A Collection of You & Me and Us ✔️

f i r s t t h a n k s g i v i n g d i n n e r

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f i r s t t h a n k s g i v i n g d i n n e r | 9

Gray scrambled to dig his keys out of his jeans as the rain pelted on his white coat. He cursed as they fell and he bent over to pick them up. He had a long week. He had just come back from a long mission with Natsu, Lucy and Erza and he was very late.

He had agreed with Juvia to meet around six in the evening for Thanksgiving dinner, but it was now around three in the morning and he hadn't been able to get in contact with her. The team had run late because Natsu decided to burn down some expensive statue from their recent job and they had to find a way to compensate for it. Afterwards, they were late for their train so they had missed it. The next one had been delayed, and by the time they were back in Magnolia, it was already past midnight and thanksgiving was already over.

Jamming the key into the keyhole, Gray turned and unlocked the door. He dropped the keys on the bowl on a table by the door and slowly closed the door behind him. Taking his coat off, he hung it and dropped his bag on the side of the shoe holder.

"Juvia?" he called as he made his way into the living room.

Gray felt his heart soar at the sight and at the same time, his heart filled with guilt. His six month pregnant wife was fast asleep on their black leather couch. The hideous green blanket, she had forced him to make with her a few months back, covered most of her body. Her azure hair was all over the place and as he got closer to her, he realized that she smelled really good.

She smelled of mash potatoes and something sweet. Peeking into the kitchen, he noticed plates and plates of food covered in aluminum foil and he felt even more guilty. Gray knew Thanksgiving was a big holiday for Juvia. It was her favorite and she always went all out. He couldn't imagine how much stress she had been in all day.

This had been—was supposed to be—their first thanksgiving together. Only them and their soon to be here baby. They usually had their friends from the guild over, but a lot of them had started their own families and we're going to spend it together.

Juvia stirred as Gray sat on the edge of the couch and tried wrapping her more with the blanket.

"Gray-sama?" Juvia asked groggily as she tried to sit up.

"Hey," Gray said softly as he helped her sit up. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"What time is it?" Juvia asked as she wiped the sleep away from her eyes.

"Almost four in the morning," Gray internally winced as he realized how late he was. "I'm sorry I'm late." He went on to tell her what happened.

As he explained the situation to her, Juvia sat up and turned on the lamp beside her. Gray couldn't help notice that her stomach had grown more and her nightgown was snugger than usual. It made him feel things that he probably didn't deserve to explore after being so late. He had really missed her.

"Juvia sees," Juvia sighed and patted the space beside her and Gray scooted closer. "Juvia understands."

Gray blinked at her answer. "What?"

"Juvia understands, Gray-sama," she continued. "There are situations like that where there isn't anything he can do."

"Uh huh," Gray said a bit incredulously. "So you're not upset?"

"No," Juvia said with a small smile. "Juvia is upset, but only because she'll have to reheat the food in the microwave. It's supposed to taste great right out of the oven!"

Gray blinked. "You're going to eat? Right now? At four in the morning?"

"Juvia didn't cook all this food for no reason," she smiled as she stood up. She patted her growing stomach. "And Ushio-chan has been wanting to eat all day. Can't make him stop kicking."

Gray followed her into the kitchen and helped her heat everything up and before he knew it their apartment was filled with strong aromas and wonderful smells. It reminded him a bit of his time with Ur and Lyon.

"Juvia was sure Gray-sama was going to be hungry when he came back, so she made sure to make all of his favorites! Even the desserts."

Gray watched as Juvia sat beside him and served a plate full of greens and meats and biscuits. She pushed it towards him.

"Mrs. Franks even came by to drop some of her famous Caramel Franks we love so much!" Juvia beamed at him.

Gray felt overwhelmed as he watched his wife start serving herself and at the same time rubbing her stomach and humming a melody to their unborn baby.

"Juvia," he said.

Juvia smiled and looked up at him. Gray leaned in and captured her lips in a sweet kiss.

"Thank you," he said against her lips. "For all of this, for everything."

Juvia kissed him back and smiled against his lips. "Happy thanksgiving, Gray-sama."

Gray smiled softly as he dipped in for another kiss. "Happy thanksgiving."

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