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Hi again, dearest readers.
I wrote this one as a birthday gift for the amazing ship-ambrosia (Bree).
Hope you enjoy!
July of X791
"Look, uncle Gray, I just built an ice castle." Gray attempted to look interested once the excited little girl came running towards him.
Her bright pink hair; styled in pigtails; flowed with the wind; as did her light blue dress. She was truly a beautiful child, but that wasn't surprising considering who her parents were.
"That's great, Ur." The ice mage gave a tight smile.
When Lyon had asked him for a big favor a few hours before, Gray hadn't imagined it might involve babysitting his 5 years old niece.
When he had been informed of this after having said yes, the ice mage had been tempted to refuse.
However, after the little girl had looked at him with those big blue eyes just like her mother's and Lyon and Sherry pleaded multiple times, he had found himself accepting their request.
"Come on, let me show you!" Ur tugged on his jacket and he ignored her.
"Why don't you show me, little Ur? I would love to see it!" A soft voice was heard and Gray mentally thanked the bluenette who was sitting on the bench by his side.
She had asked to accompany him, which Gray was grateful for since that way he didn't need to constantly keep his eye on the overly energetic child.
"But I want uncle Gray to see it too!" Ur pouted and Gray sighed.
"I guess I have no choice, then." He stood from the bench and reluctantly held out his hand so that she could grab it.
Ur pretty much dragged him towards the spot where she had been playing for the past few minutes while Juvia followed closely; watching their interactions with a smile.
"What a beautiful castle, Ur." The water mage praised once they stopped in front of the small ice castle.
The little girl smiled brightly. "Thank you, auntie Juvia."
Once Juvia kneeled down, Ur thankfully let go Gray's hand and ran towards the water mage; eager to hug her favorite aunt.
Gray rolled his eyes at them, but was unable to stop a smile from forming. Though he would never admit it, he loved watching her interact with his niece.
Their relationship was so sweet and unexpected. Lyon always told Gray that Ur had loved Juvia from the first time they met.
It had been a few weeks since Fairy Tail had returned from Tenrou Island and he had brought his daughter to the guild with the intent of introducing her to Gray.
However, the ice mage had completely forgotten about the visit and decided to take a mission in that very same day.
Thus Lyon had sought Juvia, who he knew to be close to Gray, and asked her about the ice mage. Before their conversation could go any further, Ur had interrupted with a comment about Juvia's hair.
The little girl had been fascinated with it and had started asking the water mage questions. They had ended up spending the entire day together and when Gray had returned from his mission at night, Ur had proudly introduced her as auntie Juvia.
The adults had decided not to correct her and thus it had stuck.
Every time she would call Juvia while they were in the Fairy Tail guild, Gray would see the smirks of some members and Mira's knowing smile; causing him to blush because he knew exactly what they were thinking.
After all; the only way Juvia could have truly become Ur's aunt was if their relationship took a step further.
Which it had. After months of her chasing him and claiming to love him while he ignored her advances, they were finally together.
It had been a few weeks since Gray had confessed to her and he once again cursed himself for taking so long to realize it.
Although; truth be told; realizing it hadn't helped much. In fact; that had only made him terrified because he knew that loving her might end up in her death.
After all; he had experienced it with his parents and Ur; even Erza had almost died at some point.
Every time he allowed someone to get too close, something terrible happened. And even if Gray knew it was foolish to believe that would always follow, he hadn't wanted to take any risks.
Until Juvia came.
She had somehow managed to make him wonder if it was truly worth it to always keep people at a certain distance and he had been unable to stop himself from caring about her.
After he had realized that her claims of love were actually genuine and not simply attraction like his mind had suggested, Gray had began thinking about what he might do.
Back then his feelings for her had been unclear; thus he had still kept the walls around his heart; but the Grand Magic Games changed everything.
His conversation with Ezra led him to truly truly think about his feelings for Juvia. After they had performed their unison raid; thus defeating Lyon and Chelia; he had known it.
He loved her. Not just as a friend, but he wanted to be with her.
Even if that terrified him, he had found comfort in having an answer to the question constantly plaguing his mind for the past few days.
That moment when everything had been so clear for once, his mind had started thinking of the possibilities and imagining a scenario in which he could be happy with her.
Unfortunately, no sooner had he thought about a happy future, the world had been thrown into chaos.
Gray would later see the dragon's attack as a sign, a warning that he should not allow himself to have such thoughts. He shouldn't think of Juvia as anything more than a friend and shouldn't keep her too close.
When she had almost died; that was the last straw. Even after he had managed to save her and reverse fate, he still decided to stay away from her.
It wasn't until a rather awkward conversation with Erza and Jellal that he had realized how stupid he was being.
After all, upon making such decision he had failed to think about how much Juvia might be hurt once he started avoiding her. That's why he had changed his mind and decided to confess his love for her.
It was time to move on from the past and let go of those irrational fears.
Looking back now, Gray was glad that he had decided to allow himself to hope, because he wouldn't trade this happiness he had felt with Juvia over the past few weeks for anything in the world.
"Gray? Is everything okay, my love?" Her voice broke his train of thought, making him realize that he had been standing there like an idiot for the past few minutes.
A small blush colored his cheeks as he looked at his girlfriend. "Yeah, I was just distracted. Sorry."
The ice mage scratched the back of his head awkwardly and Juvia gave him an understanding look. "It's alright. I was just concerned."
Before he could say anything else, Ur had tugged on his legs to get his attention. "Uncle Gray, I want you to help too!" He gave her a puzzled look.
"Help with what?" The water mage smiled as she replied.
"We're going to help Ur make her castle even more beautiful than it already is." Gay glanced towards the small castle and was surprised to notice that there was now a bow circling it.
He recognized Juvia's water magic immediately and couldn't help but to smile. "I see." He knelt down in front of the excited little girl. "So, what do you want me to do?"
Ur smiled brightly. "The walls! Daddy always says the castle need to have walls to make it safe."
"And he's right. At least about one thing." Gray said before using his magic to create ice walls around the castle.
In the back of his mind he thought about the similar walls that he had created around his heart and how great it felt to know that they had been brought down.
"Do you like it, Ur?" He asked her once his work was done.
Ur nodded. "Now my castle is the best in the land!" She yelled before starting to run around.
Gray and Juvia watched her with mirrored smiles. "She's really…"
He finished her sentence. "Overwhelming."
She nodded. "Yes. But also adorable."
Gray snorted. "It's hard to believe she is Lyon's daughter."
Both laughed and Juvia shook her head. "You boys and your silly rivalry. I can't even imagine what it will be like when we have our own children."
Her eyes widened upon realizing what she had said and silence fell upon them once they tried to recover from her words.
They had been together for only 3 weeks. Not months, not years.
They were nowhere near the thought of children, but that didn't stop Gray from actually imagining it. "Well, I'm sure ours will be way cuter."
Juvia looked at him in pure shock, her mouth hanging open, leading him to raise his brows. "What?"
"I'm just surprised, that's all." She said and he smiled before wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
"What? You don't think I've ever thought about it?" The water mage immediately shook her head.
"I didn't think so." Gray shrugged.
"After finding out that Lyon had somehow gotten married and had a child, I started thinking about it." He paused to look back at Ur. She had started dancing to nonexistent music and it was just too adorable.
"I'm no where near ready for that, of course, but doesn't mean I can't imagine what it might be like." A large blush colored his cheeks and he avoided her eyes.
"What do you think it might be like, then?" Gray looked back at her, unsurprised by the serene smile on her face.
Anyone would've expected Juvia to go crazy over such news, but ever since they had become a couple her reactions had become less overwhelming.
He thanked her for that because it made him uncomfortable when she reacted so intensely.
"I don't wait to say it." Juvia raised a brow. "Come on, Juvia, it's embarrassing."
He was now blushing even more, and she laughed. "Alright, then. I'll go first."
Gray watched her, unsure what to expect. "I have always pictured a little girl with blue hair and dark eyes like yours. She would be an ice make wizard and you would teach her everything. We'd live in Magnolia with our friends and she would be loved by everyone in the guild."
"That sounds wonderful." Gray brought her closer and wrapped his arms around her from behind. They briefly glanced at the little girl who was still dancing while chasing a butterfly.
"What about you?" Juvia turned around so she could look into his eyes.
Gray immediately smiled. "Honestly? I thought the same thing."
So, thoughts?
Did anyone else believe at some point that Lyon and Sherry would've ended up together?
What do you think Gray's reaction would be if he'd arrived from Tenrou to find Lyon married and with a child?
In case you guys haven't noticed, I just love writing Gruvia babysitting other character's children and thinking about starting their own family.
It's just too sweet.