That One Time We Kissed // Bishova College AU

Roses are Red, Hawkeyes are Purple

When Kate agreed to help Peter scout wedding venues, she envisioned it to be a rather painless ordeal. Pick a church, shake a hand, and sign the paperwork. For her own wedding, as long as she had a dance floor and a bar, Kate would be perfectly happy, but for Peter, it was much more of an ordeal.

The frazzled brunette had taken most of the responsibility in planning the event and took it very seriously. He had done this both to shoulder the pressure for MJ and because he knew he cared a hell of a lot more than her when it came to catering and napkin colors. Almost nothing else mattered more than the venue, and he was determined to get it right.

Yet, after a full weekend of searching, no venue had quite satisfied him. He wanted natural lighting but also chandeliers, desired enough seats to host his guests but not too many as to seem cavernous. He preferred a church over a contemporary venue, but not one of those churches. Everywhere they toured, either the acoustics were off or the stained glass painted the chapel in a strange prismatic light; nothing was quite good enough. He needed everything perfect, and so far, it wasn't.

"KB, do you think I'm a groomzilla?" Peter asked, genuine worry in his eyes. He sat on the front steps of the refurbished train depot, the collar of his white button up uneven. This was the sixth venue viewing of the day, and Peter was frankly unraveling.

"Um... I'm gonna plead the fifth," Kate replied, sitting next to him and kicking absently at the gravel sidewalk with her converse. "You're stressed, man. That's to be expected."

"I just didn't think it would be this hard. I thought I would be okay with the first place I toured, but damn. It's not turning out how I pictured it."

"How do you picture it? Your wedding day, I mean."

"Perfect. Me and MJ all dressed up, our families and friends in the crowd. Just the best night of our lives."

"Hm." Kate pursed her lips. "Notice you didn't say anything about the draftiness of the church, or the unevenness of the field at the vineyard."

Peter chuckled, punching Kate gently on the knee. "Yeah, I know. That's what I brought you for."

"What? Not for my fantastic taste?"

"I'm gonna plead the fifth. Plus, I figured you'd want a head start."

"A head- what? You think I'm planning something?"

The boy smirked, the teasing already raising his spirits. "I know you're not planning anything. I'm just messing with you. Kind of."

"Would it be crazy if I said I've kind of been thinking about it?"

Peter's eyebrows shot up in intrigue. "About a wedding?"

Sighing dreamily, Kate leaned back on her elbows, wooden steps creaking. "Proposing, a wedding... all of it. I've just been thinking about how I can't imagine my life without Yelena in it. Is that how you feel about MJ? How did you know she was the one?"

"Well... I don't think it was one single revelation, you know? It was a lot of little things stacking up until one day I woke up and realized I didn't want to go a day without seeing her. I don't want to experience a day without her laugh, or her humming in the shower. When you know, you just know."

"I hear you. Deep down I know she's the one, I really do, but a part of me is a little more skittish toward marriage. My dad thought my mom was the one at one point."

"Yelena isn't Eleanor, you know that."

Kate nodded quickly. "Yeah, I know that. It's silly. I just don't want to repeat their mistakes."