Euphoria

By: juvia0613 (aka FayeValentine00)

Juvia couldn't sleep. In fact, the Water Wizard was practically manic. It was 4 am and in just twelve hours she would finally marry the man of her dreams. She'd tried to sleep. Honestly, she had, but it was impossible. Juvia couldn't shake the feeling that if she did manage it, everything would be gone when she woke up. The blue-haired woman still couldn't believe she deserved this much happiness.

Juvia tossed and turned in bed, tearing up her covers and knocking her Gray plushies on to the floor. Part of her problem was that Gray wasn't there with her. The couple had been living together for a while now yet their friends had refused to let him stay in their house last night, insisting it was bad luck to see the bride before the wedding. So, they had forced the Ice Make Wizard to sleep at the guild and Juvia never slept well when he was away.

Her friends were due at the house around 8 am and Juvia knew they'd never forgive her if she looked exhausted, but she couldn't help it. She'd dreamed of this day since the second she'd laid eyes on Gray Fullbuster. How was it possible to sleep in that situation?

Giving up, Juvia climbed out of bed and got in the shower. She allowed herself to relax under the warm water, enjoying the feeling of moisture on her skin. As a Water Wizard, she didn't technically need to take a proper shower to get clean, but it was always more relaxing this way.

When she finally got out, she put on a robe and wandered through the house trying to figure out how to best pass the time, but she got lucky around 5 am when the cavalry arrived. Assuming that Juvia wouldn't be able to sleep, her friends had come early bearing breakfast and everything needed to transform Juvia into a bride. That began the long day of fellowship and wedding preparations. Lucy, Erza, Meredy and Wendy did their jobs perfectly and the constant flow of conversation distracted Juvia from obsessing too badly.

By early afternoon, Juvia was no longer allowed to look in the mirror. They wanted her finished look to be a surprise. They braided Juvia's long cornflower blue hair up onto her head with just a tendril hanging down on each side to frame her face. The makeup made her already impressive eyes and eyelashes her most prominent feature, her lips were glossed a light pink and a powder made all her exposed skin shimmer in the sunlight.

Juvia's dress was a solid white ballgown with a sweetheart neckline that accentuated her ample breasts. The material was organza with a skirt of cascading ruffles that reminded her of flowing water. The moment she'd tried it on 3 months prior, she'd known that this was her dress. She just hoped that Gray liked it as much as she did. She also had a veil to wear that would cover her face which Gray would have to remove before the kiss…. the public kiss! Just that thought made her blood pressure spike and her face flushed brightly, making her friends laugh.

"Okay, Juvia," Meredy began as she settled the veil over her best friend's face. "We're about to show you the finished product, but I want to do something first."

The way the pink-haired woman was grinning like the Cheshire cat made Juvia shift uncomfortably as she asked, "What do you want to do?"

"Just think of Gray." Meredy spoke with a large smile.

"Gray-sama?" Confused, Juvia repeated the name and tried to sort out why Meredy would make the request, but just that moment was enough to give her friend what she needed. It was not until the magical pink band appeared on her wrist that Juvia realized what was happening. Meredy had attached her with a Sensory Link. "What is this?"

"I was just thinking that Gray might enjoy your reaction when you see yourself as a bride for the first time." Meredy spoke nonchalantly but her eyes were shining with devious excitement.

Juvia's heart was pounding wildly in her chest and the Water Wizard could feel that Gray was nervous somewhere on the other side of Magnolia. Then there was a sense of surprise and Juvia could only assume that he'd noticed the link. She became so wrapped up in her thoughts that it wasn't until Lucy took Juvia by the shoulders and turned her to face the mirror that the full weight of everything hit at once.

Link forgotten, Juvia stared into the mirror in shock. Even she could appreciate that her friends had made her beautiful. Today even Lucy and Mirajane wouldn't be able to hold a candle to her. She was actually a bride... a real bride... a real bride who would marry Gray-sama. That was when she knew there couldn't possibly be a happier person in all of Earthland. When her expected tears began to fall, Erza was there to wipe them before it ruined her makeup.

in the Fairy Tail guildhall, Gray Fullbuster bolted from the room mid-conversation with Lyon and Natsu the moment he noticed the Sensory Link magic. Thankfully, both men were a little dense and would probably just assume he was in the bathroom. Gray was pretty damn sure what would happen, and he'd be damned if he choked up in front of his friends.

Meredy would definitely hear about this later. Wasn't this day already emotional enough without adding fuel to the fire? But before the Ice Devil Slayer could get too annoyed, a wave of powerful emotions slammed into him like a freight train, nearly knocking him off his feet.

The emotion surging in him from the link was the purest form of joy he could imagine. It was euphoria. Not a single negative thought could permeate the moment. Despite his efforts, Gray felt the tears come, but it didn't matter. He was happy to let Juvia's happiness overwhelm him because, despite whether or not he said it openly, the Ice Make mage felt the same way and now he was even more eager to see his bride. The word bride was enough to make him blush and he could only assume that Juvia was at home, blushing too.

When the link was broken, it took Gray several minutes to pull himself together and head back to his friends. He'd thought he had himself under control but as soon as Natsu saw his face, the Dragon Slayer pounced.

"Did something happen?"

"N-No… Why?" Gray sputtered, not meeting the eyes of either man.

"You just look… really happy, I guess." Natsu finished a awkwardly, not great at these kinds of things.

Doing his best to act nonchalant, Gray shrugged and turned towards the window, looking off in the direction of their home. "Who knows… I guess I am."

At just before 4pm, the guests were inside Kardia Cathedral and Gray, Natsu and Lyon were just about to take their places in front of the crowd when the latter put a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Ul would have loved this. ... She would have loved Juvia too."

Gray let Lyon's words sink in a long moment before he smiled and nodded. "Yeah. I think so too."

A few minutes later, the three men stood by the stairs at the front of the church and waited for the ceremony to begin. Despite his outward calm, Gray was incredibly nervous. It wasn't that he was worried about being stood up or that he was concerned that he was making a mistake. It was simply that this was a huge step in their lives and no matter how ready you are to take that step; it is still nerve-wracking.

Erza and Lucy would stand with Juvia in the ceremony which was fitting. Both women had always been big supporters of Juvia and her relationship with Gray, especially Erza. They were as excited as anyone to see Gray and Juvia become the third Fairy Tail couple to get married in the last year.

First had been the shotgun wedding between Gajeel and Levy. Then there had been Elfman and Evergreen. Now it as Gray and Juvia's turn. Next, everyone assumed would be Natsu and Lucy. They were blessed to be enjoying several years of joy after so much hardship. After all they'd been through, not a single member of Fairy Tail ever tired of hearing news about weddings or babies.

When the wedding music started, Gray felt his heart leap. This day was a long time coming yet it also felt like it'd come in a flash. Somewhere along the line, he realized that Juvia was always by his side and he grew to enjoy it, especially when they'd lived together those 6 months. Then, when he thought he'd lost her, he realized he couldn't do it. Gray didn't want to be in a world where Juvia wasn't. So when he learned that Juvia hadn't died thanks to Wendy, which was a debt Gray would never be able to repay, he'd known this day would happen. Now it was here, and the emotions were strong.

The procession felt ridiculously slow to the Ice Make Mage who was now just impatient to lay eyes on Juvia. When the music finally swelled and turned into the traditional wedding march, Gray felt himself stand up a little straighter and when his bride stepped through the doors and came fully into view, he truly thought his heart might stop.

Juvia was wearing white from head to toe and she looked absolutely gorgeous. Her hair and face were covered by a thin veil but even with that and the distance, he could still her dazzling smile plain as day. To his surprise, Juvia's steps faltered, and she came to a stop only a few yards into the hall. They locked eyes for a long time and, even before she moved again, Gray knew what was coming. So did their friends who were doing their best to stifle laughter.

"Gray-sama!" Excitement got the better of Juvia and, with elation on her face, she hiked up her skirt and raced down the aisle at a dead run before throwing herself at the groom who caught her easily. She hugged him tightly, and he laughed easily, stopping only when she whispered, "Gray-sama. What happened to your clothes?"

By this point, everyone in the hall was laughing, but it didn't matter. The ceremony proceeded with Gray in his underwear and Juvia clinging lovingly to his arm. It wasn't until it was time for the vows that they stepped apart and faced each other, holding hands. When their eyes met, Gray wished he could just remove her veil right then and get a better view of her beautiful face, but he played by the rules.

The couple went through their vows to "love, honor and cherish each other for as long as they both shall live." They managed their "I do's" with minimal tears and then finally it was the moment they'd both been waiting for. With a shaky hand, Gray lifted her veil and tried to lay it back behind her head. Thankfully, Lucy stepped forward and helped get it straight before they continued.

That was when Gray realized that he'd never kissed Juvia in public before. In fact, he'd never kissed anyone in public before. Just thinking that made his cheeks flush and when he looked down at Juvia, he realized that she was blushing too. Her eyes were lit up like Christmas lights and it hit him. Gray was looking down at his wife. As of this moment, Juvia Lockser was Juvia Fullbuster and it would remain that way forever. That epiphany was enough to make everyone else in the room disappear.

Taking her face into his hands, Gray leaned down and kissed her full on the mouth. It was an unintentional statement brought on by the sheer bliss the couple shared. They belonged to each other now in every sense of the word in the eyes of their friends, the government, the gods and any other faction that mattered. But most importantly, they were tied by a love so strong that they were willing to die for it and they had the scars to prove it.

They must have been kissing for longer than they realized because when Erza cleared her throat, everyone in the room chuckled. Finally, when they were turned and officially presented to their friends as Gray and Juvia Fullbuster, the cheers that erupted were deafening.

That moment marked the beginning of the loving and sometimes humorous marriage between a tsundere man and his fangirl wife.