"You look as nervous as that damn squirrel in Ice Age every time it's about to lose it's god damn nut again,"
The strange analogy helped calm Charlotte Watson's nerves for just a moment, pulling a genuine laugh out of her. Her gaze fluttered up to the full length mirror in front of her, her arms wrapping around the front of her robe as she locked eyes with Tony Stark in the reflection of the mirror as he leaned against the door-frame of the dressing room in the back of the old church in Brooklyn.
"Gotta say, that's pretty high on my list of the weirdest analogies you've ever used on me," Tony laughed as he walked up behind Lottie, smiling at his gorgeous best friend in the mirror. "What are you doing here?"
"Honestly, I was hoping I would come back here and find out that you left a note saying that you don't want to marry capsicle and you're running off with a foreigner to live your life in the countryside," Lottie raised an eyebrow at her best friend, who only shrugged. "Sorry, I just don't want you to marry the man who, you know, kept one of the biggest secrets in history from both of us. Trust is a key foundation of a relationship."
"Forgiveness is also an essential portion of life,"
Turning around, a frown crossed Lottie's lips as she stared up at her best friend. Tony rolled his eyes, sighing as he grabbed onto her shoulders.
"It's your wedding day! Why the hell are you frowning?"
"Because my best friend is making it pretty clear that he doesn't approve," Lottie muttered. "And...because it just doesn't feel whole today."
Tony swallowed the lump in his throat, his face softening as he saw the look that crossed Lottie's face. Her grip tightened on her shoulders as he forced her to look up at him.
"Look, I do approve. The Star Spangled Man with a Plan makes you happy, and I love that. I just...wish it was anyone but him," Tony trailed off for a minute before picking back up. "I'm here for you, to support you. Today should be the happiest day of your life, you shouldn't think about all of them."
"It's hard not to when they're supposed to be here," reaching onto the counter of the vanity beside her, Lottie quickly grabbed a tissue and blotted at her under eyes, not wanting her tears to ruin the makeup that Natasha had done. "Wanda should be at my side, standing next to Nat. Bucky and Sam...they should be standing with Steve and bickering the entire time. Peter should be here. They all should."
"They are," Lottie and Tony pulled away, looking back at Natasha from where she now leaned in the doorway. "They might not be beside us, but they're here. You know that."
Lottie looked down, blotting her eyes one last time before looking between the two before her, sharing smiles with them both.
"I know...okay, like you said, happiest day of my life. I need to get dressed and go marry the love of my life,"
Tony clapped a hand on Lottie's shoulder, a bright grin on his face now.
"Exactly! Plus, the second you see the dress that Pepper got Morgan into you'll fall in love. Try getting that two year old in that dress, it was hell,"
Natasha and Lottie shared a laugh as the woman joined Lottie's side, Tony waving at them as he moved out of the room to wait just outside for them.
Nat smiled as unzipped the white bag handing by the mirror, a grin lighting up Lottie's face at the sight of the gorgeous white dress that awaited her inside.
"Time to suit up," Natasha joked with her, using the familiar line that Steve always used on them in missions. "There's a hundred year old man waiting at the alter for you."
"Yeah," Lottie bit her lip, unable to contain her smile as she untied her robe. "Yeah there is."
Standing at the alter, Steve Rogers was nervously adjusting his tie, his foot tapping impatiently on the ground as he stared out at the doors at the end of the aisle. The priest laid a hand on his shoulder, giving him a comforting smile.
Steve's eyes trailed off to the crowd before him, gathered in the pews of the church together. Okoye was sat at the end of one of the pews, exchanging a small smile with the man as her and M'Baku and Ramonda engaged in a small conversation together. Behind them sat Nebula and Rocket, both engaged in another discussion about something that probably had to do with space.
Rhodey and Happy were seated in the front pew on the other side, three spaces next to them open for Tony, Pepper, and young Morgan Stark. Steve had wanted to ask Tony to stand by his side, but he sadly had a feeling he already knew the answer to his question.
Valkyrie was in the pew behind them, engaging in a conversation with Thor, Carol Danvers, and Wong who sat beside her. Thor had sunglasses over his face, his hair grown longer since the last time they had all seen him.
The pews should've been lined with more people, but this was all that was left of their family.
Clearing his throat, the priest signaled for the group to all rise as the piano player in the corner started the familiar tune.
Natasha Romanoff and Bruce Banner walked out of the doors, the maid of honor and the best man. They grinned at Steve, taking their places on either side of the aisle. Bruce's hand rested on Steve's shoulder for a second, the pair exchanging smiles as Natasha shot them both a wink from down the way.
Pepper Potts walked through the doors, two year old Morgan Stark held in her arms as she tossed flower petals down the aisle. The sight brought a laugh full of joy out of every person sitting together in the church.
It was the second that the familiar green eyes appeared from behind the door that Steve Rogers had a hard time keeping himself together.
Charlotte Watson's arm was wound tightly through Tony Stark's as he led his best friend down the aisle, tears pooling in his own eyes at the thought of the honor of giving his best friend away.
When Lottie's eyes locked with Steve's from under her veil, she couldn't help the large grin that spread it's way across her face. Despite the unfortunate situation their wedding fell under, it couldn't outweigh the feeling of marrying the man she always dreamed of loving.
A tear dropped down Steve's cheek as the same thought ran through his head.
Stopping before the alter, Tony Stark pulled his best friend into the tightest hug possible. She smiled, relishing in the hug for a moment before they both turned back to Steve, Lottie's placing a hand inside of her husband's.
Steve and Tony locked eyes for a moment, exchanging just a neutral nod with one another. Tony's gaze lingered for a moment before he moved away, taking his seat beside his wife and daughter.
""Dear friends and family, we are gathered here today to witness and celebrate the union of Charlotte Watson and Steven Rogers in marriage,"
Just the simple line made the smiles on Lottie and Steve's faces grow tenfold.
"Today, we witness the joining of part of a love story over one hundred years in the making. I truly believe that is a world record," the priest's comment drew a small laugh from the crowd. "Withstanding the test of time and the obstacles thrown at them, Charlotte and Steven have invited you all to be here with them to celebrate this joyous occasion in their lives and the commitment they make to one another today."
The priest's words floated into the background, mere background noise to the soldiers that stood at the alter. All that mattered to them was one another.
Lottie couldn't pull her eyes away from the baby blue eyes that she adored all her life. When she looked at the man before her, the only thing she could feel was love.
Steve Rogers wanted to break into tears as he looked down on Lottie's smile, the one he fell in love with so long ago.
Time was frozen for them.
"The bride and groom will now read the vows that they have chosen to write,"
With a nod to Steve, the soldier took a deep breath as he looked down at the woman before him.
"I never thought I'd get to stand here one day. If you asked skinny, asthmatic Steve Rogers if he thought he'd ever get to marry Charlotte Watson, he'd probably have an asthma attack on the spot," the joke brought a laugh out of the crowd before them. "The second I laid eyes on you on the playground so early on in our lives, I knew it was only ever going to be you. There was no one else in the world that I wanted to share the rest of my life with. I told you once that I always dreamed of dancing with you, but there was so much more I dreamed of. I dreamed of loving you, of marrying you, of growing old with you and spending my life next to you. The fact that you've given me the opportunity to let me after all we've been through is a privilege."
Lottie reached up, wiping a tear from her cheek as she smiled at the man before her.
"I promise to love you every second of every day, just as I've done all my life. I promise to be true and loyal, I promise to never lie to you...not again," that was enough to draw an actual laugh out of Tony Stark as Lottie shot him a look. "You have been my best friend, my lieutenant, confidant, and my greatest challenge. But most importantly, you are the love of my life and you make me happier than I could ever imagine and more loved than I ever thought possible. You have made me a better person, Charlotte Watson, and I promise to never leave your side, because I'm with you till the end of the line."
Carol Danvers wiped a tear from her cheek, reaching down to hold Valkyrie's hand for comfort at the sincerity of the vows. Across the way, Okoye and Ramonda were smiling fondly at the pair. Even Nebula was sporting a hint of a smile.
Wiping her tears once more, along with Steve wiping his own, Lottie took hold of his hands again as she looked up at him.
"You know, when I look at you right now, I don't see Captain America. I see skinny little Steve Rogers standing before me, the man who could never back down from a fight, about to marry me, because that's the man I fell in love with," Tony Stark muttered a comment under his breath, earning a slap from both Pepper and Rhodey. "You never needed to be tall or have bulging muscles to make me fall in love with you, all you had to be was yourself. Not a perfect soldier, but a good man. One of the most important men in our life told you that."
Both of them had to pause, wiping away the tears at the simple though of Abraham Erksine.
"I promise to always remember that you are indeed human, despite the serum that runs through your veins. That you may sometimes make questionable decisions, decisions that I may not agree with. But what I love about you is I know that you do these things because you care so deeply about me, our friends, and our family. I knew from the very moment I laid eyes on you that you were my forever, and I will spend the rest of our lives showing you that. Because I'm with you till the end of the line, Steve Rogers."
Not even the priest could contain his smile at the conclusion of the vows.
Natasha Romanoff swallowed the lump in her throat, refusing to cry, as she reached behind her and grabbed the little pillow that held the rings upon it. She turned to Steve and Lottie, allowing them to take their rings from the pillow and turn back to one another.
"Steven Rogers," the priest looked down to the man with a smile "Do you take Charlotte Watson to be your wife? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect her, forsaking all others, and holding only unto her forevermore?"
"I do,"
"And do you, Charlotte Watson, take Steven Rogers to be your husband? Do you promise to love, honor, cherish, and protect him, forsaking all others, and holding only unto him forevermore?"
"I do,"
"Charlotte and Steven will now exchange their rings as a symbol of their love and commitment to one another," the priest told the crowd as the pair gripped onto their rings. "I am also happy to say that there is no better fitting rings for the first two Avengers of the world than these two before them, designed in Wakanda and made from Vibranium, the same metal that forged the red, white, and blue shield that became a symbol of the nation. Steve, please place the ring on Charlotte's hand and repeat after me: With this ring, I thee wed."
"With this ring, I thee wed," Steve tried not to let his voice crack with emotion, sliding the diamond onto her finger.
"Charlotte, please place the ring on Steven's hand and repeat after me: With this ring, I thee wed."
"With this ring, I thee wed," Lottie's voice was light, a tear dropping down her cheek as she slipped the ring onto his finger.
And now by the power vested in me by the great state of New York, it is my honor and delight to declare you married. Go forth and live each day to the fullest. You may seal this declaration with a kiss,"
Without a second of hesitation, Steve Roger's arms encircled Lottie's waist, pulling her as close as humanly possible to him as his lips landed themselves against her's, molding into her as they were meant to be there.
Loud cheers rang through the pews from Valkyrie and Rocket as their friends cheered and clapped them on. Lottie's hand carded it's way through Steve's blonde hair before they pulled away, grinning up at one another as their eyes never left one another.
"I am pleased to present to you, for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Steven Grant Rogers!"
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Um, yes, of course I am crying. I won't lie, I had some of this chapter planned already and written because it was going to go into the main story, but I ended up cutting it from the final version. I'm SO happy to give it to you all as a bonus chapter through because I love them more than life itself wow.