WARNING: This chapter is Stingue, and is therefore yaoi. There is no smut (seeing as that is neither the point of this story nor do I particularly want to write it) but there is some 'heated' stuff. (Totally Sting's fault, FYI.) If you don't like, or aren't comfortable with such, don't read. Not complicated.
At long last, I return, bringing with me another chapter of 'First Kiss'. I know you all missed me, right?
Probably not.
I don't have much else to say, other than that this chapter was very... Entertaining to write and that I hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: All rights to Fairy Tail still belong to Hiro Mashima and not myself, unfortunately. And I claim no ownership over Harry Potter, either, even though the reference here is minuscule.
Stingue
"Well, you're pretty hot."
Rogue felt the blood rush to his cheek's at the blonde's words. It wasn't necessarily rare for people to compliment his looks - the black-haired boy usually did his best to keep his distance from society as a whole -, but he certainly wasn't used to it. Especially when the one doing the complimenting was a rather attractive man. Enough, he scolded himself, trying to look away. You just met him.
Sting paid notice to the fact that the dark-haired boy hadn't responded yet to his remark but was instead simply staring at him whilst blushing furiously. Sting almost laughed, unable to deny that the boy was cute with a pink blush dusting his cheeks. H***, he's cute without it. "Cat got your tongue?" he teased before running a hand through his white-blonde hair. "Guess I can't blame you for that. My good looks tend to leave most people speechless."
Rogue scowled at him, embarrassment forgotten. I take back any thoughts about him being attractive, he decided. One sentence ruined it all by revealing the blonde's obnoxious and egotistical attitude. Despite his newly founded disgust, Rogue still chose not to speak, looking away from him with considerably less effort.
Sting frowned at the lack of response from the boy. "Are you ignoring me on purpose?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, unsure of if he should be offended by the scowl dominating the boy's features. Then a second idea occurred to him. "Or are you just shy?"
Once again, there was no verbal response from the dark-haired teen, but this time Sting did receive a cold glare.
The blonde sighed in exasperation, already fed up with the boy's harsh silence. And it hasn't even been two minutes, he thought dryly. But what did I expect? "Look," he said coolly, "I understand that you might be too intimidated to talk to me - "
Intimidated, my a**, Rogue snorted silently. If anything, he wanted nothing at all to do with the conceited blonde.
" - but we need to at least try to communicate a bit, or else it's going to be awkward as h*** when we have to kiss."
Right, Rogue realized, sighing silently to himself. I have to kiss this guy. He sighed again. Why am I always stuck with the narcissistic ones?
An awkward silence fell as the two teens stared at each other, an unspoken challenge hanging in the air in order to see who would break first.
After a minute, Rogue realized he'd never done well in tests of willpower, particularly when faced with someone like the blonde standing across from him. "Rogue," he finally muttered, sighing quietly.
Sting smirked upon realizing he'd won the silent battle between, before it dawned on him how he'd been so caught up in his 'victory' that he hadn't truly noticed what the black-haired boy had said to him. "Care to repeat that for?" he asked casually, pretending as if all he wanted was to rub in that he'd won by not 'breaking' first. "Maybe a little louder?" he added, trying to make it seem as if the other was at fault, and not him.
Rogue bit his lip in a vain attempt to prevent himself from responding with a rather rude remark. The blonde was getting on his last nerve, no matter how attractive he was. Wait... No, he's not attractive, the dark-haired teen scolded himself, blushing at those thoughts. He's just another arrogant, stereotypical jock. "Rogue," he said again, trying to distract himself from the 'inner turmoil' swirling around inside him. "My name is Rogue Cheney."
Sting almost whistled. D***. He took pride in having a unique name, but this guy had just topped it. He sent Rogue a flirtatious smile. "Well, I'm Sting. Sting Eucliffe."
Rogue knew that his cheeks had turned bright red again. It wasn't fair that someone so obnoxious was able to get him so flustered with only a few words and a simple smile. Or a smirk, he grumbled to himself. In order to combat it, he decided to portray Sting in as negative a light as he could manage. "F***boy extraordinaire?" he asked innocently, hiding a smirk when the blonde's expression shifted to confusion.
Sting felt the smile drop from his face and morph into a glare. Well, that was rude. "That's pretty rich, seeing as you just met me and all." Who did he think he was, anyway? A lame comeback, he realized after he'd spoken, but better than saying nothing at all and letting him 'win' by default.
It was Rogue's turn to smirk, though his was more subtle than the loud-mouthed blonde's had been up until that point. "Perhaps," he said simply. "But am I wrong?" In all honesty, he didn't even require an answer. The blonde's attitude told him all he needed to know.
Sting opened his mouth to tell him that yes, he was wrong, but snapped it shut upon realizing that the dark-haired boy wasn't entirely incorrect. I guess flirting with a bunch of guys kind of makes me seem like a f***boy, even if I'm not technically one, he reasoned. He settled with sending the boy another icy glare.
Rogue snorted, less intimidated - If it could even be considered 'intimidation', he said to himself - by Sting as he had been seconds ago. "As I thought." If left alone to think, the teen doubted he ever would have considered the easiest way to get someone to shut up would just be to call their bluff, though it seemed obvious in retrospect.
"You shouldn't be so judgmental," Sting said mildly, mock-chastising him as a way to turn the metaphorical tables back around in his favor. "Especially if you want me to consider having you be my boyfriend after we've kissed and stuff - "
"No thanks," Rogue blurted out, causing himself to wince slightly upon hearing how rude he sounded. He hadn't intended his words and tone to be so blunt. But he couldn't turn back. Ah, well. "I'm not interested in guys like you."
"What do you mean?" Sting said innocently. "Implying that you aren't interested in guys that are labeled as being 'out of your league'?" That should keep him from stereotyping me again, the blonde thought triumphantly.
The dark-haired boy felt his cheeks turn a deep shade of red, but this time out of anger instead of embarrassment. How dare he...! "Try 'not interested in f***boys'," he practically growled, glaring icily at the blonde.
Sting smirked at the reaction he was getting. "Sure, sure." He casually ran a hand through his hair. "You know you'd date me in a heartbeat if I let you." The blonde teen was aware that he was baiting Rogue for a response, but he couldn't help it. He's kind of cute when he's mad, anyway, he admitted to himself, feeling a slight blush fall on his cheeks.
"I-I would not," Rogue sputtered, suddenly filled with an ever increasing desire to slap the blonde teen.
Sting's smirk widened, pleased with his 'work'. "You know, I think that blush on your face is contradicting the words coming out of your mouth." He took a step closer to the boy, grabbing his chin in his hand, forcing their eyes to meet. He inhaled sharply at how... Red the dark-haired teen's eyes were. A genuine smile tugged at the corners of his lips. They suited him. "Just so you know, even though I'm considerably out of your league, I really wouldn't mind making an exception for you..."
His face was dangerously close to Rogue's now, so close he could feel the blonde's hot breath on his face, and it was affecting the dark-haired teen more than he'd like to admit. F***. Rogue stared up at Sting's almost malicious grin, and - he couldn't handle it.
Slap.
Rogue never had been the wisest person under pressure.
Sting swore loudly, stumbling backwards, a red print of a hand starting to form on his cheek already. "What the h***?!" Why had he slapped him?! He hadn't done anything wrong! Nothing wrong, per se... he admitted grudgingly. But that still had been no reason to for the boy to slap him!
Rogue, realizing what he'd done, turned a darker shade of red. He opened his mouth to apologize, then promptly snapped it shut. He wasn't in the wrong, after all. The idiot blonde was. He had no right to invade my personal space. "Maybe now you'll think twice before grabbing my face without my permission," he muttered, pushing his black hair out of his face while staring at the floor.
Sting bit back another curse, though he had to admit his anger lessened slightly as he watched Rogue run a hand through his hair. D***. He really is hot. He shook his head, wincing as pain shot through his cheek, which in turn reminded him why he was supposed to be angry at the teen. "Mind telling me why the h*** I deserved to be slapped?"
Rogue muttered something incomprehensible.
"What?" Sting asked pointedly. "Mind sharing that?"
"You invaded my personal space," Rogue repeated, this time loud enough for the blonde to hear and understand. Or I assume he'll understand, the dark-haired boy thought rather cruelly, thought he wasn't particularly remorseful.
Sting winced. Okay, so maybe he had deserved the slap.
But only a little bit.
"Right. Sorry."
Rogue snorted. Sure you are. The expression of something akin to loathing make Rogue skeptical of his sincerity. But despite that, the dark-haired teen wasn't the type to hold petty grudges. "It's fine. Just refrain from doing it again, if you would."
"Without permission, anyway," Sting added nonchalantly, proud of how 'smooth' he was able to phrase and deliver it, though the act was ruined when he winked flirtatiously at Rogue. Not that it matters, he decided. I can get him to like me even without pointless pickup lines.
Rogue's cheeks turned a deep shade of crimson as he understood the implication behind the blonde's words. How does he continue to manage to make me blush?! "D-Don't do it again," he stuttered. "At all. No matter what the circumstances."
Sting chuckled, suddenly coming up with a brilliant idea of how to get the dark-haired teen to like him. It was rather risky, he decided, but he had his fingers crossed that it would pay off. "Oh, but I think I can change your mind."
Rogue was puzzled, and slightly wary of the glint in the other boy's blue eyes. "What are you - mmph!"
Sting practically leapt forward and essentially attacked the teen's lips with his own. He cupped the flustered boy's face in his hands, smirking into the kiss as he pressed their lips together harder. Now everything else just has to follow the plan, he thought fervently before allowing himself to fall deeper into the kiss.
Rogue's eyes were wide as the blonde pressed his lips to his, unsure of exactly what was happening, though he really should have figured it out sooner. And then it hit him.
He's kissing me.
And s***, it was a good kiss.
The dark-haired teen couldn't stop himself from kissing back, despite how he'd already decided to loathe the boy. His hands wrapped around the blonde teen's muscular biceps by what felt like someone other than himself. He didn't no longer cared about the fact that he was contradicting his own words from only moments earlier.
Sting's smirk widened before he focused on dropping his hands to Rogue's waist and slowly pulling up the edges of his shirt.
That startled Rogue out of the reverie he couldn't believe he'd been lulled into. He quickly shoved the blonde away from him, wiping his mouth on his sleeve, disgusted with both Sting and himself. To allow him to kiss me without consent...!
Sting laughed out loud as he watched him, though he felt slightly guilty afterwards. "Was it that bad of a kiss?" he teased, snickering. "Because based on the way you were all over my face and groping my arms, it seemed like you enjoyed it a h*** of a lot." I did, too, of course.
Rogue stared at the ground, completely and utterly humiliated that he'd fallen for the oldest trick in the book. The fact that the blonde was continuing to rub it in made it worse. "Shut up," he muttered angrily. "I was not 'all over you'."
"Sure," Sting said, continuing to snicker. "But I think anyone that may have seen us would disagree with you." Not that he wanted someone to have watched them. The idea of it made him shudder. "Besides," he added, giving the moody boy a so-called 'dazzling' smile, "it wasn't as if I minded you doing it anyway."
I want to slap him again, was the main thought running through Rogue's mind as he hazily watched the blonde smirk through the veil of rage clouding his sight. No... The veil of rage that was his sight.
Sting frowned slightly when Rogue didn't react to his statement in any sort of negative manner. He wanted to see the teen flustered - it was cute. "So..." he said thoughtfully after considering the next possible options he had. "Did that change your mind?"
"About what?" Rogue asked plainly, once again refusing to make eye contact with the blonde. If he did, he didn't think he'd be able to maintain his sanity whilst remaining angry. Why are the arrogant ones always the most good-looking?!
"About going out with me."
Rogue felt his cheeks heat up. "I don't believe my opinion on that matter was subject to change," he answered as evenly as possible. Then his temper got the better of him. "I'm not interested in arrogant pricks like yourself." S***, he thought after the words left his mouth. That wasn't supposed to be said aloud.
Sting scowled. Was there no way to win with this guy? The blonde felt his temper flare up, as it did when he got frustrated. Which was most of the time. "Me? An 'arrogant prick'? Take a look in the mirror, Rogue," he snapped, using the teen's name for the first time. Despite how irritated he was, he had to admit that he liked the way Rogue's name sounded on his tongue. Rogue. "You're the one who isn't giving me a chance to prove to you that I'm not like that, because you decided that I must be a f***boy, and your opinion is fact." He glared at him. "Tell me I'm wrong."
Rogue returned the glare, sending as threatening of a one as he could muster towards the blonde, taking his eyes off the ground. "If your way of proving to me that you aren't a f***boy, Sting, is to act like one by grabbing me and kissing me against my will, then perhaps you should reconsider your methods of getting a point across." He wondered how the boy ever thought kissing an unwilling person could benefit him somehow. "So yes, as far as I'm concerned, my opinion on your behavior reflects how I view you."
A test of wills began for the second time. It was intense yet awkward, seeing as both were sending fiery glares to the other, yet no one spoke.
This time, it was Sting who 'broke' first.
The blonde sighed, breaking off eye contact with Rogue. The dark-haired boy somehow managed to make him feel guilty - a feat few people had accomplished. "Fine. I get that I'm being an a**hole towards you. Sorry. But you need to be less 'stingy' or something, and actually give me a f***ing chance, or else this," he said, gesturing to the two of them, "will never go anywhere."
Rogue nodded stiffly, pretending he hadn't understood the meaning behind the blonde's final sentence. Putting that aside, he knew that, in part, he too had been in the wrong by immediately jumping to conclusions about the blonde, no matter how much basis he had. "Fair enough." He coughed awkwardly. "How about we just... Start over?"
Sting grimaced, unable to stop himself. "Ugh. Really? That's so cheesy."
"Then what do you recommend?" Rogue asked, trying - and failing because of his tone - to be impartial, though he was filled with a desire to wrap his hands around the blonde's neck and choke the life out of him.
The blonde shrugged, not picking up on Rogue's subtle hints of annoyance. "Not sure." A smirk formed on his lips as a devious idea occurred to him, and he threw the black-haired boy a sideways look. "You know... We could always kiss again."
Rogue blanched before flushing a pretty shade of pink. "I don't think that will solve anything," he protested, taking a weak step backwards. Don't fall for his ways, Rogue. It'll only hurt you in the end. But no matter what his mind told him, his heart wasn't really listening.
Sting grinned, shrugging again. "We'll never know until we try, right?" Secretly, the boy was pleased to note the blush dancing on Rogue's cheeks. He looks so cute. And yet hot at the same time.
"N-No, but - "
"Don't be so stiff," Sting said in an almost predatory manner, taking a step towards the boy. "It's not like it'll kill us or anything, you know." The blonde had always been rather bad at forethought, not considering the effects his actions might have on others, or even on himself.
Rogue knew his cheeks had gone from pink to cherry red. Like a teenage schoolgirl, he thought in embarrassment. "I-I'd rather not."
Sting rolled his eyes. "What are you, an old man? Live a little." At that, he pressed his lips to Rogue's a second time.
Rogue somehow managed to notice throughout his furious yet flustered haze that he was being more gentle with the kiss. Not nearly as forceful. But when Rogue weakly tried to push him away, wanting yet not wanting to be kissing him, the blonde seemed to take it as an invitation to deepen the kiss. Do I even mind...?
Sting slowly slid his hands underneath the dark-haired teen's shirt, trailing his fingers up and down Rogue's chiseled chest.
Rogue shivered at the feeling of his touch, though he was unsure whether it was one of disgust or pleasure. But when the blonde attempted to stick his tongue in his mouth, he realized that that was enough. He forcefully shoved Sting off of him, though this time he didn't wipe his mouth of the boy's saliva immediately.
He waited until Sting was smirking at him to do it.
And then he slapped him. Again.
Slap.
Rogue had to admit that he was rather pleased of how the sound echoed in the room.
"What the h***?!" Sting exclaimed, furiously rubbing his cheek, where the red mark from earlier still hadn't faded entirely. "Stop hitting me!" What did I do to deserve that one?! He consented to the kiss this time! He hesitated. Kind of.
It was Rogue's turn to smirk.
Sting glared at him. "I'm getting a serious sense of déjà vu here." And he wasn't happy about it. He's lucky he's too cute for me to hit back.
Rogue rolled his eyes. And so you should be. "That's what you get for throwing yourself onto me a second time." Had the blonde really and truly expected him to not have reacted in that sort of way?! Honestly, he thought with a sigh.
Sting sighed. "I guess my idea of kissing you again to get you to like me failed." Not that I regret it, he thought absentmindedly, licking his lips. The only thing he regretted was that it hadn't worked. Like when you're told to clean your room, so you shove everything under your bed, he mused, and then you're caught. Do you regret doing it? No. You regret getting caught.
"Of course it failed," Rogue sneered, almost shocked by his own rudeness. "Besides, don't you think I can tell that you only want to have..." He paused, trying to think of a less vulgar way to describe... It. "That you only want to use me?"
Sting frowned, disgusted and offended by the teen's words. "Use you?" he said incredulously, unable to believe that Rogue had just said that to him. Though the blonde was labeled a f***boy by most that he met, and he usually did nothing to dispel such rumors - because he didn't care about them -, he was not some sort of guy that slept with anything that moved. "Rogue, I don't want to use you. H***, I like you! A lot!"
"How can you?" Rogue demanded through gritted teeth, his patience running thin. Not that it hasn't been already. "You just met me, and you know nothing about me, excepting my name, much less my personality and the like. Plus, I'm not even looking for a relationship right now, and of course not a one-time fling."
Sting sighed. "Fine. Then how can I prove it to you?" He'd do anything.
"Prove what to me?" There's nothing for you to prove.
He rolled his eyes. It's obvious. "That I'm genuinely interested in you?" Duh.
Rogue opened his mouth to fire back a sharp retort, but despite searching his brain for one, came up with nothing. He ended up muttering, "You can't." There was no way.
"Why not?"
"Because you don't know anything about me!"
Sting shrugged. "Well, that's not a hard problem to solve. Just tell me about yourself." He was rather impressed with himself for coming up with a solution so quickly, not to mention it was a simple one. Simplicity is convenience.
Rogue blinked in surprise. "What?"
Sting blushed, slightly embarrassed by what he was going to admit. That he was right. "Like you suggested. Before I kissed you."
The dark-haired teen vaguely remembered saying something after the first kiss he'd be given along the lines of how they should start over and decide how their relationship - Nonexistent relationship, he corrected himself - could move on from there.
Sting snapped his fingers as a brilliant idea, in his opinion, came to mind. "Here's what we'll do: we'll tell each other some basic stuff about ourselves, and if we like what we hear - or rather, if you like what you hear - then I am allowed to take you out on a date." He grinned at the moody boy, certain there was no way he could refuse. "Deal?"
Rogue bit his bottom lip, gnawing it slightly as a force of habit as he weighed the pros and cons of going on a date with the blonde inside his mind. The main con was Sting's personality, but he'd improved - Slightly, the teen told himself - within the past minute. Or at the very least, he was acting less arrogant, even if it was turning into what could be described as 'childishness'. And even if the date goes downhill, he realized, I can still say I was on a date with an attractive guy. Though the thought still embarrassed him, the dark-haired teen no longer denied the fact that the blonde standing only a few feet away from him was rather good-looking. He'd never go so far as to say hot, of course, but good-looking would suffice.
Sting waited anxiously as various expressions drifted across Rogue's face, though he knew the nonchalant smirk on his own revealed no hints toward such turmoil within him. He hid it well, but he really did want to go out with Rogue. However, what he didn't know was... Did Rogue want to go out with him?
Rogue sighed, relenting after much debate in his mind. "Fine."
Instead of cheering, Sting simply allowed his smirk to widen. Play it cool. "Great," he almost purred. "Want me to go first?"
Rogue felt blood rush to his cheeks at the blonde's tone, and it was as frustrating as it was humiliating that someone he'd known for all of ten minutes could do that to him. "Whatever," he muttered, glaring the floor as if it would somehow affect the predicament he was in.
Sting laughed at the dark-haired boy, but not mockingly. A genuine laugh. He couldn't help it that Rogue was so cute, could he? After noticing the teen's jaw clench slightly upon hearing his laughter, he stopped, his expression resorting to its normal cocky grin. "I'm Sting Eucliffe." Which he already knows. S***! He hastily added, "I'm nineteen years old and a sophomore at Sabertooth University."
Rogue's pulse suddenly quickened at hearing the blonde's words. No... Sabertooth University? It couldn't be true. It was impossible. A coincidence.
Sting didn't notice the dark-haired teen's shock, continuing to talk about himself as if it was the most fascinating subject on the planet. "I'm majoring in Physical Therapy, but I'm also the 'backup' running back on the football (A/N American football; FIGHT ME) team. A junior is the starter," he added with a good-natured scowl, "but he's so good that he'll be gone and drafted to the pros next year, so hopefully the position will be mine. And... Yeah." He winked at Rogue. "I'm also a Gryffindor, by the way."
Rogue rolled his eyes the blonde's childish behavior, then decided to 'test' him. "But I'm a Slytherin, so you should despise me." The black-haired boy wasn't entirely sure what he was testing Sting on, but his reaction could help determine his true personality.
"Nah," Sting said dismissively, though the smirk didn't quite fall from his face. "We'll be the ones who start the new generation where Gryffindors and Slytherins are the best of friends. Or more," he added offhandedly, though his discreet glance sideways wasn't missed by Rogue.
The moody teen gave him a small smile, slowly admitting to himself that seeing Sting in this light wasn't so bad. "Maybe."
Sting beamed at him. Progress was definitely being made. Maybe he stood a chance after all. "Now tell me all about yourself." He winked. "I can keep a secret if you need me to."
The dark-haired teen sighed but didn't protest. "As you know, my name is Rogue Cheney. I'm 19 years old, and I also attend Sabertooth University as a sophomore." Let's see what you say to that bit of information, he thought smugly.
Sting's jaw dropped. "Um, what?" That was impossible. There was no way he could have been at Sabertooth for nearly a year and a half and not have seen someone as attractive as Rogue walking around.
Rogue simply nodded, praying his facial expression was as neutral as he felt it was. "Yes. I'm majoring in Psychology and minoring in Chemistry."
Sting held up a hand to stop him. "Hang on for a sec. I need to think something through." Rogue Cheney... Psychology... Sabertooth...
S***.
A year and a half ago, freshman year... "That was you, wasn't it?"
Rogue frowned, feeling like he'd missed something important relating to the conversation at hand. "What are you talking about?"
Sting cringed at the memory. "The beginning of freshman year I was walking by the Psychology building, and accidentally tripped some guy - well I tripped and knocked over a guy which made him spill all his papers..."
Rogue's eyes widened, recalling shouting angrily at the back of a handsome blonde as he'd run off without a word. "I remember that..." He glared at Sting. "You're the one who knocked me over and didn't offer to help me when I was trying to get all my papers back together?" Perhaps his subconscious had been right not to 'trust' him.
Sting laughed nervously, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "Yeah. Sorry about that?" He wasn't sure whether an apology was required. It had been over a year ago, after all.
Rogue glared at him, not bothering to thank the blonde for the insincere apology. "You should be. I was late for my class after that and almost got locked out of the room, and it was the day we were learning about the effects of hallucinogenic drugs on the brain, which was over half the final."
Sting wracked his brain for a reply that wouldn't make him seem like a jerk, finally settling with, "Well, if it's any consolation, I thought you were the hottest guy I'd seen the whole time I was there."
Rogue blushed but rolled his eyes. Trying to change the topic again. "You're just saying that."
Sting shook his head, smirking, almost pleased that the dark-haired teen didn't believe him. "Nope! And if I'm honest, I have to say that you've only gotten more attractive since then."
"Sh-Shut up."
Sting laughed at how flustered he was. And it was me who got him all like that, he thought with satisfaction. "Alright. But since we know now that we both go to Sabertooth University, we can make our relationship public when school starts back up! Maybe all those freshmen girls will stop pestering me now." Some of them just couldn't take a hint.
Rogue felt blood rush to his cheeks at the blonde's sudden proclamation. "I-I don't recall consenting to be in a relationship with you." Did I? He couldn't quite recall what he'd promised the teen.
"Oh, I see," Sting said in a tone bordering suggestiveness, doing his best not to burst out laughing at how wide the dark-haired boy's eyes became. "I have to take you on that date first, don't I?"
"What do you - oh." Rogue blushed a deeper shade of red as he was finally able to recall the terms of the 'deal' he'd agreed to. "Right."
Sting laughed again, throwing his arm around the boy's shoulders. "Rogue, you're such a girl, you know that?" And though he hadn't meant to share the thought aloud, he decided that it was true enough.
Rogue sent him an icy glare, though he made no move to shrug Sting's arm off of him. "I am not a girl, thank you very much." If the blonde continued to insult him in a such a manner, then perhaps he'd have to revert to his original opinion of Sting being the f***boy of f***boys.
"Well, you're the girl in this relationship," Sting said decidedly, in a tone that would take no arguing.
"I am not the girl!" Rogue protested fiercely, ignoring the subtle message.
"You said that already," the blonde replied airily, as if he didn't have a care in the world. "I can hear quite well, you know."
"You can hear things, but you can't comprehend them," the moody boy grumbled. "I don't know why I'm even bothering."
Sting snickered. "What, are you saying that I'm the girl?"
His smile is infuriatingly handsome, Rogue thought in frustration as he glared at the blonde, trying to stop his thoughts from straying from the topic at hand. "No, I'm trying to say that we're both guys, and it's not necessary to call one of us 'the girl'."
Sting shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe. But it's fun." He winked at the dark-haired boy for what had to have been the hundredth time in the span of twenty minutes. "Besides, you look so cute when you get embarrassed. I had to tease you a bit."
Rogue's eyes widened before he shoved the boy away from him, suddenly not wanting to be close to the blonde. "Enough flirting," he grumbled. "I still don't understand why you want to go out with me in the first place. All you had to do was kiss me for the stupid experiment, yet you insist now that..." He trailed off, frustrated that he was struggling so much to find the right words. "You insist that we're in a relationship," he finally said.
Sting rolled his eyes. As cute as he was, the moody teen was so oblivious. "Rogue, I already told you why I wanted to go out with you so badly."
Rogue frowned. Did he? It wasn't that he hadn't been paying attention as the blonde spoke, but he had a tendency to get wrapped up in his own thoughts.
"I like you," Sting continued matter-of-factly. "Simple as that."
"It's not that simple," Rogue protested weakly, not sure if he could believe those words to be true. "Nothing is ever that simple."
"But why not?" Piercing blue eyes met with the ones that were such a brown they appeared red. "Why can't things be that simple?"
Rogue didn't know how to say it. "Because..." He ran his hands through his dark hair, trying to think and not be distracted by the brilliantly icy blue eyes staring at him. "Because you're 'cool'," he finally said, making sure to do hand quotation marks in order to prevent the wrong idea from being given. "You've probably got a wide circle of friends. You're also an athlete." Football, he snorted. The worst sport you could play in this scenario. Stereotypes all around. "I'm the exact opposite of you. I couldn't care less about sports, and I hate being around other people. Why are you - of all people on this planet - so fascinated with me? With someone so different?"
Sting shrugged. "If you want me to be honest, here's the truth: I don't really know."
Rogue felt his heart sink. Just when he'd hoped that someone might like him for who he was... Of course not.
"But," Sting continued, "what I do know is that even though I don't know the reasons behind it, I do like you. Maybe it's because we're so different, or maybe it's only because you're cute." The blonde shrugged. "But what matters is that I do like you, and I want to go out with you." He eyed the dark-haired teen from the side, suddenly worried he'd think all he cared about was appearances. "Understand?" he asked, needing an answer.
Rogue bit his lip, staring at the ground.
"Rogue?" Sting asked after a moment of quiet, feeling the pit of worry in his stomach grow.
"Hmm?"
Sting chuckled. "Thought you'd forgotten about me for a moment there." He grabbed the boy's hands and pulled him close. "So..." the blonde whispered into his ear. "Will you go out with me?"
Rogue's eyes widened from the feeling of Sting's hot breath on his ear, but he choked down his pride and nodded. "Yes." I hope I don't regret it.
Sting grinned as if he'd won the lottery, but it quickly morphed into something 'seductive'. "Now," he murmured, pushing Rogue up against the wall. "Where were we before we got into this stupid argument?" He leaned in, and their lips met in what should have been a heated kiss, except...
Slap.
"Ow! Rogue, are you f***ing kidding me?!"
xxxxxxxxx
And, done. I think this chapter is a bit heavy on details, so I apologize. But other than that, I'm pretty satisfied with it. And... No flashbacks! Good job me! :D
[Though it was partially intended, I still love how Sting went from being an absolute a** to being practically a little kid, yet he was actually really immature 'inside' the entire time. XD And then Rogue was like a stuffy old guy on the outside, but actually a nervous teenager on the inside.]
Hope this chapter was satisfactory, and I'll try to update soon! And in case it wasn't obvious earlier with my A/N in the middle of the fic, I LOVE my American football, be it college or pro. :P
NEXT COUPLE: Jerza, m'dears! I'm sure y'all are quite excited for that. Fingers crossed it'll be up soon!
Fun Fact #3: You have no idea how close this chapter came to being the 'awkward gay couple' before I thought of making Sting act like a f***boy. And then came the idea of Sting pretending he liked 'hot' guys, but he actually likes it when they're 'cute'. And kudos to one of my friends in real life for giving me the analogy about why we really regret things!