Did I hear someone ask about married life? *cough*duffieldshawn*cough* Of course I planned on whipping up a couple. Since editing is going slowly, here's a post story entry a bit early. (There are more planned, don't you worry!)
I did edit this one. Since these have been extras, I've mostly just been letting them through without my usual editing process, but this one I really wanted to be good.
As always, thanks for all the love and happy reading!
One, two, three, four, five, six.
One, two, three, four, five, six.
One, two, three, four, five, six.
Natsu paced back and forth in the office, trying to work out the anxiety building up in his gut. Unfortunately, no matter how fast or slow he made those six steps, he couldn't calm down, and the tension in his shoulders was starting to make his head hurt. When the door opened behind him, he whipped around and practically yelled, "Well?"
Gray raised an eyebrow at him. "Well what?"
"Oh, uh, nothing." Natsu's hands made a dive for his hair, but he stopped just in time. Lucy wouldn't like it if he messed up his hair. He growled as he tensed even more.
"Dude, you're literally wearing a path into the carpet," Gray said. "You need to settle down."
Natsu didn't respond as his pacing quickened even more. Instead of continuing to watch him freak out, Gray grabbed him by the arm, ignoring Natsu's protests, and dug his fingers into the other man's shoulders. "Seriously dude. Just relax. Focus on your breathing. Loosen up these muscles. Find a way to relax before you hurt yourself."
Natsu tried to pull away, but Gray wouldn't let him. Anger over his loss of strength flashed through him for a moment, distracting him from his anxiety, but he kept himself in check. Instead he focused on the fingers digging uncomfortably into his shoulders. The feel of his not-quite worn in shoes. How close Gray was and how easy it would be to flip him over onto the floor, same as if they were sparring at the gym. He listened to the hum of voices through the wall and thought about how much he'd been looking forward to this day just twenty four hours ago.
"There. Feeling a bit better?"
Natsu reminded himself that Lucy would be unhappy with him for messing up Gray's tux, and his own, if he fought the man, so instead he let out a long breath and answered gruffly. "Yeah. Better."
"Good. Now do me a favor and don't actually try to beat the snot out of me, okay? Lucy would have both our heads."
"If she's even here," Natsu grumbled.
"What?"
Before Natsu could answer, the door opened, and Juvia walked in. Her smile widened and her eyes lit up as she spotted Gray. "Gray, darling, you look wonderful!" She stepped forward and gave him a peck on the cheek as she turned towards Natsu. "Lucy is in her room downstairs, just finishing up. She said to tell you to remember to breathe, don't mess up your hair or your tux, and she promises to see you inside very soon." With a final kiss for Gray, she was gone, her pink dress floating behind her.
"I'm sorry, what?" Gray turned around and glared at Natsu. "That's why you're freaking out? You think Lucy would just, what, abandon you at the alter?"
Natsu knew it was crazy. He'd been through so much, they had been through so much, that he knew the idea that she would leave on the day of their wedding was ludicrous. Still... things had always been weird for him when it came to love. He'd never cared much for it before meeting Lucy, and when he'd finally had an interest in it, his actions had been directed for him by his inner dragon, not him. He couldn't shake the idea that Lucy would miss that part of him, miss him being half dragon, and decide that this human version of him wasn't good enough for her. What would he do if that happened? He'd sacrificed everything for her. He'd died for her.
What if that wasn't enough though? Lucy was worth so much more than he could ever provide for her, what if she finally came to her senses and decided to leave instead of tying herself to him?
Natsu stumbled when Gray suddenly punched him in the shoulder. "Are you totally nuts, or just mostly?" Natsu stared at him wide eyed as he realized some of what he'd been thinking had apparently come out of his mouth. He hoped he hadn't said too much.
"Lucy isn't going anywhere, you pea brain. She's too nice to just abandon you the day of and she's too smart to choose someone who isn't worth her time." Gray gave him a smile and squeezed his shoulder. "Try to calm down, okay? This is Lucy's day, too, and if you're too stressed, she won't be able to enjoy it, ya know? And if she can't enjoy it, I have a feeling Cana and the others are going to be after your ass."
Natsu chuckled, finally relaxing as he envisioned the maid of honor from hell coming after him. She'd definitely beat him senseless if he made Lucy worry too much. "Yeah, you're right." He focused on his breathing for a bit, and Gray finally retreated when Natsu got himself under control. Gray answered the door when the pastor came knocking. Natsu checked himself in the mirror one more time, just to be sure he was presentable.
"You ready?" Gray asked. "Time to head out."
Once he'd adjusted his flower, Natsu turned around with a grin and his stomach somewhere between his knees and his toes. "Definitely."
And maybe next time, we'll check in with Lucy.
Be well.
