Master's Respite (Sting x Rogue One Shot)

Final

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters. All copyright belongs to their rightful owners.

Can you believe it's been nearly 13 years since I fell in love with these two? My original OTP and truly my favorite ship of all fandoms. I couldn't just leave this AU behind without writing them. 

It starts when Sting collapses at his desk, and Minerva walks in on him drooling over one of the letters sent to him from Fairy Tail. She whacks him awake and glares at him while he shakes off the signs of sleep. Before he can say a word, the younger mistress has him by the scruff and throws him out of his own office, the door slamming shut.

From behind the barrier, Minerva shouts, "Don't you dare even think about coming back here until 48 hours from now, Sting!" It's a threat, he knows. A promise that bad things can and will happen. With a groan, Sting pivots on his heel and stomps off, dejected. At the door, he sees Lector running up to him, and he softens a bit.

"Hey, Lector!"

"Sting!" the exceed greets and leaps into his arms. "You're done early today?"

Sting sheepishly tries to hide the sweat dripping down his face. "Not exactly, buddy..." Lector considers him for a moment before making the direction.

"Oh, you got kicked out," he deadpans. Sting sighs and solemnly nods.

"Yep. I'm not sure what to do now." At this, Lector suddenly pulls something out. It's a plain black cloth that gets shoved into his hand. Sting stares at it in confusion. "What's this?"

"Tie it around your eyes for a second. I wanna take you somewhere, but it's a surprise! Please, Sting." He puts on his best set of puppy-cat eyes in a way he knows will get him what he wants. Sting laughs and complies.

"Alright, you win, buddy."

With that, he ties it around his eyes and relaxes when he feels the exceed suddenly yank on his crop top with a surprising amount of strength. They're flying out of the Sabertooth Guild to who knows where.

Sting tries to shut off his senses, but it's difficult when his dragon slayer abilities overtake everything in his being, the implanted lacrima adding an extra layer of awareness. He can smell something sweet in the air, pleasant without being too overpowering.

His mind flutters to an old memory. Himself, another boy with onyx hair, and a field of white flowers spreading along the horizon. A ghost of thin lips meeting his own.

He blinks behind the blindfold. That was it. That was the exact smell. But, those flowers were far off from where they were. There shouldn't have been a reason for them to grow so close. And yet, that scent was unmistakable.

Lector finally drops him down, and Sting removes the blindfold. And almost immediately, he nearly lets it fall to the ground. There's a plain blue blanket spread on the grass and on top of it is Rogue holding a basket of those flowers from his mind. Frosch is sleeping against his side, and he gives a grandiose smile.

"Sting," he greets. The man in question kneels down before him, preening as Rogue reaches out and ruffles his hair. "I'm glad you made it. I hope Minerva wasn't too rough." The sentence makes Sting freeze.

"You sent her?" he asks. Rogue's eyes turn into bright red crescents as he shrugs.

"You've been working hard. And I know for a fact you're too stubborn to take a break. So, I asked her to help me get you out of the guild. And Lector, too. I hope you'll forgive me."

Although conflict is clear in Sting's eyes, it quickly leaves him as he crawls over and clamors into Rogue's lap.

"You're right, Rogue," he relents as he lets his full body weight cascade over his lover. Immediately, "I probably do need a break."

Suddenly, Rogue reaches over and plucks one of the white flowers. Sting opens his mouth, and Rogue gently sticks the stem between his teeth. He nibbles it graciously as a syruplike liquid seeps from the bite marks. And as the petals grace his tongue, Sting closes his eyes. Relaxation and calmness thrum through his bones. His dragon slayer energy hisses inside him as he intakes the flowers.

Neither of them says a word. Lector settles down next to Frosch and easily falls into his own cat nap. And Rogue keeps feeding Sting, running fingers through his hair.

All of a sudden, velvety soft fingertips ghost over lips. Sting's eyes flash open, and he can see a conflicted expression on Rogue's face.

"Is something wrong?"

At first, the man doesn't respond. Rogue hums, brow furrowing together in that way that Sting knows is his thinking face. He's trying to find the right words. And when he does, it completely blindsides Sting.

"Would it be weird if I wanted to kiss you right now?" Rogue says.

The moment is a bit odd. They're just sitting here. Sting is eating. Rogue is chilling. The exceeds are sleeping. None of it is what he would consider romantic. But, between them, Sting can't say he minds it too much.

"Honestly, yes. But, do I care? No." Sting smirks and reaches up, cupping Rogue on either side of his jaw. And bit by bit, they close the gap between them.

Nothing has ever been more perfect.

When they finally part, Sting can't help but laugh. Rogue tilts his head. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing!" Sting sinks into the crook of Rogue's neck, nipping the skin lightly. "I just think that I'm glad that I get a day off. And tomorrow, too. I want to spend it all with you, Rogue. I love you."

Rogue huffs and flicks Sting in the forehead much to the other's dismay. "I love you, too. And I hate seeing you so tired and overworked. Promise me that you'll take care of yourself better and take regular time off to replenish that innate energy of yours." Sting meekly shrinks, but nods his head.

"I didn't mean to worry you, any of you," he adds, glancing at Lector and Frosch.

"As long as you're aware. More flowers?"

"Yes, please."

And they stay there, basking in each other's presence until the basket turns up empty before they wake the two exceeds and make the trek back to their shared home. And they both know that the Sabertooth Guild will welcome them back from their little days off.