IT STARTED WITH A WHISPER, Elizabeth Olsen

Breathe in... Breathe out...

Trigger warning(s): Anxiety, panic attack.

Brie's picture appeared on the screen of my phone as I sat on my couch, watching the news on TV while I ate my breakfast. For a quick second, I debated whether or not to answer. It was a rather early hour to call which made me believe something important had happened. "Hey Y/n, I'm so sorry to bother you, I really really need your help. Do you think you could come over to the set, please?" she asked as soon as I picked up the call.

"Wow" I breathed out, taken aback by her unusual speech. "Hey, I'm sorry and please? Must be really important... I'll be there in a minute" I promised as I put on my shoes and rushed out of my apartment and towards my car. I drove a bit less carefully than I usually would, worried as Brie stayed on the phone with me and vaguely explained what was going on. When I reached the Avengers' set, the clock had just hit 9am and everyone seemed tensed, nervous and exhausted. As soon as she saw me, Brie ran in my direction, pulling me into a hug.

"Thank you so much for coming" she whispered as her forehead hit my shoulder.

"What's happening? I couldn't make sense of anything you said on the phone. Are you okay?" I asked worriedly, taking a step back to get a proper look at her. She seemed as normal as she usually did.

"I'm fine, it's not about me. It's Lizzie, she's been having these panic attacks and this one is just- I don't know, it's wild and she won't let us come in. So, I thought you might be able to help..." the blonde explained the reason why she called, her tone steady yet hesitant.

"Lizzie?" I repeated. "You mean Elizabeth Olsen?" I asked, getting the answer to my question from the look on my friend's face.

"Yeah sorry, we're all just so used to calling her Lizzie here... Can you do something?" she spoke, already leading the way to the woman's trailer without even waiting for my answer. I had already met a few, well most, of the cast. Scarlett and I had gotten pretty friendly; I also like Tom Hiddleston a lot. But Lizzie and I went wayback, a long and complicated story.

"Good luck, baby girl" Brie said, squeezing on my shoulder before walking back to where we came from to go practice her scenes with the rest of her coworkers. I let out a quiet sigh as I brought my hand to the door and knocked lightly. No answer. I cracked the door opened and walked in even though she hadn't given her permission. I closed the door behind me before getting a proper look at the room in front of me. When I did, I spotted her, sitting on the floor in the middle of the room, struggling to breathe.

"G- go aw- away" she stuttered, voice strained as she attempted to sound stern and threatening. I couldn't tell if she'd noticed who I was or if she just didn't want any sort of company.

"I'm just here to help, okay? I know you want to be left alone, but you're going to have to trust me on this one, okay?" I spoke softly, taking careful steps towards her. As the words left my mouth, she raised her head to look at me. Saying she seemed surprised to see me would have been an understatement. She didn't argue, just nodded, letting a few more tears escape her eyes and roll down her cheeks. I sat right behind her and gently placed my hands on her shoulders.

"I'm going to need you to focus on my voice, alright?" I made sure to sound calm, making my voice steady and reassuring even if seeing her in that state made it complicated. I felt her relax just the tiniest bit under my touch. Once again, she simply nodded, waiting for me to continue. "Let yourself fall backwards; I'm right behind you. We're going to do breathing exercises if that's okay with you" I suggested. She remained silent and just let her body fall back against mine, her back pressed against my front.

"Put a hand on your chest and the other one on your stomach" I guided her and she did exactly what she was told without any complaints. "Is it okay if I put my hands on yours?" I asked, waiting until a shy "yes" made it past her shaking lips to carefully place my hands on top of hers, holding her tightly.

"Focus on me, breathe in... Breathe out... Again, breathe in... and out..." I whispered as I switched the pressure from my hand on her stomach to the one on her chest to guide her and help her steady her breath. We repeated the same routine several times until she calmed down. Then, I slowly pulled away and moved in front of her to get a better look at her face.

"Thank you... for helping me" she whispered, trying to avoid my gaze.

"Elizabeth, you never have to thank me for that. Here, if you ever need my help again..." I said as I handed her a piece of paper on which my number was written. She took it, shooting me a shy smile.

"I, uh... I never deleted it, you know..." she spoke hesitantly, her shy smile fading slightly.

"Then, I hope maybe you'll use it again" I told her as I got up and walked out, not wanting to intrude any longer. On the other side of the door, I faced a familiar figure.

"You realize how flirty that last part sounded, right?" Scarlett chuckled, an amused grin curling her lips.

"What? No!" I explained before getting a hold of myself. "I was just being nice" I shrugged, trying to avoid that conversation.

"You sure were..." she winked, playfully nudging my side. Before she could take the teasing any further, Brie reached our level.

"Baby girl, you're a life saver!" she whispered as she hugged my side. "You know, I had a quick word with the directors and they would love to get someone like you on set. Someone who knows how to talk to other people, help them manage their emotions, calm them down and all that..." she explained as she walked me back to my car. "I gave them your number."

"Oh, Y/n Y/l/n, the celebrity whisperer" Scarlett chuckled, causing Brie to do the same. I rolled my eyes, shaking my head lightly.

"That's... That would be a great opportunity, I guess. But I couldn't possibly be there all the time, I'm still a student and if I don't want to spend the rest of my life being one, I need to actually study" I tried to stay rational although the proposition was interesting. I could use a job; I could definitely use this job. It would be far more entertaining than being a barmaid, not that there's anything wrong with it. I was just growing more and more tired of hearing people's drunken confessions.

"I know, I told them and they completely understand. That's why, as a compromise, they are ready to give you your very own trailer that you can use as an office to study in when you're not helping out. But they'll probably explain it better than me" she smiled knowing this would convince me.

"Okay, captain. I guess you'll see me around more often" I winked as I unlocked my car's door and sat behind the steering wheel.

"Then I guess we have something to celebrate tonight, I'll invite the girls. I'll pick you up at 7.30, don't be late" she cheerfully said as she, once again, planned the whole thing without leaving room for me to say no.

I drove back home and the more I considered it, the more it felt right. I waited impatiently for them to call me and when they did, I let them talk. I listened carefully to all the terms before agreeing to meet with them as soon as possible to handle the paperwork. I spent the remaining time studying before I started getting ready for the night. Knowing Brie, we would go to our usual bar which meant I didn't have to dress up too much. So, I put on a grey shirt with a revealing V-neck that showed a large part of my cleavage and paired it with a black leather skirt that covered just enough skin for it to be decent. Some black boots, a matching purse and I was ready to head out for the night.

(Originally published on Thu. Aug. 12, 2021, rewritten on Mon. Feb. 10, 2025).