"Hey, Juves, are you ready to go? We're gonna be late!" Gray called up the stairs of the house they shared.
"Just a minute, my love. Juvia is just looking for something to wear."
Juvia rummaged through their closet, trying to find something that didn't make her feel like a beached whale. Her stomach felt so bloated she didn't feel like she could wear anything, and she wanted to look nice since it was Gajeel and Levy's baby shower, and Gajeel was her best friend.
Finally she found a loose dress that she felt didn't show off her bloated stomach too much and made her way downstairs to Gray. He was standing by the door, looking impatient and slightly frustrated.
"What took so long?" he asked her with a frown.
"Juvia is sorry, darling. She is just so bloated and tired, and she couldn't find anything to wear that didn't make her look fat."
His expression changed minutely, she was taking him into dangerous waters by mentioning her weight, and he didn't want to get blown up by a mine. He grabbed her waist and pulled her against him, but she winced and pulled away before he could say anything.
"Juvia must be getting close to her period. Her breasts are so sore." She stepped out of his embrace and rubbed her chest, trying to make it feel better.
Gray frowned down at her. They had been married for about a month now (Gray didn't waste any time after the hundred year quest to make her officially his) but she hadn't yet had her period, and he was slightly worried about how it affected her. He vaguely remembered Ur getting so crabby that she worked him and Lyon to the bone about a week out of every month, and he shared enough hotel rooms with his team to know that Erza and Lucy were just as bad, if not worse, and he really wasn't looking forward to a crabby Juvia every month.
Maybe if I bought her flowers it would cheer her up, he thought absently. Or chocolate. Juvia has a sweet tooth, and chocolate always makes everything better, right?
"Well, we'd better get going," he said to change the subject, grabbing her coat and holding it out for her to put her arms through.
Her face brightened at his gesture, and she slid her arms into the coat, pausing only when Gray brushed her hair out from under it. She leaned back against him and sighed. "Juvia loves Gray-sama."
"And Gray-sama loves Juvia." He brushed his lips lightly against her cheek and pulled away. "But we really do have to go."
They made their way to the guild, where their friends and family were already partying hard, excited at the prospect of a little one running around the guild soon. Levy was 5 months pregnant, and looking radiant in a pretty orange maxi dress and matching headband as their friends came up and congratulated her. Gajeel was on stage, getting ready to perform a song he wrote for Levy and their babies- yes, babies. Levy was carrying twins, and they were stretching her belly to the max.
Natsu and Lucy were canoodling by the bar; the two had recently started dating and Natsu almost never left her side now. At least he wasn't fighting. Mira was behind the bar serving Laxus, who said something that made her blush ten shades of red. Elfman was trying to get Evergreen to sit with him, but she was resisting. Cana was with her barrel and the Master was sitting by the bar watching his children with tender eyes from his wheelchair.
There was a table filled with presents, and Juvia stopped them in front of it to drop off their gift, baby onesies with tiny nuts and bolts and little iron dragons that Juvia made herself, and two little baby rattles that Gray found with snowflakes on them. She grabbed his hand and fought her way through the crowd with Gray at her side to talk with Levy.
"Levy!" Juvia grabbed Levy's hand and brought it to her heart. "Juvia is so excited for you, Levy-san. This is such an exciting moment in your life!"
Levy giggled. "Thank you, Juvia. I am really excited, and so is Gajeel. How are you, though? You look really tired."
Juvia blushed. "Oh, Juvia is just a little fatigued. She will be okay. But she really wants to talk to you later, in private, okay?"
Levy nodded, and Juvia and Gray made their way over to the bar to get something to drink and some food.
As they sat down to eat, a frown formed on Juvia's face. "Gray-sama, what are you eating?"
Gray looked at her strangely. "What I normally have for breakfast," he said. "Toast and coffee."
Juvia wrinkled her nose. "Juvia thinks that the coffee is making her nauseous," she said. "She doesn't know why, though. Maybe it's just a stomach bug. But she's going to sit over there, instead of here." She pointed to the bar where Natsu and Lucy were sitting.
Gray just nodded, worried about his wife, but thinking she had it under control.
Juvia walked over to the bar, but never made it there. Levy had gotten away from the crowd and found Juvia so they could talk. The two of them went to an empty table, where they could have a little bit of privacy.
"So, what's up, Juvia?" Levy asked her, rubbing her baby bump unconsciously, a tiny smile on her face.
Juvia smiled. "It's nothing, really. She just wanted to see how you were doing with your pregnancy."
"Oh." Levy shrugged. "It's nothing too bad. Just some light morning sickness, I have to pee all the time, and my feet have started getting a little sore and swollen. But Gajeel has been so good to me. He's going to be such an amazing father." She ended with a little sigh, thinking about the future with Gajeel playing with his children.
Juvia nodded, her eyelids drooping a little. She really was tired. "That's good, Levy-san. Juvia is glad you are having an easy pregnancy."
Levy noticed her friend's droopy eyes. "Juvia, are you sure you're okay? You look so tired."
"Juvia is fine, Levy-san. She just thinks her period is coming. She's been so exhausted and bloated," she dropped her voice down to a whisper, "and her breasts are very tender. That never happens to Juvia. She wonders if it is because her period is late that it's going to be a bad one."
Levy gasped and leaned her head in to Juvia's. "Juvia, your period is late?"
Juvia looked at her, startled. "Well… a little. But Juvia isn't concerned about it. It happens sometimes."
"Are you peeing a lot? More than normal? Or having mood swings? Or morning sickness?"
Juvia thought about her questions, frowning. "Hmm. No, but Juvia did feel very nauseous a moment ago, when Gray-sama was drinking his coffee. Why does Levy-san ask these questions of Juvia?"
Levy jumped out of her seat as fast as a six month pregnant woman could, and grabbed Juvia's hand, leading her to the guild's infirmary.
"Levy-san! Where are you taking Juvia?"
Levy didn't answer, just continued dragging Juvia behind her. They ended up in the infirmary bathroom, Levy holding a box in her free hand that she grabbed on their way into the bathroom.
"Juvia, I want you to take this," she said seriously, catching her friend's eyes.
Juvia took the box out of Levy's hand, and yelped when she read what it said. "A pregnancy test? But Juvia-"
"Has all the symptoms of pregnancy," said Levy. "You need to take this. Trust me, Juvia."
Juvia took the test out of the box uncertainly. She looked up at Levy, her eyes big and blue. "Will Levy-san stay with Juvia? While she waits?" Her lip quivered.
Levy took Juvia's hands in hers. "Of course I will, Juvia. What else is family for?"
"That was fun," Gray said, as he collapsed onto their bed later that night. "Gajeel looks really excited to be a dad."
"Yes," Juvia said quietly.
She walked slowly over to their bed, and Gray pulled her down on top of him. He grabbed her waist and flipped them over, so that he was positioned over her. His face came down to her neck, where he covered it in tiny kisses. She gasped as she felt his warm breath on her throat.
"Gray-sama," she breathed, as he continued traveling up her neck and jawline.
"Juvia." He continued kissing her.
"Gray-sama, stop, please," she managed to get out, as his mouth continued exploring the side of her face and behind her ear.
He pulled away immediately, mouth open in shock. Juvia never wanted him to stop. "What's wrong," he asked. "Did I do something wrong?"
"No! No, it's just… Juvia has something she wants to ask Gray-sama." Juvia's face turned pink, and she fiddled with her fingers, pressing them together tightly like she did when she was nervous.
"Juves, come on," he pleaded, grabbing her hands to make her stop. "You're making me nervous. What's the matter?"
"Well… Juvia was wondering… what Gray-sama thinks of babies."
"Babies? What brought all this on? The baby shower?"
Juvia didn't say anything.
"Well, I like them," he said carefully. "They are pretty cute. Smelly, but cute."
"What would Gray-sama think… of having… having a baby?"
Gray looked at her face, then down to her stomach that was still slightly bloated. He looked at her face again. She was pink and her eyes were downcast. It took him a minute, but he looked at her stomach again, imagining it rounded with a baby, his baby. It finally clicked in his brain.
"Juvia," he breathed, eyes shining, "are you pregnant?"
She still wouldn't look at him, but she nodded.
Gray gasped, and grabbed her stomach. He guided his head down to it, and spoke in a whisper. "Hey, baby. It's daddy. I don't know if you can hear me yet, but I love you. I love you and your mommy more than you could ever know." He didn't realize it, but there were tears slipping down his cheeks.
Juvia started crying then, loud sobs that racked her whole body. "Gray-sama… loves… his ba… baby… so much," she cried, throwing her arms around his shoulders.
"No Juves," he said. "I love our baby so much."
He wrapped his arms around her, coming back up to rest his forehead against hers, and the two of them held each other as they fell asleep, both dreaming of the future ahead of them and their unborn baby.
