Forever & Always

Colors

"Garrett told me he wanted purple," Laura drops her pen momentarily to stare at Maria who blinks twice.

Hill sighs, "Okay, fine. Don't listen to what Riley wants-."

"I am incorporating plenty of teal in the decor, I just thought a pop of purple since his father is Hawkeye was a very sweet idea."

"Keep it to the ties. I have a vision of dusty blue, teal, and white."

"Their colors are purple, silver, and teal," Violet Perez enters the Barton cabin with her binder and Brody at her side, "We've made a list of flower arrangements, table settings, and their apparel requests. They're all in here."

Maria reaches for the binder and shoves her own to the side of the table, "And you collaborated with Riley on this?"

Brody scoffs and pulls up a chair, "Don't remind me. Vi and I had to sit through a 9 hour presentation."

Violet clears her throat, "Which was COMPLETELY worth it for our best friends."

"Are all weddings this tedious?"

"Si,' Violet reaches to pull a sheet from page 12, 'table settings are here if you two are still arguing about napkins."

"Ooh, purple," Laura gloats.

Maria lifts her hand and turns the page, "Whatever. I'm just paying $5,000 for something I have no say in."

Laura coughs, "And we're paying the other 8!"

Clint stumbles, catching himself on the doorframe, "We're paying how much?!"

"Nothing, honey."

"Cash bar."

"Don't be cheap."

Maria frantically skims the binder forward and backwards, "Where's the cake?"

Violet crosses her arms, "There isn't one."

"No cake?!" Brody chokes on a bite of an apple stolen from the table.

"What do you mean 'no cake'?! Where the shit is my eight grand going?!" Clint waddles over in muddy work boots.

Laura holds her head and takes a deep audible breath.

Violet gawks at Brody, "Dios mio-You were there! They said they wanted cake pops. Remember?!"

"Pops?! She's not cutting anything?" Maria's eyes flick up with urgency, "She has to, she loves knives."

Violet shrugs, "We all agreed it would be a risk. To the dress of course. You know, spillage."

Brody nods, "Definitely had nothing to do with her knife skills- I mean it!"

Maria glares, "Alright. It's a wedding, everyone cuts something. Even Natasha..."

Clint scoffs, "The only thing she cut off was Fury mid ceremony. It's not your day, Maria."

"What he means is,' Laura interrupts, 'it's not our wedding. They don't have to check off every 'traditional' box."

"She wants some Korean traditions. For example, you and I will walk in with candles,' Maria points to Laura, 'I'll have red, you'll have blue. When we arrive at the officiant table we will unite our flames. We need to time exactly how long it will take for us to walk-."

Clint rolls his eyes and stomps back to the front door, "I'm milking the cow."

"Barton!"

"Maria?!"

"Have you planned the groom's dinner?"

"What the hell is that?!"

Laura rolls her wrist, "We've got it."

————

"Natasha? You wanted to talk to me?,"
Izabella calls softly as she knocks on open door, shoulders forward.

"Izzy,' Natasha lowers her tablet and swings her legs from the high bar stool at her kitchen island, 'snayt' obuv'."

Izabella laughs over the remark and steps forward, "Vrach told me you make jokes about shoes on the fl-."

Natasha lifts her eyebrows in complete seriousness.

"Oh," Izabella backs up, carefully removing her shoes.

"Vrach lets you wear your sanctum shoes through my house?"

"No, no,' she shakes her head with a guilty blush, 'nikogda."

"...nikogda?"

"Sometimes,' Izabella tugs the sleeves of her purple blouse, 'am I in trouble?"

"Izabella, my how you've grown," Jennifer Walters swirls her cup of hot chocolate in a large green hoodie clearly borrowed from her cousin. Even in her green form it barely fits.

Bruce smiles as they hug, frowning when Natasha hits his shoulder;

"Tasha?"

"You let Izzy walk on our new floors with her shoes on?"

"We go right to the lab, every time."

Izabella parts from Jennifer after a tight embrace, "It is good to see you."

"You too, honey!"

"What is new?"

"Oh you know, just the usual. Your mentors assuming Thor is clueless to Loki's breakout when he's known for a year- it's a long story."

Izabella tilts her head momentarily with a half unimpressed shrug, "Same thing, new year."

"AHHH!" Lucy screams behind her.

When Izabella joins her in screaming, Natasha plugs her ears and Bruce's eyes flicker green.

"Sweet Jesus," Jen mutters, unplugging the one ear she managed to save.

"You're blonde!" Lucy jumps.

"You're really here!" Izabella holds her friend's arms.

"You got my tattoo?!" Lucy shows her wrist to compare.

"You kept the stone!" She points to the green gem around Jameson's neck.

"AHHH!"

Bruce quietly addresses Jen and point downward toward the basement, "The lab is soundproof."

She nods, "Lets go."