let me be your haven

7. an important decision

TW for talk of child abuse and descriptions of injuries from abuse

-----

Gray woke slowly to a pressure on his chest, and the sound of giggling. He slowly cracked open one eye, wincing at the bright light that filled his vision.

"Uncle Gray!"

The light quickly disappeared, and a small, pudgy face took its place in Gray's field of vision. Sting's curls were wild and tangled, but a bright smile crossed his face when Gray managed to focus on him.

"Hi." He poked Gray's cheek. "You sleeped for a long time. I maked the bad stuff go away and it was yesterday but now it's today and the sun is up."

Gray blinked a few times, trying to focus his blurry vision. He attempted to move his arm up to rub his face, but a heavy weight kept it at his side. When he looked down, he realized that Rogue was curled up next to him. They gave him a shy smile and cuddled closer.

"Hey," Gray said, voice hoarse. A dull ache radiated from his chest, and he looked down to see several raised scars across his skin. Sting placed a hand on his forehead and a soft, warm light spread through him, pushing the pain away. He blinked in surprise and looked at Sting. "How did you..."

"It's his magic." Natsu appeared beside the bed and ruffled Sting's hair affectionately. "He saved you." His voice was bright, but Gray could see the deep lines of concern behind the casual words. "How're you feeling?"

"Like I got my ass handed to me," Gray admitted, letting Natsu help him sit up against the headboard. The pain was gone, but he still felt a bone-deep exhaustion and a tightness in his chest.

"You kinda did," Natsu said as he sat down onto the bed next to Gray. Sting happily settled onto Natsu's lap, while Rogue moved with Gray and stayed curled up under his arm. "You almost died," Natsu added softly. He took Gray's hand and squeezed it. "The medic said the poison had spread too far and she couldn't do anything, but..."

"I fixed it," Sting said when Natsu looked down at him. His expression was a mix of pride and uncertainty. "I taked the bad stuff and put good stuff instead." He tentatively touched the scars on Gray's chest. Gray frowned when he saw tears welling up in Sting's eyes.

"Hey," he said gently, reaching out for the little boy. "C'mere." Sting let Gray pull him into a hug, and he wrapped his arms tightly around Gray's neck. "Thank you," Gray said, pressing a kiss to the mess of curls. He frowned in confusion at Natsu over Sting's shoulder, but Natsu just shook his head – I'll explain later. Gray held Sting closer, and when Rogue looked up at him, he pulled them into the embrace too.

"You're awake!" Gray looked up to see Yukino standing in the doorway, holding a tray with coffee and pastries. He gave her a weak smile as the two kids hugged him tighter. "Let Uncle Gray breathe," Yukino chided, making her way to the bed, and touching Sting's back. "He's probably still very tired."

Sting reluctantly let go of Gray and shuffled back into Natsu's lap. "We have to go?" he asked Yukino. She gave him a soft smile and nodded, and his lower lip quickly curled into a pout. "I don't want to."

"We have to, sunshine," Yukino said. She ran her fingers through Rogue's long hair and nudged them up as well. "We've already been away longer than we said we would."

Sting sniffed, rubbing his face with the back of his hand. Anxiety thrummed in Gray's chest as Yukino helped Sting and Rogue off the bed.

"Don't go," he said quietly, reaching out and touching Yukino's arm. She frowned at him, gesturing for both kids to go stand by the door before responding.