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"So, I'm not sure if it's true, but am I right when I say that the cast is a bit protective over Y/N?"
You looked at your co-actors, who were laughing. Robert slung his arm around your shoulder. "Y/N is very little," he said, "and we feel like we need to protect her from danger- any danger that might come her way, you know."
"She's just really fragile," Chris H. said, sharing a laugh with his namesake. You rolled your eyes.
"Wow, thanks guys." Everyone laughed. You shifted on the couch, adjusting your skirt. "What is your opinion on the matter?" Jimmy directed his question to you. The corner of your mouth quirked up.
"They exhaust me, Jimmy," you complained, and people started chuckling, "it's really annoying sometimes. Even Tom- and I mean, he's younger than I am - even he is so protective." Tom blushed furiously.
"I'm twenty-seven years old you know, and I've had martial training for the movies, so it's a bit strange that they are so protective of me, but on the other hand," you laughed, "it does show that they care about me. And well... after the accident with my family, these guys are my new one." Soft aw's escaped the audience, and Robert squeezed your shoulder.
It was just a press conference. Sort of press conference, really, where instead of reporters, little children would do the questions.
Just a press conference with the entire Marvel cast, including those of Sony.
You couldn't even begin to understand how many of you would be attending the conference.
Your manager, Louise, had helped arranging the seating. You were seated in between Gwyneth and Chris Evans. That was good, because you liked them both - you liked everyone on the cast, but you didn't know all of them that well. If you had to choose - as many people had asked before - you'd say that you were the best of friends with Jeremy, Scarlett and Benedict, even though they were all much older than you.
"Hi everyone!" You yelled as a general greeting, and you let Jeremy swoop in for a warm hug, and Scarlett for a few kisses on the cheek, and then you stood next to Benedict.
"Nervous?" He asked you, smiling softly. You pursed your lips. "It's going to be chaos," you said, "because it's a press conference with everyone." Benedict laughed. "Yeah, I agree with you on that. But we're all adults, so I think everyone can just wait until their turn. Hopefully," he then added with a light chuckle, and you nodded.
As soon as you sat down next to Chris, he turned to you.
"Are you nervous?" He asked, with a nervous smile. You nodded. "A bit. But it's going to be okay." You smiled at him. He nodded, playing with the pen in his hand. "If you want to," you started slowly, "you can draw on my hand if you feel nervous. I know you've done it with Elizabeth a few times, and well- I want you to be comfortable." Chris smiled gratefully. "Thanks Y/N. I really appreciate it."
As soon as the press conference started, Chris took your hand in his, and started drawing. You weren't sure what, and you weren't paying attention, because Gwyneth was laughing at something a person in the crowd had said, and you wanted to stay focused.
After a few minutes, questions started pouring in for you. You hadn't been in the movies for a very long time, making your first appearance in the second Captain America movie, where you were a brand new character - Audlin, a female assassin plucked off the street by HYDRA, brainwashed and trained to help the Winter Soldier - and in Civil War, Infinity War and Endgame, even though the latter still hadn't come out in cinemas yet. People were curious about you, because they hadn't gotten very much information.
"Hi- hey, I'm Avery," a fan said, and she sounded nervous, "this is a question for Y/N. Uhm- in the movies, there is some beautiful chemistry between Bucky and Audlin, and we were wondering if that is going to blossom into something and if that's going to play a big part later on in the movies."
That one was easy. You smiled.
"Thank you for your question, Avery. I'm glad to hear that someone picked up on a small romantic line in the script of the movies," laughter, "and I can say, with permission of the Russo brothers, that yes, it's going to be something, and it's going to be a part of some people's lives in the movies. I can't say if it's important for everyone, though." Avery seemed content with the answer, nodding and walking away.
The next question was for Chris, who let go of your hand and handled the question quickly, but nonetheless with enthusiasm.
"I'm Emma, and I have a question for Y/N. Why is Audlin such a big part of Bucky's life after HYDRA?"
You pursed your lips, glancing over at Sebastian, who smiled lightly at you.
"That's a hard one, Emma," you chuckled, "but I'm going to try anyways. After Civil War, Bucky goes into cryo again, and in Black Panther you can see he's already woken up, trying to leave the past behind him. I think- or, well," you looked at Sebastian, "we think that there is a small part of Bucky, however, that finds it hard to let go. You know, the Winter Soldier is never going to completely disappear. And I think Audlin is the best reminder for him to ensure that yes, the Winter Soldier will always be there, but that friendship and family eventually come out stronger in the end. Audlin and Steve are the two people he needs to stay with his feet on the ground, I think. I hope I've answered your question well enough." The small girl nodded and stepped away.
The rest of the question were handled quickly, while you sipped your water and joked with Gwyneth about how this was even harder than acting on set. Your eyes trailed over the table, and you looked at the other actors - in total, there were about thirty of you, you weren't sure, because some of the actors couldn't clear out their schedules - stopping at Tom Holland, who was joking with Jake about something. They were laughing.
You shared a look with Anthony, who grinned slyly.
"Tom Holland," he said into his microphone, and the two men looked up, surprised to be interrupted, "please share with the rest of the auditorium what is so awfully funny." He said it a really funny voice that made everyone laugh and Tom pout. You hid a chuckle behind your hand, and looked at Jake for a second. He smiled and winked at you, and then faced Tom again, leaving you dumbfounded in response.
"Did he just wink at you?" Gwyneth asked, looking at you. "I guess," you said, shrugging. "Maybe it's just a joke. Who knows?"
After a few hours of answering questions, you were glad to be able to stand again, without having to lean forward to talk into a microphone, and you gratefully accepted the bouquets of roses coming your way. You weren't the only one, so it seemed, because Gwyneth received a stuffed animal, and the other women received flowers and small gifts.
"You did wonderful," a voice behind you complimented, and you turned around. Jake Gyllenhaal stood in front of you, hands in his pockets, smiling.
"Thank you," you smiled, "it's always fun to answer questions of fans."
"And you look great, too," he said, and you blushed slightly, before a voice called out to you.
"Y/N! You are needed!" It was Anthony. You rolled your eyes. "Sorry. I have to go." He smiled. "No problem. I'd love to catch up sometime." With a wink, he was gone, leaving you there, with heated cheeks.
What the hell?
Was Jake Gyllenhaal - Jake Gyllenhaal! - flirting with you?
What Anthony needed turned out to be a hug, and afterwards you rolled your eyes.
"He just wanted to get you away from Jake," Sebastian said while helping you in the car. You frowned.
"Why?"
He stepped into the drivers seat. "Protective cast Y/N, you know how everybody gets."
"I'm an adult, you know." You raised an eyebrow, and he laughed. "Yeah, I know, but we're scared you're going to get hurt if you don't look out. You never know."
"Well, Jake seems nice," you shrugged, pulling out your phone.
"Yeah, he does," Sebastian pondered, "and I think he is. Listen, I'm not going to be shitty and tell you to stay away or something, or try to keep you away, because you're not a possession, and you're more than capable of protecting yourself - I speak out of experience," you laughed, "but I do want to make sure you're safe, alright?" You nodded, meeting his worried eyes. "I'll be safe, Seb," you promised him, "really. Now come on, drive! I do not want to be late to our afterparty!"
The afterparty would be held in a ballroom that Marvel had rented, with a bit of financial help of Robert, for everyone to come, even the ones who hadn't been at the press conference.
There would be little groups of course, the casts of the movies would try to stick together, because that was what they always did. You would probably stay by Scarlett's side this evening, though, because she was one of the few who didn't treat you like a baby.
Oh, there was nothing wrong with affection and a bit of protectiveness, but sometimes it was really exhausting to have them looming over you, constantly checking on you as if you couldn't do anything by yourself.
Sebastian brought you home first, and the two of you changed (he had left his suit there that morning) into formal clothing. You wore a dress from Prada's new Spring Collection 2019, with flowers all over it, and a sweetheart neckline.
It was a soft pink colour, matching with Scarlett's dress tonight, you knew.
In the car, you pulled your hair out of your braids and brushed it thoroughly, before applying the tiniest hint of make-up on your face. Sebastian parked only minutes later, and helped you out of the car.
"You are looking fine, Y/N!" Anthony called out as soon as he saw you, and you laughed, leaning in for a warm hug. Next was Chris Evans, and Scarlett, who indeed wore pink.
The two of you shared smiles before walking to the bar. You ordered a glass of red wine, and she ordered white, and the two of you chuckled and jumped into a light conversation about Rose.
"Good evening ladies," a smooth voice said, and you looked up from your glass to find Jake in front of you. He was wearing a suit, and you had to admit that he looked very handsome in it.
"Good evening," Scarlett said, smiling at you in a certain way that made you feel uncomfortable. She winked at you. "I- uh, I'm going to fill my glass. Have fun!" She walked away without saying anything else, and you scoffed, shaking your head as she did.
"You look beautiful," Jake said, and you smiled lightly, blushing. "Thank you," you said, "you don't look wrong yourself either. So, Spider-Man, huh?" He laughed. "Working on set as a superhero is amazing, I must tell you. But I suppose you should know." You chuckled. "A bit, yeah. Although I worked mostly as a villain and then as a retired villain." The conservation eloped, and you enjoyed talking to him about simple things, such as what he liked to do, and about his own work, and about your work and what you liked to do. He was nice, and funny, complimenting you, and sometimes letting his trail on your figure just a tad too long to be only looking for friendship, and you liked it.
Until the boys stepped in.
"Hello darling," Robert greeted you, "you look radiant." He kissed your cheek, and gave Jake a glare that could have levelled him, but Jake just held his gaze.
Chris Evans and Chris Hemsworth were next, making sure to threaten Jake properly with eyes only, and complementing you on everything you'd done this day. Next was Chris Pratt, with Katherine, but they were just all smiles, and stayed a while to talk.
Once Scarlett returned, Jeremy and Anthony joined her, and you were fuming by the time they left.
"Are you alright?" Jake asked, touching your arm, and you shook your head. "No- I'm sorry, I need to go to the bathroom. Just, excuse me for a moment." He nodded, letting you go and watching you with worried eyes as you disappeared.
Inside the bathroom, you placed your hands on the sink and bowed your head.
"What is going on?" You asked, already feeling the sting of tears behind your eyes. They were tears of frustration mostly.
"Shit." You groaned, and you wanted to bang your head against a wall. You were an adult, for god's sake, and you could take care of yourself! You didn't need all of them coming over, trying to protect you as if you were still a baby.
"Y/N?" A soft voice asked, and you turned around, to meet Pom's eyes. She looked worried. "Y/N? Are you okay?"
You shook your head, sniffing. "No, I'm not. Everyone just keeps treating me like a baby and I hate it!"
"They don't mean it like that, you know," she said softly, "they just want to protect you from harm. They care a lot about you. And I know it's hard, and if what they are doing makes you uncomfortable, you have all the right to tell them. You are an adult, Y/N, and you just need to stand up for yourself. They have no right interfering in your life like that." You nodded, finally able to control your emotions. She smiled. "Come on, let's wipe away those tears and get back inside."
The ballroom was filled with soft chatter and laughter as Pom and you walked inside, but you happily ignored the eyes on your back as you joined Jake and Tom by the bar.
"You okay now?" Jake asked, and you nodded with a smile. "I am now. You don't have to worry about me." He smiled, tilting his head. "I don't like seeing people upset. I don't like seeing you upset at all."
You chuckled. "Well, you're lucky I'm not a person who gets stuck in a sour mood for long. Come on, lets have drinks. I want to get to know you."
Much, much later that evening, when you were already slightly tipsy, Robert pulled you aside.
"I can bring you home, if you want," he said, and you shook your head, already wanting to walk away.
"Listen, Y/N, be careful, okay? I don't want anything to happen to you-" "I'm not a child," you snapped, "goddamnit. I'm not a baby, I don't need all of you to hover over me to make sure I don't die or something. I just want to live my life." He sighed, resigned. "Yeah, I know," he said, pulling you in for a hug. "But we care a lot about you, Y/N. A lot. We don't want you to get hurt."
You pulled away. "And I promise we will stop interfering in your love life." You smiled gratefully. "Thank you. You're the best." He smiled again, pulling you to his chest again. You stood there for a few minutes before you pulled away. "I'm going home, though," you stifled a yawn, "so have a nice night." With one last kiss to his cheek, you darted off, saying goodbye to everyone.
You held still in front of Jake. He smiled. "How about I bring you home?"
You nodded, and slowly followed him outside.
You leaned on him and sniffed in the fresh air, before letting him guide you towards the car.
"Thanks for bringing me home," you said softly, smiling up at him. He nodded. "It's no problem. Every gentleman should bring a beautiful lady like yourself home safely, you know." You blushed furiously.
"Give me your phone," he said, and you did, waiting silently as he tapped on it. When he handed it back to you, you could see that he had put himself in your contacts.
Jake, it said, with a smiling emoji behind it.
You smiled lightly.
"Let me take you out," he said, clearing his throat, obviously nervous.
You chuckled.
"To what?"
He pursed his lips.
"Everything. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, everything."
"Okay," you nodded, grabbing his hand. "Lunch it is."
He grinned widely.
"I'll text you the details."
You stood on your tiptoes and pressed a feather-light kiss to his cheek.
Before you could pull away, however, he grabbed your hips and pressed his warm lips on yours. Your eyes fluttered close and you wrapped your arms around his neck, tugging him closer.
The night ended with fireworks.