Hello! This is the first request I was sent through Tumblr. Hope you enjoy it!
Prompt: Metalicana interacting with the twins by ninja-status in tumblr
Word count: 2k
After three knocks to the door, only one thought crossed his mind unrelentlessly.
How had he agreed to this?
The door swung open and he looked down to be met with two hazel eyes and a bright smile.
Oh, right. It's all the brat's fault.
"Welcome, Metalicana," Levy greeted him in her singsong voice and he sighed in defeat.
"Where are they?" His gruff voice and dark appearance could have scared the bravest warrior but did nothing to her. Instead, she smiled again and stepped aside to let him come inside the house.
Yeap, it's the brat's fault for falling for the ballsiest and cutest woman in the whole world. Don't get him wrong; he loves his daughter-in-law, she seemed to be the only one able to keep his son in line and she was the main reason the brat cut his connections with the dark businesses he got involved in when he was young.
Still, it didn't explain why Metalicana had to bear with the consequences of his son's choices.
"They are in the living room watching a movie. Come on in." She closed the door once he stepped inside and he couldn't help but scrunch his nose at the fruity and floral scent that wafted through each corner of the house.
"Hey Pops," Gajeel greeted his father when he came into view and- wait, did he just smiled at him?! Was Gajeel actually happy to see his old man?!
"Brat," he greeted back and couldn't keep the faint smile off his face at seeing his son so damn happy. Yeah, this tiny blue haired woman was changing Gajeel's life and Metalicana hoped it would be for the better.
"Hey Lev, could ya help me with the tie?"
"Sure, honey." Gajeel leaned down for her to be able to reach for his tie without going up on her tiptoes. With a quick motion, Levy finished her task and patted him affectionately on the chest. "All done."
He thanked her and kissed the top of her head which earned him a cute giggle from the woman.
"Ugh, get a room ya two." Metalicana rolled his eyes and crossed his arms feigning irritation at the scene.
"What? Ya want a kiss too old man?"
"Yeah, in my ass," he shot back and both males grinned at each other.
"Now now, be nice the two of you," Levy chided but before Metalicana could argued back a new voice interrupted them.
"Grampa?" Yajeh stood at the other end of the entrance hall eyeing the older man curiously.
"Come here, sweetie." The five-year-old boy did as his mother told him and ran into her arms happily. She lifted him up with ease and embraced the child with motherly love. "Is the movie over?"
"Yeah, it was great! Can we look for our dragons next time we go camping?" His eyes shone with excitement at the mere idea of riding his own Nightfury.
"Sure thing, champ." Gajeel chuckled and ruffled his son's hair.
"We'll need lots of fishes! And no eels!" Shutora added as she stepped closer to the adults. She eyed her brother with shyness and something akin to jealousy. She also wanted to be hugged but she was too proud to admit it.
As if reading her mind, Gajeel swiftly lifted her up and sat her on his shoulder. She laughed and hugged her daddy's head to not fall off. Metalicana just rolled his eyes one more time at the family's antiques; that many shows of affection were too much for him to bear.
"Why is Grampa here?" Shutora questioned noticing for the first time the older man in the room.
"He is staying with ya for a couple of hours," Gajeel said as he gently put his daughter down.
"Really?" Yajeh looked up at his grandfather with his bright red eyes.
"Yes. Daddy and I are going out for a couple of hours so Grampa will be looking after you until we come back," Levy explained as she kissed her son in the cheek and put him down. "So you better behave, alright?"
Now, both kids looked up at Metalicana with wide eyes and unreadable expressions. He started to feel uncomfortable under their innocent and intense gaze. Surely they might have prefered to be babysat by Blondie or by Igneel's brat but according to Levy they were unavailable for the night. So now, the twins were stuck with him and they were probably going to throw a tantrum about them not wanting to spend time with their grandfather.
"Awesome!"
What?!
The simultaneous squeal startled him and his surprise increased even more when the twins ran up to him and clung to his legs like a lifeline giggling all along. His face showed his shock and both Gajeel and Levy laughed before heading for the door.
"Thank you for this Metalicana. We'll be back in a couple of hours. You have our numbers in case you need anything." Levy patted Metalicana's forearm in gratitude and sent him one of her charming smiles. Damn woman, that's how she trapped his son.
"See ya later kids. Play nice with Grampa." Gajeel took his time to ruffle his children's hair and they nodded in agreement still clinging to Metalicana's pants.
"Oh! And Pops, make sure they're in bed by 9."
"See ya!" Levy waved from the door and soon after Gajeel closed it behind him, leaving Metalicana alone with his grandkids. He waved goodbye absentmindedly, still in shock about the reaction from the twins.
He looked down at the pipsqueaks and they grinned at him the same way his son used to do it when he was little. Metalicana grinned back at them.
Maybe this wasn't such a terrible idea.
Nope. Definitely this was a huge mistake!
Metalicana was panicking at hearing Yajeh wailing like there was no tomorrow while Shutora sat on his shoulders demanding angrily a piggy ride.
"Why are ya crying?! Ough!" He winced when Shutora tugged quite forcibly at his grey hair. He was doing his best trying to comfort the boy but he had no idea why he suddenly started to cry! He was just running around the living room a minute ago laughing hysterically at something Metalicana had no understanding of, but just as quickly he sat on the ground and began to cry!
"I-I'm *hiccup* I'm HUNGRY!" Yajeh said between loud sobs before screaming to the top of his little lungs.
"Me too!" Another tug on his hair reminded him of the girl on his shoulders. "We. Want. Food!" Each word was emphasized by a tug and Metalicana felt his blood boiling in anger.
Right, food…
He completely forgot that he was supposed to make them dinner. Well, who could blame him? It had been so long since he'd had to take care of a kid and Gajeel was never a dependent brat; he actually was quite resourceful since young age.
"Alright, then." He placed Shutora down and Yajeh looked up at him in expectation muffling down his sobs. "Let's see what we have here fer dinner." He made his way to the kitchen and the twins followed him closely in complete silence.
Metalicana rummaged through the refrigerator and the cupboard looking for something to eat. There were some leftovers of tomato soup and grilled chicken, and enough ingredients to cook hot dogs, but this didn't satisfied Metalicana.
"What do ya usually eat fer dinner?" He looked down at them and Yajeh tapped his chin in the same way his mother does.
"When Daddy is not here, Mommy usually orders take-out. But when Daddy is here, he cooks grilled cheese or spaghetti." He beamed at his grandfather triumphantly at answering his question.
"Hmm cheese!" Shutora licked her lips at remembering how much she enjoys eating cheese.
"Are ya serious?" Metalicana stared at them as if they were making fun of him. The twins nodded simultaneously, confirming they were telling the truth. "Take-out? Grilled cheese?" He mumbled under his breath in annoyance before he took out some ingredients from the fridge as well as some from the cupboard.
"Then I'm gonna cook ya some real food," he stated proudly before placing the ingredients on the table. The twins climbed on two chairs to have a better look at what Metalicana was about to do.
"What are you cooking Grampa?" Shutora questioned him as Yajeh strained his neck to have a better look at the ingredients spread all over the table.
"We are making pizza." He grinned as excitement crossed the kids' faces and they squealed in happiness.
It looks like this babysitting thing is easier than it looks like.
Okay, not easy. At. All!
Metalicana scratched his head in confusion, tangling his fingers in his wild grey locks. Groans escaped the twins' mouths as they lied down on the couch rubbing their stomachs.
"My tummy hurts…" Yajeh's eyes filled with unshed tears as he patted his abdomen in an attempt to ease his pain. Obviously it didn't help at all.
"Why did ya eat all the pizza?" He crossed his arms over his chest but his gaze showed the concern he felt for the wellbeing of the brats.
"Because it was so yummy!" Shutora exclaimed. And then she barfed. Loudly. And then she curled herself on her side hugging her stomach carefully.
Metalicana face palmed and let his hand slide down his face in hopelessness. That's when he noticed the time on his wrist watch.
"Oi, get up. It's time to go to bed." Reluctantly, the twins stood up and he ushered them into their shared room.
He helped them getting dressed and made sure they washed their teeth before climbing into bed.
"Alright squirts, time to sleep." He walked to the bedroom door but was stopped when a tiny hand wrapped itself around his wrist.
"Wait, what about the goodnight story?" Shutora stared at him with her big hazel eyes and he immediately knew she was going to be as good as her mother in using the most deadly weapon there has ever existed: the puppy eyes.
"Story? Are ya kidding me?"
"Nuh-uh. Mommy reads to us every night." The young boy crossed his arms over his tiny little chest to show the seriousness in their demand for a goodnight story.
"Ah, cra-aaaah, great! Just great…" Metalicana grimaced and he grabbed a book from the nightstand before sitting down on Shutora's bed. She scooted over to make room for the large man and Yajeh didn't hesitate for a second to leave his bed and join Shutora and Metalicana on his sister's bed.
Now, with both kids on either side of him Metalicana sighed in defeat and opened the fairy tales' book. As he read out loud, he noticed a wide variety of emotions crossed the twins' faces. Blessed the gods above for them to be as expressive as their mother; it helped him know what they liked when he was reading and what they didn't and he took notes on this.
An hour later, Levy and Gajeel entered their home to notice it was deadly quiet. She quickly walked to the twins' bedroom and stood frozen on the doorway at the scene inside. Trying hard to stifle her laugh, she called for Gajeel quietly and he joined her almost immediately, madly grinning at the sight.
There, in Shutora's bed, Metalicana laid down fast asleep with a book on his lap. One kid slept to either side of him, cuddled closer to their grandfather with their heads resting on his rising chest and with a cute smile etched on their faces. Metalicana's arms held his grandkids protectively like a fierce dragon would protect its treasure.
Because that's what this family meant for him.
Gajeel looked down at his wife just in time to see her taking a bunch of pictures with her phone. She grinned at him when she noticed he caught her red handed.
"For the Christmas card." She showed him the picture and he matched her grin.
"I'm pretty sure it'll be his favorite."
Thank you for reading! Hope you liked it :) there will be more stories to come as I have more requests to work on. See ya soon!
WTF(Where's The Food?)