Summary: Based on the Fanfiction cliché of marrying out of convenience and then falling in love. Although instead of a modern setting where the characters are a bit OOC, this is set in the actual plot. So Natsu doesn't want anyone else to have Lucy but himself.
Pairings: Natsu/Lucy! Some implied Lisanna/Natsu, Loke/Lucy, Gray/Juvia, Gajeel/Levy, Gray/Cana, Juvia/Lucy friendship, Lucy/Cana friendship, overprotective spirits/Lucy friendship, and I have said this is a Natsu/Lucy fic, right?
Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to Tsubaki394 whose kind reviews, support, and delightful conversations had kept me inspired. Thank you very much! I hope you enjoy this.
Natsu knew two things the moment he laid eyes on Lucy Heartfilla.
The first, was instinct, she was his mate. End of. Period. No arguments. He just knew it, from the way she smelt, to the way she made his heart skip, and the way she smiled at him, this was the soul mate Igneel had told him about.
The second thing was that this woman is gorgeous.
Too gorgeous. Not adorable like Levy, or terrifyingly so like Erza or Evergreen, or trashy gorgeous like Cana, or even whatever it is that Laki was considered, she was Mirajane material. Magazine pinup, and that meant every pervert in the guild (i.e. every guy in the guild including Gramps and Gildarts) will be all over her the moment he took her home.
If he was going to keep his mate, he was going to have to lay a claim on her that will deter the likes of Gray and Loke.
And that's why, once they were safe from the council's army, he dropped her hand and blurted out, stupidly so,
"If you want to join Fairy Tail, you have to marry me first!"
Both Lucy and Happy gawked at him comically. Their mouths dropped to the floor, their eyes bulging out of their sockets, and in unison they screeched: "EH?!" he seriously had to fight back the urge to laugh in their faces.
Something told him Lucy wouldn't take it kindly if he laughed at her right now.
"What….what….you…I….urgh!" Lucy's stutters ended with an enraged shriek as her face flushed a bright pink. "Do you seriously have any idea what you're asking from me?"
"…Yes."
"LUCY KICK!"
"Oof!" Natsu had grabbed hold of the foot that almost smacked him in the face, but it had caused Lucy to lose her balance, and together they went crashing onto the floor. "What the hell was that for?!" he bellowed. He was rather hurt that she tried to fucking kick him in the face!
"I don't want anything to do with your perverted schemes!" Lucy wailed as she squirmed beneath him. "I'm a good girl!"
"I don't want anything perverted!" Natsu snapped back. "I just want a wife. Someone to cook, clean, go on missions with, and help me look after Happy."
And more, but that can come later. He was a possessive, not-so-smart, dragon slayer. Not some creepy pervert who will force himself on any girl, willy-nilly.
"You just want to play house?"
"It's not playing!" Natsu argued. Playing house was what he did as a child with Lisanna, in their little straw house they built together, and that wasn't what he wanted with Lucy. "It's real. I have a house that needs cleaning-"
"Understatement of the century," Happy muttered.
Gee, thanks Happy. As if he didn't contribute to the mess in their house.
"- and I could use someone who can cook," Natsu carried on ignoring his blue friend, "and Happy could definitely use a mother."
"Aye!" Happy chirped in agreement.
Lucy nibbled her lip and Natsu couldn't help but grin. She was considering it. He just knew it! "What about love?" she asked. "What about hand holding, sharing a bed, and kissing, and making babies of our own? That's all real too."
"Kissing and making babies can wait till we're older," Natsu decided. "We've already held hands and it's cheaper to have one bed than two."
"Okay."
"Okay, what?"
"Okay, I'll marry you."
FTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFT
It was a nice wedding. Not the one that Lucy had dreamed of, oh definitely not! After all she had dreamed of a beautiful white gown, a groom that had swept her off her feet, and crowds of friends (that had yet to exist) watching her make the commitment of a lifetime. Her father was supposed to be there, giving her away, and then telling her, for the first time ever, that he was proud of her.
None of that happened and yet Lucy found as she stared at the childish, grinning, face of her groom, she didn't need it to happen.
Any other sensible person would think she was insane to agree to marry someone just to get into a guild. They would think she was selfish, and they would be right. Oh she had other reasons for marrying this boy. It wasn't just about getting into Fairy Tail (though that was one of her biggest desires along with getting more keys, writing a successful novel, and being free to live her life as she pleased). It was about safeguarding herself from her father.
She hadn't heard from him in the last ten months since she ran away but she wouldn't be surprised if one day he tracked her down and took her back.
Took her back in order to throw her at some man to make a business deal. She would be married already if her father had his way. So what better way to ruin his plans of controlling her life than to already be married?
And Natsu wasn't bad. He was really sweet. He was offering her a home and a family, and that was everything she could want in a marriage. It may be playing house and it might have consequences later, but in all honestly she couldn't see it being worse than what her father might have in store for her.
It took some time to find some witnesses, a pair of rather cheap rings, and a priest willing to do the ceremony but it was a nice, quick, and rather sweet wedding.
Happy cried. Lucy didn't know him well but she didn't think he cried that easily so it must have been nice.
And when the priest said; "You may kiss the bride," Natsu had shyly ducked down and kissed her cheek sloppily.
She had still been blushing when they finally arrived at Fairy Tail a day later (having held hands the entire way – Natsu insisted).
When they reached the door of the guild, Natsu dropped her hand, kicked the door open, and then the next thing Lucy knew he disappeared into a brawl. That was pretty much when her life went from weird to fucking insane.
Lucy wasn't sure what to do. One minute she was having a conversation with her hero, Mirajane (yes the Mirajane! Lucy was surprised she didn't swoon out of sheer joy), and then the next the beautiful girl was knocked out beneath a table, and some naked guy has appeared before her.
"Excuse me, Madam," the naked guy all but purred, seriously he had a gorgeous voice that matched his handsome face and far too perfectly chiselled body (was this guy even real?), "but could you lend me your underwear?"
Lucy screamed and would have punched the pervert if Natsu hadn't gotten there first.
"Hands off of my wife!" he roared.
And that was when the guild went silent for the first time since Lucy arrived. Deathly silent. Dangerously silent. In fact, Lucy began to fear the world was ending, because she had a strong suspicion it was unnatural for Fairy Tail to be this quiet. The naked guy appeared to have turned to stone out of shock, as did other members of the guild, the alcoholic girl spat out her beer, the mousy brown haired man choked on his cigarette, and a small old man fainted from the top of the balcony.
Lucy held her breath as she waited for some sort of reaction. Oh God! What if they don't like her? What if they don't approve? What if they agree that she's not good enough to not only be Natsu's wife but to be a member of Fairy Tail? She was going to end up tar and feathered, wasn't she? Wasn't she?!
"WHAT?!"
(Somewhere far, far, away, Gildarts jumped. For a moment he was sure he just heard all of his favourite kids scream.)
"Y-your wife?" the naked guy stuttered.
"Yes, ice brain!" Natsu snapped. "My wife. Not yours. So keep your perverted, naked, self away from her."
"I wouldn't be naked if you haven't nicked my boxers, you flaming moron!"
"What was that?"
Natsu and the naked guy started to fight again, many people broke out into whispers as they stared at Lucy (which was freaking her out a bit), Mirajane ran to make some calls (something about having to tell Erza), and the tiny old man recovered, and started to examine her.
"Erm," she blushed under his intense stare, "hi."
"Eh," he chuckled, "how cute. So how exactly did you meet our boy, Natsu? And what caused you to agree to marry him?"
She mumbled an explanation that caused him to laugh, congratulate Natsu, and pat her on the bottom.
"Oi, Gramps!" Natsu barked. "Keep your perverted hands to yourself!"
"Natsu married her," a ginger boy (she later recognised him as Loke who had been on her potential boyfriend list) bemoaned, "what a waste of such beauty!"
Despite it being so overwhelming, Lucy couldn't help but smile. She was really going to like it here in Fairy Tail.
(And as Natsu slings an arm round her shoulders, wrinkles his nose at her choice of colour for her mark, and Happy calls her weird, she knows she definitely made the right choice. No matter what.)
FTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFT
Macao barely had time to recover when Natsu suddenly punches him. Punches him very hard, in the face, may have broken his cheek bone. "Ow!" he yelped. "What the hell was that for, Natsu?" he moaned as he rubbed his face.
"That," Natsu growled, as he emitted a dark, terrifying, aura that Macao had only ever seen coming from Erza before, "was for kidnapping my wife, you perverted monkey!"
"Honestly, Natsu," a cute blonde girl sighed, "if you keep punching guys for flirting with me, there won't be many left."
"Wow," Happy said, "you have a really big ego, Lucy."
"What was that?" Lucy growled.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaah! Natsu, Lucy is going to eat me alive!"
Macao watched as the beautiful blonde girl chased after the silly blue cat. "You do realise," he said to the kid he had always considered his student, "that wife isn't some sort of food, right?"
Natsu looked at him as if he was a moron. Which was incredibly insulting by the way. "Yes," he said slowly.
"Then how the hell did you land a bird like that?"
FTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFT
It wasn't so bad being married to Natsu.
In fact after the first couple days, (which had been hell in that disgusting pit that Natsu called home) Lucy, Natsu, and Happy had settled into a perfect little routine together. They went on jobs, earned money, spent days renovating the house while Lucy cleaned, and Happy ate fish. They went on more jobs, they worked on the house, they lived in harmony….well sort of.
For starters Natsu had a terrible habit of entering the bathroom while she was bathing. This often resulted in him being kicked so hard he often flew back into the town over the forest.
Happy like to make mean comments sometimes, or make an uncomfortable observation, or just annoy Lucy in general. She learnt that if she caught him quickly she could administer a violent lesson that would keep him quiet for a few days. Then it starts up again….urgh.
Then the entire guild took it upon them to invade their home and spy on them. Gray often left rather beaten up, not by Natsu (though he certainly got a few punches in), but by Lucy who banned stripping in her home. Then there was Erza who ate all her sweet food, rummaged through her underwear drawer (her cheeks matching her brilliant red hair), and ask very personal questions while beating up Lucy's poor, might actually deserve some of the beatings, husband. And many other members tend to pop their head round and have a nose round. It was like they were trying to catch Lucy and Natsu doing something, and it made Lucy very, very uncomfortable.
And not to mention how the missions go. Overall they went fine despite the fact that Natsu would occasionally be a bit too protective, to the point that Lucy felt like he was breathing down her neck, and there was always the motion sickness to deal with. But a couple of them were incredibly dangerous, like the illegal jaunt they took which Natsu purposely picked the one with a zodiac key as a reward in order to persuade her to come (and he blackmailed her by using their vows; "Come on Luce, you promised to honour and obey, and you said yourself a celestial mage never breaks their word."). They almost die, they end up in awkward situations, and they always end up on the run from someone. It was exhausting.
But overall it was wonderful. Lucy would wake up in a warm bed, wrapped in Natsu's arms, and Happy usually snuggled in the smallest of gaps between them. They often cuddled for a good hour as they struggled to wake up, and then once alive, they would either stay in and work on the house, or go to the guild to beg breakfast (the problem with being broke half the time) and look for a job. If they weren't on a job they definitely spent some hours at the guild, Natsu brawling, Lucy gossiping or writing or reading, while Happy stirred up trouble for everyone else. And then they returned home, have dinner, which was often thanked now by sloppy kisses on the cheeks (Happy refuses to kiss Natsu but he has no problems rubbing his nose against Lucy's cheek when she serves fish for dinner), and then they would train, or relax, or play around, before exhaustion took over, and soon enough they were curled up back in bed, with Lucy being held, warm, safe, and feeling far too loved for her own good, and Happy squashed in between, purring his contentment.
It was perfect.
Too bad her father ruined it all.
FTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFT
Lucy wanted to get this over as quickly as possible.
The past few days had been hell. First, the guild had been destroyed, then Levy and her friends had been brutally attacked, and then Lucy had been kidnapped by the people that committed these heinous acts. That was when it was revealed to her that all of this chaos, this destruction of her home, and pain of her friends, had all been her fault. Her father wanted her home. It took him a little over a year to do this, and now he had, he ruined the life she built.
Any ordinary person might forgive her then, for throwing herself off a tower in order to escape such a man (and the creep he hired), but Natsu was never just any ordinary person, and he had been furious with her for being so reckless.
Happy had wept which just added to all the guilt.
Not that she had time to feel guilty as she was kidnapped by her own guild (never again was she going to trust Mira!), then attacked, and then kidnapped again by Phantom Lord (this was becoming an uncomfortable habit that she didn't want), then brutally beaten up, just so the arsehole could have a fight with her husband, and then when it was finally all over, she was questioned by the council till she could cry out of exhaustion.
After brooding in the home she, Natsu, and Happy had built together, and writing a very long letter to her mother, Lucy decided she would confront her father and tell him once and for all to leave her and her family alone.
She snuck out in the middle of the night (because she knew Natsu would never let her leave otherwise), after she pressed a kiss on her husband's warm forehead (for luck and nothing else! Keep your mind out the gutter, you perverts!), and took the long journey back to the Heartfilla estate.
She had been so tired by the time she arrived that she didn't protest at all when she was dragged inside, forced into a bath, and then dressed into one of her disgustingly frilly gowns.
Finally she was shown into her father's study. He stood there before her, cold, distant, and intimidating as ever. "You have finally return home, I see," he said curtly.
"Yes."
"I hope you have learnt your lesson."
"Yes," she said, "I should have never left without telling you."
"Very good," he nodded. "I'm glad you have acknowledge your foolishness. Now then. I have called you back for some very important business. I have arranged a marriage for you with the Duke-"
"You seem to misunderstand me, Father," she interrupted, "I did not say that what I did was foolish. Merely that I should have told you I was leaving. I did not come back to you for anything than to apologise for not telling you, and to say a few other things as well, besides," she took a deep breath and thought of Natsu, of his bravery, and kindness, and then smiled to herself, "I cannot marry this man."
"You will because I said so," her father snapped. "And because it is your duty as the heir to the Heartfilla business. You will wed this man to bring the much needed connections to our family, and then you will bed him, and birth a male heir for both families."
Lucy's eye twitched a little at that but she remained a calm as her mother would have wanted her to. "You don't seem to understand Father," she said coolly, "I didn't say I won't but cannot." She held up her left hand on which her cheap wedding ring sat proudly on her ring finger. "I am already married, and my husband is the jealous type."
"You…." Her father seemed lost for words. For a brief moment that was as his face turned from shock to sheer fury. "How dare you?" he hissed. "How dare you be so ungrateful that you not only runaway but you throw any opportunity for a good life away without any consideration of others."
"I haven't thrown any opportunity for a good life away," Lucy said calmly, "I've taken every opportunity fate has handed me. I am now a Fairy Tail mage, I have a home, I have a caring husband, and more importantly I have the family you never gave me. I couldn't be happier." She then narrowed her eyes at him. "Besides, we both know when you say others, you are only talking about yourself."
"You think you're safe because you're married?" her father snarled. "You think I won't put every ounce of my resources to ruin your husband and your guild?"
It was then when Lucy snapped and ripped the hideous dress she was wearing off of her. "I am not 'Lucky' Lucy Heartfilla anymore. I am Lucy Dragneel of Fairy Tail, and there is nothing I won't do to protect my guild," she declared passionately. "Hurt them and I will pay you back a hundred times. Goodbye Father. We will not see each other again."
And with that she waltzed out with her head held up high. She, of course, went back to her old bedroom to change back into her clothes, and then paid her final respects to her mother's grave.
That was when she heard Natsu.
"LUCY!"
She turned to see Natsu and Happy running towards her (well Happy was flying). She blinked and rubbed her eyes as she realised Natsu was crying, Natsu had only cried once in front of her, and that was when he told her about Lisanna his childhood best friend, she thought she would never see him cry again. Before she could say a word, Happy flew into her chest and almost knocked the wind out of her, and Natsu grabbed hold of her and definitely knocked the wind out of her and he crushed her to his chest (Happy suffocated a little).
"I know I'm a rubbish husband, and you're feeling guilty about the guild, but please don't leave!" Natsu yelled directly in her ear. Ouch…that was going to leave damage for the next couple days. "I'll do anything! My own laundry, I'll pick up after myself, cook dinner more often, I'll even pick an easy job for you the next time we need money, but please don't go!"
"Natsu, Natsu, calm down," she tried to pull away but he only held on tighter. "I'm not leaving you."
"You're not?!"
"Of course not!" she snapped indignantly. "I'm a celestial mage and we keep our word, remember? I vowed to stay with you till death do us part. Not getting rid of me that easily."
Natsu slumped in relief, and it was suddenly Lucy's turn to wrap her arms round him and hold him upright. "Then why did you go?" he asked.
"I needed to tell my father to back off."
"Alone?"
"It was something I had to do," she said simply.
Any other guy may have questioned that, argued against her logic, and make her feel guilty for scaring them. Natsu, however, was never any other guy, and he merely nodded understandingly, and pulled away to take her hand.
"Let's go home," he said.
She smiled at him. "Yes, let's."
"We'll get fish, right?" Happy asked as he floated beside her. "Because seeing as you were a big meanie making us believe you were gone and all, and then you tried to kill me, I think I deserve lots, and lots of fish."
"We'll have fish," Lucy indulged the blue cat.
"YAY!"
Lucy soon found herself having to give in each and every one of Natsu's and Happy's whims that evening as punishment for scaring them.
So, of course, she snapped and kicked the pair of them out of the window before the night was out.
(But she said absolutely nothing when they crawled back into bed and were a little more clingy than usual.)
FTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFT
When Loke became one of Lucy's spirits, things got a little messy. Natsu stood there, glowered at the ginger menace that he had hoped to keep Lucy away from, not bonded to in a way he could never be, while the lion spirit glared back.
"Erm…" Lucy mumbled, she glanced at Natsu, and then back at Loke, which did nothing for Natsu's temper. She must have noticed as she immediately slumped into a corner, all depressed, and blue. "I don't know what's going on!" she moaned to Happy.
"Aye," Happy agreed. "After all, you're not that special, Lucy."
"What was that you shitty cat?!"
"As Lucy's spirit, and the leader of the zodiac, I am in charge of her wellbeing," Loke declared pompously. "And I am here to say that I don't approve of you."
"Why the hell should I care?!" Natsu barked.
"Because I can make your life miserable."
"I like to see you try!"
"So unrefined," Loke sniffed, "Lucy, my love, if you ever get bored of playing house with this child, I am always at your service to satisfy you in any desire you may have." At this point, Loke had dropped the overprotective guardian act in favour of the playful flirt he actually was. Lucy was certain he did this just to irritate Natsu more than anything.
And it worked. Natsu very cheerfully broke Loke's nose in retaliation, and that's when a full on fight between her lion spirit and her dragon husband started.
Lucy stopped chasing Happy at this point in order to take cover behind the sofa. She and Happy had a policy of staying out of most of Natsu's fights unless he needed help or it got far too out of hand.
Then one of the two morons shattered her brand new lamp, and all hopes of staying out of it flew out of the window.
"OUT OF MY HOUSE, YOU TWO IDIOTS!" She screamed. When they looked like they might argue, Natsu even opened his mouth and began to whine, she shot them her deadliest glare. "NOW!" she snarled ferociously.
"A-Aye!"
FTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFT
After the situation with the Tower of Heaven, Juvia finally joined Fairy Tail. Thank God! Lucy sincerely hoped this meant no more stalking the team whenever they were out on a mission. She didn't hold out much hope though, Juvia was infatuated with Gray to a disturbing level. She had also decided, for reasons unknown to Lucy, that Lucy was her only friend in Fairy Tail. Or at least her only female friend.
"Dragneel-san!" Juvia cried out as she hugged Lucy by the side. She always called Lucy by her surname since the moment she found out Lucy was married. Lucy would like to say it was out of respect but that was utter bullshit and everyone at the guild knew it. Juvia called her by her married surname as a reminder to Gray that Lucy was taken. God knows why Juvia would think Gray would care, but oh well. There were worse habits for Juvia to pick up. Like kidnapping Lucy repeatedly. "Juvia was hoping that Dragneel-san could help her with moving into the girl dormitories and decorating her new room!"
"Of course," Lucy said as she struggled to escape Juvia's strangle hold. "What are friends for?"
"Thank you, Dragneel-san!" Juvia clasped her hands together happily, finally letting Lucy free to breathe, "Juvia is so lucky to have such a good friend for her only friend."
"O-only friend?" Lucy asked horrified. "Haven't the others tried befriending you yet?"
"Oh no!" Juvia shook her head. "Everyone at Fairy Tail has been very kind to Juvia even though Juvia doesn't deserve it, and Gajeel-kun is Juvia's friend, sort of, but Dragneel-san is Juvia's only female friend, and will always be Juvia's only female friend."
"Don't think like that!" Lucy scolded the blue haired water mage. "I'm sure the others will become your friend once you get to know them."
"Juvia doesn't think like anything," Juvia explained patiently, "Juvia knows she will not make friends with other females because Juvia wouldn't want to be friends with her potential love rivals," at this her eyes gleamed a rather manic gold.
Lucy sweat dropped and ended up spending the rest of her afternoon that most of the girls weren't interested in Gray.
Fortunately she had the full support of Mirajane, Erza, Levy, Laki, and Bisca, who all passionately argued their lack of interest in the stripper.
Unfortunately the girls' arguments was immediately made invalid as a drunken Cana decided now was the right time to shove her tongue down Gray's throat.
FTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFT
"Ne, Natsu, look at this."
Lucy waved a poster in front of Natsu's face. He grabbed hold of his wife's wrist firmly, so he would be able to squint at the paper and read it. After what was quite a while (Lucy was beginning to lose her patience, he could tell, she was tapping her foot, and her free hand went to rest on her hip) he managed to make out the words to gather the gist of the poster, and scowled. "What do you need to enter in a beauty contest for?" he asked.
"Well the money would be-"
"What do we need the money for?" Natsu demanded to know. "The house is finished," well it wasn't completely furnished but they had the two bedrooms, a proper kitchen, and a nice bathroom like Lucy wanted. Not that that second bedroom got used often, Happy much preferred to snuggle between Natsu and Lucy, but Lucy insisted one day in the future Happy will want his own room. God knows why. "We have enough for food this month, and if we needed something else, we can easily take a job. Not enter a beauty contest," he spat out the last two words. They tasted disgusting in his mouth, like the worst fire ever.
He didn't want her to be standing on stage while men like Macao and Wakaba eyed her up. He's been to these things before, all the Fairy Tail perverts call out rude things, and whistle, and make crude suggestions. He wasn't going to let any of them do that to his wife.
Lucy flushed. "I just thought it might be fun."
"I think it's a waste of time," Natsu said, shaking his head, "why hold a contest for something I already know?"
"Oh," Lucy looked annoyed, "and what do you already know?"
"That you're the prettiest girl here."
It came out mumbled but Lucy caught it, and she blushed a brighter pink as Natsu's own cheeks turned red. Happy, however, sniggered. "He liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiikes you," he taunted the blonde, "Though I think he's wrong. It's obvious Mira is the prettiest!"
"LUCY KICK!"
Natsu was pleased to say that Lucy obeyed his wishes, and sat out of the contest in order to sit with him and cheer the others on, and he was even happier to say that this meant Lucy was safe from Evergreen when the bitch decided to turn all the contestants into stone.
He was smug when it was his wife that kicked Evergreen's arse, with the help of Loke who blinded her and allowed Lucy the time to knock her out with her whip, and saved the girls.
He was boasting, despite the pain, when he got to kick Laxus' help (though grudgingly that was a team effort with Gajeel of all people!).
But honestly? The highlight of his day was Lucy tending to his wounds while scolding him. Her big brown eyes were on him, filled with concern, and she smiled at him like he was an idiot (which she certainly had no problem telling him), and he loved the fact her attention was solely on him.
He grinned like an idiot throughout the whole parade and none of Happy's teasing brought him down.
FTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFT
Since Loke had re-joined the spirit world, Lucy's spirits have taken to vocalising their opinion of Natsu. Which was rather negative apart from Virgo (who was the only one who has expressed indifference…and has made matching outfits for the married couple, so that had to mean she was on Team Natsu), and yes that meant even Plue disapproved of their marriage….according to Happy. Maybe he should take that one seriously seeing as Happy was a bit of a trickster.
These three new spirits were no different.
"I agree with Aquarius, We Are," Scorpio said as he eyed Natsu disdainfully, "You're not worthy of Lucy."
Natsu's eye twitched.
"Since we cannot transform into you, we cannot see what is in your mind," Gemini said in Lucy's body. They didn't look right while masquerading as her. Something about the eyes were different, Un-Lucy like, and she didn't smell like Lucy either. "And therefore we cannot trust you with Lucy."
His body was now twitching alongside with his eye.
"I'm sorry," Aries squeaked, "You seem nice, but Leo-nisan says you're unworthy, untrustworthy, and too noisy and violent for Lucy, I'm sorry! But I kinda have to agree….sorry!"
And then he lost it.
"WHAT THE HELL?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'M NOT WORTHY?!"
FTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFT
Gajeel was depressed….well okay, no one else noticed because he always was, but it had become a little more noticeable when he kept coming into the guild covered in scratches. Ever since Wendy's arrival he had been extra gloomy, and all because he didn't have a cat.
Why did Salamander and the kid get cats but he doesn't? It wasn't fair! To make things worse, Salamander even had a wife. He was a fucking moron, how did that happen?!
Determined to not be left out entirely. Gajeel decided to suck it up, and ask his mate to marry him before the kid suddenly got herself a husband, and he became the only dragon slayer in the guild that didn't have a cat or a spouse. "Oi! Shrimp!" he yelled across the guild. "Be my wife."
Shrimp's two sidekicks screamed and cried at that. Others gasped and whispered amongst themselves, while Mirajane and Salamander's wife both face palmed.
Gajeel just smirked as he waited for a response.
The answer was not what he was expecting….or the one he wanted.
"LEVY KICK!"
Damn Salamander's wife! He cursed as he flew out of the guild's roof, she just had to teach the Shrimp that particular move!
FTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFT
"You're married and not to Lisanna?!"
Natsu blinked at his mentor. Gildarts had recently returned from his three year long quest, badly injured, and exhausted, but Natsu was determined to introduce Lucy to him. Just as he was determined to introduce Lucy to Igneel when he finally finds that lizard bastard. "Why would I marry Lisanna?" he asked confused.
"Well, it's just that you two were sooooooooooooooo cute as kids," Gildarts said, "what with playing house and how you rescued her, and everything."
"Lisanna was like a sister," Natsu wrinkled his nose, "Lucy is my wife."
"Natsu?" Lucy called as she peered round Gildarts' front door, "Can I come in now? It's starting to rain."
"Yeah, sure," Lucy stepped in and Natsu happily wrapped an arm round her shoulders, "Gildarts, this is my wife, Lucy. Luce, this is Gildarts."
"Well, hello gorgeous," Gildarts said as he took Lucy's hand and kissed it, his eyes seemed very much glued to Lucy's chest much to Natsu's irritation. "I see why you married her instead of Lisanna. I wouldn't mind a pair of those, myself."
"Oi!" Natsu socked Gildarts one in the fact. Unfortunately he broke nothing. "Put your eyes back in, you perverted old man!"
FTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFT
Lucy couldn't help but feel a little sick when Lisanna returned.
Sure, Natsu had no romantic feelings for the pretty take-over mage, but that didn't mean she didn't have feelings for him. After all she asked to marry him, for Christ sake!
It was then, she realised with a groan, that she knew she had fallen in love with him. At some point from him demanding to marry her, and now as she tried to celebrate Lisanna's return with the guild, she had fallen madly in love with him. How did she not notice till now? After all she had been flustered around him for a while. What with all the blushing when he was shirtless, and how she reached for his hand more often than he did, and the hugs, and the kisses becoming more and more regular (just pecks on the forehead, or cheek, and once accidentally on the lips – Happy's fault!), and she even considered what their children would be like at one point before the whole Nirvana incident!
She watched, carefully, not just so she wouldn't be caught but so she wouldn't come across jealous. She didn't want anyone to tease her….because they so would! Especially Natsu, or Gray, or Mira, or Gajeel, and definitely Happy.
Lisanna glanced her way, and smiled. Lucy looked away quickly, and swore silently! Crap, she didn't want to look like a mad woman. "Hey!" Lisanna said sweetly appearing out of nowhere. Lucy may or may not have screamed and jumped out of her seat. "Are you all right?"
"Y-yeah," Lucy squeaked and stuttered at the same time, "I'm fine, you?"
"I'm good," Lisanna giggled, "I'm sorry. It's just that…you're so different from the Lucy I knew."
"Not that different," Natsu grumbled. Lucy rolled her eyes as Lisanna giggled again, Natsu was obviously still sore about the fact that Edo! Lucy, Lucy, and Gemini had all ganged up on him and teased him to near tears.
"Natsu, go away," Lisanna ordered, "I want to get to know Lucy."
"But-"
"Now!"
"But-"
"Natsu," Lucy snapped, "Go!"
He did so but not without grumbling, pouting, and sulking. Lucy sighed knowing that she'd have to make it up to him later. And then probably have to buy a lot of fish for Happy.
"You want to know something?" Lisanna said, still smiling sweetly, "In Edolas, Lucy joined Fairy Tail first." Lucy's eyes widened at that. She joined Fairy Tail first? She couldn't imagine that at all. Mainly because Natsu had joined when he was about eleven, and when she was at that age she was trying to learn magic and obey her father's wishes to be the perfect daughter. "And when it was time for Natsu to join, she wouldn't show him the way until he promised to be hers."
"Really?!"
"Yep," Lisanna nodded, "they were only fourteen at the time but she pretty much made him promise to marry her when they're older, and he did!"
"How, erm, romantic?"
"Isn't it just?!" Lisanna squealed, and Lucy suddenly saw a great resemblance to Mira. There was definitely a romantic bone in all of the Strauss siblings. "Unfortunately their wedding was very rushed, what with Knightwalker hunting us, but it was still nice. What was your wedding like?"
"Erm, it was….nice," Lucy concluded much to Lisanna's disappointment. "Simple, and sweet, and….we weren't in love when we married!" she confessed quietly and quickly.
"But are now, right?" Lucy's blush was answer enough as Lisanna grinned at her radiantly. "Perhaps one day you will renew your vows?" she suggested.
"Perhaps," Lucy agreed.
"And I can totally be a bridesmaid, right?"
Well…at least Lucy knew she had no reason to be jealous anymore.
FTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFT
Lucy was proud that her husband had been nominated to be S-Class, honestly, she was, but she was a little miffed that he picked Happy to be his partner for the exam. She couldn't help but feel a little left out. All the Strauss siblings were going, Juvia was going, Levy was going, Erza and Gray were going, even one of her own spirits was going as someone's partner! Then she found Cana unconscious, drunk, and in the cold, and she opened up to Lucy about her secrets and why she was thinking of leaving Fairy Tail, and suddenly Lucy found herself volunteering to help her. She wanted to help her….and she really didn't want to sit in her house alone. There were Vulcans in the forest surrounding it and she didn't like her chances without Natsu.
Natsu had been so busy training with Happy (or being tortured by Happy, she wasn't sure which one was more accurate) that he hadn't noticed that she was training with Cana, and packing. So when she turned up, bag in hand, at the docks. Natsu was a little confused.
"Luce, what are you doing here?" he asked. "I didn't forget anything, did I?"
"Apart from saying goodbye, no," Lucy said coolly.
She was a little miffed that he left while she had been sleeping. If she wasn't going she would have made him sleep on that stupid hammock he still had in revenge. "Oh, sorry," he suddenly hunkered down to her level and kissed the corner of her lips, "wish me luck?" he asked childishly innocent.
"I'm sorry but I can't," she said as she tried to get rid of her blush, "it would go against my partner's chances of beating you."
He blinked. "Wait….what?"
Cana then chose that moment to wrap her arms round Lucy. "She's mine, now Dragneel," she taunted him with a wink, "and I think we'll prove the better team."
Natsu looked like he was about to explode….and then he did. Face bright red, finger pointed at Cana, and smoke literally pouring out of his ears, he roared; "YOU'RE NOT PUTTING MY WIFE IN DANGER! GO AND PICK ANOTHER PARTNER!"
"Natsu," Happy sweat dropped, "it's too late, and we're boarding the boat any minute."
"You think Cana and I won't manage by ourselves?" Lucy snarled angrily as she jumped on the 'my wife in danger' bit. Did he think of her as some weakling that couldn't fend for herself? Sure, she had been kidnapped, jumped off a tower, and occasionally been overwhelmed by the bad guy, but that didn't mean she always needed rescuing. "Well you're wrong! I bet you anything Cana and I will kick your arses in these exams, and you'll be grovelling for forgiveness."
"Well I bet that not only will I beat everyone at this exam but I'll have to save your butt as well!" Natsu shot back.
"Oh really!" Lucy fumed. "Well in that case if I'm right you'll have to do every chore in the house for a whole month."
"And when I win," Natsu said arrogantly, "you'll have to cook Happy and me a thirteen course meal and serve it to us in your maid's uniform."
"Fine!"
"Fine!"
They whirled round and crossed their arms as Happy floated between them depressed. "Oi, lovebirds," Gray yelled, "quit bickering and get on this boat before we leave without you."
"GRAY!" everyone shouted. "CLOTHES!"
FTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFT
When Natsu found out that Lucy and Cana had kicked Bickslow and Freed's arses, he had a sinking feeling he was going to lose the bet. They were cheerful, all fired up for the next battle, and in Lucy's case, very smug. While he was down in the dumps with his confrontation with Gildarts. He wasn't so sure he was going to pass this at all.
And then they got sent off to find some grave. "Oi! Gramps!" he yelled. "Give us some sort of clue at least!"
"I already did when I gave you the riddle, Natsu," Gramps said exasperated.
"When the hell did you give us a riddle?!"
"It was in my instructions!" Gramps snapped. "If you want to be S-Class you have to learn to listen!"
"What the hell?!" Natsu pulled at his hair frustrated. "What riddle? This makes no sense!"
"Something tells me Lucy is going to win this," Happy sighed sadly. "Even though she's really clumsy and very vain, there's no doubt she's smarter than you Natsu."
"Aye," Natsu agreed feeling really depressed now.
Goddamnit!
FTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFT
Natsu felt useless.
Worse than useless, he felt as worthless as Lucy's spirits kept telling him he was. There was nothing he could do. No magic words to say, no gesture, or silly antic, or….well anything, to make Lucy smile again.
They had survived a war of sorts with another guild and a dragon attack, and Natsu even survived some lunatic who wielded death magic, and it was nothing short of a miracle….but everyone has suffered. Their guild has suffered. They had been gone for seven years, and their friends had suffered. And now, Lucy was suffering….because he father had died, died waiting for her, and there was nothing he could say to cheer her up.
What would cheer him up if he found out Igneel died waiting for him? Nothing.
He stood there as Lucy laid flowers on her parents' graves. Just stood there as he waited for her to say something. Say anything.
She finally did after what was hours of silence, the sun had started to set, and a chill was beginning to fill the air. "I regret not making amends with my Father," she whispered, "and I regret something else as well." She turned to look at him. He felt his heart drop to his stomach. Like motion sickness all over again.
"Luce…"
Please don't, he wanted to say, you shouldn't have to regret us. But how could he when they were married not for love, but for….well because he was being a greedy and selfish bastard?
She stepped closer to him and pressed a hand to his cheek. He leaned into it as his own hand and grabbed hold of her wrist, as if it was his own lifeline. "I regret…" she looked hesitant and then suddenly leaned up and kissed his lips. "I regret not doing this. I regret not telling you that I love you. Natsu, we were going to die on that island and all I could think of were all the things we didn't do."
Inwardly he thought he was going to sink to his knees and thank the gods that Lucy wasn't going to leave him. Outwardly, however, he just pulled her into his arms and nuzzled her hair. "We don't have to have regrets anymore," he told her, "we have our whole lives to do everything we missed before."
She smiled at him. "I love you," she said softly.
"I love you too."
They kissed again, and again, and some more. It even got a little too heated for public, and that was when Happy decided to remind them that he was still there. "You two are seriously kissing in front of dead people?!" he shouted horrified. "Natsu, I think Lucy's weirdness is rubbing off of you!"
FTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFT
There were more regrets.
Not at first, God no, definitely not at first. They were living their lives, they were embarrassing Happy with their displays of affection, and they were happy despite how the guild has moved to a shack, their house had been ransacked, and they were struggling to make ends meet.
Then they competed in the magical games, and then Lucy got captured, and then her future self appeared before them, and told them about the horrible, apocalyptic, future…and then she was brutally murdered.
Natsu couldn't shake off the memories of her pale face, her body trembling as their last bit of her life left her, and her final words, directed at him: "I wish….that we could have had….more days…together…..protect the future."
After beating the Future Rouge, his wife's murderer, and the seven dragons, everyone collapsed in relief, and Natsu suddenly found himself unable to stand up as he sat on all the rubble with Lucy in his lap.
"You got to let me go sometime," Lucy said.
"Not right now," he murmured.
"You know nothing will happen if you let me go, right?"
Natsu snorted. "I wouldn't put it past you falling into something, or getting kidnapped on the way back to the hotel," he said. She tried to smack him in retaliation only to have him capture her hand and kiss it. "Marry me," he said.
"I already did," she reminded him.
"Marry me, again," he said. "Properly this time. With all of our friends around us."
"Yes."
"Yes?"
"Yes!"
Happy had to tell them off for kissing in public again. Not that they cared, it just meant they could go back to the hotel room while everyone was out partying and have their own celebration.
It took months for them to have their wedding. Mainly because bad guys didn't know when to take a break long enough for them to plan it. But with the last bad guy gone, everyone finally recovered, and Magnolia rebuilt, they had their wedding.
Lucy got to wear the dress she always wanted, and the proper church wedding, and everyone, from Fairy Tail to their friends in Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, Mermaid Heel, Sabertooth, and Quattro Cerberus filled the seats up.
The only difficulty had been deciding on a maid of honour. Erza, Mirajane, Levy, Juvia, Lisanna, Cana, and Wendy had all decided they should be it. Wendy had backed down pretty quickly but the others literally battled it out for days (the men and Lucy had all decided to take missions until it was over). It had only been resolved when Natsu chose Happy for his best man so Lucy said it would only be fair if Charle was her maid of honour ("Unless you guys want to try dancing with Happy for the first dance," Lucy raised a pointed eyebrow at her, more broken bones than anything else, friends. "Give me enough booze and I will!" Cana had replied.).
But here she stood, saying her vows again, to the man she was madly in love with, in the white dress she had always wanted, surrounded by the people she loved.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss the bride," Master finished the service, "Or if you want I can, Lucy is-"
"Master!" Mira glowered.
Not that Lucy noticed much. Natsu was giving her perhaps the best kiss of her life (until the next one, and then the next one, and then….oh you get the picture!), while Happy bemoaned how people shouldn't keep giving them permission to do yucky things.
Everyone else cheered and as Lucy and Natsu pulled apart, they grinned.
This was the wedding they were supposed to have, but you know what? Lucy wouldn't have changed a single thing that led to this day.