Apologies before hand, i didn't really like this chapter's ending and it was kind of rushed. It's not that it's short, it just really didn't turn out the way i wanted it to.
Rogue opened be door of The infirmary And quietly entered. He held a plate with food and a cup with water. He walked towards her bed and looked at the young woman sitting on it. She had her arms crossed and looked at her feet.
"I brought you some food" Rogue said while placing it on the nightstand.
She ignored him and looked at him from the corner of her eye. She sighed and let her eyes wander across the room.
"Freed will be here in a sec to transport your breakfast into this..thing" Rogue said while crossing his arms.
He sighed and looked at the girl. She was still silent and she didn't even bother to look at him. Rogue couldn't tell what she was feeling. It was easy for him to guess someone's mood, depending on their facial expression and small movements.
But she was different, she didn't even show the slightest bit of emotion. The only time she really did show emotion, was when he first saw her. When she was terrified.
Rogue sighed and sat down on the chair. "I heard you didn't finish your dinner last night? And your lunch?" He said.
The girl scoffed and looked at Rogue. An amused grin made it's way onto her face and she pulled up her eyebrow. "You don't actually think that i would eat the food that you give me, would you? I'm not an idiot" she hissed.
Rogue squinted his eyes and sat up straight. "So you think we're trying to poison you?" He asked.
The girl shrugged. "I didn't say that, but I'm not saying that there isn't a chance that you are" she said while looking away again.
Rogue stood up and nodded. "Well okay then, but if it really was poisonous, do you think i would eat from it myself?" He asked while walking towards the plate.
The girl looked at him from the corner of her eye with a raised eyebrow.
Rogue grabbed the bread that was on the plate and ripped off a small piece. He laid it back down and put the piece in his mouth. "Well then, now we wait until i fall down and die, if your theory is right" he said while chewing it down and sitting back into the chair.
The girl pressed her lips together and squinted her eyes.
Hunger. She was hungry. Rogue could tell be the fact that her eyes almost melted by the sight of the food, by the fact that she had been holding her stomach for quite a while now and that she couldn't tear her eyes away from the sight.
The door of the infirmary opened and Freed Justine entered. He closed the door behind him and walked towards the bed. "Are you sure she's gonna finish her dinner this time..?" Freed asked, recalling the times that he had to remove the full plates due the fact she didn't even take a bite out of her food.
Rogue nodded and handed the plate to Freed. "I would almost bet my life on the fact that she is going to eat it" he said while looking at the girl.
She cocked her eyebrows up and rolled her eyes. A soft 'Tch' left her lips and she looked away.
"Well, I'll believe you then" Freed said while grabbing the plate. He placed his hands on the purple ruins and made a small hole, things were able to get in, but not get out.
He shoved the plate onto the bed and closed the hole again. "Have a good meal" he said with a friendly smile.
He looked at Rogue and gave him a small nod. "If you need any help, just call me." He said.
Rogue nodded and Freed walked out of the infirmary.
The girl glanced at the plate of food from the corner of her eyes and clenched her jaw. She squinted her eyes a little and gave a quick glance to Rogue.
Rogue nodded once and looked from the plate to the girl. "I can assure you that we're not trying to kill you" he said.
She switched her eyes from Rogue, to the plate of food for a couple times. Her teeth sank into her bottom lip and she sighed with a small grunt.
Her hands snatched the bread off of the plate and she quickly sank her teeth into the food. She quickly stuffed the bread into her mouth and her cheeks looked like the on of a hamster who stuffed it's cheeks with nuts.
"You're gonna get a stomach ache if you keep eating that fast" Rogue said while leaning against the wall with crossed arms and closed eyes.
The girl stopped stuffing and swallowed the food that was in her mouth. As deep sigh left her lips as the food made it's way down her throat.
The truth was, she had never eaten a meal that tasted this nice. She had bread, Vegetables, meat and even some weird brown sauce covering the meat. Also a cup that contained a light alcohol taste to it.
She wiped her mouth and started eating like a normal person, on a normal speed and not like some sort of animal.
"When are they coming?" She asked as her eyebrows knitted together and a hint of anger glooming in her eyes.
Rogue raised his eyebrow and opened his eyes. He looked at the girl in confusion. "Who?" He asked.
The girl scoffed and wiped her mouth with her sleeve. "You know who I'm talking about" she snapped. She sighed angrily and bit down on some of the meat that was on the plate.
"Actually I don't, mind explaining?" Rogue asked. He stopped leaning against the wall and crossed his arms.
"The bloody magic council!" She shouted at the top of her lungs. She breathed in and groaned.
It was silent for a moment.
The girl scrunched up her nose and sighed. She laid her eyes onto the empty plate and narrowed her eyes.
"I wasn't gonna let the magic council lock you up, neither let them know about the fact that you're here" Rogue said.
The girl's eyes slightly widened and she felt something weird in her body. It was like getting warmer, but she wasn't feeling warm.
She turned her body towards Rogue and sat on her knees. "Are you kidding me?" She asked in a pissed off, but for some reason, relieved voice.
"I already told you before didn't i? Your future is currently in my hands and it's up to your behavior if it's gonna be a good one or not" Rogue said while sitting down on the chair.
The girl shook her head a little in confusion and held her head. "But..W..Why?" She muttered.
Rogue looked her in the eye for a moment and stayed quiet for a bit. "You might have committed crimes, you might be part of a dark guild, But i saw you. People say that you're emotionless, not afraid of anything.."
Rogue looked down at his lap and crossed his arms. "..I saw you that night and i saw someone who was terrified, in horrible pain and fearing her life" he said.
"You're not an emotionless monster, you're a human being who deserves a second chance as a better human"
The girl's eyes slightly widened at his statement and she stared at him. Her lips were slightly parted and her breath was stuck in her throat.
She was frozen for a few seconds before she turned around again and pulled her knees up to her chest. She looked at her feet and sighed.
"I'll get you something to drink" Rogue said while getting up. He walked towards the door and laid his hand on the door knob.
"(Y/n)"
Rogue stopped and turned around. He raised his eyebrow and looked at her from the corner of his eye.
"My real name..It's (Y/n)" the girl stated while she sighed. Her back was still turned towards Rogue and her eyebrows were slightly frowned.
"I don't have a last name"
Rogue sighed and a very small smile made it's way onto his lips.
"Nice to meet you, (Y/n)"
_______________________________
Silence.
It filled the room like a silent killer.
Blue eyes looked wide eyed at the young woman that was standing a few feet away from them. She was bowing while her legs trembled.
"Why are you apologizing?" The blonde spoke. He squinted his eyes a little and crossed his arms, not taking his eyes off of the girl.
The (H/c) girl frowned and hit her lip. She was still in lots of pain and just standing already hurt like a thousand stab wounds. "For shooting an arrow at your head and all the commotion i have caused" she said.
Sting looked at Rogue for a few seconds and then back at (Y/n). He pursed his lips together and looked at her from head to toe.
"Did your guild master do this?" He asked, seeing all her injuries and trembling legs. Also because Rogue told him how the guildmates got treated.
(Y/n) sighed and slowly nodded. She felt her legs getting heavy and bit her lip.
Sting gritted his teeth and clenched his fists slightly. "Abuse? That's his solution on losing? Losing on a way where it's humanly? By NOT killing a target?" He asked a bit pissed off.
"I suppose Hindou's way of taking care of things is a bit different, yes" (Y/n) said.
Sting growled and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Don't bow for me" he said.
(Y/n) looked up and locked her eyes with his. She slowly stood upand looked down. Maybe it was out of shame or maybe it was because she was somehow scared of the blonde haired man. It was hard figuring out what she was feeling, due the fact that she never showed emotion if she didn't want to. This was something that she trained for over the years and had now successfully managed to do.
"Does it hurt a lot?" Sting asked.
She shook her head and looked at her hands and legs. "I can handle it" She responded while letting her arms fall next to her body again. Her eyebrow twitched a little and she clenched her jaw.
"You can't" Rogue said as he laid some blankets and pillows on the couch. Frosch climbed on top of the couch and looked at (Y/n) and Sting with Lector joining him.
(Y/n)'s eye twitched in annoyance and she slid her eyes across the room. "Yes, i can. I wouldn't know why you'd pull such a conclusion" she said.
"Who are you lying for?" Sting asked out of the blue.
Both (Y/n) and Rogue looked at him and (Y/n) raised her eyebrow in confusion. "I'm sorry but I don't know what you're talking about" she said.
"You're obviously in pain. You say that you're fine while you're not. Why are you lying about that? Who are you lying for?" Sting asked as he crossed his arms.
She looked down and shrugged.
"Is it your guildmaster?" He asked.
She shook her head and scrunched up her nose in disgust. "Of course not"
"One of your guildmates?" Sting asked.
Again, she shook her head, but this time a little hesitant.
"Yourself?"
She scoffed and looked up. "Why would i lie for myself? Telling myself things that aren't true won't make me believe it" she said while shaking her head in disbelieve.
Silence, Again.
She sighed and turned her back towards Sting. She walked towards Rogue and Frosch and pat Frosch's head, who nuzzled his head into her soft hand.
"Is it Rogue?"
Rogue's eyes widened a little in shock and he quickly shook his head. He uncrossed his arms and threw his hand up. "Oii Sting what are you saying?!" He said while knitting his eyebrows together.
"You don't actually think that I'm the reason for her silence, right?!" He snapped while glaring at Sting.
He switched his gaze towards (Y/n) who was looking down. There was a hint of sadness and guilt in her eyes and she fiddled with her hands, something which she did when she was nervous and Rogue knew that.
"..Right?" He asked softly while looking at the girl.
(Y/n) bit her lip and looked up at him. "I just didn't want you to worry-"
"You're keeping silent because of ME?!" Rogue asked wide eyed. He was in pure shock. All this time he thought that he was the one helping her, not the cause for her to keep her pain silent.
"Why?" Rogue asked.
"I don't want you to worry about me! You've done so much for me and everytime i'm hurt mentally or physically you're there to help me, but you're worried! I don't want that!" She shouted at him. She knitted her eyebrows together, as if she was mad at him. She wasn't mad at Rogue in particular, she was just mad at herself and pretty much everything that came with her life.
"So you decide to hide it from me?" Rogue asked while shaking his head a little.
"It isn't your job to worry for me! But still, you worry every time..And every time i can see pain in your eyes, pain that got caused by me, because you're worried about me. I don't want to cause you pain...Can't you see that the things you do for me, hurt me?! I get hurt by the thought that people will die in that fight against my guild because of me. I get hurt by the thought that you worry so much about me. I get hurt by the fact that you do so much for me... I did nothing to deserve this, i did things that deserve the opposite of the things that you've done for me" She shouted while clenching her fists.
Sting walked towards the couch and picked up Frosch. He motioned Lector over and the three of them silently left the room to go to Frosch and Lector's shared bedroom.
"You know what you don't deserve?" Rogue asked while walking towards her. He grabbed her head and cupped it in between his hands, forcing her to look him in the eye.
"Do you know what you do not deserve?" He asked again, this time louder.
(Y/n) took shaky breaths and trembled on her legs. She opened her mouth to answer, but only short part of unfinished words came out muttered.
"You don't deserve to be in that guild, You don't deserve to be treated this way, You don't deserve to have such a guildmaster." Rogue said. He smiled and stroked her hair. Her eyes widened and she froze under his touch.
"You don't need to feel guilty for my pain, Because it's not your fault. It pains me that i'm not able to simply get you out of that guild and give you a better life as fast as possible. And people will get hurt, but you need blood, sweat and tears to accomplish your goal. But no one will die, not with the plan that has been made." He said.
(Y/n) looked down and pulled her head out of his hands. She shook her head and looked at Rogue in confusion. "Why are you doing this?" She asked with a hint of sadness in her eyes. She sat on the edge of the couch and looked at her hands.
"It's what friends do" Rogue said while looking down at her. "We're friends, right?" He asked.
(Y/n) slowly looked up at him and locked eyes with Rogue's warm, friendly crimson eyes. She frowned a little and smiled. "Yes.." She muttered, memories flashing through her mind.
Rogue smiled and nodded. "Then i don't mind the pain, because the pain is worth it as long as you will be able to live a happy, healthy life. As long as you will be able to join a safe guild and get treated right" He said while ruffling her (H/c) hair.
Rogue walked towards the couch and spread the pillows and sheets over the cushions. He sat down and took off his cape. "You take my bed, i'll sleep here. Your body needs to have a good rest to recover, that also means that you need a good mattress for your back and my bed is, this couch is not" He said with a heavy sigh. He looked at the girl from the corner of his eye and watched her get up.
"You shouldn't-"
"Just take the damn bed" Rogue scoffed while getting up. He put her arm around his shoulder and guided her to the staircase in the house. She looked at the stairs and narrowed her eyebrows for a moment.
Rogue picked her up and carried her up the stairs, before placing her down on the ground again. He leaned her against a drawer and walked towards the door of his bedroom. "It may be a little messy, since there's still stuff from my last job on the corner of the room, but there's fresh sheets so atleast that's a good thing.." He said while opening the door and turning on the light.
(Y/n) stumbled towards the room and held onto the door frame while looking around his room. Her eyes widened slightly and she gripped his shoulders to stay put. "Your room is..warm. And you've got a big bed." She muttered.
Rogue looked over his shoulder and pulled up his eyebrow. He looked back at his bedroom and scratched the back of his head. "It isn't that warm..Our radiator broke a few weeks ago so it's kind of chilly. Besides, my bed isn't that big either. It's just a normal sized two person bed" He said while looking back at the girl who held onto him.
He guided her to his bed and she sat down. "My room is the same temperature as outside, the only thing keeping us warm is the torch in our room and the candle on our night stands. My bed is small, there can barely fit one person on it. I don't have a mattress, it's just our wooden, broken bed with some blankets piled up onto it." She said with a sigh.
"Master says that only a leader deserves to have the best bed, best room, best whatever..So it's fine. A mattress is just a luxery to us that we don't need, kind of like..a pool for you. It's fun, but a luxury" She said while falling backwards onto the big bed. She turned sideways and nuzzled her face into the sheets.
"When you join Sabertooth, a mattress will become something daily in your life. And so will a room this big, and warmth in your house. Things that are now luxury for you, will become a daily thing and the impossible, which is a luxury to us, will also become a luxury to you" Rogue said with a small smile as he searched his drawers. He picked up a few clothes and turned around again.
"Here are some clothes you can sleep in" He said while laying a shirt and old, too small shorts on his bed next to her.
(Y/n) pushed herself up and raised her eyebrow. "Why would i change?" She asked confused.
Rogue scratched his head. "It's a normal thing to do..When you got to bed, you change into your pajamas. They're more comfortable to sleep in then regular clothes." He said.
(Y/n) nodded and looked at the clothes. She looked back at Rogue and tilted her head. "Where are your..pajamas?" She asked.
Rogue looked the other way and rubbed his neck. "I don't wear any clothes when i go to bed..I just sleep in my boxers. And when it's cold, i wear a shirt but nothing more then that" He said while awkwardly looking back at her.
"Can't i sleep in my underwea-"
"I would not recommend that.." Rogue said with a nervous chuckle.
(Y/n) nodded and grabbed the pile of clothing. She pulled her cloak off and grabbed the bottom of her shirt. She pulled it over her head and Rogue quickly turned around, a light pink hue covering his cheeks. "Okay..You're just gonna change here..That's fine.." He muttered to himself.
He could hear the sound of clothes hitting the floor and clothes being put on. He looked around and waited for the girl to finish changing.
"Rogue?" She said.
Rogue turned around and smiled a little when he saw her with his clothes on. It was a little too big for her, but the shorts were fine since they were too small for him now that he had grown over the past years. "Yes?" He said.
"Erm..Could you bring my bow?" She asked.
Rogue blinked a little surprised. "Your bow? But you're going to bed" He said.
(Y/n) shrugged. "I always have it when i sleep alone, for safety." She said casually. At home, she had Aiden who would watch over her at night and if she was on a job alone, she would always have her bow for safety. It wasn't that she was afraid of sleeping alone, it was just that she looked out for danger.
Rogue sat down next to her on the bed and helped her under the covers. "You don't need anything for safety, you're safe here." He said while helping her with her legs. He got up again and walked towards the door.
"But what if there's gonna be an intruder?" She asked.
Rogue chuckled and put his hand on the light switch. "You're sleeping under a roof with the twin dragon slayers, you'll be fine.." He said with a warm smile. "..If you want to, i could ask Frosch if he wants to sleep with you" He said while turning the light off.
(Y/n) sighed and covered her head under the blankets. "Please do.." She muttered, loud enough for Rogue to hear.
The black haired man nodded and closed the door. He walked towards the room of the exceeds and opened the door, being met by every single person of the household.
Sting was sitting at the edge of the window while looking outside and Frosch was coloring as Lector was watching him. Sting looked at Rogue from the corner of his eyes and snickered a little. "You really care about her, don't you?" he asked.
Rogue shrugged. "She's my friend, of course i do" He said while pulling up his eyebrow.
Sting shook his head and chuckled. He looked at Rogue and tilted his head. "Just a friend?" He asked with a warm smile. Sting looked at his companion who crouched down in front of the exceeds and picked up Frosch.
"Yes, a friend and nothing beyond that line" Rogue said while getting up with Frosch in his arms. He walked towards the door and left the bedroom of the exceeds.
Sting shook his head and grinned. He looked outside again and sighed. "I would bet for a 1000 jewels that that line is gonna be moved further in a short amount of time.." He said, earning a nod from Lector.
...
Rogue opened the door of his bedroom and Frosch skipped inside. "Be sure to keep an eye out for her, okay? You got an important job here" Rogue said with a grin.
Frosch quickly nodded and hopped onto the bed with (Y/n). He shuffled towards her and nuzzled himself into her body while she wrapped her arms around him with a small smile grazing her lips.
Rogue slowly closed the door behind him and sighed. He ran his fingers through his hair and made it's way to the stairs. He walked down and undid the buttons of his shirt in the meantime. He pulled his shirt off and threw it onto the ground.
He sat down onto the couch and pulled down his pants before laying down and throwing the blanket over himself. He moved his hand, using the shadows to turn out the light, simply an act of laziness.
Rogue folded his hands behind his head and stared at the dark ceiling above him. He sighed and closed his eyes.
A Mattress. How could a mattress be a luxury for someone...How could warmth be a luxury for someone? He couldn't believe his ears. He had always thought that his room was rather on the normal size and that his bed was just average quality. But hearing (Y/n) say that, it made him think. Even the couch was more comfortable then the bed that she had. He was lucky, so lucky to be in the position that he was in. To live the life he was living..
Rogue sighed and laid on his side.
"I'll buy the best damned mattress in Fiore for you.."