Gruvia Week 2018 - Day 03
Gray was having trouble with his tie.
Before Gray could stop him, Natsu swept in and took over.
“Your fingers are shaking too much,” he groused.
“Shut up,” Gray groused back. But then, after a moment, he added, “Thank you.”
“No problem,” said Natsu, actually smiling now as he gave one last tug on Gray’s pale blue tie and, satisfied, tucked the tails of it into Gray’s white waistcoat. Then he gave him a light backhanded smack on his chest. “Good to go.”
Gray let out a breath and then tugged at where the tie was looped around his neck. “Little tight.”
Natsu jabbed a finger at him. “Look, no stripping today, got it? At least not until you and Juvia are…you know….” Then he waggled his eyebrows up and down, grinning suggestively.
Gray punched his arm, though nowhere near as hard as he usually would’ve. “Stop that.” Unable to help himself, he lifted the dark curtain that hid him from view of the rest of the guild gathered to see Gray and Juvia tie the knot. Natsu peeked out too, spotting Happy with Carla and Pantherlily up in the rafters ready to sprinkle flower petals over the congregation when the ceremony started.
Then Gray let the curtain fall and shut out the view of the cathedral sanctuary, turning away as his nerves got to him again. “I think I might be sick.”
And then he actually felt his stomach lurch and something fighting to get out. He heaved and covered his mouth, but nothing came out. He made the same retching sound again when his stomach lurched the same way a second time, but still nothing came out.
“Gray?” Natsu dropped his usual wisecracking attitude and looked genuinely concerned, actually reaching out a hand to steady him.
Gray looked up and saw Lyon and Gajeel had both ducked in behind the curtain.
“Don’t you dare make fun,” Gray warned him, before again his insides heaved like he was throwing up, but again nothing came out.
“Come on, Gray,” said Lyon, sounding sincerely encouraging. And he was the one who put a hand on his shoulder and managed to steady him. “You’ve come too far now to have a meltdown.”
“I’m not having a meltdown,” Gray grunted, clutching his stomach.
“Hey, don’t feel too bad, Stripper,” said Gajeel gruffly, hands in his trouser pockets. “Juvia’s nervous too, if that helps.”
“Not if she’s on the edge of throwing up too,” said Gray darkly.
“Dude, it’s gonna be fine,” said Natsu, seeing now that Gray wasn’t actually about to become anything like seriously ill. “Just breathe.”
So Gray breathed, and that seemed to help, as he managed to keep the sense of wanting to throw up at bay, and was able to stand up straight again. Seeing he was better, Natsu and Lyon both stepped back to give him his space, and Gajeel peeked out at the crowd like Gray had done earlier. Then he glanced at Gray.
“So what is it?” he asked. “Is it just the idea of getting married, or is it the fact that you’ve gotta be feelsy in front of everyone else in the guild? I know that’s not your thing.”
Gray considered Gajeel, Juvia’s oldest friend from Phantom Lord, and then he thought. “It’s definitely the second thing you said. As far as marrying Juvia goes….” He felt his heart beat a little faster at the thought. Then he massaged the back of his neck. “Agh, I dunno. Being called a…husband…it just sounds so…formal. But I do like the idea of calling Juvia my wife….” He swallowed, and before he knew it, he was smiling unabashedly. “I really do. I never thought I could want something so much, except for revenge.” He caught Lyon’s eye, and then Natsu’s, and they both nodded soberly, understanding where he was coming from.
Gajeel did the same for the same reason.
“But I do,” Gray went on softly. “I want it so much….”
Lyon gripped his shoulder again, and this time he was smiling genuinely. “And you deserve it…Gray.”
And Gray managed to smile back as his old foster brother released him. Then Natsu laughed and punched him on the arm, getting him back for when he’d been punched earlier.
“Hell yeah you deserve it!” he crowed with a grin.
“All right guys, think we oughta be gettin’ out there,” said Gajeel. “Gray?”
Gray nodded. “I’m ready.”
Gajeel grinned like Natsu and pulled the curtain back. “After you.”
Despite the pep talk, Gray’s knees still wobbled a bit as he stepped out from under the curtain and out onto the dais where an arbor of spring flowers had been put up. He managed to steady himself though as Natsu and Lyon joined him, Gajeel having gone back to see Juvia, since he was the one who would basically be giving her away. Or at least, he’d wanted to be the one to do it. Being married, it seemed, had made the bastard all the more sentimental.
A sea of faces all looked his way, and even though he knew and loved then all as his family, in the ultimate moment of being put on the spot, for a split second, Gray thought he was actually going to throw up for real, but then Mirajane started singing in a heavenly voice, and the doors to the cathedral opened.
Lucy, Erza, and Levy all glided in as bridesmaids, naturally, wearing matching gowns of blue, while the exceeds happily started to throw those flower petals like confetti. Even Lily seemed to be having fun with it.
She was beyond lovely, in a dress that reminded Gray of sea foam, glittering with beads like splashes of water in the sun. Her blue hair was extra curly, and threaded with more watery beads, her eyes equally as bright as she beamed his way, Gajeel’s arm hooked in hers as she clutched her bouquet of lilies. And though it didn’t necessarily matter, Gray was glad they’d managed to get this under way before Juvia had started to show too much, now that she was three months along in her pregnancy.
Nevertheless, Gray felt like he’d been punched in the chest again. Yet at the same time, he was beyond happy, and he realized then that he was going to cry today in front of everyone, and there would be nothing he could do to stop it. And actually, he really didn’t think he cared all that much.
“You lucky S.O.B.,” Lyon whispered in his ear.
“Shut up.” But Gray was positively beaming.
“But Ur and Ultear’d both be proud,” Lyon added, glancing sidelong at Meredy sitting with everyone else I’m the pews. She gave Lyon a little wave. “Your parents too.”
Gray found his throat too tight to answer then, though Lyon appeared to have figured as much as he gave a fraternal smile.
And then Natsu leaned in and said, “You did it, buddy. Way to go.”
Which made Gray give a small laugh, even as he felt himself about to break. “Thanks for that, flame brain.”
“Any time, ice princess.”
After that, he and Juvia only had eyes for each other as Juvia approached the altar and Gajeel relinquished his hold on her—though Gray didn’t miss the cautionary look Gajeel gave him as he stepped aside. Gray nodded back, letting him know he was well aware of what he was getting himself into.
Then he turned to Juvia as she stepped up to his level at the altar, and took her hands in both of his, heart pounding in his chest. Erza was holding onto the bouquet, and out of the corner of his eye, Gray caught her wink at him. You made it, kiddo.
He felt his face grow, if possible, even warmer, as he met Juvia’s eyes again. He was afraid he would get so nervous that his palms would start to sweat, but they didn’t. Juvia seemed equally afraid that that would happen on her side of things, but all Gray felt was her smooth skin, her lovely fingers entwined with his.
Though his pounding heart raced, effervescing his blood, his pulse rising, and even though he was blushing furiously, he didn’t run away. He swam in those fathomless, sea-like eyes of hers, as she beamed right back at him. And when he thought back to all those times he was about throw away his chance of ever having a moment like this, he felt like the biggest idiot in the universe.
At the same time though, it made him all the more grateful to have a woman like Juvia by his side, as well as all the friends in Fairy Tail he had known nearly all his life, and the people he had known before then, just after he’d lost his parents. People who all told him in their own way to keep on living.
So he said as much when it was his turn to say his vows after Juvia tearfully declared hers, stumble as he did over a good chunk of the words, as much as he choked on, “I love you,” because he was crying tears of joy before he could stop himself, because Juvia was crying tears of joy with him. Unable to help himself, he kissed the back of each of Juvia’s delicate hands, and the officiant marrying them barely got out the words, “You may kiss the bride,” out when he was already catching Juvia’s soft sweet lips in his.
Surrounded by the roar of applause, cheers, and whistles, when Gray and Juvia broke for air, Gray wrapped his arms around his new wife and pulled her close, pressing his tear-streaked cheek against hers. He felt her return the embrace.
“Now it’s you and me,” he whispered in her ear. “Does that sound good?”
Juvia squeezed him gently, burying her face in his neck same as he was doing with her. “Sounds great,” she said, giving a watery laugh.
“I agree.” He gladly pressed a kiss to the hollow of her neck, taking in the way she smelled of rain, finding himself eagerly waiting for night to fall when they’d finally be alone again.
It hadn’t been the easiest journey for the two of them, but they’d finally reached this day, and both of them, admittedly, couldn’t be happier, as they started an entirely brand new journey.
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