Natsu was living the fucking life. Meeting Lucy was the best thing he had ever done and he has never felt more content than taking daddy's money to live his best fucking life. Lucy obviously doesn't have a problem with it and neither does her daddy so why the fuck should he have a problem with spending someone else's money and enjoying the life of luxury? His future father-in-law is one cool fucking guy and if the special treatments and resort didn't say so himself, he would definitely say everything else did.
For the next month, all the couple did was fuck around. From swimming to snorkeling to fishing to body massages, Natsu had never felt so refreshed and relaxed in his life.
He felt like a brand new fucking man with a new goal in mind and all he could hyper focus on was Lucy. She was the angel sent from heaven to bring joy and really nasty great fucking sex into his life and he had no absolute choice but to impregnant this woman to trap her in his life forever and he didn't give two shits if he sounded batshit crazy or boaderline obsessed because he was Lucy Heartfillia's number one fan and that was not going to change anytime soon.
It made him think of his dad and their friends, wondering how great they would feel to have such an experience like this.
Lucy assured him that they can come back anytime and even bring his father along one of these days and he felt his love for her soar as he kissed her all over the place.
His favorite thing to do these days was to trace her tan lines with his tongue and enjoy the sun-kissed skin she was beginning to grow into.
The hot summer days and cool drinks on the beach made his desire grow tenfold as he found himself at his girlfriend's every whim and disposal. So much so that he had forgotten about everything and everyone else that he truly was delusional enough to believe it was just them in the whole world.
That is, until Lucy broke the news that they were to return back home and he found himself depressed at the idea.
"Natsu, what do you mean you don't want to? You've been talking about how excited you were to see everyone!"
"Before we came to Tenrou! You're crazy if you think I'm going to leave this beautiful place to go see Gray of all people!"
Lucy rolled her eyes as she stood firm in her spot, hands planted on her hips as she stared down the male who leisurely laid in their king size mattress. "We've been here nearly a month, Natsu, and we have to head back. School starts in less than two months and you wanted to see your dad one last time, right?"
"Can't we just say fuck it and live here forever?"
The look on her face showed that they couldn't just say fuck it and live there forever and he groaned out loud, sprawling out on the mattress even further. "But Lucy—" he started to whine and now it was her turn to groan. "I don't think I can make it back to the mainland. The boat ride is going to kill me."
"Well, it's a good thing you don't have to be awake for it."
"What?" He asked, turning his head to see his girlfriend still standing in her spot. "What does that mean?"
"I may or may have not drugged you this morning."
"What?" He repeated again, more frantic, as he shot up on the bed and looked at her in disbelief. "No you didn't." The grin on her face made him shiver. "If this was an option this whole time, why didn't we do this from the start?"
"So you think drugging you is a good idea?"
"I mean, yeah," he said with his eyebrows knitted and a scoff attached to his words. "If I've known you could knock me out this entire time I would have gladly taken anything you've given me!"
"Great!" Lucy beamed happily as she suddenly called for someone and he was frozen in his spot as someone magically came strutting into their room. "Glad you think so. This is doctor B and he will be ministering a sedative for you." She presented him as if he was some kind of prize and Natsu didn't know what to do as he looked from his giddy girlfriend to the smiling doctor who held up a needle.
His jaw went slack as he stared at the needle this so-called doctor held and he felt all the color drain from his face.
"I—I thought you said you already drugged me."
"I said I may or may not have but I was just testing the waters to see what you thought."
"Umm, Luce?" He said warily, eyeing the doctor beside her back to her smiling face. "I think I changed my mind."
"Don't be silly!" She giggled a little too innocently. "It'll just be a pinch."
And it certainly was not only a pinch because Natsu shrieked when the needle went into his biceps and he was one second away from cussing out this so-called doctor till the next year till he suddenly felt as if his blood ran cold and all he saw was black.
The next time he woke up, he was strapped to a seat on a plane on their way to God knows where and he felt groggily. Almost as if a train had run him over. Twice.
His body ached and his neck was stiff from how he was positioned making him groan out loud in pain. He heard the faint voice of Lucy beside him and he stretched his body for joints to crack.
"What the hell?" He muttered, finally coming back from his blackout as he blinked slowly. "Where are we?"
"On a plane to Akane. We're twenty minutes from landing."
It was hard for him to wrap his head around the fact that he was nearly knocked out cold for almost eight hours and he stared at her as if she spoke another language to him. His throat was dry and his head was spinning in more ways than one.
Lucy thrusted out a water bottle to him without any word, his hands slowly reaching up to wrap around the plastic bottle. He was quick to down nearly the entire thing as he gasped out for air, the cold rush of water bringing him back to life. "What the hell was in that sedative? How was I knocked out for that long?"
"Let's just say it's a strong one," she had a coy smile on her lips. "But it had you knocked out for a while! I was kind of worried you might be out for longer." Her sheepish smile only made him stare at her.
He knew from the start not to mess with someone like Lucy but now he was worried if he did anything to fuck things up, he might not even be able to walk away alive.
Seeing how he was at a loss of words, Lucy continued on with the conversation. "We'll be arriving in Akane by tonight and then by the time the weekend comes, everyone should be able to join us. That gives us two full days to ourselves." She held up two fingers with a grin and he was still blinking stupidly in her direction. "And then we can figure out what we can do from there. Maybe revisit your father and maybe mine before we head back to campus."
"I'm sorry," he shook his head. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around that sedative. Do you think it'll be possible for me to get some more?"
"What for?" She asked skeptically, eyeing her boyfriend who looked as if he was still in a daze.
"Stuff." He didn't elaborate any further and Lucy merely pursed her lips.
"If this is for any pranks or anything, no. I am more than happy to minister said drug when you need it but I don't think it'll be smart for you to have some in your possession."
"Psh," he scoffed, leaning back into his seat. "Killjoy."
She simply glared at him and he turned his head to avoid the heated gaze.
As much as he did express how much he didn't want to return, he actually was super excited to be back on the homeland with his friends. He hadn't seen them since summer break had started almost a month and a half ago and he would be lying if the mere idea of seeing Gray's punch-able face again didn't get him riled up. He's been itching for a fight since he hadn't had the release in so long and if Lucy's father didn't build that up for him (he's still a cool dude in his eyes), he wouldn't have been so excited.
And the most exciting part of it all is that now that his friends are mainly acquainted with Lucy's now, he didn't have to worry about anyone being left out of his brawls.
Gajeel now had Levy so he would surely come with the assistance of Levy and Gray would obviously come even if he wasn't around.
He definitely could try and get Jellal to join in the fun but he didn't know the rules with fighting and cops. Quite possibly he could be in a world of trouble but that makes it all the more fun.
It's been well over a month since he had seen anyone else besides Juvia and he didn't know why it made his stomach churn with the simple invitation that he had been waiting for since the beginning of summer break but he figured he knew why.
Lucy was not one to be messed with and she gave him simple instructions on what to do and he still stalled this long.
Why? You can blame his insecurities and self-confidence for that one.
Gray Fullbuster isn't really known for beating around the bush and he certainly was not afraid of a lot of things but women sure as hell scared him.
No, not women.
Lucy. And Erza. And possibly Levy. And a little bit of Juvia. And Mirajane. And—
The point is, Gray had discovered a new fear and he had no idea (vivid memories of Lucy throwing Loke and his pledges to the ground flashed back) why he was so afraid of this trip. He would have gladly ignored the message and claimed he had no idea why they wouldn't invite him (gaslighter!) but of course Lucy had to text Juvia as well so the water woman herself was excited to reconnect with everyone.
Him and Juvia have been great. Since summer had started and everyone had scattered apart in the world, he had stayed back to stay with Juvia who was a permanent resident in Hargeon. They were able to spend every day together without a disruption from one of their idiotic friends. They could go back and forth from his frat house back to hers without a worry (even though they both preferred Juvia's nice apartment versus his dirty, stinky frat house) and most importantly: no teasing! No pressure!
Gray himself knows the importance of titles and why everyone was so down his throat about asking Juvia out but he had (many) problems. One being that he had very big trust issues and can't forget the mommy issues! He was destined to be fearful of women and love and nobody can blame him for that one.
He almost did ask her out that one time they were enjoying a day down by her apartment complex's pool and it was as if he was watching some kind of movie where the woman comes out of the pool all wet and glorious and everything was in slow-motion.
The words just wanted to come out on its own till he realized they were in public and his raging hard-on would probably scare the children.
And then he also realized that he really was about to ask this woman out because he found her extra hot when she was wet (go figure!) and coming out of a pool.
Honestly though, he didn't even know what he was waiting for. He's already lost within the three and even Gajeel of all people was now taken.
The fear always overcame the possible outcomes and as much as he wanted to ask Juvia to be his one and only, his body and mind always betrayed him in the end.
Which is why he is fine with accepting defeat and having his ass beat by Lucy because she is right.
He is a pussy.
"Natsu! Not here!"
"Yes, here."
"What if someone comes—?" Her sentence was cut off abruptly as Natsu shoved her head down, bending her at the waist. She yelped on the way down but didn't have a chance to say anything else as Natsu draped himself over her small body, pressing her further against the surface.
"Someone will be coming," he purred against her ear, earning a shiver in response. "And it's going to be you."
"That's not what I mea—" Lucy gasped as she felt Natsu's reach around and grope at her chest, a whimper escaping her lips. She squirmed underneath him but found herself relaxing into his hold, her legs spreading as he kicked them apart for him to press his boner against her behind. The blush spread across her face and chest at the feel of her prize and she turned her head to peek over her shoulder, eyeing him with glossy wanton eyes. "Natsu."
He grinned wickedly back at her pouty expression and he was already sliding down his swim shorts along with her bikini bottom, the thin string easily slipping down her long legs.
"Is this what you want, Luce?" His hot appendage pressed against the roundness of her ass and she groaned.
"Just stick it in already," she whined, pushing her behind back to press against his hard on.
"Patience is a virtue," he taunted, grabbing at his cock to line it up against her folds. He rubbed his length against her and coated himself in her juices earning a whine from her and a jerk of her hips. "Does this excite you, Luce? Thinking about someone walking in on us?"
"No, way," she tried to stand back upright but Natsu shoved her back down causing her to yelp again.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Someone should be here any minute! You just reminded me—" she stopped talking as Natsu grabbed her by the face, pinching her cheeks together.
He bent her head backwards making her look back at him as he continued to keep her bent at the waist, his throbbing cock pressed against her womanhood. "Luce, just shut up," he smirked at her as he began to sink inside of her tight wet hole. He let out a groan with her as the two shuddered at the feeling of themselves warm up. "So fucking tight," he growled, tightening his grip around her face. "And so wet."
The idea of someone walking in on them now was tossed out the window as Natsu snapped his hips against hers and Lucy cried out in response.
Even after the many, many times they have made love in the past however long, she could never get over how great Natsu made her feel. And she was a slave to his wits and she could never go against him when he was pounding her into oblivion.
"Fuck!" Natsu dug his fingers into her hips, slamming into her over and over again as her ass rippled with his thrusts.
Lucy barely held onto the table as she was jerked around, cries and moans flying out of her swollen lips. The wetness that dripped down her legs felt cold but the way Natsu continued to stretch her out kept her warm.
The blonde yelped when she felt Natsu's hand come down and slap her behind and the raw sting of his handprint made her legs buckle, unshed tears beginning to pool at the corner of her eyes. She choked on a throaty gasp when she felt Natsu sink himself all the way inside of her and still, the pressure of his thick cock deep inside of her made her shake.
"Oh, Natsu, Natsu, please—"
A small shriek made the both of them jolt in their position and they went deadly still.
"Can you two please stop fucking anywhere else besides your room!"
With her eyes widening as she registered a new voice into their space, she could feel Natsu's throbbing member still inside of her and hear his harsh pants but she couldn't see anyone.
"Why do you always have to come when a guy is getting his dick wet?"
"Maybe if you would just have sex in your own room like normal couples did, this wouldn't be so frequent!"
"Even when I am in my room, you're always barging in!"
"Because your room is my room, too, idiot!"
Lucy let out a frustrated groan because she now realized this was Gray and he was walking in on them yet again and Natsu had no problem being balls deep inside of her while fighting with his roommate.
"Can we please save this conversation for when I'm not naked from the bottom down and Natsu isn't inside of me?" Lucy felt ridiculous she had to even ask for this but then again, this wasn't the first or last time Gray had walked in so casually with them connected at the hip. Whether it was on purpose or not, she had lost all embarrassment she knew because she trusted Natsu enough to cover what was important.
"Gray's just a perv. He's always walking in on us," Natsu clicked his tongue in disapproval and she hissed as she felt him slide out of her. "Too bad I have to kill him."
"Kill—?!" Gray was screeching and once she had adjusted herself decently, she stood up to see Natsu was already chasing after the ink-haired frat with his swim shorts barely tied on his waist.
The blush hadn't gotten done just yet but she definitely was feeling the effects of blue balls as she grabbed for her cup and downed the entire cup full of wine glass. She hissed out and set her cup down to watch Natsu tackle Gray into the pool and she stepped out the way as a large wave came splashing out.
"Hi Lucy." A small timid voice came and she turned back around to see Juvia standing by the doorway with a heavy blush on her cheeks.
Lucy's entire thought process was flung out the door at the sight of the blue-haired woman and she squealed excitedly as she ran over to her dear friend.
Juvia made some sort of sound that acted as if all the air in her lungs disappeared as she barely had a chance to breathe when Lucy wrapped her arms around her to squeeze.
"Lu—Lucy…"
"Juvia, I've missed you so much!" The heiress shouted at her, pulling away to grab at her shoulders. "How are you? You look so good! Did it take long for you two to get here? How was the traffic?"
"G—great! It was great," she looked dizzy and a small smile curled up on her lips. "I missed you, too, Lucy."
"Come! Come!" Lucy grabbed at her hand, dragging her away from the doorframe to the table scattered with all types of drinks and cups. "Natsu and I got started but let me make you a drink!"
"Don't you fucking start, Lucy!" Gray's voice came from the pool and she turned to see him and Natsu mid-wrestle with his clothes still on. "I don't need you pouring drinks down her throat at one in the afternoon!"
"Oh, it's summer, psh!" She waved her hand at him dismissively and she turned back to grin at Juvia. "So, what would it be?"
Getting into the routine of others was fairly easy and simple considering it was their closest friends and Lucy didn't think she would miss the company of a woman so much but she found herself all smiles with Juvia sitting beside her.
Gray eventually had gotten himself out of the pool, drenched from head to toe, but his clothes weren't even on his body. Instead, they swirled around in the heated pool as if they were dead bodies. Natsu was cackling like usual, claiming he had won while he tried shaking water out of his ear but it only resulted in him getting tackled back into the water and a splash attack between the two.
"When is everyone else getting here?" Juvia asked, not even bothering with the two who were trying to drown each other.
"Levy should be here soon! She texted me soon after you two did. Erza and Jellal said they probably won't be able to make it till tonight and everyone else is kind of a mystery. Hopefully by tonight or tomorrow."
"Are we going to do fireworks?"
"Yes!" Lucy clapped excitedly, a wide grin on her face. "Natsu and I spent yesterday ordering the fireworks and we should be able to set them off on the beach tomorrow night!"
And it wasn't easy convincing Natsu not to buy out the entire fireworks since there already will be some from the beach itself but he was really excited about setting his own off.
And with Fairy Tail back together with the exception of some, she knew it wasn't going to be a good idea to mix alcohol and explosives.
Especially with Natsu.
Juvia had just simply taken her dress off, already prepared for the sunny day with her swimsuit underneath. She laid beside Lucy, catching up on their lives in the last month while they drank whatever concatenation the blonde had brewed together.
Natsu and Gray seemed to have missed each other the most as they couldn't get their hands off each other, repeatedly splashing and slamming one another into the water while curse words erupted into the air.
It wasn't until Juvia was on her second glass that she had admitted she was still considerably single and Lucy had spit out her entire drink in a splash that had Juvia shrieking and the boys turning to look at them. With liquid dripping out of her mouth and the look of shock mirrored on her face, her eyes went from Juvia's face towards Gray's who blinked at them in confusion.
"What?" Her voice was hard and menacing and even Juvia was sweating. "Did you say?"
"Please, it isn't Gray's fault!"
"Then whose is it?!" Lucy shrieked and Juvia winced.
"Oh, shit," Gray whispered to Natsu who he held in a headlock, the pink-haired male equally as confused and stiff.
"I hope she's glaring at you and not at me like that," Natsu whispered back, smiling sheepishly at his girlfriend who was seething with anger by the way she was looking at them. "Definitely you, bro."
"Natsu!"
"What was that? I think she's calling for you." Gray snickering was heard in his ear and Natsu twisted out of his hold to shove at him in the pool.
"Yes my darling sunshine?" Natsu said a little too sweetly, slowly swimming his way over to the girls as he kept his guard up. "Need a refill?" He asked, smiling brightly at his fuming girlfriend.
"I need you to follow me for a second."
Gray's cackling had Natsu and Lucy turning to glare at him and his laughter died down almost immediately, the male looking away while whistling while Natsu climbed out of the pool. Judging by the way Lucy walked away from him with Natsu following behind like a sad puppy, Gray knew he wasn't the one in trouble and he fist-bumped in victory.
"Juvia! Come in! The water is perfect!"
Giggling, the blue-haired woman finished up her last sip of her drink before she was getting on her feet to come into the pool with her lover. Gray couldn't get his eyes off of her, grinning like a love-sick fool as he held his arms out for her to swim into.
He gave her a soft kiss, enjoying the way her lips felt against his. Even with how she filled his hands got him grinning in joy and she was giggling as he pulled her deeper into the giant pool.
"I hope the others get here soon," Juvia sighed lovingly as she watched Gray swim around her. "I missed everyone so much. Seeing Lucy made me remember how great it is when everyone is around."
"You think so? I thought it was just great with just us."
Juvia gave him a knowing look with a large smile on her face and he was back to swimming up to her to grab at her earning a large squeal. She was giggling and squirming in his hold as he tried to pick her up and roughhouse with her but her protests were cut off short when Natsu and Lucy had returned.
Natsu had a wide grin to his face with a tint of pink on his cheeks while Lucy looked dangerously happy. So happy that it had Gray narrowing his eyes suspiciously while he gently and slowly moved Juvia in front of him to act like a shield for him if time came for him.
"Hey guys! What are you up to?" Lucy asked with a grin of her own, sliding into the side of the pool to sit down and dip her legs in.
"Just talking about how it'll be so exciting to have everyone back together!"
"Ooh, me too!" Lucy chirped happily, clapping her hands together. "I think Levy should be here soon! I saw her message saying she's about ten minutes away."
Juvia squealed in excitement and Gray was eyeing the two girls oddly, wondering what just happened or what was going to happen for Lucy to come back so happy. He was banking on the idea that maybe Lucy just needed a quick relief since they did walk in on them, again, but there was no way she was that crabby over a missed orgasm. Or was she?
He wasn't a fucking idiot like some people he knew and he definitely could read between the lines and he knew for sure Lucy was screaming like that because of something Juvia said but nothing was popping up for him.
"Lucy?"
"Yes—? Oh my God!"
Whipping his head over to the direction of the couple, Gray's jaw dropped in disbelief at what he was witnessing.
"Lucy," Natsu said with a wide grin to his face as he knelt down in front of Lucy and Juvia. "Will you make me the happiest man on earth and marry me?"
"You're fucking joking." Juvia's shriek overpowered Gray's dry tone.
"Oh my goodness!" Juvia's hand flew to her mouth as her eyes widened, staring at the couple in front of her who were both grinning from ear to ear. "Gray!" She whirled around to swat at her lover who yelped and scowled, coming back to earth. "Natsu is proposing!"
"Of course!" Lucy squealed as she hopped up to her feet and flung herself against the rosy-haired one. "You knew I always wanted to get married before Gray!"
It took Gray a hot minute to process everything that was happening and he was too busy ping-ponging between Lucy's evil smirk to Natsu's wide grin and even to his own girlfriend's reaction for him to realize what was going on.
His hamster wheel was old and dusty and he forgot how wild Lucy's imagination could get as he tried to take in the moment.
And then Lucy's reaction got to him and he registered what she said and his right eye twitched.
"Hey!" He shouted, pushing Juvia to the side in an attempt to march over to them in the depths of the water. "You're not actually proposing!"
"Yes, I am!" Natsu shouted right back, hopping to his own feet to shoot his best friend a glare. "It's not my problem you can't even ask Juvia to be your girlfriend while I'm trying to get a wife!"
"There! See! That's how I know you're not really proposing!" Gray came up to the edge of the pool to growl and look at two of his closest friends, finger pointed accusatory towards them. "This is about me and Juvia, isn't it?!"
"How rude of you to make my proposal about you!" Lucy scoffed, crossing her arms across her chest as she turned away from him. "Ridiculous! I told you that I would come back as an engaged woman and here you still are, single."
"How ridiculous are you to try and fake a proposal because of us!"
"This is not a fake proposal! Natsu and I are getting married! We're in love!"
"Yeah, right." He scoffed, practically sneering at the two. "That idiot is nowhere close to settling down just yet!"
"Hey!" Natsu shouted, pointing his finger right back at him. "Lucy and I are one hundred percent ready to be wed! As a matter of fact, we're getting married… today!"
"Today?" Gray echoed in disbelief.
"Today!" Natsu shouted right back.
"Today?!" Juvia squealed in shock.
"Today." Natsu emphasized, pointing down looked smug with a smirk on his lips and his arms crossed.
"And how do you plan on doing that, dumbass?" Gray hissed, glaring down at his childhood friend. "Considering this is a fake proposal and you two aren't really going to get married."
"This is real!" Lucy shrieked and Gray ignored her.
"You two are ridiculous! I'm done with this conversation! Come on, Juvia, being around these two will kill your brain cells."
The blush was heavy on his chest and cheeks as he dragged his confused lover away and he was seething with annoyance just at the thought of his friends faking a proposal to push him to ask Juvia out.
And for some goddamn fucking reason, it was working.
—X—
It was nearing four in the afternoon when everyone in the house was pissed drunk and on the brink of passing out. Levy and Gajeel had arrived not long after Natsu's proposal and it was like a reunion with a bunch of squealing and jumping. Gajeel didn't seem happy at all at the reunion, the same scowl mirroring his face but it was nice to see him grin at the two who were both trying to drag him into the pool fully clothed.
It didn't work since Gray and Natsu were too blasted but Gajeel did eventually get his hair wet with the bucket of water Natsu had conjured up and his laughter only lasted two seconds before he was almost drowning in the pool.
Erza had actually come up sometime after lunch with Mirajane and Elfman, the group of girls surprising everyone as it was yet again another squealing fit of greetings. They all excitedly chatted, catching up with the latest gossip as the boys got ready for a night of grilling.
Jellal had to work a late shift tonight and had offered to drive up the next morning and surprisingly, Mirajane had roped Laxus into coming. And Laxus had roped Evergreen (only because the said blonde himself had terrible motion sickness and was not going to be riding in a car by himself for hours) and by the time it was reaching five, it was a full house minus some exceptions.
The place was filled with laughter and loud bantering as they all caught up, enjoying each other's presence more than anyone would think so.
The fridge was full of alcohol and food for the couple days and the house was full of voices overlapping one another in a fury of commotion.
Which was the perfect fucking time to ambush and start operation get-Gray-to-ask-Juvia-out with the help of the girls. And of course with how nosy and pushy Mirajane could be, this could work.
Grabbing Juvia and forcing her into the corner with the girls surrounding her, the blue-haired woman was wide eyed and full of fear as the looks on their faces looked anything but normal. Almost as if they were getting ready for war or something as their expressions varied.
"Juvia, we have a plan." Lucy's slur was heavy as she placed her hands on her shoulders. "We're going to force Gray into asking you out."
"Force isn't really the right word," Levy piped up, a small hiccuping following right after. "More so encouraging him to."
"No, we're definitely forcing him." Mirajane said and the girls were all giggling and agreeing.
"I—I think we should leave it up to Gray—eep!" Juvia shrank in her spot as they leaned in closer, crowding her.
"Juvia, you don't understand," Lucy babbled, clearly not in the right position to be making any decision. "Gray is a pussy."
"Lucy," Erza nudged the blonde to correct her but Lucy didn't pay her any mind.
"I'm actually with Lucy on this one." Evergreen raised her hand making Levy and Mirajane nod along with her.
"Even Laxus and I got together! And he's shy!"
"Gray isn't shy." Levy pursed her lips at the thought.
"Neither is Laxus." Evergreen giggled at the thought of the big, strong man being embarrassed.
"Gray doesn't know what he is or isn't." Lucy laughed out loud.
"Neither does Laxus." Erza sighed, shaking her head back and forth.
"Juvia, be honest," Levy grabbed for the woman who was still looking like a deer in headlights. "You want to be Gray's girlfriend… right?"
The silence was deafening besides the occasional shout and splash from the background noise and Juvia had no idea how to respond or react. Well, she did but she just didn't know how to word it as she gaped like a goldfish out of water. She was frozen in her spot, staring at each and every one of the girls who were staring right back at her, waiting.
"O—of course I do!" She declared a minute after processing everything. "But we already basically are so—"
"That's not good enough!" Mirajane surprisingly was the one to shout and Juvia squealed in fear, backing further up against the wall.
Erza and Evergreen placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down and the recent graduate inhaled to exhale deeply and Juvia had no idea what the hell she got herself into.
"I think what we're all trying to say is that we have a plan and it would highly benefit you in the long run." Erza offered a pinch smile and Juvia decided right then and there that she was the most reasonable one out of everyone there.
Most possibly because Erza was the only one not drunk out of her mind while Lucy was busy slurring and babbling and Levy was right with her on that one. Mirajane didn't even seem drunk either but the way the fire in her eyes would ignite every time she spoke about her relationship made her think otherwise. Evergreen was just here for support but the way her eyes were wide and her smile danced around mischief had her shivering.
She definitely did know one thing though and it was that the Fairy Zeta's were one scary group of girls.
And she would still join if she had the opportunity.
"Okay, so what's the plan?" Juvia sighed out in defeat, knowing if she were to disagree or even go against their plan they would most likely just force her like they were doing right now.
"We're going to use my proposal as a gag."
"Wait, Natsu proposed to you?!" Mirajane squealed, shoving Levy to the side as the petite one squeaked and she was now facing the blonde.
Erza uncharacteristically grew crimson as her jaw dropped and Evergreen was gawking at the blonde who was now grinning sheepishly.
"I may or may not have roped Natsu into proposing to me as a joke to see if we can push Gray into asking Juvia out."
"Wait, it was fake?!" Juvia was now the one squealing in confusion and betrayal as the blonde cackled.
"She really is turning into Natsu, huh?" Evergreen turned to look at Erza, pointing at the heiress who was laughing and grinning while the scarlet-haired one was still trying to recover from the idea of Natsu proposing to her.
"Right before we left," Lucy hiccuped as the girls eagerly listened to her tale. "I told Gray jokingly that at this rate, I might come back as an engaged woman and he would still be single." She giggled softly at the memory and the girls were exchanging looks. "And so I must say my anger and frustrations may have come out very abrupt and I was just going to try and drown Gray in the pool,"
Juvia gasped loudly but it was ignored.
"And the bright idea of having Natsu propose to rile Gray up came into plan! And he believed me! Juvia did too!" Lucy pointed at the taller blue-haired one as the group turned to look at her gaping and blushing in embarrassment. "And I'm pretty sure in some way or form I convinced Natsu, too…"
"For the record, Gray does not believe her." Juvia piped up and Lucy was back to pouting, crossing her arms across her chest.
"Well… this is a good plan, indeed." Mirajane said softly as her smile started to grow, her hamster wheel in full spin.
"I don't like that look on her face," Levy leaned over to whisper to Erza.
"It was your idea to bring us into this." Erza sighed, crossing her own arms across her chest as she shook her head. "I'm sure whatever she conjures up will be a mess."
"You know, I am ordained!" Mirajane said with a bright smile, suddenly turning to face the girls who all stared at her. "Maybe we can host a little wedding here!"
"I thought the plan was for Juvia and Gray to get together?"
"And why are you ordained?" Evergreen asked, eyebrows knitted together as Mirajane giggled and winked at her.
"The real question is: why aren't you ordained?"
The looks of confusion was clear as day as the girls looked at one another, trying to decipher her statement.
"But why not kill two birds with one stone?"
Lucy blinked stupidly as she had gotten lost in the conversation in her daze, a small hiccup bubbling out of her throat as she turned to see every one of them looking right at her. "What? Why is everyone looking at me?"
—X—
"This is ridiculous! I thought the whole plan was to get Juvia and Gray together, not wed Natsu and Lucy!" Levy screeched in bewilderment, trying to get someone to be on the same page as her but it seemed as if nobody had a care in the world but beside getting this 'wedding' going. "This is so ass backwards!"
"Uh, oh, Levy is cursing. Someone is drunk!" Lucy sang while giggling and the petite one whirled around to glare at her.
"Lu, you're drunk! How are you so nonchalant about this?!"
"Oh, psh, whatever," the blonde waved her hand in front of her face dismissively, scoffing as she laid by a pool chair with a drink in her hand. "I'm doing this for Juvia and Gray. And besides," she sang, shrugging her shoulders. "This is fake."
"I think someone should tell Mira that, too," Juvia leaned over to whisper as they turned to see Mirajane happily organizing an event that was over the top ratchet.
With the materials they had, they got to work fast without the knowledge of the boys and as they stared at her in confusion, they didn't question the platinum blonde as they knew it would force them into helping her with whatever the hell she was planning. It took a very long time to convince Mirajane that they cannot use the fireworks they bought for tomorrow night for tonight just because of a fake fucking wedding but after coming to a compromise, they decided that they would be using the fireworks tonight and purchasing more tomorrow.
Curtsy of Mirajane's tears and wrath.
With limited material, Lucy had to change into a nice white sundress with a veil made out of toilet paper and Natsu was forced into wearing a borrowed white t-shirt from Laxus that draped over him like a blanket. Chairs from the dining room were all brought out and facing the pool where the sun was slowly setting, flowers from the front yard had been plucked and ripped apart to use for the ceremony, and even Mirajane had changed into a nice dress to officiate the entire thing.
It was the most absurd and ridiculous thing but it seemed like Natsu and Lucy were having fun with the entire thing as they stumbled and giggled like love sick fools. Natsu didn't even know this was all just an elaborate plan to get Gray to ask Juvia out but everyone thought it was best to just keep him in the dark so he didn't expose any of their intentions. He didn't even seem to care as he was one hundred percent on board on getting hitch to Lucy right here, right now, with his closest friends as witnesses and one of them officiating the entire thing. All he heard was 'fake' and it took everything out of him to not cause a scene because this was not fake to him!
It also doesn't help that the two were two sheets to the wind, barely conscious to even respond properly but the entire thing was about Gray and Juvia so it didn't matter as Mirajane said.
Obviously.
And all they had to do was keep up the act and force Gray into submission which now had turned into a bet within the others to see how long it would take him to crack.
So far, Gray had no other suspicions besides the fact that Mirajane was running back and forth and the girls were doing some weird thing but he was having fun with his brothers and drinking like there was no tomorrow. By the time he was on his fourth drink, he was on the brink of blacking out himself.
"Have I ever told you how beautiful of a bride you are?" Natsu cooed at Lucy who was a bubbly giggling mess, the two tangled up on the couch at the gazebo. "My beautiful bride," he said lovingly, twirling her hair on his finger. "I am so lucky to marry you."
"I am the luckiest woman in the world!" Lucy cried out in a fit of giggles as Natsu peppered kisses against her flush face. "Natsu! Watch out for my veil!"
"Are we sure this is still about Gray and Juvia?" Levy leaned over to ask Erza who let out a sigh herself, the two girls sitting besides the couple who were too busy giggling and touching each other to pay attention.
"I think at this point it's about Mira more than anyone else."
"Okay, guys!" Mirajane suddenly came rushing into the outdoor gazebo to catch their attention minus Natsu and Lucy who were still too drunk and too giggly to hear. "The set up is ready! I just need Natsu and Lucy to come follow me and I'll have it all fixed up! I'm having Juvia round everyone up! Gray still has no clue but he's too drunk to even really care."
"So what's the plan?" Levy asked as she hiccuped once more, her torso leaning in towards Mirajane as she held onto her cup tight.
"I have a speech all prepared and have prepped Juvia for acting!" Mirajane giggled, winking at the two girls sitting right across from her who raised a brow at that. "But I'm going to have these two come down the 'aisle' and we're going to proceed with the ceremony and," she turned her head to see if anyone was listening in before leaning in to cup her hand over her mouth. "The bids are up to three hundred dollars."
"Three hundred—?!" Levy half-shouted before she was hushed by the two older women and she clamped her mouth shut. "Three hundred dollars? Who put in so much money?"
"Let me guess… Laxus." Erza stated and Mirajane confirmed with a nod of her head.
"So, what's the jury's verdict?"
"The majority say Gray isn't going to do anything about it," Mirajane giggled slightly. "But there is some hope in the tunnel. All this talk and stuff would surely get Gray going, especially when it comes to Natsu. The boys don't know about any of this so they'll play the part. They just wanted to see if Gray would ask Juvia out by tonight and I got it going and it'll definitely will be a hoot seeing Gray's reaction to all this and hey! Maybe we can get you and Gajeel—!"
"Pass. Hard pass." Levy was quick to shake her head and cut her off. "Nope, I am not ready to be wed nor will I be getting married in this beach house with a toilet paper veil."
"Hey, what's so bad about the toilet paper veil?" Mirajane asked, huffing while planting her hands on her hips. "There's only so much I can do with the limited time and materials!" She nearly wailed and Levy cringed, looking over at Erza who gave her back a pointed look.
Leave it to Mirajane and her 'artistic' ability to make or do anything. Even if they may look like a five year old had done it, she definitely did take pride in her work.
Trying to separate the drunk and happy couple was work in itself as Natsu was reluctant to let his precious wife go (and had to be reminded this was fake and this wasn't a real wedding) but of course he didn't care about the logistics besides the fact that he was getting (fake) married.
He nearly tripped over his long sleeves that Erza had to yank at to bring him near so she could roll them up for him and she wrinkled her nose at Natsu who swayed back and forth, hiccuping, and smelling like he had run through a bar.
"Aren't ya gonna congratulate me, Erza?" He hiccuped, grinning wolfishly at the woman. "Ya boy is getting married!"
"Natsu, you do know this is fake… right?" Levy leaned in to look at him and Natsu was staring at her with a scrunched up expression. He just stared right at her blankly, hiccuping and blinking and the bluenette sighed to exchange looks with Erza before she was going back to helping Mirajane with Lucy who was staggering behind.
"Congratulations Natsu," Erza said in a calm, happy voice, a small smile on her lips. "I am proud of you."
"Damn—" he hiccuped, thrusting his hand in the air. "Damn right!"
"Come on, Natsu," Erza grabbed at his arm to start pulling him away. "We're going to meet Lucy down the aisle."
Natsu was beaming as he happily followed Erza near the pool where people were starting to gather and he was cackling happily as he trailed the recent graduate. He gave large thumbs up to those who was watching him in confusion and he was in such a good fucking mood, nobody could stop him now. He was about to be wed! To the love of his life! In front of all his friends!
The only thing that could make this better was if his dad was here but he'll deal with that later.
"What's going on?" Gajeel asked out loud as he was sitting in a seat facing the pool and sunset with Natsu swaying up front. "Why are we all sittin' here and why does that dumbass look like that?"
"Natsu always looks like that." Laxus snickered and Evergreen elbowed him in the rib causing him to yelp and shoot her a glare. "What was that for!"
"Stop being so rude! It's very inappropriate to speak poorly about the groom on his wedding day."
"Wedding day?!" Laxus, Gajeel, and Elfman shouted right back at her and Gray was blinking owlishly as he stared at her.
He hiccuped and burped before he leaned in, "Did you just say wedding day? As in… Natsu and Lucy's wedding day?"
"Yes!" Evergreen hushed him, scowling as the other three were trying to process her statement.
"HA!" Gray cackled, crossing his arms across his chest and leaning back into his seat. "This is," he hiccuped. "Bullshit! They ain't getting married! He did it as a fuckin' joke to get back at me and Juvia!"
"No," Evergreen fought off the smile threatening to come up but she pushed it down and gave him her most serious look. "Natsu and Lucy are actually getting married today. Mirajane is ordained and said she'll wed them. Tonight."
"I don't fucking believe—"
The speaker suddenly turning on at high volume had all of them jumping and they all turned around to see Levy sprinkling flower petals on the floor (Mirajane had them rip out the flowers from the front to use) and the awkward smile on her face was clear as day but she continued on her path to the front like the good flower girl she was suddenly asked to be. She avoided eye contact with everyone, especially Gajeel since she knew she would crack if she looked at him, and made it straight for Erza and Natsu who stood up front.
Erza had a vice grip on Natsu's arm so he didn't fall into the pool nor on his face and Natsu was a bubbly grinning man who stood patiently for his bride to come.
Once Levy had made it down and made a nice walkway for the bride, she scurried over to her seat beside Gajeel and kept her head turned.
"Hey, shrimp, what the hell—?"
"Shhh!" Levy hissed at him, finger to her hip as she turned to glare at him, a small smile curled on her lip. "The bride is coming!"
"Oh for the love of—!" Gray's protest was cut off as the loud speaker started to play a slow bridal song for Lucy's arrival and as they watched the blonde sorority sister giggle and stumble down the aisle with Mirajane beside her, they were all gawking in complete confusion and surprise.
"Is this real?" Elfman leaned in to whisper to Evergreen and the green-haired woman hushed him, finger to her lip. "What the hell is going on?"
Once Lucy was brought down the aisle and she held onto a bouquet of fresh flowers (ripped out from the ground out front if the roots and dirt didn't say so itself) she was all smiles and blushes as she came forward.
Gray nearly jumped out of his skin when Juvia sat down right beside him and he cursed out loud, scooting over slightly to see the blank expression on her face. He furrowed his brows as he leaned in to whisper. "Is everything okay?"
"Yes," Juvia sighed, leaning back into her seat. "It's just… nothing, never mind."
Gray opened his mouth to ask what it was but stopped when the music stopped and Mirajane called for everyone's attention. Turning his head to see the blurry image of Natsu and Lucy standing up with Mirajane, he felt his shock return once more. He looked around to see the equally confused looks coming from his brothers but the look of pure joy mirrored the girls and he was starting to wonder what the hell was actually going on.
"We are all gathered here today to witness the love and connection our two dear friends, Natsu and Lucy, have."
Gray was now outright gawking as he realized this actually might be fucking for real and he might be witnessing one of his oldest, closest friends getting married right in front of his eyes.
He turned to look at Juvia once more and he saw the frown on her face, the faraway look in her eyes, and he felt at a loss of words.
"Juvia, what's wrong? What the hell is going on?"
"Gray," she said as she turned to look at him with tears in her eyes, causing his eyes to widen. "I am just so happy for Natsu and Lucy… they clearly love each other so much and Natsu isn't afraid to show the world how much he loves her by marrying her right here, right now. I must say, it's very romantic."
He was baffled at the way Juvia wiped the tears from her eyes, a soft smile on her lips as he ignored what Mirajane was babbling about up front. Juvia was most important to him and seeing how she was conflicted with her emotions and talking about Natsu as if he was some fucking saint when he wasn't also ticked him off a bit.
"He's an idiot. This is all fake."
"It's not," Juvia shook her head as she motioned at the couple and he turned back to see them holding hands and grinning at one another.
"Now Natsu will say his vows," Mirajane hid her grin behind her booklet as she took a step away and allowed the couple to shine.
"Lucy, I love you," his voice still had a small slur attached to it, hiccups erupting from his lips. "And I promise we'll have a kick ass huge fucking wedding that'll be the wedding of the century!" He shouted and while it was loud for the crowd, Lucy didn't seem bothered as she giggled and swayed. "But my love for you is greater than anything and I am not afraid to show the world how much I love you!"
Gray felt like that was somewhat a jab at him and he was beginning to seethe with anger.
"And that's why I wanted to marry you right here, right now! Because I'm not a pussy ass bitch and I not afraid to show—"
"I object!" Gray shouted, shooting out of his seat making the crowd gasp dramatically.
"I don't know what is going on but I'm invested." Laxus leaned over to Evergreen and Elfman to whisper and Elfman was quick to nod in agreement while Evergreen smirked.
"Hey! You don't object in the middle of vows, bastard!" Natsu shouted right back, pointing his finger at the shirtless one. "Sit your ass back down, ice-prick! I ain't done!"
"This is all bullshit and fake anyways!"
"My love for Lucy is not fake nor bullshit!" Natsu shrieked, letting go of Lucy's hands to storm his way over to Gray who met him halfway, the two of them growling. "You're just mad—" he hiccuped, jabbing his finger into his chest. "You're just mad that we're getting married and you're still single!"
"I'm mad because you're literally faking a fucking wedding!"
"Gray! How dare you!" Mirajane gasped dramatically, covering her grinning face with her hand. "This is not fake! Natsu and Lucy asked me to officiate their wedding after they told me Natsu had proposed this morning!"
"Yeah! What she said!" Natsu pointed at Mirajane making Gray growled angrily.
"You're not even a real minister or anything!"
"Actually," Laxus piped up, making them all turn to look at him holding his finger up. "Mirajane is ordained. She got her certificate at the beginning of this year after messing around online."
The whole scene was a comedy masterpiece with different types of expressions going around and silence blanketing the audience. Gray had no idea how to express any of his emotions that were bubbling around and he was suddenly flustered, looking at Natsu to Lucy's smiling face to Mirajane's grinning one to turn back and see Juvia sitting there blinking innocently at him.
Shaking his head, he groaned. "I still don't believe this!"
"Well, believe this buddy!" Natsu shoved at Gray's chest making him stumble back and he barely caught himself against the chairs and Juvia's arm. "Lucy Heartfillia, I love you and nothing in the world will ever rip us apart! Not even jealous, selfish assholes like Gray!"
"Jealous?! Why you—"
"Oh, Natsu!" Lucy shouted happily, rushing over to throw herself on him causing the two to stagger and arms to shoot out to catch them if they fell. "You are so romantic! I can't wait any second longer without being yours! I am forever yours and committed to you one hundred percent!"
Gray turned his head to see Juvia sniffling and he was baffled at the idea that she was actually crying to such a cheesy, goofy scene like this and he felt his chest squeeze inside his chest.
"Juvia—"
"Now if anyone is to object to the union of this beautiful couple, please speak now or forever hold your peace!" Mirajane's voice echoed throughout the backyard and there was a moment of silence before a wide grin spread on her lips. "Great! Now you may now kiss your bride!"
Seeing how Natsu and Lucy locked lips up front with the eruption of cheers echoing in his ear, Gray couldn't understand for the life of him what this feeling inside his chest was. He couldn't understand why he was feeling so… suffocated and angry at the idea of them actually being married and while he still had his suspicions, his thoughts were swirling with a bunch of questions and doubts.
But he could only really look over at Juvia who had such a pinched expression on her face on top of the tears that fell from her beautiful orbs and all he wanted to do was hold and kiss her. Tell her he loves her, too, and one day they could have this. All of it and more. Better.
But the words fell on deaf ears and he couldn't even utter the words so he did what was best and got up and went straight for the liquor.
Because if this burning inside his chest wouldn't leave, he would mask it behind something more painful.
—X—
"So, how does it feel to be newly wed?" Erza asked, a smile curved on her lips as she sat down at the vacant chair next to Levy who was rolling her eyes. Lucy giggled as she sipped from her cup while Juvia giggled beside her.
With the sun now down and the crowd disbanding to settle for the night, Mirajane and Laxus had disappeared to get ready for bed while Elfman and Evergreen continued to swim in the pool. Gray, Gajeel, and Natsu were in the game room playing a game of foosball so it allowed the other girls to stick around and socialize while also sobering up.
"Great! Mira did such a great job at putting it all together though, I am pretty sad Gray didn't break. I lost fifty bucks." The frown on her face made the girls erupt into fits of giggles and she turned to look at Juvia. "Are you okay, Juvia?"
"Of course I am."
"I'm sorry about dragging you into all this," Erza placed a hand on her shoulder to catch her attention. "I hope you know we truly did try and want the best."
"Oh, no!" Juvia placed her cup down to wave her hands out in front of her. "It's okay! I had a lot of fun and it was actually super romantic and sweet! I loved it."
"I really thought Gray would crack." Lucy twisted her lip to the side, sighing. "He is so stubborn."
"We should have just forced him into it by tying him up."
"Erza!" Levy squealed, nudging the scarlet haired one on the side. "No!"
Giggling, Juvia took a sip of her drink as she sighed into the night air. "It's okay, if Gray doesn't want me to be his girlfriend then that's his own choice." She looked up at the night sky where stars twinkled back at her. "Thank you all for trying."
The FZ girls all exchanged uneasy looks with each other but they didn't say anything else, enjoying the silence the night sky gave them as they finally had a chance to sit down and relax. They got into the flow of conversation pretty quickly, changing the glum mood to something lighter and soon they were giggling with each other while finishing up their last drink of the night.
"Luuucy!" A loud whine of a voice came echoing and the girls all turned their head in the direction of the voice. "Lucy!"
"Lucy!" Gajeel barked across the pool. "Come get your man! You, too, water woman! Why am I always babysitting?!"
"My husband is calling," Lucy giggled as she scooted out of her chair to hold her arm out to Juvia. "Come on, Juvia, let's go get our boys."
Courses of good luck came from the rest and as Lucy came with Juvia in tow, the sight itself was cringe worthy.
It seemed as if Gray had thrown up on the side already as he laid limp on his side with drool pooling out of his mouth and Gajeel was throwing buckets of pool water to get rid of it in the grass. Natsu was red to the face and giggling on his back, muttering nonsense under his breath while he laid on the concrete beside Gray.
"What happened?" Juvia gasped as she came rushing to Gray's side, checking his pulse to see if he was still alive.
"These two idiots wanted to do a drinking contest." The pierced one scoffed, standing up straight with the empty bucket in his hands. "And guess who started blowing chunks?"
"I don't think we have to guess," Lucy laughed as she came over to lean over at her husband who laid flat on his back. "Hey, Natsu, you okay?"
"My wife!" He squealed excitedly, giggling drunkenly as he held his arms out. "I missed you, my beautiful loving wife!"
"Enough of this wife shit," Gray groaned, slurring his words as he came back to earth. "My wife is the best!"
"You don't have a wife, bitch!" Natsu slurred right back, swaying as Lucy helped him sit up. "You don't even have a girl! You're single as—as a motherfuckin' Pringle." He hiccuped before he was giggling. "A stupid, ugly Pringle."
"I am not!" He yelled back, shooting up to sit upright and it startled Juvia as she flinched. He was oblivious to the girl in front of him as his attention was only zoned in on Natsu, his vision doubled and hazy as the bile in his throat burned. "I have a girl!"
"She ain't your girl," Natsu scoffed, waving his hands dismissively in front of him as Lucy tried to get him to hush, forgetting about his girlfriend as well as he was in an intense argument. "You're too much of a bitch to ask her out."
"She knows she's my girl! The same way she knows I'm hers!"
"Oh!" Juvia's hand flew to her mouth, covering the gaping hole as she turned to look at Lucy who held her finger up to her mouth.
"Oh, so what? You're just fucking each other biiiiiig deal," Natsu dragged his words out, swaying back and forth before he went back to laying on his back and Lucy trying to get him to get back up. "Nothin' special about that."
"You're wrong!" Gray shouted, face red and eyes squeezing shut. "I love her! Don't fuckin' talk about her like that!"
There was a long silence that stretched across everyone and Gajeel was first to make a move as he tossed the bucket to the side and whirled around, walking away without another word making Lucy gawk at his retreating figure. She then turned her head to look at Juvia to see how she is and she could see how red she had gotten, the look of shock and embarrassment decorating her face. She looked at Gray who still hadn't registered that Juvia had been next to him this entire time and then she finally pinned her gaze on Natsu whose face scrunched up as if he smelt something bad.
"Ew," Natsu suddenly said. "I don't want to hear about how much you love Juvia."
"I listen to you talk about Lucy all day!"
"Because Lucy is a beautiful goddess and she deserves to be loved!"
"Are you saying Juvia doesn't deserve to be loved?!"
"Of course I think so! Clearly you don't since you never told her or even asked her to be your girlfriend!"
"Juvia is mine and mine only! She knows that! She doesn't need a title to know she is mine!"
Lucy had enough of this drunken bickering and she grabbed Natsu and hauled him on his feet in an instant making him squeal and grab onto her in fear. He opened his mouth to protest but she was dragging him away from the couple on the ground as she knew Juvia had a lot to talk about and if Gray's face didn't say so itself, she knew they were about to have a very, very long conversation.
"Lucy," Natsu whined in her ear. "I wasn't done fighting with Gray."
"Don't you want to spend our wedding night together, Natsu?" She cooed at him, forcing him to forget about Gray and their fight as he suddenly beamed.
"Oh hell yeah! It's baby making time! We're going to get my wife pregnant!"
Even in his drunken haze, Natsu was conscious enough to scoop Lucy into his arms and make a dash for their room in a fury of emotions.
Levy watched as a cackling Natsu took a squealing Lucy into the house and she turned to look back at Erza who raised a brow at her.
"Is anyone going to tell Natsu this was all fake?"
"This was fake?!" Gajeel slammed his fist onto the table, his eyes widening in surprise.
Erza and Levy only stared at each other for a second longer before they bursted into laughter and Gajeel was still confused and shocked as he looked around for help.