The Ceremony
Summary: Today is the day, Stephen and Violet are ready to begin their new adventure together. As husband and wife. Only a few good friends and family is all that you really need to make a ceremony perfect.
W: self-insert x canon, fluff, familial
(( Note: Here is guys! The wedding is finally happening! This got rather long, so there’s some people that I didn’t get to mention and such, but that’s okay it was a lot of detail that I tried to put in. Anyway, I’m really happy that you guys decided to join us. Please, feel free to continue to add on to things, send in some responses to the wedding itself or ask us anything! ))
Tagging those that have told me in advance they wanted to be included!: @self-shipping-angel , @myrainydayloves , @theheckhole, @selfinsertheaven, @reallyintouglyfos, @twicethespeedoflife
“Please, tell me you’re not getting cold feet already?”
“No, Tony, shut up.”
“I’m just asking, I mean… you’ve been standing there for ten minutes. The music’s already started.”
I let out a sigh, leaning against the wall. My heart was racing inside my chest, and my stomach was filled with butterflies. It wasn’t that I was getting cold feet at all. In fact, I was excited and more than ready for this moment. I was just feeling super emotional about walking through that door and starting this next part of my life.
My eyes felt heavy as the tears were already about to fall, and I watched Tony stand there checking his watch. I know that he was just as antsy, but for completely different reasons. He’d never admit to it, but I knew that this moment would be difficult for him too. Since the day that I asked him to walk me down the aisle, I’d seen an even bigger change in him.
Today was the best day of my life, and that’s why I was anxious.
Finally, I situated myself and took in several deep breaths. I thought about all of our friends that were waiting outside, and my husband to be that was also there. It’s unfair for me to make him wait, and I definitely didn’t want to hold out on them any longer.
“Okay… I’m okay,” I breathed, stepping forward to grasp Tony’s arm.
“Good. I was hoping I didn’t have to go out there and tell everyone that the wedding was off.”
“Oh, but you’d love that, wouldn’t you?”
I giggled a bit, and I watched Tony shake his head roughly.
“No… no I wouldn’t…” He spoke so firmly that it made me stop and glance at him with lifted eyebrows.
Tony has been protective of me for as long as we’ve been friends, to the day that he basically adopted me as his own. In his heart, anyway. Part of me figured that he wouldn’t want to actually see me go, even though he didn’t really have me in the first place. He’s been this solid person in my life, and he was there when I first started seeing Stephen.
Sometimes I feel like he thinks Stephen isn’t good enough for me. But I look into his eyes and I see that he’s struggling to hide his true feelings. I straightened a bit, feeling him squeeze my hand that was situated on his arm.
“He makes you happy. I may have my opinions about him, but…” I giggled a bit at his response, pursing my lips and trying not to cry, “I’m just happy that he treats you well.”
“Thank you, Tony… that means a lot…”
He nodded, patting my hand and adjusting his tie.
“Well then, let’s go get you married.”
I laughed again, giving a stern nod.
When we stepped outside in the fading sunlight of the afternoon, I had to stop to admire how beautiful it was. We really did time the ceremony perfectly. This decorated rooftop looked so beautiful, and I didn’t regret our decision for a second. We didn’t need a crazy fancy wedding like Tony had wanted to help make real for me originally. Just a simple wedding with a bunch of good friends was all that we needed. It would be best that we kept things small and quaint. I didn’t want to draw a lot of attention.
My eyes settled on the man that stood not too far away from me, shaking hands fidgeting with his suit and clearly as anxious as I was. I smiled, admiring how perfect he looked in that suit and with the flowers on the archway just behind him. Sayeko really did a great job with this roof. She and the others really put so much thought into this, and I couldn’t be luckier.
“Oh shit, did you want your veil in front of your face?” Tony asked, interrupting my happy thoughts.
I rolled my eyes, shaking my head firmly.
“No, Tony, shhh.. This is fine.”
As I said this, I glanced over and met Stephen’s eyes for the first time. My smile widened, and I immediately wanted to cry. He was the only thing that I saw in that moment, and I was sure that he felt the same. His eyes never left my own, the dazzling color sparkling from the sunlight and making me want to run to him.
The space between us felt longer and longer, and it was hard to keep my footsteps steady. I felt my cheeks burning brighter, watching his lips part and he muttered something under his breath that I couldn’t hear. It caused me to giggle a bit, and I squeezed tighter onto Tony’s arm.
I couldn’t breathe, and when I was finally standing in front of him, it felt like an eternity had passed. Tony patted my arm, glancing over at Stephen and I just knew that he couldn’t resist.
“Strange.”
“Stark.”
I rolled my eyes, hearing Sayeko sigh loudly just inches away from me.
She no doubt had her hand ready to smack Tony if he said anything out of turn.
Stephen took my hands in his own, just as Tony pecked my forehead. It was awkward considering he has only done that once before, and it was when I was at a really low point. Not that I really minded considering at this point he’s like my father. That’s why he’s here, because I really do consider him to be my dad. I’m an adopted daughter in his life, and I’m glad to say that.
“You better treat her right, you hear me. She deserves the best,” He said, cutting his eyes at Stephen.
“She does… I couldn’t agree more.”
I smiled, biting my lip as a single tear fell down my cheeks.
“Alright, well, you go stand over there now,” Sayeko said, pushing Tony in the direction he was supposed to stand.
I giggled again, feeling Stephen pull me a bit closer to stand in front of him. It was hard not to blush when he was being this handsome, with that little smile that grew. I was completely enraptured. My husband to be, and I could barely believe it. In just a matter of moments, he would be my husband. The thought was already bringing tears to my eyes.
“You look… amazing,” Stephen said, eyes trailing down my body, “I’m the luckiest man in the world.”
“Thank you… you don’t look too bad yourself.”
I winked, watching Stephen chuckle at my words.
Tony hired a discreet officiate for the ceremony tonight. I asked him to, considering we wanted to make this a bit low key. I couldn’t even pay attention to anything they had said the moment I looked into Stephen’s eyes. He had motioned with his head for me to pay attention, and I quickly snapped out of it just in time.
After the initial beginning of his speech, the moment that he asked if there were any objections everyone turned to Tony. Sayeko looked like she was about to claw his eyes out, and I thought I saw Steve getting ready as well. Which only made me laugh. He shook his head and gave me a little wink as if to calm me down when I really wasn’t nervous at all.
“Do you Ashley Wolfe take Stephen Strange’s hand in marriage?”
“I do,” I said with a giggle, watching Stephen wink at me.
He just had to wink at me so much didn’t he? Knowing that I couldn’t resist the urge to blush and giggle. He was just too cute and handsome for his own good. And he knew it too.
“And do you Stephen Vincent Strange, take Ashley Wolfe’s hand in marriage?”
“I definitely do.”
He winked again, and I almost lost it.
“God damn it Strange,” I mouthed, watching him grin.
There was a few chuckles around, and I rolled my eyes. This was my husband. This was the man that I was in love with. But I didn’t regret it a single second. I wanted this, and I was madly in love with this man. There wasn’t anything else that I’d rather be doing right now, than marrying the one that I love. The man that I can see myself with for years and years to come.
This was the moment that I slid his ring on, and I was going to help him put mine on my finger. Until he shook his head, taking hold of my hand and gently sliding it onto my finger. My eyes watered, and I pursed my lips as my smile grew. I was so proud of this man. He’s come so far since we first met, and I couldn’t wait to see each other grow even more.
Listening to the final, closing statements of the ceremony I felt my hands shaking and my eyes already absorbed with tears. The happiest moment of my life with all of our friends here to see it. It was a picture perfect moment.
“I now pronounce you husband and wife,” they finished.
It didn’t take long for Stephen to wrap his arms around me and pull me closer, softly planting a kiss to my lips. Leaning into his touch, I kissed back and forgot about everyone else around us. My eyelids fluttered closed, and I touched his cheek softly. The only sound in my ears was the causal, face paced beating of my heart. Even after all this time, he still makes my heart race.
The loud clearing of Tony’s throat caused us both to pull away, realizing that everyone was still there. I almost figured that they would’ve left by now to give us a moment, but it didn’t seem like that was the case. Sayeko was the one that had started clapping for us, the others following suit and I caught Steve giving us a little wink. I rolled my eyes, but felt my cheeks burning a bit.
“Congratulations you two!” Sayeko cheered, running up to give me a hug.
“That was a beautiful ceremony,” Steve said, politely, “Tony, did I see you tearing up a bit?”
Tony shook his head, adjusting his tie and joining us.
“Nope, I just had something in my eye.”
I pursed my lips, knowing that was completely false. I could tell by looking at him that he had been holding back tears the entire time. But I wasn’t going to push the subject anymore. I was incredibly happy to finally be married to the one that I loved. It felt like a dream, and I couldn’t seem to stop smiling.
Stephen kissed my forehead, keeping a strong hold of my hand in his own. The more that he touched me, the more that it caused my face to grow with warmth. A part of me wanted to forget about the rest of the afternoon and head back home for the day. But I almost forgot that I promised Tony that he could plan the reception for us. He, no doubt, had pretty big plans.
“That was very nice, though. You were right, Wolfie. The smaller ceremony was much better,” Tony said, ruffling my hair.
“Thanks, Dad,” I said, snidely, “I told you to trust me. I know what I want.”
Glancing over at Stephen, I wouldn’t help but wink and giggle as he leaned into me as a response. The two of us already flirting with our eyes, thinking about the exact same thing.
“Well, we’ll let you guys have a few moments to yourselves. I’m sure the venue could do some touching up,” Sayeko glanced at Tony, “Right?”
“Not really, I made sure that everything was prepared-”
“Great! We’ll go, you two meet us whenever you’re ready!”
Sayeko quickly pushed him towards the exit doors, grinning wildly as Steve and the others followed passed. I knew exactly why she did that, and it just made me chuckle. She’s always looking out for me like that. Stephen skillfully opened a portal for them to move locations rather easily, which just made things more efficient and easier.
Now that Stephen and I were alone, I had to take the opportunity to press my lips to his once again. It was quick, and when I pulled away I could see the corners of his lips curling into a smile. This handsome man was my husband now, and I could still hardly believe it. His hand cupped my cheek, trailing across my skin ever so softly.
“I thought they’d never leave,” I said with a chuckle.
“Trying to get me alone, are we?”
“Mmm… guilty…”
I giggled, touching his shoulders and giving them an affectionate rub. The way his blue eyes watched me made my knees grow weaker. I loved the way the setting sun made them shine. Or that could have been the natural glow of his happiness. I’d never seen him look this happy, and to me… that made this moment more special. It was definitely the happiest moment of my life.
Stephen leaned down to kiss me again, his lips lingering just a little longer. There was no telling how long they prepared for us to be gone for, and I didn’t want to keep them waiting too long. But I just wanted to stand there and kiss my husband just a little bit longer. I knew that I’d have forever like this with him, but… I just couldn’t bring myself to move away.
“I love you, Strange,” I said, pursing my lips in a tight smile.
“And I love you… Mrs. Strange.”
The way he said that made my spine tingle. He kissed my knuckles, and I had to swallow hard. It took all of my power not to pull him into another kiss, but I knew that we should go join everyone. Tony would throw a fit if we showed up too late, and I didn’t feel like dealing with that today.
Stephen kissed the top of my head, lacing his fingers through my own ever so slowly. He seemed to be thinking the exact same thing that I was. With one last smile in my direction, he summoned a portal and we left to join the others. Just as I suspected, Tony was almost about to seek us out when he saw us walking down the hallway.
“There you two are. I was beginning to think you ran off.”
“I thought about it.”
“I know you did. Just humor me for about two hours, then you two can… go home and… do whatever.”
Stephen smirked as if to say something, but Tony walked off before he could interject. Squeezing my hand, he let me lead down the hallway as we followed Tony into the main room. Sayeko swerved passed Tony, shoving a dress in my hands and spinning me around in the opposite direction. I let out a yelp, hearing another set of hands taking my elbow.
“Sorry Ashley,” She laughed, “Nat and I are going to borrow you for just a little bit longer.”
“Don’t worry, it’ll just take a second.”
“You can’t be expected to have fun in that big dress! Let’s get you changed. The boys can handle everything from here.”
“But wait-”
I could barely interject before they had dragged me into the nearest room to change. The dress that I had to wear was actually very nice and fitting for dancing which I’m sure that’s what they planned on me doing. Sayeko also took my heels from me, that way I could be comfortable in some better to move in shoes. She also helped me unpin my hair that was up, so most of it was down over my shoulders again.
“There, see? I told you it wouldn’t take long! And you look gorgeous!”
“Thanks, really. I’m glad to be out of that dress.”
I dusted myself off, giving the dress a twirl. It must have been a dress that Tony had bought. It just looked expensive, not that I was complaining at all. Just that I told him that he didn’t have to go through all this trouble for me. But I knew that he would, because he wants to. He didn’t get to give me a gigantic wedding, so he’ll settle for the afterparty.
Once the three of us reappeared at the party, Stephen was already stripped of his suit jacket and given a drink from Tony, no doubt. I licked my lips, my eyes scaling his arms and not even noticing when I bumped right into Thor.
“Ashley! How are you?” He asked with a large grin, pulling me into a rather tight hug, “Congratulations on the marriage!”
“Uhm… thanks… Thor, buddy… that’s…” I gasped, trying to pat him while also wiggle free from his tight grip, “very sweet of you.”
He finally let go of me, and I panted a little bit for breath.
“Has anyone gotten you a drink yet?”
“No, that’s okay, I have all night-”
“She’ll have a glass of wine in about thirty minutes.”
Tony squeezed right in beside me, causing me to roll my eyes a bit.
Everyone around us chuckled, and I squeezed passed him to get to my husband. Stephen was lifting his eyebrows as he finished his first drink, watching me close as I sauntered beside him. The after party would most likely insist of lots of tossing back drinks and having a good time, which I was fine with. It would be fun to spend time with everyone together for once.
“You look beautiful, dear,” He said with a smile.
“Thanks, baby. I’d tell you that you looked handsome, but… that would be an understatement.”
Stephen chuckled, setting down his now empty glass to grasp my waist. Pressing my hands against his chest, I let out a light giggle and bit my bottom lip. Yet again I was being pulled into his arms, and I didn’t want to look away. Tonight was going to be a long night. It was hard to stop thinking about kissing him, and when I had a few more drinks in me it’ll be even harder.
“Hey, you two lovebirds, you going to join the party or just stand there gawking at each other.”
I rolled my eyes, glancing over at Tony who was yet again ruining the mood.
“We did kind of just get married, so…”
“She’s right. Let them gawk as much as they want. Tonight is their night.”
Sayeko gave a little wink, leaning against Steve as he came to join the group.
Giving a sly smile in Tony’s direction, I leaned up to give my husband a light kiss on the cheek. Him being my dad, I instantly knew this was also him trying to keep some distance out of habit. But it’s not really his position to do so when I’m a grown, now married, adult. But he’ll still try, knowing Tony.
The first thing that everyone wanted us to do was have our first dance. I had already given a list of songs to Tony, and I was just a little shy to be put on the spot like this. Even if it was our friends. I still definitely can’t dance, and I didn’t take this into consideration until Stephen was offering me his hand to go ahead and dance.
“I’m going to fall flat on my face,” I mumbled, “I know I said that I would try to do some lessons, but I didn’t. Never got around the time.”
“I know, but it’ll be fine. After we can have some food, I’m sure you’re hungry.”
“Are you really bribing me with food?”
Stephen laughed, nodding a little as he pulled me closer.
Not that it wasn’t working. I was pretty hungry, and now that the food was out and I could smell it… I was definitely excited to scarf some down. Tony made sure that we had the best options, and it was just making my mouth water. My husband did know the best way to bribe me, didn’t he?
When our song came on, I decided that a little dance or two wouldn’t be so bad. Holding him close was extremely nice, and even though I technically had trouble keeping up, Stephen couldn’t be bothered. His eyes never left my own, and my arms settled across his shoulders comfortably. At one point, I started to forget that there was anyone else in the room, yet again.
Stephen Strange just seemed to have that effect on me.
“Tony really does know how to throw a party, doesn’t he?”
“You’re really asking that question? After how long we’ve known him?”
“Well, you’ve known him longer than me-”
“Doesn’t matter, Stephen. You’ve been here for a few parties like this. Granted, none of them had really been for us.”
He nodded in agreement, shifting a few strands of hair behind my ear. I blushed softly, letting him lead while I struggled to keep my footing. The smile on his lips was beautiful, and I couldn’t stop staring at it. It was completely infectious, causing me to smile and blush and giggle so much. I almost didn’t want to let him go when the song ended. Nothing could break me from the spell of his light eyes, until everyone around us begin to clap excitedly.
Then, I remembered we were being watched again.
“You have got to stop doing that,” Stephen teased in my ear.
“Hush! It’s your fault for being so damn attractive.”
“Oh, really? Is that so?”
I nodded, giggling and swatting at his chest as I quickly scurried from the center of the floor. The bright lights above were dimmed for the celebration, setting the mood just perfectly. Even though I didn’t want to admit it, I had to hand it to my dad, he really did know how to make everything just perfect.
Now that we were done dancing, it meant that I could finally get some food. I sat down at a table with Sayeko and Steve, practically insisting on eating at that very moment. Didn’t want to sound like a cranky bride, but at this moment all I could think about was food. My anxiousness from the whole day had made me hungrier than I ever expected.
Tony insisted that while we ate he was going to do a toast, speeches for anyone that wanted to. Of course, he was going to be the first one to do so. It caused me to roll my eyes and poke at my plate, wanting to hide behind my food and wine glass for the rest of the night. Though, Sayeko wouldn’t let me as she kept poking me in the side with her elbow and giggling.
“That’s your father.”
“Yeah… I know…”
I grumbled and palmed my forehead, listening to him grabbing the microphone that he insisted to have. The groans in the back of my throat were louder now, and I just knew these next few minutes would be just wonderful.
Tony cleared his throat, making sure the microphone was on.
“Thank you all for coming,” He started so clear and concise as if he was giving an official speech, and not just a wedding toast, “Today we’re celebrating a… beautiful marriage between the two strangest people I’ve ever met.”
I gave a light fake laugh, and Sayeko quickly joined in. Though, neither of us found it funny. It was just way too easy. If he was going to make jokes, the least he could do is make good ones.
“No, but seriously, this girl is probably one of the most unique people that I’ve ever met. And that’s saying something, because I’ve met a lot of people.”
I groaned again, and I felt Sayeko pat my shoulder lovingly. The laugh from her told me that she knew my embarrassment well, but it didn’t mean that she wasn’t finding the slightest bit of enjoyment out of it. Not that I blame her at all.
“When I first met her, she was still the same spunky girl that she is now, but it took her awhile to trust me. Not that I blame you at all for what you’ve been through. I wouldn’t trust anyone either,” He glanced at me a bit and I smiled, “You’ve grown a lot since that day, and I don’t want to take all the credit. Or any credit at all for that matter. I’m actually kinda… proud.”
I pursed my lips, my serious smile coming out a bit. A part of me was worried about this speech, but hearing his words just made my chest feel heavy.
“I’m happy for you, Wolfie. I may not be related to you by blood or anything, but as far as I’m concerned, you’re my kid. It’s hard to let you go when I haven’t had you for too long, but I know that you’re in good hands. Don’t make me regret saying that, Wizard.”
I rolled my eyes, sinking slowly into my seat.
Stephen just gave a little nod to indulge him, giving my hand a gentle squeeze to help calm me down. Not that I was too far gone at this point. I expected as much from Tony, and honestly, I thought the majority of his speech was very sweet. He definitely kept going about how he respected Stephen, even though he was worried at first. Talked for a while about a lot of stuff until Sayeko finally took the microphone away from him and forced him to sit down so someone else would have a turn.
Breathing a sigh of relief, I felt relaxed once all the speeches and toasting was finally over with. That meant that we could finally just relax and enjoy the party some more. Threw back a couple drinks and chatted with everyone the best that we could. Priya came over to say more congratulations, and I could see so much happiness in her eyes.
The rest of the night was incredible, and we ended up staying later than I expected. Even Tony hadn’t expected it to go on as long as it did. A few of us had a little more to drink, which caused a lot of hilarious antics. Sayeko and I ended up talking Thor into a drinking contest, then we both tried to arm wrestle him. That didn’t go well. Stephen finally ended up taking me home after a majority of people left and it was only a few of us still there.
Tony came by one last time to give me a hug goodbye, and it was the strongest hug I’d ever gotten from him. He patted my forehead, flittering away as he waved again when his back was turned.
“Have a good weekend. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
As if that was a good statement to make.
When Stephen and I finally returned home in our shared bed, we collapsed onto it with our clothes still on. I could barely move, my body aching from all the dancing and fun that we had. The entire day was fun, but I was definitely ready for bed.
Rolling over on my side, I glanced over at my husband who was watching me already. His eyes trailed down my body, and he reached forward to run a softly shaking hand across my face. I bit my lip, leaning into his touch as my eyes closed.
“I’m sorry, babe. I’m super tired…”
“Shhh… it’s okay. You’ve had a long night. Just get some sleep.”
He pulled back the covers to help me settle into bed, removing my shoes and setting them down on the floor. With his arms around me and his eyes watching my sleeping form, I felt safe and sound and happy. I let out a peaceful sigh, leaning into his warmth and tangling my limbs with his own. “I love you,” I whispered, right before I started to fall asleep.
“I love you too…”
His thumb brushed my cheek, watching with a gentle smile as I slowly faded off to sleep. Right in his arms where I belonged. Where I would stay forever, or when the universe decided would be our last. But… to me… forever sounded much better.
