A/N: My contribution to the Gruvia Week prompt Family.

And The Winner Is

"Welcome home, Gray-sama!" Juvia beamed at Gray upon his entering their bedroom.

"What are you doing back so soon?" Gray asked his wife, surprised to see her home already. Gray had been away on a mission with Natsu, and was due to arrive back that day, but Juvia had told him by phone earlier that morning that she had accepted a mission as well, and would likely be home late.

"What's that supposed to mean?," Juvia asked immediately, her ire clearly rising. "Was Gray-sama thinking of bringing another woman into their home to do something scandalous while Juvia was away?!"

Judging by her scowling face, Gray could tell that Juvia was envisioning something ridiculous again, and dismissed the accusation with a familiar weariness, "of course not," he said firmly. "Now answer my question. Why are you home early?"

Juvia seemed to have calmed down at Gray's reassurance, and her face took on an odd, almost guilty look, which Gray couldn't quite read.

"Well... Juvia made it all the way to the station, when she suddenly felt very faint."

A cold sweat broke out all over Gray's body at Juvia's words. He rushed to her side where she was sitting on the bed, and sat down beside her. His hand immediately jumped to her forehead. Gray's hasty attentiveness took Juvia by surprise.

"What's wrong?! You're sick? Do you hurt anywhere? Did you pass out? Have you eaten today? If that idiot Gajeel gave you his cold, I swear.."

Juvia couldn't help laughing. It was very rare to see Gray acting like an anxious mother.

"Oi! Don't play games with me," Gray chastised the still giggling Juvia, a severe look on his face. "I know you. If you came home, it's serious."

Juvia blushed, but didn't disagree.

"Did you go see Porlyusica?"

"Yes, Juvia came back from seeing her a couple of hours ago," she admitted, and for some reason she was not looking Gray in the eyes now.

"And?" he pressed, his worry increasing by the second. Why wouldn't she hurry up and tell him what was the matter? Was it that bad?

"And… Juvia is pregnant." And now she finally looked into his eyes again. She looked worried as to what Gray's reaction would be now that she had dropped this bomb on him. They hadn't been trying to have kids, seeing as they had only been married a little over half a year, but they also technically hadn't not been trying.

Juvia wasn't sure Gray had heard her at first, because he had no reaction whatsoever to this news. But Juvia quickly realized that her husband had been struck dumb. It was clearly the last thing he had been expecting.

"Preg…nant?" he repeated, as if trying to make sense of a foreign word that he had learned long ago, but that now only sounded half familiar.

"Yes, Gray-sama. You see, Juvia, too, thought she was ill, but Porlyusica-san simply grimaced at her after checking her over, and then berated Juvia for bringing another filthy human into the world." As she relayed the day's earlier events, she also informed her husband that according to Porlyusica she was six weeks along.

Gray looked away from Juvia. The truth of the situation was finally washing over him. He and Juvia were going to have a baby. One of the extra rooms they had built in their house would now be occupied by a little boy or girl, who would be calling him papa. Juvia would be making meals for three instead of two. He'd have another smile that he couldn't say not to. Little hands and feet would soon be exploring their back garden. And one day a little voice might ask Gray to teach them ice make magic.

Juvia looked worried at Gray's behavior. "Is… Gray-sama… upset?" she asked tentatively.

"What?" he said, coming out of his reverie. "Upset?" He was the furthest thing from upset than he had ever been.

He took Juvia's concerned face into his hands, and before she realized what was happening, he was kissing her, which was actually hard to do, for he couldn't stop smiling now.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia was surprised at the sudden kiss, but once she caught sight of Gray's enormously exuberant face, she too smiled brightly.

"We're going to have a baby," he said happily.

"Yes, we are!" she agreed breathlessly.

And then Gray was hugging her tightly and kissing her again - her face, her neck, her hands - he wanted to celebrate every bit of her before going back to her lips once more.

In between kisses he asked her whether she had told the others yet.

"No," she replied, as Gray separated from her so she could speak. "Juvia was waiting to tell Gray-sama first."

"Should we go tell them then?" Gray asked, and a thrill of excitement over the thought of sharing their news with the rest of their friends and guild mates shot through the both of them. They imagined the stunned looks on all the familiar faces, and the commotion that would erupt from such an announcement, for though several guild members had married recently, none of them had as yet had any children. They would be the first of their group.

Yes," Juvia said ardently, and they left almost immediately to head for the guild.

Once they had arrived in front of the towering guild building, with it's rowdy but cozy interior, Gray could tell Juvia was a bit nervous, for she paused at the entrance.

"You want me to be the one to say it?" Gray asked his wife, correctly reading her anxiety.

She gave him a heartfelt smile at his supportive tone. "Yes please, Juvia has already made the announcement once today, so Gray-sama can do the honors for the both of us now."

Gray smiled back at her. "Ok," and he took her hand in his own before leading her into the guild.

They stood for a moment, drinking in the atmosphere, taking stock of who was present, and bracing themselves for the resounding roar that was sure to issue from the group in light of their news.

At last, Gray cleared his throat slightly, and with Juvia internally cheering him on, he raised his right hand high in an effort to get people's attention.

As a few people looked their way, Gray then began in a loud, clear voice, "hey, everyone, we have an announcement to m-"

"Guys!" Natsu yelled, practically flying past Gray and Juvia while dragging a flustered Lucy behind him by the hand. "Lucy's pregnant!" he announced with glee.

Lucy shook her head embarrassedly at Natsu's enthusiasm, but she looked happy and glowing all the same.

Everyone in the guild gave a collective "WHAT?!" as they looked to Lucy for confirmation.

Lucy, blushing all over, nodded.

Cheers exploded and congratulations were heard all around.

Natsu was grinning hugely. "And you should see how long it took Lucy to spit that news out. First she said she was expecting. And I couldn't figure out what the hell she was getting at, you know? Expecting what? She put me through this whole guessing game. I was wondering if she had bought something, and was waiting for it in the mail. or maybe she ordered a pizza. Stuff like that, you know? Then, after like an hour of guessing, she got so mad that she just shouted out the news to me. She nearly shattered my ear drum. But can you believe it? We're going to have a kid!" and more cheers, mixed with laughter, rolled through the guild.

Meanwhile, Gray and Juvia were both frozen in the positions they had been in when Natsu had rushed passed and interrupted them. Gray's hand was even still hanging in the air, and a now comically strained smile was on his face, like some mascot statue at a theme park.

"Gray-sama…" Juvia said, squeezing Gray's hand. "Natsu-san and Lucy stole our thunder," and Gray could see Juvia smiling meekly, but there were also tears in her eyes.

"Looks like we're going to be the first ones of this generation with kids of our own," Natsu bragged, as if he and Lucy had won a race no one else knew was happening.

Gray was shaking in rage. This was supposed to be a special moment for them, and Natsu just swooped in and took it away. Not that Gray wasn't happy for the other couple on some level. Later on, when he would calm down enough to appreciate that two of his best friends were going to have a baby, he would certainly be thrilled for the both of them. But at the moment all he could see were the tears on his wife's face as she still was trying to smile bravely, and the smug look on his eternal rival's gloating mug. And thus, he snapped.

"Oi! The hell you will be first!"

Technically, neither couple would be first, since Alzak and Bisca had already beaten them to the punch quite a few years ago with Asuka. But, it's likely that Gray and Natsu assumed, that since Alzak and Bisca were now seven years older than the both of them, they no longer counted, and were old news.

"Juvia is pregnant, too!" Gray's voice had echoed through the guild, as silence overtook the members now. Everyone turned to look at Gray and Juvia, who were still in the doorway.

Juvia looked taken aback, as she hadn't expected Gray to just announce things in such a way. Everyone was looking at her in shock. Even Natsu was struck silent.

A great, "WHAT?!" then rang around the crowd for the second time that day.

"Yes," Juvia confirmed. "Gray-sama and Juvia made a child with their love," she said with pride.

"Juvia!" Lucy gushed, running over to her and taking Juvia's hands in her own. "That's so wonderful! We can have joint baby showers, and go to Porlyusica together for check ups, and go shopping for baby things," Lucy seemed thrilled with the news that she wouldn't be alone in her experience, and could share this with her friend.

Lucy's enthusiasm seemed to brighten Juvia's mood as well. "Juvia would like that very much!" she agreed and the girls hugged happily, both shedding tears of joy and congratulating each other again and again.

The two soon-to-be fathers, however, were quite another story.

Gray and Natsu were glaring daggers at the each other.

"When did Juvia find out she was pregnant?" Natsu asked challengingly.

"This morning," Gray answered succinctly.

"Ha," Natsu said, under his breath, but intentionally loud enough for Gray to hear.

"What was that?"

"Lucy found out yesterday," he smirked.

"So?" Gray said, trying to shrug it off, though he was very irritated now. "Juvia is already six weeks along," he added, in the hopes of deflating some of Natsu's bluster.

But it didn't work.

"So is Lucy. Bet she gives birth first," he goaded.

Gray scowled. "Who cares?" he said, trying to ignore Natsu's attempts to rile him up, although he was fighting a losing battle.

"Because if she does, my kid will have seniority over your kid, and get to boss them around," he explained, as if this was common sense.

That was the final straw. Not able to hold back his competitive streak any longer, Gray spat, "No way are we going to lose to you!"

"Same here!"

As the boys continued to argue, Lucy and Juvia were still gushing over each other, discussing what sex they hoped their children would be, and planning a date to go shopping for nursery things together.

The two couples passed a - thankfully - mostly amicable nine months, but as both ladies' bellies got wider, and the due dates approached, things started to become tense with the boys again. Natsu and Gray's side competition had even rubbed off on the other guild members, and there was a pool going on now, with people placing bets on which woman would be the first to give birth. The official name of the pool was "Who'll Burt First?!" Juvia was bemused by the situation, while Lucy was annoyed.

However, there finally came the day when people could declare a winner. Lucy gave birth to an adorable, wide-eyed and pink-haired little girl. The couple had never been happier. Everyone came to visit them that day, and though Lucy had made Natsu swear he wouldn't mention anything to Gray about the bet, Natsu couldn't help getting a dig in all the same. He had been good for most of the nine months, after all, so he felt he had earned the chance to brag at least a little.

Gray and an extremely pregnant Juvia greeted the new mother while heaping praise on the lively young girl in her arms. Gray shook Natsu's hand, as he congratulated him on their addition to the family. Natsu thanked him, but just as Gray was about to let go of Natsu's hand, Natsu tightened his grip, and Gray could clearly see Natsu mouthing the words "WE WIN."

Gray was in a foul temper after that, but when Juvia asked him about it later, he wouldn't admit to what was bothering him so as not to upset her.

Thankfully, Gray didn't dwell in his sour mood, as he was too busy and anxious during the following days fussing over Juvia. And the grudge against Natsu became a moot point entirely, when a week after Lucy and Natsu's little girl had come into the world, Juvia herself finally gave birth. The new parents couldn't have been more thrilled. Juvia's delivery had been a long and hard one, though, and Gray stuck by Juvia every step of the way, holding her hand, stroking her hair, and giving her words of support and encouragement. After eight hours Gray emerged from Juvia's room at the hospital to announce that everything was ok.

Nearly all of their friends had been packed and waiting in the visitor's room, including Natsu. Lucy had been there earlier, but had gone home to check on their newborn daughter, whom she had left with were all relieved to hear the delivery had been a success, and all began to ask Gray at once if it was a boy or a girl. But Gray grinned widely instead of answering. Then he did a curious thing, and walked straight over to Natsu, putting his arm around his shoulder to lean in almost conspiratorially.

"Remind me again, how many kids did you guys have? Just one right?" he asked, as if he was struggling to remember, even though he knew the answer very well.

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "Yeah…" Natsu confirmed, not at all sure where this was going.

Gray grinned and lifted two fingers up. "A girl and a boy. We're up by one," and he grinned triumphantly.

Natsu's eyes widened in dismay. The meaning of Gray's words clicked, and Natsu realized that while their child was born first, Gray and Juvia already had two, meaning that the ice and water duo were instantly ahead.

Natsu didn't even think to reply, and instead rushed out of the waiting room as Gray laughed. The others crowded around, overjoyed, and wanting to hear more details about Juvia and Gray's twins.

Then a loud noise interrupted the jabbering group. Lucy had clearly now returned from checking up on her daughter, and Lucy and Natsu's voices could be heard from the hallway.

"What?!" Lucy repeated in a bewildered tone.

"I said, are you sure there's not another one in there?" Natsu insisted, and from the shrieks Lucy issued, it seemed like Natsu might have lifted Lucy's skirt up to check and make sure she wasn't indeed ready to pop out another child at any second.

"Stop that!"

Gray and the others laughed raucously once more.

After everyone had their turns to see the two new Fullbuster family members - the little girl with her dark eyes and black curls, and the pale little boy, with his tuft of blue locks - they congratulated the new parents one final time, before leaving them alone. As the door to Juvia's hospital room closed behind them, they heard Natsu suggesting to Lucy that they needed to start making another baby, so they could catch up. From what it sounded like, Lucy did not rebuke this request.

Peace came at last, and the family was finally alone together. Juvia looked up at Gray, who was holding their daughter gently, while Juvia, who was sitting up in bed, was cradling their son in her arms.

"What?" he asked, amused, because Juvia was crying again. She had cried quite a lot that day. The nurse had even gotten mad at her, because she was crying onto her newborns.

"Juvia is just so happy. Our family has grown, Gray-sama. And you're a Papa now," she told him tenderly.

He grinned widely at this. "Yeah," he replied, and bent carefully over with his daughter in his arms to give his wife a kiss on the forehead. "And you're a mom," he reminded her.

Juvia seemed to be radiating affection as she looked at her daughter and then down at her son. "And you're both so beautiful, and your momma loves you very much already," she told her children, both of whom had long since nodded off in their parents arms.

"You're always falling in love at first sight with Fullbusters," Gray teased.

Juvia giggled. "Juvia does indeed!" she agreed merrily. "There's just something about them," she admitted, smiling up at him.

Gray winked at her, and she giggled again.

"So, will we be trying for more little ones, Gray-sama?" Juvia asked eagerly, in mocking imitation of Natsu's fervent need for another child, although Gray got the impression that she wasn't entirely joking.

In any case, Gray thought about it for a bit before replying. "I don't mind either way right now. So maybe we will, and maybe we won't," he said noncommittally.

"What?" Juvia wondered in surprise. "But I thought Gray-sama didn't want to lose to Natsu-san?"

Gray considered this, thinking about how truly happy Natsu and Lucy clearly were with their little girl. And then he looked from his beautiful wife, with his new son in her arms, and then down at his daughter, who was sleeping contentedly in his embrace, and he could feel an intense warmth flood through him.

"I'd say, Natsu and I both won pretty big."

The End

A/N: I've had this idea in my head for quite a while now, so I was glad to find the opportunity and motivation to write it up properly (yay Gruvia week!), and it turned out much better than I could have hoped. ^^

I know Gajevy have essentially been given the twins recently, so this will likely not happen for Gruvia, but my personal family headcanon had always been that Gray and Juvia had twins, and Natsu and Lucy end up with three kids. Mostly they had three kids because they wanted to, but there was always that little part of me that felt like Natsu just had to have that one extra to beat Gray lol! So this is the story/explanation to that. ^-^

Gray and Juvia's twins are of course the same kids (Gwen and Luke) from my other Gruvia post-marriage fics. I decided not to give any of the kids names here, though, so that people could imagine whatever names they wanted for them.

And finally, this story is very similar to my fic "World's Best." They don't take place in the same timeline, but just like with that fic, I can just imagine the guys getting competitive over more mundane, family things as they got older lol. ^_^

As always, thanks for reading, and if you liked this, please review!