Chapter 12 — The Wedding (Cake, Chemistry & Complications)
Ted Mosby believed weddings were where you met "the one."
Barney Stinson believed weddings were open-bar buffets for bad decisions.
And Ivar Scherbatsky? He believed weddings were where chaos revealed itself — and sometimes, chaos wore an apron dusted with flour.
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Pre-Wedding Drama
At MacLaren's, Ted waved his invitation. "Stuart and Claudia's wedding. Plus-one included. This is it, guys. The night I prove I can be someone's someone."
Marshall cheered. Lily clapped. Barney declared, "Weddings are the Super Bowl of sex."
Robin side-eyed Ivar. "You going?"
"Yeah," Ivar said casually. "No plus-one. Which means I'm free to terrorize the dance floor."
Barney pointed. "No. You're my wingman. Rule #17: Never leave a bro stranded among married people."
Ivar smirked. "I don't follow rules. But sure, I'll watch you crash and burn."
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The Ceremony
The wedding itself was textbook chaos:
Marshall cried like a faucet.
Lily dabbed his tears while muttering "giant man-baby."
Barney prowled the pews, whispering "Have you met Barney?" to every bridesmaid.
Ted sweated bullets trying to impress Robin.
Ivar? He sat calm, eyes sharp, waiting for the real action: the reception.
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The Reception: The Cake
The reception hall was a storm of tulle and champagne. Ted tried and failed to keep Robin close. Barney tried and failed to juggle three bridesmaids.
And then Ivar found the cake.
Or more specifically, the woman arranging it: Victoria. Flour still dusted her cheek, her hair pinned back haphazardly, her smile quick and unguarded.
She looked up, startled. "Oh! Sorry — staff's not supposed to—"
"Relax," Ivar said smoothly. "I'm not here to rat you out. I'm here to thank whoever made that cake. It looks lethal."
"Lethal?" she laughed.
"In the best way," he said. "Like it could ruin my life and I'd still go back for seconds."
She blushed. "I'm Victoria."
"Ivar," he said, offering his hand. "Canadian Batman. Sometimes I bake too, but only when the wilderness doesn't feed me."
She laughed again, shaking his hand.
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The Hook
They spent the next hour tucked in a corner of the reception, trading stories.
Victoria spoke about baking as an art, about taste being memory.
Ivar listened, really listened, and surprised himself with how much he wanted to know more.
Robin spotted them at one point, raising a brow. "Seriously? My brother picked up the baker?"
Ted nearly spit out his drink. "The cake baker?"
"Of course he did," Robin muttered. "Because nothing is ever normal with him."
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The Dance
As midnight neared, Barney gave up on his bridesmaids, Ted gave up on wooing Robin, and Marshall gave up on pretending he wasn't drunk.
But Ivar didn't give up on Victoria. He found her by the dance floor, handed her a glass of champagne, and said, "One dance before they cut the cake?"
She hesitated, then smiled. "One."
And just like that, under twinkle lights and bad pop covers, the billionaire wilderness survivor and the baker from Queens spun into something unexpected.
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Chapter Closing Beat
When the night ended, Ivar walked her to the kitchen door, kissed her softly, and asked, "Can I see you again when you're not buried in fondant?"
Victoria smiled. "Yes."
And for once, Ted Mosby didn't have the wedding story everyone talked about.
Ivar Scherbatsky did.