Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong to Hiro Mashima

During the week that Rogue was gone, Sting did his best to keep busy. He tried not to think about what might be happening and focused on the things he wanted to say. Lector and Frosch tried to help, and Sting was happy that they kept him company. He was so anxious he might have gone crazy otherwise.

Jiemma, never one to miss an opportunity to pit his wizards against each other, devised a contest to determine which wizards would be representing Sabertooth in the Grand Magic Games, even though pretty much everyone was sure he'd already made up his mind. As soon as Rogue and Rufus returned there would be a tournament, the top scoring mages would go to the Games.

For once Sting was grateful for his Master's machinations, all the wizards were so determined to at the very least make a good showing that there were plenty of people to spar with. Most of them were not very challenging, but he was able to learn some fighting moves to complement his magic. His lack of control was still a concern for him, most of his moves were light based, and they could seriously injure someone if he weren't careful. He'd begun trying to direct the energy to other parts of his body, using it to enhance his punches and kicks rather than always depending on his lasers. By the end of the week, he'd become somewhat adept at it. There was one thing he knew he still had to work on and it was his speed. Both times Jiemma and Minerva had bested him it had been because he had not moved fast enough. He rather hoped that when he mastered his new power that would change.

Rogue and Rufus arrived laden with books they'd been allowed to check out from the library. Sting tried to sniff Rogue as discreetly as he could, but by the outrage on Rogue's face, he wasn't subtle enough. He walked past him to Master Jiemma's office without a word, obviously annoyed. Rufus laughed and with a wink went straight to his room. Not a good start.

o-o

"Is that what you really think of me?" Rogue startled him from his training a few hours later, causing him to be knocked off balance by the training dummy as it spun outside of his control.

"What?" Sting attempted to act dumb, running a hand through his hair while he looked for a towel to wipe off his sweaty chest and back which he couldn't help but notice Rogue was openly staring at. He looked around for his shirt and put it on.

"You know what," Rogue snapped, "You were scenting me to make sure I hadn't done anything with Rufus."

"You're right, I'm sorry. It's just that, " Sting went on to explain what had happened when he and Rufus had gone searching for Minerva, but Rogue interrupted him.

"I know, he told me." Rogue sighed, "I know I hurt you, but you have to believe me when I tell you, I never meant to."

Sting nodded, "I know that. I don't really know what came over me, it felt like my world had ended. Stupid, huh?" He looked at Rogue nervously waiting to see how he would react to his words.

"It wasn't entirely your fault," Rogue conceded, confusing him, "I learned a lot about our magic in the time I was gone, and about our bond. Things the dragons never told us. What you were feeling, it's what they call your inner dragon reacting to what it felt was a challenge on your claim on me. Because we've never fully mated it makes you feel very insecure."

Sting had no idea what that meant, and it must have shown on his face because Rogue chuckled and held his hand out to him. Sting quickly took it, hungry for any contact with his mate no matter how small.

"Come on," Rogue said dragging him with him to the guild's library where the books he'd brought back were already laid out on a table. They sat down next to each other as Rogue showed him different passages in the books that referred to what he'd explained, while his other hand was held captive by Sting under the table.

Neither of them had been this happy in a long time.

O-o

"So I still don't get it, there's a dragon inside each of us?" Sting asked the following day. They were standing in the guild's backyard, getting ready to try a few things Rogue had found in the book. When Jiemma learned of the possible amounts of destruction involved, he allowed them to train outside in a seldom used area of the guild.

Rogue held his tongue, not wanting to break the peace they had settled into. "No, there isn't a dragon inside of us. As part of the spell Weisslogia and Skiadrum enchanted us with, our bodies adapted to be able to accommodate their magic. For example, our lungs were modified to be able to not only consume our elements but produce our roars.

Sting nodded in understanding, "So, no dragon?"

"No dragon, " Rogue agreed patiently, "I suspect it's more like instincts that are so primal that they automatically became part of us once we were enchanted. Dragons are very protective, and also quite aggressive." A smirk played on Rogue's lips as he added, "Although I suspect Weisslogia was more dramatic than most."

Sting pouted, and Rogue snickered in response. He sat as close to his mate as he dared and looked at the book in his lap.

"How did you get Jiemma to let us spend so much time together?" Sting whispered so that only Rogue could hear him.

"By telling him parts of the truth, and showing him the books, so he knew I wasn't lying." Rogue enjoyed the feel of the mid-morning sun on his skin. "It's why I asked for permission to check them out."

"I didn't find anything for the first few days, then I found some references to some books, but when I couldn't locate them, I was told they were in a special collection, and I needed permission from someone in the Magic Council to be able to read them." Rogue explained, "We communicated with Master Jiemma, and he was able to get us access."

"It turns out that Dragon Slaying magic is considered a Lost Magic," Rogue shrugged, "I'm still not sure of how the lacrimas are made or how they work."

"You said you wanted to show me something?" Sting quickly changed the subject before Rogue got too enthused on the topic. They were meant to be training after all.

"Right," Rogue grinned sheepishly, opening the book to the chapter he had wanted to show Sting. "So I think I figured out what the problem is," He pointed at the illustration on the page, it showed a person who had scales drawn over parts of their body and they seemed to be glowing. "There are all sorts of spells that we can learn, secret arts and other cool stuff, but this here is what I think is happening. It's called Dragon Force, and it's supposed to be something we shouldn't be able to do for a long time, but the potential has always been inside us."

Sting looked at the picture with interest, "So you're saying the lacrimas gave us the ability to access this Dragon Force?"

Rogue nodded, and he punched Sting on the shoulder proudly, "That's exactly what I'm saying! The other problem I think should sort itself out."

Sting tilted his head as he considered Rogue's words but remained silent. With a smile Rogue explained, "Our magic is tied to our emotions, and because we have been uhm... disconnected from each other, our magic has been that much harder to control."

"So all we have to do is work out our differences?" Sting looked unconvinced.

Rogue smiled at him, "Something like that, yes, at least I think so."

"Okay then," Sting checked to make sure no one was near them. When he was satisfied, he placed his hand over Rogue's and looked deep into his mate's eyes, wanting to make sure Rogue was convinced of his honesty. "I didn't mean what I said, I just wanted you to feel as hurt as I did."

"And I don't care if it was instincts or whatever that made me do it. You never set out to hurt me, but I knew full well how those words would affect you, and I said them anyway." Sting bowed his head, ashamed of what he'd done. "I'm so sorry, if I could take it back, I would."

Rogue felt relief to hear those words from Sting, but he knew he had a lot to apologize for as well. "It's okay, I should have realized. It wasn't until after I saw how you reacted that I understood what it was I had done."

His bottom lip jutted out as he thought about how futile the whole thing had been in the end. "I guess I just wanted to believe there was a way out of here, you know?"

Before Rogue knew what was happening Sting had wrapped him in an embrace and whispered in his ear, "We will get out of here someday, I promise you that." Rogue went to struggle, afraid of being discovered but Sting only held him tighter. "Don't worry, there's no one around. Something else I've noticed, my senses are even better than they used to be."

Rogue relaxed and snuggled into the hug, starved for Sting's touch. They spent a few minutes holding each other and immersing themselves in the other's smell. When they separated Sting smiled, a real one that made his blue eyes crinkle prettily, and Rogue found himself falling in love all over again.

He leaned forward craving the taste of his boyfriend, Sting eagerly meeting him halfway. Their lips connected softly, pressing fervently against each other, both afraid of pushing their luck but wanting to reconnect in all the ways they had lost. The kiss didn't last long, but for the first time since they had woken up at Sabertooth, Rogue felt like he was home.

"I love you," Rogue whispered, watching in awe as Sting's eyes lit up when he heard the words, his grin stretching so wide he could see his mate's fangs. Rogue reached out to touch Sting's cheek marveling at the grainy stubble that hadn't been there the last time he'd been allowed to touch.

Sting grabbed his hand and kissed it before replying, "I love you too." Rogue reddened, even though he had expected the words. Everything was finally okay between them again, better than okay even.

Sting got up pulling Rogue along with him by the hand that he was still holding. They were both smiling, and Rogue squeezed Sting's hand one last time before letting go.

"Now what?" Sting asked looking back at the book Rogue had been showing him earlier.

"Now we fight," Rogue laughed as they faced each other. They got into their fighting stances, Sting beckoning him to come at him with his hand and Rogue immediately went into his shadow form and lunged for an attack.

They fought hard for the next thirty minutes or so, both ending up sweaty and bruised, but it was clear their control had already improved a little. With smiles on their faces and lighter hearts, they realized it had been too long since they'd been able to spar for fun.

"So what are these secret arts you were talking about?" Sting questioned with interest.

Rogue wiped his hands on his pants and looked for the relevant chapter. He stopped to look at the sun and realized they would miss lunch if they didn't hurry. "Come on, I'll show you at lunch."

"Oh great, I'm starving!" Sting cheered. They walked back towards the building making sure to leave some space between them so no one would notice the change in their relationship. One person had seen them though, and even though it had hurt her a little, she was glad.

O-o

For the next two weeks as everyone sparred and practiced tirelessly in preparation for Jiemma's tournament Sting and Rogue continued to train outside. Jiemma and Orga had placed some training dummies to allow them to practice their long-range attacks. Now that the games were closer Jiemma did not want to risk them injuring each other accidentally. They practiced nonstop learning more and more powerful spells. They found that using these intermediate spells helped ease them into their growing power and by the last day of training they had both been able to enter Dragon Force at least once in front of Jiemma, who looked more pleased than they had ever seen him.

The day of the tournament arrived, and it was obvious in short order that Sabertooth's team would consist of Minerva, Orga, Rufus, Sting, and Rogue who were by far the strongest mages the guild had. Jiemma confirmed it, having made sure to keep them from fighting each other.

The last week before they departed for Crocus was spent training in more mundane ways. Jiemma was reasonably sure they could win the fights easily but the contests were an unknown, and that was something he didn't like.

All five of them were put in a regimen that included running, archery, shooting, cooking and eating contests and anything else Jiemma could think of. It was great fun for the other guild wizards to see their strongest mages struggle with things they considered ordinary. Orga struggled running, although he had a lot of muscle he lacked stamina, Sting and Rogue didn't know how to swim, Rufus was incapable of cooking if he wasn't given a recipe to memorize, and Minerva could out eat them all even though she had a tiny frame. By the end of the week, they were all grateful to be done and finally be on their way to Crocus.

Sting and Rogue were excited to be leaving the guild building together, it felt almost like an adventure, and it reminded them of better times. They suffered through the train ride, arriving in Crocus by late afternoon. When their stomachs finally calmed down, they walked with the others, looking around in awe at how vibrant everything was. Crocus was by far the biggest city they had ever seen, and it was beautiful. The buildings were large and colorful, and everywhere you looked there were different types of flowers creating a pleasant fragrance that permeated everything.

"Do you think we'll get a chance to explore?" Orga wondered aloud, "I've never been to a city this big before."

Minerva snorted, "Right... you have met my father, haven't you? We'll be lucky if he lets us out of the inn."

Rufus made a muted sound of agreement, seemingly overwhelmed by all there was to look at, his quick mind memorizing everything even when he didn't want to.

There were colorful flags strung around the city and they quickly figured out they represented the competing guilds as soon as they found the Sabertooth one mixed in among them. Sting and Rogue recognized many symbols from back when they read Sorcerer Weekly, but there were also plenty they didn't know.

Sting and Rogue stopped in their tracks when they noticed a symbol they hadn't expected.

"Is that?" Sting began as he saw the symbol of the Fairy Tail guild, the surprise he felt soon overridden by the pain he had never quite gotten over.

"Yeah," Rogue answered quietly, "I suppose it's to be expected the guild would continue without them." The thought filled him with sadness though, he couldn't even remember the last time he'd thought about Gajeel, Natsu or any of the others who had been lost. They had all seemed bigger than life, who could have possibly replaced them?

Their hands snaked out towards each other, fingers lacing, squeezing and quickly separating before anyone could notice. That day had been the one that had set them on this path and they both needed solace from the memories.

The guild members continued to trudge behind their Master, gawking at everything on their way to their inn. They checked in, every competitor getting their own room, while the others would have to share. Sting and Rogue wished they could share but knew better than to make the request. Jiemma had been extremely lenient with them, but that would surely be pushing their luck.

Just as Minerva had foreseen, they were ordered to stay in the inn until the next day's opening events.

The mood in the inn was very somber, there was nothing to distract them from their nerves about the upcoming competition or to keep them from worrying about what would happen to them if they didn't manage to take first place.

O-o

Sting lay awake in his bed long after Jiemma had done the bed check. Lector, who he had managed to smuggle in his bag, snuggled against him snoring softly. Sting felt restless, this competition could make his dream come true, and he was anxious for it to begin, but no matter how hard he tried, sleep evaded him.

A soft breeze entered through the window he knew he had closed and it brought the soothing smell of Rogue with it. He felt a small body land on the bed and settle itself next to Lector while a shadow solidified into the body of his mate.

"What are you doing here?" Sting whispered urgently, "If Jiemma catches you, he'll kill you!"

"No, he won't," Rogue declared, "He wants to win this competition, and he won't do anything to jeopardize that. Who would he replace me with on such short notice?" Rogue sounded very smug, and Sting chuckled even as he made room on the bed for him.

"And even if he did, he knows that would mess you up." Rogue pointed out as he climbed in, "For the first time we have him exactly where we want him."

Sting turned on his side so he could see Rogue better. "I guess that's true."

"Are you nervous?" Rogue asked.

"I just want to get started," Sting groaned with frustration, "What about you?"

"I just want it to be over," Rogue answered honestly.

Sting chuckled, "You're worried over nothing, this is going to be fun."

"If we win," Rogue pointed out.

"We will." Sting leaned forward and kissed Rogue on the forehead and then continued peppering his face with kisses until he got him to laugh.

"That's better," Sting teased moving onto his back and waiting for Rogue to cuddle up against him as he'd used to. Once Rogue had settled on his chest Sting wrapped his arm around him holding him even closer and leaning down to kiss his head.

"Tomorrow is the dawn of a new day for us, " Sting murmured drowsily, he hadn't realized it before, but this is exactly what he'd needed, "And whatever it may bring, we'll face it together."

Together, there was a time when Rogue had thought that word but a distant memory. He squeezed Sting tightly, and as he drifted off to sleep in the arms of the one he'd always loved, he couldn't help but smile. They'd both struggled to work through their problems but in the end, their love had triumphed. And no matter what surprises lay in store for them, that was all Rogue needed.