Whatever it Takes: Endgame

Chapter 15

The day of the ceremony went too slow and too fast for Natasha's liking. One minute she's kissing Bruce goodbye at the rehearsal dinner before Laura kicked him out saying it's tradition not to see the bride before the wedding, the next Natasha's waiting to walk down the aisle.

Thor was their flower boy, as promised, Clint was giving Natasha away and Laura was her maid of honor. Tony was Bruce's best man and Fury was officiating.

Natasha took one last look in the hallway mirror then looked at her black wedding dress. She chose not to wear a veil, because she never understood the point of them.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Clint, whose arm she was gripping, "Hey, don't be nervous. You look beautiful and he loves you."

"Thanks, Clint," she said then took a breath to calm herself.

She had been in thrown back in time, fought in countless battles and this is what kicked her nerves into high gear. She loved Bruce, but for some reason the wedding made her anxious.

"Why am I so nervous," she asked her best friend.

"It's normal to be nervous on your wedding day. The day Laura and I got married, I threw up right before the ceremony. I guarantee you that Bruce is just as nervous as you are."

"Hopefully not too nervous."

"Yeah, we really don't need a Hulk appearance today," he replied as he softly knocked on wooden piece of furniture.

Yelena's head popped out and she smiled as she opened the door for Natasha and Clint. Natasha had to give her and Jennifer something to do, so she chose female ushers.

All of the Avengers, her and Bruce's families and a few other people they knew were in the audience, but all Natasha could focus on was Bruce.

His curls were tamed, he was wearing a tux and his smile made her smile in return. She could feel the tears threaten to take over, but she held them back. As she got closer to Bruce, she saw he had let his tears fall, but he didn't take his eyes off of her.

When she and Clint reached Bruce, her big brother figure gave her hand to Bruce's and then he shook the groom's other hand.

"Hey," Bruce whispered.

"Hey," she said back.

He took her other hand as they faced each other, and she immediately felt her nerves wash away.

After Bruce and Natasha recited their vows, she could hear Thor, Alexei and both of Bruce's aunts crying in the audience. Tony was sniffling in front of her and Laura was quietly crying behind her. Natasha could have sworn she heard Clint and Melina muffle sobs.

After their vows were said, they exchanged wedding bands. Hers was made from vibranium and his would grow and shrink with him in case of a Hulk incident.

When Fury pronounced them husband and wife and told Bruce to kiss Natasha, Bruce cupped her face softly and did as the man said.

When they parted, Tony gave the loudest cheer and led the applause as the two walked down the aisle hand in hand.

When the couple were inside Clint's house before the reception on the other side of the backyard, Natasha let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. She turned to look at Bruce, but he was already looking at her with a look of pure adoration on his face.

"You look... I don't think breathtaking is a strong enough word," he told her.

"Thanks," she said. "You look handsome today."

"Thanks," he said as he bashfully ducked his head, then looked at her again.

She closed the gap and pressed her lips to his. When they parted, she said, "I adore you."

"I adore you too," he said as he smiled at her.

There was a knock on the door, signaling it was time for them to come outside. Bruce offered his arm, which she took, and they went outside to see their friends and family applauding them as they made their way to the reception area.

Tony and Laura gave heartfelt speeches, and Bruce's family welcomed her with open arms when his Aunt Susan gave a toast. Alexei sang "American Pie," making Natasha tear up and she looked over at Yelena who was leaning against Melina.

After a few minutes Bruce got up and walked over the mic to give his own speech. He tapped the object then wringed his hands together.

"Hi," he started, but was interrupted by Tony and Jen's whooping, making Bruce chuckle nervously. "First of all, I'd like to thank everyone for coming and the Bartons for putting all of this together at last minute. One night in Calcutta, I was lured to an abandoned shack where Nat was waiting. She told me that Fury needed me to locate the Tesseract. That was the day my life changed. I met lifelong friends, but most importantly, I met my wife. Natasha, you have been my everything for all of these years. My friend, my teammate, my love, my partner, and now I get to call you my wife. There will never be enough words in any language to describe how much I love you, Natasha Romanoff."

Natasha tearfully mouthed, "I love you too," as he walked towards the table. She hugged him when he sat down, and they both watched as their friends and families made more speeches.

After a couple of minutes, Bruce tapped her arm and gestured for her to follow him. They quietly and discreetly left the crowd to get a moment to themselves.

Music was playing in the background and Bruce brought them into their swaying position.

"I just wanted a minute alone with you," he explained. "It's crowded back there and I feel like I haven't seen you in days."

"The day went by too fast and too slow."

"You know the house you lived in while you were in Ohio," he asked.

"Yeah," she answered, slightly confused.

"I found it for sale online if you want to live there. I didn't put in a bid or anything because I wanted to ask you first, but what do you think?"

"Can't hurt to look at it."

Bruce smiled and she kissed him.

When they parted, she said "We better get back out there before Laura wonders where we are."

He nodded and took her hand as they walked back to the reception area unnoticed. Tony and Jennifer were having a dance off, causing a lot of laughter and cheering.

"I knew introducing those two was a bad idea," Bruce said.

_____

When the party was over and the couple were back in their room at the tower with the rest of the team except Clint, Natasha was exhausted from the day and waking up at the crack of dawn. She looked at Bruce, who looked like he was fighting sleep.

"Ladies first," he told her.

Natasha showered and changed into a t-shirt and sweats, then plopped on the bed. She didn't register that Bruce was in the bathroom until she heard the shower run and brought the covers up. She was asleep in seconds.

At some point in the night Natasha woke up when she felt a shift in the bed and looked behind her to see Bruce getting up. She turned around and asked, "Bruce, where are you going?"

"Tony called me about something. It's an emergency and I need to get downstairs."

Bruce stayed in his t-shirt and sweats as he put his shoes on and left the room. Natasha rested her eyes until she heard the door open and movement in the room, then felt another shift and saw Bruce carefully climbing back into bed. He looked at her as he lied down.

"Everything okay," she asked.

"Pepper had Braxton Hicks contractions and needed to make sure it wasn't the real thing."

Natasha nodded and moved to put her head on his chest. His heartbeat was normal, and she felt him play with her hair as she fell back to sleep.

Note: One more chapter!