"Is this a bad idea?" Bruce asked, twitching uncomfortably with the cuffs of his shirt. "Should we be doing this?"

"You got an invitation," Natasha said patiently. Bruce was not a big fan of infiltration, but this was a little ridiculous. It was a wedding, to which they had been invited. "It had a plus one and everything."

"I feel like we're trespassing anyway, I mean, what are we going to learn from a wedding?"

"Lots of things." Natasha said patiently, walking over and giving Bruce a size up. He looked good, calm and collected, in a decent suit. Thanks to the miracle of Micron Particles, she had a shrunken pair of pants that would fit the big guy in case it came to that. "We could learn who he invited, maybe why he invited you, what his relationship is like that it produced, well, you read the after action reports on Andromeda."

Andromeda Albertson, soon to be Andromeda Trent, had very strong opinions on how aggressive her future husband would be in pursuit of conquest. Most women thought their boyfriends were gentle souls or tender warriors or some crap like that, but Andromeda put all her money on, 'vicious killer' and then had been right over and over again. Trent had been mind controlled, but it was still a disturbing picture of a loved one.

"Are you sure I'm supposed to have read that?" Bruce asked. Bruce was not a vicious killer, not even a little bit. The green guy had a lower kill count than Trent did.

"It should be fine," Natasha said. "As long as you don't tell anybody anything about it."

"Natasha!"

"Relax," Natasha said, "Your security clearance as an Avenger would've let you read it if you'd done the paperwork." In all honesty, she doubted Fury would even give her a slap on the wrist for sharing it. He'd done a lot worse in his day in preparation for his work. She stepped back and looked at Bruce. "You look good."

Bruce blushed a little at that and looked down, "You look stunning."

Natasha grinned at that. She was still getting used to this new body and its ample muscles, but it was a good look still. She gave Bruce a peck on the cheek and said, "Thank you."

——

"I, Michael Trent, take you, Andromeda, to be my wife. Against all adversity, together through trial and tribulation, l pledge to stand by your side and come to your aid, to be of one will and one purpose, and to enjoy together all the fruits of life. Without reservation, I pledge to you all my life, my love, and my sacred honor."

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

——

"We don't go to enough of these things," Tony said, as Pepper and he finished signing the guest book. "Happy occasions, big celebrations. Most of the time. She could do better."

"Tony," Pepper hissed, "We are at their wedding."

Tony held up his hand in surrender. He had been intending for that to go in a bit of a different direction. "It's good. It's nice. Do people not get married any more?"

"Well, Tony, you got a lot of invitations in your twenties and thirties. I met a few of the bridesmaids too."

Tony tried not to wince. Why had he used to make Pepper kick women out for him? It was not helping him in his present circumstances. This conversation kept not going in the direction he was hoping it would go. "You make it sound like I'm old."

"Tony, you're forty two. Most of your friends have gotten married, settled down. Or divorced."

Pepper was being very successful at dodging the topic he was trying to move toward. That had been the main reason he had come to this thing. "It's real nice, the wedding is. A little small, do you feel like it's small?" It was in this nice little rustic church building, nothing wrong with it, Tony just felt it needed more… something. He wasn't sure what.

"They had a big one, it got attacked. Tony, think before you say these things."

"Right," Tony said. He decided to hang up this question for awhile yet.

—

"I, Andromeda, do take you, Michael Trent, to be my husband. You have given so much to me and to the world. I only hope to return in some small measure, the reverence, the sacrifice, and the honor you deserve. Whatever comes next, whatever happens, I pledge myself to you, to your cause, and to our life together, without reservation and with great hope."

—

"Wait, so we're just going to jump out? No parachutes?" Ward asked, his voice skeptical.

"It's the same principle as the high dive," Steve said, "Water ingress and boarding is much easier than trying to land on a boat with a parachute without getting shot out of the sky."

"I should've gone to the wedding."

Steve grunted.

"You still mad at them over that dumb joke?" Ward asked.

"Not a dumb joke," Steve said. He still remembered the dull shock when he'd heard Hydra being referenced in the 21st century. He thought he'd left it buried behind him in Forty-Five. "I don't get it, you know. It's been almost seventy years, of course it seems less important now. But it still happened! These guys were real, they were horrible, and they hurt a lot of people. Red Skull's looks were his best features. It's the achievement of my life that I played a part in confronting them. Hydra was the worst of mankind. It's not something to joke about."

Ward looked thoughtful at that. "Think he was trying to rile you up, Cap. You're giving it too much thought. Hydra went extinct seventy years ago."

"Well, it worked. Alright, this is the jump site. I can go first if you're nervous."

Ward gave him an offended expression, opened the hatch of the plane and jumped out with a yell. Steve laughed for a moment, remembering his days with the Howling Commandos, and then jumped out after him.

—

"Mike is a man of singular vision," Victor said, holding up his glass. "He has moved us forward in so many fields in such a short time. He has foresight and wisdom. I'm so honored to count him among my friends, to listen to his counsel, and to see the future he is building for us today. For as long as I have known him that future has been one guided by reason and the good of all mankind. Whether that is in acting to control the climate crisis or it is sending so many of those of us here today to safety at risk to himself" Here, there was a smattering of applause from the PRIDE and Andromeda's family. "Mike has always demonstrated calmness and drive in the face of danger. Today, we are so happy to witness him receive a beautiful reward in his marriage to Andromeda, a hero known throughout the world. To Michael and Andromeda Trent, the heroes the world needs. May your marriage be as happy as your lives have been generous!"