September 9, 2020
"That's a great idea!"
The words burst out of Sting's mouth before he had a chance to stop them.
It wasn't a great idea.
In fact, it was one of the worst ideas Sting had ever heard. He was exhausted, having just got off what was supposed to have been a twelve-hour shift in the Emergency Room that had turned out to be more like fifteen, on top of not having gotten much sleep because the twins had been fussy all night.
He smiled at his mother-in-law warmly while scrambling for any excuse he thought she might accept that would get him out of a trip to the mall with his brother-in-law, who looked about as enthused with the idea as he felt.
"Wonderful!" Mika Fullbuster practically beamed at them, "I'll feed the boys and get dinner ready for us while you're gone."
She picked up his son, Kuro, and cooed at him before placing him in a high chair next to his identical twin Haku. Gray's son, Aki, watched with interest, although he kept close to his father.
Sting knew he was screwed when Gray remained silent, examining him with that glacial expression of his. "Okay, I'll take a quick shower then. Be back in 10."
He could hear Mika and Gray talking in low voices, Mika reminding her son that Rogue would probably like it if he got to know Sting a little bit better.
More than anything else, it was those words that motivated Sting to get in the shower and put on his best face because he knew she was right. Rogue loved his brother, had missed him all those years they had been on the outs, and now that Gray and his parents were a part of his life again, he wanted them all to become the family he never thought he'd have.
But Gray wasn't exactly easy to get along with, and Sting was still irritated about how he had treated Natsu on the night of Lisanna's birthday, not to mention how he'd dismissed Rogue all those years. Still, for Rogue, he could make an effort.
The cold shower didn't wake him up as much as he'd hoped, but he knew he wouldn't have gotten out as quickly if he'd taken a warm one. Now he wasn't just exhausted but also freezing cold and nervous, a far cry from what he'd been looking forward to when his shift was finally over.
He passed the bed on his way from the bathroom to the closet and almost sobbed at how badly he wanted to get in it. "Come on Sting, you can do this!" he encouraged himself as he grabbed something comfy to wear and got dressed. "Go to the mall, get some birthday presents, have a chat with your brother-in-law...Can't be too hard, right?"
It was incredibly hard.
Gray hadn't said a word since the moment they'd left the house, and Sting had no idea what to say to get a conversation going. Almost everything he knew about the guy was off-limits to talk about, so they walked around the mall quietly, occasionally entering a store that looked interesting.
"Do you think Aki would like this?" Sting grabbed a colorful book thinking it would make a good birthday present for his nephew. He pushed some of the buttons on the front to see what kinds of sounds it made.
Gray shook his head, "He doesn't like loud noises."
"I wish I could say the same about the twins," Sting groaned, placing the book back on the shelf, "just about every toy they have is loud."
"Cana?" Gray asked, mouth stretching into a small smile.
"Well, she's not the worst offender. That would have to be my parents," Sting chuckled, "They've wanted grandkids since probably before I was born."
Gray studied him briefly before turning his attention back to the shelf full of electronic board books. He moved away from them as he discovered the hardcover storybooks.
"He does like books though, tries to memorize them and pretend he's reading them," Gray added with a proud smile, "He could probably use some new ones."
Sting thought Gray had a nice smile, it reminded him of Rogue's. It was the first time he'd seen a real resemblance between the two brothers, outside of the dry wit they shared, and it made him warm up to him a little.
"Yeah, Rogue mentioned that." He considered his next words for a moment, ultimately deciding he trusted Gray to be the kind of person who could keep a secret. "He's uhm...taking a break from the stuff he usually writes to work on a book of fairy tales for kids. One of his college friends is doing the illustrations."
"He's writing a children's book?" Gray asked, his voice sounding softer than Sting had ever heard it outside of speaking to Aki. He appeared stunned by the news but also something else.
Was it pride?
Sting thought it might be. The twinkle in his brother-in-law's eye made him believe he was right.
"I kind of figured he'd write one of those mystery novels he always loved so much."
"Oh, he did. Published it under a pseudo a few years back," Sting beamed, the swell of pride overtaking his fatigue for a brief moment. "Don't tell anyone about the children's book, though. He wants to keep it a secret because...well, you know your mom. Just act real surprised when Aki gets it for Christmas."
They checked out some of the books together, flipping through the pages to see if the stories were fitting for Aki's age and whether or not they would appeal to him. Soon they'd decided on a few and headed to the register.
Sting grabbed his wallet out of his back pocket, staring at its contents blankly for a moment. He took a card out and waited for the cashier to finish ringing up his purchases so he could place it in the reader. Trying to hide a big yawn he couldn't quite contain, Sting inserted the card into the bottom slot when the reader prompted him. He waited to plug in his pin, thinking about how happy he was that they had managed to get one of the presents out of the way fairly quickly.
The card reader beeped at him, a message reading Card Declined displaying on the screen, much to Sting's confusion. There should be plenty of money in there, he'd just gotten paid. But even knowing that, he could feel his cheeks darken with embarrassment as he saw the cashier glance at him surreptitiously.
He turned to see Gray's eyebrow arched in silent question.
"I don't understand," Sting protested, "I'm sure there's more than enough in there."
"Are you sure about that?" Gray asked, looking somewhat exasperated.
"Yeah, I got paid yesterday," he insisted. "I'll just rerun it. Sometimes these things are flaky."
"I don't think it's the reader that's flaky," Gray muttered under his breath.
"Let me just see it for a moment," the cashier offered graciously, "Sometimes, you just have to wipe the chip a bit."
Sting shrugged, handing the card over. There was something about it that seemed off, but he couldn't quite grasp what it was.
"I think I see the problem," the cashier said, and although his face remained serious, Sting could hear traces of laughter in his voice. "We do not currently accept Magnolia Hospital ID Cards as a valid form of currency."
"What?" Sting could only gape in confusion as the cashier handed him back his ID Card.
"Long day?" Gray smirked, taking Sting's wallet from his hand and grabbing his debit card, finishing up the transaction for him.
"You have no idea," Sting muttered, finally entering his pin into the keypad and waiting for Gray to complete his purchase, pretending not to see that his brother-in-law was still laughing at him.
"Come on," Gray said, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him behind him.
"Where are we going?"
"Coffee."
He led them to the nearest coffee shop, where they each ordered a drink and a snack. Spotting an empty table, they quickly sat down.
"You know, if you were this tired, you could have just said no," Gray sighed, shaking his head at him. "Mom isn't that scary."
Sting looked up, and having already shoved his chocolate chip muffin in his mouth, he shrugged his shoulders in response.
"Oy, take bites!" Gray griped, snorting at the crumbly mess he was making on the table, "I bet Rogue loves that."
Sting laughed, easily picturing the look of distaste he'd receive from his husband if he'd been present. "He knew what he was getting into. Was he always so neat and tidy as a kid too?" he asked, eager to learn some things about Rogue from before they'd met each other.
"Kind of, not as bad as he seems to be now, though," Gray mused, "He was always serious, with a very sharp tongue, but he could be a lot of fun too."
He stared off into space and suddenly broke out in laughter, so hard that Sting began to worry for him. It stopped as soon as it started, but the amusement continued to play on his features. "I bet there's one thing you don't know about him, though."
Sting leaned forward in his seat, eyes suddenly flying right open as he was dying for him to continue.
Gray's whole face lit up with mischief, "Did you know that right up until the moment he was born, Rogue's middle name was Ashley?"
"Ashley?" Sting repeated, blinking in confusion.
"Yep," Gray grinned, "Mom's doctor insisted Rogue was a girl, something about the way she was carrying or whatever, and the ultrasound confirmed it, so we all thought he was a girl. For months my mom told me all about the new little sister I was going to have. She had Dad paint the nursery pink, coordinated all the crib sheets, bought the clothes, everything."
"You can imagine my parents' surprise when he was born. Everything they had was for a girl. You should ask my mom to show you his hospital pictures. They're hilarious! My dad and I have never let him live it down," Gray chuckled, "I still call him Ashley when I want to piss him off."
At first, Sting was just boggled by the fact that a doctor would predict a baby's gender from the way the mother was carrying, and how, even back in the early '90s, an ultrasound managed to support that statement. But when he imagined what those pictures would look like, not to mention Rogue's face when he'd ask his mother-in-law about them later- which he totally would- he almost choked on his muffin from his laughter.
"I should buy him some extra gifts," he giggled, "I have a feeling I'll need them to get in his good graces again later."
"He had a figure skating phase too," Gray continued, "I was a hockey nut, so I loved to tease him about it, but the truth was he was terrific. Very graceful. I was kind of surprised to see he got rid of the ice rink in the backyard. Maybe now that we're all back, we can set it back up," he added.
"I knew about the figure skating. He made sure to show off the first time we went skating together because I ran my big mouth but completely sucked at it."
"Well, he does love to show off."
"I'm glad you two made up," Sting confided, getting carried away by the moment they were sharing. "He really missed you."
He realized too late that it had been the wrong thing to say as Gray only nodded and then went right back to being quiet, but Sting didn't let that bother him. He'd seen a different side of his brother-in-law, and he was confident that with time they could become good friends.
They finished their coffee and shopped for birthday presents for Rogue for another hour before calling it a night. Gray drove them back to the house to let Sting rest. When they arrived, Mika had already finished cooking, and the boys were playing quietly in front of the TV.
"Wow, looks like you had a successful trip!" Mika smiled happily at the shopping bags they were carrying, "and you're right on time for dinner!"
Sting was happy to see Rogue had gotten home as well, and even more delighted when he stopped setting the table to greet him with a hug and a kiss.
"You look really tired," Rogue fretted, frowning at the mark left on Sting's cheek by the zipper of his coat when he'd fallen asleep in the car. "Go sit. I'll plate up for you."
"You're the best-" Sting flopped down on one of the dining room chairs, watching fondly as Rogue started scooping rice onto his plate. It was a small effort, but he thought it was really sweet, and it almost made him think twice about his next words.
Almost.
"Thanks, Ashley."
Between Gray's loud snort, Mika's knowing grin, and the look of horror that started to spread across Rogue's face, Sting could honestly say that the unexpected shopping trip, exhausting as it was, had definitely been worth it.
"You just had to tell him, didn't you?" Rogue fumed at Gray, only managing to contain his outrage for the sake of the kids.
"He's family now, isn't he?" Gray's attempt to sound innocent only riled Rogue up further. "Relax, Squirt, there's lots of stuff I didn't tell him. Like the time you-"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence," Rogue seethed, much to everyone's amusement, but when he looked around the room, he suddenly became skittish. "Wait…where did mom go?"
"Right here," Mika answered as she appeared from the hallway, carrying a large photo album and an even larger smile on her face. She sat down next to Sting, who knew exactly what was going to happen, as his own mother had put him through a similar skit once.
"Let's see-" she pulled a curious Aki onto her lap, completely ignoring the protests of both her sons as she started flipping through the pages.
"Look how cute your daddy used to be when he was little," she told Aki, pointing at some of the pictures of Gray when he was the same age. "He looked just like you, but he always managed to take off his clothes wherever we went."
Sting tried but failed not to laugh as he saw her finger pointing at a picture of a much younger looking Silver holding what appeared to be a bunch of children's clothes as he chased an almost naked Gray across the playground.
"Dada," Aki bubbled at the picture and the others on that page.
Meanwhile, Rogue had finished piling food onto Sting's plate and went to put the twins back into their high chairs before they'd start protesting the fact that everyone else had left them to gather at the dining table. He finished just in time to see Mika turn the page, much to Gray's relief and amusement, because the next set of pictures were made at the hospital.
Rogue could only groan as Sting went off in what could only be described as a laughing fit at the sight of his first baby pictures, in which he was dressed in pink from socks to bonnet.
"See Gray's face? He was actually a little disappointed when we told him he didn't get a sister after all, " Mika chuckled. "He was so proud of the pink frog plushie he'd picked out as a welcoming gift, and he was worried his brother wouldn't like it."
"The opposite was true, though," she continued, smiling at Rogue as she continued to spill more embarrassing moments from his childhood. "You had it with you all the time. The one time you lost it, you wouldn't stop crying and refused to leave the park without it. Dad searched for half an hour in the pouring rain before he finally found it."
"He still has it," Sting revealed, returning Rogue's pout of betrayal with an innocent smile. "It's sitting on a shelf in our bedroom."
"Gee, when I saw how exhausted you looked, I didn't think I was getting screwed today. Guess I was wrong."
"Rogue!" Mika was quick to scold her son.
"What? It was kid-proof."
Gray cackled in appreciation at Rogue's snide remark, his grin withering when his mother flashed him a disapproving glare. He coughed uncomfortably and shifted his attention back to his brother, "You still have it? I thought you'd said you lost it."
"Don't get full of yourself," Rogue crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked away. "I happened to find it when I was cleaning out the basement a while back."
Sting knew that was some high-level bs, but he let it go, enjoying the back and forth between the two brothers. Judging from the pleased expression on Mika's face, he wasn't the only one.
"Suuuure you did," Gray teased, marching towards their bedroom with an air of purpose, "I'm gonna go see it."
"Don't you dare put your grubby hands on Frosch!" Rogue yelled, chasing after him.
"You named it Frosch?" Sting snickered, although he had to admit it sounded incredibly cute.
"Shut up!" Rogue complained, "I was little."
"Boys!" Mika scolded, turning to Sting to explain. "Gray ended up loving Frosch just as much as Rogue. He'd sneak into Rogue's room and take it back to his room."
"No I didn't!" Gray denied, "I remember stealing or hiding it just to mess with him. It was hilarious, watching him have a complete meltdown."
Rogue stuck his tongue out at his brother, acting more childish than Sting had seen in a long time. It was both endearing and amusing as hell.
"It's okay. I love you too, Bro," Gray replied, walking over to Rogue and bravely ruffling his hair.
"Rogue wasn't the only one having a meltdown," Mika retorted, quietly enough that only Sting could hear her.
"Ugh, just wait until you start dating someone. I am telling them everything," Rogue promised.
Gray laughed heartily, "Good luck with that. I have zero intention of dating anyone."
"That's a shame," Sting sighed, "you and Natsu looked pretty cute slow-dancing together the other night."
"That was not what that was," Gray sputtered, "That was just me comforting a friend."
"Oh, so you admit you're friends now?" Rogue immediately pounced on Gray's words.
"No, I-we are friendly-ish, uhm…friend adjacent? Whatever! He's still a pain in my ass!" Gray attempted to clear things up, but at hearing that, Sting and Rogue glanced at each other and cracked up.
"Oh my God, get your minds out of the gutter, that's not what I meant, and you know it!"
But it was too late. Sting and Rogue only laughed harder at Gray's outrage.
"Who's Natsu?" Mika interrupted, completely lost as to what was happening.
"Gray's source of butthurt-" Rogue pulled out his phone and looked through his image gallery, showing his mother a picture of their friend.
"Oh, he's cute! You should ask him out, sweetie," Mika encouraged her older son, as Aki gave them all a tentative smile from his spot on his grandmother's lap.
"Look what you started," Gray glared at Sting accusingly, "Now I'm never gonna hear the end of it."
"Well, you said it yourself. I'm family now, aren't I?" Sting bounced Gray's words back at him, patting him on the back, "That's what family's for!"
Sting and Mika laughed at Gray's less than enthusiastic response and Rogue's triumphant smirk.
It was a fantastic feeling to no longer be watching from the sidelines like he usually did, but to actually take part in this moment and give as good as he got. It wasn't something he was used to, having grown up as an only child.
And it was with a start that Sting realized that while he'd grudgingly agreed to go on the shopping trip with Gray hoping to befriend him, somehow in the last couple of hours, they'd become brothers instead.