A Train Ride Home

Rogue sighed as he looked out the window, watching the world go by as if in double time. Sitting there, miserable, he remembered exactly why the pair tried to avoid transportation at all costs. Motion sickness. His head throbbed, threatening to split in two.

"Why again did we decide it was a good idea to take the train?" the shadow dragon slayer asked. When there came no reply he turned to where Sting sat, only to find him asleep on Rogue's shoulder. Frowning, he lifted a hand to wake the sleeping boy, but thought better of it as he saw how peaceful, how innocent his friend looked. Part of him wanted to shove the dragon slayer off his shoulder, he wasn't a pillow after all. Or at least scoot over, the weight had become increasingly noticeable as the minutes went by. And yet, he let him stay, each time failing to push away the unconscious affection. Knowing Sting he would snuggle up to me even if he wasn't sleeping, Rogue reasoned, trying to get accustomed to this need for human contact. No, not human contact, Sting's contact. Bewildered at the last realization, the raven haired mage pulled away; as if moving would fix the problem, fix his feelings. Instead of ridding himself of the blonde, the sudden movement caused him to fall, his head landing in the shadow dragon slayer's lap instead.

"Ehhhhhh," Rogue cried out, he had only made things worse. Why can't this train go any faster? he wondered in vain, tapping his foot impatiently. Looking around the train car for something to take his mind off things, he absentmindedly started petting Stings hair, the soft blonde locks having a calming effect on him. After a minute or so he realized what he was doing and stopped immediately, scolding himself for being so intimate. Despite his deep feelings for the white dragon slayer, he rarely admitted any sort of affection towards the blonde, especially not in public. Just thinking about Sting made him blush; his outgoing personality, the way he loved him despite how cold Rogue could be, those gorgeous blue eyes, he shuddered at the thought. After all, the white mage was the yang to his yin, pure and bright, a contrast to his darkness but also a perfect complement. He brought out the shadows in Sting and in turn he shined light on his shade. Each had a part of the other, constantly contradicting and harmonizing within their differences. Giving in to his heart, Rogue stroked the blonde's soft hair once more, gently caressing his face as well. Some hours later they arrived at their stop, the jolt of the train waking the sleeping mage.

"Mhmmm," he yawned, opening his eyes only to find his head in Rogue's lap, a light blush covering the boy's cheeks. Puzzled but content, he gave the shadow dragon slayer a look before reaching up and kissing him on the lips.

"I love you," he whispered against the other's lips before getting up and striding out of the cabin. As the raven haired one followed, the warmth from the kiss still lingering on his lips, he decided that maybe, just maybe, he loved him too.