I always wondered how someone frail as her could affect the skies so much, that it either cried with her or for her. Painful gloom painted the atmosphere in the form of heavy pelting drops every time her heart raged in anguish nonetheless.
The rain that fell from the sky today was no exception, and even though it wasn't her doing, I could still feel her faint aroma in it. Mist, dew, and everything rainy.
I looked around standing at the altar, trying to catch azure eyes, but to no avail. She wasn't here, indeed. Maybe she'll never show up.
As I was about to check the other side of the hall, my gaze fixed on honey brown eyes. The girl was clad in white, golden locks curled, and pinned beneath a veil. She looked beautiful, there was no questioning that, but not nearly as beautiful as a certain blue-haired maiden would have in a wedding dress. I shook my head as if it would help me push out the image of this another girl whom I wasn't supposed to think about, not anymore when I was getting married to Lucy.
Lucy smiled at me as Natsu escorted her down the aisle to give her away to me in marriage.
I cast my gaze around the hall one last time to see if she really wasn't there, she wasn't. What was I even going to do if I'd find her present amongst all these guests anyway? Break things off with Lucy?
I don't think I have enough guts, or much pride left to do that. Besides, I wouldn't live to see the next morning if I do such a thing because Natsu would then kill me for hurting Lucy, but mostly for hurting Juvia.
The priest began the ceremony, then he asked no one in particular to voice their objection to the marriage being held.
To say I expected to hear an angelic voice wanting to stop the wedding would be an understatement.
I wanted her to stop it. Come and take Lucy's hand out of mine and intertwine hers with me instead. Call Lucy her love rival as always, curse her for stealing me away. Turn to me and say she still loved me, and wanted to be with me. Then run out of the church with our hands still intact.
Lucy's brown eyes were bright against the dull lights, her smile never fading. I could hear the clock tick by at the rear wall in the silence quite palpable.
The priest continued.
I cursed myself internally for having such depraved thoughts, ashamed that I wasn't feeling guilty at all for having another woman on my mind on my wedding day.
The doors of the church opened with a loud bang. And in came Juvia Lockser heavily drenched.
All eyes along with mine on her, while she looked utterly embarrassed at her intrusion. Before I could realise, I had a silly smile cracking my face seeing how flustered she looked upon realising what situation she was in. I wanted to kiss that rosy tint of her cheeks and watch it grow ever so scarlet, 'cause she's made like that: shy, petite, gorgeous.
In my head, I sounded like a man hopelessly in love with a fairy. A forbidden love story, 'cause I know I can't have her.
The Juvia standing before me was different now, somehow, she didn't cry because I—her Gray-sama was getting married to someone. This Juvia was beaming at her friend Natsu, who descended the altar and headed halfway down the aisle to meet her. How their friendship evolved to bloom this much will still be a mystery to me. I have a clue though, their mutual hatred toward me was what brought them closer.
Natsu being protective as always, stood between me and Juvia as if sensing I was staring at her for far too long than considered normal. I averted my eyes for a few seconds, looking everywhere but at them temporarily, only for my gaze to return back to them—her.
Natsu had a hand against one of her cheek caressing it gently with his thumb. She blushed ruby at the contact, almost as red as Erza's hair. Her jaw dropping to the floor, she along with the entire guild gawked at him in surprise.
As for me I was too stunned at the fact that Juvia actually blushed for someone who wasn't me. That sure feels like a knife being twisted in my gut because I thought there was no one, absolutely no one in this world who could make Juvia blush, or stutter, or make her act as crazy as I did.
But here I am witnessing what a damned fool I have been for believing such lies.
Natsu awkwardly scratched his head saying he was just wiping away the rain drops. That did little to nothing to satisfy the prying eyes of the guild.
My heart stopped on itself when Juvia peaked over Natsu's shoulder. To ask the priest to continue with the ceremony, but not to stop it, and apologized profusely for causing a nuisance.
Natsu grabbed her hand. A set of gasps from around the hall were heard. Juvia, on the other hand, stared at their linked hands, she kept blinking at Natsu, who dragged her down the aisle and pointed at a spot for her to take. Mouth agape, Juvia nodded. Natsu put a finger under her chin and shut it saying a bee might fly in if she kept it open for too long.
It made me want to pummel him to death, but I had to keep my cool.
As Juvia made about to take the seat, Natsu grabbed her elbow, leaned down, and pecked her cheek, making Juvia flare red up to the roots of her hair.
Unbridled rage danced in my eyes, I could have sowrn that it would have burned the whole church down to a smouldering mess.
Sharp inhales and gasps from the audience only made my temper go up a notch. I clenched my teeth hard. God! These people and their pesky sounds.
Bastard! Flaming assholic bastard! How dare he! Just how dare he! I'll kill him for this!
As if he heard my thoughts, Natsu whirled around, narrowed his eyes at me then said, "hey father, or whatever they call you, didn't Juvia ask you to keep the ceremony going? What are we waiting for?" His insufferable smile was back again. His eyes locked on me, and akin to mine, challenge danced in his eyes, as if mocking me, taunting me about what I was going to do now.
The priest let a scoff out before continuing. Natsu came and took his spot as best man beside me.
It took every single cell in my body to keep myself from turning around and throttling him.
If he was messing around with Juvia's feelings as a retaliation for Lucy, then he's not going to walk on this earth after today.
Blinding panic wracked my nerves. How can I marry Lucy after being let in on this bit of information involuntarily? Natsu is definitely trying to extract retribution by hurting Juvia. He knew it, that was what Natsu going to do. Otherwise, how do you explain whatever feelings he was developing for her? They're so different, practically walking paradox. He's fire, she's water. He's a brute, and she's so perfect, and delicate, and so, so…utterly breakable. Natsu has to have an ulterior motive behind his public display of affections.
The priest asked if I take Lucy to be my lawfully wedded wife, a question I wasn't so sure about anymore, hell, I haven't been sure about it for a long, long time now.
I tried to coerce an answer out, but my mouth was slammed shut, weighed down by what I truly desired. Juvia.
Lucy was intently watched me waiting for an answer and so was everybody else, including Juvia.
Natsu, however, had a mask of stone. "Answer, Gray," he bristled from behind me as if he could see through what I had on mind.
He noticed it all the time I was with Lucy and had started longing for Juvia. I knew Natsu's feelings for Lucy, he liked her, was in love with her, even. But Lucy and I somehow got closer ever since after the war. Whatever little I was starting to feel for Juvia had receded, replaced by what I thought then was love.
If only I wasn't such an imbecile. The infatuation, like all infatuations, faded. filling me with regret for making such a rash decision.
The only one I could've confided in was Juvia. But I screwed that up when I rejected her to be with Lucy. Besides, there was also this reason that I realised how deeply in love with Juvia I was. The reason how I came to realise my infatuation with Lucy.
I still wanted to confide in someone and Natsu, was my only resort, but he was a completely different story.
After contemplating for a bit, I indulged him into that scrape of information I was desperately trying to get off my chest. I told him that he can have Lucy and I'd go back to Juvia. Easy-peasy, problem solved since he loved Lucy, anyway.
I thought I brought an appealing offer to the table and was smug that he'd take it, I was more surprised than angry when his fist connected with my jaw throwing my head in a haze.
I cursed, a thin ribbon of blood trailed down my chin from the spilt Natsu left on my lips, drops of blood dribbled down and stained the front of my white coat. Wiping it with the back of my sleeve, furrowing my brows at a Natsu, who stood as taut as a person possibly could. I asked him what did he do that for. His only response was to grab me by my collar and throw me out of his house. I staggered, but held my ground, fist ready to throw in a punch.
Natsu growled at me instead, without a word, and started closing his door as I stood there frozen to my core, and before he shut the door in my face entirely he mumbled something.
It was almost in a whisper, but I heard him clearly say that he didn't mind when I stole Lucy away from him, but if I so much as look in Juvia's direction he'll kill me. Those words coming from anyone's mouth, that too in a whisper wouldn't have caused a dent in my demeanour, hearing them spoken by Natsu, made an ice spider crawl up my spine, and I shuddered.
I Scrambled for my thoughts to come up with a fitting retort once I recovered from my shock, but he had already shut his door on me.
Lucy snapped her fingers before me pulling me out of my reverie, only for me to realise that everyone was waiting on me. For what? I took in my surroundings and remembered that it was my wedding day, I was getting married, but not to the girl who was lovingly looking at Natsu who stood beside me, equally enamoured by her.
It dawned upon me for the first time that maybe it wasn't an act to extract any retribution after all, but he, in fact, had fallen for Juvia. And she for him. How did this even happen?
When Natsu threw me out of his house I walked home not paying much mind to his words. From what I heard at Natsu's place, I laughed a good few minutes processing the idea of the flame brain with Juvia. Like that's ever going to happen. So I blamed it on alcohol for making me delusional.
Little did I knew that he's actually harbouring feelings for her. Does Juvia, too? If she was, she was doing a damn good job of hiding it. And I loathed them both for that.
With one deep breath, and a nudge from Natsu from behind asking me what I was doing, I completed my wedding vows binding myself to someone I wasn't in love with anymore. I still loved Lucy, and I wanted to do right by her side but I can't do that when my heart so agonisingly beat for someone else. Sweeping one last glance across the room, my gaze lingering on the water mage I turned to Face the girl in front of me, placing a kiss on my wife's lips. Lucy Heartfilia, now Lucy Fullbuster.
How I wish my name to have adorned someone else 's.
A/N: This may or may not have a little feel of my previous story and I profusely apologize for that. A prompt came up on my Pinterest feed and this scenario popped into my head and I had to write it. I wrote it several months ago and only got to post it now as I've been shit busy with my new job.
To the readers,
Who read my previous stories, liked 'em and left a review. Thank you so much for all of your support and reviews. Every single one of them made me squeal like a little girl on a swing. I am so very happy to know that y'all liked it. Thank you.