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ft-dads-au · 5 years

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Haku and Kuro Eucliffe Fanart by @oryu404

Stingue Week 2019 Prompt: AU Home for the Holidays 2019 Prompt: Family A collaboration by @mdelpin and @oryu404 AO3 | FF.Net | Next: Ch 2

Chance Encounter

Chapter 1

May 11, 2020

Rogue closed his eyes for what felt like only a moment, only to be pulled out of sleep by the soft whining noises of an infant. A short silence fell, and he almost got his hopes up that it was simply sleep talk, but of course, luck wasn’t on his side.

The whining repeated louder and more desperate to be heard. When no response was given, it quickly turned into a piercing wail. The staticky video monitor that sat on his nightstand called for his attention, but he stubbornly refused to reach for it yet. Holding his breath, he willed his son to go back to sleep on his own, but instead, the cry was quickly joined by a second one, and Rogue could only groan in frustration. Both twins were up now, and he was still so tired.

The last six months had been hell on his sleep schedule. He and Sting had been happily surprised when they’d heard from Minerva that they were going to have twins. In their excitement, however, they’d failed to consider how challenging that first year would be, especially with Sting just starting his first year of pediatric residency at the hospital.

Rogue decided to let their sons cry for a bit and see if they were able to put themselves back to sleep, but after several minutes had passed with the cries only growing more desperate, he knew it wasn’t going to happen. Eyes still shut tightly, he willed his body to move but then felt the bed shift as Sting rolled onto his stomach with a groan, covering his head with a pillow before finally getting up to check on Haku and Kuro.

Rogue smiled in appreciation and snuggled deeper into the covers, content in the knowledge that Sting was taking over. A few moments passed before he heard Sting’s sleepy voice come over the monitor.

“What are you little monsters up to? It’s not even light out,” Sting’s voice sounded loud through the monitor, giving Rogue a rather good idea of where he was standing.

The crying stopped instantly, replaced by curious coos as the boys recognized their father’s voice.

“Do you need changing?” Sting asked, and as Rogue heard the creak of the floorboards, he knew Sting had picked Haku up out of his crib.

“You have such a beautiful smile, Haku,” Sting murmured gently, “Oof, but that diaper has got to go, looks like you were busy. Smells like it too.”

Haku giggled as Sting changed his diaper, and Rogue felt his heart swell as he imagined Sting making funny faces at their son. He yawned and fought off the instinctual urge to get up and help. He reminded himself that he took care of them on his own every day, it was good to let Sting help out when he could. The sound of Kuro’s displeased wails at being kept waiting rang out. He heard the click of the changing table’s safety belt as Sting went to get Kuro.

“You wait right here, Haku, I’ll be right back with your brother.”

At first, Haku continued to coo happily until he realized Sting wasn’t there anymore then he began to wail as well. That decided it. Rogue reached out with his arm and turned the monitor off, muting the noise as much as possible. It wasn’t like Sting couldn’t handle it on his own.

Rogue tried not to focus on the sounds so he could go back to sleep as soon as possible before it was time to get up and start another day. It didn’t take long before those sounds weren’t coming from the baby monitor anymore. They traveled through the walls until they reached the bedroom. The mattress dipped next to him, and Rogue felt a weight far too light to be Sting’s plop on the bed next to him, followed by another similar weight, before a third, more familiar one filled up the bed.

When Rogue finally lifted his heavy eyelids, he stared right into a pair of wide-open eyes, their bright blue hue twinkling much too happily in the pale moonlight that slipped into the room through a gap between the curtains. A pacifier bobbed up and down rhythmically against chubby cheeks, and from behind it came a delighted hum.

He probably would have melted at the sight if it wasn’t the middle of the night, and he didn’t suffer from exhaustion as much as he did. Besides, this little hellion and his nearly identical partner in crime, who was waving around his favorite stuffed red dragon, were not supposed to be here right now.

“If you keep doing this, they’ll never get used to sleeping in their own room,” Rogue objected, even though the damage was already done, “and we’ll never get some decent sleep.”

Tiny fingers found their way to his face, probing around and tugging at some strands of his hair as if determined to prove that last statement. Rogue gently grabbed them and warded them off before he could be assaulted in thoughtless enthusiasm.

“They’re only six months old, babe, there’s plenty of time for them to get used to sleeping without us,” Sting countered, “The Magnolia Pediatrics Association recommends that babies sleep in their parents’ room for the first six to twelve months.”

Rogue made a face, thinking of spending another six months sleeping with the twins between them, or in cribs next to their bed. It was convenient to not have to get out of the bedroom to do nighttime baby care, and he absolutely loved sleeping with a tiny warm body curled up in his arms. However, he was far less thrilled about being woken by the involuntary spasms of small fists or the feeling of the soggy end of a suckled on plushie in his face.

“We have to start trying at some point. You have twelve-hour shifts, and neither one of us is getting any sleep,” Rogue argued half-heartedly.

“Shh, go back to sleep, I’ve got them,” Sting leaned over to give Rogue a soft kiss, changing the subject before it could turn into an argument. And as the babies shifted away from him and began to climb on his husband with joyous shrieks, Rogue did just that.

When he woke up again, the other side of the bed was empty, but he could smell the reviving scent of freshly brewed coffee as it wafted into his room.

The alarm clock displayed a time that made him want to hide under the warmth of the covers for a few more hours, but he got up anyway. Sting didn’t have much time left before he had to head out, and the familiar urge to use the bathroom made sure he didn’t stall any longer.

Still sleepy, he yawned and rubbed away at the sandy feeling in his eyes as he trudged into the dining room. The twins were in their high chairs, Kuro intensely focused on drinking from the bottle he was holding up all by himself, while Haku seemed to have given up on that and was diligently trying to pick up cheerios from the tray. Some of them had already landed on the floor, but they were easy to clean up. It was a simple way to keep the little one busy for a while, so Rogue didn’t mind in the slightest.

“Morning,” Sting greeted, cheerful as ever no matter the ungodly hour. He kissed Rogue’s cheek and placed a big mug of coffee, along with a bowl of cereal and milk on the table in front of him. “Right on time for breakfast!”

Rogue sat down next to Haku, already foreseeing what would happen once he ran out of cheerios, and blew some steam off his coffee. He took a tentative first sip to gauge the temperature and then a bigger one when he made sure it was safe.

“Thanks,” he smiled into the mug, “did you ever get back to sleep?”

“Nah, but that’s okay. I got some quality cuddling time with the monsters instead. They’ll probably be asleep by the time I get back tonight, so it’s a sacrifice I was willing to make.” Sting took a seat next to him with his own breakfast, placing a hand on his thigh and his head on Rogue’s shoulder, “I didn’t get to cuddle you though.”

“Eat,” ordered Rogue, softly headbutting him, “you sacrificed sleep, you can’t skip breakfast too. I’ll still be up when you get back.”

“Promise?” Sting grinned at him, his eyes alight with mischief as he moved his hand a little higher up Rogue’s thigh before squeezing firmly and settling to eat his breakfast.

Rogue rolled his eyes but couldn’t help the smile that teased his lips as he thought about the possibility of spending some alone time with Sting. He peered over at the boys, whose faces were already covered in a combination of formula and mushed up Cheerios and then back at Sting, who was wolfing down his breakfast in a bid to have enough time for a shower before work and sighed happily. This might very well be the most perfect moment he could recall in quite a while.

But as often happened, it was over before he had a chance to really enjoy it. Sting looked down at his watch and jumped out of his chair.

“Shit! Gotta jump in the shower, new rotation today, can’t afford to be late!”

Rogue tried to remember which rotation Sting was going to be working on now as he stood up from his chair but couldn’t remember. He hoped it was one of the good ones, knowing Sting had been itching to have more interaction with patients.

Haku and Kuro began to show signs of restlessness, so Rogue hurried his cleaning efforts, collecting all the dirty dishes and putting them in the sink for later. Grabbing a washcloth, he cleaned the twins’ faces quickly, taking them out of their high chairs and placing them on their tummies on the living room floor.

“Alexa, play children’s music,” Rogue cringed as the saccharin sweet sounds of Wheels on the Bus began to play in the background, but Haku and Kuro both lifted their heads up in wonder as they tried to find the source of the music.

Rogue hurried to get the basket of toys they kept next to their large sectional, reaching in to grab a large blanket with multiple items sewn to it. It was designed to stimulate and help develop an infant’s motor development, and it was Haku’s favorite toy at the moment.

Kuro had been fascinated by his red dragon plush from the moment he’d received it from his Grandpa Weiss. He took it with him everywhere and put up a fuss if it was ever removed from his chubby hands. Not even Haku was allowed to take it from him. Haku had been gifted a similar blue dragon, but he hadn’t really cared much about it yet.

Sting raced out of their bedroom, stopping only to kiss Rogue and tickle the boys’ sides gently before kissing the tops of their heads.

“Be good for Daddy!” he chattered at them before grabbing his work bag and waving to Rogue, “See you tonight!”

“Bye,” Rogue managed as the door closed loudly from Sting’s over-exuberant efforts. And just like that, Rogue’s day had begun. Looking down at his watch, he saw it was only five fifteen in the morning.

A/N: We are super excited to finally introduce you to this world we have been building for a while now, and have really fallen in love with! We'll follow a number of couples and characters on a very different kind of battlefield: adult life, and most notably parenthood! As this is also an entry for both Stingue week and ftlgbtales home for the holidays, we will first introduce you to the lovely, and slightly chaotic Eucliffe household. Hope you enjoy! ^^- Burrito and Mdelpin -

@ftmlmages

#fairy tail #ftdadsau #stingue #stingueweek2019 #ftlgbtholidays2019 #ftlgbtales #prompt: AU #prompt: family #fics

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splendidlyimperfect · 5 years

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Written for @stingueweek 2019; prompt: AU

Chapters (1/?): 1 Rating: Mature Relationships: Natsu Dragneel/Gray Fullbuster, Rogue Cheney/Sting Eucliffe Characters: Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, Sting Eucliffe, Rogue Cheney, Erza Scarlet, Wendy Marvell, Bora (Fairy Tail), Kagura Mikazuchi, Gajeel Redfox, Tempester (Fairy Tail), Jackal (Fairy Tail) Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Thieves, Thieves Guild, Heist, Costume Parties & Masquerades, Sneaking Around, Swordfighting, Magic, Magical Artifacts, Team as Family, Con Artists, Blood and Injury, Alchemy, plans that go terribly wrong, as usual, lots of swearing, Natsu's plans are always convoluted, Gray's not sure about them, Sting and Rogue are just along for the ride, Erza's pretty sure it's gonna blow up but wants to be there for it, it's another heist, but there aren't any bees this time, Stingue Week, Tumblr: FTLGBTales Series: Part 1 of richer and cleverer than everyone else, Part 1 of Stingue Week 2019

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“If we manage to get out of this alive, I’m going to cut off Natsu’s balls and feed them to the sharks.”

Sting rubbed a hand over his face and sighed noisily, then looked down at the little girl standing in front of him. She didn’t say anything, just stared up at him with wide, blue eyes and bunched the skirt of her frilled dress in her hands.

“I’m not going to hurt you, darling,” Sting reassured her, crouching down to her level and giving her what he had been told was his most charming, innocent smile. He held out his hand and she studied it for a second before reaching out and taking it. “There you go, love. You want to get out of here?”

She looked around the room, eyes landing on a small toy that was tucked onto the bed. Sting reached over and grabbed it – a small, plush cat – and handed it to her. “Better?”

She nodded and Sting squeezed her hand, then stood up and peeked out the door.

“All right,” he sighed, glad to see that the guards were still unconscious. “Since this whole thing was Natsu’s cockup, we’re going with his sure card.” He looked down at the little girl and grinned. “Let’s go burn something down.”

Continue reading on AO3

Two Weeks Earlier

“Whatever it is that you’re plotting does not count as ‘lying low’ and you know it.”

Gray scowled at Natsu, who was sitting on top of the dining room table in the guild basement looking frighteningly pleased with himself.

“Who says I’m plotting?” Natsu said, trying his best to look innocent.

“I’ve lived with you for twelve years,” Gray said, “and I’d recognize that idiotic expression from all the way across Magnolia.” He turned to Erza, throwing his hands up in exasperation. She looked up from her dinner and gave him a half-shrug, lip curling up in a smile when he groaned and ran his fingers through his hair.

“Just hear me out,” Natsu insisted. “It’s not just money – it’s magic!”

Gray stared at him. “We are not,” he said slowly, leaning forward with his hands on the table, “fucking with the bondsmagi.”

“Gods, no,” Sting interrupted from his spot at the table next to Erza. “Even Nastu isn’t that much of a twat. Right?” When Natsu didn’t answer, Sting pinched his thigh. “Right?”

“Of course not!” Natsu said brightly, batting away Sting’s hand. Gray glared at him suspiciously, then sighed and leaned back against the other table, arms crossed against his chest. “Look,” Natsu continued, “Sting and I heard some of the lads down at the alehouse talking about that new Lord in Upper.”

“Bora?” Rogue asked, eyebrows raised.

“I think you mean ‘Lord Bora of Prominence,’” Sting corrected in a ridiculous high Therin accent. Erza snorted. “Nobody else calls him that, but he’s apparently very fond of himself.”

“Well he can also apparently walk through walls,” Natsu said, “so he might be onto something.”

“Nobody can walk through walls except the bondsmagi,” Gray said darkly, “and even that’s up for debate. Does he have the marks?”

Gray gestured to his forearm, the traditional place where bondsmagi wore their circular tattoos marking their rank in the sorcerer’s guild. As a magic user, membership in the guild was mandatory, and if you didn’t want to join – well, nobody who valued breathing ever refused the bondsmagi.

“According to our sources, no.” Natsu shook his head.

“And are your sources those brats from the Half-Crowns?” Gray demanded. “Because the last time we got a tip from them, I ended up with this.” He pushed back his hair to show off the thin, white scar that ran just above his eyebrow.

“That was an accident and you know it,” Natsu protested, hopping down off the table and tugging his own shirt up to show off the bandage over the still-healing wound on his hip. “And mine’s worse.”

“I know,” Gray said, “I sutured it. And isn’t that exactly why we’re supposed to be laying low? You got stabbed on the last job!”

“Lightly stabbed,” Natsu corrected.

“You can’t get ‘lightly stabbed,’ you twit, you’re either stabbed or you aren’t.”

“All right, ladies, enough bickering.” Sting gestured for Natsu and Gray to separate. Then he turned back to Erza and added a quick, “no offense meant.” She rolled her eyes and continued eating.

“You think we should do it, right?” Natsu looked at Sting with wide eyes and Sting sighed.

“You did get stabbed very recently,” he admitted, “but there might be something to it. Maybe.” He turned to Gray. “It wasn’t just the Half Crowns. The Eight Crows and one of the sneaks from the Dragontooth Brotherhood said they saw Lord Bora disappear in the middle of a crowd. Not just running away – vanished into thin air.”

“How soused were they?” Rogue asked, kicking his feet up on the table.

“Fairly,” Sting admitted. “But Kagura said she saw him too.”

Gray raised an eyebrow. Kagura ran Mermaid Heel, the all-women's guild that took care of Magnolia’s brothels. They had been around for years, ever since a nobleman had beaten one of the girls and Kagura had cut off his cock in retaliation. After that, it had been easy to remove the rest of the men from the guild, and now every brothel and bawdy house was under Kagura and her girls’ protection. Gray had seen Kagura slit more than one man’s throat in broad daylight and had never known her to lie.

“She saw him vanish?” he asked.

Sting shook his head. “She said he was at the Inn and Out down by the docks, but he didn’t take any of the girls, just poked around a bit. Kagura cornered him ‘cause he was acting queer and she said he just turned and walked through the wall.”

“Through the wall?” Rogue leaned forward on the table. “We’re sure he’s not a bondsmagi?”

“If he was, he’d be up in Era with the rest of them,” Natsu said, waving his hand dismissively. “Off charging hundreds of thousands of solons to topple governments, not bootlicking the Don and Doña.”

“Well then how in the hells is he using magic?” Gray demanded. “Alchemy’s one thing, but it won’t get you through walls or make you disappear.”

“Kagura thinks he’s got a Remnant,” Natsu said. “A big one.” He gave them all a significant look.

“That’s... unlikely,” Erza said, setting down her utensils and leaning forward onto the table. “Nobody’s ever had one that powerful.” The tiny stones, remnants of a once-powerful crystal, could be used to do minor magic – small things like levitating a sheaf of paper, or temporarily changing one’s hair color. They were a good distraction on cons, and the guild had several in the vault, but none of them were powerful enough to make a man disappear.

“They all said he had a ring,” Natsu explained. “Big red gem, and it flashed before he used the magic. That has to be how he’s doing it.”

“So, you want to nick this ring?” Gray studied Natsu and Sting, who both nodded.

Natsu bounced on his toes and grinned at Gray. “Picture the look on Captain Lahar’s face if we got collared, and then just disappeared from the prison!”

Gray tipped his head from side to side, looking past Natsu to gauge Rogue and Erza’s reactions. If Erza shut down a plan, it wouldn’t go ahead, no matter how much Natsu wanted to do it. The one time he’d tried to go behind her back, he’d mysteriously woken up with lockjaw. He hadn’t been able to talk for a week, and it had never happened again.

Erza stared at the patterns in the oak table for a minute, then looked up at Natsu. “I might have heard,” she said slowly, “that there’s a party being held at Bora’s place in the Uppers.”

Natsu perked up even more and turned to Gray. “You love parties!”

“I do not.”

“Do so.”

“Do not.”

“You did go on quite a bit about the last party,” Rogue said, giving Gray a sly look. Gray gritted his teeth, willing his cheeks to stop burning. He’d been a bit tipsy after their last fancy job and had effused to Rogue – at length – about how fantastic Natsu’s arse had looked in his leggings.

“Well, you might have a bit of a time getting into this party,” Erza said to Natsu. “It’s a fancier’s show. Apparently, he’s been inviting all the ladies to see the lavish new winter fashions from Crocus – and the invitations was for those of the fairer sex exclusively.”

Natsu opened his mouth, then surprised Gray by frowning, considering what he might have been going to say, and deciding to not say it instead.

“Before you ask,” Erza added, “I will not be wearing a gown or accepting any sort of affections from Bora, no matter how ‘prominent’ he is.”

“What if he’s prominent…” Natsu laughed and gestured to his groin, then yelped as Erza tossed her butter knife at him. “All right, I know your inclinations run more to the cu—”

“Think hard before you finish that sentence,” Erza warned, picking up her fork and pointing it at Natsu. He put both hands up in surrender, shifting so that Sting was slightly in front of him.

“Look,” Sting said quickly, “nobody needs to get dismembered, and Erza doesn’t have to wear a dress.”

“I take it you have an idea, then?” Gray asked.

“That I do,” Sting said, wrapping his arm around Natsu and grinning at him. “Since this is Natsu’s idea, we’re going to make him into the prettiest noblewoman in Magnolia.”

#fairy tail #ftlgbtales #ftlgbtfics #stingueweek #stingueweek2019 #stingue #gratsu #sting eucliffe #gray fullbuster #natsu dragneel #rogue cheney #erza scarlet #fanfic #my fic

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poisonouslightslayer · 5 years

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Day 6: Gratitude

~ I thank you for your part in my journey

#stingueweek2019 #stingue week #self;white dragon's glory #sting eucliffe #rogue; his twin dragon #rogue cheney #twin dragons #yamikaiba edits #my edits #very fitting since it's Thanksgiving #light queue post

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becausesin · 5 years

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Heroic

Sting was lying in bed, shirtless and still awake at a time he should be sleeping. Rogue was at his side, sleeping as the sensible being he was, so that left the blond alone with his thoughts. Which were going down by the moment, unfortunately.

He was still sensitive about the war topic. Not that he was going to admit it openly but he couldn’t stop thinking he hadn’t done everything he could and should. He was better than he had been the immediate days after it, but sometimes the thoughts still dragged him to the ground. Tonight was one of those times.

So he was just laying there, looking at the ceiling and slowly dragging his hand up and down Rogue’s back when he felt him stirring and mumbling something.

“Are you awake?” He whispered, trying to avoid waking him up if he wasn’t already. “You are thinking too loud to let me sleep. What’s up?” “I was just thinking.”

“Don’t” Sting snorted at that.

“I tried. But it just… I don’t know. I can’t stop thinking if there isn’t anyone better for… this.” “This?”

“The guild. Our friends. You. I don’t know. I want you all to be safe and happy but I don’t think I can do it. I would like to be some kind of… hero i guess? So I could make sure nothing happens to you or anyone else. But sure none of that and-”

A flick on his forehead stopped his babbling, startling him for a moment before he turned to look at Rogue. There was a strange look on his face and Sting wasn’t sure what to make of it. It seemed like he was touched, amused and a bit angry. A weird mix for his boyfriend indeed.

“You are being ridiculous.” Rogue said then, draping himself even closer. It wasn’t exactly what Sting wanted to hear, honestly.

“I know.” He sighed, turning his head to avoid his eyes.. “It just that-”

“Shut up.” As he said that, Rogue caught Sting’s face between his fingers and forced him to look back. “You are talking nonsense.”

And this time what he could see in his eyes left Sting speechless, since the main thing there was love and honestly he hadn’t been expecting it.

“I don’t need a hero. I can take care of myself. And so can everyone else. I don’t want a hero. I want you.”

And well, yeah, if he wasn’t speechless before he surely was now. As it was, the only thing he could do was lean until their foreheads touched and close his eyes. He hoped that would be enough. Maybe it was.

#stingue #stingueweek2019 #stingue week 2019 #my fics #drabble #heroic

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mdelpin · 5 years

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Stingue Week 2019 - Honesty

Stingue Week 2019 Prompts: Heroic, Betrayal, Reminisce, Guilt, Union, Gratitude, AU AO3 | Full Story | Excerpt | Chapter 21

For @oryu404

Honesty (Excerpt from Chapter 21 of The Red Dragon)

Rogue lay on a blanket on the floor of the cave that had been their home for the last month or so, eyes wide open in the dark. This was but the latest in a series of caves they’d inhabited as they slowly made their way towards the island Natsu and Belserion had discovered.

Weisslogia couldn’t fly for very long periods, and whenever they moved from one place to another, he had to push himself so hard it took him months to recover and build up enough stamina to attempt the next move.

Rogue’s breathing came in ragged pants as he tried to distance himself from the vivid dream he’d just woken up from. It didn’t help that both his legs had begun to throb in agony. A flashback to the acid that had burned through parts of his body during his last battle. The phantom pain to his legs pulsated stronger than it had in several months.

He did everything he could to keep himself quiet, but the discomfort was more than he could bear. He felt like he couldn’t breathe, and upon noticing Sting sleeping restlessly nearby, he made a decision. Rogue shifted into his shadow form and swiftly moved towards the cave entrance.

He traveled up the mountain until he reached a flat area wide enough to not be dangerous. Releasing his magic, he sat on the edge, watching the stars in peaceful solitude. It had been a long time since he’d had some time alone, and he soon found himself relaxing as the dream lost its hold on him, and the pain began to ebb from his consciousness.

Everything had changed so much in the last nine months, one decision made in the heat of battle had managed to reshape his life forever, and although he wished things had gone differently, he couldn’t find it in his heart to regret it. It had been the right thing to do.

Deliora was dead, the war was officially over. Everything else was secondary. Rogue used his arms to push himself back from the edge, wincing as a sharp rock scratched at his legs, which now ended slightly below his knees.

He heard movement below him and sighed, already knowing who it was. Looking up to the sky once more, he enjoyed the peace while he still could.

Some minutes later, he saw Sting’s hands appear on the ledge and waited for the lecture that was sure to follow.

“What are you doing out here?” Sting demanded, “I looked everywhere for you.” Although his face was full of concern, Rogue could feel Sting’s fear flooding the bond, and it irritated him.

“Where did you think I was going to go?” Rogue heard the bitterness in his voice and quickly tried to back down. The last thing he wanted was yet another argument.

“Everything’s fine Sting, I just needed some fresh air.”

“You had another one of those dreams, didn’t you?”

Rogue shrugged his shoulders, not wanting to give it any importance. “It’s a beautiful night.”

“Don’t change the subject, you can’t just take off like that!” Sting chastised, “What if you get into a situation, and I’m not around to help?”

The again was implied, but Rogue heard it just as loudly as if it had been yelled, and he could feel the rage building inside him.

“I may need help to do some things, but I’m not an invalid,” he growled, “I got myself up this mountain on my own, and I still have my magic. I can take care of myself just fine, the only one who seems to think I’m helpless is you.”

“That’s not true.”

“Isn’t it?” Rogue snapped, “You hover over me constantly, do everything for me before I’ve even had a chance to try on my own.”

“And you’re too stubborn to ask for help!” Sting accused, running his fingers through his hair in frustration, “Even when it’s obvious you need it.”

Rogue’s eyes flashed but before he had a chance to retort Sting sat down next to him.

“You’re not the only one who has nightmares, you know,” the words were uttered in a resigned tone, but Rogue could still suss out their meaning, and it deflated his anger instantly. Made him realize that Sting was still frightened he might lose him at any moment.

“Sting —”

“You almost died, Rogue. Did you ever think of what that did to me?” Sting’s eyes had grown so large Rogue felt like he could swim in their depths.

And he felt bad because the truth was he hadn’t given any thought to anything but the fact that Deliora was in front of them, and if they got him, they could go home. And Rogue had wanted to go home desperately.

He missed their friends, and their nice warm bed, and his favorite bakery, but mostly, he missed the way things had been between them before they had gotten caught up in the fights of others. And now they were involved in one that was all their own.

“He promised me, Rogue.”

And there it was. The reason for their neverending fight. Sting was determined to blame Natsu for what had happened to him, and that pissed Rogue off. Not only was it unfair, but it completely undermined his role in what had happened.

“When are you going to accept that I was the one who made the decision to fight that dragon on my own? Natsu was against it from the start. I was the one to convince him to go after Deliora. I was the one that thought I could handle it. And it was the right decision, regardless of the consequences. Deliora is dead.”

“I trusted him, he promised me he wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”

“And if he hadn’t healed me when he did or gotten me to help, that acid would have killed me. Natsu saved me, Sting, and you sent Acnologia after him, knowing full well he intends to kill him. Last time they fought, Natsu barely survived.”

“What was I supposed to have done when he showed up here?” Sting yelled, but once again, the bond gave him away. Rogue could feel his guilt, and that at least made him feel a little better. “None of us was a match for him. It was the only thing I could do to keep us alive.”

“We should have fought him or died trying.” Rogue remarked matter-of-factly, “It’s what Natsu would have done for us. It was our turn to be heroic, but we cowered instead.”

Rogue wondered if Sting had yet realized the enormity of what he’d done by giving Acnologia Natsu’s location. He hadn’t just led Acnologia to Atlas, Igneel, and Natsu, he’d also sent him after Erza, Gray, Lyon, Anna and everyone else who lived in Talos. Sting had pointed that abomination straight to the one place they had spent most of their lives guarding.

“I had to protect you, I couldn’t fail again,” tears were hiding in the corner of Sting’s eyes, and it was then that Rogue felt the honesty in Sting’s words.

All this time, he’d thought that Sting had been punishing Natsu, but that had never been it. Yes, Sting was angry at Natsu, and he did blame him for Rogue’s injuries, but in the end, it had come down to the fact that his mate had been in danger. He’d had no choice but to protect him, even at the cost of betraying his best friend.

“Do you think he’s already gotten there?” Rogue worried, wishing they had been able to warn their friends of what was coming.

“Probably,” Sting’s voice broke, and Rogue let go of some of the resentment he’d been harboring. There was nothing to be done, and even if he hadn’t been the one to give Acnologia the information, the truth was he hadn’t stopped Sting either. They were both complicit.

They sat in uneasy silence, and Rogue couldn’t help but remember all the times they’d sat like this when they were younger. Climbing out of their beds in the orphanage and sneaking outside, just so they could gaze at the stars, and talk excitedly about the places they would go and the people they would meet when they were older.

Not having any idea that a little boy would soon enter their lives and change everything they knew. That they would come to love that little boy almost as much as they loved each other, or that he would come to give them a home.

A home they could no longer return to. Even if by some miracle Talos remained unscathed from Acnologia’s attack, once word got out of what they’d done, they would no longer be welcome there.

Rogue put his arm around his mate, pulling him close, letting Sting shed his tears on his shoulder. He knew there was more to what Sting was feeling than what he’d said, but there was no point in pushing now. He could only hope that the red dragons were able to put an end to Acnologia before he could destroy Talos and that Natsu somehow managed to live through it once again. If only so they could try to earn his forgiveness.

0-0

In the following days, things between them began to improve slowly. Sting hovered less, Rogue asked for help more. They met each other halfway, and although they were still far from where they had once been, it helped ease Rogue’s worries. He’d even caught himself smiling at Sting a few times, though he couldn’t recall having seen Sting smile since Acnologia had come into their cave.

Weiss was feeling stronger, and with any luck, they’d be able to make it to Drak Aatsa, the island Natsu and Belserion had found, soon. They sat in a circle, planning the next leg of their journey when Skia tensed up. Sting and Rogue regarded him in confusion until Weiss explained.

“Atlas and Natsu are near, they seem to be moving slower than usual,” Weiss looked over at Sting to see how his son was reacting to the news, but Rogue didn’t have to. He could feel it.

The surge of emotions that Sting was feeling was overwhelming, and for a moment, they became his. Rogue grabbed Sting’s hand, lacing their fingers together and squeezing firmly.

Sting turned to him, looking paler than Rogue had ever seen him. For the first time since they’d met, Sting looked like he wanted to run from something, and it was very disconcerting. Rogue squeezed Sting’s hand again and offered him what he hoped was a reassuring smile.

They waited silently as Skiadrum went out to meet the red dragons. The minutes dragged on until they heard the sounds they’d been dreading. Three pairs of large wings getting ever closer. Skiadrum entered first, followed by Atlas Flame and then Natsu.

Atlas looked agitated, although it was clear from Skiadrum’s countenance that he hadn’t told them anything. Rogue looked at Natsu curiously, he hadn’t really seen him much since he’d tried to heal him after the dragon attack. The best word he could think of to describe the dragon was downcast. He vaguely wondered why Natsu would choose to be in his dragon form when he no longer needed to, but he was distracted by Sting’s reaction.

Where before Sting had looked nervous, now he seemed to be holding back tears, and all Rogue could feel from him was great sorrow. He looked between Sting and Natsu trying to figure out what was going on.

Weiss broke the uncomfortable silence, “Not that I’m not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?”

“It’s probably nothing for you to worry about, but Acnologia popped up in Talos a few days ago. Now that we know he’s active again, we want to go ahead and move you to Drak Aatsa. It’s not safe for you here on your own anymore.”

Atlas was his usual boisterous self, but for once, it sounded forced, and they all knew him well enough not to be fooled.

Skia and Weiss exchanged a nervous glance. Atlas was putting on a performance, but it wasn’t for their benefit. Rogue couldn’t help but notice that Natsu hadn’t looked at any of them since he’d entered, nor had he spoken a word. In fact, his whole demeanor was very unlike him, and Rogue started to get a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. What had happened?

Before he could say anything, Sting blurted out, “I’m sorry.”

Natsu turned toward him, looking puzzled by Sting’s outburst but finally speaking. “The thing with Rogue? You had every right to be upset. I broke my promise.”

Atlas looked confused as well, but he headed over to Rogue, “How are you feeling? Skia mentioned you’d been getting some pains, want me to take a look?”

Rogue didn’t really respond, too caught up in what was happening between Sting and Natsu, and Atlas took that as an affirmative. Rogue felt a soothing warmness envelop his legs, starting at his stumps and moving upward, and he grunted in appreciation.

“No,” Rogue could almost hear Sting swallowing, trying to build up the courage to say the next words, “Acnologia was already here.”

Rogue saw Natsu’s eyes widen in concern at Sting’s words, his eyes darting to check on each one of them, and it was almost too much for him to bear. His guilt had somehow gained physical form, residing in a large lump in his throat.

“I don’t understand, if Acnologia was here, how are you all fine?” Natsu looked them over again as if checking to see if he had missed something the first time.

“I told him what he wanted to know,” Sting explained, still not able to voice the words he knew he needed to say, and Rogue immediately understood why.

Once those words came out, his friendship with Natsu, something that had always been very important to him, would be over.

Natsu mouthed the word “oh” before once again falling into silence.

“Natsu, I’m sorry, I—”

Sting tried to say more, but Natsu waved him off, adding, “If it had been Gray, I would have done the same thing.”

There was something about the way he said Gray’s name that worried at Rogue, and he wanted to ask, to say anything, but instead, Natsu was the one to speak.

“I’m glad you’re alright.” And with that, Natsu turned around and left the cave, flying off.

Sting ran after him, having to stop at the entrance, “NATSU PLEASE, I’M SORRY!” he yelled through his tears, but there was no response.

“Settle down,” Atlas advised as he sat comfortably between Skiadrum and Weisslogia.

“Aren’t you going after him?” Rogue asked, surprised by how calm Atlas seemed to be.

“Do you really think there is anything I could say that would help?” Atlas challenged, and when Rogue had no response, he snorted. “He needs to sort this out on his own. Get your stuff ready, we move out tomorrow.”

“What happened?” Sting demanded.

“Let it go,” Atlas growled, his previous calm disappearing in an instant. This Atlas was angry, so much so, in fact, that Skia and Weiss were glancing at him nervously.

Sting knelt in front of Atlas, “Please, I need to know.”

“You don’t need me to tell you anything, Sting. You already know what happened.” Atlas wouldn’t elaborate further, but that seemed to be enough for Sting to crumble.

He left the cave without saying a word to anyone, and Rogue could only stare after him in confused shock. Then everything clicked into place.

“I’m gonna go check on him,” Rogue announced before morphing into his shadow form and traveling back up the mountain to the spot where he knew he’d find Sting. There wasn’t really anywhere else he would have gone.

He could hear loud grunts as well as squelching thuds the higher up he got, and winced internally, worried about what he would find. Rogue reached the shelf only to see Sting pummeling the bare rock of the mountain face with his fists, the gloves he liked to wear already stained with his blood.

“Stop it!” Rogue yelled, materializing as close to Sting as he dared. He leaned against the rock, not daring to sit on the edge at the moment as it was windy.

Sting did stop for a moment but thought better of it, continuing to pelt the rock as hard as he could.

“I said, stop it! You aren’t helping anything by doing this,” Rogue called out once again, and when Sting still didn’t listen, he took a risk. He once again shifted into his shadow form. Only this time, grabbing on to Sting from behind, before materializing again. He hoped Sting didn’t fight him because he was in no condition to go up against him.

“Are you out of your mind?!” Sting snapped, but he stopped what he was doing. His breath came out in ragged pants, and his hair was dripping with sweat, but he let Rogue restrain him, probably realizing he would only hurt him if he struggled.

Rogue loosened his hold, and Sting maneuvered him to his front, sitting both of them down. He wrapped his arms around Rogue and pulled him into his chest, which was the most intimate contact they’d shared in a long time.

Rogue removed Sting’s gloves to examine his hands and hissed, “I think you broke one.”

Sting’s only response was to laugh bitterly, “Yeah, I probably did. I deserve it, though.”

“Please tell me what’s going on, I know you’ve been keeping something from me, I just didn’t realize it had to do with Natsu.”

Sting remained silent for a few minutes before sighing, “To think I gave Gray the whole if you hurt him, I will end you speech. What a joke. I was the one who hurt them in the end.”

“Sting?”

“Can I just hold you for a bit? I promise I’ll tell you everything I know.”

“You can always hold me, dork, I’m your mate. I’m not going anywhere.” Rogue reassured him, raising his hand to touch Sting’s face, even though he couldn’t see it. He could feel Sting’s body relax behind him at his words, and he tried to burrow deeper into Sting’s warmth.

He wished they could go back inside, but he had a feeling if he suggested it, it would break this peace. Instead, he waited impatiently for Sting to speak.

“Natsu’s dragon side had been trying to take control of his body, it’s why we noticed all those changes at first. After he killed that wood dragon, we found out there was a possibility he might not be able to change back into his human form. The longer he stayed in his dragon form, the worse it would be. He didn’t want you guys to worry, so he made me promise to keep it a secret.”

Rogue began to shake with rage, That fucking idiot! How dare he keep something so important from them? Then again, he supposed he shouldn’t be too surprised. Natsu had been forced to keep secrets for most of his life.

“After the fight with Acnologia, it only got worse. Natsu had a tough time changing from one form to the other, and his body was covered in red scales wherever Grandine and Atlas had healed him. Natsu said it was like the magic was resisting him. Before he killed Deliora, Atlas had told him his dragon self had asserted itself to the point he didn’t think Natsu had many transformations left in him. So Natsu decided to wait until he went home to change into his human form. He had no intention of changing back until Gray had passed.”

“Oh.”

“He’s a dragon, Rogue. Now and forever. I did that, I ruined his life. Now he can’t ever go back to Gray. I took away the only thing he’d ever wanted.”

‘Sting—”

“No! Don’t tell me I did my best, or that I couldn’t have known. That’s bullshit, I knew. I fucking knew, but I did it anyway.”

“I wasn’t going to,” Rogue lied, he couldn’t believe that all of this had been happening under his very nose and he hadn’t realized it. He was ashamed to realize he’d been so caught up in all their issues he hadn’t spared a thought to Natsu. And it wasn’t like he could even get mad at Sting for not telling him, not when he’d done the same.

Natsu had once been just like them. Just a lonely little boy who’d wanted a family as desperately as they had. He’d withheld so many things from them over the years because Natsu’s love had always been about loyalty and protection. He’d watched over all of them, like the dragon he was, but refused to worry them with his own problems.

Rogue found himself thinking of Gray, the way he’d always looked at Natsu when he thought no one was watching, it had been so endearing, especially given how gruff he acted most of the time. Rogue was filled with pity at the thought that his friend would never experience what he and Sting had. Even worse, given the fact they were soulmates, Gray would never find anyone to replace what Natsu meant to him. It was a cruel fate for two beings who were so in love.

It made him appreciate something he and Sting had both lost sight of some time ago. Even though it often felt like nothing had gone right for them since they’d left Talos, they were alive, and they still had each other. And for that, he was eternally grateful.

He nudged Sting’s arm, “Can you turn me around?”

Sting lifted him without much effort, turning Rogue to face him until he found a comfortable position for both of them. Rogue wrapped his arms around Sting’s neck for support. He wanted to see Sting’s face when he told him what he wanted to say.

“I’m sorry you had to go through that alone,” Rogue declared earnestly, “and I wish you had trusted me to keep your secret. But I understand.”

“Nothing that’s happened changes anything between us. I love you, just as I always have,” Rogue tried to smile through his sadness, nuzzling Sting’s forehead with his, “And I know you feel this is all your fault, but it’s not. I was right there with you. Like I always am, and I’ll always be.”

Sting cupped Rogue’s face in his bloodied hands, “I don’t deserve you.”

Rogue chuckled, “Nope, but here we are anyway.”

“Thank you.”

Rogue leaned forward, brushing his lips against his mate’s gently. More than anything, it was a promise on his part to work on their problems and move forward together. When he felt Sting respond in kind, it awakened feelings that had lain dormant inside him for too long.

Sting broke away first, pulling Rogue into an embrace before whispering in his ear, “I love you so much.”

“I know,” Rogue replied simply, squeezing Sting tightly against him. They continued to hold the embrace until they were both shivering with cold.

“We should probably head back down, Weiss and Skia are going to worry soon, and you should really have Atlas look at your hands.”

Sting groaned, “Might as well give the sadistic bastard the satisfaction.”

Rogue snorted, “He’s worked on me before, he’s not so bad.”

“Yeah that’s cause he likes you, I rather think I’m at the bottom of his list at the moment.”

Rogue had no response to that, so he remained silent.

“How am I ever going to make up for this?”

“I don’t think either of us can, all we can do is be there for them if they let us, and try to accept that they might not.”

Sting frowned as he thought about Rogue’s words, “I guess you’re right.” He peered at his mate shyly, “Together?”

“Together,” Rogue agreed, and holding on to Sting carefully, he shifted them, uniting them in his shadows. He sped down the mountain, welcoming the rush of being able to move on his own. He snorted as Sting complained.

“This is not what I had in mind.”

A/N: I am so happy I got to participate in both weeks this year. To be honest, I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to participate in this one, due to other projects, but rarely have the stars aligned so completely for something. Not only did the week fall on the same date as the next scheduled update for Red Dragon, but it was also a chapter that dealt mostly with Sting and Rogue and the prompts fit the events perfectly, so who was I to ignore fate? Hope you enjoy. If you are interested, the chapter is published in its entirety on AO3.

It really is exciting to see so many events for Stingue, I’m looking forward to many more.

@stingueweek @fyeahstingue

#fairy tail #stingue #stingueweek2019 #stingueweek #ftlgbtales #prompt: heroic #prompt: betrayal #prompt: reminisce #prompt: guilt #prompt: union #prompt: gratitude #prompt: AU #excerpt #the red dragon #fanfiction #ftfanfics

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ao3feed-stingue · 5 years

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Chance Encounter

by DivineBurrito, mdelpin

Rogue had accepted his family wouldn't be a big part of his life. He was happy with the way things were, he had a husband and children he adored and a job he liked. Well, tolerated. When he accepted his latest assignment he never expected a chance encounter with the one person he sorely missed in his life.

Words: 1910, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Series: Part 2 of Fairy Tail Dad's AU

Fandoms: Fairy Tail

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Rogue Cheney, Sting Eucliffe, Macao Conbolt

Relationships: Rogue Cheney/Sting Eucliffe

Additional Tags: ft-dads-au, Magnolia Dad's Club, Domestic Fluff, Original Character(s), Next Generation, ftlgbtholidays2019, stingueweek2019, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Non-Magical, Established Relationship

Source:http://archiveofourown.org/works/21598126

#stingue #ao3feed #stingro #fairy tail #fanfiction #mlm #slash #sting x rogue #sting eucliffe #rogue cheney #sabertooth

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stingueweek · 5 years

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The Stingue Week 2019 Archive of Our Own collection is posted! If you post fics to AO3, be sure to add them to the collection!

#stingueweek #stingue #stingueweek2019 #sting eucliffe #rogue cheney #sabertooth guild #fairy tail #fairy tail ship week #sting x rogue #update

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oryu404 · 5 years

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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Fairy Tail Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Rogue Cheney/Sting Eucliffe Characters: Rogue Cheney, Sting Eucliffe Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Sting Is An Idiot, Fluff and ridiculousness Summary:

When the perfect opportunity arises for Sting to impress his crush, it doesn’t go the way he planned.

Written for Stingue Week 2019, Prompt: Heroic So this might be a little bit early, but it’s Saturday in my timezone already so I figured I’d just post. This is my first entry for Stingue week, I hope you enjoy it! ^^

#stingue #stingueweek #stingueweek2019 #sting x rogue #stingro #sting eucliffe #rogue cheney #fanfic

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zerefserigala · 5 years

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Rogue x Sting + Gratitude

You’ve known for a long, long time that he’s a dork, with the way that he stops and has to pet every stray animal you come across, or how he’ll drop anything just to bring you flowers when he feels low and wants to see you smile. All the little pieces of him melt your heart over and over again, and the sensation of flying never really goes away. You love him with all your heart, and the little ways that his sunshine breaks through the clouds in his mind just make you fall deeper.

You’ll never be able to show the true extent of your gratitude for his dorkiness, though. Because thinking back to how he worked up the courage to ask you out, with a song by his favourite YouTuber... It was as if he wasn’t aware that you had been in love with him for years.

But when people ask ‘how did you two hook up?’, all you can do is smile, because the memory belongs to you and him, and no one else. So, all you can do to brush everyone off is,

“I liked him and he was kind enough to fall in love with me.” And the world continues, a little brighter and a little warmer, all thanks to your dork of a lover.

For: @stingueweek

#stingueweek2019 #fairy tail #stingue #sting eucliffe #rogue cheney #aesthetics #modern au

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ft-dads-au · 5 years

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Traces of You

Stingue Week 2019 Prompt: Reminisce Home for the Holidays 2019 Prompt: Written A collaboration by @mdelpin and @oryu404 AO3 | FF.Net Notes: This story contains lyrics from a song called ‘Time spent Walking through Memories’ and are originally written by Kim Jong-Wan, the amazingly talented lead singer of the Korean band Nell. For anyone who is interested, here is a link to the song that includes the English subtitles: https://youtu.be/FS_WGNOufbg

November 14th, 2013 No matter how many times Rogue had come home to an empty house, he was still struck by the same feeling of desolation he felt every time he stepped over the threshold. There was no smell of food being cooked in the kitchen, no face turning away from the tv for even a brief second, just to say hello, no pair of shoes in the hallway other than the ones he had just put there himself. The only thing that greeted him was darkness and silence.

He hung up his coat in the hallway closet and flicked on the lights, then unpacked his bag. With a heavy sigh, he walked into the kitchen to rinse out his water bottle in the sink and clean his lunch box so they would be ready to use tomorrow. The house was as good as spotless, no dirty dishes or other personal belongings were lying around as he had kept everything tidy to keep himself distracted. But a spotless house was just another reminder that there wasn’t anyone but him to leave their mess behind.

Either way, he had to move on. Sitting around and feeling sorry for himself wasn’t going to do him any good, so from the moment he had said goodbye to Sting at the airport, he had tried to keep himself busy as best as he could. Today wasn’t any different, and after he had taken his textbooks and notepads out of his bag he sat down at the dinner table to do some studying.

But it was too quiet.

Rogue closed the textbook he had been blankly staring at and put it away again, not being able to focus on anything but the lack of sound surrounding him. The other chairs at the table were empty, triggering thoughts about the ones whose presence they used to mark. His father’s coat wasn’t draped over one of them for his mother to complain about as she took it off to put it where it should have been in the first place, Gray wasn’t bent over his homework in his usual seat at the other end of the table, and Sting wasn’t sitting across from him, playing footsie with him while trying to don a mask of feigned innocence.

His own chair scraped across the floor loudly as Rogue rose up to find something else to focus on, but he already knew he’d be confronted with his solitude no matter where he went or what he did.

When he ate, there was only one plate on the table, one glass of water to be filled. When he showered, Sting’s half-empty and forgotten bottle of shampoo was sitting next to his own. When he went to bed he swam in a sea of empty space and unstolen blankets, mapping the irregularities in his ceiling like constellations in the night sky. And when he curled up on the sofa to watch Netflix he was presented with the profiles of his family members who hadn’t been watching anything in a long time, with favorite picks that weren’t all his own and with suggestions to continue watching series he used to binge with someone wrapped around him.

The only thing he had left to throw himself into when he was alone, was art. Both writing and music had always been his escape from reality, letting him dissolve into worlds of his own creation. He went to his room and grabbed his guitar, carefully tuning it as he sat at the edge of his bed. Mindlessly plucking at the strings for a while, he eventually found a melody that embraced the gloom he was carrying around, and before he knew it, it started leading a life of its own.

Rogue wasn’t sure what made him decide to grab his phone and record the song he had composed on a whim, or why he felt the sudden urge to provide it with a set of lyrics. He had written songs for Phantom Lord before, but always in collaboration with Gajeel. This was all his own doing, a solo-project born from the emotions he had refused to fully surrender to.

But now he had opened the hatch and everything came pouring out like a rainstorm, as memories and sentiments were taking the shape of words hastily scribbled onto a piece of paper.

And surrender he did.

Even now, I still hear your voice Even now, I still feel your touch And today I lived within traces of you

Even now, I still see you Even now, I still feel your warmth And today I lived within your time

In the shape of a stranger passing by on the street, In the desolate dance of the fall leaves playing in the wind Even in the evening air that grazes my cheek In everything I see, hear and feel You’re there

So how about you, how about you? Are you feeling the same? How about you?

At the empty chair, discarded by the roadside In the glass of water I thoughtlessly raise to my lips Even in the mirror I face to see myself Even in the gentle music that sits in my ear You’re there

What do I do now, what do I do now? You must have erased me So what do we do now?

Rogue put his pen down and stared at the words that had just flowed out and onto the paper, playing back the recording to let the sounds of his guitar merge with them inside his head. The last notes had yet to die out when he crumpled up the paper and tossed it across his room, and the pen right after it. Not because it wasn’t good enough- it might just be the best song he had ever written- but because it was way more than what he was willing to share with anyone. This was just too personal, and upon realizing what he had just tapped into, Rogue was faced with the sad truth.

He wasn’t moving on at all.

Instead, he had been walking around in memories, unable to let go of what could have been but wasn’t meant to be.

But enough was enough, so he made a radical decision. In a sudden fit of resentment, he tossed the guitar onto his bed and stormed out of the room. He found an empty box in the laundry room that he took with him under one arm as he went through the house and filled it with everything Sting had left behind.

A pair of sunglasses from the kitchen’s clutter drawer, a winter scarf from the hallway closet, the bottle of shampoo from the bathroom, a comic book that had fallen behind the bed, and one lost sock that Rogue had kept in his sock drawer for no rationally explainable reason.

All that was left as a tangible reminder of his presence in Rogue’s life was a slew of pictures and text messages on his phone, and that was up last to be removed. Rogue dumped the box on the floor and picked up the phone from his bed, where he had left it after replaying the song he had recorded. Since the application was still open, it was the first thing to go, deleted without being given a second thought.

The pictures were up next, but there were so many of them, and as Rogue selected them one by one he was taken back to the times when those pictures were taken.

Delete selected items?

Rogue's thumb hovered above the screen in a few moments of hesitation, because although these pictures were painful to look at now, they were also keepsakes from precious moments. But before he could make a decision, another screen popped up that made him hold his breath.

Incoming call: Sting Eucliffe

Rogue stared at the screen unsure of what to do. Perhaps this was the sign he’d been waiting for. His chance to make a clean break of it all. All he had to do was tell Sting that they needed to just stop. Talking, texting, all of it.

The ringtone he’d chosen for Sting as a joke rang in his ears, reminding him of yet another moment they’d shared. He was going to do it. He took one deep shaky breath, bolstering himself for the conversation that was bound to be uncomfortable. He swiped his finger to accept the call.

"Hey."

"Hey…uhm, is this a bad time?"

Rogue had to bite back a 'You have no idea', but he managed to keep himself in check and act like nothing was wrong.

"No, it's fine."

"Okay…so, how's your day?"

Rogue looked at the box that lay at his feet and almost laughed, "About the same as usual.”

Even through the awkwardness in Sting’s words, Rogue could sense something was up and despite his intentions, he couldn’t help but be curious.

“Right, uhm so listen, I can’t talk long but I wanted to ask you something.”

Rogue’s heart began to beat faster as he detected the underlying excitement in Sting’s voice. “Ask?”

“Yeah, my parents want to know if you’d like to spend the holidays with us, you know, visit Edolas over break.”

“They do?” Rogue felt like an idiot, but he was so surprised by the turn the conversation had taken that he couldn’t seem to put any words together.

“They wanted to thank you for everything you did for me when I was over there, and well you know, I wouldn’t mind seeing you again,” Sting chuckled nervously.

Rogue stared at the wall in disbelief. Visit over the holidays? And that last bit, it almost sounded like Sting missed him too. He looked down at the box again, frowning as he tapped it with his foot.

He listened absently as Sting continue to babble on with his usual exuberance about the things they could do and how fun it would be, all of his previous awkwardness disappearing as he described places Rogue had never heard of, and people he’d never met.

“So, uhm, what do you think?”

Rogue blinked at the question, not sure of how long Sting had been waiting for him to respond.

“I’d have to speak to my parents about it first,” Rogue lied, cursing himself, knowing Sting would immediately recognize it for what it was. But what choice did he have, five minutes ago he’d been considering cutting all ties and now he was being invited to visit? He couldn’t really process this right now.

He hated the disappointment he heard in Sting’s voice when he responded, “Oh, alright. That makes sense I guess. Give me a call when you know so I can tell my parents whether to buy a ticket or not.”

“Sting?” Rogue wanted to say something that would somehow save this conversation from the disaster it had become but he was still too conflicted so all he could manage was, “Thank you for the invite. I’ll call you soon.”

“Okay, I look forward to it,” Sting replied, sounding awkward once again, and Rogue recognized the switch to more formal language for what it was. He may not have spoken the words he’d meant to say at the beginning of the conversation, but the message had gotten through regardless.

As the call ended Rogue couldn’t help but feel the house closing in on him again. He grabbed the scarf from the box, running the fabric through his fingers, wanting to touch something that made him feel closer to Sting.

He wrapped it around his neck thinking about the upcoming holidays, and how he would be alone once again. Last year there had been no tree, no big Christmas dinner, no singing carols, and no skating in their backyard pond which had fallen into disrepair after his parents had left. Nothing but Rogue, and Netflix.

But he didn’t have to do that again, not if he didn’t want to. This year he had a choice. The question was, should he take it?

He knew what he should choose, but listening to Sting’s voice had cinched it for him. He wasn’t quite ready to let go yet. And if he chose to visit, maybe they could find a way to make things work despite the distance that would be between them again once it was time for him to return home.

With that thought in mind, he unwrapped the scarf from his neck, tossing it back into the box. From the corner of his eye, he could see the crumpled up sheet of paper. He picked it up and smoothed out the creases to his best ability before folding it twice and adding it to the box. Instead of dumping all its contents in the trash like he had planned to do, he walked over to his open closet, finding a spot on one of his shelves to plop it on. Likewise, he refrained from deleting the pictures on his phone. He would hold off for a little while, and after he returned from his visit he would make his final decision.

Remembering that Sting had said he couldn’t talk for long, Rogue brought up the messaging app on his phone.

I’d love to

He chuckled at the almost immediate response full of so many emojis, it made him worry for Sting’s sanity. And with something to look forward to he found the house no longer felt so empty.

(PS, by DivineBurrito: ) I love this band and this is one of the first songs from them I fell in love with, but I can recommend their other work as well! Thank you for reading!

#ftdadsau #stingue #ftlgbtholidays2019 #stingueweek2019 #ftlgbtales #prompt: reminisce #prompt: written #fics

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splendidlyimperfect · 5 years

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Written for @stingueweek 2019; prompt: gratitude, and for @ftmlmages Home for the Holidays; prompt: family

Chapters (1/?): 1 Rating: General Audiences Relationships: Rogue Cheney/Sting Eucliffe, Natsu Dragneel/Gray Fullbuster, Levy McGarden/Gajeel Redfox Characters: Sting Eucliffe, Rogue Cheney, Original Child Character(s), Gray Fullbuster, Natsu Dragneel, Weisslogia (Fairy Tail), Gajeel Redfox, Levy McGarden Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Family Fluff, Family Feels, foster parenting, Adoption, Parent-Child Relationship, Adopted Children, Childhood Trauma, Language Delays, parenting, Fluff, Sting's so excited to be a dad, him and Ryos are just super cute, Rogue is called Ryos as usual in this series don't ask me why, Tumblr: FTLGBTales, Stingue Week, Christmas Series: Part 14 of the only hope for me is you, Part 1 of Home for the Holidays 2019

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“Okay, little man, I know you can do it.”

Sting crouched down on the floor, hands out in front of him, wide smile directed at the little blond boy who stared at him seriously from a foot or so away. The boy’s chubby fingers were curled tightly around Ryos’, and he wobbled unsteadily on the carpet.

“C’mon, Noah,” Sting said softly, beckoning with both hands. “C’mere.”

Noah frowned, and for a second Sting thought he might start crying, but then he looked up at Ryos and took an uncertain step forward.

“There you go!” Sting grinned as Ryos wriggled one finger out of Noah’s grasp, encouraging him to move forward on his own.

Noah took a small step, then another, and when Ryos finally pried his other finger from Noah’s grasp, Noah stumbled forward for a second on his own before tumbling into Sting’s arms.

“Good job, buddy!” Sting said, pecking Noah on the cheek and brushing the blond curls out of his face. “Pretty soon you’re gonna be tearing around here like a little tornado, making messes everywhere, huh?”

“Mess,” Noah agreed, pressing his sticky hands against Sting’s cheeks. He reached for Sting’s earring, but Sting moved his fingers away gently, then stood up and shifted Noah to his hip.

“Mess, indeed,” he said as Ryos moved over and wrapped an arm around Sting’s waist. “Isn’t that right, Ryos?”

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“Always,” Ryos said seriously, and a smile quirked at the corner of his lips as Noah giggled and buried his face in Sting’s neck. The sound sent a warm flush through Sting and he hugged Noah tightly. It had taken so long to get him to laugh – four months ago, at his second birthday party, he’d smiled at Natsu for the first time since Ryos and Sting had started fostering him.

“He’s very taken with you,” Ryos said, kissing Sting on the cheek and brushing his fingers through Noah’s hair.

“Feeling’s mutual,” Sting said, kissing Noah’s head.

“He even looks like you,” Ryos murmured, then covered up a yawn.

“We are very handsome, aren’t we?” Sting teased, laughing when Ryos pinched him. “Oi,” he says, turning and kissing Ryos. “You’re handsome too, promise.”

Ryos rolled his eyes. “Well, I think this handsome little boy needs to take a bath,” he said. Noah pouted as Ryos tugged at his t-shirt that was stained with spaghetti and chocolate milk.

Sting grinned, taking Noah under the arms and lifting him up above his head. “You hear that, bumblebee?” he asked, scrunching up his nose at Noah, who squealed with glee as Sting tossed him up in the air. “Let’s get your stinky little butt into the bath.”

Nearly an hour of giggling and splashing later, Sting had Noah wrestled into his pajamas and sitting next to the pile of books that never seemed to end up back on the shelf. Noah grabbed one of them and held it up expectantly.

“’Little Yellow Bee,’ huh?” Sting said, scooping up Noah and the book and settling into the rocking chair. Noah yawned, curling up and resting his head on Sting’s chest. Sting kissed the top of his head, then opened the book. “’The garden is full of colors to see… greens, reds, and purples, and…’”

“Bee!” Noah exclaimed, pointing at the picture.

“That’s right,” Sting said. “What color’s the bee?”

Noah frowned at the picture for a moment, then brightened and answered, “that.”

Sting laughed and flipped the page. He knew the speech therapist was concerned about Noah’s lack of vocabulary – by two, he should know more than the twenty or so words that he could say. Sting tried not to worry about it, though. Noah had enough trauma to work through that learning colors wasn’t high on his list of priorities.

As soon as the book was done Noah grabbed another one – a toddler version of ‘The Night Before Christmas.’ “Are you excited for Christmas tomorrow?” Sting asked when they were done reading it. Noah frowned. “We’re going to my mom and dad’s house, remember?”

Noah nodded uncertainly. He still wasn’t completely comfortable around Sting’s parents.

“Gray and Natsu are going to be there,” Sting added, and Noah immediately brightened, touching his hair in the gesture they’d come to recognize as his way of referring to Natsu. “That’s right, I’m sure he’ll play with you all afternoon. And my dad told me there would be cookies.”

Noah sat up in Sting’s lap suddenly, expression serious. “What’s up?” Sting asked, running his fingers through Noah’s damp curls. “You wanna go say goodnight to Ryos?”

Noah nodded, then looked at Sting curiously again before touching his chest and asking, “Daddy?”

Sting sighed. “Your dad’s…” He hesitated, uncertain how to explain to Noah that his biological father was in prison. Noah hadn’t seen him in over a year, and even once he was out of jail, Garret wasn’t allowed anywhere near Noah. Sting was surprised Noah even remembered him. “He can’t come for Christmas, I’m sorry sweetheart.”

Noah shook his head, frowning. He put both hands on Sting’s chest and pushed him gently, then repeated, “Daddy.”

Sting froze and stared down at Noah, whose bright blue eyes were wide and serious. “Daddy,” Noah said again.

“Oh, bumblebee,” Sting whispered, wrapping both arms around Noah and holding him tight.

He could already feel tears welling up in his eyes – he and Ryos had talked for a long time about what Noah would call them, especially once they’d decided to go ahead with the adoption. They’d both agreed to let him choose, but had introduced the concepts of ‘Daddy’ and ‘Papa.’ So far, he’d preferred to just point at them.

“Yeah, buddy,” Sting whispered, wiping at the tears that were spilling down his face now. “I’m Daddy.” He kissed Noah’s forehead, letting out a wet, emotional laugh that had Noah looking up at him with concern.

“Sad?” Noah asked, and Sting shook his head.

“No, sometimes we cry when we’re happy, remember?” Sting managed, sniffling and rubbing his face with the sleeve of his shirt. “I’m happy, promise.”

“’kay,” Noah said.

“What’s wrong?” Ryos appeared in the bedroom doorway, face drawn in concern when he saw Sting’s teary face. “What happened?” He moved over and knelt down next to the rocking chair, running his hand over Sting’s knee and up Noah’s back.

“Nothing,” Sting mumbled, still unable to stop crying. “’s fine, ‘m just being ridiculous, he just—”

“Daddy!” Noah said brightly, pointing to Sting and giving Ryos a shy smile. Ryos’ expression flipped from concerned to adoring, and he gripped Sting’s hand tightly. Noah reached out for Ryos, grabbing his arm and asking, “Pa?”

Ryos’ eyes widened, and Sting felt somewhat better about the messy tear tracks on his own cheeks when he saw Ryos start to cry too.

“Yeah,” Ryos said softly as Noah patted his hand. “Yeah, Papa.”

“Daddy, Papa,” Noah announced, then yawned, rubbing at his eyes.

“We love you so much, sweetheart,” Sting said softly. Those two tiny words made everything worth it – the sleepless nights, struggles with the speech therapist, Noah’s nightmares and meltdowns and angry frustration.

Noah reached out toward the crib and Sting stood up, pressing one last kiss to Noah’s cheek before settling him down in bed. Ryos scooped up a small stuffed dragon from its hiding spot under the bed and handed it to Noah, who made a pleased sound and closed his eyes.

“Good night, my love,” Ryos said as they both backed out of the room and turned off the lights. “Sweet dreams.”

As soon as they were down the stairs, Sting let out a shaky breath and blinked hard, trying to stem the tears that were still falling. “God, I don’t even know why I’m crying,” he said.

“’cause you always cry when you’re happy,” Ryos said, pulling Sting close and kissing his temple. “You’re so good with him. I love watching you be a dad, you’re amazing.”

“That’s not helping me stop crying,” Sting mumbled into Ryos’ shoulder. Ryos laughed gently, running his hand up and down Sting’s back.

“You don’t have to stop,” he said. “It’s a lot to feel.”

Sting sighed, wrapping his arms around Ryos’ waist. “I love him so much,” he said. “I never thought... I didn’t know it could be like this. I just want to be everything for him, I want to give him all the things he didn’t have before.”

“You are,” Ryos reassured him. “He’s safe now, and loved, and happy.”

“I know, I just think about... sometimes...” A memory of the first time they’d met Noah surfaced in Sting’s mind. Noah had refused to look at either of them and had spent most of the time curled up in the corner of the social worker’s room against the wall. After several meetings Sting had been able to convince Noah to sit next to him while they read a book, but it had taken nearly a month for Noah to let either of them touch him.

“I know,” Ryos said, and Sting could hear the edge of tears in his voice, too. “He went through so much, and it was so unfair. But think about how much he’s changed with us. He’s happy now – he laughs and plays with you, and he’s starting to walk, and he’s going to be okay. We all are.”

Sting nodded, swallowing down the lump in his throat. He pulled back from Ryos, taking a deep breath and rubbing his face with the sleeve of his sweater.

“We’re good parents,” he said, grabbing Ryos’ hands and squeezing.

“We are.” Ryos leaned in and kissed Sting’s nose, then turned and nodded at the stockings that were laid out on the back of the couch. Lillian, Sting’s mom, had made the ones for Sting and Ryos, but Sting had taught himself to sew in order to make one for Noah – bright red and white stripes with his name in large letters across it.

“C’mon,” Ryos said, pulling Sting toward the couch. “It’s Noah’s first real Christmas – let’s make it the best one we can.”

#fairy tail #ftlgbtales #ftlgbtholidays2019 #stingueweek #stingueweek2019 #ftmlmages #stingue #sting eucliffe #rogue cheney #prompt: family #prompt: gratitude #fanfic #my fic

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