Hello boys and girls, I'd like to tell a story.

Several months ago, I had written a story for the Gruviazine "I'm yours; you're mine". Now that everyone is posting their story and artwork, I feel as though it's my time to do so. So here it is.

Sucky title is sucky

Waterfall Reflections

On any normal train trip, Gray Fullbuster would have been content with staring out the window and watching the scenery fly as the sun begins its descent into the horizon. But this was no normal train trip, mostly because of the woman whose head was in his lap. That woman, his wife of a year, is Juvia Lockser…I mean Juvia Fullbuster, her eyes closed in rest and her breathing even. Who could pay attention to what is going on outside when he has a wonderful view right in front of him?

The Ice Mage gently wraps a bit of her long blue hair around his finger. Still so soft to the touch, he thought to himself. When he was done, he drags his finger along the smooth column of her neck, a neck he had left many a love bite during their relationship. A tiny whimper escapes her lips, making him smile. Leaving her neck, he travels down to her belly. It is here where he stops and flattens his hand. His reward is a tiny kick, causing a goofy smile to cross his face.

His wife is pregnant and carrying their child. Their son. A child that is half Gray's and half Juvia's. No matter what combination he used in his head, it still makes him happy. His little man has spent the last seven months in his mother's womb. Only two more to go before he can finally hold his son in his arms. It made him both impatient and nervous.

A soft mewling sound knocks him out of his thoughts. With a bit of difficulty, his wife gets up from her prone position and sits upright.

"Gray-sama," Juvia whines cutely, rubbing her eyes. Over time, she had dropped the honorific from his name but sometimes it would still slip out. Old habits and all that. "Are we there yet?"

Gray can't help but smirk at that. "Well, we wouldn't have to be traveling if someone didn't insist that she have the perfect set of blue yarn." His light chastisement brings an embarrassed blush on Juvia's face.

Today's excursion isn't about a doctor's visit. That was handled by Porlyusica, despite her rantings that she hated humans. And it wasn't to grab any new baby supplies. The moment Juvia got conformation that she was pregnant, the Water Mage basically bought out an entire maternity store. Their house was filled to the brim with things for the baby. (It's only half an exaggeration. Until that day, he had no idea that there were so many individual onesies designs. And they had an entire stuffed animal zoo in their basement. His silly wife can go overboard at times.) It's about yarn. Freaking yarn.

It all started this morning. Juvia wanted to knit the baby some socks, blue socks to be exact. And apparently not just any blue will do. Gray had watched as she dug through her giant tin of yarn balls.

"Where is it? Where is it?" Juvia's mutterings took on a desperate plea. "Juvia knows she has it."

"Are you okay?" Gray had no idea what was going on but knew it was going to be a whole thing the moment he asked. But that was fine. He knew that "whole things" were going to be part of the package of marrying Juvia Lockser.

"Juvia can't find her blue yarn," she whined, surrounded by blue yarn.

Gray chose his next words carefully. The last thing he wanted was an emotional and hormonal Water Mage drowning him in his house. "Are those blue yarn balls next not the ones you are looking for?"

Juvia stared at her husband as if he had grown a second head. But there was no drowning. Thank Mavis for small miracles. "It's not the blue yarn she's looking for," she explained. The pregnant woman grabbed one blue ball. "This is ocean blue," and another, "and this is navy blue." She rattles off all the blues she has. "But she doesn't have sky blue." Her eyes began to water. And Gray knew what was going to happen next.

Better to beat her to the punch. "How about we go to the yarn store and find the perfect sky blue for the baby?"

Immediately, her eyes stopped shimmering with unshed tears. She brightened considerably and jumped in Gray's arms. Thankfully, his quick reflexes were still intact to catch her. "This is why Juvia loves Gray," she sobbed gratefully.

"And I've grown fond of you," Gray teased.

Juvia responded by pulling on her husband's cheeks. "Don't lie," she cooed. "You love Juvia. That's why she is carrying the product of their love in her belly. "

"Oh, is that what that is?" He couldn't help his teasing. "That's a lot of love in there."

Juvia's face contorted once again, this time in anger. "Is Gray calling Juvia fat?"

DANGER. DANGER, GRAY FULLBUSTER. DANGER.

A cacophony of warning bells went off in his head. Choose your next words carefully, his brain told him.

"Let's go to that yarn store before it closes," Gray deflected, hoping that it would work.

And it did.

If Gray had known then that the place where Juvia had gotten her balls of yarn were in another town, another town that was eight hours away from Magnolia no less, he might have been less inclined to make such an offer. But the Ice Mage was a man of his word. If his pregnant wife wants to go to another town just to buy a ball of yarn she can get at any other hobby store, then he'll take her, carry her all the way if necessary.

"Juvia is sorry," she apologizes. "She is sorry that she's dragging Gray on something he doesn't want to do."

Gray sighs. "You act like I'm being forced to do this." He places his hands between on Juvia's cheeks and rubs her cheekbones with his thumbs, staring deep into her ocean blue eyes. "I'm doing this because I love you." He smiles when he hears her gasp softly. "I understand why you are doing this. You want our child to have the best of everything. That's not something to be ashamed of."

Juvia leans into his touch. How lucky she was to have a husband as understanding of her quirks as Gray Fullbuster. Meeting him that day was nothing short of destiny.

As they were having their moment, the train comes to a sudden stop. On instinct, Gray put his arms around his wife and unborn child, prepared to protect them with his body. The two of them sit back and wait for the announcement from the train conductor.

A tone rings throughout the trains. "Please excuse our sudden stop. We are experiencing technical difficulties. We ask that our customers please exit the train in an orderly manner."

Gray scoffs, making a tch sound with his mouth. He lifts Juvia by the hand and helps her off the train. There they are, in the middle of a wooded area, as night approaches, while waiting for information on how soon they can move. And all this for sky blue yarn. He listens as train officials use a megaphone to inform everyone that they will be moving as soon as possible and asks for their understanding.

Gray sighs. He turns to his wife but finds that she's already walking off into the woods.

"Juvia, wait up," he calls to her. At any other time, he wouldn't be as concerned with her deciding to wander off but ever since her pregnancy, Gray has been very protective (some would say overprotective) of his wife. But he can't help it.

Hearing her name, Juvia turns and gives the Ice Mage a cheeky smile and continues on her way, making Gray follow her.

Now Gray sprints after his wife. "Juvia, where are you going?"

"You'll see," she tells her husband.

When Gray catches up with the Water Mage, a surreal sight fills his eyes. His pregnant wife is standing in front of a small pond being fed by a waterfall. The trees that surround it glow with the fading sun's rays. Lotuses float undisturbed on the water's surface. It feels like something out of a dream, like if he does anything, he'll soon wake up in his bed. He forgets to breathe. Juvia says nothing as she takes off her shoes and begins to walk into the pond, small ripples follow her movements. It must not be as deep as it looks because the water only reaches to her stomach. The only sound in this whole area is the rushing waterfall hitting the pond below.

Gray doesn't know how or when, but he soon finds himself shirtless and follows her in, as if he has heard the siren's song. He reaches out for Juvia's hand and the two intertwine their fingers. He moves behind her, noting the ethereal glow that she seems to manifest. Before this moment, he didn't understand what people meant when they say pregnant women glow. But now…. There is but one truth in this moment, that Gray loves Juvia and would do anything for her. With slow, deliberate movements, he moves behind her and brings his hands to her hair. He closes his eyes and breathes deep. She smells like a calm ocean. Gods, how he has come to love that smell.

Juvia puts a hand on her belly to feel the baby kicking. Gray purposefully slides his hands down to her stomach, stopping at the scar that he knows is there. That scar is a reminder of how close he had come to losing her. That scar screams of his failure to keep the woman he loves safe. There are times when they made love that he can't bare to look at the scar. He has to remind himself that he would rather have the scar on Juvia's stomach than not have her at all.

In that moment, he can feel the baby kick. Even though he has felt it so many times before, every time their son kicks against his hands, it brings a dopey smile to his face.

"What is Gray thinking about?" Juvia's voice brings him out of his inner monologue.

"I used to worry that I wouldn't make a good father," he admits. "I mean, I don't know the first thing about children. I've read the books and they don't make sense to me. I'm not sure I'm cut out for this father thing."

"Juvia wouldn't agree with that," she scoffs. "Gray is going to be the best papa. He's going to love his son, protect him, teach him as best he can." Juvia takes a thoughtful breath before continuing. "And our son is almost certainly going to inherit his papa's stripping habit."

"Ouch." Gray tries to sound like he's wounded but the smile on his face gives him away. "That's really hurtful, wifey."

Juvia giggles. "It's the truth though." The smile on the Water Mage's face drops almost instantly. "If anyone should worry about being a good parent, it's Juvia." She takes a deep breath. "She didn't have the best childhood. She spent her years in an orphanage with no friends. She can't even remember her parents, if they even loved..."

Gray cut her off. "And that's why you're going to make a great mom." He says it with such certainty that there is no room for discussion. "You are going to give our son all the love you never got when you were a child. You are going to make entire journals of milestones, even silly ones like first spit-up and first time he chews on stuffed animals. You are going to be up whenever he cries and sing him sweet lullabies. You're going to be fantastic."

Juvia can't help the blush that creeps along her face.

"Our son is going to be loved by his mother," he continues. "Only the best mothers are willing to make a several hour trip just to buy a ball of sky blue yarn to make the perfect socks."

Juvia turns around and smacks him on the shoulder, laughing. The Ice Mage's response is to smile. She then takes Gray's hands into hers and gazes shyly into her husband's eyes.

"We're going to do right by our son, aren't we." It was more of a statement than a question, but Juvia needs that confirmation.

Gray kisses Juvia on her forehead. "You and me, we're gonna crush it. We're going to raise the best kid there ever was." Gray's conviction warms Juvia's heart.

The two stay like that for another beat until Gray draws Juvia into his embrace. "We should get going," he whispers. "The train should be ready to move. Let's go get our son that sky blue yarn he needs for his clothes."

Juvia snorts quietly. "Gray is not going to let this go, is he?"

"Not in a million years."

Word Count: 2,154

And that's the end of the story.

The story is based off of the artwork of chezmary on tumblr. It's a picture of Gray hugging a pregnant Juvia from behind in a pond.

Anyways, liked it? Hated it? Have no opinion one way or the other? Leave me a review. I'd love to hear from you.

Until next time,

A. Angel