Hiking her long, silk dress up as she walked, Lucy sighed. The wedding was starting soon, and she hadn't yet met the man that was supposed to accompany her down the aisle. At the rehearsal dinner the night before, Bisca had explained that the groomsman paired with Lucy was having trouble getting to them
"He just has problem with...transportation. He tries to only travel by train since that's easiest for him, but the train station here has been shut down due to a bomb threat. He's trying to catch a last minute plane, but we're not sure if he'll make it in time for the wedding. You might have to walk by yourself," Bisca had said, sympathetic worry lines creasing her forehead. Lucy had only sighed in response. It seemed that her luck with men rolled onto luck with groomsmen as well.
This morning though, Bisca had happily informed her that her partner arrived early that morning and was all set to walk her down the aisle, which was a huge relief to Lucy. She would have been totally embarrassed to have to walk alone. Her relief quickly turned to anxiety though. She'd never met this man, didn't even remember what his name was, and he hadn't been at the rehearsal. What if something went wrong?
Those were Lucy's thoughts as she stood around in the back of the church with the rest of the wedding party. She forced herself to refrain from biting her freshly done nails when she glanced over at the loud huddle of groomsmen, trying to figure out which one was supposed to be her partner. All she had to do was spot the one that hadn't been there at rehearsals, right?
It didn't prove to be a hard task. Lucy's eyes quickly fell on a head of bright pink hair, and traveled down to the face it belonged to. Her eyes widened when she took in his sharp features and slanted eyes - he was cute. Suddenly, as if she had spoke his name, his eyes snapped towards hers and his expression dropped. He eyed her with a slightly startled look before he broke into a smile and waved at her. Lucy shyly waved back.
"Oh, Lucy! I want you to meet your partner, Natsu," Bisca said, coming up from behind her. Quickly wrapping a lace covered arm around Lucy's shoulders, the green haired woman walked her closer to the groomsmen. Natsu met them halfway, still smiling. "Lucy, this is Natsu Dragneel. Natsu, this is Lucy Heartfilia."
"Yo," Natsu said in greeting, holding out his hand for Lucy to shake. With a smile on her face, Lucy accepted the gesture by sliding her small hand into his rough one, giving it a small shake.
"It's nice to meet you."
"Likewise," Natsu replied, and if it were even possible, his smile grew a little more. When Lucy's smile began to mirror his expression, Bisca laughed and threw an arm around Natsu's shoulders. She faced Lucy, still embracing the boy.
"Natsu is a really close friend of mine and Alzack's. He's helped us out more times than we can count. We wouldn't even be here if it weren't for him."
Lucy watched as a light blush colored Natsu's cheeks and he ducked his head, rubbing the back of his neck. This only caused Bisca to laugh before music started to sound through the back doors.
"Oh! Okay, everyone, get in line! And remember: count to five before following the couple in front of you," Erza stated, taking her place in the back of the line. The couples all lined up in order, Natsu pausing to follow Lucy's lead.
"You're gonna have to lead me here. I have no idea what I'm doing. Never been to a wedding," he whispered to her quickly. Lucy merely nodded, looking straight ahead at the couples that were quickly disappearing down the aisle.
"Don't worry, I'll make us look good," Lucy promised, not thinking about her wording until she heard Natsu chuckle and mumble "No doubt about that" under his breath. When they finally walked down the aisle together, Lucy was sure her cheeks were as pink as her partner's hair.
After the actual wedding was over, Lucy and Natsu parted ways after walking back down the aisle together one last time. He'd laughed at her when he noticed tears falling from her eyes, but offered her a cloth from his inside pocket nonetheless. Lucy, of course, had called him heartless for not crying. Bisca and Alzack had written their own vows and Lucy was sure nothing she would ever write would compare to them at all. Natsu only gave a playful roll of his eyes and called her a weirdo.
"See you at the reception?" Natsu asked, walking in the opposite direction from the limousine that was to take the wedding party straight to the hall. Lucy's eyebrows furrowed.
"You're not coming with us? The whole wedding party is supposed to go and help finish setting up," Lucy explained, thinking that maybe since he'd arrived late he wasn't in on all the details. Natsu only shook his head.
"Since I literally only had time to drop my bags off before getting my ass dragged here by Gray, Alzack told me I could head back to my hotel for a nap. The reception's gonna last all night, I don't wanna have to leave early." Natsu flashed Lucy a grin that made her chest tighten, but she recovered quickly enough to send a smile back at him.
"Okay then. Rest well! I'll see you later." Lucy waved before turning around to join the rest of the wedding party.
Natsu smiled to himself, watching Lucy take a few steps away from him. After a moment, he turned around and headed back to his hotel.
