STEVE
I like to be prepared, but this was something that I never would've thought would be this difficult. From Tori and I arguing over the color scheme to immediately agreeing on another tiny detail, wedding planning has definitely been a pain. So far, we've decided on a church that I went to in the forties that's miraculously still standing as the setting of the ceremony, the small courtyard outside of it for the reception, a color scheme of light blue and white, and to have it late spring or early summer (in approximately four months). I'm pretty damn proud that we've even made it this far.
"It all really depends on when we decide to have the wedding," Tori had said, contemplating whether or not to have it soon or later.
"Winter is too cold," I stated, leaving only three other options.
"I don't really like any autumn color schemes," Tori said, canceling out another option. "So that leaves spring and summer. I was thinking more of spring than summer."
"Yeah, summer is too hot," I agreed.
And that's how our conversations went after that — listing all of our options, leaving it down to two, then choosing based on their pros and cons. I think we've done well so far.
Now we just sit on the couch, Tori laying in my lap and me staring at the setting sun through the long windows. The view is incredible here, and I'll never get tired of it. Swirls of orange and purple fill the sky, the sun barely scraping the horizon. It's the signal that the stars and the moon are to come out and leave a new day in its wake. I love how it's so beautiful, yet it has to end so quickly. Thankfully it happens again when it rises and falls again the next day.
Tori pulls a blanket closer to her, snuggling up closer to me. I smile, twirling a lock of her dark hair around my finger. The computer screen still illuminates the room in her lap, showcasing the decisions we've made on several open tabs. I watch her slowly drift in and out of sleep, trying to keep her eyes open. I eventually feel a little guilty, peeling the laptop from her grasp and put in on the coffee table.
I carefully rise from the sofa, carrying Tori up with me bridal style. I take her into our bedroom, gently laying her on the bed after I move the sheets down. Unlacing her shoes, I gingerly slide them off her feet and pull the blankets up to her chest. She groans, turning onto her side. I quickly put her shoes up in the closet, taking my own off and heading back into the bedroom.
"Steve," she whispers.
"Yeah, honey?" I ask softly, sitting on the edge of the bed and brushing her hair out of her face.
"Come hither," she mumbles, seizing my wrist and tugging me onto the bed. I let out a low laugh, holding her close to me. "You must be tired too."
"Yeah, you're right," I whisper.
"I know I am," she grins, placing her hand on my chest and gazing up at me. She plants a kiss on my jaw, curling back up next to me.
Not much longer after that do we both fall asleep, and it wasn't even eight o'clock.
•••
I wake to my phone ringing on the nightstand. I groggily grab for it with my eyes closed, answering it without looking at who is exactly calling me. "Hello?"
"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty."
"What do you want, Tony?" I ask him, rubbing my eyes. Tori glances up at me, still half asleep.
"Actually what you want," he replies. "Look, there's some HYDRA-like stuff happening in Paris. Wanna lend me a hand?"
I sit up from the bed, now wide awake from this news. "Just me and when?"
"Both of you and ASAP," he says.
I groan, glancing at the alarm clock on my nightstand. "It's five in the morning, Tony."
"Catastrophe doesn't have an agenda, now get up and meet me at HQ." And with that, he hangs up on me, leaving me to just follow his orders.
"But I'm in charge," I whine, getting up out of bed. I gently shake Tori's shoulder, forcing her to peel her eyes open. "Mission."
She moans and slowly gets out of bed. "Wear the stealth suit, it looks cute on you," she states, stepping into our closet behind me.
I snort. "Yes, ma'am."
Not long after, we're both in our suits and ready to go. I hold the helmet in my hand, making my way towards the garage.
"Steven!" Tori calls. I turn around, a shield almost smacking me in the face. I catch it just in time, nodding at her in thanks. She stands in her skintight Mystérieux uniform, the watch that commands her suit around her left wrist. "Ready to go?"
"Ye—" I reply, but a deafening whirling sound makes me stop. "What the hell is that?"
"Sounds like a— oh my god, Tony." Tori steps into the living room/dining room area, staring out the window. A chopper lands in our snowy backyard, a man stepping out of it. Damn it, Tony. We both step outside to greet him, still halfway between awestruck and absolutely pissed.
"Hey, kids!" Stark exclaims, waving enthusiastically.
"What the hell, Tony?" Tori snaps, probably on her way to smack him.
"Nice place, by the way. Too bad you haven't invited me yet," he growls at his sister. "I'm disappointed that I wasn't the first person you called."
"Oh I'm sorry, I was ticked off. I apologize that you held me in a padded cell. Really appreciate it, big brother."
"I've said I'm sorry a million times already! Now we need to get to France before more people die."
"People are already dead?" I ask in my Captain America voice, as Tori likes to call it.
"Well, duh," Tony replies petulantly. "I did say that there was HYDRA-like activity, right? Now let's go."
I decide to no longer question him and just get into the chopper. Tori hesitantly follows, and I'm just waiting for her to punch Tony. We take our seats and after a short five minute ride, we arrive at the Avengers HQ and transfer onto a quinjet. Tori and I greet the other Avengers who have decided to join us — Sam, Wanda, Natasha, and Vision. The ladies huddle in their little circle, Wanda begging to see Tori's ring and Nat telling the Sokovian about the plastic gun fight she composed the other night. Tony and I greet the guys, which is only Sam because Vision follows Wanda like he's her shadow.
"Dude, wedding. When? Where?" Sam instantly asks, begging for details.
I just laugh it off, answering his questions.
"I told you I heard wedding bells! I told you!" he shouts, doing a little victory dance.
"Bet you ten bucks that you'll cry," Tony remarks, putting his hands in his pockets.
Sam scoffs. "Bet you twenty that you'll bawl like a baby."
"You have yourself a deal," Tony declares, shaking hands with Sam to seal their deal.
I roll my eyes. "I'm happy to hear that you two are making bets that will occur on my wedding day."
"Anytime, brother," Sam says, smacking a hand on my shoulder. "I'm gonna make myself some money that day."
"Only fate will tell," Tony comments. His eyes light up randomly, and he eyes me. "And because of the fact that you're technically marrying my sister—"
I clench my jaw. "Don't you say it."
"You are going to be my brother-in-law."
"Don't remind me," I sigh, running a hand through my hair.
"Hey, boys," Tori calls, "you wanna stop gazing into each other's eyes and get going?"
"Yes please," I chime, stepping up into the quinjet. Everyone follows in, eventually taking off.
Tony orders for FRIDAY to take over, giving him time to explain what's going on in Paris. He puts up a projection in the center of the room so that we can all see it. In the midst of the city, based on the Eiffel Tower in the distance, there is a security camera that shows a man with a grenade, smashing it to the ground. It inevitably explodes, taking multiple victims and himself in the flames. By the time screams begin to echo from speakers and fill the quinjet, Tony pauses the video.
"A suicide bomber," he informs us. "What really makes the situation sound HYDRA-y is a survivor told one of our people that he screamed, 'Hail HYDRA' before he died himself. We can't hear that in the video, as you can tell, so this is really important."
"And this is near Arc de Triomphe?" Tori questions her brother, of course trying to get some more geographical details on the matter.
"Yes," Tony confirms. "I'm so glad you remember the place. Still know French, right?"
Tori takes a deep breath. "I'm a little rusty, but I think I'm good."
"Okay, good. So we need a plan." Tony eyes me, waiting for me to do my part.
"All right, everyone," I begin, standing up out of my seat. "The goal should be to save as many lives as we can. However, we need to find where their base is to do that. I'm thinking we should split up — half in the city to wait for the next attack (which is definitely gonna happen) and the others searching for the home base. But there's gonna be a problem because there are seven of us.
"Tori, Natasha, and Sam, you guys okay with handling the city?" I ask them.
Tori smirks. "Aww, Sam's stuck with us."
"I actually have no problem with that," Sam retorts, a grin on his face.
"Don't you get any ideas," I warn him, earning a snort from Victoria.
"Honey, please. I have Natasha Romanoff with me to hurt him," she tells me.
"Fair enough," I reply. "So that leaves me, Tony, Wanda, and Vision to finding the base.
"Oh, God, I'm stuck with you," I mutter, keeping Tony out of my sight.
"Aww, come on, brother. This should be fun," Tony sneers, slapping his hand on my shoulder.
"Hey, Wanda?" Tori asks the quietest Avenger, who perks up in response. "Kick their asses for me if they misbehave, or just call me and I'll do it."
"Okay," Wanda laughs.
After that, we just wait and plan strategies on how to get HYDRA until we fly into Paris.