Chapter Text
Rogue crossed his arms over his chest looking down at the men laying unconscious at the base of the hill. They definitely had no clue what had been coming for them. They didn't know that he and Sting were hired to hunt them down. The men had been bandits, simple thieves that were abusing their power, taking advantage of the villagers around them and forcing them to support their way of life. The locals had approached Sabertooth for help, and Master Jiemma, never one to miss an opportunity, agreed to help them for a cost. The village, desperate for help, agreed to adhere to Jiemma's terms if he sent help. Jiemma sent Sting and Rogue to clean up the mess, and they had. The bandits would no longer bother the village and the villagers owed Jiemma a fee every month for the protection. Rogue wasn't sure how much it was, he didn't ask. Guild members weren't to question their guild master. They owed him their loyalty as much as the villagers know did.
The battle hadn't been a difficult one. The bandits barely put up a fight. Bows and arrows were nothing against a mage, especially dragon slayers. The villagers hadn't stood a chance against them, but the bandits were hardly a threat to Sting or Rogue. Still, Sting had been ruthless in his attack. He'd gotten more and more ruthless during their time at Sabertooth. He felt no pity for the men they were fighting against. Rogue hadn't noticed it at first, but with every job they went on, he got more and more carried away. It frightened him what Sting would be capable of without Rogue beside him.
"Can you believe what they're saying?" Sting asked, interrupting his thoughts.
"Hmm?"
"They found the Fairy Tail team, the ones that went missin' on Tenrou Island."
Rogue turned his face to him slightly. He hadn't been aware there'd been news about Fairy Tail.
"Oh?"
"Yeah. They're alive," he said smirking. "Frozen in time or somethin' like that. They came back a while ago. Somehow they all look as if they hadn't aged a day. Someone saw Mirajane and said she looked younger than she did when she left."
"I wasn't aware."
"You know what that means don't ya?"
Rogue stayed silent. He was pretty sure where Sting's train of though was headed.
"Natsu Dragneel and Gajeel Redfox are alive."
"Obviously."
"It sure takes ya back, doesn't it? Last time we saw them, you came up to about to here on Gajeel." Sting said, gesturing what would have been approximately stomach level. "Heh, you were a pretty big fan of his about then. But I didn't care for him. He was scary."
The derision was clear in Sting's voice. He'd obviously lost his respect for his long ago hero Natsu Dragneel. Rogue wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Somehow Natsu and Gajeel had survived Acnologia's attack without being killed themselves. That alone caused Rogue to be wary of their presence. How did they manage to survive seven years without aging? What happened on Tenrou Island. Sting thought Gajeel used to be scary, and Rogue still thought both Natsu and Gajeel could be frightening. How much magic power did they have in them that could enable them to survive an attack by Acnologia, the Black Dragon of the apocalypse?
"Stop bringing up the past Sting." Rogue said evenly, cutting off Sting's ramble. He refused to let Sting know how much the thought of Natsu and Gajeel returning affected him. "We chose to follow a different path than them."
Footsteps sounded on the hillside behind them and Rogue turned his head slightly to the left, to see a man running towards them.
"I found you!" The man yelled, pulling his bow taut as he ran towards them. Rogue turned away from him facing back over the hillside. He wouldn't last five seconds against either Sting or him, and didn't deserve his attention. "Take this!"
The sound of an arrow being released from its bow filled the air behind Rogue, but it never reached its intended target. He could hear the second Sting snatched it from the air behind him, and he fought a shiver as a small breeze brushed his neck, letting him know the arrow had been aimed for his head. The man behind him cried out and Rogue could hear Sting begin chewing on the arrow. He fought the urge to shake his head at the theatrics.
"He's eating...the arrow!" The man cried out with a whimper. "Don't tell me it's him!"
Rogue smirked to himself as he heard Sting release his White Dragon roar. He'd known butting in would take all the fun from Sting. He enjoyed letting people know how strong he'd gotten. He heard the whimpers of the beaten man as the stone wall behind him gave way to the powerful attack. The guy never stood a chance. He turned slowly to survey the wreckage, crossing his arms over his chest. The man was on his knees, half of his helmet missing from his head, and trembling in fear.
"Aw dammit," Sting growled. "Guess I'm outta practice. His heads still there."
"I knew it! It really is you! The Twin Dragons of the Sabertooth Guild in the flesh!" The man cried out, voice shaking. "White Dragon Sting and Shadow Dragon Rogue! The Dragon Slayer Duo!"
Rogue couldn't help the grin that crossed his face. Even across Fiore, his reputation of never working with anyone but Sting followed him. Amusement crossed Sting's face as the man threw his bow behind him and took off running. He'd had enough, just facing one half of their team.
"Hold up, are you just going to ditch your pals?" Sting quipped, amusement evident in his voice. "That's harsh man."
"Gee Sting, you don't know when to hold back, do ya?" a familiar voice called out and Rogue glanced out the corner of his eye to see Lector and Frosch walking towards them.
"Ribbit!" Frosch's one word answer standing as an agreement to whatever Lector said.
"Hey, it's Lector and Frosch. I was wondering where you guys went."
"Oh you know, just doing some recon stuff." Lector said, as as the exceeds walked their way, stopped to wag his finger in Sting's face. "We thought we'd find the enemy before they ambushed us. But it looks like the two of you already took care of them, huh? Those guys got what they deserved for messing with awesome dragon slayers."
"Yeah you're the bestest ever," Frosch said, waving their arms at Sting and Rogue.
"Damn straight." Sting said, smirking slowly looking over the men on the ground around them.
Rogue shook his head slowly.
"They did not know we were coming. If they did, they would have been more prepared."
"Aw, don't be such a wet blanket Rogue!" Sting said, slapping him on the back. "We would have still beaten them. Take a win for what it is, a win!"
"Sure." Rogue said, non-committal as Frosch climbed up on his shoulder.
Sting looked over at him slowly. He was used to Rogue not saying much. He'd always been a bit tight lipped compared to the rest of their guild mates, which was saying a lot. They weren't close with any other members of the guild. They'd barely spoken to them. They'd only spoken a handful of words to the celestial wizard Yukino, who joined their guild a year ago. They'd always preferred to do their own thing. They'd known each other since they were children. They were the only dragon slayers they knew that had actually killed a dragon. They were both responsible for the deaths of their fathers, and that was something no one else could understand.
The other guild members had teased them mercilessly for their closeness at the beginning. They'd had to deal with jeering and laughs from the other guild mates, especially when they found out they shared a bed. That is, until Sting put Orga's head through a wall. Though, the teasing was enough to make Sting ask for his own bed. He'd been horribly embarrassed and could barely face Rogue after all the laughs. None of the other guild members understood dragon slayers, or understood that their closeness wasn't based on attraction. Dragon slayers didn't feel attraction until they met their mates, and Sting still hadn't met his, and he was pretty sure Rogue hadn't either. Rogue would have told him that, despite his quiet nature.
However, he would like to know why Rogue was even more quiet than usual. It was as if the other dragon slayer was keeping something from him, which wasn't possible. Rogue didn't keep secrets from him. At least, he never had before.
Rogue swallowed nervously under Sting's intense gaze. If Sting kept staring at him, he would have to react or else Sting would suspect there was something wrong. If he suspected there was something wrong, he'd question him and Rogue would spill everything. Rogue mentally prayed Sting would give up, because a confession would ruin the only friendship he had. A part of him regretted not reaching out to his other guild mates and befriending them. If he had then perhaps he wouldn't be facing the mess he was now. However, Sabertooth wasn't that kind of guild. Neither was Phantom Lord when he'd been a member of that guild. The only person he had anything in common with at Phantom Lord had been Gajeel and Gajeel barely noticed he was even there. No, those guilds were based in strength only, not comradery like guilds were supposed to function. Not in the way Rogue had dreamed of all his life. However, Sabertooth was the guild he chose, and he would stick with it so long as Sting was content with the choice.
"Let's get back to the guild hall," he said quietly, attempting to distract Sting. "Jiemma would have a list of the Grand Magic Game competitors by now."
"Well we know who's not going to be on the list," Sting said with a laugh walking with him. "They wouldn't want to face another year of embarrassment."
"They seriously signed up, I can't believe it. Aren't they tired of losin'? It's bad enough everyone knows they're the worst guild in Fiore."
Rogue sat back on his bed watching Sting pace the floor of their bedroom. Frosch curled up in his lap with a yawn and he reached down to scratch their ears. He fought a smile at Sting's antics. The blonde dragon slayer could get worked up about anything. It was surprising his hair wasn't the same color as his attacks.
"They might not lose."
Sting spun to face him and Rogue swallowed, knowing immediately that was the wrong thing to say.
"How could they not? They've lost every time they've participated. They came in dead last."
"This time they have all those wizards who went missing."
"Who've lost seven years of training! This has got to be a publicity stunt. They're tryin' to get their name back on the map. It isn't going to happen. They're definitely gonna lose."
"Of course Sting!" Lector announced. "They don't stand a chance against you!"
"Fro thinks so too," Frosch said around a yawn.
Rogue looked down rubbing their back as they closed their eyes, falling asleep. He raised his eyebrow at Sting as the other dragon slayer began pacing. Years of friendship be damned, he'd knock him out if he woke Frosch up. The little exceed could be a pain in the ass if they didn't get enough sleep.
Sting sighed running his fingers through his hair.
"That does it. We're gonna have to train harder than normal this year."
"To impress Fairy Tail?"
"No! What?! No, to beat them of course."
"I thought you said there was no way they were going to win? Why would we have to try harder to defeat them?" Rogue thought that was a reasonable question, but the look that crossed Sting's face made him question his own logic.
"Would you stop being difficult for once?!" Sting cried out moving closer.
Frosch jumped in their sleep and Rogue touched their back gently to calm them.
"If you wake Frosch up, you will regret it," he said softly as Sting stepped closer.
Sting swallowed slowly as he took in Rogue's expression. Rogue rarely showed any emotions on his face, but the expression that crossed Rogue's face was pure anger. Rogue was extremely protective of his exceed, even more than Sting was of Lector. It was as if Frosch was Rogue's child. Sometimes Rogue treated Frosch as if they were a new born. He did crazy things for Frosch that Sting would never have thought to do for Lector, like the frog costume. It wasn't Rogue's fault the damn exceed though they were a frog.
"Just listen to me Rogue," Sting finally said, leaning in closer. "We have to make this our best competition year. We have to show Fairy Tail there's no way they're taking the number one spot from us."
Rogue's breath caught in his throat as Sting moved in closer. He was close enough that Rogue feel his breath across his cheek. Space had never been an issue between the two of them. Unlike other people in their lives, they'd always been comfortable moving within limited amounts of space. A lot of people had commented on their lack of personal space around each other. Over the last couple years, they'd adjusted to more proper spatial arrangements, mostly to avoid the wrath of Jiemma. Jiemma had always considered their friendship a weakness instead of a strength. He believed caring about someone else made a wizard weak and did everything to beat that philosophy into the minds of his guild members, including his own daughter. He would kill Rogue for how he felt about Sting being so close to him.
Rogue's hands itched with the urge to pull Sting in closer. It'd been that way for weeks. Sting would go on one of his tirades and Rogue would be fighting his urge to pull him into his arms.
"If you say so Sting." He finally replied.
"Thank you!" Sting cried out, finally backing away from him, and Rogue let out a breath of relief.
Sting was going to drive him insane. The other dragon slayers obliviousness was ridiculous. It should be impossible for him to be as good a wizard as he was with out clueless he was to things going on around him. However, once he was in a battle, he had laser sharp focus. Outside of competitions and fights, Sting was about as blind as he could get. It was one of the things Rogue found endearing about him. He could be overbearing a bit hard to handle, but he had his moments that made him unique from anyone else they knew. Sting was unapologetic-ally himself, and Rogue wouldn't have him any other way.
Rogue gave him a tight lipped smile, focusing his attention on Frosch. At least the little exceed could keep him distracted from his thoughts about Sting. Thoughts that had become all too common recently. He'd always known his feelings for Sting were different than what they were supposed to be, but lately that attraction had only gotten stronger and Rogue wasn't sure he could keep fighting his own feelings. Sting was bound to notice eventually and then the truth would all come out. It was better for him to face them on his own, at least then he would lose Sting on his own terms rather than having Sting walk away in anger. There was no way Sting would keep him in his life if he knew how he felt. He couldn't. Sting had a mate out there and couldn't stay with Rogue to appease him. He would need to find his mate. That was the life of a dragon slayer. Trying to keep Sting from his mate would be nothing short of greedy.
Rogue glanced back up at Sting and felt a small flush spread across his cheeks. Oh there were days where he wished he could be greedy. Days where he wanted to be wrapped in Sting's arms and be able to hold him in ways that have been denied him for years, hold him in ways that Rogue had only ever been able to dream about.
"Rogue? What's wrong?"
Rogue glanced up quickly as Sting stared at him in confusion.
"Nothing."
"Then come on, lets get out there. We gotta start training."
Rogue glanced down at the exceed sleeping in his lap and then back up at Sting slowly.
"Do you want to be the bad guy that woke Frosch up?"
"I'm sure you can move without waking Frosch up."
Rogue sighed, gently moving the exceed to his pillow. Hopefully they wouldn't be too frightened when they woke up and everyone was gone. They'd just be in the courtyard sparring knowing Sting. That was the only real training Sting ever did. He never worked on anything but his fighting style.
"You do realize we have three months to prepare right?"
"That means three months of training. Fairy Tail doesn't stand a chance!"
"Didn't you already say that?"
Sting frowned glancing at Rogue out the corner of his eye. Rogue had always been difficult, but it seemed as if he was being more difficult lately. Once again, he felt as if Rogue was hiding something from him. He'd been more defensive than usual and Sting didn't like it. He wanted his old friend back. Sure, Rogue had always been a little reserved and withdrawn, but Sting could live with that. He had been for years, but lately it seemed as if Rogue was pulling away from even him. It was unlikely that the shadow dragon slayer would tell him what was bothering him. If he wanted Sting to know he would have told him immediately. Sting sighed shaking his head.
"Let's just get started."
"Sure," Rogue agreed, following him out to the fields.
Anyone else in the guild could train in the courtyard, but Jiemma had ordered them to hold their training off guild property. He'd gotten tired of repairing the damage their attacks had caused the guild hall. The last straw had been the Sting sized hole that had been left in their kitchen wall. Rogue could still hear the screaming fit they'd gotten from Minerva due to the soup that had been spilled on top of her head. Rogue was pretty sure they'd been lucky to escape with their lives. Minerva still barely spoke to them unless she needed something from them and Sting and Rogue did their best to stay out of her way. She could be even more intimidating than her father and they weren't looking for trouble within Sabertooth's walls. They liked to keep all their enemies outside of their guild.
Rogue shook himself out of his memories before joining Sting on the training field. At least the Grand Magic Games would keep him distracted from his own problems for awhile.