A/N - TW for temporary character death :(


Natsu turned back to Erza, who had already requipped into a smart-looking suit. She didn't have a book or anything, and Natsu had thought most weddings involved some kind of reading, but Erza probably knew everything by heart. And that was good, because Natsu didn't.

"What do we do?" he asked. Everything was starting to feel a little unreal, and he had the sense that he should hurry things along, in case they ran out of time.

"Are you sure you two want to do this? This will be legally binding," Erza told them.

"I want to," Gray said, even before Natsu could respond. Natsu just nodded mutely, feeling the lump come back into his throat.

Erza nodded, flushing a bit with excitement. "Happy, Lucy, will you two be the legal witnesses to this marriage?"

"Aye," Happy answered, sounding a bit sad. Natsu wanted to tell him that there was no reason to be sad, and if they did this, everything would be okay, but the words didn't come in time. Erza had already moved on to Lucy, who was nodding.

"Gray, do you want me to help you sit up?" Lucy asked. "That way, Natsu-"

"I can sit in front of ya," Natsu finished. "Just like a real wedding!" He was starting to get excited now, the faraway feeling dissolving into jittery nerves. He caught himself tapping the fingers of his free hand against the ground, unable to sit still and wait for Erza to organize them.

Gray nodded, and Natsu saw a small smile flit across his face. Lucy and Natsu each took one of his shoulders, and began to carefully pull him up off the ground.

Honestly, Natsu hadn't really thought that Lucy would need his help, even with a broken arm. He was mostly just helping as an excuse to keep touching Gray for as long as he could, at least at first. But as soon as they began to lift Gray up, it was clear that he couldn't take any of his own weight at all. All the strength seemed to have gone out of his core, and he honestly seemed barely able to raise his head.

"God, Gray," Natsu whispered. "We can still do this if you're lyin' down."

"No, no," Gray said softly, his face hardening as he tried and failed to help them. "I'm…I'm alright, just keep-"

He broke off, panting for breath and looking dangerously pale. Natsu quickly adjusted him so he was leaning back on Lucy. Lucy, to her credit, didn't sound or look like she was in pain, despite her broken arm. But Gray looked like even the slight change in elevation had him struggling to stay conscious.

"Gray, are you sure?" Lucy said, adjusting him so he was resting a little more stably. "You look…."

"I'm alright," he repeated. "Please, I…I want it to feel real."

"Take his ring," Erza said. "And give him yours."

Natsu nodded. Honestly, he hadn't spent that much time thinking about their wedding, imagining what it would be like. This was all feeling a good bit less magical than he'd expected - when they'd exchanged rings to codify their engagement, it hadn't really occurred to Natsu that they'd had to re-exchange them at the wedding.

But at the same time, the trappings didn't matter to Natsu. They never had - if they had, he would have done a better job of actually planning the wedding. He knew they didn't matter to Gray either. All that mattered was that they had each other.

So Natsu leaned forward, and lifted Gray's necklace over his head. He'd put his ring on the chain he always wore after he'd damaged his hand. Then Natsu pulled his own ring off his finger, and handed it to Gray. He then realized that of course Gray wouldn't be able to take it, with one hand bandaged and the other clinging helplessly to the sword, so Lucy took it from him with a small nod.

Gray frowned. "I want to-"

"Gray, you can't." Natsu felt an unexpected lump grow in his throat. "Your hands. Just…let Lucy hold onto it, okay?"

"I'll give it to you when we get to the exchange part," Lucy said.

Gray looked for a moment like he was going to protest, but then nodded, still frowning. Natsu wished he could think that Gray was acquiescing because they were short on time, but that didn't seem very much like Gray, who was stubborn to the point of unmanageable. He just…didn't have the energy to argue anymore.

Natsu felt urgency well up inside him like a physical feeling, making it hard for him to sit still. He wanted to pace around, like Happy, who was circling nervously above the four of them. He wanted to seize Erza and shake her to make this wedding go faster. Once it was done, if it was done….

Natsu cut off that thought as best he could. It was stupid, and superstitious, and he was too old for that sort of thing.

"Are you ready?" Erza asked, and Natsu nodded.

He repositioned himself so he was kneeling directly in front of Gray, looking into his fiance's face. Even as pale and exhausted as Gray looked, he raised his head and met Natsu's gaze with grim determination. For a second, Natsu found himself choking back something halfway between a laugh and a sob. It was just like Gray to turn even a wedding into a battle.

"We are here to witness the wedding of Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster," Erza announced. She was speaking quickly - not fast enough that they would struggle to understand her, but it was clear that she was feeling an urgency too.

At the sound of their names said in conjunction, the unreality surrounding the whole situation began to dissipate. They were doing this. They were about to get married, and Gray would be officially, legally his. Forever.

The look on Gray's face told Natsu that he was starting to feel it too. Some of the fight in his eyes was fading into a wide-eyed wonder that Natsu didn't see very often, but was one of his favorite expressions on Gray.

The sounds of fighting faded away, and for a moment, all Natsu could see was Gray. He didn't want to wait a second longer to marry the man in front of him.

"You can each say your vows, if you have them," Erza prompted.

Natsu hadn't written his vows. To be honest, he hadn't even thought much about them. That was one of the many things that he'd vaguely assumed he could work out much, much later.

But it couldn't be that hard. He loved Gray, and all he had to do was say that. Natsu sat forward slightly, ready to start, but Gray beat him to it.

He was talking fast, but low. Natsu had to bend forward slightly in order to make sure he could hear Gray, but his voice was clear.

"I used to hate that I loved you. I hated myself for falling for you and I hated you for pulling me into it. But when you loved me back…."

Gray broke off, swallowed, and kept going. Natsu stayed frozen, silent, and let him finish.

"I wouldn't change a second of it. I want to love you for the rest of my life."

Natsu vaguely remembered hearing somewhere that wedding vows were supposed to be about two minutes long, and he remembered Erza and Jellal's being longer. In light of that, he waited a polite beat to see if Gray was planning to continue.

But it seemed the vows he'd given had already taken all the strength he had - he was panting for breath, eyes blown out and glassy. That was perfectly fine with Natsu. Two sentence vows sounded better to him anyways. He patted Gray on his shoulder - gently, so as not to hurt him any - and tried to find the words he would need to start.

"I…I don't really know what to say, Gray," Natsu began. "You know I've never been good at this sort of thing. I'm…I love you, Gray. I guess that's all that matters. I don't know so many fancy words to say it, and I…I hadn't planned these out at all, but that doesn't mean anything, okay? I love you. I just love you. I love you more than anything else I've ever had."

Natsu wasn't too much of a crier, but he surprised himself by starting to sniffle - he quickly wiped away a single tear with the back of one bloody hand. He hadn't exactly expected to cry, and he didn't exactly want to be crying, but…what sort of person didn't cry when they were marrying the love of their life?

Gray, apparently. He wasn't crying, but he was smiling vaguely. He looked happy, at peace.

"Are you boys done?" Erza asked.

"Yeah," Natsu sniffed, wiping his eyes quickly again.

Gray just nodded.

"You can exchange rings now," she said.

"O-okay." Natsu untangled the chain holding Gray's ring - identical to his, except Natus's had a faint motif of ice, and Gray's was fire. Gray's ring was kind of bloody, and Natsu tried to wipe it off as best he could before leaning forward and gently slipping the chain over Gray's head. The wisps of hair at the nape of Gray's neck brushed lightly against Natsu's wrists, and Natsu fought the sudden urge to pull Gray forward and kiss him, even though he knew it wasn't time yet.

"Can I have-" Gray started, but Lucy was already pressing Natsu's ring into his hand. Since Gray's left hand wasn't functional, he had to let go of the sword to take it, and Natsu's heart twisted when he gasped with pain.

"Gray, I can just-"

"No," Gray said, a look of concentration tightening his face. He reached out shakily, and Natsu extended his own hand towards Gray.

He tried to hold his fingers as still as possible. He was still a little sniffly, and he could feel the leftover adrenaline from the battle still making him jittery, but his hand didn't move.

Gray's hand was not. Without the sword, Gray already looked paler, like all the blood had rushed out of his face. His eyes still had the spark of determination, but it was dimming, glazing over while Natsu watched. And his hand was shaking. Badly.

He tried to put Natsu's ring on his finger a few times, but his own fingers were trembling so badly that he didn't get anywhere close. His grip on the ring looked clumsy, like he was barely able to close his fingers around the small piece of metal, and Natsu began to get worried he was going to drop it on the forest floor, and they'd never be able to find it.

"Hey, Gray," Natsu began, turning his hand palm up and looking at Gray beseechingly. "It's okay…."

Gray let out a small, defeated-sounding sigh, and dropped the ring awkwardly into Natsu's hand. Carefully, Natsu slipped it back onto his finger, ignoring the streaks of blood it transferred onto his palm.

When he looked up, Gray's head had fallen to the side slightly, and his breathing had gotten unsteady. His right hand was lying limply at his side, the sword a few inches away.

"Gray," Lucy whispered, before Natsu could move forward, and she slid the sword into Gray's palm.

Slowly, his fingers curled around the hilt, and he managed to lift his head upright. The color had come back into his cheeks a little, and Natsu thought his eyes looked a little more alert.

"Gray?" Natsu whispered, heart suddenly in his throat. Gray gave him a small nod, and Natsu could breathe again.

"Shall I go on?" Erza asked respectfully.

Gray nodded again, and Natsu seconded. "Please," he said softly. He didn't want to run out of time.

"Natsu, do you take Gray to be your wedded partner, to have and to hold, to love him, honor him, and comfort him, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live?"

For a moment, Natsu couldn't speak past the lump in his throat. He nodded, knowing that wasn't enough, and swallowed hard.

"I do."

Erza turned to Gray and repeated the words. Natsu tried to listen to her voice, and not to think about "in sickness and in health," let alone "as long as you both shall live." He didn't want to think about the permanent mark that Magnus had left on Gray. That would come later. He was marrying the love of his life, and right now, that was all he wanted to be thinking about.

"I now pronounce you partners for life," Erza said solemnly. "You may now kiss your husband."

Natsu took in a deep breath, savoring this moment despite everything. His husband.

He leaned forward, meaning to just peck Gray on the lips. He kind of doubted Gray could handle much more than that, as weak and fragile as he was looking now.

But to Natsu's surprise, Natsu felt Gray's injured hand go clumsily to his shoulder, and then wrap carefully around his back. Gray tugged Natsu slightly closer, kissing him more deeply than Natsu had expected. Natsu wrapped his arms around Gray, lifting him a little more upright, and tried to ignore the way the icy coating over Gray's wound made his stomach cold.

Finally, even Natsu needed some air, and he lowered Gray gently back down. Gray was gasping helplessly for breath, and his lips were pale and bloodless, but a faint flush had settled over his cheeks. He looked pleased.

"I can take him back now," Natsu said to Lucy. Lucy nodded, and helped Natsu settle Gray onto his lap. Even that much movement was clearly causing Gray agony, but he was silent during the transfer.

"T-thanks," he whispered to Erza once he was done moving. "E-everyone is gonna be so mad they missed it."

"Stop trying to talk so much," Erza said. She was smiling, but her voice sounded thick, and Natsu realized she was wiping tears away. "Save your strength."

"We can recreate it for 'em after the extraction, 'kay? We'll do the whole thing over again, just for show. But maybe…maybe after they patch you up a little bit. Is that okay?"

"Okay," Gray breathed. He closed his eyes, and Natsu settled a hand on his head, working his fingers slowly through his hair. "I love you."


Gray was feeling pretty good, all things considered. Well, physically not so much. All the moving, and the talking, and the…kissing…they'd really made his stab wound hurt. His whole body was now radiating with the kind of pain that made it hard to think or breathe or swallow.

The pain was getting easier and easier to ignore though, which kind of seemed bad but felt pretty good. It was being replaced by a surprising feeling of peace. He'd married Natsu. Whatever else happened, he'd married Natsu.

His head was in his husband's lap now. Natsu was stroking his hair, which felt nice. He didn't know where the others were, but when he opened his eyes, he couldn't see them. Maybe they were giving him and Natsu some space. Maybe they were just trying to make sure they didn't get attacked.

"They gotta be almost here by now," Natsu was saying. Gray could feel his voice vibrating through where his head lay on Natsu's chest. It was nice. It made him feel closer.

Hopefully, Natsu didn't expect a reply. Gray was forcing himself to stay awake, but he knew he was low on energy. He didn't really want to waste it on talking, now that the wedding was done. He just wanted to lie here, in his husband's arms, for as long as he could.

"It'll just be a little longer, and then they'll fix you up," Natsu told him. "How are you doing?"

That probably did need a response. Gray took a breath, trying to gather his strength enough to speak. He didn't even know what he was going to say yet. That would take more energy than he thought he possessed.

But before he could even get close to answering Natsu, the Dragon Slayer was talking again. He ran his hand through Gray's hair, combing his fingers gently through his bangs.

"Not too good, huh? It's okay, they'll patch you up and you're gonna be just fine, right?"

Gray managed a low hum, and he felt Natsu's fingers still for a second in his hair before resuming their careful motion.

"It was a good wedding. I honestly don't know what I woulda done different, 'cause we forgot to even start planning what we'd want at all. Maybe this one was perfect. It's pretty badass to get married in the middle of a fight. It's way more badass than Erza and Jellal's wedding was, anyway, so we can probably make fun of 'em for that."

Gray didn't really understand what Natsu was saying anymore. He was speaking too fast, and too quietly, for Gray to make out the words.

But he also knew Natsu well enough to know that he didn't have to understand what he was saying. He didn't even really have to listen. Natsu was just trying to keep Gray calm, or maybe himself. Maybe both.

"And who wants loads of people at their wedding anyway? Erza says that's crazy expensive. And Fairy Tail can be kind of a lot during parties-"

It was working. Ever since the wedding, Gray had mostly felt tranquil, but Natsu's voice wrapping over and around him deepened that feeling. He was…happy. Natsu was here, talking to him about stupid stuff, just like always. Except now, Natsu was his husband. Finally.

Gray was glad they had gotten married. If they weren't married, if Natsu was still just his fiance, Gray didn't think he could just lie here, feeling the pain recede to be replaced by Natsu's voice. Things would have felt…unfinished.

"I think they're all gonna be really happy for us. They probably won't even be too mad, they'll get it…."

Gray let his head tilt a little further into Natsu's chest, and shut his eyes. Natsu's scarf rubbed against his cheek, and the fabric felt warm and soft, and it smelled like Natsu.

"I think I do want some sorta honeymoon though. The real kind, I mean, where we go to a place. I think we can handle planning that, right? Umm…I don't really wanna go on the kind of trip where we have to go on a boat, or a car, or a train. I guess it might be a little bit hard to find a cool place that's walking distance though, huh? We've kind of already been to all those places…."

There was nothing more Gray could do. All his life he'd fought - for his friends, for Fairy Tail, for himself, and for Natsu. It was why he had taken the sword in the first place. But now, there was nothing left to fight for. What would be would be. The loss of control was easier than Gray had expected, like taking off a heavy backpack he hadn't even known he was wearing.

"I guess if you find a really awesome place, I wouldn't mind if we had to take a train there. I might…you know I might throw up on you. But I mean, if you thought the place was really cool, I think it would be worth it."

Gray thought about trying to open his eyes again - he liked looking at Natsu while he talked. But that seemed like too much work. He was just too tired.

"...I'd even go somewhere cold, I guess…."

Gray wondered if he should say something to Natsu. It seemed…there seemed something almost impolite about letting Natsu keep on talking without so much as a word back. And anyways, if Natsu was really offering to go somewhere cold for their honeymoon, Gray kind of wanted to make him promise. Just in case.

But Gray couldn't manage it, and he knew he couldn't manage it and there was no point in trying. He couldn't even really remember how to talk.

He was swimming in the darkness now, and Natsu's words were starting to make less and less sense, and it was starting to get harder and harder to pay attention to them.

So finally, he let go. He breathed in, breathed out, and let the darkness swallow him whole.


"Oh, you know what we should do when this is over?" Natsu said. He wanted to keep up a steady barrage of meaningless words, because Gray's eyes were closed and he didn't want Gray to think he was alone, but he'd kind of lost the thread on the honeymoon planning. "Pop champagne. I bet Mira can get us really good champagne. Maybe she'll even give it to us for free since it's our wedding."

Natsu still had one hand in Gray's hair, and the other was draped very loosely over Gray's stomach. He realized that hand was kind of wet. For a second, Natsu had the horrible thought that Gray had started bleeding again, but then he realized it was just that the ice over the wound was melting.

"Awww, Gray, you gotta wake up," Natsu said. "I know you're tired, but I can't freeze this for ya…."

Gray did not respond.

Natsu looked up at Gray's face. His eyes were closed, his jaw slack in a way it hadn't been before. Natsu jostled him slightly.

"Come on, Gray, you need to wake up…."

Gray didn't so much as twitch. The ice, now tinged with red, continued to melt.

"Gray?"

It was about then that Natsu realized Gray's chest wasn't moving.

"Gray? No, Gray, come on-" Natsu tried to keep the panic out of his voice. He didn't think it worked.

He knew he shouldn't shake Gray, because you should never shake an injured person. But the part of Natsu's brain that would have told him that was gone. So he shook Gray by the shoulders, harder than he'd meant to, silently begging anyone who was listening for Gray to wake up and open his eyes.

Instead, Natsu watched as Oblatio fell away from Gray's limp fingers, and landed on the dusty ground.

Gray did not wake up.