I like the idea of Dobengal being aromantic and asexual, so I included it in this chapter a bit.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

"Where's Rogue?" Frosch asked, eyes beginning to water when the little exceed couldn't find their Dragon Slayer.

Lector patted his friend on their back. "He's just on vacation, right?" He looked up at Dobengal to confirm. When the mage nodded, he told Frosch, "You see? He'll be back soon enough."

Frosch sniffled. "But why didn't he take Fro? He always takes Fro on vacation! Does… does Rogue not like… Fro anymore…?"

"Of course he still likes you!" Lector tried to assuage the sobbing cat. He looked up at Dobengal as if to say, 'Help me out here, man!'

'I'm just as lost as you are on this!'

"Um…" Dobengal tried, after Lector gave him a look. "Rogue didn't want to leave you behind, but he didn't… really have a choice this time."

In fact, Rogue had needed to be pried away from his exceed friend when he'd left and had given Dobengal a list twice as long as the ninja was tall on Frosch's daily routine.

"But why?"

"Because he and Sting-kun are getting married!" Lector answered, his chest puffing out in pride.

Frosch gazed blankly at the red exceed and Dobengal. "What's marriage?"

"Oh boy," Lector muttered.

Dear gods, Dobengal was not equipped for this conversation.

"It's when… when two people who love each other very much, and want to spend the rest of their lives together," he offered. "So they get married. Rogue wants to spend the rest of his life with Sting, so they're… celebrating."

The lightbulb did not come on in Frosch's mind. "But Fro wants to spend the rest of Fro's life with Rogue, too!"

"Not… not that kind of spending life together. This is legally binding and…" To be honest, Dobengal didn't really understand the point of marriage himself, and didn't even particularly care for romantic relationships. The tax benefits and visitation rights were nice, of course, but explaining that to Frosch would probably take a really, really long time.

He was really, really not equipped for this conversation.

So he just patted the cat on their head. "He'll be back in a week. Just consider this a sleepover party with Lector and me for now, alright?"

That cheered the exceed up more than he'd expected it to. "Really? Then Fro will have fun, too!"

Rogue would be so proud of Frosch when he returned.

Crisis averted for now, Dobengal heaved a sigh of relief.