"What the Hell am I doing? This is crazy."

Sasha found herself pacing back and forth in a side room of a little white chapel in downtown Las Vegas, mumbling to herself as she desperately tried to calm down her mind and slow her thoughts, feeling as though time was moving through her.

It had been a quick turnaround from finishing dinner that night to taking a cab from the hotel in a wedding dress to the chapel Tony had found, but Sasha had made it work.

She'd called down to reception for someone to come up and steam her wedding dress, adamant that she wouldn't get married with creases in the gown. She'd also had a slight moment of panic when she realised that the only high heels she'd brought with her had been black, but luckily Tony was more than happy to run to a store and pick up a pair of white Jimmy Choos for his bride.

With help from a friendly woman who worked on reception in the hotel, Sasha managed to slip into her gown and pull on her shoes without ruining her hair or makeup, adding a quick spritz of perfume and topping up her lipgloss before piling herself into the backseat of a cab.

Tony had left the hotel room an hour earlier once Sasha had everything she needed. He'd taken himself for a quick drink at the bar before heading to the chapel to wait for her, though was delighted to find a fridge full of cold beer to pass the time with once he'd arrived.

The alcohol she'd drank that day had pretty much worn off thanks to the anxiety Sasha felt while she waited to be called to the altar in the next room, feeling like her heart was in her mouth and her senses were in overdrive, pacing around the small space being the only thing to stop her from going insane.

"You alright, Miss?"

Her head snapped up from the ground at the sound of a voice addressing her. A gentleman in his early fifties was passing by the room in a plaid shirt and baseball cap, a hip flask in his hand and a concerned smile lingering on his lips.

Sasha looked at him, shrugging her shoulders once before letting out a huge sigh, "Just nervous, I guess."

The man laughed and walked through the doorway, leaning against the wall with one foot crossed over the other at his ankle, tilting his head ever so slightly.

"Please tell me you actually know the guy, right? Because I've worked here for twenty years and I'm yet to see a marriage between two people that have met the same night that hasn't been annulled by the morning."

Sasha chuckled shyly, shaking her head, "I know him, don't worry. It's just a lot, you know? I never even thought I'd get married and now look at me."

Her nerves were clear as she let out a shaky laugh and lifted up the skirt of her dress, rolling her eyes at herself which caused the man to smile more, a sparkle in his dark eyes.

"Well I think you look beautiful, if you don't mind me saying. And the guy, I'm sure he's incredibly lucky to be marrying you."

"You think?" Sasha said, raising her brows with wondering wide eyes.

She wasn't sure why she was engaging with the stranger so much, but with a head full of indistinguishable thoughts, talking to someone seemed to make her mind a little less hazy.

"Sure. And if he loves you and you love him, you've got nothing to be afraid of, sweetheart."

Biting her lip, Sasha nodded in agreement, "You're right, it'll all be fine. I think I just thought that, as a little girl, anyway, if I ever did get married that I'd be surrounded by family, my dad by my side for this part, you know?"

The man slipped the hip flask into the pocket of his jeans before drawing in a deep breath. He could sense the apprehension from Sasha a mile away, her pacing had been echoing through to the next room for the last ten minutes. It wasn't uncommon for him to see brides panicking last minute about what was about to happen, and most of the time it was for good reason considering there were a lot of very new relationships making things official beneath that roof, but it was clear that Sasha was truly a woman in love.

"He is by your side, and whoever else you wanted to be here that can't be, they're here too. Just because you can't see them doesn't mean they're not right here with you. What's your name?"

Sasha swallowed a lump in her throat as she listened to his warm words, taking comfort in everything that he was saying to her and feeling suddenly a whole lot calmer than she had done before.

"It's Sasha."

"It's very nice to meet you, Sasha," he said, nodding his head once, "I'm Phil."

"Phil?"

The way her blue eyes widened and glazed over with glassy tears made his own heart skip a beat. He wasn't sure who exactly Phil was to her, but clearly the name had evoked a deep emotional reaction that had drawn tears in her eyes that she was quickly trying to blink back, not wanting to get married with mascara stains on her cheeks.

"Sorry," she said while blotting her eyes dry with her fingertips, "I just wasn't expecting you to say that name."

"Don't worry about it, that your dad's name?"

She shook her head, sniffling a little before smiling sadly, "My big brother's, was my big brother's."

Sasha had never shared so much of herself with a stranger before that moment, but she'd needed somebody to talk to as she waited to walk down the aisle and the universe had sent that gentleman to her rescue. The fact that his name had lit a fire inside her chest only made everything seem more right, knowing then that fate had placed her in the right spot at the right time, and that everything truly was working out the way it was supposed to.

"You look like you could use a hug, for good luck, maybe?"

Sasha had never accepted something so quickly before, nodding eagerly and walking into the arms of the stranger with a clenched jaw and eyes squeezed shut to hold back a threatening flood of tears.

Phil didn't seem to mind, hoping that somebody would react the same way for his own daughters if they'd needed it. He simply embraced Sasha, patting her gently on the back while she wrapped her arms around his torso, taking all the time she needed to compose herself.

As Sasha paced back and forth in that room, she had never needed to talk to her brother more since his passing. There had been sad moments and happy moments that she had felt the urge to share with him, though if she could've chose one opportunity to see him again, it would've been then.

The way the stranger comforted her, however, made Sasha dare to dream that her brother had sent Phil to make sure she was alright, knowing somehow that his little sister needed somebody right then. Although it may have been a fantastical theory, it made Sasha feel a million times brighter inside, and far, far less alone in a time that she never thought would come.

The doors to the main room of the chapel swung open and dark moonlight streamed in through the stained glass windows on the side of the small building. Footsteps echoed as they drew closer to Sasha and Phil, the two of them breaking their embrace with grateful smiles.

"We're ready for you now, Miss." A young woman said, holding the door open for her.

Sasha nodded and drew in a sharp breath, smoothing out her dress and wiping her face free of any stray tears, catching her reflection in a small mirror to make sure her makeup was still intact.

"Good luck, kid. And congratulations, you're gonna have a wonderful rest of your life, I know it."

Sasha smiled warmly at Phil, wondering how on Earth she could feel so attached to a stranger after only a handful of minutes, blinded by his kindness and good heart.

"Thank you, you have no idea how much you've helped me tonight."

Phil just smiled before cocking his head towards the door, "Go on, he's waiting for you."

Sasha braced herself with a tensed core and steady, shallow breaths as she walked towards the door. She didn't dare look up from the ground as she saw the backs of three rows of pews before her, a glimmer of a white altar only a short walk away from where she was stood, and Tony's freshly polished dress shoes.

There was something strangely ominous about that moment, though perhaps not in a sinister way. Sasha felt her world teetering on the edge of something different, or something new. She realised that marriage was perhaps just a piece of paper, though it felt like so much more than that as she clutched a bouquet of red roses that had been handed to her.

Nothing in her life since meeting Tony had ever been just anything. A laugh was never just a laugh, a stolen glance was never just a stolen glance, and a kiss had never been just a kiss. Everything she'd ever encountered with Tony Stark had felt like they'd altered her life in the greatest of ways, even the smallest of things like cooking dinner together or taking a walk through Central Park. And so Sasha was sure that the two of them signing just a piece of paper would open up a door to a whole new world for the both of them, together.

The sound was quiet but a low, instrumental strings piece began to play through the room, violins making the hairs on Sasha's neck stand on end as she realised she actually had to look up. She wasn't sure why she felt so paralysed since it was just Tony waiting for her down the aisle, but the thing was, he wasn't just Tony, either.

Sasha had never imagined she'd fall in love the way she had with Tony. He'd found her heart again which was something she was convinced had been locked away without a key, turning it slowly day by day until eventually, he held it in his hands. He had well and truly changed her life for the better, things were brighter now, happier than they ever would've been had their paths not crossed.

Sasha was eternally grateful to the universe for allowing her to meet Tony, knowing that she would've walked the Earth with only half of a soul had she not. She was convinced that they were meant for each other, knowing now what it felt like to reap the rewards of the risk of falling in love when she had vowed to never do so again.

And so it may well have been just Tony to everybody else, but to Sasha, he was the air in her lungs and the beating of her heart, all the stars in the sky and the sun on the brightest of mornings, the moon on the bluest of nights. She couldn't face the world without him, and once she'd realised that, it was oh so easy to let herself love him.

Sasha eventually lifted her eyes from the ground, instantly feeling her chest tighten when she locked eyes with Tony. She'd almost forgotten that she was wearing her wedding dress, only his reaction reminding her of the incredibly expensive gown covering her frame.

Tony's face fell softly, his brows furrowing as his lips curved into a breathless smile, slowly glazing over with a sheen of tears as he looked at her so tenderly, feeling his heart pouring all of itself through his veins, the sensation being the most pleasurable thing he had ever felt in his life.

Sasha looked beyond beautiful. Tony's breath was stolen by her regardless of what she looked like, but as she began to slowly walk towards him with the trail of white following behind her feet, a small slit flashing just the right amount of tanned leg and her godly blue eyes staring into his soul, he felt like he was living in a dream.

His hands were shaking as he reached out to hold Sasha's once she finally found herself opposite him. The flowers were placed down on the altar and Tony ran his thumb over a small scratch on the palm of her hand from a thorn as he squeezed them tightly, feeling her fingertips shaking the same as his were.

"You, Sasha, are so beautiful."

She looked up at him with shy eyes and lips sealed shut, nerves clearly eating away at her while she blushed under his gaze. Tony didn't mind that she said nothing, the way her eyes stayed fixated on his own with starry love drifting through them was more than enough all by itself. He was happy just being able to look at her for the rest of his life.

The vicar began to officiate the wedding, reciting off the traditional spiel though neither Tony nor Sasha were particularly listening. They could barely hear a word he was saying over the thudding of their own hearts inside their ears, a deafening silence in their heads as they could think of nothing but how completely besotted they felt by one another, the holding of their hands being all they needed.

"Tony, if you'd like to say your vows?"

"Oh," Tony said, breaking away from Sasha's gaze for a split second, "Sure, yeah."

He reached into the pocket of his blazer and pulled out a folded up piece of paper. Holding it up in front of him, he inhaled deeply and parted his lips, only to shake his head and stuff the paper back into his pocket.

"Screw that," he mumbled, taking Sasha's hands back into his own and smiling wildly at her, "You changed my life, Coulson. You make me a better person, a good person, something I never thought I could be. I didn't think I was capable of loving anybody or in fact, being loved, but the way you make me feel defies all the odds I ever stacked against myself. You win, every damn time. There's no good part of me that isn't you, there's no me that isn't you, because the guy I was before we met wasn't the man I am today. And if I'm good enough for a woman like you, then I must be doing something right. I've loved you since the second I saw you and I might not have wanted to admit it at the time, but we got there in the end. That's the thing with us, we always get there in the end. So I don't want you to ever worry about a thing, because together, you and me, we'll make it through everything life throws at us. I'm never gonna stop loving you, Sasha, you can bet your Lamborghini on that."

Sasha let herself cry then, the combination of Tony pouring his heart and soul into his words and the tears that were falling down his own cheeks gave her no choice but to allow herself to go through the emotions that were tugging on her heartstrings.

She was always amazed at the things Tony said to her, him seemingly always knowing what the right thing to say was. Sasha felt like she didn't deserve a man like him, not knowing what she'd done to be gifted a man who loved her more than one soul had ever loved another before. It felt otherworldly, inhuman, spirited and almost like magic, and as Sasha clung onto that feeling through her hands gripping Tony's, she cherished it as much as she possibly could.

"And Sasha, your vows if you will?"

She nodded shyly, smiling at the vicar who stood waiting patiently. Truthfully, Sasha hasn't even thought about what to say for her vows. The idea hadn't so much as crossed her mind as she raced around the hotel suite getting ready in just a matter of minutes earlier that night.

There was an initial panic that raised her heartbeat while she looked into Tony's waiting eyes, though at the same time, she knew that as much as she liked to plan things, the best moments of her life so far had always seemingly been surprises.

"I thought I'd been in love before, but it turned out that I hadn't. I thought I'd seen things and felt things, known things about myself and about the world, but the truth is, I hadn't, not until I met you. I felt like I'd been living in the dark my entire life until you pulled me out of it, and you might not know it but you've saved me in so many different ways. I'm so incredibly lucky to know you and to get to love you, to have somebody to caring and supportive by my side. You've made me realise now that I don't have to do it all alone, and that some risks are worth taking. Letting myself fall in love with you, Tony, has been the best leap of faith I've ever taken. And I know now that no matter what, you'll always be there to catch me."

Tony had never heard Sasha speak from the heart so deeply, at least not in a happy way. They'd argued fiercely far too many times and her words had come from a deep place before, but it was only then that Tony watched Sasha force herself to be vulnerable, knowing that she knew she was safe with him, and evidently that she always would be.

The vicar continued to speak as the two of them stayed holding each other's hands, not letting go to even so much as dry a tear. Sasha's cheeks were red and her jaw ached from smiling while Tony simply felt like his head was in the clouds, soaking up every single second of staring across at Sasha in her beautiful white dress.

"Do you, Anthony Edward Stark, take Sasha Noelle Coulson to be your wife?"

Tony drew in a long breath before nodding once, his eyes narrowed and filled with sparkle as he gave Sasha's hands a light squeeze, "I do."

"And do you, Sasha Noelle Coulson, take Anthony Edward Stark to be your husband?"

Sasha couldn't help but smile as she listened to the vicar, mirroring the way Tony was trying his hardest to hold back a grin while their chests filled with butterflies and the moon outside cast colourful shadows across the room, the time just shy of midnight.

"I do."

They nervously exchanged rings, Tony sliding the platinum band onto Sasha's finger before she did the same, running her fingertips gently over it for a split second as her heart raced before taking his hands back into her own, both of them turning to the vicar.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss the bride."

Tony grabbed his wife by the waist and pulled her against him, smashing his lips down onto her's while her hands fell to the sides of his neck, kissing him back with soft passion and a mixture of tears that had freshly fallen and continued to do so, being the happiest of kisses they'd ever shared.

Sasha was euphoric as she pulled away from the kiss, grinning lovingly at Tony who took her by the hand and began to pull her back down the aisle towards the doors.

"We're married," Tony said with a gasp as they walked out into the midnight Nevada air, not another soul in sight in the dimly lit parking lot, though hundreds of cars sped past them down the streets, "We're fuckin' married, can you believe that?"

Sasha wasn't sure she'd ever seen Tony so happy. Sure, she'd seen him excited and relieved, glad, but as he twirled her around beneath the full moon outside the chapel, there was a childlike joy behind his eyes that was perhaps the purest thing on earth, to Sasha, anyway.

"You're crazy! Put me down Tony Stark!"

Sasha felt drunk as Tony lifted her off the ground and spun her around, her dress flowing elegantly behind her as they both laughed wildly at nothing, being consumed by a completely tangible love in the form of one another.

Tony eventually set Sasha down on the ground, though left his hands on his hips as he stared down at her, their foreheads pressed together gently and just inches between them, an entire lifetime of marriage ahead.

"We did it, Coulson," Tony laughed, kissing the ring on Sasha's finger before taking her face into his hands, "Wait, are you staying Coulson? Because if you aren't I'll have to give you a new nickname."

Sasha smiled, her hands tugging on the lapels of Tony's black blazer while she gazed up at her husband, "I think Stark suits me just fine, don't you think?"

Pressing a long kiss to her lips, Tony felt weightless, totally separated from the world around him, only seeing, only feeling Sasha.

"Sasha Stark it is."

an;;
I'm SORRY this chapter had me crying about 100 different times while I was writing it wtf anyway i really hope you enjoyed this super long update, I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!! There isn't too many chapters left I'm afraid but I want to say a huge thank u for all the support I've had on this story so far, it honestly has meant so so much to me!! <3