Nine months seemed like a long time to prepare for a new child. But when Porlyusica started giving Juvia and Gray books and advice on how to prepare for their child during her weekly check ups...the task seemed much more daunting than it had originally.
Juvia and Gray sat together in bed, each reading a different book about pregnancy.
Gray was doing his best to stay awake, but all of the information was making him exhausted! Thankfully it seems like he's not the only one who's tired, because Juvia yawns from beside him, indicating how tired she is as well. She runs her hand over her baby bump as she starts to settle down to sleep. Gray couldn't help but smile and wrap his arm around her shoulders.
"Having trouble staying awake there Juvia?" Gray asks.
"It's just too much Gray-sama." Juvia groans against his chest. "Parenting is going to take a lot of work."
"I know." Gray says. "It's exhausting for me to think about too. There's so much that could go wrong."
"You're worried about messing up?" Juvia asks.
"I was young when my dad died." Gray explains. "So I don't know how you're really supposed to be one. I mean I have some good memories of my dad but those were from when I was young. I don't know how to be a dad to a baby or an older kid." Gray clarifies.
"None of the other male wizards in the guild became a father figure for you?" Juvia asks.
"No way are you kidding me? Those pervs don't know the first thing about taking care of kids. Save for Macao. That's probably how I ended up the way I did." Gray says and brushes back his bangs with his hand and grimaces at the embarrassing memories of his childhood.
"End up the way you did?" Juvia asks. "You say that like it's a bad thing Gray-sama but you're a good man. You may not have had a consistent father figure in your life but you had many different ones to learn from. Juvia thinks you'll combine the best of all of them and be a great father."
Gray kisses her forehead.
"Thanks Juvia. But I still think you'll be better at this parenting thing than me." Gray says.
You're wrong Gray-sama." Juvia argues. "Poor Juvia was an orphan, she never had any parental figures at all. She's not sure if she even knows how to take care of a child since there was no one in her life who took care of her." She gently rubs her hand over her stomach. "Juvia is not sure she will be a good mother."
Gray covers her hand with his and she blushes.
"Are you kidding me Juvia? You're one of the most caring people I know. You're always looking out for your guild mates and trying to protect them just like a mom would to her child." Gray explains. "You're gonna be a great mom I just know it."
Juvia blushes at his compliment.
"Thank you Gray-sama." Juvia says.
She looks down at the books in their laps and tosses them aside.
"How about we ignore those books and raise the baby our own way?" Juvia suggests.
"Sounds perfect." Gray replies.