Disclaimer: I still do not own the characters of Fairy Tail.
~~LoLu~~
"-fill this form out and then bring it back up to me along with the registration fee of twenty jewel," the elderly clerk instructed sourly, obviously just giving her usual spiel. It was apparent that she'd been doing this for a long time.
Probably too long, Loke thought privately as he watched Lucy frown at the woman and take the papers, if she was able to suck the joy out of such an occasion and make it seem so mundane. He sighed. Oh, well, it didn't matter. Once he and Lucy were done here, she'd officially be his wife – at least in the human realm. That was good enough to tide him over until the evening, when he'd then have Seirei-o perform the spirit world binding, as only he actually could.
And then... well... then it would be their bonding night – or wedding night, whichever term you preferred. With all that either phrase entailed, and oh, he could hardly wait. It had already been such a seemingly long time for him – he'd wanted her for what felt to him like forever, had loved her nearly as long, and been recognizably in love with her since at least the battle of Fairy Tail. He suspected it had really been long before that, though.
But now all the waiting was almost over...
He followed her to a small table and sat down as she looked the form over after taking her own seat, rather glad that she couldn't read his currently dirty mind. He idly pushed his glasses back up his nose as he leaned back in his seat to watch the golden head of his love. She had on that determined expression that he found so terribly erotic, and he smirked a little as he studied her from under heavy lids. The sundress she now had on was simple but pretty, and the best of what she'd brought with her on this trip, while her lace-up sandals showed off her dainty, pretty little feet with their tiny, painted toes to perfection. To be honest, though, he really didn't care what she wore, as long as those papers got signed. That was the important thing here, the only part of the Earthland side of things that mattered, not her wardrobe choices – or current lack of them due to the Grand Magic Games.
She reached into the little purse she'd grabbed while they'd been changing out of their wedding attire – Loke couldn't help but grin as that thought slid by, his Lucy was such a backward woman – and pulled out what he'd learned was her favorite magic pen.
"It seems simple enough," she said, though her brow furrowed as she read. "Names of parties involved – um, well, okay, maybe not so simple," she sighed, then looked at him. "What am I supposed to put down for you, Leo the Lion? Yeah... that would go over really well. We'd probably get kicked out of here."
He chuckled at her disgruntled words and adjusted his tie a little. "I go by the name Loke Lionheart here, princess."
"Lionheart, huh?" she mused. Then she smiled and shrugged. "It fits."
"I'm glad you think so, since it's what you'll be known by from now on as well, Lucy Lionheart."
She flushed at that, but looked shyly pleased nonetheless as she wrote both their names in the boxes provided. Then she stopped as she read over the next question, and promptly face-palmed in deepening exasperation. "Ugh."
Loke arched a brow at her, bemused by her actions. "Lucy?"
"Next up on the 'how the hell do I answer that?' list - date of birth?" she quipped, her voice muffled behind the hand still pressed to her face.
Lips twisting thoughtfully, the lion considered the question. "Well... I could sorta answer that, but I don't think they'd be very amused by that answer, either."
Looking curious, Lucy met his gaze. "So how old are you, then?"
"You probably don't really want to know," he decided, shaking his head. "Why don't we just say I'm a year or two older than you, and leave it at that. Physically, at least, that's what I look like. I guess you could say I'm the stellar equivalent of around eighteen or nineteen, so it fits well enough."
The blonde scrunched her face up, about to protest, but then let it go after thinking about it. What else could she do? He was most likely right, she realized. She probably didn't want to know.
"Alrighty, then," she said, writing in their answers. "You'll be two years older than me, at least on paper." She quickly skimmed the form, checking for any more hard-to-answer questions, and was relieved not to find anything too worrisome. "Occupations... Fairy Tail mages for both those, easy enough. Place of residence, Magnolia Town, Fiore," she continued on, muttering to herself as she quickly filled in the rest of the relatively short form.
Her husband-to-be just watched her, utterly relaxed for the first time in a long while as he folded his arms over his chest and let his mind wander right back to certain upcoming events. Like his wedding night... again. (Hey, he was male – he couldn't help it. Besides, he needed to plan it out at least somewhat – it would be a very special first for them and he wanted the both of them to remember it forever.)
"And done!" she said triumphantly a few minutes later, smiling over at the man she was about to register a marriage with. "Ready?"
Loke nodded emphatically, yanking his mind back from his rather steamy thoughts – at least out in front. "Absolutely, princess," he grinned devilishly. "Are you?"
With that expression on she knew exactly what he'd been thinking, and she smacked his knee under the table warningly with a deep blush. "Behave, Loke, or there won't be a wedding night for you," she grumbled under her breath. "I'll make you wait."
He heard her, though, and his unholy grin only deepened, but, "If you say so, my love," was all he said in reply.
Lucy stood with a mild huff. "Lecher," she shook her head. "Come on, let's get this done – I'm pretty sure the break is almost over and I need to get back to the team. They're probably worried anyway, since we kind of just disappeared from the arena, you know?"
The lion prowled along behind her as she walked up to the clerk again and handed her the form, everything inside him clenching tight with excitement. All that paper needed was the official seal of Fiore, and then the woman he adored would be his by all mortal laws.
His eyes flashed with a dangerous glee as the clerk harrumphed on finding everything in order and when she demanded the twenty jewel fee, he handed it over with alacrity. She scowled as she took the money, then grudgingly stamped the document with the seal, making it official.
Loke Lionheart, the spirit of the celestial lion, leader of the zodiac, and Fairy Tail mage was now married to Lucy Heartfilia, his beloved and very desirable master. He'd finally gotten her right where he wanted her, she was his - only and always his - and he didn't know how he was ever going to contain his complete jubilation at that one simple fact.
~~LoLu~~
"What are we going to tell the others?" Lucy fretted as she and Loke walked back to Domus Flau hand-in-hand.
"The truth," her brand-new husband shrugged. "I'm not about to hide the fact that I finally managed to snag the object of all my affections... and fantasies," he tacked on with a naughty wink.
"Be serious," she pouted, rolling her eyes. Inwardly, though, she was still freaking out. I'm married now! My name isn't Lucy Heartfilia anymore, it's Lucy Lionheart! And later... she immediately put the brakes on those thoughts, because they'd just end up getting her in trouble. Later was for, well... later. Right now there were quite a few hours between now and later, so she needed to keep her wits about her and her thoughts off of her entirely too-sexy husband and what was still to come - for her own peace of mind.
Something occurred to her, then. "Oh! We forgot about rings!"
Loke glanced down at their entwined hands and blinked in blank surprise, then cleared his throat. When she looked up at him, he tugged her to a stop and smiled. "I can take care of that right now." He held up his free hand, and a small box coalesced slowly in his palm.
Her eyes widened, and she gasped as he tugged his other hand gently from hers and opened the box to reveal the most beautiful engagement and wedding ring set she'd ever seen in her entire life. There was no way that had been made here in the human realm. The bands of both were a beautiful shade of the lightest gold she'd ever seen, yet it was the gem in the center of the engagement ring that caused her to look up at Loke with awe.
It was such a deep, midnight blue that it was almost black. But what glowed with pure light within it was the heart of the lion, Regulus, and it almost seemed to pulse silently with a heartbeat all its own. It was like Loke had taken the slice of the heavens where the stars that made up his heart-system ruled and encapsulated it within the stone. On either side of the main jewel sat two separate gems that looked like diamonds, yet they seemed to catch the sunlight in a manner even a diamond didn't, scattering flashes of brilliant prismatic color around her. He took the engagement ring out of the box first, and she touched one of them with wonder.
"Those are celestial stones, you could say," he chuckled lightly as she looked up at him. "They're called *Moissanite, and they aren't native to Earthland. The only time they are found here is from a fallen star." Then he passed a finger over the main stone, and looked proud. "And this, of course, is a magical representation of the heart of the lion, the *Regulus system." His eyes smiled at her and he took up her left hand, sliding the beautiful piece of jewelry gently onto her ring finger. Then he picked up the wedding band and slipped it on behind.
Lucy was a little surprised to feel both rings tighten down on her as they slid into place – not painfully, but becoming a perfect fit. "Oh!"
"They won't come off on their own, nor can anyone take them from you."
"They're beautiful, Loke!" she mumbled into his shoulder after she threw herself into his arms. Then she drew back, her brow furrowed in mild consternation. "But what about you?"
The lion chuckled and tweaked her chin. "Not a problem, babe." He reached down with his right hand and slid the gold ring he usually wore on the middle finger of his left hand off, and moved it down one finger. He grinned as it tightened down on him with a flare of light at his silent vow of love, protection, and fidelity to his wife. "See? And like yours, mine can never be removed from that finger now, either."
Lucy returned his grin, then grabbed his arm and hurried in the direction of the arena. "No more delays. That takes care of everything for right now."
"Well, I still haven't gotten a first kiss, you know," Loke teased. "Maybe we should stop and take care of that, too."
"Listen, casanova," Lucy began ominously, her eyes narrowing as she glanced back at him, "there's no time for that right now! And besides, I'm not kissing you the way I know you mean out here on the street! What kind of girl do you take me for?"
Casanova? The celestial spirit cringed at that rather unwelcome reminder of his past as a playboy, not wanting such reminders at all, let alone on this of all days. "Calm down, Lucy-love," he mollified her. "I'm only kidding you. I'd much rather have our first kiss later this evening - when we have the rest of our firsts, and in private. Honestly," he muttered to himself, "I'm fairly certain I'd be unable to restrain myself until tonight if I did kiss you now, so it's just better all around to wait until later." But damn, later better hurry the hell up, Loke thought with a grimace. He'd been restraining himself for too long already, and he just wasn't sure how much more he could really take.
Damn these Grand Magic Games anyway. I can't wait 'til they're over!
~~LoLu~~
Loke grinned theatrically as he preceded Lucy into her team's booth ten minutes or so later and their friends all turned to look at them with curious expressions. He held a graceful hand up for his lady, and she took it with a blush at the odd looks being cast at them. His eyes twinkled – he was going to take a great deal of pleasure in this!
"Allow me to introduce myself," he began, as the others suddenly looked confused and concerned – was there something wrong with him? - and he shook his head, his grin widening into an expression of face-splitting glee. "I am Loke Lionheart, and this-" he indicated his vividly flushed master, "is my lovely wife, Lucy Lionheart."
A dead silence fell as he finished, everyone's eyes practically bugging out of their heads and mouths gaping open. He had no doubts someone was going to come across with a comment about him making such a thing up out of whole cloth, so he tugged her left hand up with his and showed off their rings, instantly alleviating any concerns that he was just making flirtatious and untrue statements.
Besides, Lucy's shy smile and pink cheeks gave the truth away all by itself. If it weren't true, she'd have clobbered him and denied it by now.
"So-" Erza finally spoke into the stunned quiet as the entire group stared in awe at the newlyweds, "-why don't you explain this... situation." Titania didn't like being caught off-guard by things much, and she had definitely been blindsided by that news.
The couple exchanged looks, and Loke laughed lightly and shrugged. "She gave me a chance, an opening, and I took it. Now she's mine."
"And you're mine," she grinned unrepentantly.
"I was always yours," he corrected with a half-smile and a wink at her contagious happiness.
The red-head blinked at the byplay. "That explains nothing but that you were waiting for such a chance."
"I've been waiting," Loke answered casually, hands now in his pockets as he smiled with easy affection at Lucy. "I've loved her for a while. I don't know for sure when it happened, but it was probably the night she kept me from vanishing forever with her passion and power, and her refusal to back down from what she felt was right even in the face of Seirei-o. I was just too stupid to see it for what kind of love it really was, there at first."
"I see," Erza replied slowly as she thought about what she'd been told. Finally... "I suppose all that's left to say is that you'd better never hurt her, or I'll be forced to hunt you down - and congratulations."
The lion couldn't help but laugh at Titania's warning-slash-felicitations, and shook his head. She was such a strange woman sometimes but so very loyal, and he hoped she never changed. "I promise, and thank you, Erza," he acknowledged both congratulations and threat with a small, if somewhat dry bow.
She nodded with a faint smile.
Elfman was next to get his approbation in. "Loke's a MAN!" he shouted joyfully with a fistpunch to the air as excited chatter burst out around them and Cana raised her flask in a shouting counterpoint - now that Erza had been appeased.
Lucy giggled - a little hysterically - at that one. "He'd better be," she choked out, "or-"
"Or come tonight there's going to be a problem," Loke interjected in a deep purr, with a very intimate and seductive look at her that sent her heart-rate through the roof and her face up in flames.
"Loke!" she squealed, slapping her hands over her cheeks and frowning at him in embarrassment at his boldly desirous words and expression.
Erza blushed like a tomato as well and was about to say something, when Gray jumped in with, "Already thinking ahead to the important parts, eh?" and a knowing laugh.
Lucy gasped at the ice-make wizard's words, but just as she was about to put her hands on her hips and take both guys to task, a certain pink-haired fire mage got his in. And that was when things went from just embarrassing to, 'I want to sink into the floor and disappear forever, and oh, by the way, I'm going to kill you, Natsu,' territory in a heartbeat.
"Does this mean that if Luce's clothes disappear in a fight again like they always seem to, we can't stare at her anymore?"
The now-infuriated celestial mage never got the chance to let loose on the pervert for that one, because Loke cold-cocked him into the floor so fast the dragon-slayer never even saw it coming before he was out like a light. Then he looked at the other guys - most especially at Gray, who was on a lot of jobs with Lucy because they were on the same team - and held up his still-glowing fist.
"You have anything clever to add to that?" he glared narrowly at his friend.
The dark-haired man just chuckled and shook his head. Then he glanced at a still red-faced Lucy. "Nope, I'm good. I'd like to stay awake, thank you very much."
Elfman nodded solemnly in agreement, a slight blush on his cheeks at the slayer's antics.
"Good." Loke let his power fade back to sleep and looked at Erza, who was still eyeing Natsu's unconscious form as though she were considering whether to beat him some more, out cold already or not. He smirked and then glanced over at his wife (he didn't think he could ever think or say that enough to get used to it, it sounded so damn good) and had to laugh at the same expression on her face. "Looks like he's in for some more when he wakes up," he said with gratification.
"And you look so satisfied with that fact," Gray snickered as he clapped his friend on the back.
"There'll be a lot more satisfaction from me if he keeps his eyes to himself," the lion sniffed, pushing his sunglasses back up. "If I ever have to peel them off of her, he's going to be hurting. Badly."
The other man just laughed, and the noise in Team A's viewing box tapered down a little as the friends joked and talked comfortably with each other for the rest of the day. And meantime, Loke was busily planning out the rest of the evening's activities – but not just the wedding night, as some might suspect, considering the source. He still had a bonding to get Lucy through, and that was going to be a great deal more important than their earlier elopement had been.
He smiled to himself as he watched his wife showing off her rings, laughing, and talking animatedly with their nakama. She was so glowingly happy, and he could hardly wait to be able to feel her in such an intense and permanent way as what would come to be after the bonding and sharing of his power.
In his eyes, after all, this day had been far too long in arriving, and for a time he'd held little hope that it ever would at all.
Now he'd never have to worry about it again.
~~LoLu~~
A/N: I just can't seem to stop writing this ship... Wow, I really have a thing for Loke, lol. Gotta give him what he wants, and what he wants is Lucy. So here in my little Fairy Tail sub-universe of fluff, he can have her.
*Moissanite are real stones that are named after Henri Moissan, who discovered them, and are made of silicon carbide. They look like diamonds but have a slightly higher refraction value and so sparkle a little more vividly. They are not usually native to our planet, being found either at meteorite crash sites or as inclusions in diamonds, and so are incredibly rare in their natural state. Most Moissanite found today in jewelry are lab-created, and because of their similar hardness to diamonds, are often used in place of them for technological applications. Diamonds are a 10 on the Mohs hardness scale, moissanite is a 9.5 on the same scale.
For the purposes of this story, take it as read that on Earthland, these stones are never found naturally.
*The star collectively known as Regulus isn't actually a single star, but a multiple star system comprised of four main-sequence stars. The dominant Regulus-A is a blue-white star, and its companion is thought to be a white-dwarf. (It has not yet been directly observed because it is so faint.) Regulus B, C, and D are dim main-sequence stars.