I heard pocketwoman7 is going to have a very special day soon! This is dedicated for you! Hope you like it! (All aboard the fluffy train!)
Word count: 2.8 k
"Psst, Lily…"
"What now Gajeel?" The battle-form Exceed sighed growing more and more tired from the dragon slayer's attitude with each passing minute.
"I don't think I can do this." Gajeel whispered in a panicked tone. He was looking over his shoulder to keep talking with his friend while he shifted uncomfortably where he was standing.
Lily sighed once again. "Gajeel, we have gone through this already." Juvia looked their way when she heard part of the conversation. Her eyes asked Lily what was going on and he just rolled his eyes and pointed his chin towards Gajeel muttering silently to her 'this idiot again'.
"Yeah, I know. And I heard that, cat!" The dragon slayer turned his head around to growl at his friend.
The click-clack of a pair of heels made Gajeel turn to the other side and see Juvia closing the small gap between where she stood a couple seconds before to where the dragon slayer was. This earned quite a few strange looks from the people in the building but the water mage ignored them.
"Is everything alright, Gajeel-kun?" She placed a hand over his shoulder, patting lightly the black suit jacket he wore. Lily also closed the gap between them with two steps and Gajeel turned slightly to his side to face both of his closest friends.
"He's getting cold feet." Lily smirked when Gajeel looked at him with wide eyes and spluttered a bunch of words that made no sense.
Juvia gasped and placed her hand over her mouth. "Is it true?!" Her voice was low to avoid creating a commotion, but Gajeel could bet that if they were someplace else she would have yelled at him in a high-pitch tone.
"It ain't that!" Gajeel clenched his jaw, clearly irritated to be accused of something like that. Still, his posture remained the same, standing tall with his back straight and hands clasped in front of him. He needed to pretend that he was calmed and relaxed. He couldn't let any of the guests see there were these strange feelings inside him eating him alive.
"It's just…" He sighed and looked to the side, brows furrowing in thought. "What if I ain't good enough? What if she decides to leave me?" His chest tightened painfully at just the mere idea of something like that happening. "She deserves better." He muttered sadly.
"She does." Lily teased him and Gajeel quickly shoot him a deadly glare. Still, the Exceed could see the pain and the doubts clouding his partner's soul. His tone changed as he placed a large hand on the other's shoulder. "We've been through this, Gajeel. You thought the same thing when you asked her out."
"Yeah, but-"
"And when you asked her to be your girlfriend." The Exceed continued.
"I know but-"
"And when you moved in together." Juvia added.
"Still, she-"
"And " Lily emphasized the word cutting Gajeel short, "when you proposed to her. And you know what her answer was every time?" The Exceed quirked an eyebrow questioningly at his friend.
Gajeel pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. "Cut the crap, Li-"
"Language, Gajeel-kun!" Juvia hushed as she slapped him lightly on his arm.
"Yes." Lily continued. "She said yes every time to you, you lughead."
Gajeel smiled at remembering all those occasions where he was terrified of being rejected, of making a fool of himself, of being left alone, and how with one single word she was able to change his life for the better. Those three letters meant nothing in anyone else's mouth, but her voice has this power that made that one syllable be so important for him. In exchange, Gajeel wanted to be someone worthy of her; it was the least he could do.
"Levy-san loves Gajeel-kun." Juvia stated.
And that was a fact that he knew was as real as the ethernando in the air.
"Levy-san thinks Gajeel-kun is good enough for her. That's why she's marrying you today, Gajeel-kun." Juvia smiled at him and he found himself returning the gesture.
Gajeel smirked and looked at both of his friends, "Thanks, I appreciate it guys."
"Wow, big word. Are you trying to impress Levy?" Lily teased him and the glum mood of the dragon slayer vanished from existence.
"Agh, shut up Lil!" Gajeel glared at his friend and Juvia giggled at the scene.
Suddenly, their attention was drawn by Warrod coughing into his hand, an obvious attempt to signal them that it was time. He looked at Juvia and she nodded in understanding. She fixed the quirked white rose that was perched on the front pocket of Gajeel's jacket and he nodded in gratitude for the gesture. Then, with one last pat on Gajeel's shoulder, she made her way to the opposite side of the aisle, returning to her place beside Lucy while smoothing down her light pink dress. The stellar mage asked her if everything was alright and the bluenette nodded happily. "Perfect." She whispered to the blonde and both laughed lightly.
"Everybody rise." Warrod's voice boomed through the building and soon everybody stood up and looked towards the doors. Lily took it as his cue to retake his place behind Gajeel and next to Natsu who seemed to be oblivious about the conversation with the iron mage.
Gajeel held his breath and felt how his heartbeat sped up in anticipation. His eyes were glued to the enormous double-doors. He barely registered how the room grew silent in eager anticipation.
Then, the doors of Kardia Cathedral opened and Gajeel really thought that he had just died for what he was seeing could only be described as ethereal.
Levy stood there in all her less than 5 feet-tall glory looking even more gorgeous than usual. Her wild blue curls were held back by a light pink bandana with a flower on the side that matched Gajeel's white rose. The white dress with delicate floral engravings hugged her figure just perfectly; the delicate halter neckline exposed her shoulders and back, and white detached sleeves covered her arms just flawlessly leaving her lovely hands bare.
The afternoon light filtered through the opened doors creating a golden hue that outlined Levy's figure. She looked like an angel in that moment and Gajeel realized his jaw had dropped at some point while taking in her appearance.
Then, she lifted her beautiful hazel eyes and looked straight at him. And she smiled. At him. And even when he was standing by the altar and a great distance kept him apart from his fiancé, Gajeel could feel how that simple gesture knocked the air out of him.
He started to lean backwards, surely about to fall flat on his back, when a big hand was placed on his back, holding him in place and helping him regain his balance. He looked over his shoulder and saw Lily smiling at him reassuringly. Gajeel nodded at his best man in gratitude, regaining his footing, and looked back at her soon-to-be-wife.
Levy giggled at the dumbfounded expression of her fiancé. Then, she looked at Jet and Droy as each of them took their places at either side of her. They offered her their arms and she gladly took them, wrapping her hands around their forearms.
Jet nodded to the chorus and the piano started to play an especially beautiful song. The Bridal Chorus. Then, the three members of Team Shadow Gear started to walk down the aisle towards Gajeel.
Levy's veil trailed behind her as they walked to the altar, resembling a pair of fairy wings leaving traces of fairy dust in her wake. Gajeel was proud to have thought of such an accurate comparison, for he considered Levy as his fairy, his angel, his light.
Jet and Droy walked with their chests puffed out in pride and they were smiling with barely contained bliss. Levy was the perfect image of happiness as she looked from guest to guest muttering a 'thank you' and smiling kindly at them for their presence at the ceremony. Still, her gaze was continuously drawn back to the handsome black haired man that waited for her anxiously by the altar.
Gajeel had to remind himself how to breath several times as he felt how the time seemed to go slower with every step the three mages took. He wondered if the two males were doing this on purpose since he knew Jet was able to get Levy to the altar in a blink of an eye. Still, Gajeel took in every prolonged second admiring how beautiful Levy was and contemplating how fucking lucky he was for even been able to be in the same room with her. Heck, he was the luckiest bastard in the whole Earthland as he was about to marry this amazing, smart and gorgeous woman. She would be his, and he would be hers.
And he kept wondering dumbfoundedly how they got to this.
Gajeel was a man full of regrets. He committed many sins in his past and understood the severity of his actions. But somehow along the way, he must have done something right, for here he was about to marry Levy, the woman he had hurt, who had forgiven him a long time ago, and the same woman that loves him so freaking much for who he is.
Yes, he is the luckiest man alive and while his mind wandered to the past, a lingering thought returned to him.
I'm not good enough for her.
His expression most likely showed how he felt on the inside for Levy looked at him with confusion written all over her face. Somehow, she figured out what was going through his mind and she gave him her 'everything is okay' smile. (Oh, yes, Gajeel knows what each of her smiles mean).
And just like that, all his doubts and worries flew out the window. It was as if she had lighted up a candle in his mind and made all the shadows recede into nothingness. She loves him and he loves her and that was all that mattered at that moment.
Finally, Team Shadow Gear took the final step and stood next to Gajeel in front of the altar. The dragon slayer smiled down at his fiancé and then looked up to meet Jet and Droy's eyes, silently thanking them for trusting him with such a precious treasure.
Before they released Levy from their hold, Jet spoke, his words were directed to Gajeel. "If anyone have told us that there'll be a day where we would be giving Levy away to marry you Gajeel, we would have laughed at their faces." He chuckled and Gajeel grinned in response.
"But here we are. And in all honestly, neither of us could picture this any other way." His tone was warm and pleased. It made Gajeel look from one male to the other, waiting for a teasing remark that never came.
"We've been a team since we were kids." It was Droy's turn to speak and he directed his words to Levy who looked up at him with her big eyes. "And we've been happy to consider ourselves as your brothers. It gives us great joy to have walked down the aisle with you today, on the happiest day of your life." Levy smiled at the plant mage.
"We wish nothing else but happiness for you Levy." He looked up to meet Gajeel's red eyes before continuing. "And we know Gajeel is that for you."
"We'll always be family." Levy turned to see Jet looking down at her. "We'll always be here for you whenever you need us."
"And definitely," Droy added, "we'll be thrilled to watch as you start this new adventure with the man you love." At the last part of his statement, the three of them looked at Gajeel who was breathing with some difficulty, the men's words having a huge effect on him. Levy's eyes prickled with unshed tears of happiness.
"And you metalhead," Jet reached out and placed a comforting hand on Gajeel's shoulder, "if you thought you were going to get rid of us that easily, you were wrong." Some guests chuckled at the joke and the dragon slayer rolled his eyes good-naturedly and grinned.
Droy also reached out and placed his hand on the other shoulder of the iron mage. His voice lacked the teasing tone from his friend and showed appreciation for the man in front of them. "Today you're not just marrying Levy. Today, you're also gaining two brothers." He smiled affectionately as Gajeel stared wide-eyed at him. "So, welcome to the family Gajeel."
Gajeel smiled at them, one of his truest and gentlest smiles. He willed himself not to wipe away the small droplets that gathered at the corner of his eyes and took a deep breath. He nodded, accepting their conditions and thanking them for their words, for them had hit home within the dragon slayer. They were giving him their blessing to marry Levy and, even when he had told himself time and time again that he didn't care about that, their words eased his heart. They made him feel welcome to another piece of Levy's world, one that he never thought he would ever be accepted to.
Jet and Droy dropped their hands from Gajeel's shoulders and squeezed Levy's hand affectionately one last time.
"Oh, and one more thing, Gajeel." Jet commented. "There'll be days when you'll feel yourself unworthy of Levy," Gajeel tensed up at his words. Was he that easy to read? How could Jet know about the thought that had clouded his mind for a long time now?
The speed mage grinned at Gajeel's reaction. He had hit right on spot. Then, he softened his eyes before continuing. "In all honesty, that feeling will never go away." Gajeel's eyes saddened. "But don't feel bad about that. Instead, use that. Use that feeling to become a better man for her."
Gajeel stared expectantly at the orange haired man. "It'll help you work hard each day so you'll feel worthy of her."
The iron mage closed his eyes and let out a sigh of relief. He felt how the last traces of doubts left his body at that moment. When he looked up again, he saw Jet's toothy grin, surely proud to have calm the dragon slayer down with his words.
Then, Droy bended down slightly for Levy to be able to reach him and give him a warm hug and a gentle kiss on his cheek. She repeated the same treatment with Jet and then they let go of her hands; this was the moment they would leave her in Gajeel's care.
The two males shook their hands with Gajeel and smiled happily at the iron mage; Gajeel returned the gesture.
"Wait." Just when Jet and Droy were about to walk past him and take their places with the rest of the groomsmen, Gajeel called after them. They looked at him questioningly and got surprised when the dragon slayer suddenly wrapped his arms around their shoulders and brought them close into a tight hug.
Gajeel wasn't one to demonstrate his affections to anyone but Levy. Nevertheless, their words had such a huge effect on him that he didn't care if anyone called him a softy after this. To been given their blessing and Jet's advice on his insecurities, lifted the weight on his heart and gave him that extra confidence that neither Lily nor Juvia had been able to provide for him. He was ready now, more than ever, to marry Levy and work his ass off each and every day of his life to be a better man for her.
After the initial shock, both Jet and Droy returned the hug and patted him on his back. Gajeel's face rested on their shoulders, between the two males.
"Thank you." He muttered just for them to hear.
"Just make sure you make her happy." Droy whispered back and Gajeel nodded.
"I promise." And he meant it with every fiber of his being.
He released his hold on the two mages and the three of them grinned playfully at each other. Finally, Jet and Droy took their places next to Natsu and Gajeel returned to his bride's side.
Levy looked at him with so much love and admiration as he took her hand and together they walked the last two steps to the altar.
The ceremony went by quickly for Gajeel since there was no more dreadful feelings dragging him down anymore. They exchanged vows and he gladly wiped away the tears of happiness that trailed down Levy's face. In a blink of an eye, Warrod's voice declared them husband and wife and Gajeel had to suppress the urge to whoop and shout in excitement.
And then, he was allowed to kiss his bride. And when he placed his lips on hers, everything fell into place. Right at that moment, Gajeel knew everything will be alright as long as he'll stay by his wife's side.
A/N Happy wedding pocketwoman7! Hope you have a wonderful day!
WTF (Where's The Food)