The Heart Never Lies - A Gruvia Story

Teeth

AN: This one was mine HAHA I needed to show parenthood isn't always glamorous and unicorns and rainbows. LOL

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Teeth

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Gray could hear Gris' cries from outside the house and he frowned: by the sound of it, the little boy wasn't too happy about something and having been away for a week because of a job, Gray didn't know why.

He entered the house and the sound became louder. He could hear his wife shushing the baby, but it didn't seem to work. Gray arrived at the living room and saw Juvia with Gris on her arms, gently swaying the baby, her hair was in a messy ponytail, she was wearing one of his shirts and nothing else, apparently, while Gris screamed in her arms, which worried Gray – Juvia always made Gris feel calmer.

"Hey, what's going on?" Gray asked, worried and Juvia looked up at him in surprise. She looked so tired, Gray's worries doubled.

"Oh, Gray-sama!" She sighed in relief it was her husband. "Juvia is sorry, she didn't hear you."

"Yeah, I understand why." Gray put his backpack on the floor and walked towards his wife and son, giving Juvia a peck on the lips and then calling their son's name. "Gris. Hey, buddy, what's the matter?" The baby recognized his father's voice, took a look at him and then started to wail again, making both adults flinch. "Wow, he's pissed."

Juvia sighed. "He's teething again and I think he has colic."

Gray grimaced, he remembered when Gris' first tooth appeared and how he and Juvia took turns, trying to calm down the little guy and make him as comfortable as possible. Now, with eight months, they were at it again.

"Poor little guy." Gray put a hand on the baby's dark blue hair and then o his forehead. "He feels a little hot too."

"Yes." Juvia nodded and passed the baby to Gray when her husband reached for him. "His cheeks are very flushed, more than before."

"He is crying more too." Gray frowned.

"Juvia thinks there are two teeth." She sat on the couch, clearly exhausted.

"Oh, crap." The Ice Mage cringed. "That's why he's like that. And you said he has colic too?" Juvia nodded, her hands over her eyes. "Yeah, I'd be screaming bloody murder too." Gray sat next to his wife and put Gris's body on the vertical, the little boy's head rested on his shoulder, calming slightly, he was tired of screaming too, probably. "How long has he been this restless?"

Juvia stopped to think for a second. "Two days? I think. I don't know, it's been awful." She looked at him, eyes filling with tears. "I am such an awful mother." She cried, terrifying her husband. "My baby is in pain and all I can think right now is how much I wish we could sleep even just a few hours. I'm so tired, Gray-sama." She sobbed. "I love him so much and it's not his fault, of course he's teething now, but I am so tired. He took a few naps, but I had other things to do and when I tried to sleep, he would wake up, fussy and cranky and I would lose my chance and oh, gods, I'm so tired."

Gray felt guilty. Last time, he had been there and they had taken turns with the crying, fussy baby during day and night and it didn't feel as overwhelming, especially knowing the other was just asleep in the other room. Juvia had been alone that time and add teething with colic, of course she was exhausted. And so was Gris.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here the past few days." Gray leaned and kissed the top of Juvia's head. "You are not a bad mother because you are tired, Juvia, you could never be a bad mother. Everyone knows having kids is not fun and rainbows all the time and right now, this sucks." He told her. "The first time we took turns and this time you had to do it on your own but I'm here now, okay?" Juvia nodded, still crying out of exhaustion and clearly ready to drop. "Now it's my turn."