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Manhattan was bathed in the warm sunlight of July. Clouds were dotted throughout the sky, white and absent of rain. It was the perfect day for the occasion, and New York was eager to watch the worldwide televised event from the streets. With barricades set up by the local police to keep the crowds at bay, luxurious cars rolled up to the building where the ceremony was being held.
'Over here, Miss Romanoff!'
'Have you spoken with the happy couple at all, Mr Barton?!'
'Colonel Rhodes! Will there be any military posted at the ceremony?! Do you think it'll be safe?!'
Reporters pushed at the barricades with microphones in their outstretched hands. News cameras followed each car that pulled to a stop and zoomed in on each guest that stepped out onto the strip of red carpet. The strip of velvet crimson was thrown out over the grey steps that led up to the double doors, which were held open by SHEILD agents whose forefingers sat glued to their earpieces. Agents were also dotted along the barriers, standing beside the police officers that were under the illusion that they had full control on the event.
A news reporter was stood at the barricade with a microphone held up to her chest. She grinned at the camera that was held up by her collegue, who eyed her through the lens. The footage was live as it broadcasted all over the world, dubbed in foreign languages and altered by rivalling news channels.
'They're calling it the wedding of the century!' she said over the cheering crowds. 'We can see Colonel James Rhodes arriving with Clint Barton and Natasha Romanoff. More members of the Avengers are said to be attending the wedding of Tony Stark and Susan Storm, and we hope to see them later on today. Also known as Iron Man and The Invisible Woman, the super couple are set to try and tie the knot today in the private ceremony.'
Natasha held a scowl on her face as she waited for Clint to stop smiling at the cameras and waving at fans. She was dressed in a royal blue dress that skimmed her ankles and her red hair was curled over her bare shoulders. Clint wore a black suit, his light hair styled upwards by Laura. Laura and their children had been flown in by helicopter at Sue's personal request, as she knew the woman wasn't comfortable with having the celebrity status as Hawkeye's wife. But Clint wasn't bothered with the publicity and even signed a bow and arrow that a young fan held out past the barricades.
'Will you hurry up?' Natasha said in a hushed voice to Clint, Rhodey stood behind her. The Colonel wore his war medals on the left breast of his beige suit. A walking stick was secured in his hand to support his right leg, as his recovery from paralysis hindered his ability to walk unaided. But he had made progress that doctors weren't sure could ever be made. His leg was stiff as he did his best to hobble along the red carpet, slightly embarassed to be photographed in his injured state.
'I'm just playing the part,' Clint defended, smiling at the boy who stared at Hawkeye's signature on his bow.
Natasha rolled her eyes and helped Rhodey up the stairs. The man thanked her, the crowd rolling into another roar when a yellow Ferrari pulled to a stop. Reporters were blocked by police officers when the driver's door opened. Johnny Storm stepped out with Ray Bans over his eyes and grinned at the screaming women and flashing cameras. His suit was identical to Rhodey's and was neatly pressed and tailored to his physique. His blonde hair was slicked back and a light stubble grew on his cheeks and chin.
Making his way to the passenger side of the yellow Ferrari, Johnny opened the door and Pepper Potts stepped out. Her dress was a light purple, and her orange hair was curled into a half up, half down do. Her attire would only be temporary as her bridesmaid dress and shoes were waiting for her inside the building.
'I love you, Johnny!' A woman yelled from the crowd. Pepper took hold of Johnny's hand and the two walked to meet Natasha, Clint and Rhodey, who waited for them on the stairs.
'Miss Potts! Miss Potts! What does it take to date The Human Torch?!' a reporter called, and the couple looked over their shoulders, Johnny taking off his sunglasses.
'Fireproof lingerie and a lot of aloe.'
A laugh filtered through the crowd and Pepper smacked the Storm's shoulder, her cheeks flushing pink. Johnny smirked before he pressed his lips against the side of her head. Pepper wasn't just Johnny Storm's girlfriend; she was still the CEO of Stark Industries and of Richards Incorporated. She was respected among the business community, but a hot commodity because of her involvement with the Avengers. Previously Tony's assistant, now Susan's bridesmaid and Johnny's girlfriend, Pepper Potts was a force to be meddled with.
'Aren't you supposed to be helping Tony?' Rhodey asked Johnny once the man was next to him. Natasha helped him the rest of the way and he used his stick to head towards the lobby.
'I could ask you the same thing,' Johnny replied, tucking his sunglasses into his blazer pocket.
'The bestman is there for emotional support. You should be there as a groomsman to-'
'Hey, guys! Wait for me! Excuse me, pardon me, sorry, let me just scooch right past you, there.'
Peter Parker fell out of the crowd and the barricade rocked from his stomach ploughing into it. He let out a pain-filled 'oof!' and groaned, before a SHIELD agent stepped forward to let the boy through. The closest policeman raised an eyebrow and attempted to grab Peter's arm, thinking he was just an excited member of the crowd. But the agent shook his head and told him he was a guest. He put the barricade back in its place and the officer crossed his arms in a huff.
'Did you run here?' Clint questioned. Peter placed his hands on his knees and panted with his head hung low. A piece of his floppy, brown hair fell onto his forehead, which he pushed away while standing up straight after his last gulp of air.
'No, I took the subway,' he nervously rubbed the back of his neck. The Parker couldn't afford a limousine or a luxury car to arrive at the event in. His usual mode of transport was to swing on webs through the city dressed in a red and blue suit, but too many questions would be raised in this instance. If he arrived as Spiderman and was spotted at the wedding as Peter, his secret identity could be threatrened.
The guests turned to finally head into the lobby but were interrupted once more by a rumble of thunder. Everyone looked up to see angry clouds gather above them and a strike of lightning hit the red carpet. Reporters and fans of the Avengers ducked from the flash, singular screams and yelps echoing from the shock. With hands covering their eyes, the heroes squinted through the lightning that left a black mark in its wake.
Lowering their hands, they looked to where the lightning hit and saw Thor clad in his silver suit and red cape. People that once screamed erupted into cheers, excited at the arrival of the Asgardian. His blonde hair flowed over his broad shoulders, and he gripped the handle of his hammer in his hand. At the crowd's calls for him to pose for pictures and to sign their toy hammers, Thor looked around at the people who adored him. At first, his brow sat low over his eyes in a look of confusion and bewilderment. But it eased into a smile, where he waved his hand and felt as mighty as he did back on Asgard.
'Well, that was dramatic,' Pepper mentioned from next to Johnny as the demi-god walked to join the group gathered at the door.
'It is a fine day for such an event, is it not?' Thor's deep voice chimed; his arms spread wide. 'It's good to see you all. I trust you're all well?'
'Wow, Thor, I'm a big fan of yours,' Peter was awe struck. The boy bounced on his heels as Thor's gaze turned to him. Peter stuck a hand out to shake, and Thor gladly did so, their hands polar opposites in size.
'We didn't think you were coming,' Natasha admitted.
'Susan's invite took its time to get to Asgard,' Thor let go of Peter's hand and turned to speak to the Romanoff. 'But once it arrived, I prepared to travel here. I gathered word about Steve. I'm sorry I wasn't here at the time of the accords...'
'It's in the past now,' Johnny did a small shrug with a tight smile on his face. 'But today's about Susie. So, let's go and somehow make this about me, instead.'
---
'You're really talking to me about this on my wedding day? I expected our wedding gift to be a toaster or something.'
'Tony, I'm just making you aware of the recent sightings.'
Tony scoffed as he adjusted his cuff links. His facial hair was freshly buzzed and shaped into its iconic style; grey hairs scattered throughout the dark mass. His hair was gelled up and his cream-coloured suit was decorated with a flower in his blazer's pocket. Rhodey and Johnny were yet to arrive, and Tony hoped it was them when there was a knock at the door of his dedicated dressing room. But he was thoroughly disappointed when Director Nick Fury was stood in his usual black trench coat and matching eyepatch.
'U.S satellites picked up an anomaly in the planet's orbit three days ago,' Fury explained while Tony picked up his handheld device, checking that FRIDAY was preparing the ceremony as planned.
'Sounds great. If you find out what it is, let me know after the bouquet's been thrown,' Tony typed on his device with his tone bored and irritated from the director's pushing.
'It's been giving off its own energy,' Nick continued. 'I hoped you would be able to look into it.'
'Can't. Won't. Don't want to.'
'Stark, this could be serious.'
Tony looked up from his device and blinked slowly at the only other man in the room. Nick's hands sat on his hips and his one eye stared at Tony, who stared back without faltering. The device in Tony's hand beeped, FRIDAY displaying a countdown of five minutes before he would need to be at the altar. The Stark glanced down at it, before putting it down on the glass-top table below him. He let out a sigh and walked across the room, stopping in front of Nick to look at him with tight lips.
'If it's serious, I don't want any part in it,' his voice was void of jokes and snarky tones. 'I'm not ruining the one day I need to be perfect. This is for Sue, the mother of my child and my soon-to-be wife. If there's a meteor heading for the Earth and there's not yet a ring on her finger, then you're going to have to find someone else to handle it.'
'Is there someone else who can handle it? Because I would love to get to know them in the next few minutes.'
'Not my circus, buddy. Not my monkeys, either.'
Nick's face was emotionless as Tony clapped a hand onto his shoulder. He hated the smirk the groom wore, and the beige suit didn't do its job of making the man any more likeable or less infuriating. Tony sauntered past the director and grabbed the door handle, pulling it open to step out into the hallway. Rhodey and Johnny were making their way to the door when it opened, and Tony threw out his hands in disbelief at their late arrival.
'Thanks for the prep, guys. Really helped me out on my wedding day.'