A/N: you already know that when I write angsty shit about Grey, it's for my own coping 😭
There has been various times in which Grey Anderson has seen his mother in Giz Stark, but three specific times stand out to him.
* * *
The first time happened while preparing Peter's surprise birthday party. Pietro, Wanda, Remi, Giz, and Grey were all setting up decorations in the Stark living room very early in the morning, so that when Peter woke up, he could be serenaded by his friends.
Pietro and Wanda were on two separate ladders, holding opposite ends of a banner that read 'Happy Birthday'. They were trying to center it perfectly on the wall.
"No, no," Remi shook their head. "It's not centered. Pietro, can you lift your side- Now it's too high! Low- No, oh my—" Remi sighed in exasperation.
"Well, you're not explaining right!" Pietro argued. Wanda cussed at him in Sokovian. She hated it when he opposed Remi. "What!?" Pietro exclaimed at Wanda. "Remi is shit at instructions!"
"You're on a fucking ladder that I can easily push down, you really wanna argue right now?" Remi asked, an eyebrow raised, their arms crossed as they looked at the white-haired guy.
Pietro scoffed, mumbling something under his breath along the lines of "...can't say shit" and "...always getting pissed".
"Shut up and let them guide you!" Wanda scolded him. She looked down at Remi from the top of the ladder and nodded at them. "Go on, let us know when it's centered, dear."
Meanwhile, Giz and Grey were sitting on the couch, blowing balloons as fast as they could. "I'm getting dizzy," Giz sighed as she tied up a balloon she had just filled with air.
"Maybe 'cause you don't eat well," Grey told her, continuing to blow up a green balloon. It was something he always told her, not because she didn't eat, but because she ate more unhealthy rather than healthy food. "And stop snacking on ice when you're hungry, eat an apple or something."
Giz scoffed. "An apple," she repeated after him. "Since when did you become a nutritionist?" she questioned, letting the air from a balloon she had just filled up escape, spluttering on Grey's face.
"Ew, that's your fucking breath!" Grey exclaimed, pushing her hand away. "And I'm just sayin', stop complaining about how dizzy and weak you get. Just eat better."
Giz shrugged. "You don't have to worry about me, Grey. I'll be okay, man," she told him mindlessly, rubbing his shoulder softly. She then went back to blowing another balloon nonchalantly.
Grey, on the other hand, stared at her, his body gone cold and still. His mother used to say that — those exact words. 'You don't have to worry about me, Grey. I'll be okay.'
Grey's mother had drinking problems, just like his father, but at least hers didn't lead to her death. He would always try his best to get her to stop. 'It's killing you, Mom. You can't keep living like this.' He was twelve, but he knew better than her. And so she'd reply with the exact sentence Giz said, giving him the same shoulder rub.
Giz turned to him when she realized he'd gone silent. He stared at her, eyes blank. "You good?" Giz asked, slowly dropping her hands and balloon to her lap. "What happened?" Her eyebrows were furrowed and she was fixed on his expression.
Grey shook his head and snapped out of it. "Nothing. I thought I forgot to get something," he mumbled, turning to the balloon in his hand and looking at it for a bit before continuing to fill it up with air.
* * *
The second time was during a smoking session between Giz and Grey. They had these often — just the two of them. They both tended to open up during these.
