Gray was right. Both kids were asleep in their arms by the time they got back to their inn, and they didn't wake when Natsu and Gray transferred them to the bed. Sting immediately reached out in his sleep, grabbing Rogue's hand and pulling them close. Natsu sent a message to Yukino as Gray pulled the blanket up to cover both the sleeping kids.

"She said to meet her at the market instead of the guild," Natsu said quietly, frowning at his phone.

"Jiemma's probably not happy about us visiting," Gray said. He rubbed his face and yawned. "He did tell us to stay away."

"Yeah, well, what's he gonna do? Call the Magic Council?" Natsu rolled his eyes. "He can't stop us from coming here."

"He could stop letting them see us, though," Gray said. "We have to be careful."

Natsu sighed and sat down on the end of the bed, careful not to disturb the kids. Gray stepped closer and Natsu reached out, pulling him close and wrapping his arms around Gray's waist.

"They need help," Natsu said softly. "Like I did."

Gray sighed, running his fingers through Natsu's hair. Sting's outburst had been eerily similar to some of Natsu's meltdowns when he'd been younger. Gray remembered being both frustrated at Natsu's constant tears, and jealous that he could show his feelings so freely. It had taken Gray years to be able to cry for the family he'd lost, and Natsu had been the one to show him that his grief was okay.

"We are helping," Gray said. He crouched down in front of Natsu and ducked his head until they were making eye contact. "Sting's lucky to have somebody like you who gets how his brain works."

"But I can't always be here," Natsu said sadly. "And it's not just him – Rogue seemed upset earlier, too."

Gray shook his head. "No, I thought that at first, but I think they were just excited. They were rocking in my lap when we were watching the jellyfish, too. The noise seemed to bug them a bit, they kept rubbing their ears, but they weren't upset like Sting was."

Natsu nodded as they both lapsed into silence. Gray ran his hands up and down Natsu's thighs comfortingly, then leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. Natsu smiled, turning and catching Gray's next kiss on the lips.

"C'mere," he said, shifting over and tugging on Gray's arm. The bed was barely large enough for the four of them, but Natsu managed to lie down next to Sting, who made a quiet sound in his sleep as he snuggled closer to Rogue. Gray sighed and curled up against Natsu, immediately relaxing as the tension in his shoulders started to fade.

"I think we need a nap too," Natsu said sleepily, pulling Gray close.

"Mm." Gray kissed Natsu's forehead and wrapped an arm around his waist, letting himself succumb to exhaustion. "Go to sleep."

~

After that, Gray and Natsu visited as often as possible. Sting was always thrilled, throwing himself into hugs and telling them both a million stories. Rogue was still the more reserved of the two, but over time they started to open up as well, eagerly telling Gray and Natsu facts they'd learned since the last visit – most of them about jellyfish.

"They can make other ones of themselves," Rogue said proudly the next time they went to the aquarium. "If they fall apart they turn into new ones!"

"That's gross," Sting said, pressing his face against the glass.

"You're gross," Rogue replied, bouncing on the balls of their feet and sticking their tongue out at Sting. "An' some of them have teeths."

"Super duper gross." Sting looked up at Gray and grinned. "D'galu! Na?"

Gray's face lit up, just like it did every time he spoke Isvanian with the kids. "Sy'at jant," he chided with a smile on his face. "Be nice."

Natsu leaned in and kissed Gray's cheek, laughing at the blush that crept up the back of his neck. "I like seeing you happy," he said quietly, kissing Gray's ear. Gray didn't reply, just bumped his head against Natsu's and squeezed his hand.

Dropping the kids off with Yukino after visits was the difficult part.

"Why you can't stay here?" Sting would ask each time, arms wrapped tightly around Natsu's neck. "I miss you when you go away."

Each time Natsu would explain that his and Gray's families were back in Magnolia, and that they'd be back again soon, but as time went on, it got harder and harder to leave. The last time they'd headed home, Sting's disappointment and frustration had ended with him yelling at Natsu and pushing him away, refusing to hug him or wave goodbye.

"He didn't mean it," Gray said gently as they rode the train home. Natsu lay sideways on the bench with his head in Gray's lap, eyes closed while Gray ran cool fingers across his forehead and through his hair.

"I know." Natsu's voice was muffled by Gray's sweater. "I did the same thing when I was little."

"I remember," Gray said with a small smile. "You told me you hated me."

"I was kind of an asshole." Natsu slipped his hand under Gray's sweater and ran his thumb across his ribs. "I'm sorry."

"You didn't mean it either," Gray reassured him.

Natsu didn't answer, just sighed and cuddled closer. Gray tucked a wayward strand of hair behind his ear and let a burst of cool magic trickle across Natsu's temples.

"He's getting worse," Natsu said after a while. "I'm really worried about him. Both of them."

Gray nodded as he looked out the window. Sting's outbursts had been happening more and more often lately – usually fighting with other kids or turning to shouting and tears as soon as something didn't go his way. Rogue, on the other hand, never yelled. Instead, they would cry and withdraw if something overwhelmed them, and it could take hours to calm them down.

"I don't know what to do," Natsu said softly. "Sting was talking about fighting again today. He's obsessed with being the strongest." He hesitated, then added, "He had bruises again, too."

Gray's stomach twisted with the same unsettled sensation that happened anytime he saw marks on either of the kids. The first time Sting had shown up to their visits with a bruise on his arm, he'd insisted it was from falling while playing. It wasn't unbelievable – Gray remembered the myriad of injuries he'd had from roughhousing as a kid – but something about it didn't feel right.

"Maybe we should say something," he said.

"To who?" Natsu sounded miserable. "We don't have any proof. They both tell us it was accidents, Yukino won't talk to us, and nobody's going to make a move against one of the most powerful guilds in Fiore. And if we try, it could make it worse for them." He sighed. "All we can do is keep visiting, and I feel so useless." He rubbed his face with the back of his hand. "I miss them already."

"I know," Gray said, tipping his head against the window and sighing. "I miss them too."

~

Their next trip to visit the kids started with a job gone wrong.

"I thought the job poster said it was one monster," Gray hissed as he jumped backward, barely dodging the venomous spittle that flew through the air. He held out both hands and shards of ice flew from his fingertips, shredding through the group of snake-like monsters that were attacking them.

"Technically it was one monster," Natsu said. He tossed a fireball down the hill into the center of the snakes, and Gray wrinkled his nose against the smell of burning flesh. "At least, until it turned into... that."

The writhing mass of snakes hissed in unison. Half of them were blackened and burned in piles on the ground, surrounded by prisons of ice. The remaining ones quickly slithered together, making a squelching sound as they solidified back into one creature.

"Fucking hell," Gray muttered, firing bolts of ice at the creature in an attempt to pin it to the ground. It snarled at him, opening its mouth wide and showing off teeth that were nearly as long as his arm.

"Go for its head!" Natsu shouted, scrambling down the hill as he blasted it with bursts of flame. It turned away from Gray, bright red eyes tracking Natsu's movements as he leaped toward it. Gray quickly narrowed his magic into a spear, exhaling and focusing on the monster's throat before firing.

The monster screamed in rage and pain as the lance pierced its neck. The ground underneath Gray trembled and he stumbled forward. Before he could catch his balance, something heavy slammed into him and knocked him onto his back.

Gray grunted in pain as he pushed himself up on one elbow and tried to focus on what had hit him. It took him a second to realize it was the end of the snake's tail, tipped with a set of razor-sharp barbs. He blinked slowly, then looked down at himself. Blood dripped from five deep wounds that ran directly across his chest and stomach.

"Gray!" Natsu's panicked shout filled the air and was quickly followed by an enormous blast of fire. The tail flailed a few times as the creature shrieked in pain, then dropped to the ground as everything stopped. Natsu appeared at the top of the hill and dropped to his knees next to Gray, quickly tearing off his shirt and pressing it to the wounds on Gray's chest. Gray hissed in pain, grabbing at Natsu's wrists.

"You're gonna be okay," Natsu reassured him. His hands shook as Gray's blood quickly soaked through the shirt and started to stain his hands. "Hold this." He took Gray's hand and held it against the makeshift bandage. "We have to stop the bleeding." He yanked off his scarf and folded it carefully, then pressed it against the wound as well. Gray's vision swam as he gritted his teeth against the pain.

"You can cauterize—" He gasped as a wave of nausea hit him, and he quickly rolled onto his side and threw up.

"What the hell?" Natsu gripped Gray's shoulder as he vomited again, shaking at the heat and sparks of pain that were quickly flooding his body. "What's wrong?"

"Think it's... poison," Gray managed. Natsu swore as he carefully pulled back the corner of the shirt. The edges of the wounds were a dark purple color, and black coloring spread out from it in strange patterns across Gray's skin.

"Shit." Natsu covered it back up, wrapping the ends of his scarf around Gray's torso and tying it off. "I can't cauterize it if it's poisoned. We have to get you to a medic." He pulled out his lacrima phone and quickly sent a message to Yukino – Gray's hurt, get a doctor to the inn. Please. Then he shoved the phone back in his pocket and shifted so Gray was behind him.

"C'mon," he said, trying his best to be gentle as he maneuvered Gray onto his back. "You're gonna be okay."

~

It took almost two hours to reach the city.

"We must be getting close," Natsu said, trying to keep his voice steady as he shifted Gray on his back. He slid his arms under Gray's thighs to nudge him further up as Gray made a soft sound of protest. "You still awake back there?"

"'m fine," Gray insisted, words slurred. "I can... walk."

"Uhuh." Natsu rolled his eyes. "Last time I put you down you fell over."

"Did not."

"Wanna try again?"

Gray was quiet for a second, then let out a quiet groan of pain and pressed his forehead to the back of Natsu's neck. Even Natsu, who ran naturally hot, could feel the feverish heat of Gray's skin against his, and he cursed under his breath. Gray was barely holding on, arms looped loosely around Natsu's shoulders, and his breathing was ragged and uneven.

"Hang on, Snowflake," Natsu said softly, sighing in relief when they crested the hill and the outskirts of the city appeared on the horizon. "Look, we're almost there."

Gray didn't reply, just shivered, and Natsu flared up his magic just enough to keep him warm as they walked. It took nearly twenty minutes to reach the gate, and by that time, Gray was unconscious. Luckily, the inn where they were supposed to meet Yukino and the kids wasn't far.

"The doctor is here," said the innkeeper when Natsu stepped through the door. She gestured to the first room in the hallway, and he ducked inside, sighing with relief when he saw Yukino, Sting, and Rogue, and an unfamiliar woman in medic's robes.

"What happened?" the doctor asked, gesturing to one of the beds. Natsu laid Gray down gently, making an apologetic sound when Gray groaned in pain. His face was pale, and the makeshift bandage on his chest was soaked with blood.

"A monster." Natsu rubbed his face as he slumped down on the bed next to Gray. "It was like... a snake, sort of. Or lots of snakes. It's dead, but it hit him with its tail."

"A nagehi," the woman said as she pulled back the bandage to expose the wound on Gray's chest. It was still bleeding sluggishly, and the black marks had spread across his ribs and up to his throat.

"This isn't good," the healer said, pressing gently at the skin around the wound. "The nagehi's bite is usually deadly – I'm honestly surprised he's survived this long."

"Can you heal him?" Natsu demanded. He took one of Gray's limp hands between his and squeezed it.

"I can try." The woman put both hands out, closing her eyes for a moment as a greenish light emanated from them. Natsu held his breath as he stared at the magic and held Gray's hand tightly. After a moment, the healer pulled back and shook her head sadly. "The poison has spread too far," she said, voice gentle. "There's nothing I can do."

"No," Natsu whispered, leaning closer and touching Gray's cheek. "You have to—there has to be something. Someone." He looked over at Yukino, who was staring sadly at him from where she sat with the two kids. "Wendy," Natsu said, looking back at the healer. "Wendy could fix it, she just—she's in Magnolia, can you—"

"I'll try to contact her," Yukino said, pulling out her lacrima phone. She whispered something to Sting and Rogue, who stayed on the bed while Yukino stepped out of the room.

"He won't survive that long." The healer touched Natsu's shoulder, and he shrugged her hand off angrily. "I'm so sorry," she said again, then quietly left the room.

Everything around Natsu slipped away as he stared at Gray. An ache spread through his chest, pulling the air from his lungs until he couldn't breathe. He brushed a sweaty strand of hair from Gray's face with trembling fingers, shaking his head in disbelief. Gray couldn't die. Not here, not from this, not—

"I can help." A small, quiet voice snapped Natsu out of his pain, and he looked up to see Sting standing on the other side of the bed. Rogue wasn't far behind him, staring over Sting's shoulder at the mess of blood and venom on Gray's chest.

"Sweetheart," Natsu said, voice breaking. "I know you wanna help, but you can't—"

Sting ignored Natsu and stood on his tiptoes, holding the edge of the bed and carefully reaching up to touch Gray's chest. Gray made a pained sound, shivering violently as the fever wracked his body with chills. Natsu's eyes widened when Sting started to glow with a soft, white light.

"Don't be mad," Sting whispered, refusing to look at Natsu. "Please."

Natsu stared as the scales along Sting's temples and cheeks started to shimmer, bright and iridescent. The magic flowed down his arm, pulsing out of his fingers and sinking into the skin around the wound. The black marks immediately started to recede, pushed away by the bright, healing light.

"Holy shit," Natsu breathed, leaning against the edge of the bed as he watched the magic flow through Gray's entire body. When it touched his temples, the pained look on his face faded. His gasping breaths evened out as the shivering stopped.

Natsu reached out to touch Sting's hand, but Sting quickly flinched away and backed up toward the other bed. His magic faded, leaving him red-faced as he stared at the floor.

"Hey, it's okay," Natsu said gently as he stared at Gray's chest, amazed to see scar tissue covering what had been a devastating wound only moments ago. "You... saved him." He looked back up at Sting, who was holding his hands behind his back and looking like he might cry. "What's wrong?" Natsu asked, pushing himself off the bed and crouching down to Sting's level.

Sting just shook his head. There was a soft touch on Natsu's arm, and he turned to see Rogue standing next to him, giving him a serious look.

"Sting can fix it when we're hurt," they said. "but he's not allowed 'cause its not strong."

A flash of rage coursed through Natsu and he had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself from growling. That fucking asshole. He turned back to Sting and held out his hand.

"Sting," he said, keeping his voice as soft as possible. "You aren't in trouble. I promise. I'm so happy you're here, you did such a good thing." Sting peeked up at him but didn't look convinced. "You are so strong and so amazing. You saved Uncle Gray's life." The words caught in his throat and he swallowed back tears. "I'm so proud of you."

Sting looked at Rogue, then back at Natsu, his expression somewhere between uncertain and relieved. "I'm not supposed to," he insisted.

"That's fuc—" Natsu cut himself off, taking a deep breath. "I don't care what anybody else says. Uncle Gray was very, very sick and he could have—he might have died, if you hadn't helped. And you saved him. That makes you so, so strong." He held out both arms. "C'mere. It's okay."

Sting chewed his lip for a second, then took a small step forward. When Natsu's fingers touched his arm he flinched, but he quickly darted into the embrace and pressed his face against Natsu's shoulder. Natsu held him tightly and pressed a kiss to the top of his head.

"How did you do that?" Natsu asked after a second, pulling back from the embrace and pushing himself to his feet. He helped both kids up onto the bed next to Gray, who was still unconscious. His expression was peaceful, and the occasional glimmer of white magic swirled under his skin.

"I maked it good," Sting said seriously. "The black stuff was yucky and I can fix it." Now that he knew Natsu wasn't angry, he seemed to relax a little. He touched Gray's forehead carefully and closed his eyes. "It still hurts so he's sleeping but the bad stuff is all gone." Then he shifted closer to Gray and curled up next to him, resting his head on Gray's shoulder and keeping his hand over the scars on his chest. Rogue copied him, cuddling up to Gray's other side and putting their hand over Sting's.

"You're a healer," Natsu said softly as he pulled a chair next to the bed and settled down in it. "Like Wendy."

Sting's brow furrowed in a pout. "I can fight, too," he insisted. Natsu was about to reply when Yukino poked her head back in the door.

"I talked to Wendy," she started to say, then trailed off when she saw Gray's peaceful face and scarred chest. Her eyes widened, flicking between Natsu and the kids.

"Did you know?" Natsu asked. "About his magic?" Yukino shook her head slowly as she stepped toward the bed. Sting refused to look at her, just curled up tighter against Gray.

"Sting did this?" Yukino asked softly.

Natsu nodded. "He saved Gray's life."

A calm descended over the room as Yukino leaned down, brushing Sting's messy curls out of his face and kissing his forehead. Natsu's heart ached at the uncertainty on Sting's face, and the anger from before resurfaced.

He's not allowed.

It's not strong.

I'm not supposed to.

Natsu let the anger simmer as he watched the kid's joined hands rise and fall with Gray's slow, even breaths.

You are strong, he thought. And I'm going to get you away from that asshole if it's the last thing I do.