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Written for the Valentine's Writing Event. Prompt Vow.
Eloping After the End of the World
By Marie Nomad
Pepper sat there waiting until Tony woke up. His frail body, wracked by malnourishment and stress, has caused him to collapse. She was so thankful that he wasn’t ‘snapped’ away and that he was alive. She picked up his bony hand and held it to her face.
“Pepper?” Tony opened his eyes and stared at her. “I had a nightmare. I dreamt we failed to save the Universe, and Peter died before me.”
Pepper’s eyes watered. “It was all real.”
“Crap.” Tony closed his eyes again.
“Let’s get married.” Pepper’s urgent voice shook him out of his daze.
“We’re already engaged. Remember the press conference? The engagement ring? The decoy wedding dates?” Tony said as he sat up.
“No, let’s just get married right now,” Pepper grabbed his hands and held them. “I spent the past few weeks hoping that you weren’t dead. Thinking you were dead. And I say, we take Happy’s suggestion and elope. We find the closest judge, priest, or someone and get married. We have the license.”
Tony stared at her. Pepper looked exhausted. She usually worked so hard to have a professional look outside of home, but strands of her hair were sticking up. Her suit has wrinkles in it. She wasn’t wearing as much makeup. And he had spent all that time on the spaceship wondering if she had died too. He would have been 99.99 percent confident that she was alive if it was a normal situation. But it was a 50 percent chance that she would have died. She could have been dead. With everything that has happened in the past few years, he can’t take the possibility that she won’t die right in front of him right now. Right now, it is all that they have. He didn’t know the future but had to take advantage of the now. “Okay, Happy’s alive, right?”
“Yes, he’s alive.” She smiled at him.
“Good, he has told me that he had gotten some sort of online… thing to marry us.” Tony was relieved that Happy was alive. His brain was still a little foggy, but he had a goal. “We grab Rhodey, another witness, get married, and have that kid I dreamed of.”
“He’s off with the others to find Thanos, use the Infinity Stones, and bring back everyone. You rest, don’t leave this bed.”
“It’s not like I have a spaceship anyway.” Tony sighed as he closed his eyes. “Let’s wait until Rhodey gets back. He would throw a hissyfit if I got married without him.” Tony didn’t want to tell her that Thanos might have destroyed the Infinity Stones to keep the Universe as it was. It was what he would do.
XXX
He failed.
Rhodey and the others trudged out of the spaceship.
Failed.
The stones are destroyed.
Failed.
Rhodey wanted to scream. Thanos had won.
Failed.
He didn’t even see the others leaving to who knows where. There was no point.
Failed.
Without thinking, he walked to the hospital room where Tony was waiting. He had to tell him.
FAILED.
He paused, and he saw Tony sitting in the hospital bed, dressed in a tuxedo, with one arm free to hold the IV fluids; Pepper, in one of her white dresses; and Happy, holding a Bible as well. They stood out against the sterile hospital room.
“Great, we got our Best Man,” Tony said. “We’re getting married right now. We just had to wait for you to show up.”
Rhodey stared at the scene in front of him. “What the hell?”
“Wedding. We’re getting married right now.” Tony repeated as he gestured Rhodey to walked to him. “Thanos destroyed the stones, didn’t he?”
Rhodey nodded at the absurd sight in front of him. Half the Universe is dead, and now they are having the wedding? This isn’t the time to waste time on a wedding. “Now?”
“Yes, now, nothing we can do. Look, we’ll have the wedding and then mope and help the survivors. Okay? I need you to be my Best Man. I need my sidekick.” Tony grabbed Rhodey and held it. He looked seriously at him.
Tony needs him. His surviving friends need him.
“Are you sure there’s nothing we can do to fix things?” Rhodey asked. He didn’t want to leave everything as it is. Tony must have some idea on what to do now.
“Unless we have a time travel machine, which is impossible, there’s nothing we can do, " Tony said.
Rhodey let out a tired smile. There was nothing he could do right now. But at least he can make sure Pepper and Tony get hitched before something else happens. “Do you want me to change or stay in the suit?” He said as he gestured at his War Machine suit.
“Stay in it. You look badass. Way better than the ‘Iron Patriot’ suit.”
“All right.” Rhodey took his place beside Tony. “Only you would think to elope after the end of the world.”
“I love to plan things on the fly. Besides, it’s Pepper’s idea.”
Nebula walked into the hospital room and saw the group. “What is going on?”
“We’re getting married,” Tony said, gesturing around. “Want to watch? We need another witness.”
“Can you be my ‘Maid of Honor?” Pepper asked the alien. Tony told her about Nebula and how she had helped him survive in space. She owed it to her to let her join in this wedding.
Nebula stared at Pepper with her black eyes and blinked as she tried to understand. “What is a ‘Maid of Honor’?” Nebula asked. She was not sure if she could handle the responsibility of this ‘Maid of Honor.’
“You stand there and protect Pepper,” Tony explained. “Maid of Honors are people who lead the bridesmaids in protecting the bride. Usually, bridesmaids are there to be her bodyguards and decoys, but you can protect her by yourself.” He knew Nebula was more of a warrior and would understand that better. Technically, that is why a Maid of Honor was there in ancient times.
“I will protect you,” Nebula vowed to Pepper as she stood beside her weapons ready.
“Thank you.” Pepper looked at Happy and nodded.
Happy got out a Bible. “I never thought that I would get to do this.” He said as he straightened himself out. “It is today that we celebrate the union of Tony Stark and Pepper Potts…. Uh… do you, Tony, take Pepper to be your wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?”
“I do.”
“Do you, Pepper, take Tony Stark to be your husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?”
“I do.”
“By the authority of the State of New York, I pronounce you, ‘Man and Wife.’ You may kiss the bride.”
The two kissed.
“That was it?’ Nebula asked Rhodey.
“Lot shorter than I expected, but they’re married,” Rhodey explained. A part of him was a little sad that they didn’t have a proper wedding ceremony that they would normally have but at least Tony and Pepper are married.
Tony looked up at Pepper. “Looks like you’re stuck with me for life, Mrs. Stark.”
“I signed up for this, Mr. Stark. Whatever happens, I’ll be with you.”
The End