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"Daddy, what's this?" Gray, who was currently making dinner before Juvia came home had his back to his son, "What's what bud?"
"This!" Gray turned around and his soul almost left his body, his sweet innocent 6-year-old son had the old issue of Sorcerer Weekly that Juvia had modeled for the centerfold. River held it open to Juvias's VERY revealing picture of her wearing a lacy bra and panties laying in a pile of pillows and to say the pages were frayed on the edges was an understatement, Gray had clearly "read" the magazine a lot.
"Wh-where did you find that?!" Gray stammered, his voice high-pitched as he scrambled to take the magazine from River's hands, attempting to hide it in the kitchen cabinet. "The drawer next to your bed!" River said, innocently and full of curiosity. "Why’s mommy in this magazine?" Gray froze for a moment, panic washing over him. He stumbled over his words, desperately searching for an explanation that wouldn’t open up a floodgate of awkward questions while his mother was away.
"Uh... well, that’s... um... just a special magazine for... Daddy only," he said quickly, hoping to shut down the conversation. "It’s not for you to look at." Hoping River wouldn’t push the issue further but River had entered the "Why?" phase and had quite a few questions for poor Gray.
"But why’s mommy in it?" River asked again, his innocent face scrunched up with confusion and curiosity. "Why did mommy let them take those pictures? Isn’t she cold? Mommy always wears lots and lots of clothes." River asked, totally oblivious to Gray’s increasing panic.
"Well, uh..." Gray paused, and then the perfect excuse hit him, "Okay, so, mommy was helping a friend with a... uh... special project. You know how sometimes people make, uh, art? And some art shows people in different ways?"
River tilted his head, still holding the magazine and looking up at Gray with more questions. "Art? What does that mean? Why did they want mommy for art?" Gray could feel his stomach churn, trying to remain calm. "Well, art is about showing things differently, bud. And... um... some people think mommy is really, really beautiful and wanted to capture that. But it’s not something we need to talk about-"
"But why’s she wearing that for art?" River asked again, his voice persistent, pulling on Gray’s patience. He let out a breath, trying to stay collected. "It’s just part of the project, bud. And it’s something for grown-ups, okay? Mommy is still beautiful, no matter what she wears. But some things are just for the adults to talk about. You don’t need to worry about it."
River seemed to accept this, though his little brow furrowed in thought. "So... it’s like when I draw pictures of you and mommy at school?"
"Exactly!" Gray said, relieved that his son seemed to be moving past it. "But this one’s a little different. And just for grown-ups." River nodded, clearly satisfied with the explanation, but his voice rang out one last time. "So, mommy’s super famous?" Gray froze for a moment, feeling his heart skip a beat. "Uh... well, she’s special, bud. But let’s leave it at that, okay?"
River smiled brightly, clearly pleased with the answer, and trotted off to play, leaving Gray to slump against the kitchen counter in pure exhaustion. Gray rubbed his face, feeling a mixture of relief and dread. That was close, too close.
Running to the bedroom Gray quickly shoved the magazine in the closet in his memory box, "I'm home!" Juvi cheerfully announced, "Mommy!!" River ran to his mother giving her a bone-crushing hug, while Lyra wheeled over in her little toy car squealing in excitement. "Hi Sweetheart," Gray kissed Juvia and handed her Lyra who was reaching up for her. Juvia made a face and smelled the air, "Is something burning?" Gray ran to the kitchen and pulled the charred chicken out of the oven, "Damnit,"
Juvia smiled warmly and kissed Gray. "Let’s go to the guild. We can have dinner with everyone," she suggested. Gray smiled back, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Are you sure? You just got home from a job, like literally two seconds ago." Juvia waved her hand dismissing him.
"River don't go far you still need to eat!" Gray yelled as his son ran off to play with the other kids setting down the four plates of food, "So did anything interesting happen while I was away?" Gray was about to take a bite but dropped his fork at her question. "U-um nope, completely normal actually!" Juvia giggled as she fed Lyra her dinner "I'm surprised, seeing how River is all about questions lately!" Gray giggled nervously looking over at their son.
'Oh, you have no idea,'
~
"Yeah, well, our dad beat up a dragon!" Laurie, Levy’s 9-year-old son, yelled, his twin sister nodding aggressively beside him.
"My daddy IS a dragon!" Natsu and Lucy’s daughter, Nashi, who was only 2 years younger than River shot back with a grin.
River bit his cheek. His parents were cool, everyone knew that! Gray was one of the most powerful ice mages in the world and Juvia? She was literally an element of nature. But something gave River a moment of confidence—they didn’t know about Mommy in the magazine and Daddy's keeping it hidden!
Putting his leg up on the table with a smirk. "My mommy was in a magazine!" The children fell silent. All eyes turned to River. "Your mommy was a model?" Laurie’s twin sister Yajee asked, wide-eyed. "It only makes sense she’s so pretty!"
Nashi nodded vigorously. "Yeah! She’s even pretty when she’s water!" River beamed, proud of his mother. But then, a voice from the corner scoffed.
"I doubt it!" Adrian, Laxus’s son -who was already 10-, crossed his arms with a sneer. River’s eyes narrowed, his fingers tingling with icy magic as he glared at Adrian. "Yeah-huh! My daddy has it at home!"
"You're lying!" Adrian shot back.
River's breath turned cold, and the air around him felt like a sudden drop in temperature. "F-fine! I’ll bring it tomorrow!" he snapped, turning and storming to Gray and Juvia.
~
In the middle of the night, River snuck into his parent's bedroom and made a small step stool out of books to find the magazine Gray had put in their closet earlier, "Stupid Adrian. I'll show him!" Finding it, River hopped down and tucked the magazine into his pajama shirt. feeling like he’d just accomplished something huge.
"Daddy, wake up! We have to go to the guild!" River's voice echoed through the bedroom as he shook his father awake. Gray groaned and rolled over, instinctively pulling Juvia's pillow over his face. "And why do we need to go at 11in the morning on a Saturday?" he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep. Even with two kids and an early-rising wife, he still managed to sleep until noon most weekends.
"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!!" Lyra's excited squeal cut through the air as she tugged on his hand, her little face full of energy.
Gray blinked groggily and sat up, realizing he was already outnumbered. With a sigh, he rubbed his eyes and smiled at his daughter. "Alright, alright, I’m up. Let’s go to the guild."
Gray shuffled into the kitchen with a yawn, holding Lyra against his chest. "Mm, good morning," he muttered, his eyes still heavy with sleep.
Juvia looked over, offering a warm smile before leaning in to kiss him. "Any chance you know why our child is so eager to go to the guild this early?"
Juvia shrugged, as Gray placed Lyra into her high chair. "Your guess is as good as mine," she chuckled glancing at River, who was practically bouncing around in excitement.
"River slow down!" Juvia scolded as River ran ahead before stopping short. Gray scratched his head as he watched his son, "Jeez the last time I ran to the guild like that I was a horny teenager looking for any way to get you alone," he swatted Juvia's butt making her giggle and blush. She swatted his arm as the two shared a quiet laugh, then continued on, following their son with smiles on their faces.
River yanked the guild door open with excitement and darted over to the other kids like a dragon was chasing him. "Seriously, what's got him running like that?" Gray asked, raising an eyebrow. "No idea, but I think he's showing something off," Juvia replied. Gray glanced at her, still confused. "What do you mean?"
"Well," Juvia began, taking a sip of her tea, "this morning before you got up, there was a stack of books In front of our closet." Gray raised his brow. "Books? What does that have to do with anything?" Juvia set her cup down and gave him a soft smile. "Gray-sama, don't you have a memory box in the closet? Maybe he borrowed something from it but was afraid to ask, I'm sure it's nothing crazy."
Gray’s eyes widened as the realization hit him. River had stolen the magazine, and now, he was about to show it off to his friends. “Oh no, no, no!”
"Gray-sama?" Juvia started, but before she could finish, Gray shot out of his chair, panic written across his face.
However, it was too late. River, proud as ever, held the magazine wide open, the centerfold spilling out for all the kids to see. “I told you my mom was in a magazine!” he exclaimed, his voice filled with triumph. Gray froze in place, his face turning a deep shade of red. Around him, the other kids stared in awe at the image of Juvia. Gray could already feel the awkwardness in the air. Juvia, equally shocked but trying to keep her composure, glanced at her husband, her eyes filled with a mixture of amusement and embarrassment.
"RIVER!" Gray turned red while his wife laughed.
~A Few Days Later~
Gray and Juvia found themselves sitting across from River’s teacher, Miss. Luna, who was nervously fidgeting with her hands. River, sitting between his parents, was doing his best to avoid eye contact, his little face turning red.
"Is everything alright, Miss. Luna? I know it’s selfish to say, but I can't imagine River could have done anything wrong!" Juvia said, her voice laced with panic. Miss. Luna quickly waved her hands, trying to reassure them. "Oh no, no, he’s not in trouble at all! It’s just that... well, today we had an art project. The children were asked to draw the most beautiful thing they’d ever seen. The other kids drew flowers, sunsets... and River drew... well, you, Mrs. Fullbuster."
Juvia blinked, a little confused, while Gray looked down at him. "River, what did you draw?" Miss. Luna smiled awkwardly and slid a piece of paper across the desk. "Here it is."
Gray's heart stopped when he saw the drawing. It was... that picture. A drawing in messy crayons and marker, with exaggerated shapes and poorly drawn lines, but still unmistakable. "River... is this supposed to be Mommy?" Gray’s voice cracked as he looked at the picture, already feeling his blood pressure rise. River nodded proudly. "Yep! Mommy, I saw a beautiful picture of you so I drew it!"
Juvia furrowed her brow, looking confused but also... strangely touched by the sentiment. "But, darling, why did you—" Gray’s face turned a shade of crimson, and he slumped in his chair, covering his face with his hands. "Please God, no..." he muttered, already terrified of what was coming next.
Miss. Luna was trying her best to keep a straight face, "Well... when Adrian saw River’s drawing, he said he shouldn't be drawing his mother in, um, ahem, in her... adult clothes."
The moment the words left Miss Luna’s mouth, Gray groaned loudly, his face now hidden completely in his hands. He could already feel the weight of this conversation coming down on him, and he was dreading what Juvia would think. River, oblivious to the situation, smiled brightly at his mom. "I think you’re beautiful, Mommy! That’s why I drew you!" Juvia smiled, but there was a bit of concern in her eyes now. "Well, sweetheart, I’m glad you think I’m pretty, but that picture... it’s not exactly something we share with others it's a very old picture of Mommy." Gray, now in full panic mode, wiped his face with his hands and looked at Miss. Luna. "I’m so sorry. This... this is my fault," he said, his voice strained. "I... I didn’t think he’d ever—" Miss. Luna chuckled awkwardly. "It’s quite alright! It’s really just a misunderstanding, believe me, I've seen worse. But, uh... you might want to talk to him about drawing mommy in, um, that... outfit."
Juvia blinked at Miss Luna before giving Gray a pointed look. "Gray... please tell me that you didn’t leave that magazine around where River could find it." Gray rubbed the back of his neck, sweat pouring down his face. "It’s not like that, Juvia... well, okay maybe a little. But, uh, I handled it!"
Miss. Luna, sensing the tension, stood up and smiled politely. "I’m sure you’ll figure it out. River’s a very sweet boy, he just might need a little guidance about what’s appropriate for class. But again, no trouble here."
As the family left, Juvia and Gray exchanged an awkward glance. Gray was already internally panicking, thinking about how he was going to explain this to their son and how to avoid any more embarrassing situations. Gray sighed softly. "We’re going to have a long talk tonight, aren’t we?"
Juvia simply smiled at him and continued walking, "Wait, is that a yes or no!"