Work Text:
“What do you want” His tone is brusque over the phone, tinged with agitation, and something else.
“I’m going to marry Chop Shop girl.”
There’s a long pause over line, I don’t know how he’ll take it, but we both knew it coming. After what feels like an eternity, he finally answers.
“…. I’m glad for you two.”
“I want you to come. To the wedding” I clarified, butting in before he could say anything else.
“… You think I care about what you want?” There’s pain there, under the disdain he tries to color his voice with. It hurts, a little, I know he’s trying to hurt me. But.
“Yes. I do.” And I know he knows it too. He obviously wasn’t expecting that honesty, because he takes another long pause.
“I’m busy.” It sounds weak even to my ears.
“It’ll be next week. Waverly is officiating. England.”
He makes a noise I can’t quite place before I hear an agitated sigh coming from him.
“I can’t just drop everything and fly there. You know that.” I know that he will.
“Four o’clock. I’ll give you the ring when you get here. Don’t be late.”
“I don’t even know what day or where, not to mention I’m busy. I do have a life, Peril.”
The nickname makes me smile, making me feel more at ease. He’ll come. “I’ll see you there, cowboy.” And with that, I hang up before I can hear anymore posturing from him. He knows where and when, I had told him what felt like ages ago. Back before things went… sour.
Gaby looks at me with worry, she’s not as certain as I am that he’ll actually show, and I know it. She kept quiet during the phone call, straining to catch glimpses of his voice.
“And you’re sure he’ll come?”
“I’m sure.” I say with a gentle kiss to her forehead, easing out the worry lines. He’ll come. And we’ll be waiting for him. It really is a shame this is the only way we can get him to see us, but at least I know he won’t blow this off. Him answering the phone call was proof enough.
“Even after everything that’s happened…?”
I can’t help but smile sadly at that. “Even then.”
________
The day comes with little fanfare, it’s an exceedingly small event in a small room, beautiful, but small and secure. The only one in attendance being Waverly, who was officiating. Gaby, darling Gaby, is getting ready in a little room right next to this one, after scolding me teasingly that it’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding. I sure hope that doesn’t include grooms.
I’m getting anxious, waiting outside, my finger tapping a rhythm against my thigh. I look down at my watch again, 3:51. What if I was wrong. I was so sure he wouldn’t miss this, that he wouldn’t begrudge us this at least. I was so sure. He’s not here. I glance around again, but I can’t see him. Calm. I need to breathe, he still has time. I close my eyes trying to stamp down on that anxious nervous feeling rising inside me.
“Not getting cold feet now, are you?” He’s here! I could jump for joy I’m so relieved. My eyes snap open at his words and drink in the sight of him, it’s been too long and I feel it deep it my chest.
“My feet are always cold.” It’s a lame joke, but it eases the tension a bit.
He tilts his head in that way he does when he’s reading more about you then you want to, “You were worried I wouldn’t show.”
At that I glower at him, “You are cutting it close.” That reminds me, we need to go inside soon. So I shove the ring box at him. “Here.”
“For me? You shouldn’t have.” And there’s his cocky smug grin again, but I can still see that pain he’s trying to hide. I suppose he’s trying to be kind, keep my wedding day light. I want to smile at his infuriating ways, but I am worried. About him. About.. everything.
“Don’t open it until it’s time, at the altar.” Specifications are always necessary with this man. He just rolls his eyes at me as he pockets the box as if I’m the silly one.
“Anything else I should know?” He raises his eyebrows, indicating that I didn’t actually ask him to be the ring bearer. Or the best man.
“Yes. You will walk Gaby down the aisle.”
At that he raises his eyebrows with real surprise.
“Excuse me.”
“Waverly is officiating, someone needs to walk the bride down the aisle. That’s you.”
“What, couldn’t find anyone else, Peril? Or am I-“ He cuts himself off, before he can make this into a thing. Perhaps recalling he meant to keep things light, or so I assume. So he gives me a tight smile that turns into a more false but charming one. I nod at him in acknowledgement.
“She is in the room next to the room we will be using.” I gesture with my thumb. I look back at my watch before turning to go inside. “I’ll be waiting inside”
_______
I can’t help but fidgeting, standing there with Waverly next to me. He eyes me with that look only Waverly can give. But before I can really start feeling concerned, the doors open and there stands Gaby in a chic little wedding dress on Napoleon’s arm. I must look foolish with the huge grin on my face, the nerves are still there though. I’m not sure how this will go, and I can only hope everything will go the way I hope it does.
And doesn’t he just look charming, the picture of suave, guiding chop shop girl down the aisle. And Gaby, Gaby looks stunning. Of course she wouldn’t be wearing a traditional big wedding gown, her personality showing herself even here. I swallow in anticipation, watching them slowly walk the short way to where we’re standing. I love them.
Waverly clears his throat, and I realize I’ve been staring at them for too long.
“Ah yes, well. Let’s begin, shall we?”
And that’s when the nerves truly hit me. I can’t hear a word he says anymore as I stare into Gaby’s eyes asking for he to lend me strength, holding her hands in mine. Napoleon waits next to us in the center, across from Waverly. It only makes sense to wait there, it just being the four of us. Gaby guided him there, and I’m glad he understood to stay.
“But first,” And I snap out of the trance as Waverly nears the part I’ve been the most worried about. “The rings. Napoleon, if you will.”
He nods and takes out the little box from where he stowed it in his pocket and opens it. Confusion flashes across his face when he sees the ring. He glances between Gaby and I, it’s a men’s ring, but I’m the one who gave him the box, it doesn’t make sense it’d be my ring. And before he can think any further, Gaby and I, with our one of our hands still clasped together, turn to him and get down on one knee, offering our other hand to him.
“Napoleon.” His expression grows in confusion as his brows knit together. “Will you marry us?”
A plethora of emotions flicker across his face, surprise, confusion, anger, sadness, indignation, and some I can’t put a name to, they’re gone so quickly. Love though. Love was there.
“This is your wedding” he says dumbly, looking back down at the ring he can now see is his size. “And plus. Why would I agree.”
“Because you love us.” Gaby replies before I can even formulate a response. And at that he looks at her with an unreadable expression that relaxes into something softer.
“Because I love you.” He sighs softly looking back at the ring, all of that pain and anger fleeing his relaxing shoulders, I hadn’t realized they were tensed. Then, after another one of his long pauses where a war is going on inside me, he finally, finally says
“Yes.”
He looks up at us with a fond exasperated expression “Sure, I’ll marry you two. But” He looks at Waverly then with a bit of his old smirk back. “I’m not sure that’s legal.”
“I don’t think a lot of what we do could be considered “legal”, Mr. Solo. So why should that stop you.”
Solo doesn’t get to respond, Gaby already jumping onto him, her arms wrapped around his neck tightly. And he stumbles, caught at a loss. He looks at me then, wrapping his arms around her hesitantly. I can’t help the fond smile. “Cowboy.”
Waverly clears his throat again. “Now, if we could get on with this, I do have a meeting to get to.” Even if he really does, we know he wouldn’t miss this for the world, not for Gaby.
“Right right. Sorry.” Gaby’s wiping tears from her eyes as she pulls away from Napoleon, then she grins at him, hands resting on his shoulders. “Shall we?”
His smile is fond. “After you.”
Waverly begins again after we turn back to him, and after he asks in a combined version of the last part of the ceremony, we take out our rings as well. I pluck the box from Napoleon’s hands and hand him the one to actually give Gaby.
“Do you, Gaby Teller, Illya Kuryakin, and Napoleon Solo, agree to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and health, until death do you part, may no country pull you apart, take each other as partners?”
“I do.” We say in unison, and isn’t that how it should be.
“Always.” I turn to look at them with a twinkle in my eye.
Even though our marriage may not be a legal one, in our hearts, it will be. And as for the privileges granted to married couples, Waverly will take care of that. I squeeze Napoleon hand, we will always be here for him. For each other.
“Well then, get on with it.”
A laugh escapes his lips.
After we exchange our kisses, a promise for our future, the mood of the room shifts.
“Well,” he says with a sort of casualness I’m sure he doesn’t feel. “I did have a plane to catch after this, but-“ He looks at his watch “I suppose we’d call this, extenuating circumstances.” This insufferable man. With his cocky grin and his beautiful face. And he’s ours now.
I couldn’t be happier. Looking at Gaby, I know we did the right thing. I can’t help but have hope for our future together, the three of us.
Now all we have to do is deal with that unpleasantness that separated us to begin with. But that’s for another time. Today, well today I think we should be celebrating our marriage. Just the three of us and a nice little bottle of champagne.