title: forever a bridesmaid
pairing: NaLu. hints of laxanna, galevy, gruvia
summary: Lucy gets drunk and jealous and impatient at Cana's wedding. Good thing Natsu knows her better than she knows herself.
author's note: I saw a video of an actual bride doing this and I thought it was super sweet, and I was also reading Fairy Tail at the time - so, ta da! I'm so lame. It's a little sad.


Lucy was so totally not jealous.

Her complete lack of jealousy was probably a little alarming.

Because any sane woman who had been in a stable relationship for three years would be maybe a little jealous of her best friend getting married to her childhood sweetheart, right?

But not Lucy.

Because she was the best maid of honor, like, ever.

And she was so totally not jealous.

Nor was she drunk.


Cana and Laxus were married.

After fourteen months of pain staking planning, late nights, last minute adjustments, pre-dawn panicked calls, Lucy's best friend had finally married her childhood sweetheart. It was a cool September evening,, and there was alcoholic shenanigans galore—because hello, Cana?—and the father-daughter dance between Cana and Gildharts made everyone, literally everyone, cry. Laxus had foregone the mother-son dance, as his parents had passed away when he was young, but his grandfather appeared in the middle of the dance floor, already smashed, and shouted that he demanded a dance with his grandson.

Somehow, they had found a quiet moment for a slow dance, after the cake had been cut, and Lucy watched from her seat at the head table, a small smile on her face. Cana looked beautiful in her silk, cut-to-her-figure dress, with flowers in her hair, and a smile on her face.

"Luuuucy!" sang a voice, appearing in the seat beside her. It was Levy, her blue hair done up in a loose bun, looking fabulous in her purple bridesmaid dress, one that matched Lucy's.

"Who let you have tequila?" Lucy groaned, as Levy offered her a glass of wine.

"Oh, you're so silly," Levy giggled, her cheeks flushed with just a smidge of drunkenness, as she affectionately pet her friend's blonde head. It wasn't often that Levy The Med Student got drunk, so when she did, she meant business. "Now, why don't you tell Mama Levy what's the matter?"

"What? Nothing!" Lucy protested. "I'm just taking a break—my feet hurt from all that dancing. These shoes are murder," she said, gesturing to the high heels Cana had chosen for them.

"Silly Lucy, thinking you can lie to Mama Levy like that."

"Please stop calling yourself Mama Levy."

"Natsu noticed it, too! Who do you think sent me over here?" Levy giggled again, gesturing to the other side of the room. Sure enough, dressed in his groomsmen attire, looking handsome as ever was Lucy's boyfriend, sharing a beer with Gray and Juvia. Just as Lucy looked up, Natsu glanced away.

Okay, that was cute. Lucy couldn't help but smile.

"Lucy," Levy said, drawing her friend's attention back. "You know, it's okay to feel a little jealous of Cana."

Lucy groaned, knocked back her wine, and then slumped in her chair.

"Levy!" she moaned, probably a little drunk now. "I want to get married!"

The bluette giggled, "You will, silly. You and Natsu are, like, forever."

"But , every time I mention it or talk about it—or before, when I would talk about planning Cana's wedding—he starts acting all weird!" Lucy complained, stealing Levy's glass of wine. "He starts mumbling or changes the subject! One time, he even ran away."

"I'm sure he's just uncomfortable about it," Levy consoled. "It did take him approximately two years to ask you out in the first place, after all."

"He literally ran away from the subject, Levy."

"Lucy, Natsu loves you! You two are going to get married, and that's that, ok?"

"Yeah, that's easy for you to say, Mrs. I-went-to-city-hall-without-telling-anyone-Redfox!" Lucy snapped, sending her friend daggers.

"Lucy, I told you, on our anniversary, we'll have a party, and you can plan the whole thing—,"

"NOT GOOD ENOUGH, LEVY."

Levy sighed, patting her friend's shoulder, soothingly. She allowed her friend approximately ten more minutes of self-pity-wallowing, accompanied by several more glasses of wine, before she hauled Lucy to her feet. It was Levy's intention to drag her friend out onto the dance floor, a plan that would have gone swimmingly, had Lucy not caught sight of her boyfriend just then.

"Oh, dear," Levy sighed.

"YOU!" she shouted, jabbing her finger in Natsu's face.

"Uh oh, Scary Lucy," Natsu quailed, attempting to hide behind Gray, who side stepped him.

"You, Natsu Dragneel, are in…are in trouble!" Lucy slurred, stumbling over her words on her feet.

"Okay, you've had a bit too much to drink," Natsu observed.

"You've had too much to drink in your face—ha!"

"That doesn't even make sense."

"Neither does your face."

Gray was now laughing.

"Lucy—,"

"NATSU. WHY DON'T YOU LOVE ME?"

"I do love you, you drunken idiot. Will you keep it down, please?"

Gray was now laughing hysterically.

"IF YOU LOVE ME, WHY WON'T YOU MARRY ME?"

Gray was now crying from laughing.

"Lucy, do you really think now is the time to be talking about something like this?"

"I WILL TALK WHEN I WANT TO TALK, NATSU DRAGNEEL."

"Please—please stop shouting…"

"I AM A STRONG, INDEPENDENT WOMAN."

"Yes, Lucy, I know."

"I DON'T NEED NO MAN."

"Of course you don't, dear."

"FEMINSIM."

"Yes, dear."

There would have been a lot more ranting and shouting—which the rest of the wedding party didn't hear, as it was Cana's wedding, and everyone was drunk and shouting—but the DJ interrupted Lucy, mid-swing at Natsu's head.

"Step right up, ladies!" he called into the crowd. "Time to take your chances and hope that Fate will pick you to be the next lucky bride!"

"What?" Lucy panicked, immediately in maid-of-honor-mode. She turned away from Natsu and rushed over to her friend. "Cana, I'm so sorry, I specifically told him that you didn't want to do this stupid tradition—,"

"Don't worry about it, Luce!" Cana laughed, as someone handed her the bouquet. The stressful wedding part was over, and she was four shots deep, which made for an extremely go-with-the-flow kind of bride. "It's just a stupid tradition, let's have fun with it!"

"But—,"

"C'mon, Lucy!" Mirajane laughed, tugging on her friend's hand, pulling her to the front of the crowd of women who weren't married. A silly tune started up and Lucy allowed herself to get caught up in the excitement. Cana might hate these kind of traditions, but Lucy absolutely loved them.

The crowd started chanting, as Cana pretended to warm up for her toss.

"1—2—3!"

Cana abruptly turned around and handed the collection of flowers to Lucy.

"W-what?" Lucy stammered, before a hand closed on her elbow and turned her around.

And there was Natsu, the biggest shit-eating grin on his face ever.

"What were you saying earlier?" he teased her, while Lucy could only stare. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small velvet box, and then got down on one knee.

"Oh, my God, oh my God, oh my God," Lucy hyperventilated. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she acknowledged that Cana was hugging her, and Levy was grinning, and Erza was crying. If she looked around, she would see Gray smirking and Gajeel grudgingly trading money with Loke, as if they had bet on when the dumbass would actually propose.

But she could only focus on the man she loved.

"Lucy Heartfilia," Natsu said, now a genuine, loving smile on his face. "You are my best friend, and the love of my life. Ever since we met, I knew that we were forever. I never want to stop going on adventures with you. Will you marry me?"

"YES!" Lucy screamed, and tackled him to the floor, and cheers erupted all around them as they kissed, and kissed, and kissed, because they were in love, and they loved their friends, and that's all that mattered.


BECAUSE I NEED MORE NALU IN MY LIFE, OKAY?