When Cassidy woke up the morning of the Press Release, she was more than nervous. She felt like she was going to be sick. She'd thrown herself into work the past two days, barely taking time to eat.
After the movie had ended the other night with Steve, during which there had been some light hand holding and brushing of legs next to one another, he kissed her on her cheek again when he told her goodnight. So, add the fact that she was sexually frustrated on top of the first big thing she was doing for the Avengers, and you could say Cassidy was freaking out.
She took a shower, standing under the water, getting it as hot as she could, resting her head against the wall, trying to calm down, going over her introduction speech in her head.
She left her hair down, curling soft waves in it, minimal makeup and went to pull on her outfit. She had ended up picking out a black skirt, paired with a red blouse and matching back jacket. She thought it looked nice enough and professional.
Slipping on her heels, she went out to the living room to grab her tablet and phone, before heading down to the car waiting for her. Happy was driving Tony and Pepper, and Steve, Nat and Clint had their own car. Cassidy wanted to arrive early to make sure everything was set up correctly.
The ride to the venue wasn't very far, and when Cassidy got there, she was led to the room where it would take place. There were about 20 chairs in front of the stage, labeled for the various news stations and reporters. There was a long table on the stage for everyone to sit at, including Cassidy. She didn't want to really be a part of this at all, but Pepper thought it might be a good idea to be up there to answer questions that maybe the team couldn't.
Pepper was the first to enter, giving her a bright smile. Tony walked after, scrolling through his phone, clearly letting everyone know he did not want to be there. Steve came in next, and dammit if he didn't look like a fucking ice cream sundae in his Captain suit. He sent her a small smile and she blushed, pushing her thighs together under her skirt. He was going to be the death of her, she was sure of it.
Nat and Clint were the last to walk in, looking completely badass in their uniforms. Damn the Avengers were a sexy team, and for a minute, Cassidy was jealous that she was just their handler.
The team stood behind a large wall where the stage was while they waited on the reporters. It didn't take long for them to start flowing in, rehearsing questions and getting the cameras set up.
Cassidy watched as Pepper straightened Tony's tie and she thought that he honestly couldn't function without her. She felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Steve looking down at her. "Are you okay?" He asked. Cassidy nodded, giving him a small smile. "Yeah, just a little nervous. I want this to go well. How are you doing?"
He shrugged. "I'm okay, I never much liked talking to crowds of people, especially about me." He seemed nervous; Cassidy could tell. She took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. "It will be over before you know it."
A worker for the even popped his head around the corner and looked at Cassidy. She dropped Steve's hand before he saw them. "Miss Forbes, they're ready for you."
She nodded thanks at him and sent Steve a small smile before heading up to the stage.
Cassidy stood in front of the microphone and took a breath as the cameras flashed before her. "Thank you all for coming today. I know you're only here for one reason, so I won't keep you long. I just wanted to say on behalf of the Avengers and Stark Industries, that we are going to everything we can to help the city." She paused for the claps he heard before continuing. "Now, let me introduce you to who you're really here to see. Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Clint Barton and Bruce Banner!"
The reporters went wild as the team stepped on the stage, waving and flashing their hundred-watt smiles. Cassidy took her seat at the end of the table, next to Clint.
The reporters all started speaking at once, and for a second, it overwhelmed Cassidy. She had never been in this situation before.
"Are there more of those things out there?" One asked. Steve spoke up for the first question. "We don't know, but what we do know is that we are prepared to handle them better now."
"Does that mean we could get invaded again?"
"Not anytime soon." Tony offered, sending the pretty blonde reporter a smirk. Cassidy had to hold back a laugh when she saw Pepper roll her eyes across the room.
"What do you have to say to all the people who lost their loved ones and their homes?"
"We offer our deepest condolences to anyone who has lost a loved one." Tony told them. "If anyone has lost their home, the Stark Foundation is equipped to help you, please reach out." Damn. Tony was better at this than she gave him credit for.
"The Avengers Initiative was created behind the people's back. How do we know there aren't more Gods or Super Soldiers out there?"
"I can safely say, I'm the only super soldier around." Steve said throwing them a smile. "As for Gods, I can't say if there are more. We don't understand much about other worlds."
"What's to save the public if the Avengers turn?" Cassidy was starting to get pissed off. "The Avengers were brought together to protect the world, just like they have, and will continue to do. I ask that you stick to the approved questions please Mark." She told him. Mark gave her a tight-lipped smile but nodded.
"Are we equipped to handle a war with the Gods?"
"Who says we're at war?" Nat answered. "It was one God."
"Where is Thor now?"
"Thor is back on Asgard, where his brother Loki will face his punishment for the crimes on Earth." Cassidy told him.
"Captain Rogers, Man out of Time. How have you been adjusting to this new era?" Cassidy watched as Steve shifted in his seat. "It was hard at first. I've adjusted pretty well, I think. The internet has been pretty helpful." There were some chuckles in the audience. "I have a notebook where I write down things to catch up n as people tell them to me."
"It must have been hard winning one war just to come of out the ice and find yourself in the middle of another. Do you ever see yourself retiring?"
Steve thought a second before answering. "As of right now, no. I have no plans to retire. But maybe one day, yeah, it might be nice."
"Rumor has it that you left your soulmate behind in 1945. What's it like knowing you'll never see her again? Do you ever think you'll find love again?" Cassidy was about to speak, to tell the woman off, but Steve got words out before she could, in a quick but efficient phrase that sent the reporters wild.
"Fate is a funny thing." He said with a wink. Cassidy shifted in her seat, suddenly feeing her face getting hot, and received a nudge from Clint's leg under the table.
Then the questions started pouring in, one right after the other, and nobody could get a word in.
"Dr. Banner, Hulk was a genetic experiment gone wrong that YOU created. What's to stop you from doing something like that again?" Cassidy could see Bruce start to fidget under the table from next to Nat.
"Dr. Banner, last time you were in New York, you leveled Harlem. Seems you really have a strong dislike for New York. What do you have to say about that?" Things were getting out of control, she needed to stop them, and soon.
"Mr. Barton- we have images that PROVE you were working with Loki. What do you have to say against these photographs?" Clint's jaw clenched and he started breathing heavily.
"Tony Stark, you went THROUGH the portal? What did you see up there?" Tony froze. That was something that was specifically on the do not ask list, per Tony. He never wanted to talk about what happened. His PTSD was getting worse and he wouldn't talk to anyone either.
"Why do the Avengers suddenly need a babysitter? Are you even qualified to handle the Avengers?"
"That's enough!" Steve yelled, standing. Everyone's heads snapped to him and the room went quiet. Cassidy stood and gave a fake smile. "That's all the questions we have time for today, thank you all for coming." She said, heading for the stairs. Once she got around to the back, Tony was the first one to get to her, and he was shaking.
'Tony, it's okay. It's gonna be okay. I'm so sorry. They weren't supposed to ask that. Happy!" She looked around and found him, and he came running over to them. "Get Tony to the car NOW. We all need to get out of here before this turns into more of a circus than it already has."