A/N: Hello, guys! Long time, no see! I've been having writer's block on Lucid, for those who care about that, and so I wrote this to try and take a bit of a break and maybe get the creative juices flowing so that I can go back to Lucid more writing-ready than ever! I cannot wait until I finish writing that, because I'm so excited to unveil it to you guys!
Anyways, enough about Lucid. Plans is a bit of a sequel/follow-up to another one-shot of mine titled "You Weren't Supposed to Find That!". You don't necessarily have to read it to understand this, but things from You Weren't Supposed to Find That are mentioned. You won't be confused if you read this without reading YWStFT, though.
On with the fluff!
Lucy ran into the guild squealing with delight. Usually, when something exciting happened, she had to be the one to tell Natsu not to shout about it at the top of his lungs the moment they entered the guild hall, but this time, she was the happiest woman in the world, and she wanted the guild to know why.
Lucy had gone ahead of Natsu because of how eager she was. Natsu had been left in the dust and he was still catching up.
But Lucy wasn't gonna wait. And so, as she burst through the doors...
"GUYS GUYS GUYS, GUESS WHAT!?" Everyone in the guild looked up in surprise, used to people yelling as they walked in, but not used to Lucy being that person. Admittedly, her words were more presented to Mira, Levy, Juvia, and Erza than anybody, but she wanted everyone to know, anyways. "NATSU PROPOSED TO ME! NATSU AND I ARE ENGAGED!"
Lucy was immediately met with whoops and hollers of congratulations, but she didn't get long to bask in it as she was grabbed by the arms and ushered away by Mirajane and Erza, both with crazy, giddy looks on their faces. Levy and Juvia, both equally insane, were closely following them. Lucy was taken to a back room that contained several chairs and a table. In the back were shelves lined with various cloth swatches, plastic flowers, magazines, and the like. Shoved into an armchair, Lucy glared in confusion at her friends. They sat on other various stools and chairs in the small room.
"Guys, what is this about?"
"First things first," Mira started with a grin. "Show us the ring! Did Natsu pick something great out?" Lucy could tell that the other three girls were just as curious as Mira.
Lucy grinned brightly and raised her hand to give them a closer look at the dazzling ring shaped like a dragon who held a diamond in his mouth. The girls gasped as they fawned over it.
"It's so beautiful, Lulu! So Natsu, but so beautiful!" Levy remarked.
"Yes, Natsu made a fine choice," Erza added, proud of her reckless almost-brother.
"Oh, I do hope darling Gray chooses one just as pretty for me! Natsu had to have spent a fortune on it!"
"Yes, it does look expensive!" Mirajane said. "He spent all that on you instead of food! He really does love you more than anything! You're a lucky woman!"
"In more ways than one," Cana made sure to speak loud and clear as she wandered in. "Possibly, anyways. I don't know, since you won't ever tell us about how that boy is in bed! Since you guys are engaged now, care to indulge us?" Cana took a swig of the bottle in her hand as she sat herself down in another chair.
Lucy sighed and shook her head as she laid it in her palms. "Cana, no." The girls all laughed. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to go find my fiancé." Lucy stood up to go but found herself immediately pushed back in her chair.
"Oh no, you don't." Mira had a devious grin on her face as she stood and walked to one of the shelves, where she grabbed a big, fat book from a stack of nearly identical ones. Lucy could read on the spines of some still-stacked ones the titles "Gajeel and Levy" and "Gray and Juvia," among others. Lucy groaned as Mirajane dropped the one she'd grabbed in Lucy's lap. Across the cover of the book was she and Natsu's names with a heart surrounding them.
"We are planning your wedding!" Mirajane stated excitedly.
"The guild has a room specifically for wedding planning!? And what are these books for all of us!?"
"Yes!" Mira and Erza both confirmed Lucy's first question, and then Mira opened up the cover to Lucy's book. "And the books are to record everything! Decoration choices, the wedding party, dates and times... Speaking of which, what time did Natsu propose? There's a space for that here..."
Lucy didn't know whether to scoff or smile. This was ridiculous of them to have prepared, but at the same time...
Lucy grinned. "Let's get started! Get me those dress magazines over there! We're planning my wedding!"
As everyone else took no time to act surprised at Lucy being dragged away, Makarov announced the fact that drinks were on the house today in celebration of two of his children's engagement, earning more shouts of glee from the rest of the family. Natsu, finally arriving at the guild, yelled out, "I bet Lucy's already told you, but I wanna say it again 'cuz I'm just so happy she said 'yes'! LUCY HEARTFILIA IS GONNA MARRY ME!" The shout caused another joyful uproar as drinks were passed and Natsu was patted on the back, albeit with plenty of light-hearted teasing from his guildmates that Lucy deserved better or that they were surprised she'd said yes.
Gray and Gajeel grabbed his shoulders.
"Hey, what happened to proposing in a few weeks, like you said?" Gray asked curiously. "Are you really that impatient?"
Natsu chuckled sheepishly. "Luce found the ring while I was out getting groceries this morning, so things didn't exactly go as planned, Gray."
Gray clicked his tongue. "Y'know, Natsu," he started with a smirk. "It probably sucks that the one plan you put together didn't work out..."
"But you're forgetting a certain something." Gajeel finished.
"Huh? What're you talking about, Gajeel?" Natsu cocked his head. He'd proposed, Lucy said 'yes', he'd put the ring on her finger, and then they'd had their own 'private celebration'. What more was there to proposing?
And then, as he stared at the two guys in front of him with their eyebrows raised and smirks decorating their faces, Natsu finally recalled what they were referring to.
"Please please please, guys! I need to get this ring for her! It's perfect!" He'd been pleading his case for what felt like hours, and he had thought that he was finally getting through to Gray and Gajeel. "I'll do anything!"
"Fine!" Gray shouted. "Fine, fine, fine! I'll let you borrow some Jewel!"
Gajeel grunted. "Tch. I will, too, but only if you shaddup."
Natsu grinned widely. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Gray smirked. "It really isn't like you to plead, Flame Brain."
"Yeah, yeah, I know, but it's for Lucy! Thank you guys so much!"
"Now, about that 'anything'..." Gray and Gajeel huddled to figure out their terms and all Natsu could hear was incoherent mumbling. There was a boisterous laugh from them, and they turned around, both with mischievous smirks decorating their faces.
"What did you decide?" Natsu groaned. Would he have to clean up their messes for a month? Buy their food for a year?
"We don't want too much," Gray snickered."But once you buy the ring, you will have to tell the entirety of our guildmates that we're a million times stronger than you." Natsu groaned just imagining it."That's not all," Gray continued. "You must also refer to us that entire day as the 'Almighty Lords of Ice and Iron'."
"What!? No way, I'm not doing that!"
Gajeel smirked. "If you want to buy that ring for Bunny Girl, you will." Natsu groaned again.
Natsu cursed as he remembered.
"Get on your knees and call us by our titles, peasant," Gray teased as the color drained from Natsu's face.
Natsu didn't want to do it. Who would want to? He'd only agreed for Lucy. And as he recalled the grin on Lucy's face when he'd proposed, he got on his knees again. He bowed his head, and so didn't see how surprised Gajeel and Gray were at the fact that he hadn't argued.
"I-" Natsu cleared his throat. "I am- I am no match for you. You are indefinitely more- more powerful than me..."
"Say it~" Gajeel teased.
Natsu grit his teeth. This was ridiculous. But it was for Lucy.
"...Oh Mighty Lords of Iron and Ice..."
The two burst out laughing. "He actually said it! Ha ha!"
"Now he just has to say it again on stage in front of everyone!"
Natsu grew white again as he groaned, and then Gray whacked him on the back.
"Nah, you don't have to. We're not that mean," Gray said, making Natsu leap up from the ground with a cry of relief. When Gajeel groaned next to him, Gray added. "Right, Gajeel?"
"Tch. Fine, I won't make him do it. But you better remember this, Salamander. I may be cashing in a favor sometime soon." Natsu nodded quickly and ran off before the two could change their minds. Using his nose, he went off to track down his fiancee.
"Hey, Lucy!" he shouted as he entered the room. "Wha-" he saw piles of crap surrounding Lucy and the other girls. Cana hadn't stayed long, saying that big, fancy things weren't her thing, so that just left Mira, Juvia, Erza, and Levy. Basically everything that Lucy had seen on the shelves was now spread out on the floor, table, and themselves. "What are you doing?"
Lucy smiled up at him from the bridal magazine she was currently flipping through. As Natsu approached her, she leaned up and pecked him on the lips. "We're planning the wedding!"
"And... You need all this?"
Mirajane answered his question with a huge nodding. "All this and more!"
"More!?" Natsu questioned desperately.
"Yes, weddings require a lot," Erza added.
"At least when they're big weddings!" Juvia commented. "Ah, I love big weddings!" She sighed.
Levy put her response in, as well. "It's a Fairy Tail wedding, so it has to be big! And since it's you two, it's sure to be a crazy one, too!"
Natsu gave Lucy a look asking if they were serious. Lucy laughed as she nodded.
"What have I gotten into!? I don't know anything about planning a big wedding!"
Mirajane responded, "Tsk tsk, you won't be planning, Natsu! That's our job as Lucy's bridesmaids!"
"Hold on!" Lucy interjected. "I never said you guys were my bridesmaids!"
"Yes, but you never said we weren't," Erza replied with a smirk.
"We've designated ourselves," Mira added as if it was completely normal.
Lucy let out a mix of a laugh and a sigh. "You guys are lucky I would've picked you anyways."
"You just have to pick the maid of honor!" They all gave her an expectant and teasing look while Natsu just acted confused.
Lucy spluttered. "Wha- right now!? You can't expect me to- I haven't had any time to think about it!" Lucy's eyes kept darting over to Levy, though, and the girls could all tell that Lucy just didn't want to immediately disregard the others as options.
Erza laughed. "Don't worry about us, Lucy. We knew you were going to choose Levy."
Levy flushed as she was somewhat put on the spot. "No, she could easily choose any one of us!"
"Oh, come on, Levy, you're Lucy's best friend! Well, besides her dragon slayer, of course," Juvia supported with another laugh.
Lucy chuckled as well. "Yeah, you guys are right. Levy, I would love for you to be my maid of honor!"
"Really!?" Lucy nodded, causing the bluenette to squeal in happiness and the two to hug tightly.
Natsu just gave them all an extremely confuddled look. "Bridesmaids? Maid of honor? And why is all this so important?"
"Because this is a wedding, Natsu! It's the celebration of you two joining in holy matrimony!" Natsu still didn't quite understand what all the cloth, flowers, and bridesmaids had to do with that, but he just shook his head, deciding to let Mira and the girls do their thing.
"Well, what do I need to do?"
Lucy laughed. "I'll ask you to do something if I need you to, Natsu. And before I decide on anything, I'll make sure you like it, too, okay?"
Natsu snorted. "Luce, I really don't care if we have roses vs. tulips or whatever-"
"What!? Who in the world would choose tulips for a wedding!?" Juvia asked with a horrified expression.
"Like I was saying, though, you're the one who cares about the decorations and that crap. Don't worry so much if I'll like it, too. Unless you decide on something dumb, like, I don't know, making Gajeel sing or something, then I'll be fine with it."
Lucy smiled and made him lean back down so she could nuzzle into his neck. "Natsu, did you know that you're perfect?" she affectionately asked against his skin.
Natsu chuckled and kissed her forehead. "I wouldn't mind it if you said that again," he remarked teasingly, but still a loving tone that equaled Lucy's.
Lucy gave her own giggle and booped Natsu's nose. "Well, my little dragon, now that I think about it, you're quite destructive, reckless, dense... Let's see, what else is there?" She said, still in her quiet, affectionate tone.
"Hey, now that's mean..." Natsu pouted playfully as his words continued in the same voice. He dragged his fingers through her hair as he kissed her cheek.
An adored squeal from Mira tore them out of their fervor. All four of the girls in the room had grins on their faces.
"What?" Lucy questioned.
"You two are just so adorable and perfect for each other! Why do you think we kept trying to set you up for all those years?"
Lucy and Natsu both giggled as Lucy nuzzled into his neck again. "Well, we're together now, and that's the important thing."
"Well, as much as I do enjoy that you two are so in love, Natsu's distracting us from our planning. Go find something to do, Natsu. You can love Lucy later," Mira insisted.
"He'll probably be loving her all night long," Levy remarked with a teasing lilt, causing Natsu and Lucy to just roll their eyes.
"Fine, fine. I get the message. I'll leave you guys to your planning. You sure I don't have anything to do, Luce?" Natsu asked his fiancee.
Lucy thought for a moment. "No, I can't think of an-"
"THE GROOMSMEN!" Erza suddenly cried.
"HOW COULD WE HAVE FORGOTTEN THAT!?" Mira asked desperately.
"Yes, that's right! You need to choose your groomsmen, Natsu!" Lucy said to her fiance.
"Huh?" Natsu took a second. "Oh, right! That's the guy version of those bridesmaids things you guys were freaking out about, right?"
Lucy nodded to confirm. "And you have to pick your best man, too."
"Yeah, yeah, like the maid of honor. Alright, I'll go figure that out." He pecked Lucy on the lips before leaving with a wave.
"Groomsmen, huh?" Well, they'd obviously all be in Fairy Tail. That's where all of Natsu's closest friends were. Since Lucy had four bridesmaids, he'd have to have four, too. Who were his best and closest friends? Well, Happy was obviously one of his best friends, but he didn't really want to choose Happy as groomsman; that'd be kind of weird. And while he and Lucy hadn't actually talked about it, Happy would probably be their ring-bearer.
Natsu shook his head. He'd figure out the rest of his groomsmen later, but he already knew who his best man was going to be.
Darting over to the table he was sitting at, Natsu punched his potential best man in the face.
"Fire-breath, what the hell was that for!? You challenging me to a fight!?" Gray darted up from his chair, knocking it over. "'Cause I've been itching to beat you!"
Natsu smirked as he blocked the fist Gray sent towards his chest. "Hell yeah, I wanna fight!" Natsu sent his leg flying towards Gray, but his rival jumped out of the way. The two kept sending kicks and punches and knees and elbows into each other, some getting blocked and others not. When they fought, it normally didn't take long for more members to jump in, but Gajeel, Elfman, and the rest could all sense that this fight was a bit different than their others. They could tell that this fight was almost brotherly, and just between them.
"Hey Gray," Natsu began with a grin as Gray caught another fist of his.
"Yeah, Natsu?" Gray grinned as well when Natsu caught his own fist.
"I want you to be my best man."
They released each other's fists at the same time and each punched the other in the face.
They straightened again, and Gray wiped blood from his mouth with his hand.
"Hell yeah. There's no way I wouldn't be the best man at my best friend's wedding."
Natsu gave another grin as blood ran from his nose. They each gave a light punch to each other in the chest. "Good, because there's no way I'd have let my best friend say 'no'."
A/N: And that's a wrap! Thank you for reading!
(To those who care about Lucid: Do you want me to post another short little preview like I did in, what, January paired with a progress update? Y'all probably won't be happy with the progress, though, just telling you now. Heheh, there's a reason I like to finish stories before posting them.)
Thanks again!