After the wedding, the guests began the walk to the nearby Akane resort. It wasn't far at all, but Levy was grateful for choosing a pair of kitten heels. She couldn't help but pity some of the women who had chosen much taller heels and were leaning on their friends and partners for support. Levy glanced back down at her phone, where she'd pulled up directions for the venue. It was only a few more minutes before she had arrived at the five star hotel.
The resort was gorgeous, with marble columns and water fountains INSIDE the building. Soft music was playing in the background and the only sound was the clicking of her heels on the tiles. She took her time to admire the structure as they were escorted by the manager to one of the many large function rooms. A sign outside one of the rooms read "The Fernandes Reception".
It was a large ballroom, with pale walls and long silk curtains. There was a balcony of one side and on the other side were windows, showing off the gorgeous beach. There were round tables, covered in white silk tablecloths. On each was a centrepiece consisting of purple flowers. A larger area was kept free for dancing and there was a booth set up for the DJ.
Soon all the guests were there, sipping champagne and chatting amongst their friends. However, as Levy looked around, there didn't seem to be many people she knew. Wendy and Mest were in the middle of a deep conversation and she didn't want to interrupt. Turning around to grab another drink, she bumped into something.
"Sorry!" she blurted, before meeting dark, cool eyes. More like someone.
"It's quite alright," the woman said, smoothing down her dress. That's when Levy realised who she was.
"Ah, you were on the groom's side!" Levy exclaimed. The woman nodded, betraying no emotion.
"I'm Levy," she said, extending out her hand; however, the woman only looked at it as if she was a statue. Levy suddenly felt rather small and awkward, her hand returning to her side.
"Don't be so cold, Ultear," a bubbly voice said from behind. Levy turned to see the other woman, the one with pink hair, standing behind her. There was something familiar about her though…
"Dr. Meredy!" Levy gasped," I didn't recognize you!"
The woman in front of her was completely different from their go to psychologist.
"Ah, hello Miss Levy!" Meredy chuckled," What a coincidence!"
Suddenly, the doors opened and the wedding party entered, minus the newlyweds. Everyone grew excited, knowing that Erza and Jellal would enter soon. The room became more lively, as the most rambunctious members of Fairy Tail began to celebrate.
Trailing behind the rest of the group, Gajeel looked around before spotting his tiny girlfriend, chatting with some pink haired girl. He quickly walked over to her, grinning down at her. Levy noticed him approaching and smiled up at him.
"You did so well!" Levy exclaimed, giving him a hug once he was in reach. Meredy giggled and decided to let the couple have their moment, slinking back into the crowd. Gajeel blushed, looking away. He wasn't used to the lovey dovey affection that came from being in a relationship, but he was trying his best, knowing it made Levy happy.
"Tch, wasn't that difficult."
"Still," Levy continued, looking up at him," I thought you looked very handsome."
"Really?" Gajeel smirked," Handsome, eh?" Though he wasn't big on cuddling and silly pet names, he was more than happy to flirt with and tease her.
"Gajeel, stop!" Levy whined, covering her reddening face," I'm trying to be cool!"
"Let me show you how it's done then," Gajeel laughed before bending down. He brushed her hair away and placed his mouth next to her ear.
"You look good, Miss McGarden," he purred, softly so that only Levy could hear," Good enough to eat."
Levy felt her temperature shoot up as she stood frozen. Her boyfriend laughed and straightened back up, knowing he had won.
"See?"
"You-" Levy began, ready to give him an earful before she was interrupted by the DJ, who seemed very excited. Hopefully, he wouldn't be like those sad individuals forced to play at awkward school dances, making everyone cringe.
"Alright, let's get this party started!"
Levy let out a small sigh. She couldn't have everything.
"Now, please welcome Mr. and Mrs. Fernandes!" the sandy haired man boomed, gesturing to the large oak doors. The doors were opened and newlyweds entered, hand in hand. Everyone began to applaud them as they walked into the middle of the room. Erza gave the DJ a signal.
"The newlywed's would like to begin dinner!"
Levy was sure she heard someone who sounded like Natsu yell, "Finally!", but she wasn't too sure, until she heard Lucy chastise him. She bit the inside of her cheek, stopping the laugh threatening to escape. However, she could hear Gajeel snicker from behind her.
The dinner was lovely. Knowing that everyone had a variety of tastes and large appetites, Erza had decided to have the meal served in a buffet style. Yajima, the officiant, was also a caterer and had organised the meal, ensuring there was something for everyone. There was plenty to go around too. Levy followed the crowd, losing Gajeel in the process. Eyeing all the delicacies, she wasn't sure what to get but she decided on a plate of pasta with crispy chorizo, sun dried tomatoes and spinach.
Grabbing her filled up plate, Levy looked for a place to sit. But to her surprise, there was no seating chart. The couple had decided to keep it rather informal, letting people sit with their friends and whoever they wished. Whilst Levy completely understood their reasoning, it made her a little unnerved, reminding her of her days at school where she would stand with her tray, unsure of where to sit.
"Looking for a spot?" a voice said behind her. Levy turned to see Erza standing there, holding her own plate piled high with food. The bride looked even more beautiful up close, her makeup flawless. She was practically glowing, though more from joy than any product.
"Yeah," Levy chuckled, before remembering who she was speaking to" Congratulations by the way!"
"Thank you," Erza smiled, before gesturing for Levy to follow her. She followed the bride to a rather cramped table where the groom saw them.
"Pull up a chair," Jellal laughed, gesturing to a tiny spot next to Gajeel. Levy did just that, sitting close to her boyfriend, who had settled on a plate of meat. Eyeing the unbalanced meal, she gave him a nudge.
"You can't just eat meat," Levy whispered.
"Watch me," Gajeel replied, giving her a smirk.
However, before Gajeel could prove his point, the sound of clinking glass caused everyone to turn to face Makarov, who was standing on one of the tables. He cleared his throat with a cough before he began.
"Alright, listen up brats," he exclaimed," Today is a big day for Fairy Tail."
"For those who don't know me, I'm Makorav and I'm very lucky to be the guardian of all these kiddos."
"I want to first say thanks to everyone for coming today."
"It's a special day for a father when he gives his daughter away in marriage. However, I'm not losing a daughter. I'm gaining a son!"
There were loud cheers at that statement and Makorav waited for everyone to calm down.
"Erza, my dear, you have certainly grown up," Makorav said with a soft smile," I still remember the little girl who walked through my doors, standing strong despite being covered in bruises and burns. I knew you'd achieve greatness which you most certainly have. Erza, dear, even though you'll be a Fernandes, you will always be a part of Fairy Tail."
"Jellal," he began, turning to the man in question," I wish you great happiness and peace. But if you ever hurt Erza, well… you'll have all of Fairy Tail coming after you!"
"To Erza and Jellal!"
Everyone let out a roar of approval when they heard the second clink. Everyone turned but to their surprise, it wasn't Laxus. It was the somber woman from earlier, standing tall with her champagne flute.
"I'd first like to thank Laxus for allowing me to do the groom's speech," Ultear said softly," For those who do not know me, I am Ultear, an old friend of Jellal's."
"Jellal and I met a long time ago and I won't bore you with the details. He was a young man, cold and bitter, much like myself. Together we allowed our bitterness to stew, to boil down. However, I managed to break away thanks to Meredy and I went to school, became a psychologist. It was only a few years later, when I had a patient recommended to me. Jellal."
"Whilst Jellal was imprisoned, I visited him, not only as his psychologist but as a friend as well. We talked about our pasts, our regrets and our hope for the future. The one consistency was Erza. His pasts, his regrets and his hopes for the future were built around his new wife."
"Jellal, I can only wish you great happiness. You deserve it."
She cleared her throat, before raising her glass.
"To the groom!"
"To the groom!" the room yelled back. Jellal gave her a small nod, letting her know he appreciated her words.
Finally, the last toast. The soft clinking of glass was once again heard and everyone turned to the speaker.
"Hello!" a bubbly voice said. Mirajane stood, holding her glass of champagne in one hand and a spoon in the other.
"Erza and I have known each other since we were kids. We didn't always have the best relationship. We used to constantly fight. But over time, we became good friends. However, there was one big difference between us."
"I have a little nickname around Fairy Tail: The Matchmaker."
The crowd began to laugh, whilst those who had the joy of the matchmaker's…. interest in their romantic relationships let out a groan.
"I love romance and I always want to see my friends happy. Erza, on the other hand, seemed to never have time to deal with romance. She constantly pushed away advances. But one day, when we were at her place and had a few too many drinks, she showed me something in her closet." Erza seemed to know where this story was going, her eyes widening in horror.
"It was the beautiful dress she's wearing today. I asked her why she had a wedding dress in the back of her closet and what she told me stunned me. She said," I'm waiting for him."."
Erza was bright red as this story was being told. Jellal was staring at his new bride, clearly unaware of this little fact.
"She never told me who it was, but once I met Jellal, the answer became pretty clear," Mira continued," so I'm glad that dress is finally being put to use."
"Erza, you will always have us. We love you and I, along with everyone here, wish you great happiness! To the bride!"
"To the bride!" the guests exclaimed, before tucking into their meal and chatting with their friends.
…
After the meals were finished and the plates were cleared, the first dance began. Lucy had insisted on giving the couple dance lessons, not wanting poor Jellal to be ill from Erza's… unusual style. The lessons had seemed to pay off as the couple glided around the floor, swaying to "la vie en rose". Erza had a soft smile on her face, matching Jellal's as their foreheads touched, eyes closed.
Levy stared at the couple. The sweet melodies, the swishing of fabric, it all conjured up thoughts of what her own wedding would be like one day. Of course, she blushed and waved off the thought. She and Gajeel had not been dating long enough to consider something so… permanent. But still…
She snapped out of her fantasies as the final note played, the guests applauding the couple.
Soon after came the father daughter dance. The dance was a little awkward given the height difference between Makorav and the bride, but it was undeniably sweet. Jellal and Ultear also danced together, the former having never met his parents.
Soon, other couples joined the floor. The music changed constantly from fun, flirty beats to soft, swaying classics. Levy had never been the greatest dancer and she could see that Gajeel would find the notion uncomfortable so she decided to just watch the other guests. As her eyes moved over the crowd, she was able to pick out the different couples.
Juvia was swaying with Gray, who was blushing at the close contact.
Lucy was attempting to teach Natsu how to dance, though he was stepping on her toes more than the floor. However, they were both giggling, showing that Lucy wasn't really angry.
Freed had approached Mira, giving her a little awkward bow, holding out his hand to her. Levy watched as Mira hid a laugh behind her hand and gave a little nod, before allowing the man to guide her onto the floor.
A drunken Cana was all over Laxus, of course, who didn't seem to mind, though some of the older couples around them did.
Elfman and Evergreen danced next to each other, though not touching, yet they kept glancing at each other, blushing each time they were caught.
Finally, Levy couldn't help but coo at Wendy and Mest, who were trying to dance together, despite the awkward height difference.
So Levy was content simply watching people. However, that changed when Levy felt her heart stop for a second as she heard a familiar melody.
"Gajeel, can we dance?" Levy asked softly, turning to her boyfriend who was sitting with her. He went to say no, but the look on her face had him nodding and soon they were on the dance floor. Gajeel settled on having one of his hands on her waist and another intertwined with her own. Levy mirrored him, except that her hand was splayed on his chest.
The book of love is long and boring
No one can lift the damn thing
It's full of charts and facts and figures
And instructions for dancing
"I love this song," Levy said dreamily," I used to listen to it when I was little."
"What's it about?" Gajeel asked, wanting to know more. It was one of his favourite things, learning new things about her. Each time he felt he had her all figured out, she would let loose a secret, show him something new.
But I
I love it when you read to me
And you
You can read me anything
"It's about how love isn't all about the things like flowers and stuff, it's about the important things, like emotions," Levy explained, hoping she made sense.
The book of love has music in it
In fact that's where music comes from
Some of it is just transcendental
Some of it is just really dumb
"Mhhmmm," Gajeel hummed, pulling her close.
But I
I love it when you sing to me
And you
You can sing me anything
"It reminds me of us."
Gajeel stopped moving for a second, looking down at her. He tilted his head, encouraging her to continue.
The book of love is long and boring
And written very long ago
It's full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes
And things we're all too young to know
"Our love isn't like the ones portrayed in the movies," Levy murmured," but it's real. And I love that."
But I
I love it when you give me things
And you
You ought to give me wedding rings
Gajeel couldn't find the words he needed to describe how he felt hearing that. Since that day in the old gang building, he'd been worried he wasn't enough. He didn't buy her flowers or take her to fancy restaurants or plan exciting dates. Things that he felt Levy wanted, but he couldn't provide. To hear that she didn't want that, that what they had was enough, made his heart skip a beat.
And I
I love it when you give me things
And you
You ought to give me wedding rings
You ought to give me wedding rings
The song ended and the next one began up, but the couple didn't even notice. They were still stuck in their own little world. It wasn't until their friends came over that they were shaken away and continued to enjoy the party, each secretly replaying their dance over and over again in their minds.
However, soon the bouquet toss was announced. Erza stood in the middle of the dance floor, the single woman crowded behind her, eager to snatch the bouquet. For some reason, Levy had ended up in the middle of this crowd. The DJ began the countdown.
5
4
3
2
1
Erza tossed the bouquet, the blue roses sailing through the air.
There were gasps and excited yells as the women scrambled for the flowers. There was a small cry of surprise, followed by several groans. However, when the disappointed woman parted, it revealed who had caught the bouquet.
Cana Alberona, blushing as she held the bouquet in disbelief, had won. The normally confident, witty woman was completely shocked, having not expected to catch the flowers. She quickly glanced at Laxus who had a curious expression.
Next came the garter toss. Erza sat on a chair and the males gathered, excited. The Fairy Tail men loved a challenge and they weren't going to back down, even men like Natsu, who didn't really understand the significance of what winning meant. The music began to play and everyone began to clap as Jellal neared his new bride. He bent down and, looking into her eyes, reached under her dress and slipped the garter off. Still maintaining eye contact with the blushing bride, he flicked the garter into the crowd, or more specifically, into the hands of Laxus Dreyar, who stared at the flimsy piece of lace. Makorav began to cheer and everyone began to tease the couple.
Erza seemed impatient to hurry to the next activity.
The cake cutting.
The cake was stunning, a three tier strawberry cake the bride had ordered from her favourite bakery. Erza and Jellal sliced the cake and they decided to skip the tradition of smashing the cake into the other's face, after Erza had threatened to kill him if he wasted a crumb of the precious cake.
The rest of the night was a whirl of drinking, laughing and dancing. Of course, Erza and Jellal snuck off at some point, not wanting an official send off. Once their absence was noted, many began to grin and make teasing remarks, but the party still continued.
Levy was chatting with Lucy when she suddenly felt her phone vibrating. She quickly pulled it out and realised it was her boss calling her.
"I need to take this," she said, apologetically, before slipping out onto the balcony which was empty. She answered the call.
"Hello," Levy said," What's up?
"I'm sorry to do this Levy," the voice sighed.
"Is everything okay?" Levy replied, concerned. Her boss was a sweet old man who had given her the opportunity to work at the library when she was a lot younger. She knew him well and the tone in his voice was one she rarely heard.
"We have to let you go."