章 175: Chapter 174: The Wedding
(A/N: Sorry guys. I got covid. I will take another few days of rest before I come back.)
In the wedding venue on the rooftop garden.
Classical music was being played for the guest who had arrived. The string quartet was playing their instrument, – the harp, two violins and the cello.
There were only a small number of people invited for this secret wedding. An official wedding will be held once Pepper will have a baby – that was what Tony had planned. However, he greatly underestimated the business of taking care of a baby.
Ryan and Gwen, Kai with his daughter Doreen, Natasha, Jennifer Walter, Ava Ayala, Betty Ross, Jane Foster, Carol Danver(not yet arrived), Steve and Peggy, Rhodey, Happy, Bruce/Hulk, Pepper Potts' Aunt, Barton who came alone, and a few other close friends of the bride and the groom.
The small venue turned lively with all of the people there. Except for Danvers who couldn't make it in time as she was in a battle, all the others were already there.
Thor and Banner were drinking a glass of champagne while they stood nearby the 3 meter tall cake. The towering , 4 layer cake was extremely eye-catching for Thor. He even ignored Jane in her cream-coloured bridesmaids dress because of the cake.
"Ryan really went overboard in the cake huh," Bruce said while sipping his glass of wine. He was actually there to take care of Thor from swiping the cake and flying away. Also, the other guy inside of him wanted a closer look.
Hulk was practically drooling when he first laid his eyes on the cake. Bruce and Hulk will take turns to show up at the wedding. Bruce at the first hour, and Hulk at the middle of the ceremony.
Thor and Hulk both wiped their saliva, not minding the weight they had gained in the slightest. Bruce was the innocent victim in Thor's and Hulk's action as Hulk's weight gain also impacted him.
"Thor. Not now." Bruce warned him when Thor wanted to sneak a taste of the cake. The white cream that Ryan used was almost ruined by him.
"Hmm, How much longer? This is a cake worthy of being served in the nine-realms banquet. In Asgard, putting food in front of a starving man is torture itself!"
"You just ate 10 cereal boxes for breakfast, and you're whining." Bruce shook his head in disbelief.
"That was just a contest between me and Hulk to know who will be the lucky one and get the Mjolnir toy inside the cereal box."
Beside the two people, a little girl was also staring at the cake with her eyes glittering. Doreen almost couldn't help herself from diving at the cake. Luckily, a small squirrel had talked her out of it.
"That's right, Monkey Joe. I should wait." She said to the squirrel that she had sneaked into her clothes.
On the other side of the cake, Natasha was drinking champagne while talking to Ayala and Jen, when Kai approached the ladies. The girls saw him, and retreated away while giggling.
"Where are you going?" Natasha asked in puzzlement.
"We don't want to hear the couple talk." Jen and Ayala said and they went to bother the other singles in the event. Unfortunately for them, all the males that came there weren't available…except for Happy and Rhodes.
"Hmm.. I wonder how many girls will wear a red dress to the wedding if Tony did a public one like he had planned." Natasha muttered.
"I don't know why, but I'm glad that you didn't wear a red dress to the wedding." Kai said teasingly.
Natasha smiled and whispered to him, "What if I did?"
Kai smiled softly and whispered back, "Then I'll rip it off you."
Natasha was stunned after hearing Kai's daring word of proclamation. She was very satisfied by the answer. Kai and Natasha sneak somewhere quiet before the wedding, and what they have done will be kept a secret.
Ryan and Barton were talking together, before Rhodes approached them.
"Ryan, who is the one doing the wedding?" Rhodes asked. He was the best man. He couldn't be doing the wedding too.
"Hmm? Tony didn't say it to you? He didn't tell me that either."
Barton suddenly gets an ominous premonition. "He…didn't forget right? Did he register for the wedding?"
"He got his marriage license. I am holding it right now." Rhodes said hurriedly. Then, the trio saw Tony walk toward them with a worried look.
"Guys. we have a big problem."
"Ahh damn." Ryan muttered underneath his breath.
There wasn't a marriage officiant to handle the ceremony!
Then, Barton, Rhodes and Ryan quickly went to search for someone who had gotten ordained to perform the ceremony.
"I can do it. I'm a god. My blessings will be recognised by the whole world." Thor said.
"No thanks. We need someone who has been ordained, at least online." Rhodes declined.
And they did find one after a difficult time. However…that person was…
…
After 5 minutes, it's time for the bride to walk down the aisle.
The string quartet waited for the cue and played the song, 'Wedding March' to accompany Pepper in walking down the aisle. As Pepper's parents had passed, her uncle was the one who walked her down the aisle.
Her hair was tied up and decorated by the islander widow who moonlights as a wedding planner, and she carried a bouquet of flowers with her.
She wore a beautiful white dress and a blue necklace, and walked slowly to get to where the groom was waiting – at the end of the aisle.
Her eyes widened when she saw the wedding officiant. "Hulk?" She murmured underneath her breath, but Tony managed to catch it.
"He was the only one who had gotten ordained before." Tony explained with a wry smile.
Flashback – 5 minutes before.
Barton shouted after their minister search had been futile,"Is there NO ONE here who has gotten ordained?"
"Urmm.." Suddenly, he heard a voice from behind him, trying to catch his attention.
"I know someone. It's…Hulk." Bruce said with a wry smile.
Hulk has gotten ordained in case he needed to step up before. He even wrote his own speech to give at the wedding. Now, Hulk's intuition was proven right.
"Seriously?" Tony asked in disbelief after Barton pulled Bruce toward them. He massaged his head, and said unexpectedly, "Well. If he wants to do it, then he can do it.
Banner smiled wryly and went to change into the Hulk.
The wedding officiant Hulk was wearing a tuxedo, but he didn't wear any shoes.
Pepper felt a headache coming in when she saw the Hulk standing at the end of the line.
"Don't worry. Hulk knows how to read. Ryan had written all the speech needed for him to do." Tony said to comfort Pepper.
"This is just like you. Full of surprises." Pepper said with a smile. At this point, she didn't care any longer about who would marry them.
The wedding march song stopped, and the ceremony will begin soon.
Hulk cleared his throat, and said, " Dearly…beloved. We are gathered here today…to…umm"
Tony and Pepper move from looking toward each other to toward the Hulk who was freaking out.
"Umm…To join…umm…people together…" Hulk pulled his collar and started sweating. The sight of everyone looking at him and waiting for him to speak was burned into his sight that his vision started tunneling.
'Wait. Hulk has a fear of public speaking. How could I miss that.' Ryan shook his head in disbelief after seeing Hulk crash and burn on the stage. He walked toward the altar, and whispered to Tony.
"Is there no one else that could conduct the ceremony?" Tony whispered to Ryan.
"There is. But I'm afraid you won't recognize him if he comes." Ryan whispered back.
"I don't care if it's a random stranger at this point." Tony said as he looked at the frozen Hulk. Thor came by and escorted Hulk away from the altar.
"What if someone who had spent months with you in a cave?" A voice sounded from among the crowd.
Tony's eyes shook when he heard the voice. The voice of the man who was always inside his mind, guiding him whenever he felt lost. He turned toward the crowd, and he saw the man he dearly missed, standing from his seat and was walking toward him. It wasn't until the man was in front of him that he recollected himself.
"Yinsen?" Tony muttered with a shaky voice.
"Yes. It's me. If you don't mind, I could be your minister for the wedding. I have some experience in it-"
Before Yinsen could finish his word, Tony approached him and hugged him tightly.
"You! You're…still alive? That's good. That's great." Tony said with tears pooling inside his eyes.
"Don't cry. You'll ruin your makeup," Yinsen said playfully. Pepper asked, "This is?"
"My savior. If it wasn't for him, there would be no wedding today, nor would I still be alive." Tony explained.
"So, it's you who made all of this possible. Thank you. Thank you, for saving Tony's life." Pepper said sincerely and hugged Yinsen.
The rest of the crowd smiled and then the ceremony resumed, with Yinsen as the officiant this time.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today, to witness this man, and this woman, joined together in the bond of holy matrimony."
"I have known Tony when we were brought together inside the cave, and never had I met someone so foolish."
"Hey-" Tony retorted. Yinsen smiled and continued.
"In the cave, He called out for her name when he was asleep, and had worked desperately so that he may see you again."
Pepper widened her eyes when she heard the untold story.
"People know the story of Tony Stark creating Iron Man in the cave to fight off his captor. But the story was untrue. The real reason he created Iron Man… is to get back to you."
"In other words Pepper Potts. You are…the creator of Iron Man." Yinsen said.
The crowd applauded and cheered when they heard the story. Pepper held her face with her hand, as she started to tear up.
Everyone cheered, except for Hulk. He pouted at his seat, wanting to be the one who earned the admiration of the others. He took out Ryan's secret liquor bottle for the different metabolism superhuman, and down it in one gulp.
"I believe you have written your vows?" Yinsen asked Tony.
"I'm…just going to wing it." Tony said with a smile. Pepper shakes her head in disbelief, but her smile isn't going away.
Tony takes a deep breath, and starts to let out the word from his heart, "I was hit by a magic card before. The card was labeled a fool."
"I then realized that the card was custom made for me, as I have been a fool my entire life. I needed the help, just for me to really look into my heart. "
" There is that saying, 'when God closes a door, He opens a window.' Well, sometimes out of nowhere He'll do you one better—He'll kick a whole wall down. He grabbed me by the shoulders and He pointed me toward this woman right here…The woman who had always been inside my heart, and He said 'There she is. Go get her.'"
"You're everything, Pepper Potts. Words can't describe you. You're everything. And I will love you 'til the day I die."
"Now I feel bad because my vow is a little short." Pepper said with tears in her eyes.
Ryan was standing at the groomsman side, and he wiped his tears. "That was…unexpectedly beautiful." He muttered underneath his breath. Gwen smiled as she saw him stealthily wiping his tears, and she too did the same thing with her tears.
"Pepper Potts, you can read your vows now." Yinsen said.
Pepper took a deep breath, and smiled. "You're a piece of work."
"Ouch." Tony exclaimed playfully, making the crowd laugh.
" But you're… my piece of work. Not everything along the way was perfect. To be honest, not everything to follow would be perfect either. But what is?"
Last night, I remember what my mother said to me when I found my soulmate. She said, 'None of us can vow to be perfect. In the end, all we can do is love each other with everything we got. Because love. Is the best thing we can do.'
"I accept you, every single thing that makes you who you are, from now, until the end of time. I love you."
Yinsen took back the ceremony and asked, "Virginia "Pepper" Potts. Do you take this man to be your husband, to live together in matrimony, to love him, to honor him, to comfort him, and to keep him in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?"
"I do." Pepper replied. She takes the ring from Gwen, and puts it on Tony's fourth finger.
Yinsen then turned to Tony and asked, "Anthony Edward Stark. Do you take this woman to be your wife, to live together in matrimony, to love her, to honor her, to comfort her, and to keep her in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, for as long as you both shall live?"
"I do. With all of my heart."
Tony took the ring he had prepared from Rhodey, and put on the ring on Pepper's fourth finger.
Yinsen wiped his tears as he was so glad for Tony. He then said, "By the power vested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce you. Husband… and wife."
"You may now kiss the bride."
Pepper pulled Tony close and kissed him. The crowd stood up from their seats and cheered. Flower petals fall from the sky as Pepper and Tony keep kissing one another. Now, they are officially married!
…
After the ceremony. The crowd had started to eat, and Tony and Pepper already cut the cake. Hulk was wallowing in sadness, and gorged himself in the cake. Beside him, Doreen and Thor were doing the same thing. Jane and Betty sat near the guys as they waited for the dance.
"Ryan, we need some music for the first dance between the bride and the groom," Tony said unexpectedly when Ryan was talking with Gwen at his table.
"Didn't you say you already hired a musician?" Ryan asked puzzly. He wondered why so many of the wedding requirements were inadequate today.
"Yeah. Musician." Tony grinned while pointing at him.
"What the-" Ryan was flabbergasted and then realized what was going on.
"Ryan. Go!" Gwen colluded with Tony and pushed him to the stage.
"Ah, no way out. You owe me this Tony." Ryan said playfully while smiling.
"Consider this a wedding gift for the bride and groom." Tony replied and escorted Pepper to the dance floor."Something new. I want a new song just for me and her." Tony shouted at Ryan who was picking up the guitar on the stage.
"This is forced labor." Ryan said. Then, he apologized to a certain artist that will come out with the song three years later in the future.
He picked the guitar, and a slow melody resounded on the dance floor. Ryan moved his mouth close to the stand up microphone and started to sing.
" When your legs don't work like they used to before…"
Tony and Pepper widened their eyes as they really didn't expect Ryan to come out with a new song.
Ryan: And I can't sweep you off of your feet…
Will your mouth still remember the taste of my love...
Will your eyes still smile from your cheeks...
And darling I will be loving you 'til we're 70…
And baby my heart could still fall as hard at 23…
And I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways…
Maybe just the touch of a hand…
Oh me I fall in love with you every single day…
And I just wanna tell you I am…
So honey now…
Take me into your loving arms…
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars…
Place your head on my beating heart…
I'm thinking out loud…
Maybe we found love right where we are…
"My god. This song is beautiful." Jennifer Walter said in a drunken slur.
"That's my FIANCE!" Gwen shouted toward the stage. Ryan looked toward her and winked. 'Thank you Ed.' He thought secretly. Kai let out a chuckle, and danced together with Natasha. Then, he pulled the reluctant Doreen away from the cake and danced together with her too.
The crowd was agape when they heard Ryan's beautiful voice. Some stopped dancing with their partner and just danced in front of the band. Betty and Jane Foster especially as their partner was still gorging themselves.
Ryan played a few songs such as Perfect, Sugar by Maroon 5 and a few others. He invited Kai to the stage to help him. Even Gwen took to the drums, and they played until the wedding was over.
"So, what are you doing now?" Tony asked Yinsen.
"I am the dean of a school."
"How are you-"
"Alive? Even I think about it before. Haha. You met with my savior, Dawn Everstar before."
Tony widened his eyes and muttered, "It's him…"
"Don't worry. He didn't keep me there. I stayed by my own choice. After all, there are still a few children there that need me." Yinsen said while flashing a sincere smile.
Tony was infected by the smile, and his impulse to investigate Dawn died down. From the man who wanted to follow his family in death to the happy man in front of him, Tony felt grateful instead.
One by one, people left the venue to resume their daily life. Yinsen teleported away, Peggy and Steve needed to get to the SHIELD's headquarters, Kai had left early to take Doreen home, Thor who needed to placate Jane for his ignorance, and the others too had left.
Hulk had run with the biggest layer of the cake, and Betty was trying hard to find him.
Carol Danver arrived at the end of the wedding, and Rhodes took her out to eat something instead. She felt extremely guilty, but Tony didn't care much as he knew how busy the woman was.
Gwen was wiping the sweats for Ryan's forehead as the venue cleared. Tony and Pepper had returned to their room as Pepper felt tired. The only reason she could last that long was because Ryan secretly buffed her body with magic.
"Now that the wedding is over, I can finally join the battle up there." Ryan said unexpectedly.
"What?" Gwen was puzzled. Then, a black fighter spacecraft showed up near the Avenger tower.
"Gwen. You could go back first. I needed to go and deny the Skrull their wishes to enter Earth's space."
The battle had started. Luckily, Ryan had made some preparations. There had been countless casualties…from the Skrull faction.
The Arcadia ship had created a blockade one jump point away from Earth where the Skrulls were congregating to attack.
Ryan lit up his cigar and jumped from the Avenger tower rooftop. He landed onto the empty spacecraft that had its hatch open to catch him.
"Earth Planetary defense. Let's go."
Following Ryan's lead, 250 jet black fighter spacecraft departed from Earth, into outer space. The movement catches the eyes of several countries and also the Avengers, but Ryan tells them to stay out of it.
It's time to show Earth's might to the universe.
At the Jump point, The unmasked Dawn was wearing a straw hat and carried a long staff with him. He stood on top of Arcadia, in the vacuum of space.
"Come. " Dawn said while grinning. In front of him, thousands of Skrull's spacecraft and hundreds of warships were targeting him.
Standing behind Dawn, a man in a full black suit of armor was holding a DarkSaber and faced the other half of the army.
The long-sought Mandalorian in the galaxy, had appeared next to Dawn.
"Come." Kai in the Mandalorian Armor said.
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