Gray's overwhelmed by his new devil-slaying powers, but Rogue shows him that he doesn't have to fear the darkness.

Set immediately after the Tartaros arc.


"Hey."

Rogue slips down the wall of the abandoned building, settling in next to Gray and nudging his shoulder. Gray doesn't respond, just pulls his knees tighter against his chest and turns away from Rogue. His hair is messy and windswept, blocking his face from Rogue's view, but Rogue knows he's been crying.

"Go away," Gray says quietly, pulling away from the way Rogue's pressed against his side.

Rogue leaves the space between them but doesn't move to stand. "I don't think that's a good idea," he says gently. He expects Gray to lash out at him, but all he hears is a sigh, then a quiet sniffle. Rogue waits a second, then asks, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," Gray says, shoulders tensing like he's ready to push Rogue away.

"Okay," Rogue says.

Gray stills, tipping his head to the side. "Okay?" he asks.

"Mhm." Rogue stretches his legs out in front of him, wincing at the tight ache in the backs of his calves. Everything hurts, and it's hard to focus on any specific point of pain. "It's been a long day."

Gray makes a sound that might be a laugh, and Rogue can see some of the tension start leave his shoulders. He lets out a shaky breath, rubbing his face with both hands and staring straight ahead.

They sit in silence for a long time. Soft, pink tendrils of light creep through the darkness and devastation around them, lending a softness to its sharp edges as the sun sinks below the horizon.

Eventually, just before the light disappears completely, Gray says, "I lost my dad."

Rogue frowns. From what he knows, Gray's parents died a long time ago – killed by a demon that left him as the only survivor.

"I thought…" Gray hesitates. "For a few minutes, I thought I had him back." He exhales, and Rogue can hear the tears behind it. "And he gave me this magic—I don't know what it is, I don't understand it and I can feel it, it's dark and angry and wild and it scares me."

Rogue's about to ask what he's talking about when Gray turns to face him, and Rogue sees it. The right half of Gray's face is dark – twisting lines of black shifting across his pale skin. His eye, normally a deep blue, is a pale, frosty white.

"He turned me into a monster," Gray whispers. Tears slip down his cheeks and he wipes them away angrily with the back of his hand. "I could feel it, when he—Mard Geer, that spell, it was supposed to kill us… but I couldn't let it, I didn't know what to do, and it felt so dark and cold."

"You're not a monster," Rogue says, reaching out and touching Gray's cheek. Gray flinches but he lets Rogue run his fingers across the mark, thumb brushing under Gray's oddly colored eye.

"Then what am I?" Gray asks. The words hang between them, charged and unsure.

"You're still you," Rogue says. "That darkness – it doesn't change you. Not who you are, right here." He trails his fingers down and rests his hand over Gray's guild mark, where Gray's heartbeat thrums uncertainly under Rogue's fingertips. "You're still in charge."

"How do you know?" Gray asks. The dark lines shift along his skin – beautiful, mesmerizing patterns of light on dark.

"I've got darkness, too," Rogue says.

Gray's expression quickly turns chagrined and he shakes his head, stammering, "I didn't mean—I know your magic, it's not… I didn't mean you're a mon—"

"Gray." Rogue presses his palm flat against Gray's chest and moves in closer, keeping his eyes on Gray's. "It's all right to be scared." He smiles, brushing a stray strand of hair behind Gray's ear. "I can show you how to control it, if you want."

Gray gives Rogue a tentative nod, leaning into the press of Rogue's fingers in his hair. "Yeah," he says softly. "That—I'd like that."

"Good," Rogue says, just as Gray leans in and kisses him. It's soft and sweet, and Rogue can feel the darkness behind it that's so calming and familiar.

"Will you stay with me tonight?" Gray murmurs as they finally pull apart. He presses his forehead to Rogue's and adds, "I don't want to be alone."

"Of course," Rogue says, settling back against the wall and pulling Gray into his arms. "Whatever you need."