Just Another Wedding

Loke and Lucy are getting married, Cana has a hangover and Natsu's missing the ceremony. Idea came from listening to Speak Now by Taylor Swift lol.

Cana's POV

The church was decorated so extravagantly and everyone here is too happy and loud that it hurts my eyes and my head. Or maybe it's the hangover I'm currently nursing, either way it doesn't help to lighten up my already sour mood.

As we wait for the bride to arrive, I glance up at the other end of the aisle where the groom waits at the altar. He still wore his blue-tinted glasses but his hair seems tamer than usual. I couldn't see his expression clearly, but he looks happy and calm as he talks to the guests sitting at the front.

"What's with the frown?" Macao asks. I immediately wipe the expression from my face as I give him a smile. I'm grateful that I arrived late and had to sit at the back, at least Loke couldn't usher me at the front and he wouldn't see my expression. I bet he would notice my terrible state, he always does.

Maybe I shouldn't have drank too much last night. And maybe I should've tried waking him up.

As the pounding headache returns, the organ starts playing and everyone turns their head towards the door.

Lucy's POV

I can hear the organ playing and murmurs and mumbles as people's attention becomes directed at the door. The bridesmaids hug me before they stand in line with the groomsmen who pat me on the back, giving me encouraging smiles as they do so. Wendy, being one of the flower girls, is at the front of the line, I see her look back at me and give me a smile, though it didn't seem to reach her eyes. For some reason, I couldn't smile back at her.

The door is now fully opened and the entourage is slowly walking down the aisle. I look inside through my veil and see the people's eyes on me. I try to give the best smile I can give, I pray that it doesn't falter… that my mask doesn't slip off.

I like Loki, I really do. But not in the way anyone who's attending this ceremony expects it to be. And I know he feels the same way as I do. But here we are, getting married because it's convenient…because it's the easiest way to live our lives. Or that's how I think, he never really gave a reason for agreeing to this arrangement.

I see familiar faces looking at me with smiling faces, my grip on the bouquet tightens. There was no sight of pink hair anywhere in the crowd except for Aries's and I don't know whether to feel relieved or disappointed. He didn't come.

The last pair walks down the aisle and I look at my dad standing beside me. He offers his arm and I hook mine on his, looking forward. Taking a deep breath, we start walking. Each step was heavy, my heart sinking deeper and deeper. Is this really the easiest way? If it is, why is it so hard to be happy on what's supposed to be an important milestone of life?

Loke's POV

I watch as my bride walks down the aisle with her father. I couldn't muster up a smile even though it was easy to do so earlier. With everyone's attention on us and with the ceremony officially starting, it feels like it has just slowly started sinking in that I'm about to be wed.

I've known Lucy for a while now. She's intelligent, kind, pretty and a good friend of mine, anyone would be lucky to have her as their wife. Yeah, they would be lucky… that means I should be happy, right?

My eyes start to get blurry and I can feel the tears threatening to fall. People might think I'm crying from too much happiness but I know, and Lucy knows it isn't.

The two stop when they reach the altar and Jude passes Lucy's hand to mine after he hugs his daughter. He then gives me a squeeze on the shoulder and I nod at him in return. I guide Lucy up the stairs as we stand in front of the priest. The music stops playing and he starts speaking. I hear him ask the guests to stand.

I couldn't register what was being said after as my head started filling with different thoughts. I feel Lucy squeeze my hand and I squeeze them back. I took a deep breath, at least if I was going to spend my entire life with someone I'm not in love with, it's my best friend.

Natsu's POV

I ran across the street, constantly glancing at my phone as I did so. A car honks as it passes by, narrowly missing me when I jumped back. My head's pounding and I feel nauseous. This is way worse than my motion sickness. How does Cana make drinking look so fun?

I see the church in sight and I run faster, focusing all my energy on sprinting. I stop at the door, catching my breath. I see Lucy and Loke climbing up the stairs, facing the priest with their hands intertwined. It looks like it has just started… or am I too late? I'm not too late, am I? I don't know a single thing about weddings!

The complaints about my headache or the nausea vanishes as I watch her in her wedding dress. She looks so beautiful like that, more than any of my dreams could ever conjure. She's so breathtaking and the scene is so heartbreaking that I had to look away.

The guests stand up, I notice Cana at the side and she turns her head, our eyes making contact. She looks surprised and her hand lifts up as if to reach out but we both glance back at the altar as the priest starts talking.

"Should anyone present know of any reason that this couple should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Cana's POV

There is a beat of silence in the room as everyone waits for any objections, it was a short pause but for me, it seemed to stretch out. I'm surprised that the line was used when it's rarely said anymore. Ever since I heard about the wedding, I've looked up various ways to stop it and made up various scenarios where I did. Of course I never went through with it, how can I ruin my friends' wedding?

Maybe this is a sign? Is this my chance? Maybe I should do it like the movies and profess my love right now.

I almost laughed at the thought. Only an insane person would do that. There were plenty of chances to do it before—even the weeks leading up to the wedding and I didn't do anything. So, why now?

But then, at the corner of my eye, I see a movement and I glance to see Natsu stepping forward. I blink, frozen on my spot as he yells for the priest to stop. Turns out there is a crazy person in the room.

Everyone's eyes are on him, the couple at the altar also turns their head and I can hear Lucy's gasp all the way from the back.

"Natsu!" her voice echoes, her hand that was holding Loke's goes to cover her mouth.

I watch as he sprints down the aisle, grabs Lucy's hand and runs off with her in a matter of minutes. People, especially Jude, tried to stop them but they were out the door before they could even do anything.

I stood there on the spot, not knowing what to do. That…idiot! I knew he was impulsive and reckless but how could he just barge into a wedding and steal the bride?!

I bit down a smile and looked back at the altar where Loke was left standing. Some people approach him, seemingly to console the groom but he continues to stand there in silence. And then he looks down, his face covered and his shoulders shaking. I unconsciously try to walk up to him. Is he gonna cry or get mad?

He surprises everyone by chuckling, even doubling down in laughter. I can hear people asking if he's okay and he waves his hand while the other one clutches at his stomach. He then quickly walks off to one of the exits at the side, leaving the guests inside the church with a confused priest and an enraged father.

I decided to go after him.

Lucy's POV

I look at Natsu's hand holding mine as we continue to run away from the wedding. I can feel people's eyes on us and I bet they're wondering why a guy in a hoodie and sweatpants is running around with a girl in a wedding dress. A small laugh comes out of me as I think about how silly all of this is.

I just ran away from my own wedding… I just ran away from my wedding and Dad must be really furious right now.

I look back only to see no one from the wedding was tailing behind us anymore.

The small laugh bubbles into a bigger one and I almost tripped on my own feet by laughing. Natsu seems to notice this as he stops and turns around. He's catching his breath and I do too, he glances behind me before meeting my gaze.

"Sorry," He says.

"For what?"

His hand goes up to the back of his neck and rubs it, a habit I've seen him do too many times. "I-I don't know. For taking you away from the wedding, letting you go through with it in the first place…not telling you how I felt sooner?" There was a pause as if a thought had just entered his mind. "Do you love him?"

I blinked and shook my head. He lets out a sigh of relief, ruffling his hair and I can't help but laugh again.

Loke's POV

I walk off, my sides hurting from all the laughter. Natsu had just run off with the bride but here I am, laughing and walking away as if it's none of my business. I might be crazy, I might be the only one who's this happy to have their wedding ruined. I shake my head. No, I saw Lucy's smile when she saw him, we're the same. Maybe she's even happier, she'd been pining for him for so long I feel almost guilty allowing this wedding to go through.

"Ah, what I'd give to be whisked away like that." I chuckled.

All the worries and thoughts from earlier had vanished and a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. The look on everyone's face was also too much for me to bear, I just had to laugh. They're gonna think something's wrong with me now, but who cares?

I sigh, the wedding already too far behind me. I don't think anyone's gonna run after me at this point. What are they going to do if the bride is missing? Maybe they'd even think I want to be left alone for a minute, pitying me for being left standing at the altar by myself.

I paused from my walk, remembering that a certain brunette attended the wedding. I didn't think she would come but I saw her in the back row when the two left through the entrance. She looked just as shocked as everyone else. Perhaps she didn't have any plans to stop the wedding, maybe I was really mistaken back then.

I shake my head, clearing my thoughts of her. What was I expecting, that she'd whisk me away too? That's absurd.

Ah, this got depressing rather too quickly.

Natsu's POV

Maybe it's true that I'm dense… I don't know why she's laughing right now. What part of what I just said was funny enough that you'd wipe a tear from your eye?

I stare at her and watch how she's laughing so freely right now. When I took her hand and ran away with her, I wasn't even sure if she was going to come with me. And even when she did, there were still thoughts of whether or not this is a mistake, that I'm just being reckless and impulsive again.

But looking at her now, maybe I did the right thing. She would've already kicked me in the gut if I did the wrong thing and took her away against her will.

"Are you done now?"

She sniffs, holding back laughter. "Yeah, I'm sorry, it's just so hard to believe we did that."

"Well I couldn't let you marry someone you don't love." Although I wasn't really sure of that fact until now.

"Honestly, I'd prefer it if it were you."

"Oh." My face grows warm and I don't know how to reply. I just stand there, like an idiot, because that's what you do when someone reciprocates your feelings.

Before it becomes any more awkward, Lucy reaches out to hold my hand again and she gives me a tug. "Come on, I need to get out of this gown. The wedding's cancelled anyway."

Cana's POV

For someone who had just had their wedding ruined, he sure does walk away from it so fast. You'd think he'd stay behind to calm everyone down but no, he disappears as soon as Lucy's gone which makes it even worse because I can hear Jude yelling from a distance. I feel like the poor guy's gonna have a heart attack any moment now.

I see his back as he continues to walk away and I had to speed up and take longer strides to catch up to him. I see him stop and hail a cab, I plan to stop him because I have so many questions to ask but when I see him climb on the backseat, I impulsively get on as well, closing the door after I do so.

"Cana?"

Startled by my recklessness which I probably got from drinking with Natsu last night, I just replied with a dumb "Uh-huh, that's me."

He looks outside, probably worried that someone followed us. "Why are you here?"

"I wanted to check if you're okay, you really laughed your heart out earlier. Kinda strange given the circumstances."

He gives the address to the driver before turning to me. "Ah, nothing to worry about then, it's genuine happiness."

I raised an eyebrow at him before resting my head on the back of the seat and closing my eyes. I should really take some medicine for this headache. "It's weird how happy you are." Everything about this was weird, Lucy agreeing to run with Natsu and Loke being all happy about it, what even is the point of this marriage?

"Maybe I just don't want to get married."

"Then why do it in the first place?"

"Honestly, I don't know."

Silence envelopes us both and I continue to have my eyes closed. I wouldn't admit it to him but I felt slightly relieved when Natsu ruined the ceremony. If he wasn't there, I wonder what I would've done?

"Sorry I didn't stop the wedding. I don't want you getting married either but I wasn't sure if it's the right thing to do." I mutter, wondering if he can hear it. My face feels hot but I don't dare open my eyes. I feel exposed and vulnerable that I'd rather just shut the world away right now.

He doesn't answer right away. I feel his hand guide my head to rest on his shoulder and I smile to myself. "Can this day get any better?" I hear him whisper, probably to himself.

Not exactly the answer I'm waiting for but I guess that's enough for now, we've got plenty of time on our hands it seems.

A/N: It's been a week since my sleep-deprived self wrote this at 3 AM. I don't know if it makes sense, but heyy, I wrote something after a while :'DD