We Need to Quit Meeting like This
AN: This was the quickest and easiest thing for me to update, so here it is! Steve's story is getting updated next (though when that will be I can't say for sure).
HOLY CRAP! THIS BROKE 100 REVIEWS! THANKS EVERYONE!
And to think…we're only on chapter twenty-eight! What would the review number be if I made it to one hundred prompts, I wonder?
Sorry for any spelling errors. I had an attention-starved kitty laying on my left hand during the creation of this prompt :). She's quite comfortable and I don't have the heart to move her.
Thanks to Maymayliu, Of-Thieves-and-Liars, and Miko Hayashi for reviewing the last chapter! And I agree, May, we need to get more prompts with drunk Bruce xD,
At long last, it's here – the wedding prompt!
And oh my god, guys…the feels! It kind of makes me want to do a short story about Bruce and Cori falling in love in Hawaii xD (but I'm not going to because I'm lazy/stressed enough as it is xD).
I Do
Cori was surprised to hear Tony call an Avengers' meeting in the tower, but she went. The young woman didn't consider herself "Avengers" material in the slightest, but Fury had made it clear that she would stick alongside the team until she came into her own. So, here she was, watching Tony sip coffee, set it down, and pace in a business-like manner. His hands were folded behind his back like a 'holier than thou' judge or stern general, a small push device clenched in one lax fist. Pepper wore an embarrassed, impish smirk, and with good reason.
Tony Stark never acted like a stern general. His mind was for science and only worked when distracted. Or spurred by lewd conversation. Steve was, by far, the one most expected to act as Tony did. Cori attempted to steal glances at the faces around her, still very surprised and humbled by the opportunity to be meeting and sitting with the Avengers.
Some were surprised, like her. Others were irritated with Tony's silence and wished he'd open his mouth and speak. Bruce, she noticed, seemed neutral. Actually…he looked to be analyzing his friend. Thor grinned as widely as his arms were muscled, obviously spotting something she didn't.
Then, she caught it. It was nearly impossible with Tony's pacing, but the overhead lights hit his face just right. Tony Stark was blushing! Pepper's quiet beauty, Tony's nervousness, and the red dust on his cheek were signs of one big matter, Cori realized quickly. Those elements blended beautifully into the undisclosed news and it became obvious to her like a routine – Tony was stuck and didn't know how to announce himself.
She was in her twenties, and still technically had time to be wild, reckless, and disrespectful of others in an area such as this. Cori fully intended to use those ageism beliefs to help Tony out. The young woman had become too excited to sit still after her discovery, anyways.
"Are you drunk?" Clint wondered lightly. Drunk people grew red-faced like Tony. And the man did like a drink.
"It's a hot flash, right?" Steve queried. "You're getting up there, aren't you?"
"Watch it, Capsicle!" managed Tony with a disappointed – dare Cori say indignant? – expression.
"He's not having a hot flash!" Cori leapt off the fancy office chair and onto the table, "He's getting hitched! And I love you! You finally did it!" she ran to Pepper. Hugging Tony crossed her mind, but he was giving her this look that clearly said, 'No, don't! You'll smother me in your excitement!'.
"Cori, no! I'm in a skirt!" Pepper pointed out, trying futilely to back her chair up before the dark-haired girl threw herself – full-force – at her. Her heeled feet skipped across the carpeted floor, unable to gain enough traction for a backwards push before Cori half-jumped, half-plopped in her lap. Cori thought nothing of sitting backwards – on Pepper – and throwing her legs through the chair arms. The chair shot back and popped slightly as the gears and bolts tried to hold their combined weight. She and Pepper collapsed to the floor.
Cori squealed delightedly, wrapping Pepper in a strong, happy hug. The redhead had wanted to marry her boss for quite some time! It was a big step for both of them.
"Yes!" Tony breathed out with a grateful nod, glad someone said it. Tony Stark was a man of eloquence until Ms. Pepper Potts – soon to be Mrs. Stark – came into play. He stumbled over his words or would forget whatever was on his mind entirely. And he was a private man; declaring the end of his playboy ways for his secretary was hard to admit. It was still hard for him to believe, frankly.
"And I've called you all here today to discuss our wedding arrangements. Pepper and I thought it best to have a private ceremony, and then a public celebration because, you know, the public can't get enough of us."
And Tony was back, boasting and all. Pepper just giggled. As if remembering he held something in his hand, Tony started up a presentation.
"You have all this planned already?" Steve was highly amused. Tony planned nothing, as far as he knew. Stark was very much a 'think of a way to live, to avoid a meeting, to escape in the next three seconds' kind of guy.
"Expediting the process, Cap. Welcome to the twenty-first century." smirked Tony.
The next hour was spent viewing angles of the booked garden and hotel in Hawaii, questioning about allergies as the tentative menus were presented, and explaining the color scheme of his tropical-esk wedding. "And," Tony moved to the next slide, "Pepper and I made pairs for the bride and groom party."
Bruce blushed deeply. He'd been paired with Cori. Clint and Natasha were the only other defined couple. Tony said it was up to Steve and Thor who their partner was, but made a point to say that partner would be properly evaluated – and sworn to secrecy – by Pepper and himself.
"Everything else has been coordinated and is waiting for us in Hawaii." Pepper assured as people began to ask questions about a backup plan if the weather soured, and what to do with potential crashers.
"We'll be leaving a week early for the ceremony." announced Tony. "Pepper and I need to practice the traditions, and I figured we'd all want to spend more than one day there."
"What significance does this 'Hawaii' have to you, Friend Stark?" Thor wondered, captivated by the slides of colorful flowers, lush greenery, and gorgeous waters.
"It's where Pepper and I first got to spend an evening together." recalled Tony with light fondness. "We walked along the beach in Honolulu as the sun set."
"If you remember correctly," interjected Pepper with a sweet smile and eyes that began to water, "you were partially intoxicated and I had to walk you back to the hotel."
Tony chuckled, unfazed. "I lied, Pep. I wasn't actually drunk. I just wanted to get you down on the beach and away from work." he grinned shamelessly.
"Oh, so when you 'fell' in the ocean and took me with you that wasn't an accident?"
"Nope." he turned away from his future wife and back to his teammates. "But it did make you smile. And when I saw how you looked in the sunset…as I watched your hair curl from the salt water…I knew I wanted to come back to Hawaii with you. I knew I wanted to make you smile and marry you."
Her face was as red as her hair. "Oh Tony!" Pepper's eyes resumed their watering as her lib wobbled.
"Now watch, his vows are going to suck because he said that here, out loud, when he should've saved it!" teased Cori.
"Shut it, Squirt!" demanded Tony in a harmless bark. Coriander cackled. Tony shut off the overhead projector and killed the distance between Pepper and himself. "Go get acquainted," he advised the group, giving Pepper an Eskimo kiss. Some shuffled out with respect, others peeled out for fear of an unshakeable image being burned into their brains.
Before Coriander could fully escape the room she heard Tony say, "Teach Bruce how to dance, too!"
"C'mon, Bruce! Tony said I have to teach you how to dance!" Cori found him immersed in books about Hawaii. Again.
Bruce looked up at her from a tome on Hawaiian plants and swallowed. He really didn't want to do this. But…it was for Tony, and with the way Tony looked at Pepper Bruce knew he'd only get married once. Banner didn't want to be that guy who mucked him his best friend's only wedding, so he reluctantly followed her to the Smash Room. Cori had tried for days to get him to dance in the living room, but Bruce wouldn't have it.
He appreciated her belief that he didn't need the Smash Room, but he did. Bruce's body was honed by running and yoga, not dancing. Hell, Banner didn't even know the last time he'd danced! Girls in school never really propositioned him for a dance, he recalled. "I won't really know what the wedding music's like until we get there, but you can never go wrong with a simple waltz!"
"But…it's Hawaiian…" Bruce mumbled almost bashfully.
"I know." Cori grinned. "I've been looking up ceremonial dances on YouTube. Tony told me your, uh…previous activities, and I just figured something more American would be easier to pull off if you can't move your body like that, you know?"
She knew, but she didn't want to be talking about his body. It was awkward. Mostly because he was standing in front of her, looking bashful and somewhat innocent. Did he not know how sexy he looked? Rumor had it, Cori heard, there was quite a body under those clothes.
Don't think about that now! she scolded herself. "C'mon, Bruce!" Cori coaxed him into a dancing position, placing his hands when he seemed too nervous to do so himself. It was a quality she found gentlemanly and adorable. "Don't look at your feet!" she lightly admonished not even a minute later, one hand flowing upward gracefully to fix his chin.
"Sorry." he apologized.
"Don't apologize, Bruce. It's not a huge crime. Just don't look at your feet or you'll—"
Somewhere between watching what her feet were doing, trying to hide his gaze, and listening, his feet had gotten tangled with hers. They collapsed in a heap on the "road" of fake Manhattan.
"Fall." finished Cori, her blush hidden by his dark curls. Bruce had instinctively laced and braced his hands in a cradle fashion against her head. That resulted in her face being snuggled against his clean, soft curls. His musky scent wafted into her nose, tinged with shampoo and body wash.
"Sorry." Bruce repeated, as red as her.
"I'm going to pinch you every time you say that." warned Cori, finding his willingness to be polite and proper very sweet but somewhat annoying. He didn't have to apologize for everything like he seemed to be doing. Because – as far as Cori knew – Bruce didn't control gravity. Gravity definitely helped them fall and put them in this situation.
"Are you alright, Doctor Banner? And you, Ms. Henson?" JARVIS' smooth voice echoed in the Smash Room.
"Yes, JARVIS." replied Bruce, brushing himself off and straightening his clothes.
"Don't you have anything better to do, JARVIS?" Cori growled to the AI, blushing.
"I'm doing nothing more than what I was programmed to." swore JARVIS.
"How so?" Cori wondered dryly.
"Mr. Stark asked me to keep an eye on both you and Dr. Banner while he's preoccupied with Ms. Potts. In the event that something mortifying occurs, I'm to tape it and comment on it as I'm doing now. And he's quite busy, I'll have you know." informed the AI.
"I'm gonna disassemble you one day. Fury would count that as training, I think."
"It will be hard to pass my programs, Ms. Henson." warned JARVIS. "And I'll just tell Mr. Stark you intend to violate me. His methods of defusing you are uncanny and amusing."
"Methods?" Bruce cleaned idly at a spot on his glasses.
"Ms. Henson finds it hard to function under embarrassment." JARVIS told him, sounding as if he was beaming proudly.
"Anything else to say, JARVIS?" Cori crossed her arms, beginning to tap her foot impatiently. The AI was as bad as Tony! Bruce took a few more minutes to clean his glasses, squinting past the frames to watch Cori's contained temper tantrum. She was just beginning to flush again, clearly displeased. Her cheeks were reddened from embarrassment more than rage.
Her lips were thin but pouty.
Maybe this arrangement won't be so bad, Bruce mused.
"In lieu of the recent tangle, why not settle for getting to know one another?"
"That's—"
"You seem to have objections, Ms. Henson. Is it because I've irked you, perhaps? Why not leave it to a vote?"
"How did you know I would—"
"Mr. Stark has preprogrammed me with typical behavior patterns of the house and gave me algorithms to predict their mood, as well as what they might say in various situations. It cuts down on the chance of a doppelganger successfully infiltrating the tower with ill intent."
Smart computer, thought Cori.
"Now, who wants to talk instead of dance?"
Bruce raised his hand. "I do!"
Honolulu was charming in every way, Bruce decided. They'd only been in Hawaii a few days, but that was enough for The Other Guy to like it. Hulk adored the warmth and he admired the sunset. A constant perfume of local flowers and fruits didn't hurt, either.
"Thought I'd find you out here!" the voice he'd now come to know like his own said laughingly. JARVIS' advice for them to get to know one another worked out quite well. Bruce found there were many things to admire about the young woman. Her persistence to become normal in the face of brain surgery was most striking, as it reminded him of his own quest for normality. Cori's fingers were moist and sticky with chunks of native fruit.
Bruce politely declined the coconut bowl, choosing to lose himself once again in the tranquility of the sea. After several rehearsals of the wedding rituals he'd ventured from the garden to the beach. The setting sun created a perfect picture and perfect temperature for the sand. He came out here to relax; she walked the beach to escape. The doctor knew little about Tony's closeness with Cori's parents – or about her family, in general – but knew that they'd come to help the engaged couple celebrate.
He'd met Honey and Brie the second day of rehearsal. Bruce preferred her parents, he had to admit. They were actually older than him and liked to have serious conversations. Brie, her immediate older sister, did, too, but found talking hard with her children going crazy with awe. The doctor took no offense to it, though; it was easy to see raising a family didn't permit the luxuries experienced at a billionaire's private wedding.
Honey was a bit more to take. The mere thought of her made Bruce's mouth sour. She presented herself nicely – as a pretty face would – but spoke with unbecoming venom that struck the nerve. Nerves that only bullies of his past had unwittingly tapped before. Her barbed words were planted discretely in casual conversation like landmines waiting to blast away Cori's control.
Frankly, Bruce was surprised she'd held out for so long. Bruce always managed to look occupied – or like he wasn't listening – when Honey circled around Coriander like a bee. An evil bee! he thought as the giggle- and alcohol-laced comments came to mind.
"It's great that Mr. Stark let you come! Aren't you excited? It feels nice to do something simple like this, doesn't it? Your mind must still be a mess!"
"Always a bridesmaid and never a bride, hm?"
"So how's work? Do you still go? Do they have something for you to do at Starbucks after the, you know…?"
"Your makeup looks great! Did Tony hire someone to do it?"
"It's nice out here." Cori conceded, watching the waves swallow one another as they drenched the shore and shrank back. She was dressed in multiple pieces of a light, local fabric loosely tied in a head-scratching maze of twists. Coriander untied the top piece that acted as a cape or shawl-like cover and let it flutter back against the sand like a towel. The young woman snuggled into the cool sand, bowl propped up on her stomach as her toes wiggled freely.
"View's good." agreed Banner, settling beside her with little thought. They'd bonded over the weeks. She'd even convinced him to dance in the living room once or twice, and Bruce could complete several rounds of the waltz without so much as a twitch. He no longer looked at his feet; over the past few weeks Bruce had come to see the quiet, intelligent woman in a new light.
That same light shone over her every time he saw her. It made her much more interesting than his toes or how they were moving with hers.
"Sunset's not like this in Manhattan." noted Cori, almost wishing she could bottle it up and take it back with her.
"Actually I was talking about you, but the sunset's nice, too." Bruce grinned in his shy and sly way as she gave an honest laugh and covered her face like a flattered schoolgirl. Those moments were rare and private, but he shared them with her. It's like he'd Tony one night after weeks of bugging and teasing about his libido and The Other Guy, "I'm not a virgin, Tony! I was lucky enough to get that far before The Other Guy. I just have to be careful about it now! I know what sex is and I do get those urges, sir."
And he was getting those urges now. Tony jokingly said the beach was blessed with cheesy romantic magic, as he and Pepper had fallen in love and were now getting married. Looking at her now, painted by the myriad of colors framing the setting sun, Bruce believed it. She glowed with youth and nature, her green eyes glittering and striking against the yellows and pinks.
"You are the only thing keeping me from drowning Honey. That, and her son." giggled Cori, rolling over to her stomach. Bruce absently rolled onto his side to fully drink her in. They were deceptively but comfortably casual with one another. It was a blurry casualty that could be mistaken and misinterpreted as a lover's relationship in a moment of weakness. Banner firmly believed that either one of them could have a "moment of weakness" and the other wouldn't care.
It would be welcomed, even.
Bruce just chuckled. "Am I?" he inquired teasingly, feigning innocence.
"You are." confirmed Cori, propped up on her elbows in a way that made her cleavage unknowingly inviting. Bruce had the decency and willpower to keep his eyes locked on her face. Her green eyes slid into a half-lidded state in response. Even if he hadn't let his eyes wander, she knew. They'd been housing and fanning a primal fire for quite some time, even if it went unaddressed.
The fire was exacerbated by Tony's generous wedding invitation. A place like Honolulu was meant for lovers. Sneaking around like a pair of forbidden children as her parents and family slept floors and doors away in the hotel they shared didn't help. It just aggravated Bruce. And tickled the scientist who liked to calculate odds and possibilities, of course.
Bruce felt her hand drift tentatively up the material of his shirt. He could've stopped it, could've drowned the embers, but didn't. He wanted to feed the fire. Cori made him feel alive in a way he hadn't known since his younger days. The attraction he harbored for her went beyond her looks and the way she could ignite him like wood.
He was vaguely certain that she initiated the kiss. Bruce deduced that her hand had traveled up his chest, smoothed gently around the chord in his neck, and cupped the back of his head. Banner knew he did the kissing back and leaning over her part. Cori had expected to barely escape with a peck from the usually reserved man, and found herself squealing in surprise and glee as he not only kissed back but straddled her lazily. Banner intended to take full advantage of Honolulu's calming warmth and the general stress that came with the wedding.
A chance like this wouldn't present itself in the tower. Here, in Honolulu, the team was busy sightseeing, getting prepared for bed, or helping watch Brie's kids. He had her all to himself.
"Bruce!" gasped Cori in an airy giggle, the feel of his two-day stubble tickling the delicate underside of her chin. His lips were like a conductor, she thought. Her nerves fired off like thousands of delicious but painfully short lightning bolts all running up to meet his mouth.
"Yeah?" his lust-darkened eyes floated up with the rest of his face. His lips were slightly reddened from where he curled and pressed them adamantly against her skin.
"Why?" was all Cori could ask. Such attention was unusual for him. Banner smiled with a hint of sheepishness.
"Honolulu relaxes Hulk. And, science aside, I wanted to kiss you."
Cori blushed.
"And I really want to piss off Honey. And I'm going to." Bruce murmured, inching closer to her face. There was little doubt in his mind that Honey would come looking for them. She was more a bridezilla than Pepper, and insisted on policing Cori. Bruce would – he hoped – scare the woman off once and for all. Or shut her up where Cori's lack of dating and decreased chances of marriage was concerned.
"You do?" Cori managed to ask once Bruce's tongue quit pillaging her mouth.
"I do."
After a week of sitting in one another's company on the beach, and hanging out in a leisure area inside the hotel, walking arm-in-arm with Cori felt natural. Bruce was honestly surprised that he'd remembered to move arm-in-arm with her. Hawaiian weddings were largely different from American weddings! Always the wanderer and curious man, he'd drunk in the practices of Hawaiian weddings from day one. It hadn't lost its magic, not even after a week!
The local minister, known as a kahu, had escorted Tony down the aisle while chanting. Obeying tradition, Tony wore all white, save for a red sash. After his arrival mothers of the bride and groom are shown to their seats by family members. Bruce felt a bit bad that there was no mother on Tony's side, but wouldn't think of that now lest he mess something up. He and Cori had just separated to stand beside Tony and Pepper respectively, the rest of the wedding party following suit.
Steve and his attending partner, Liberty, had just separated. They were the end of the bridal party. As planned, a local blew a conch shell. The note echoed in the air, calling the elements – earth, sea, air, and fire – to witness the coming union. Pepper breezed gracefully across the sand, clad in a similar, flowing white gown. Atop her head sat a beautifully woven crown of native flowers.
Now comes the hard part, Bruce refrained from grinning too widely. In the beginning he and Cori had been selected to assist with the exchanging of leis, but Bruce recommended Pepper's parents. A week was barely enough time to run into and fix the snafu. The scientist thought it would mean more – to both Pepper and Tony – if they did it instead of him. Tony's maile lei was given to Pepper, and she gave him her white ginger lei.
Once the bride and groom exchange leis – here's where her parents come in, recognized Bruce – the couple's parents give them leis. Bruce could only assume it represented some kind of blessing. He hoped having both leis bestowed by Pepper's parents – instead of the groom's parents offering one to the bride, vice versa, or each parents giving their actual child a lei – didn't mean anything bad in the culture. As per tradition, Tony gave leis to Pepper's parents to show he accepted them as his in-laws.
Sounds of ukuleles and slack-key guitars filled the air. "Waiting for Thee", the Hawaiian wedding song, announced the beginning of the ceremony. Hula dancers pantomimed in the background, behind the kahu, as he led Tony and Pepper through the recitations. Bruce and Cori held out the rings – as they were told – while the kahu dipped a koa wood bowl into the ocean and submerged a ti lead in it. Highly fascinated, learning about the culture while he had the chance, Bruce asked about the significance of the wood and leaf.
A koa bowl represented strength and integrity, he learned. They were attributes important to the sacred bond of matrimony. The leaf was synonymous to prosperity and health, something valuable to both marriage and the couple. Saturated with water from the koa bowl, the leaf was shaken three times over the rings. Once the kahu stopped chanting Tony and Pepper were moved into the 'circle of love', a halo of tropical blossoms.
Together, as bride and groom, Tony and Pepper united themselves with rings and another tradition: sand. Two different colored sands – red for Pepper and gold for Tony – were poured and shaken. The blended sand represented their newly formed, unbreakable bond. The last tradition of the Hawaiian people was to wrap a lava rock – a symbol of their commitment – in a ti leaf and leave it at their wedding site to commemorate the event.
To Americanize the wedding, as a 'thank you' for the ones who flew to Hawaii, Pepper and Tony decided to throw a bouquet. It was after their dance, of course, but people were still readily awaiting it. Married women eagerly stepped aside. Coriander tried to slip off with her sisters but Natasha snatched her back like a ferocious tiger. "Oh no!" she growled, "If I have to suffer, you do too!"
Liberty, Natasha, and Coriander stood with a few locals and Brie's children. Pepper turned around and blindly chucked the bouquet of sweet, gorgeous flowers. Cori was gently admonishing the antsy children dancing around, reminding them to be polite, when something smacked her in the face. The bouquet bounced off her chest and into her hands. For a moment nothing happened.
"GET IT AWAY FROM ME! GET IT AWAY!" she was only twenty-something! She didn't want to be married! Not unless Bruce wanted to marry her, that was. Coriander threw the bouquet at Natasha who promptly threw it back.
"Quit throwing it at me!" snapped Natasha, kicking her leg up as Coriander sent it back again. The nice bundle arced high over the head of laughing, jumping children. Clint tried to charge past Steve, but bumped him. That small series of motions put Bruce right in the path of the bouquet. Mostly bemused and highly amused, he clenched the bouquet gently in a fist.
He wordlessly approached Coriander, holding out the bouquet. She didn't ward it off like an accursed item….just stared. Bruce held it out like the silent offering it was. They'd done too many things in one week – felt too many things for it to just be a fling. For age to matter – not to feel a connection or love for one another. Say it, his eyes begged as he held the bouquet out with the obviousness of his heart on his sleeve, take the bouquet with me and tell me 'I do'.
Her hand slowly closed around the flowers.
I do.
