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“Love?” you asked. Natasha hummed from her spot, tilting her head back to see you. You smiled. “Have you seen Jeff? We need to be off to whatever worrying thing Clint has planned but I haven’t gotten him ready yet.”
You hurried through the house with increasing urgency; Clint would be picking you up any minute now and you still needed to get Jeff ready – if only you could find him first. You caught sight of red hair strewn over the sofa and hoped it would be your salvation.
“Yeah he’s in- wait, what do you mean by ‘we’? I thought I was taking Jeff.” Natasha had turned fully now, your soon-to-be-wife giving you her full attention and locking you in her gaze like a deer in headlights.
“I- well- if he hadn’t turned down being Best Man then he would have helped organise this, so I thought it made more sense that he comes with me.”
“But you know how much he loves Yelena. And Wanda.”
“He loves Clint too!... or maybe 'likes' is more appropriate," you corrected based on Natasha's grimace,"but I can still speak with him, so I think he’d have a better time with me.”
“You go get ready,” Natasha instructed, “I’ll find Jeff and we can finish this later on.” She said it so firmly, so definitely, that you nodded and went along with it, forgetting you were already ready until you were back in your bedroom, and by then it was too late.
Natasha’s promise wasn’t a lie as such, but she called Jeff back into the room the moment you went out of earshot, opened her backpack for him to climb in, then hurried outside to where Yelena sat waiting for her in the car. She would discuss it with you later, as promised, but only after Jeff attended her bachelorette party.
»»————- ★ ————-««
“You got Jeff!” greeted the Widows as they entered, an already tipsy Maria yelling it as soon as she saw the landshark enter.
Yelena hadn’t taken them far, only to an apartment she owned in the city, but it was clear the night of drinking and dancing had already begun. Jeff purred cautiously and butted the side of his head against Natasha’s leg; the contents of the party were kept secret from her, which meant neither she nor Jeff knew what to expect as they entered.
It turned out to be a fairly quiet affair, with only a handful of women whom Natasha trusted closely, but it looked set to be an entertaining night: karaoke, copious volumes of alcohol readily available (more entertaining for Yelena and Natasha, as the other women didn’t have the high tolerance that the Widows had trained themselves for) and… a pole… installed right in the middle of Yelena’s living room.
“Is there a reason for that?” Natasha asked.
Yelena smirked, turning away from her sister and heading straight for the bar, “you’ll have to wait and see!”
Jeff purred again, causing Natasha to look down at him: he had placed two hands on the pole and looked up to Natasha for instructions on what to do next. She shook her head. “I’d avoid that, Jeff, you don’t want to know what it’s used for. Maybe in another life, if we had one of our own, I’d teach you… but not here.”
Jeff sighed, but he trusted Natasha’s words and backed away from the pole. The drinking was of no interest to him, even if Yelena had made him a number of landshark-friendly, alcohol-free cocktails. Instead, he headed straight for the machine in the corner; Wanda needed a karaoke partner.
»»————- ★ ————-««
The night took its toll on all of you, so even though you only made it through the front door at 4pm the next day, your mind still wasn't working at its best. Jeff 'mrrrr'd a greeting as he strolled right past you and your head followed the path of the landshark, gears turning in your brain thinking of what you wanted to tell him.
"Were you here all night?" you eventually said.
"Mrrr." He replied: 'No.'
"Then where…" you trailed off, both because Jeff has continued on and because you once again caught sight of red hair peeking out from the edge of the sofa; the pieces finally clicked together.
"You took Jeff then." You went to stand beside the woman before you spoke, knowing her night would have been as rough as yours; you wanted to be careful not to startle her.
She smiled when she saw you were home, then nodded weakly. "Sorry I snuck him out."
"It was for the best." You shook your head slowly as memories of the night before came back in flashes. Natasha lifts her legs up so that you can take a seat, before gently setting them back down, this time over your lap; she ignores your raised eyebrow and shuffles back to her lounging position. Her focus stayed on your face as you continued: "Clint got a little passive aggressive after a few drinks, over the fact that I asked Jeff to be Best Man before him – having Jeff in attendance would have definitely made things worse." You sigh. "Did he have a good time?"
"I'm pretty sure he duetted 'My Heart Will Go On' with Wanda," Natasha said. She pulled herself up, choosing to rest her head on your shoulder rather than the arm rest; you pulled her closer. "...it was an odd night."
"For both of us," you agreed, "but we made it through. The next party we have will be after we're married. And it'll be a night to remember."
»»————- ★ ————-««
The following week passed with surprising speed; Fury kept Natasha off of missions (lest she be injured or even missing on her wedding day) which allowed you both the free time to prepare the finishing touches and simply spend some time being together.
You hadn't fought during that week, nor grown tired of each other, which left you pretty confident that marrying Natasha would be one of the best decisions of your life – second only to rescuing Jeff, in your opinion.
By the time you bid goodbye to Natasha – letting her friends, family, and teammates take care of her for the night before the wedding – you felt your mind buzzing with excitement, and your eyes drifting to the clock in the hopes that hours would pass within the seconds you took your eyes away from the timekeeping instrument.
"You can't be apart from her for 5 minutes?" a voice said from behind you. You spun quickly, startled by the break in your focus, only to see Steve standing there, his hands in his pockets, with a slight smirk on his face.
At the familiar face, you allowed yourself to relax slightly, shoulders slumping forward and a sharp exhale escaping you. He was still waiting for your answer, so you shook your head and mirrored his 'hands in pocket' stance.
"It's been a long time coming," you attempted to explain, "this last night is just…I'm getting impatient."
Much to your relief, he nodded in understanding and stepped forward to rest a hand on your shoulder. "Our lives are fairly unpredictable; we never know what the next day brings so it can be hard waiting for something when anything can happen in between." Now it was your turn to nod, his words matched your own thoughts well. "Enjoy tonight," he suggested, "Enjoy the peace of having 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes' making sure nothing goes wrong. And after tomorrow you'll have many more great nights with Natasha officially by your side."
"Thank you, Steve"
"Anytime, Y/N/N. I also came to say that you have a visitor from Natasha's side."
You shot your head back up to look at him then, mind taking you through all the possibilities of who it could, until Steve turned to the door and beckoned towards the – previously unnoticed – small, grey nose peeking out.
"Jeff!" you cheered, and he switched from a trot to a full run into your arms. His tail wagged ferociously as he rubbed his nose against your whole body, purring contentedly. You shot Steve a smile and a silent thanks when you caught him leaving the room, then it was just you and Jeff.
"How have you been, Jeff? What have you been up to? Are you feeling ready?"
"Mrrrrr!" he squealed, holding two hands in front of him in a clear sign for you to slow down.
"Okay, sorry, one at a time. How are things going over there?"
"Mrrrr. Mrrrrr, mrrrrr."
"Oh…right."
»»————- ★ ————-««
Crisp air greeted you from the second you stepped outside, only growing colder and gustier as you left the shelter of the building and headed silently towards the body of water – and the figure standing beside it.
"You know, I'm not supposed to see my bride before the wedding."
"That's an archaic rule."
"I thought you wanted a traditional wedding; that comes with traditions."
"A traditional wedding wouldn't have a landshark as a ring bearer."
You looked down at Jeff.
"Mrrrr."
"You're very wanted here, Jeff."
"Mrr."
You turned back to face the pond, your eyes tracing the edges of its still reflection. "Jeff would be very busy if all weddings required a landshark."
Natasha hummed her agreement, before finally turning to you, rather than the glistening water. "You can look, you know, if you're comfortable. You won't even catch my eye in the reflection."
"I wasn't sure if you wanted me to look, or…"
When her hand found yours, you did finally look. You took in her appearance through the distorted ripples of water before shifting to see her original beauty. She smiled, and her hand squeezed yours in encouragement.
"I'm glad you got the message; I wasn't sure if Jeff understood it enough to pass the message on."
"He paraphrased," you said with a shrug, "but I'm getting the hang of deciphering what you actually said out of what he says."
Natasha laughed at that, causing the smile on your own face to grow wider. Until you remembered your concerns from the message. "This… it's not cold feet, is it?"
Her eyes widened and she jumped immediately into reassurances that it was not. "It's more like the opposite. Time seems to be dragging on and I just wanted to see you and make it pass faster, like it always does when I'm with you."
You kissed her then; the sudden motion surprised her initially, but she held you close and smiled sweetly against your lips as soon as it ended. "Steve just convinced me out of doing the exact same thing."
"Guess we're made for each other then."
"I guess we are."
Your fiancée edged forward again, looking to resume the kiss, before a loud mrrr cut her off and had you both pulling back.
"Dude?!"
Natasha rolled her eyes – despite the hint of a smile – and took a gentler approach to the landshark's interruption. "What is it Jeff?"
"Mrrrr."
"He wants to go to bed," you translated, "really, Jeff?"
After a quick scratch of his fin, Natasha stood up and you frowned, knowing what she was going to say. "You should probably take him back."
You inhaled sharply, nodded slowly, and traced your thumb over the ring on her left hand. "I should. And I will, but before that…"
Natasha leant in and pressed a chaste kiss on your lips, grinning as she pulled away. "Go on and take Jeff back then."
"I'll see you tomorrow, my love."
"And for every day after that. No backing out after tomorrow."
"That thought would never even cross my mind"
"Mrrrr!" Jeff interrupted again, this time with his hands wrapped around your ankle to pull you away.
"Yeah okay, okay," you conceded, beginning the short walk to your accommodation for the night, with Jeff by your side. You looked back at Natasha when you were halfway there, only to see that she was still watching the two of you.
She waved you off, mouthing 'go', and you did as you were told.
You couldn't wait for tomorrow to come.
»»————- ★ ————-««
For all your excitement about the day, the nerves were something you felt woefully unprepared for; it was comparable to the feeling of your first mission, only 100 times worse. This wasn't life or death, nor a high-stakes 'anything could go wrong' scenario, yet in a secluded room adjacent to the chapel, with your teammates and your landshark by your side, the energy in your body was indelible.
You channelled it into action, readjusting Jeff's suit lapels for the sixth time since you'd arrived at the venue, then testing him to ensure he knew his role.
He must have breathed a sigh of relief when Clint put his hand on your shoulder, telling you that it was time to go in. Melina smiled – a silent reassurance of your place in their family, even before marriage – then she stepped through the large, oak double doors and led your procession down the aisle. You followed to take your place at the altar, with Clint arriving at your side soon after. The bridesmaids and groomsmen took their seats and, after Yelena had settled, it was Jeff's time to shine.
A chorus of 'awww's resounded as Jeff appeared in the doorway, the giant archway serving well to emphasise his small, lovable stature. He strode proudly down the aisle, letting the basket swing from his mouth with every step and forging a trail of flowers in his path.
Despite his confidence, you saw how his eyes lit up to recognise certain guests in the crowd; you didn't mind how he veered off course to greet them – how could you? The image of him plucking a flower from his basket and passing it directly to Kate would forever bless your mind.
Besides, he made it down the aisle eventually and that is all you'd asked him for. He presented the basket to Clint and let the archer pocket the two ring boxes buried at the base, before Jeff set the basket to the side and took his seat by your feet.
You smiled down at him and gave a subtle thumbs up – he was still beaming at the praise when the organ music began.
This was not the first time you'd seen Natasha in a wedding dress – a prior mission had required her and Steve to pose as a wedding couple in order to fit in – but this was the first time you'd seen her in her wedding dress; one that she'd picked for herself and worn to marry you.
She was beautiful.
You made no moves to hide your reaction, as the wedding photos would later confirm, your gaze stayed fixed on Natasha during the long walk down the aisle, radiating adoration with a wide smile and watery eyes. She thanked Alexei for walking her in, then took her place before you at the altar.
Her eyes were crinkled, and seemingly holding back tears of her own; the expression reminiscent of the one she had the night before, only this time you both had to stand tall and spaced apart, instead of leaning it to do your natural greeting to each other.
The officiant talked through the process and the legalities, but you hardly listened. You knew your lines and you knew where they came, so nothing else mattered to you besides the woman standing opposite you.
"Do you, Y/N, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to live together in matrimony, to love her, comfort her, honour and keep her, in sickness and in health, in sorrow and in joy, to have and to hold, from this day forward, as long as you both shall live?" The speech couldn't pass fast enough.
"I do."
The officiant repeated the same for Natasha, who watched you with a twinkle in her eyes before reciting her line: "I do."
"You may now kiss the bride." You kept the kiss short – the whole team was watching after all, and you were far too excited to talk with her and sign the marriage certificates to be engaging in a more intimate display of PDA.
"I guess we ought to join our own party," Natasha said once all the documents were completed. You nodded, took her hand in yours and led her out of the church into a shower of tossed flower petals. Thanking all the guests you caught the eye of, you and Natasha forged onwards until you were finally on your own.
Alone in a small room on the venue's site, finally away from the watchful eyes of your guests, you grinned towards your wife.
"We're married," Natasha whispered lowly, a smile spreading as she wrapped her arms around your waist; you pulled her closer with arms looped around her neck, giving her easy access to rest her head on your shoulder.
"We sure are, my wife."
"Are you tired?"
"Desperately."
She hummed, "me too."
"We just need to make it through the dinner, we'll get you changed into something easier to move in, have a couple dances, then I'm sure Tony will take over as life of the party."
The two of you stayed there for another 10 minutes, both to allow the guests to find their seats and to give yourselves time away from the bustle of it all.
Eventually, you sighed, stood, and held a bent arm out for Natasha to hold. "May I guide you to your seat, my wife?"
"Absolutely, my spouse." You felt the warmth spread to your chest when she laughed; the fact that you could pull such a reaction from Natasha Romanoff was an honour you would never take for granted. Nor would you ever get used to the way she wrapped herself around your outstretched arm, looked up at you, and told you to lead the way.
»»————- ★ ————-««
Cheers greeted the two of you when you made your entrance and took your seats at the mismatched head table: Natasha had her parents on her side, but in the absence of your own, you'd assigned Jeff and Steve to sit on your side. Jeff for being the closest family you had, and Steve just for being old enough to equate to two parents.
Soon, the applause transformed into the chatter of conversations throughout the hall, until a repetitive 'ding' of cutlery against a glass encouraged everyone back to silence. Except Natasha, who groaned when she saw who had rung the glass.
"Greetings everybody! For those who don't know me, I am Alexei Shostakov, the Red Guardian, Russia's-" He stopped suddenly to look down towards Melina, who subtly shook her head. "-But not today," he corrected, "today I am Natasha's father, the father of the bride, and a very proud man. Even if my relation to Natasha was only five years as part of an elaborate Soviet plan to infiltrate an American facility… it was a real family to me, and during our time together in Ohio I taught Natasha everything she knows about successful relationships-"
"Will someone stop him?"
"-so I know this marriage is going to be good, and last a long time like mine and Melina's has-"
"They're not even properly married-"
"To Natasha and Y/N!" Alexei finished with a cheer, much to Natasha's relief; she had sunk deep into her chair while her face lit up red. You squeezed her hand under the table to get her to look at you, then smiled, relaxing her back into the moment and away from her father's horrific speech.
A glass clinked again, but this time towards your side of the table. When you look, you see Jeff standing fully on the table, slapping a wine glass with a spoon balanced between his teeth. You wondered if he knew what he was doing, or if he was just copying Alexei, but that question is answered before you can even ask.
"Mrrrr," Jeff began, shifting his back legs to sit like a dog on the table. "Mrrrrr, mrrrrr, mrrrr!" You laughed, and scattered members of the audience followed your lead. It was enough to encourage Jeff to keep weaving jokes into his speech. "Mrrrrrrr." Jeff pointed at you; you pointed back at him, the knowing grin of an inside joke displayed on your expression.
"Mrrrr, mrrr. Mrrrr." Jeff finished. The speech was one of the longest you had ever seen Jeff give (aside from the nature documentaries he had narrated, but they were pre recorded and stitched together in editing). This was real, raw, live, and unscripted; it moved you to tears.
It was only after seeing Natasha's perplexed look that you remembered nobody else understood Jeff. You rose from your seat and cheered, encouraging everybody else to join in and stoke Jeff's ego. "That was beautiful, Jeff, I couldn't imagine a better speech for my wedding day. Thank you."
"Mrrrr," he acknowledged.
You still stood at the front of the room, with everybody's eyes on you, and you took the chance to make a speech of your own. Meeting Natasha's eyes silently told her your intentions, so she rose to stand by your side.
"Some really, um, great speeches tonight." Alexei smugly nodded his acceptance of your perceived praise, so you briefly flit your gaze to Jeff instead. "I'm sure you're all hungry, but Natasha and I wanted to make one more speech before dinner is served."
The landshark growled beside you, and you quickly pet his head to calm him before continuing with the speech. "We wanted to thank you all for coming, for all the well wishes…"
"-and thank you to the world for not blowing up while the whole team is absent!" Natasha interrupted – having noticed your struggle to find things to say – and received a burst of laughs and cheers.
"The night is still young, the formal bit is all done, so we hope you enjoy the rest of the party!"
Jeff calmed considerably when the pair of you sat back down, especially as plates of food soon followed to be set in front of him. He looked up at you with eyes pleading, and you nodded. "Knock yourself out, Jeff"; a phrase you soon regretted when it looked like he was willing to try it. His head slammed into the plate, forgoing the manners of cutlery, small bites, or even wrapping a napkin around his neck to protect his suit. You did the latter for him, though you feared the damage had already been done.
Jeff's plate was clean within seconds, leading him to look between you and Steve, eyes large and watery to obtain sympathy. "This is my food, Jeff, you're not getting any," you said. Steve hummed his agreement, causing Jeff to huff and climb down from his seat. You didn't pay it much mind until the surprised gasps started – at that, your head jolted up and you saw Jeff circling the tables like…well, like a shark would its meal.
The gasps came from guests startled by the appearance of the land shark under their table, occasionally pawing at their legs in a bid for scraps or leftovers or, most likely – because you knew Jeff – their whole meal. You whistled, attempting to call him back, but he stuck his nose up and continued on his meandering path, surviving off the few scraps he'd scrounged from your guests. He didn't return to your side until the main course was served, at which point he scarfed it down and did it all over again.
It was a relief – for you at least; a disappointment for Jeff – when the tables were finally cleared. You grabbed Jeff to stop him following the plates into the kitchen, then held him in your arms to watch as the band started up and the dance floor formed. You stayed like that for a bit, occasionally posing for pictures with Jeff in your arms and Natasha by your side, until the two of you were called forwards for your first dance.
Even as you moved away, Jeff’s head rotated with eyes locked onto the as-yet-uncut wedding cake. While you would usually leave him free to wander, his focus filled you with a deep distrust, forcing you to call Yelena over to keep an eye on him. She thankfully agreed, encouraging you to just enjoy the dance. You joined Natasha in the centre of the room, the dance floor empty save for the two of you, with crowds gathered around the edges to watch the event.
A tremble arose in your fingers as nerves started to kick in, but then Natasha took your hands in hers, pulling them closer to herself. "Eyes on me, agent."
"Yes, ma'am"
"You ready?"
"Mhm."
"Pretend it's just us; we can stop if you need."
You swallowed, then nodded again. Natasha gave a nod to the band and the opening notes of 'Can't Help Falling In Love' began to play. As the music picked up, you focused only on that and the woman leading you, following her footsteps better with every second of the dance that passed. Only when the music faded and the applause started did you remember the nerves you had initially felt; for that moment it had seemed like just you and Natasha dancing alone in your bedroom without a single worry.
"Well done, my love," Natasha praised when she noticed you regaining awareness of the surroundings, "that's our job done."
"That wasn't too bad." You grinned. She smiled at your enthusiasm.
"Then we still have a whole night of dancing to come. Just not alone." As if on cue, the singer called the other guests to the dance floor and you were soon surrounded by teammates and family, all joining in on the festivities by dancing the night away.
»»————- ★ ————-««
By the time you and Natasha fell into bed that night, you were exhausted, the events of the day belatedly taking their toll both mentally and physically. You could tell Natasha was much the same as you helped her out of her dress and threw a pair of pyjamas at her.
"I'd say that went pretty well," you said.
Her silhouette turned to you in the darkness, the glimmer of moonlight that had made it into the room reflected in her eye. She smiled and nodded her head against the pillow. "I could sleep for days though."
"Missions don't even tire you out this much," you chuckled.
"Missions don't require months of planning and prep."
"...I'm pretty sure they do. What missions are you running?"
"Ones where I get to designate the prep work to lower agents. You'll get there one day, love."
"I should be annoyed but I'm too tired."
"Mmm good, you shouldn't be annoyed at your newlywed wife anyway."
You shuffled, turning your back to her just to feign annoyance, but within seconds you had rotated back to face her. Seeing her eyes struggling to stay open, you bid her goodnight, ending the best day of your life so far.
"Mrrrr!" cried Jeff from his corner bed, startling you both back to full consciousness. You exchanged a look with Natasha, then flopped back onto the pillow with a sigh.
"Goodnight, Jeff" you and your wife replied in sync. The land shark huffed, content that he hadn't been forgotten, and soon drifted off to sleep.
It couldn't be the best day without Jeff.