The Prince and the Pauper: Stingue

Familiar Strangers

-Sting-

"Freed, whatcha staring at?" I asked with a sly smirk.

Laxus and Freed had joined me for dinner and might I say, it was beyond awkward. The stuttering and constant feeling of second hand embarrassment, was cringe worthy. Yet slightly amusing.

"N-nothing!" His voice quieted down and he turned his head and simply stared at the food he made. I sighed. Nothing was going to happen if they continued like this.

"We are all friends. We shouldn't act so awkward. So, tell me Sting, how is life as a single man?" Laxus asked completely changing the subject of the previous Fraxus! I glared at him before groaning in response.

"I don't wanna talk about it!"

"Of course you do. And also I noticed something. Where's Rogue? He hasn't visited in three weeks! And you haven't gone to him." Freed exclaimed. "Has something happened between the two of you?" He continued. One eye brow was raised and his fingers curled over the knife on the table from instinct. His ninja perception was enough to figure out if I was lying or not. He's so weird.

"Nothing's happened. I'm just..."

"If it's about Lucy. I don't think he's the cause of why the two of you broke up. Rogue would never do that! Have you even spoken to him?" Freed pestered on. Lucy did say she spoke to Rogue, I was sure he said something, right?

"I don't care." I simply pushed myself off the chair and stalked off. Grabbing my coat before walking out the apartment. I heard Freed and Laxus calling my name however I ignored it.

Before a hand clasped over my shoulder. I looked back to find Laxus.

"We will leave you alone for now. But if you ever need someone to talk to... We are here for ya, ya know!"

****

A park stood in front of me as I finally figured out where the hell I was.

Silver Ice Park.

Grandpa Natsu owned this park. It was right in front of his hotel. Yet he hardly ever visited here. It made me curious why. I always asked why he never went, the park was absolutely amazing. Every week it was cleaned, courtesy of grandpa pestering the workers to make it perfect. However once he gave me a clue- accidentally- he muttered something about making it perfect for an old friend...

By the horizon the amber sun began to set as the day got later. The crimson sky clashed with the greenery that lay before me. Pigeons feeding from bread crumbs on the floor, shuffled away from me as I strolled past on the spotless path.

A slumped down on a bench and pulled out my headphones to stuff them in my ears and I started to listen Papercut by Linkin Park.

The music began to blast in my ears as I nodded my head to the rhythm. I closed my eyes and thought about nothing and everything.

Rogue. Ryos.

My eyes snapped open.

"Hello young man, you seem quite distressed. What's wrong?" I looked over to my side to find an old man, in his fifties, perched on the same bench as me. His hands were wrapped around a walking stick and his feet kept tapping a repetitive beat. His eyes were startling shade of dazzling indigo and his blue tinted black hair stuck up in all directions. You could notice the silver streaks that melted along with the dark blue hair.