Our Perfect Wedding
By: juvia0613 (aka FayeValentine00)
"I can't do this!"
"You can and you will. Stop complaining!" Erza snapped Lucy's shoulder with the brush before going back to work on the Celestial Spirit wizards long blonde hair.
"Does Lucy-san have cold feet?" Juvia Fullbuster asked with a smirk as she buttoned up the back of Lucy's gown.
"N-no... I—" but Lucy's words cut off. It wasn't that she was having second thoughts. It was just... everything was so formal. Nothing about her relationship with Natsu was traditional yet here she was in a full white wedding dress, looking like she had when she lived as heir to the Heartfilia fortune. It just seemed so wrong... so out of place.
To her, the perfect wedding would be in their regular clothes, at the guildhall, followed by a bar fight but Erza, Gray and Lisanna had put a stop to that idea immediately.
Gray's excuse was purely selfish. Just six months earlier, when he and Juvia had gotten married, it was a HUGE deal. Between Fairy Tail, Lyon and Lamia Scale, Meredy and Crime Sorciere, it felt like everyone in Fiore was there. It was only fair that Natsu, who was even more popular or infamous or whatever, should be forced into the same thing.
Lisanna and Erza came from a much more wholesome place. Lisanna was truly happy that Natsu had found the "perfect woman to marry" so she wanted to give him the big event she'd dreamed of when they were kids. Except, back then, Lisanna had envisioned herself as the bride which still made her laugh to this day.
Erza just wanted the best for both Natsu and Gray. They were her brothers, her closest friends and her most trusted allies. She was marrying them both off this year to "better women than she ever could have hoped for" and she felt it was her duty to ensure it was something to be remembered.
"Lucy," Erza began seriously, meeting her friends' eyes in the full-length mirror before them. "Trust me. You'll thank us for this later."
"Natsu will think I look weird," she said, gesturing to the whole look.
Erza's whole aura changed in a flash and Lucy swore she felt the wind blow in response to the Requip wizards anger. "If he says that, I'll kill him!"
"Ummm... please don't. I still want a h-husband." Lucy's cheeks flushed deeply. It was the first time she'd said the word out loud.
"Juvia thinks Lucy-san looks beautiful," the Water Mage piped up as she finished smoothing out Lucy's full skirt. "Natsu-san will be overjoyed."
"I think he'll cry," Lisanna added cheekily as she clipped a veil into Lucy's half up do. "Remember, Natsu doesn't get serious about much but when he does…"
Leaving those words hanging in the air, she gave the bride a quick squeeze and bounced towards the door excitedly. "I'm going to check on Natsu. But don't worry, Lucy. He'll be thrilled!"
Somehow that assurance made her even more nervous. Juvia didn't have this problem. She would have walked over hot coals at the church to get to Gray's side on their wedding day but Lucy, who normally enjoyed the spotlight, wished that they'd just eloped.
Her friends were helping with the finishing touches of her makeup when Lisanna came back into the room with a forced smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Erza, Juvia... Ummm, can I see you outside for a minute?"
Alarm bells went off in Lucy's head. Something had happened and she could tell that Lisanna was doing her best not to clue Lucy in. Whatever it was, the Celestial Spirit Mage assumed that Natsu was involved, and she had to fight the urge to smirk.
After a few vague questions, her friends made promises to come right back before rushing out of the room, leaving her alone for the first time all day. She took a deep breath to center herself, then looked in the mirror once more. She had the fleeting thought that Sorcerers Weekly would eat this image up. She really looked every bit the blushing bride. Her dress was beautiful. Her hair, makeup, the flowers... It was all perfect. That's why it seemed so strange. This felt like her old pre-Fairy Tail life. To her friends, this was exciting in its rarity. To her, it represented everything she'd left behind years ago.
Yet despite all of that, Lucy wasn't going to deny Natsu the chance at a big wedding with all of their friends. With a sigh, Lucy smoothed her dress before leaning down to adjust her shoe. Not seeing the bride before the wedding, be damned. Lucy really just wished she could see Natsu and put her mind at ease. After all, everything was better when they were together.
"Hey, Lucy!"
For a moment, the blonde-haired woman thought she was hallucinating. Just as she'd been hoping to see him, she heard Natsu's voice coming from the window. Ignoring it, she continued to adjust her shoe. She might be losing it, but not everyone needed to know.
"Lucy! Are you there?"
The voice was more urgent this time, and that's how she knew he'd actually come. Lucy rushed to the window but stopped herself right before she looked out for fear she'd ruin some important moment for him.
"Natsu?! What are you doing here?!" she loud whispered, praying they didn't get found out. If they did, Erza might kill him for real.
"I escaped from Gray. … I wanted to talk to you." There was a hint of concern in his voice which made Lucy blush.
"Talk now? About what?"
"I was just thinking… You didn't really seem thrilled to have a big wedding." He let the statement hang in the air as a fact before he continued. "Do you regret it?"
"I-I'd never regret marrying you!" she sputtered quickly, horrified at the thought.
To her surprise, he laughed easily. "That's not what I meant. I'm asking if you regret the big wedding."
Lucy's knee-jerk reaction was to deny the charge but that would be lying and he'd see right through it. He always could. Instead, she thought carefully about her words and then spoke slowly. "If a big wedding makes you happy, I'm more than willing to do it." Her non-committal answer earned her a "tsk" from Natsu. Was he taking tips from Aquarius now?!
"Can I come in there?" he finally asked sounding impatient.
"Yes!" The instant excitement in her voice was unmistakable so when Natsu leapt through the window, he had a huge smile on his face.
When his feet hit the ground and he turned to face Lucy, the Dragon Slayer stopped dead in his tracks. A variety of emotions hit Natsu as he looked bride version Lucy over from head to toe. He stayed quiet for so long that she shifted uncomfortably.
"Do I look weird?"
With a slack jaw and wide eyes, Natsu shook his head before the smile finally returned to his face. "You look perfect."
Lucy felt a tear roll down her cheek before she even realized what was happening. She could see unshed tears in her fiancés eyes as well. He stood before her in a tux with a vest and, of course, Ignel's scarf. He looked every bit like the Natsu that she'd loved for so long that it put her mind at ease.
Natsu took a step forward and let his finger touch the veil that flowed behind her shoulders. "You look beautiful… but it this really what you want to do?"
"Natsu, I want to marry you," she nearly shouted, embarrassing herself again.
"Obviously," he scoffed. "But we don't have to do it here. We can go anywhere and get married, right?"
"Are you saying we should elope?!" Hope flared in her chest but then died just as quickly. "B-but we can't. Our friends are already here and—"
A big devious smile crossed Natsu's face as Lucy made her excuses. "Who cares? They can have a party. There's plenty of food. Let's go! We can do things our way!"
"Seriously?!"
Lucy didn't know what else to say but Natsu was done talking and didn't wait. He unceremoniously threw her over his shoulder and headed back towards the window.
"Natsu, wait!" Digging under the dresses infinite yards of fabric, Lucy found her keys and pulled out the one she'd been seeking. "Gemini!"
It only took a second to get Gemini to make a copy of wedding version Lucy and explain the situation. Lucy just hoped the spirit could buy them enough time to make a clean escape. Once that was taken care of, still slung over Natsu's shoulder, they escaped out the window.
They were just about to flee when a familiar voice stopped them in their tracks.
"Erza will kill you." Natsu spun around so fast Lucy thought she'd fall but he held her tight. She had to look over her shoulder to see Gray leaning leisurely against the wall just under the window.
The men stared wordlessly at each other for a long moment before Gray smirked. Natsu and Lucy were his best friends and, despite Erza's threats, he couldn't bring himself to turn them in. "You'd better go before she finds you."
Natsu and Lucy both broke into huge grins. "Thank you, Gray!" Lucy called from her awkward position.
"I owe you," Natsu added, turning to flee.
"You owe me big, Natsu. I'll remember this!" The ice mage was laughing to himself as the groom carried his bride like a sack of potatoes as far from the church as possible.
To their surprise, no one came looking for them. With six Dragon Slayer noses at the wedding and Erik's hearing, they would have been easy to find so the couple could only assume that their friends had given up.
That night, still in their wedding clothes, Natsu and Lucy found a small church in the countryside and convinced an old priest to marry them. It was relaxed, private and romantic. In other words, it was the most perfect wedding she could have imagined. The newlyweds spent the night in an inn not far from Magnolia, heading back to Fairy Tail just as the sun was rising.
It was no surprise to find Erza and Gray waiting for them at the door when they arrived. Erza looked angry while Gray was doing his best not to laugh. However, when the welcoming committee saw the Dragneel's holding hands and looking happier than they'd seen in weeks, even Erza lost some of her fire.
"Are you married?" Gray asked, his eyes dancing with amusement, making Lucy break into her own smile.
The Celestial Spirit Mage held up her left hand, showing off a new simple solitaire ring. "Yep!"
Lucy's reaction made Natsu laugh, and he squeezed her right hand tightly. After that, Erza gave up with an exasperated sigh. It wasn't worth it. If they were happy, there wasn't much else she could do.
That afternoon, not to be denied the chance to party, their friends threw the happy couple an impromptu wedding reception in the guildhall which ended in a hilarious drunken bar brawl, making it the most perfect Fairy Tail wedding to date... at least according to the bride and groom.