𝙏𝙃𝙐𝙉𝘿𝙀𝙍 // 𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙪𝙚 𝙭 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚

Your Rogue, however, looked like he was about to burst into tears.
"No, don't look at me like that," you frowned, pulling him into a tight embrace.
"I just... I was so scared when you wouldn't wake up, and that you'd died thinking I hated you because of what I last said to you," you felt his shoulders shake and held him tighter.

"I'm here now, I'm not going anywhere," you murmured, "you know I could never hate you, don't you?"
"Oh. Good," he said, "I just... I don't know. I get so afraid sometimes because there are so many much better people out there, like Sting or Natsu, or—"

"No. Don't say that," you replied, "nobody's better than you, Rogue, I promise you. I've never thought twice about being with you - ever. Even if anyone else came offering diamonds and gold, it's not what I want. You're what I want."

"Please don't leave me," he said into your shoulder. His voice was soft, vulnerable. You nodded, though he couldn't see.
"I promise I won't. Never again," you said.

He and you hugged in the middle of the room, holding one another tightly as if, if one were to let go, you'd fade from existence. Your bodies swayed slightly, in a fortuitous dance of upset and raw love.

"Honey, I'm home!" the door slammed shut downstairs and that caused both of you to flinch. Rogue stepped back, away from you, and nodded.

"I'll go and greet him," he said, voice wet-sounding, "please lay down."
Again, you nodded, making your way back over to the bed and easing yourself back into the cool, dark sheets.

You caught the Shadow Dragon Slayer wiping at his eyes with his sleeve as he walked out, though didn't mention it. Shortly after, he returned upstairs with Sting in tow. The latter carried a bouquet of brightly coloured flowers, and a messily, almost hastily, painted vase for them.

"[Y/N]!" he said with a wide grin, placing the vase upon the nightstand beside the bed and then the flowers into it - it sloshed quietly, "how are you feeling?"

"Better than ever," you sighed, "aside from the one bad wound that guy pulled on me."

"His name was Larcade," Rogue apprised, "Larcade Dragneel. We got the details from Natsu earlier - he is, indeed, Zeref's brother. Or, rather, was, since Zeref died. And Larcade was, in fact, the son of Zeref."
"I remember him mentioning that in a way, Natsu was also Zeref's son - it was all really confusing," Sting attached on, "remember the guy we fought on that cubical island a while back? Mard Geer, or something? And he had the E.N.D book? Well, as it turns out, E.N.D stood for Etherious Natsu Dragneel. I have no clue what it means, but whatever it was, it's gone now."

You blinked, nodding slowly.
"That... was a lot to take in," you said.
"Yeah," Rogue nodded, "I never thought Sting could talk for so long without sounding like an idiot."
"Wanna say that again?" Sting whipped around.
"Not particularly," the former shook his head.

The blond snorted, before turning back to you.
"How's Kuschel?" he asked. You pointed to the red couch, where she lay wrapped in the dark cloak.
"Oh, asleep?" Sting whispered, "alright."

"It's fine. She conks out like a light," you said, "she won't wake up from us talking."
"Oh, okay," he nodded, "how do you feel?"

"Uh, pretty good for someone who recently died," you joked, earning one grin from Sting, "no, seriously, I'm fine. It only hurts a bit, and just here."