Watery eyes stared at the polaroid in his hand. Natsu sighed and slid the polaroid into the pocket of his dress pants. He leaned back against the wall and blinked back the tears that formed in his eyes. Natsu felt guilty. He knew should be supportive of his dear friend's wedding, but there was an issue preventing him from being happy. Natsu was in love with the bride.
"Natsu are you okay?" a deep voice suddenly spoke up, causing Natsu to jump. He turned his head to see his best friend staring at him with a concerned expression on his face.
"Gray! Don't sneak up on me like that," he grumbled, crossing his arms.
Gray chuckled and flicked Natsu's forehead with his finger. "Not my fault that you weren't paying attention. Seriously though...are you feeling okay?"
"Yes I am. Why wouldn't I be?" Natsu lied and glanced at the floor to avoid his friend's gaze.
Gray placed his hand on Natsu's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "You're not fooling anyone, Natsu. We know how you feel about Lucy."
"What do you want me to say? That I'm head over heels for a girl who isn't meant to be mine?" Natsu snapped, feeling the tears emerge in his eyes once again. "I love her, Gray. I've never felt these emotions for any other girl, but she's going to become another man's wife today."
Gray stood in silence for a few seconds while Natsu composed himself before he threw his arm around Natsu's shoulder. "I can't imagine how difficult this must be for you. We're here for you, Natsu."
Natsu closed his eyes and smiled. "Thank you, Gray."
"Do you want to see Lucy before the ceremony starts? I just heard from Juvia that she's ready. I understand if you don't want to," Gray asked.
"Yes I will. She is my best friend after all."
"Okay I will see you later!"
Gray patted his back and walked away. Natsu took a deep breath and walked down the hall of the hotel to the bridal suite. He stared at the door for a few seconds before curling his hand into a fist in order to knock on the door. The door was suddenly thrown open, causing him to halt his actions in surprise.
"Hi Natsu!" Levy sweetly greeted him. "Are you here to see Lucy?"
Natsu nodded his head in response. "Is there anyone else in there?"
Levy shook her head. "Everyone else already left. I'm leaving now as well, so you'll be able to talk to her."
"Alright. I will see you later," Natsu waved and entered the room. Lucy had her back turned to him, looking at her appearance in the large mirror. She turned around to face him with a beautiful smile on her countenance. She was wearing a strapless lace wedding dress that accented her curves with long bridal gloves. Her usual long straight blonde hair was curled. She looked breathtaking.
"Wow. You look beautiful, Lucy!" Natsu complimented and gave her a thumbs up.
Lucy blushed and flashed her signature grin. "Thank you, Natsu!"
Natsu sat down on the couch and crossed his arms. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm nervous. This is a very important day after all," Lucy admitted and took a seat next to him on the couch. "My life is not going to be the same as before after that."
Natsu turned his head to face her, getting lost in the warmth of her eyes. "Lucy...are you happy?"
Lucy directed her gaze to the ground and smiled wistfully. "To be honest, this is not how I imagined my wedding. However, my father's company is in red. I need to marry Jack Junelle in order to save the Heartfilia Konzern."
Natsu knew that Lucy had a strained relationship with her father ever since her mother passed away, but she loved him and they were slowly repairing their broken relationship. He remembered when Lucy told him and their other friends that she was arranged to marry the wealthy Jack Junelle. Natsu was enraged when he first heard the news. He believed that it was ridiculous for her father to force her to marry someone she barely knew. Lucy had the right to marry someone she actually loved. However, his selfless blonde best friend decided to accept it anyway.
"Besides Jack and I have some things in common. We both love to write. Maybe we are actually meant for each other and fate brought us together through this arranged marriage," Lucy explained.
Natsu frowned. It was obvious that she was trying to find a silver lining, but her words stung. He felt that they had a special connection since the day they met. Many of their friends had commented on the chemistry between the two of them as well. The memory of the day the met was vivid.
Natsu and his friends, Gray, Erza, and Jellal had decided to spend the weekend in Hargeon to attend the music festival taking place in the town. Hargeon was roughly a 45 minute drive from the city of Magnolia, so Natsu took a nap during the drive since he didn't want to deal with his motion sickness. When they finally reached their hotel, Natsu eagerly jumped out of the car and ran into the lobby with Gray. The two of them were immediately occupied with getting their hands on the free popcorn while Erza and Jellal checked in at the front desk.
"You guys can go ahead and do whatever you want. Jellal and I have some things to do, so we will meet up with you two later," Erza informed.
"Alright. We'll see you two later!" Gray said as Natsu gave them a thumbs up. Once Erza and Jellal were out of sight, Gray started to chuckle and nudged Natsu's arm. " The things Erza has to do is definitely Jellal."
Natsu snickered. "I'm glad that our hotel room isn't right next to theirs. I don't want to hear them at night."
After they finished devouring their popcorn, Natsu and Gray dropped off their bags in their hotel room and headed out to the town. They walked around town and visited the different shops. Afterwards, they headed to the park near the harbor. They sat on a bench facing the lake, enjoying the feeling of the cool breeze kissing their skin and the beautiful view of the lake.
Gray groaned and stood up. "I need to use the bathroom badly. I'll be right back."
"Okay. Don't take too long!" Natsu teased, causing Gray to roll his eyes.
"Oh please! I don't take nearly as long as you do," Gray retorted and ran off to the bathroom.
Natsu laid down on the bench, resting his head on his arms and closed his eyes. The sound of a dog bark caught his attention, causing his eyes to immediately flutter open. A fluffy white Pomeranian was running towards him. Natsu sat upright and watched the dog as it stopped running once it got to the bench he was sitting at and started sniffing his legs.
"Hey where is your owner?" Natsu questioned, looking around to see if there was anyone chasing after the dog. He stroked its soft fur, causing the dog to jump in excitement and lick his hand. Natsu chuckled and gently placed the dog on his lap. He noticed a tracker on its collar along with a name tag. "So your name is Plue. That's different."
"Is this anyone's dog?!" Natsu yelled, gesturing to the Pomeranian in his lap. The people who were around him either shook their head or ignored him. Natsu decided to wait at the bench. Plue's owner could track its location. Natsu noticed Gray approaching him with a confused expression on his face.
"Natsu...why do you have a dog?" Gray questioned, raising his eyebrow.
"I saw him running towards me after you left. He wasn't with its owner, so I decided to keep him on my lap to prevent it from running away. The collar has a tracking device, so the owner should be able to find it," Natsu explained.
"I see. It's so adorable!" Gray exclaimed, scratching Plue's ears.
A few minutes later, Natsu noticed a blonde-haired girl around his age frantically running towards them with tears in her eyes. Her face was flushed and her hair was slightly messy. He assumed that she was Plue's owner based on her actions. Natsu stood up once she reached the bench. "Is this your dog?"
The girl let out a few deep breaths and nodded her head. "Y-yes he is! Thank you so much! Apparently his leash broke when I wasn't looking, and he ran off before I noticed."
She took Plue out of Natsu's arms and hugged the dog. The dog let out a whine and licked her cheek. "Plue don't do that to me again. I was so worried!"
Natsu smiled at the sight. He was happy to see that the girl was able to find her dog. He noticed that she was wearing a red tank top with a familiar logo on it.
"Hey! Do you go to the University of Magnolia?" Natsu curiously asked.
The blonde-haired girl's eyes widened at his question. "Yes I do. I'm currently a first-year student."
"Same here! So is my friend," Natsu explained, gesturing to his dark-haired friend sitting on the bench. Gray smiled and waved at her.
"That's awesome. I'm Lucy Heartfilia," she introduced herself as she waved back.
"My name is Natsu Dragneel and this is my friend Gray Fullbuster. It's nice to meet you."
"Likewise! Thank you so much for keeping my dog in one place. You made it easier for me to track and find him. Can I please treat you and your friend to dinner?" Lucy requested.
"You don't have to do that," Natsu protested, causing Lucy to shake her head.
"I want to!" Lucy insisted.
"Are you sure?" Gray asked.
"Yes!"
"Wow you're the best!" Natsu exclaimed.
Natsu texted Erza that him and Gray were going to eat dinner with their new friend, so they will meet up after that. Erza and Jellal didn't mind. Natsu assumed that they were happy to have more alone time. Natsu and Gray devoured their meals as Lucy explained that her father had a business meeting in Hargeon and she decided to tag along since she wanted to attend the music festival. She also revealed that she loved anime and manga, so Natsu suggested that she should join the anime club, Fairy Tail, at their university.
It was the start of a wonderful friendship.
Natsu gently placed his hand on top of Lucy's. "If he ever hurts you, let me know so I can beat him up."
Lucy giggled. "Thanks Natsu. I'm glad that you're best friend!"
Natsu got up and stretched his arms. "I better get going. The ceremony is going to start soon."
Lucy briefly frowned before smiling wistfully once again. "Alright bye."
Natsu walked out the room, stealing one last glance at Lucy before closing the door. "I wish we could've been more than friends," he whispered to himself.
After the wedding, Natsu didn't get to spend time with Lucy as much they used to. They mostly saw each other during group outings. They didn't hang out alone as often. Natsu wondered if she was starting to fall in love with her husband. Gray and his other friends tried to set him up with multiple girls, but he never made it past the first date. He just couldn't get over his feelings for Lucy even though he knew he should start to move on.
One Saturday evening, Natsu was at home playing video games. He paused his game when he heard his ringtone blasting. Lucy was calling him.
"Natsuuuuuu~" Lucy yelled before Natsu could say hello, causing him to move the phone away from his ear and put it on speaker.
"Lucy, are you drunk?!" Natsu groaned.
"Come and playyy with me!" Lucy replied, ignoring his question.
Natsu sighed in frustration. "Lucy, where are you?"
Lucy happily giggled. "At the restaurant Mira works at. Come and playyy!"
"I'm on my way," Natsu ended the call and turned off his game and tv before grabbing his jacket and bolting out the door.
Natsu was glad that he lived near the restaurant. He was worried that Lucy would attract unwanted attention from perverts who wouldn't hesitate to take advantage of her drunk state. Mira doesn't work on Saturday, so she wasn't even there to look after Lucy. Once he entered the restaurant, he immediately spotted Lucy at the bar, talking to the barista.
"Natsuuu over here," Lucy yelled, waving her arms in excitement.
Natsu grabbed her hand. "It's time to go home."
"Nooo I want to stay!" Lucy protested.
"I don't want to stay. Let's go!" Natsu demanded, causing the girl to pout.
"Fineee," she whined, hopping off the stool. She stumbled forward into Natsu's chest, causing him to quickly grab her arms to hold her steady. "Can I have a piggy back ride!?"
Natsu sighed and held her hand, taking her outside. Once they left the restaurant, he turned his back towards her. "Hop on."
Lucy giggled and jumped onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck. She sighed in content and rested her head on his shoulder."Natsu, you're so warm."
"I'll take you to my apartment so you can sober up. I don't want you to embarrass yourself in front of your in-laws," Natsu explained.
"Okay~"
When they reached his apartment, Natsu made her lay down on his bed and put a blanket over her. Lucy kicked off the blanket and groaned. "I don't want to sleep!"
"Lucy, where is Jack?" Natsu asked. He wondered why Lucy was drinking by herself at the restaurant.
"He went on a business trip," she answered.
"Why were you drinking by yourself?"
"To have funnn! I also wanted to forget about everything for one night."
Natsu raised his eyebrow and clenched his fist. He wondered if Jack was not treating her well. The sound of Lucy's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "Natsu sleep next to me!"
"Lucy. I can't do that. You have a husband now," Natsu lamented.
Lucy was quiet for a few seconds. "I don't love him, Natsu. I love you," she confessed, causing Natsu's eyes to widen. "I love you," she repeated and passed out.
Natsu stared at the sleeping girl with his mouth agape. Lucy just confessed to him. The girl he has been in love with just confessed that she returned his feelings. Natsu's mind didn't know how process this revelation. He felt a mix of emotions. Happiness, anger, and disappointment. He took out the polaroid from his pocket. The picture was taken on the day they graduated. They were both smiling brightly, flashing peace signs. Natsu had considered confessing his feelings for Lucy that day, but he ended up chickening out. He wished he had the courage to do so. If he hadn't chickened out of confessing to her, it was possible that she might not have accepted the arranged marriage. However, it was too late.
"This isn't fair," he whispered. "This isn't fair at all. All this time you loved me back, and we can't even be together now."
He walked out of the room and slowly closed the door. He sat down with his back against the door. He didn't know what to do. Lucy most likely wouldn't remember her confession. He could tell her that she confessed to him. Tell her that he felt the same. However, she might just end up getting hurt. Natsu just wanted her to be happy.
Natsu got up and sat down on the couch. His cat, Happy, jumped up on the couch next to him and curled up against the pillow. Natsu stroked his fur and decided to watch a funny movie that will get his mind off of what just occurred. Towards the end of the movie, Natsu heard his bedroom door open. Lucy stepped out, rubbing her eyes.
"Natsu, why am I here?" she yawned.
"You got drunk and called me, so I brought you to my apartment so you can become sober before you go home," Natsu explained while pausing the movie.
"Oh...I'm sorry," Lucy apologized while rubbing her arm.
"I'll forgive you if you buy me ramen," Natsu joked, trying to lighten the mood.
Lucy laughed. "Sure! By the way, did I say anything…. embarrassing when I was drunk?"
Natsu contemplated if he should tell her the truth. He didn't want to lie, but he also didn't want her to get hurt. Lucy deserved to be happy. After a few moments of weighing his options, he finally made a decision.
"No. You didn't."