Gray is a major family-man and a very protective father and you can't tell me different. This was written for Gruvia week. I combined day 5 (irreplaceable) and day 6 (nightmares). I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!
No sooner had the scream sounded, piercing the silence in the night, than Gray and Juvia were bolting out of bed and stumbling over their feet before bursting into their son's room. Gray didn't stop there and rushed to the bed, snapping the boy out of his terrified trance.
"Silver? Silver, it's papa. Look at me," he said frantically, placing his hands on the boy's cheeks and making him look at him. Silver's blue eyes seemed to come into focus a little.
"Papa?" the boy whimpered, tears filling his eyes.
"Yes, and mommy. We're here," Gray said, his voice softer than before. Juvia came forward and climbed onto the bed to sit next to her husband.
"Silver, what happened?" she asked, taking his small hand in her own, letting him know that they were both there and in the flesh. Silver suddenly burst into tears and Gray wrapped him in his arms tightly.
"Shh… Silver, it's okay…" he murmured.
"I had a bad dream," Silver sobbed against his father's chest, and Gray met Juvia's eyes, worry reflecting between the both of them. Juvia reached out and stroked a lock of her son's dark hair.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked once the boy calmed down a little, now just sniffling and clutching onto his father's arm. His lower lip quivered for a moment before he gave a small nod.
"What happened?" Gray asked, releasing his hold as Silver moved out of his arms to sit before the two of them and wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand.
"I… I had a dream that m-mommy and papa…" his voice began to shake and he cast his eyes downward, his fingers clutching at his blanket. "Mommy and papa didn't… th-they… they didn't c-come back."
"What do you mean?" Juvia asked. Now her voice was shaking and Gray placed his hand on her own, grasping it lightly.
"Y-you left for a job… with Uncle Natsu and Aunty Lucy," Silver continued, "a-and you didn't come back. Th-they said you weren't coming back!" He burst into tears again, as did Juvia, and she launched herself at her son, wrapping her arms tightly around him as he cried. Meanwhile, Gray's heart was just breaking at hearing what plagued his son's dreams.
"Mommy and papa would never leave you, Silver. They will always come back," Juvia said, and Silver buried his face in his mother's neck as she sat up, keeping him in her arms.
"That's right," Gray said, his voice cracking lightly. He placed his hand on Silver's back. "No matter what, we are never going to leave you for good."
"B-but-"
"No," Gray cut in quickly, saying it more for himself than his son. "Silver, look at me." The boy turned his head, red-faced and tear-stained. "Mommy and Papa will always come back. No matter what job they take. We're strong, remember? We always beat the bad guys."
"That's right. We do. And we always come back to you, don't we? We love you, Silver. We would never leave you alone." Silver seemed to calm down a bit at the words of his parents. He remained cradled in his mother's arms (Juvia didn't look like she was ready to let her baby go just yet) and wiped at his nose.
"Yeah… I-I thought that I would have to get a new family," he said, looking down at his hands. "And I don't wanna. I like you guys," he said, and Gray almost wanted to laugh.
"Good, because whether you like it or not, you won't be getting rid of us very easily," he teased, and he saw Juvia crack a smile. Silver, however, went wide-eyed and looked up at his father, then fumbled his way out of his mother's arms to go to his father, grabbing his arm.
"But I don't wanna get rid of you!" Juvia laughed softly.
"We know, Silver. A family like us is irreplaceable," she said, kissing the top of his head. "Do you want to sleep with us tonight?" The boy nodded and Gray lift him into his arms, pressing a kiss to his temple. Juvia stood with him and he took her hand in his free one, walking back to their bedroom.
"Hey," Gray said softly as he saw the faraway look in his wife's eyes. They were lying on their bed, facing each other, their son sleeping soundly between them. Gray reached out and stroked her cheek, bringing her back to the present. "You aren't thinking about his nightmare, are you?"
"Juvia just… worries sometimes," she admits, casting her gaze downward.
"Look at me, Juve. That's normal. It's what parents do. Hell, I do it all the time." Her eyes meet his again.
"Gray worries?"
"All the damn time," he said, playing with a lock of her soft, blue hair. "I worry about the missions we take. I worry about Silver when he's not with us, and I worry like crazy about you whenever you take a job without me."
"Juvia doesn't mean to upset Gray…"
"I know that, just like I know that I can't keep you from spending time with other friends by taking jobs. I do the same thing. But you need to remember that we're Fullbusters," he said with a smile, and Juvia's eyes brightened, "and we don't go down easy."
"Gray is right. We're Fullbusters," she said, her eyes glancing down at the ring on her finger before she looked up again and placed a hand on his cheek. He smiled and leaned in, pressing his lips to hers in a soft, gentle kiss that still managed to take her breath away.
They were Fullbusters, and they were irreplaceable.