Shadowlight Week 2019

Prompt: Candlelight

Disclaimer: All Fairy Tail Characters Belong To Hiro Mashima

"This does not look at all like the picture you showed me," Rogue Cheney whined desperately into his personal lacrima.

"Come on, it was simple, how bad can it be?" Minerva Orland rolled her eyes at her friend. "Just send me a picture."

A minute later she received a picture of a slightly singed amorphous blob that indeed looked nothing like what she had shown her friend. "It's not so bad," she lied, trying not to let her internal wince show on her face but knew she had failed when she saw the panic settle on Rogue's face.

"I don't have any more ingredients, the whole night is going to be ruined now," Rogue placed his hand over his face.

"Okay, you've been hanging around your boyfriend too much. The drama queen act doesn't suit you," Minerva looked at her watch, "I finished my job earlier than I thought, why don't I run to the store to get the ingredients and I'll help you, okay?"

Rogue gave her one of his rare smiles, and she instantly found herself smiling in return. It was so much nicer to have friends, instead of rivals. She was a lot happier now, and a large part of that had been thanks to the Twin Dragons and Fairy Tail.

"Thank you so much, Minerva! You really are a lifesaver."

"No worries, I'll get in touch with Yukino and get her to stall Sting. I'll be at your place in thirty minutes."

She hung up her personal lacrima and made a quick call to Yukino, who would enlist the others to help. Once done with that she headed to the nearest grocery store.

O-o

Sting looked at the mound of paperwork that was sitting on his desk and once again wondered if he'd done the right thing in accepting the role of Guild Master.

Until recently, he'd only been considered acting Guild Master as the Magic Council ran their investigation on Jiemma's disappearance after the Grand Magic Games. To his surprise, none of his guildmates had mentioned his fight with the previous Master, and so the Magic Council had cleared them of any wrongdoing and had pronounced Sting as the real deal.

It wasn't a bad gig, but he wasn't one to enjoy sitting still for long periods or attending meetings, not to mention dealing with the Magic Council. He'd much rather be out there going on jobs and spending time with Rogue and their Exceeds.

He hummed to himself as he thought about how little time he and his partner had been able to spend together lately. Rogue was still able to go on jobs, and although he helped Sting on occasion with his more boring tasks, those weren't precisely dates.

Although they tried to make more time for each other, the fact was that by the time Sting got home on most nights he was exhausted. At best he was up for some cuddles before bed; usually, he just went straight to bed. He had faith that their relationship was strong enough to endure this adjustment period, but he wished he could do better for his partner. Gods knew Rogue deserved it for putting up with him most of the time.

He looked at his desktop calendar and with a jolt realized today was the anniversary of when they had started dating. Rogue wasn't really one for romantic overtures, but still, the more Sting thought about it, the more he was determined that today was the perfect day to make an extra effort to get home early. They could spend some time together and maybe send the Exceeds away so they could get some private time. With that thought, he tackled his paperwork cheerfully daydreaming of the evening ahead.

O-o

"Guys, I just got a call from Minerva," Yukino spoke softly not wanting Sting to possibly overhear her words. "We need to keep Sting here until we hear from her."

"I thought Rogue had some special thing planned?" Dobengal reminded her.

"He did, but he messed up, and Minerva went over to help," Yukino explained.

They all nodded in understanding, out of all of them Minerva was really the only one you should let near a stove. The way Rogue told it, Sting had started as many kitchen fires as Natsu Dragneel.

"So what are we supposed to do?"

"We might not have to do anything, he's been working hard these past few weeks but if he makes any move to leave we'll just have to stall him."

They all sat around trying to think of what they could do if that happened, so caught up in their plots that they almost missed Sting walking past them.

"Master Sting!" Dobengal exclaimed much louder than was necessary.

Sting turned with a flinch as his ears were assaulted by the noise. "What is it, Dobengal?"

"I need to give you my report for my last mission," Dobengal blurted out.

"Just leave it on my desk, I want to get home early today," Sting turned around and continued to walk towards the doors.

Dobengal teleported himself ahead of him, "No, you don't understand. It didn't go well, there was uhm a lot of destruction. The Rune Knights said they would have to contact the Magic Council and.."

"Okay okay," Sting sighed in defeat, "Let's go back to my office."

O-o

"Thank goodness you're here," Rogue burst open the door as soon as he smelled Minerva near.

"Calm down, we're fine," Minerva assured the nervous mage. "Why are you so nervous anyway? You guys live together."

"Today is our anniversary," Rogue informed her with another smile, "And ever since Sting became Guild Master we barely get to see each other."

"Ahh, that's nice, congratulations!" Minerva went to hug her friend but stopped herself after she remembered how possessive dragon slayers were about their significant others. Today was about them celebrating their love, she didn't want to cause a fight.

She looked at the mess Rogue had made in the kitchen and snorted hiding it behind a cough. "Alright, you clean up the mess you made, and I'll start prepping the ingredients."

They got to work, Minerva asking Rogue to turn on the music lacrima. Soon they were humming along as they went about their tasks.

O-o

Sting listened to Dobengal in disbelief as the Rainbow Beam mage told him what had happened. He didn't even remember Dobengal taking this mission, to be honest, the story he was telling him sounded almost like something Team Natsu would have managed. That was not good news for him, that meant damages would have to be paid out of their small coffers and reports would have to be filled for the Magic Council. With a sigh, Sting got the necessary paperwork out, and they began to fill it out together.

With that out of the way, Sting once again left his office determined to get home this time. He once again passed the table where his mages were sitting drinking away the afternoon, missing the signal Dobengal gave them.

All of a sudden he heard Yukino burst into tears, he stopped and tried to convince himself to keep moving, but he knew it was a lost cause. Yukino was his friend, and if she was upset, he had to see if he could help.

"Yukino?" Sting walked over to her with concern, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Yukino sniffled, "I'll be fine, I'm sure you have better things to do than listen to me."

"Not at all, come on let's go to my office so we can talk." And with that, he led her back to the room he had just exited.

"This is so embarrassing, " Yukino grabbed a tissue from Sting's desk and blew her nose daintily.

"Don't be ridiculous, we're friends," Sting smiled at her encouragingly, "You can tell me anything."

"It's about Minerva," Yukino was suddenly shy as her cheeks flushed.

"Minerva?" Sting was confused, "What about her?"

"I think I might like her...."

Sting stared at his friend open-mouthed, he had not been expecting that at all. He would have to handle this delicately.

O-o

"How did you do that?" Rogue asked, mouth agape in wonder at how in a short time Minerva had managed to create what had taken him hours to attempt, and hers looked even better than the picture.

Minerva shrugged, "A lot of practice I guess, it's not like I get invited out a lot. People are still scared of me."

"Just give them time, soon they'll see you the way Sting and I do," Rogue assured her.

"If you say so," Minerva didn't seem convinced, but she also didn't look very bothered by it.

"Well, this looks amazing, and your food is always delicious," Rogue complimented her, "If the whole magic thing doesn't work out, you could probably open a restaurant. If nothing else it would make your father roll over in his grave.

They both laughed at the thought.

"Are you doing anything for ambiance?" Minerva asked as she looked around the spartan apartment.

Rogue looked around too with a slight flush to his cheeks, they hadn't had it for long, and with Sting taking on the role of Master and most of their jewels going into rebuilding the guild, he knew it was quite bare.

"No need to look so embarrassed, Rogue, " Minerva commented as she thought. "You don't need much, you guys have some candles?"

"Oh yeah, we've been having some power issues, and Sting gets tired of glowing all the time, " Rogue snickered.

Minerva giggled, "Well that's all you need then!"

O-o

After a long talk with Yukino about her feelings and how she might best be able to let Minerva know about them, Sting was beginning to feel tired. Surely, he could go home now, he thought, but before they'd even gotten to the door of his office, there was a knock.

"Come in," Sting said with a sigh as he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

He groaned when Rufus came in carrying some paperwork that needed correcting.

"Oh come on, are you sure we can't do it tomorrow?" Sting whined.

"You agreed to do it today, and this batch is due tomorrow." Rufus reminded him.

"I have no memory of saying such a thing," Sting retorted earning him a surprised look from the Memory Make mage that slowly turned into an amused smile.

"Fine fine, let's get it over with."

O-o

"Everything smells great," Rogue complimented Minerva, "You didn't have to make us dinner too, you know. I was just going to order out."

"I wanted to, you guys have been really great to me even though I did some terrible things to you in the past," Minerva reminded him. "Anyway, here, I picked you up something while I was out."

She grinned mischievously as she handed him a bottle of clear liquid. "Maybe after dinner, you can give the Master a nice massage or something. It smells like some white flower or other so he should like it."

Rogue hadn't even thought about after dinner yet, so he was glad Minerva had been so thoughtful. He thanked her again as she left their apartment which was now filled with the mouthwatering smell of a home-cooked meal. He got some candles and placed them on the candlesticks that were already on the small dining room table before jumping into the shower and getting dressed.

Now all he had to do was wait.

O-o

Paperwork now done, Sting and Rufus left his office and headed back to the front room. He was leaving no matter what. He'd begun to think that his guildmates were up to something, a thought that was furthered strengthened by Orga immediately sauntering towards him.

"No," Sting said before Orga could open his mouth, "Whatever it is it can wait until tomorrow. I am going home, and none of you can stop me."

He made it all the way to the door when it suddenly opened, and Rune Knights entered the guild hall. Not sparing them a glance he walked past them and left the guild, leaving them staring confusedly after him.

Sting walked quickly, desperate to get home before anything else happened. He was walking by the shops when he noticed it. A yin-yang pendant, something that represented them so well he knew he had to get it. It wasn't just that the colors represented their elements, it was the way they had always kept each other in balance.

He didn't have a lot of extra jewels so he wasn't sure he'd be able to afford it, but the owner of the store recognized him. When Sting mentioned he was looking for an anniversary present he offered him a large discount for doing so much for their town, even throwing the necklace in for free. Although a tad embarrassed, Sting was very grateful.

He sighted his door, and as he went up the three steps he was able to distinguish several smells, Natsu, Wendy, and Minerva? He was a tad disappointed, but he supposed it would be good to see his friends as well.

Opening the door, he was surprised to see only Rogue lighting candles. "Did we lose power again?"

Rogue laughed, "Nope, it's ambiance."

"Oh!" Sting took off his jacket and hung it up, making sure to take the small box out of the pocket. "It smells great in here," Sting exclaimed, "Did you make that?"

Rogue shook his head, "I tried," he admitted, a shy smile on his lips, "but it didn't come out very well. Minerva had to help me."

"That was nice of her," Sting mumbled, distracted by his boyfriend. He smelled heavenly, hair still wet from his shower and wearing the cologne Sting loved.

"It feels like I haven't seen you in a year," Sting moved closer, caging Rogue in an embrace and scenting his neck. The smell enticing him to nibble in sensitive areas.

"You just saw me this morning," Rogue reminded him, rolling his eyes at the exaggeration, but not minding the attention in the least. Having Sting all to himself for a change was nice. He kissed the head that had now moved to the other side of his neck and chuckled.

"Are you hungry?" Rogue asked knowing full well that Sting was always hungry.

"For you," Sting grinned, "But maybe that can wait until after dinner. Where are Lector and Frosch?"

"Wendy and Natsu took them back to Fairy Tail with them, I thought it would be nice to spend some time alone together."

Sting hmmed at the information. "I got you something today," Sting took the necklace out of the box and put it around Rogue's neck, being careful not to get his boyfriend's hair caught in the clasp. He waited bashfully to see Rogue's reaction.

Rogue looked down and grabbed the pendant, moving it up to his field of vision and scrutinizing it. "Yin and yang, just like us," He said out loud, "It's perfect, thank you!"

"Happy Anniversary, Rogue," Sting grinned happily, admiring how the necklace hung around his lover's neck.

Rogue hugged Sting tightly, and this time it was him that was nibbling, although he preferred Sting's lips. Rogue kissed him deeply, letting all of his feelings for his lover flow into it. Sting responded with equal fervor, his hands moving up and down Rogue's back, caressing and kneading his best-loved spots as their kiss intensified.

"Uhm, food," Rogue moved away grudgingly, knowing if he didn't all of Minerva's hard work would be wasted.

"Right," Sting answered, his eyes hazy but slowly coming out of it.

They set the table and ate, transfixed by how their faces looked in the candlelight, soft and warm and yearning to be touched. They talked about how much had changed in the last year and how lucky they were to have such good friends, Rogue laughing as he learned how they had kept him in the guild. Dinner was over quickly, and Sting offered to do the dishes while Rogue turned on some music.

He swayed to the song that was playing as he handed the dishes over to Sting, not aware that he was doing so and Sting watched with a smile, loving how effortlessly graceful Rogue was at these moments.

Rogue left Sting to finish up, taking the candles with him as he walked into their bedroom. Sting sang along to the music, and when he was done, he brought the lacrima with him, stopping at their door to admire Rogue's handiwork.

Rogue had placed the candles from the table on their nightstands and had lit some others in different areas of the room. There were towels laid out on the bed along with a new bottle of massage oil. Rogue had undressed and was now clad only in his new necklace and boxer shorts.

Sting admired him, enraptured by his dark beauty and when Rogue offered his hand Sting took it gladly letting his boyfriend undress him slowly.

"Now it's time for your present," Rogue smiled, and Sting thought it was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen. He lay on his stomach and felt Rogue straddle him, the click of the massage oil cap the only indicator as to what was about to happen.

Sting felt firm, well-oiled hands rub his shoulders, kneading and massaging his muscles, working out the knots that had built up over the long months. Those hands worked their way down his back, making him moan in pleasure. It felt so good, too good. Sting felt himself beginning to drift off, and he tried to fight it. He wanted to make love to his boyfriend, to pleasure him and bring him as much joy as Rogue had brought to him, but it was a battle he lost.

The last words Sting heard before drifting off to sleep were I love you, Sting and he managed to reply "I love you too, Rogue." in the sweetest, sleepiest voice Rogue had ever heard.

Rogue snickered as Sting began snoring immediately after. He put out all the candles and moved the massage oil bottle before cleaning the bed as best he could and climbing in, draping his arm over Sting's back and cuddling his lover in his sleep. Rogue wasn't upset in the slightest, he knew Sting would make it up to him in the morning. He could wait. For Sting, he could do anything.

A/N: I had not been looking forward to this prompt so of course it ended being my favorite. I hope you enjoy it. I really loved doing fluffy Sting and Rogue. I also like the brotp I ended up creating between Minerva and Rogue in this story and His Own Destiny. Take that kryptonite!