunted out a confused noise. "Wait, he's not a Leo, though."

"Nope," she said, putting more emphasis on the word by popping the 'p' sound. "I am, though. He got me a shirt a while back for my birthday that said Sagittarians do it better so I decided that I'd get him one that said Leos do it best."

The two tigers laughed heartily and the pink haired spirit even managed a light giggle at it. "Big Brother says you should take the shirt because it fits you better."

"Oh I bet he does," Lucy said, rolling her brown eyes. "He needs to put his nose in his own business sometimes."

"Sagittarius likes the shirt you have, though," the spirit remarked.

Lucy giggled and nodded. "I know he does. He gets so happy every time I wear it, I can feel it in his key."

"Lucy," Minerva started, nuzzling against the woman's shoulder lightly as she spoke, "how do you really feel about our shadow dragon?"

The blonde sighed heavily. There had been no secrets to this point and Lucy had honestly shared so much with the two women that she didn't think this little bit would matter that much. "I like him. Like... A lot."

"Oh really?" Yuki teased, looking down at the blonde. "Tell us more~"

The Fairy bit her lower lip and nodded. "Well... When he's away I feel like I'm missing a part of me. It's not that bad right now because I have you two and I'm in his house but... That feeling is still there. And he makes me so happy when he's around just.. Being himself. Like his existence is enough to make me the happiest girl in the world. And his smile is so sweet and it makes my stomach do fucking acrobatics... But let me tell you this," she paused to readjust how she was laying as her leg was beginning to fall asleep. "When he has that just-woke-up hair and voice... And his jaw is just there waiting to have hickies painted on it... It makes it hard to stop myself in the mornings."

"Oh, honey, that's not liking someone," Mini said, looking up at the woman with an eat-shit grin on her face. "You sooooo love him."

"Yeah... I do," she admitted, a light blush on her cheeks.

Yukino squealed behind her and even though the sound did hurt the Fairy's ears, she could tell the other had tried to keep it quiet. "You finally admit it! Aaaa!"

A pair of brown eyes rolled dramatically and watched the maid spirit take their cups back into the kitchen- probably to refill them. "So what? I have no idea if he feels the same way-"

"You're shitting me, right?" Minerva asked, untangling herself from their cuddle pile to sit up and give Lucy the most incredulous look. "I've been hearing about the shit you guys did- and have been doing- from Yukino and Rufus and Sting. Girl, open your eyes!"

"Besides," Yukino continued, scooting back a little to get a better look at the blonde. "From how you were talking? Sounds a lot like me. And Levy."

Lucy furrowed her brows and she sat up as well. "And? Why does that-"

"And Lisanna. And Mirajane. And Kinana."

Again, the Fairy was confused for a hot minute until it finally clicked in her head. They were all the mates of the dragon slayers she knew. While, at first a sort of fear washed over her, it was gone almost as soon as it came. It was like something deep inside of her knew that this was right- that it was true. And a part of her had known all along and was screaming at her for just now realizing this.

"Rogue and I both have way too much to deal with already-"

"Lucy," Yukino interrupted, holding the blonde's hand gently, "trust me on this. I was going through a massive wave of depression when Sting and I mated. It helped my mental state and helped him get over a little bit of his paranoia, too. You said it yourself, mating with a dragon can help heal you- not just physically but mentally too."

The blonde still seemed very hesitant but then she looked back to the light haired woman in a concerned manner. "Are you feeling any better from earlier?"

Yukino sighed but nodded with a smile. "I'm tired and a little sore, but I'm much better now."

"I'm sorry-"

"Princess, I've gotten everything laid out for dinner," Virgo said, walking back into the living room.

Lucy looked over at Yukino after her gaze was on the spirit that interrupted her apology. If what she said was true... "Will... Will you and Sting come by a little earlier tomorrow..?"

The woman furrowed her brows. "Of course.. But why?"

"I.. I'll do it. I'll tell him tomorrow morning but I can't do it alone... I need to have some sort of out if something goes wrong-"

"Girl, nothing will go wrong. Orga and I will come over for breakfast, too, if you want," Mini said.

Yukino shook her head. "Something could, Minerva. Sting said that Mira had confessed to Laxus three times before he finally accepted it. I don't think Rogue would turn her down, but who knows.."

Minerva paused and furrowed her brows as she stood up and stretched. "If he does shoot you down, I'll kick his ass for you."

Lucy laughed softly. "I don't think that will be needed... But thank you. Will you tell Rufus to come over for breakfast, too?"

"Sure thing, girl. Come on, lets go start on dinner for you guys," the black haired woman said, helping both celestial mages up off of the couch.

About twenty minutes into preparing dinner, Virgo had sent them along on their way to the guild to also tell Rogue that dinner was almost fully ready for him and Frosch. When both Saber mages were gone, the maiden turned and hugged Lucy tightly.

"You're feeling better, Princess. I'm glad," she said softly.

Lucy returned the hug without hesitation and exhaled deeply. "Yeah. I'm tired as hell but... I honestly feel so much better than I have in a long time."

The maiden nodded and removed herself from the embrace. "I'll wake you tomorrow to get up and prepare breakfast. I have a feeling you'll sleep in if I don't."

The blonde laughed and nodded and a silence fell over them as the two continued to work on dinner- which was a salad, steak, baked potatoes, and steamed vegetables. Furthermore, they had made a couple of grilled fish for the little exceed.

"Lady Yukino is right, you know," Virgo said idly. "Your magic accepted him a year ago. You both just took a little longer than we all thought to realize you were bound to end up mated."

Lucy smiled warmly and nodded. "...How is Loke taking it..?"

The pink haired spirit laughed softly. "Not very well, but he's coping. He's a lion- fierce, loyal and overprotective. He's just worried Rogue will end up hurting you."

The blonde nodded as she made the plates up. "Tell him that he's still my lion and my protector no matter what anyone says, okay?"

"Will do, Princess. Your dragon is here. I'll be on my way," she said a little hurriedly before returning to the spirit world.

An odd sense of comfort, happiness and pride exploded in her heart when she heard those two words. Your dragon, she said. He was her dragon.

A smile lifted the corners of her mouth and it was with this warm smile on her face that she greeted Rogue at the door with- three plates on her arms and a bowl for the salad, all balanced perfectly. She looked over and noticed how wide his beautiful red eyes were and how they seemed to dance in happiness. "Perfect timing! Dinner's just now done."

He licked his lips, though neither of them thought it was for the scent of the food she had prepared. Once again, he was more than excited- in more than one way- to see her in what looked like nothing other than his shirt. Well, his shirt that was about her star sign. Either way, it was his shirt and it still wore like a dress on her short, small figure. It seemed to fit well in the bust area- just as the other one did- but it was so loose and fell to her mid thigh that he couldn't help his eyes as they raked up her legs.

Frosch wiggled out of his arms and ran over to Lucy, where she promptly picked the exceed up with a large hug. "Fro loves you, Fairy-san!"

She giggled happily and nuzzled the top of the pink frog costume in the hug. "And I love you too, Frosch~"

"Fairy-san?"

"Yes dear?" she asked, looking down at the adorable cat in her arms.

With the world's sweetest and most innocent smile on the cat's face, Frosch asked the one question Rogue honestly wanted the exceed to wait to ask. "Can Frosch call you Mama?"

Her brown eyes widened in shock, but the smile that threatened to split her face in half was unmistakable. "Of course! I'd love that!"

"Yaaaay! Rogue! Mama made dinner!"

She looked over to him to see that the door had been shut and he was now standing right next to her. His arms wrapped around her waist loosely and he buried his face in her neck, his nose grazing across her pulse adoringly. "Well, we shouldn't keep Mama waiting, should we?"

And her heart must have skipped, like, forty beats. A pout was soon pulled to her face, though, as she realized that he was doing that lowkey teasing thing he did. "Alright then, Papa," she said pointedly, "take your seat then."

It was his turn for his heart to skip several beats. Frosch, still in Lucy's arms, only laughed adorably and jumped on the table to waddle over to the plate with two grilled fish on it.

Rogue, begrudgingly, pulled away from her and took his own seat next to Lucy's. Dinner was met with idle conversation and Frosch's random exclamations of happiness. It was the kind of dinner that you would see on some stupid Lacrima Vision sitcom where everything was too perfect for one night. She and Rogue bickered back and forth over small things that weren't supposed to matter- like what side of your plate you're supposed to put your drink down on. Frosch had fallen asleep on the table and Rogue, soon after he finished eating, took his partner to the bedroom to lay the exceed down at the end of the bed. After that, he changed into a pair of loose pajama pants and called it good.

When he returned to the kitchen, she was already in the middle of doing the dishes with a rather adorable pout pulled on her lips.

I don't. It's the little moments that drive away that fear... Waking up with her next to me, catching her in moments she wouldn't let anyone else see, just holding her... I just ignore it.

Rogue worried the flesh of his lower lip between his teeth and now fully understood what Sting had meant by that statement. Little moments like this one were the ones he was talking about. He returned to his place behind her, his arms once again snaking around her waist to just hold her as she did the dishes. From the way she leaned against him just a little bit more, he knew. He knew in that moment that no matter what he feared and no matter if he were mentally prepared for this thing... Whatever it may be... He was ready. But, after the day she had, he wasn't about to add anything else to her plate.

Tomorrow.

"Hey, Ryos?" she asked idly. Internally, she had decided to ask this question in order to see where he stood. Hopefully... Hopefully all went well.

"Hmm?" he responded, inhaling deeply. His brows soon furrowed at her scent, though. She smelled primarily like herself and secondarily like him... But the smell of Yukino mixed with a twinge of Sting and Minerva with a twinge of Orga made him more than a little jealous. Yes, it was only the women she had likely hugged all day... But the scent of other men on her- more specifically, the scent of Sting on her- made him a lot more jealous than he should have ever been.

"Will you help me move my stuff?"

Panic set in his chest. Oh god, he stiffened and froze faster than he could realize what her words were. Move her stuff? What did she mean? "What? Why? Where are you going?" he asked quickly before he could stop the questions from coming from his mouth.

Her brows rose and the smile that lit her face up was unrivaled. That was probably the most adorable reaction she could have ever heard. She cleared her throat, trying to force the smile down from her face- though it was in vain. At least she knew he didn't want her gone. And that gave her a little more confidence for breakfast tomorrow. "To the guest bedroom, of course. Virgo brought everything overnight and since I was in your room at the time, she just-"

"No."

His reply was stern, insistent, and final. Her brows went up again and she almost couldn't stop the giggle that threatened to bubble up. "Why not?"

"I told you," he said, lowering his head and finally loosening up as his nose brushed against her pulse point in her neck again, "I'm not leaving you alone. You're sleeping with me in my room and that's that."

"Oh really," she said, her voice as un-amused as she could make it. Of course she didn't want to move her stuff, and yes this was the reaction she wanted from him... But his wording made her feel like she needed to challenge him. "That's that, huh?"

She felt him freeze again as though he realized how that sounded. She could even feel his heart racing against her back, something that let her know that he was probably worried that she'd leave just because of his slip up. "I-I didn't mean... I just... I-"

And, finally, that laugh she had forced down before bubbled up and spilled from her smiling mouth. She couldn't keep it in any longer. "Ryos, I'm not moving from your room, you dork."

Still frozen in place, Lucy placed the last dish in the drainer before turning around in his arms to face him with a cocked eyebrow and a smirk on her face. And his eyes narrowed in playful anger. "You're so mean to me."

"Okay then Loke," she said, laughing a little at how much he reminded her of her lion spirit at that statement.

He rolled his eyes and lowered his hands down to rest on her hips. "You've got to stop comparing me to other men."

"What? Don't like the challenge?" she asked teasingly, biting her lower lip.

He looked at her lip and licked his own lips subconsciously.

No. Not now. Not tonight.

So, instead, he ran his hands up her side slowly, smoothly, and sensually. He watched with amusement (and eagerness cause damn did he want to take her now) as her cheeks grew flushed and her eyes reflected more emotions than he could place names to. But when he got to her ribs- a very short ways away from the bottom of her breasts- her breath hitched. He almost growled at the sound. Almost. His nostrils flared as her scent spiked and grew muskier. She was affected by his touch. And that almost made him throw everything out the window and just take her on the counter. Instead, he reined himself in (barely) and smirked deviously.

Realization flashed in her wide, scared eyes the moment his hands shifted ever so slightly. "Ry- nO!"

Her laughter left her throat faster than she could finish his name. His hand, now tickling her sides without mercy, didn't let up at all- no matter how much she wiggled and squirmed.

"L-Let me go, you ass!" she yelled through her laughing.

"Uh uh," he refused, his smirk growing. "This is what you get for being mean to me."

"I- I've got to piss!"

"I don't believe you," he said tickling her sides more.

She squirmed more and tears started falling from her eyes as she tried even harder to worm away from him. Unfortunately, she did eventually get away from him- and bolted straight for the bathroom. He laughed and rolled his eyes, knocking on the bathroom door as he started towards their bedroom.

Their bedroom.

How the hell did two words make him feel that good?

"I'm not letting you in, you asshole. I'm on the toilet." Oh, he could hear the pout in her voice.

He laughed at her again- which prompted a whine from her. "I was going to say I'll be in bed when you're done, but nice to know what you're doing."

"Go to bed already!"

"I am, I am, goodness."