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

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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.

"What do you mean?"

"Come back with us." Gray's anxiety was quickly turning to desperation as he watched the kids over Yukino's shoulder. Sting's bright smile was fading, and Gray wanted so badly to bring it back. "Back to Fairy Tail," he clarified, looking back at Yukino. "You know they don't belong there. And neither do you."

Yukino sighed and gently pulled her arm from Gray's grasp. "It's not that easy," she said softly.

"It could be," Natsu interjected.

She shook her head. "They can't just leave, they're members, they took an oath, and they can't—"

"They were three," Natsu hissed. "You can't hold toddlers to a binding agreement, that's ridiculous."

"It's not just the guild," Yukino said. "Jiemma has legal rights to them."

Gray frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean he's their guardian," Yukino explained. "When their parents died and the guild took them in, Jiemma gained guardianship as the guild leader. Fairy Tail probably did the same thing with you – it's like an adoption."

"Not with me," Gray said. "But I still have family in Isvan who took guardianship when my parents died. I dunno about you, though," he added, gesturing to Natsu.

Natsu growled, running his hands through his hair. "Who cares about a stupid piece of paper?" he insisted. "We all know it's not right."

"You can't just break laws because you don't like them," Yukino said. Gray raised his eyebrows at Natsu and Yukino sighed. "Look, I have to go, and so do they. We can meet you again tomorrow morning."

Gray sighed, then cut off Natsu before he could keep arguing. "Okay," he said softly. "Just...be safe, okay?"

Yukino gave him a thin smile. "I'll try my best," she said, before turning and leading the boys out of the room.

~

Yukino and the kids didn't show up the next day.

"Natsu, sit down." Gray gestured to the chair next to him, but Natsu shook his head and continued to pace back and forth in front of the café. "You're making me dizzy."

"They're supposed to be here," Natsu insisted. His stomach twisted with anxiety as he looked back and forth down the streets, hoping to see a head of white hair. "Something's wrong."

"I know," Gray said. He made a pained sound and Natsu turned to see him press a hand to his chest. Natsu quickly sat down next to him and put a hand on his thigh. "'m okay," Gray insisted, waving off the concern, but his voice was tight.

"You almost died yesterday, you're not fine," Natsu argued. "Does it hurt?"

"A bit," Gray admitted. He shifted uncomfortably and took a few deep breaths. "It just feels like a bruise. The magic he used to take the pain away just wore off – I am actually fine, I promise." He took Natsu's hand and squeezed it.

Natsu searched Gray's face for a sign that the pain was worse than he was letting on but didn't find any. He sighed and leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to Gray's cheek.

"Sorry," he mumbled. "I'm just worried. About everyone."

Gray pressed his forehead to Natsu's in an uncharacteristic display of public affection. "I know," he said. "I just don't know what we can do."

Natsu sighed, giving Gray a quick kiss before pulling back. Part of him was ready to charge down to the guild and kick in the front door. The other part of him reluctantly clung to Yukino's words from yesterday. You can't just break laws because you don't like them.

"Did you try texting Yukino again?" he asked.

Gray nodded to his lacrima phone, which was sitting on the café table. "The messages are going through but she's not answering." He hesitated. "It might be nothing. Maybe Jiemma changed their training schedule or something. It's happened before."

Natsu tipped his head back and forth uncertainly. "Something feels wrong, though," he said. "It's hard to explain, I just..."

"I trust you," Gray said. Natsu looked up at him, and the conviction in Gray's gaze left him feeling breathless. For as long as they'd known each other, Gray had never done anything by halves. He put all of himself into everything he did. Now that they were together, Natsu was starting to realize that extended to the way Gray loved him – deeply and fiercely, despite his seemingly reserved nature.

Natsu swallowed, hoping his cheeks weren't as red as they felt. Gray gave him a shy half-smile, then stood up and pulled Natsu to his feet.

"C'mon," he said as he slid his fingers between Natsu's. "Let's go to Sabertooth."

~

"They kicked you out?" Lucy's voice was tinny through the lacrima phone.

"Well, they called it 'escorting him off the premises'," Gray said. It was later that afternoon, and he was sitting on the bed in the inn, leaning back against the pillows Natsu had stacked against the headboard. Despite Sting healing the wound, Gray's chest still ached.

"Assholes," Natsu muttered from where he was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. "Can they even do that?"

"They can," Lucy said regretfully. "Guild halls are private property; they can bar entry to whoever they like."

"Well, it's suspicious as hell," Natsu said. He sighed and moved over to the bed to sit next to Gray. "Luce, do you know anything about guardianships?"

"You mean custody?" Lucy asked.

"Sorta. Yukino said that Jiemma had 'guild guardianship' of Sting and Rogue."

"Oh, yes, guilds do that all the time," Lucy said. "You were under guardianship with Fairy Tail, Natsu. Don't you remember Makarov talking about it with you?" When Natsu didn't answer, Lucy sighed, and Gray could almost hear her rolling her eyes. "It ended when you turned seventeen, that's when you got control of all your accounts and your home."

"Oh!" Natsu brightened. "Yeah, he said something one time about being an adult and not a...ward? I think? I don't remember."

Natsu's cheeks turned pink with embarrassment and Gray reached out to squeeze his hand. When they were kids, Gray had teased Natsu about his terrible memory, but Erza had eventually confronted him about it, telling him that it was another symptom of what Natsu called his 'messy brain.' Seeing Sting struggle with the same thing over the last few months had made Gray realize how difficult it must have been for Natsu growing up, and now he always tried to be as kind about it as possible.

"Can guardianship be transferred?" Gray asked Lucy.

"You mean to another guild?" she asked. "I'm not sure. I doubt it would be possible without consent from both guilds."

"Jiemma would never go for that," Natsu grumbled. He shuffled closer to Gray and rested his head on his shoulder.

"I can look into it," Lucy said. "I could ask Master Makarov if he knows anything."

"Maybe the library?" Natsu suggested. He made a contented sound when Gray started to run gentle fingers through his hair. "There's books about laws and stuff, in the basement."

"Freed let you into the library?" Gray poked Natsu. "I thought you were banned."

Natsu huffed. "I lit one book on fire one time, and it wasn't my fault."

"Uhuh."

Gray heard Lucy sigh fondly again, then shuffle some papers in the background. "Are you staying in Ciralto?" she asked.

"Yeah." Natsu picked at his nails. "For a few days, anyway. I know we can't get close to Sabertooth, but maybe we'll run into Yukino or something."

"Good luck," Lucy said, voice soft with sympathy. "I'll call you as soon as I can."

~

They didn't find Yukino or the kids the next day, or the day after. They both tried several times to covertly get close to Sabertooth, but the gates that had previously been open were now locked, and guarded day and night.

"I swear I'm just gonna break down the goddamn doors," Natsu growled after the third day of waiting. He sat down on the bed, sighing and rubbing his face. He was about to say something else when Gray's lacrima phone started to ring.

"I think I might have a solution," Lucy said as soon as Gray answered. Natsu leaned forward eagerly when Gray sat down beside him. "Freed helped me find some legal documentation that might help."

"What's documentation?" Natsu frowned.

"Paperwork," Gray said. "Laws and stuff."

"There are strict rules governing guild guardianship," Lucy continued. She cleared her throat and started to read. "Guardianship of a minor can be transferred to a guild master if their parents or guardians voluntarily relinquish parental responsibilities; or if the minor is orphaned and has no living relations who are able to accept guardianship. Guild guardianship of minors confers all rights and responsibilities of the minor's family of origin and continues until they are 17 years of age."

"We already knew that," Natsu interrupted, but Gray gestured for him to be quiet.

"There wasn't anything about transferring guardianship," Lucy continued, "but I did find a set of rules about contesting it. There are certain circumstances where people can argue against the guild – like if the find a living relative, or if the minor applies for emancipation. They would have to be thirteen for that, though, so it wouldn't work in this situation."

"So how does any of this help?" Natsu asked, sighing in frustration.

"I'm getting to that," Lucy said. "There is one other option. A petition may be made to remove guild guardianship if the minor is in danger of being harmed; this can include emotional, verbal, physical, financial, and social harm or abuse, or neglect of the minor's needs."

All three of them were quiet for a second as they absorbed the information.

"So...we could petition for them to be removed?" Natsu asked finally.

"Technically, yes," Lucy said.

Gray sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "But we can't prove anything," he said. "And even if we could, then what? Fairy Tail would have to apply for guild guardianship, and if it was denied, they'd probably end up separated with some families in Ciralto, or sent back to Isvan, or..."

"We have to do something," Natsu insisted. "Sting saved your fucking life, and that asshole treats him like shit. They're kids, and they're being hurt, and we have to help them."

Lucy didn't say anything. Gray groaned and rubbed his temples. His heart hurt. Natsu was right, obviously, but it was all so complicated, and Sabertooth was so powerful. Gray knew Natsu was ready for a fight, but what if it was a fight they couldn't win?

Then he thought about Rogue's shy smile and the way they sat in Gray's lap, about Sting's gap-toothed grin and gentle magic. Gray brought his hand up to his chest and rubbed at the scars through his shirt. If Sting hadn't been there...

Gray looked up at Natsu, who was staring at him with the same determined expression Gray had seen on him hundreds of times. "Okay," Gray said. "We can—"

Before he could finish his sentence, a movement in the corner of the room caught his eye. The shadows behind the dresser rippled and started to move, then quickly melded into the shape of a child.

"Rogue?" Gray said, pushing himself up off the bed and moving over to the little Dragon Slayer. Relief filled him, but it was quickly replaced by apprehension when Rogue didn't respond. They just stood with their body half-hidden behind the dresser and their hair hanging in tangles over their face. "What's wrong?"

Rogue sniffed and rubbed their face with the back of their hand, dragging the sleeve of their too-long sweatshirt over their face. They mumbled something Gray didn't quite catch and Gray crouched down until he was at eye level.

"Are you hurt?" Gray asked, trying to see their face behind their hair. Rogue shook their head. Natsu appeared next to Gray and knelt down as well.

"Is Sting hurt?" he asked.

There was a long pause, then a tiny nod. Natsu cursed under his breath. Gray's chest ached, and not from the scars. Fear was starting to take over the confusion but he tried his best to keep it hidden.

"Where is he?" Gray asked gently. Seeing Rogue without Sting was unsettling – usually they were the one trailing behind Sting like his shadow while he talked a thousand words a minute.

"He saided it was an accident." Rogue's words were as soft and delicate as their magic. Gray shifted closer – he could see tear tracks on Rogue's cheeks now, and a spot of blood from where they'd been chewing their lip. "But Yukino telled me to find you."

"It's okay," Gray reassured Rogue, holding out his hand. Rogue shied away from it at first, looking at Gray with their oddly colored eyes. Gray could feel the tension radiating from Natsu, and he tried his best to project a sense of calm and confidence. "Why don't you take us to Sting," he suggested, giving Rogue what he hoped was a comforting smile. "We've got lots of practice patching each other up when we get hurt."

Rogue shifted from foot to foot for a second, then finally reached out and took Gray's hand.

"There you go," Gray said, sighing in relief when Rogue moved forward and wrapped both arms around his neck. "It's okay," he said softly. "You're safe." He kissed the top of Rogue's head and looked at Natsu over their shoulder. Natsu's jaw was tight, and his face was set in determination as he pushed himself to his feet.

Rogue let Gray carry them, giving him quiet directions through the city. They passed the Sabertooth guild hall, turning down a back alley that led through several residential areas until it opened into a small park. A large tree hung out over the water and Gray could just see Sting sitting up there – a small flash of white hidden behind green leaves. Yukino, who was standing at the base of the tree, sighed in relief when she saw them.

"He won't come down," Rogue said, pointing at the tree. "I went up the shadow and he telled me to go away." They rubbed their face again. "He never telled me to go away before."

"It's okay," Natsu reassured them, squeezing Gray's arm and gesturing for him to head to Yukino. "I'll go get him."

~

It didn't take long to make it up the tree. Sting was curled up between two branches with his legs pulled up to his chest and his forehead on his knees. As soon as he saw Natsu he curled up tighter and growled.

"I don't wanna talk to you," he said. "Go away."

Natsu balanced carefully on the branch below where Sting was sitting as he tried to check him for injuries. "Rogue's worried about you," he said. "Why don't you come down and we can make sure you're okay?"

Sting finally looked up at him, glaring at him from behind a black eye. "I'm fine," he said. "It doesn't even hurt." The way he held his arm against his chest made it clear that he was lying. His eyes were bright with tears he was barely holding in, but he managed to add, "I'm strong."

"I know you are, bud," Natsu said gently, heart aching at the pain on the little boy's face. "That doesn't mean—"

"I'm strong like you." Sting's voice wobbled. "I'm strong an' brave and it doesn't hurt." A few stray tears slipped down Sting's cheek, and he wiped them away angrily. "An' I'm not crying." He swallowed hard and pressed his forehead to his folded arms.

"Crying doesn't mean you're not strong," Natsu said, but Sting shook his head vehemently.

"Yes it does. Only babies cry."

"Sting." Natsu's voice softened, and he shifted closer, but Sting flinched away from him. "Who told you that?" Sting bit his lip and stared stubbornly at his bare feet. "Was it the person who did this?" Natsu gestured to Sting's arm, even though he already knew the answer.

"No." Sting's voice wavered, and he squeezed his eyes shut. "Nobody did. 'm fine."

A low, thrumming anger simmered in Natsu's stomach as he thought of Jiemma's cruel eyes and vicious gaze.

"Last week Uncle Gray and I went on a job," he said, pushing the anger away as he tried a different tactic. He glanced back down at the ground where Gray was sitting on the riverbank with his arm around a somber Rogue. "I got knocked down and hit my head on the stairs really hard, and it hurt so bad that I cried."

Sting looked up at him with wide eyes. "You cried?"

"Yup." Natsu pushed back his bangs to show Sting the spot where the bruise on his forehead was still healing. "It's okay to cry when it hurts." Sting didn't look convinced, but Natsu added, "And it's okay to let people help you. Uncle Gray used his ice on the bruise after the fight and it felt a lot better."

"But Master saided—" Sting cut himself off, shaking his head. The angry spark flared again in Natsu's chest.

"He said what?"

Sting stared miserably at the tree branch next to Natsu's feet, chewing on his lip, but he didn't answer. Natsu sighed.

"Sometimes, people who are strong aren't always good," he said gently. "Strength is something that should be used to protect and help people. Nobody should be using it to hurt you."

"He... I..." Sting swallowed. "It was a—a lesson. I did something wrong. I had to be punished."

Natsu shook his head. "No, not like this." He moved a little closer and was relieved when Sting didn't flinch. "A punishment – a consequence – is like... not getting a cookie for lunch when you steal one for breakfast. Or having to help clean up a broken window when you accidentally break it. Not somebody hitting you. That's never, ever okay."

Sting rubbed furiously at his face again, trying to hide his tears. "I don't understand," he whispered. "I just wanna be strong and brave."

"You are," Natsu reassured him. "You're strong when you climb super tall trees, or when you swim the whole way across the river, or when you told that kid to stop teasing Rogue. And you're being really brave right now."

Sting frowned, looking over at Natsu. "But..."

"Being brave doesn't mean that you're never afraid, it means that you try to do right and good things even when they're scary."

Sting couldn't hold the tears in anymore and he let out a quiet, wounded sound as he whispered, "I'm sorry." Natsu held out his arm and breathed a silent sigh of relief when Sting leaned into the embrace.

"It's okay," Natsu said gently as Sting curled into him. "You're okay. Nobody's upset and you didn't do anything wrong."

Sting sniffled and Natsu kissed the top of his head as he considered his options. Sending the two of them back to Sabertooth was out of the question – there was no way Natsu was letting either of them out of his sight again. If he brought them back to Fairy Tail, Gramps would obviously welcome them and find them a place to stay, but they needed more than that. Rogue and Sting needed somewhere to feel safe.

"Do you want to come stay with me and Uncle Gray?" Natsu asked.

Sting froze. "Like a sleepover?"

"Longer than a sleepover."

There was a long silence before Sting said, "We don't have to go back?"

"No."

"What about Master?"

"That's a grownup problem, you let me deal with that."

Sting went quiet again, but he leaned heavier against Natsu, and he seemed to have stopped crying. "I like Orga," he said eventually. "And Rufus, sometimes. Are you gonna deal with them too?"

"No. I'm not gonna hurt anyone."

Sting looked up at him, and his eyes were full of so much trust that it almost brought Natsu to tears. "Promise?" he asked.

Natsu nodded as he brushed a wayward curl out of Sting's face and leaned in to kiss his forehead. "Yeah," he said softly. "I promise."