Lucy was strapping her keys to her garter when the door flung open.
"Sorry, we're late! This idiot took forever to put the damn thing on," Gray said as he quickly rushed past the girls to his suitcase to get dressed.
"Shut up, ice dick. This suit is stuffy as hell!" Natsu whined, tugging on his collar.
"I'll get on you both later. We have to go. Natsu, take off your scarf, it looks ridiculous," Erza spoke, grabbing her purse.
"Hell no! It looks good, you just can't appreciate it like I do-" Natsu started until Lucy caught his attention when she turned towards them.
She looked different than she ever had before. Natsu always knew she was pretty, but never like this.
This was different.
She was wearing a wedding dress. A gorgeous white, lacy gown. It gave him an overwhelming sense of joy. She was dressed as his bride. (His fake bride, but still.)
Her in that dress just looked right.
His eyes widened and his mouth was slightly agape as he gazed at her with eyes full of passion. Lucy blushed at his intense stare. She instinctively crossed her arms over her chest in embarrassment.
"Dude, stop eye-raping Lucy," Gray spoke from the other side of the room. Carla covered Wendy's eyes. Natsu's expression turned from serene into a vast scowl.
"Would you shut your damn mouth? I am not," he barked. Lucy let out a breath.
"What? Is it bad?" she spoke timidly and unconsciously brushed the dress down. He turned back to her and his face instantly cleared.
"No! No.. You look..." Natsu began, tugging his scarf over his cheeks to hide his blush. "Very nice," he finished.
Everyone in the room sweatdropped. What a letdown!
However, to Lucy, it was still a compliment. She gave him a sweet smile, one reserved only for him. "Thank you, Natsu." The words seemed to roll perfectly off her tongue.
"You two can ogle each other when we get back. We have to go!" Happy called as he flew out the door, Erza following close behind, but not before waving her arm to the rest of the team. Gray, Wendy, and Carla quickly filed out.
"I swear if I wasn't in this damn dress I would chase that cat down the stairs," Lucy mumbled, bending over to lift the bottom of the dress so she could walk properly. She felt Natsu grab her hand and unfold her fingers, and she straightened her back to stare at him questionably. She couldn't meet his eyes, though, since he had bent down and wrapped his arm under her thighs, picking her up, and placing the other around her back to support her.
"Natsu put me down!" Lucy yelled, squirming and eagerly trying to escape his hold.
"Lucy stop! You can't walk all the way there like that!" he said, trying to avoid any of Lucy's thrashing limbs that could hit his face. Luckily she stopped. She was silent for a moment.
"Fine... But only so we can get there faster!" she finally spoke and wrapped her arms around his neck for support. He carried them out of their room, over the threshold, and shut the door back behind them. He looked down at her and gave him one of his infamous smiles. The ones he would give before "accidentally" destroying a town.
"You ready?"
"No."
After what seemed like the longest walk to the church, (which included many snarky comments from Happy and stares from everyone they passed) they had finally arrived. While Erza checked them in, everyone else waited by the big double doors that led into the chapel. The doors that many couples walked through on the start of a long journey together.
Natsu was doing his best to avoid staring at Lucy. He wasn't sure how he got through carrying her for five blocks. But he also wasn't sure what was so different about how he was feeling. He had carried her many times before and seen her in pretty dresses. So what was the outlier?
Suddenly unsure of what to do with his clammy hands, he put them in his pocket, but his eyes widened when he felt the surface of a velvet box. "Shit!" he cursed before quickly pulling it out of his pocket and turning to Lucy. "Here. I almost forgot," he said, opening the box and taking the ring out before gently slipping it onto her right ring finger. Gray snickered.
"Wrong one, flame brain," Gray began, opening his mouth to deliver another insult on his IQ when Lucy interrupted him.
"He's actually right this time. The wedding band actually goes on the left ring finger first, and then the engagement ring. Most brides just put it on their right hand for the ceremony," she spoke, admiring it on her finger. "It is pretty. You picked a good one," she said before reaching her hand up and quickly ruffling his hair. He smiled and grabbed her wrist and pulled it over her head, attempting to pinch her sides with his other hand. While trying to use her other arm to fend him off, she laughed, allowing all of the built-up wariness and thoughts of what she didn't have bubble out with her giggles. All she was focused on was her best friend, the one person she did have who managed to make her feel so good.
That is until they got too loud and Erza gave them the death stare from the check-in counter. They immediately straightened up.
"They like each otherrrrrrrr~" a voice sang.
It was finally time for her to walk down the aisle. Her hands were so sweaty, it seemed like the bouquet would slip out of her hands. Lucy shook her head.
"There's no reason to be nervous. It's only a job. Your dress must be too tight," she thought.
When she finally made it to the altar, the only thing she saw was Natsu's eyes staring at her, similar to back at the hotel. She noticed his fingers fidgeting with the top of his pants.
As the priest began his wedding spiel, Lucy scanned him. He was kind of old. His beard was white as snow and had grown down to his mid-neck. His face was full of age lines, mostly around his mouth. He seemed like a sweet old man. But definitely not to be underestimated. His whole being held a mystery essence. No one knew anything about him. Lucy moved her eyes to look at Natsu.
He looked so bored, she almost laughed. He was staring at a painting behind her of a bird. When he noticed she was staring at him, he lazily met her eyes. He quickly peeked to see if Erza and Gray were looking from the pews and looked back at her before squinting his eyes and puckering his lips, contorting his face into a scrunched up mess. He quickly returned it to his resting face and gave her a cocky smirk. "Beat that," it said.
She widened her eyes in reply, ones that told him, "absolutely not."
His grin never faltered, taunting her. Lucy took a deep breath and exhaled.
In a split second, she crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue before quickly returning it back to normal. His smile got wider, showing off his pearly fangs. He began to bare his teeth when a voice cut into their silent competition.
"Your vows, Sir?" the reverend spoke.
"Oh my God! We never went over what to do during the actual ceremony!" Lucy thought, her breath hitching.
"Oh yeah! Okay..." Natsu started, his mind searching for something, anything to say. Gray placed the palm of his hand on the side of his forehead, not looking forward to whatever was about to come out of Natsu's mouth. Erza, Wendy, and Carla stared at him expectantly, hoping whatever he said made some sort of sense. He cleared his throat. "I vow to always be a good husband. I vow to always break into your house, eat your food, and sleep in your bed. You can't kick me out, though! I'll be your husband and so you have to let me. Uh..." Natsu trailed off, trying to think of anything else. "Oh yeah! I'll always protect you on jobs, and I promise to always be by your side- wait no! I VOW!" Natsu smirked, obviously proud of himself. Lucy stared at him in disbelief, even though she wasn't really surprised. In his seat, Happy smiled and quietly clapped for him. Everyone else shrugged. Good enough for them. The priest unfurrowed his eyebrows.
"Okay...Very nice," he said hesitantly before turning to Lucy. "And yours?" Lucy nodded and turned to look at Natsu. She took a deep breath.
"Natsu. That day we met in Hargeon, I thought you were crazy. I actually still think you're crazy. But you changed my life in the best way possible. You brought me to Fairy Tail and taught me so many things about being apart of a family that's not related by blood. Even though you get on my nerves sometimes, you're still my absolute best friend, and I wouldn't trade you for all of the celestial keys in Earthland. I vow to always fight by your side and to stay with you forever. I promise to always be there for you," she finished, having never left his eyes. She gave him a small smile. The grin on his face was so wide his cheeks hurt. The priest gave a gentle smile.
"Lovely. Now for the rings," he said, waiting for Happy to bring the rings on a small pillow. Natsu grabbed hers, and Lucy vice-versa. "Natsu, slide this ring onto Lucy's left hand and repeat after me. "With this ring," he began.
Natsu gently slipped it onto her ring finger. "With this ring," he repeated slowly, making sure he didn't mess it up.
"I thee wed."
"I thee wed," Natsu finished, looking back up at Lucy. He didn't let go of her hand. The priest smiled.
"Now, Lucy. Slide this ring onto Natsu's left hand and repeat after me. "With this ring."
Lucy shakily placed it onto his ring finger. "With this ring," she repeated.
"I thee wed."
"I thee wed," Lucy finished, looking up, and tightening her grip on his hand. Lucy was always fascinated with his hands. The hands that he used to destroy, to fight with and to harm evil wizards and bandits. They were covered in callouses. They were dry and ugly. But yet, whenever he held her hand, the only thing she felt was tenderness. His hands were gentle with her. These hands had damaged so much, but whenever they held hers, they reflected nothing but care.
"Natsu, repeat after me," the priest spoke. "I, Natsu."
"I, Natsu."
"Take thee, Lucy."
"Take thee, Lucy."
"As my lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, until death parts us."
"As my lawfully wedded wife, in sickness, and in health, until death parts us," Natsu spoke slowly, concentrating on remembering the words.
The priest did the same with Lucy, and while repeating, her hands began to shake, knowing what happened next. The priest smiled.
"By the power vested in me, by the town of Oshibana, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride," he finished, smiling expectantly at Natsu. He had no idea what to do. He tried to read Lucy's eyes, trying to find any indication of what she wanted. Obviously, he was supposed to kiss her, but he also didn't want to get slapped. First, he gently lifted the veil from over her face, light pink spreading across her cheeks from his close proximity. He then slowly leaned forward, not leaving her eyes.
Lucy quickly took control and swerved her head around, lightly pecking him on the cheek, chickening out of what could've been her first real kiss. When she leaned back, she could spot Natsu's cheeks lightly dusted with pink. Maybe she was just imagining it. He reluctantly let go of her hand and offered his arm out to her. She took it and tightly held her arm around his, thankful that it was almost over. Natsu's cheek still tingled from the light touch of her lips from a few moments before. As they slowly walked back down the aisle, they were both highly alert, awaiting for thieves to appear.
They were in the middle of the aisle, anxiously awaiting for someone to jump out at them.
Nearing the doors now.
Almost at the door.
Natsu was now twisting the door handle, Lucy tightening her grip on his arm.
They exited.
Nothing.
"What the hell?" Natsu said, angrily taking off his tie. "Where are they?" he said before throwing it to the ground. He took a deep breath like the tie had been strangling him throughout the entire ceremony.
"I don't know, I don't know! What are we supposed to do?" Lucy said quietly, pacing around the chapel entryway. The rest of Team Natsu finally came out of the doors.
"What happened?" Gray exclaimed, seeming to have already ditched his tux.
"You think I know, frosty?" Natsu growled, stepping towards him to pick a fight. Erza grabbed him before he could.
"Behave! Let's go through this. We're at the right church, right?" Everyone nodded.
"Did we get the right priest?" Wendy piped up. Erza exhaled.
"Yes, of course. Reverend Pearce," Erza said, returning to her train of thought. Lucy raised an eyebrow.
"Isn't his name Reverend Pearson?" Lucy rebutted. Erza's face became as pale as a ghost.
"I think I may have made a minor mistake..." she said, embarrassed.
"You got the wrong guy?!" they all yelled in unison.
"No worries! We can probably find them somewhere in this town..." Erza encouraged. They all opened their mouth to retort when loud cackling filled their ears. They all turned their heads, following the sound. Standing by a large vase in a corner, stood a large burly man, hunched over in laughter. He quickly stood, wiping a tear from his eye.
"I'm Reverend Pearson. Well, I'm just Pearson. You all know I'm a fake priest. I heard the mayor hired a group from Fairy Tail to get rid of me and the rest of Poison Fang, and I was so curious. I thought I would have to step up my game, but you couldn't even get the right guy!" he finished, falling into a fit of laughter again. Team Natsu stared at him in shock, until Natsu sprung into action. He ran towards him, preparing to strike.
"Fire Dragon's Iron-" he began before he was harshly pushed down into the ground by an invisible force. Pearson stared at him, eyes glowing a bright orange.
"Kneel," he spoke quietly. Natsu cried out in pain.
"Agh!" he choked.
"Natsu!" Happy called, flying over trying in an attempt to rescue him, before he too was pulled down onto the floor. The rest of Team Natsu sprung into action.
"Sky Dragon's Wing Attack," Wendy attacked, Pearson easily dodging it.
"This guy is quick," Erza said, quickly changing into her Clear Heart armor. Gray began calling out attacks next to her, all unsuccessful. Lucy, however, stood still, deep in thought, until two arms came around her neck in a chokehold. She stepped on their foot and jabbed her elbow into their abdomen. They immediately collapsed. She twirled to look at her offender but was taken aback when the sweet old receptionist stared back at her, eyes glowing a bright orange.
"Just like Zash from Stella!" she exclaimed. She quickly reached under her dress to retrieve Capricorn's Key. "Star Dress, Capricorn!" she called, quickly removing her shades. "Gray!" she called before tossing them over to him. "Put these on! Now you can hit him!" He caught them with ease and placed them over his eyes. He charged straight towards Pearson.
"Ice-Make: Lance!" he yelled, the ice lances charging straight towards Pearson. His eyes widened when an invisible wall was created in front of him, the lances crashing into it, shattering instantly. "What the hell?" he yelled in frustration. "Lucy, these are useless! If he could control wizards, he would've done it by now! Covering our eyes does nothing!" Pearson chuckled.
"You all are like children, making the same mistakes over and over again!" Suddenly, Reverend Pearce came charging through the doors and running straight towards Gray, tackling him before they began to wrestle on the floor.
"Agh, Lucy!" Natsu yelled. "His eyes!"
"Already figured that out, Natsu! He can still use whatever invisible force he has!" Lucy shouted, trying to get the receptionist off of her.
Erza jumped at Pearson from behind, jumping onto his shoulders and placing her arms around his head, covering his eyes. Suddenly, Natsu and Happy were released by the invisible force. Lucy gasped.
Then, it clicked.
"That's it! Natsu! Hurry, knock him out!" Lucy called. "He's useless without his eyes!" Gray and Lucy were released by both Reverend Pearce and the receptionist. Pearson clawed at Erza with his arms, trying to get him off of her. Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough, and Natsu landed a quick kick to his temple, sending him to the floor.
"K.O!" Happy cheered. Erza jumped off of him.
"Nice job, team!" she praised, staring at Pearson from above. "That was way easier than I thought it would be. I wonder how no one caught him before?" Lucy massaged her previously pinned arms as she walked towards them.
"He always ran away, remember? Without the brain, the body dies. Everyone just always assumed he was only their leader, when in reality it was just a bunch of innocents being controlled. I guess Poison Fang doesn't exist. All of those "bandits" must have been random people from the street." Lucy pieced together, fiddling with the new ring around her finger. Reverend Pearce sat up from the floor a few feet away, and scratched his head.
"Wow, my head feels fuzzy," he spoke deeply. He looked up to Natsu and Lucy who were currently doing a celebratory handshake. "Ah, what a beautiful couple." Reverend Pearce slowly got to his feet and walked over to the pair. Natsu and Lucy turned to look at him.
"Are you okay, sir?" Lucy asked, scanning him for any bruises.
"Oho, I'm fine my dear. I can't express my gratitude. Both me and Lydia are very thankful for you and your team's work."
"Of course, sir!" Wendy chirped, coming up behind him and shaking his hand.
"You're welcome, old man," Natsu said before receiving a smack on the back of the head from Lucy. Reverend Pearce chuckled.
"You better keep him in line, Mrs. Dragneel! Good luck, son, in a few months, you're gonna be miserable! But in all honesty, you two have the best chemistry I've seen in years. I hope you have a wonderful life together!" He gave them a sincere smile before exiting the chapel.
"Did he just call me..." Lucy thought.
"Mrs. Dragneel?!" Lucy cried out, placing both of her hands on the side of her head. Happy collapsed onto the floor, laughing his head off.
"Erza got an actual priest! You two actually got married! Hahahaha!" he laughed as he cried tears of laughter. Lucy was frozen. Natsu was silent for a moment before speaking up.
Gray snickered. "What a happy couple! The Dragneels! Hahahaha!" Gray was bent over in laughter.
"Mrs. Dragneel" echoed through Lucy's mind, her thoughts running wild as she stood frozen, looking almost petrified. It became too much for her brain to process.
Suddenly, the world became very dark from behind her eyes.
She was out before she hit the floor.
Thank you for reading Chapter 2! I have mixed feelings about this chapter, so I'm sorry if it's not up to your expectations! I'm still very new to writing, so I hope you guys can bear with me as I find my writing style. I'm gonna try my best to get chapters out on a weekly basis. I start online school soon, so if chapters begin to not get updated as frequently, that's probably why.
Please review, I love seeing everyone's opinions! Stay safe and healthy! 3