Black Star: HYDRA War

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IT takes a grand total of two seconds for someone to shove a microphone in your face. "Miss Stark, you've vanished from the spotlight for over a month! What happened?"

    Over the years, you've developed a formula to craft the paparazzi's perfect responses. For fashion-related questions, you memorize the label on the tag, then regurgitate the name to reporters. For questions related to Tony, give whatever reply necessary to make you seem like a daddy's girl. For questions related to Stark Industries, say they should be asking Tony that since he's in charge of the company. For questions about the Avengers, say you're thankful they're here to protect the people of Earth and that you have the privilege to live with them. For questions about your love life, say you're holding out for the perfect man. Occasionally give sarcastic or funny replies to balance it out. Dodge questions that get too personal by pretending you didn't hear the reporter if possible, and if not, give a witty reply that'll give them a laugh but not the information they were looking for.

    "Lexi Stark, where have you been?"

    Of course, you can't make it too obvious you have a formula, because the paparazzi would spin it to make you look like a bad person. So, you occasionally discard the formula and go with your gut. Some nights, you're in just the right mood to wing it. On others, give only funny replies. Others, intellectual or sweet replies. When all the interviewers basically want to know the same thing — usually if you're dating a certain person or where you've been after a break from the spotlight — you can give the same general answer, with small phrases or words tweaked.

    "Who are you wearing tonight, Lexi Stark?"

    Sometimes, you can tell the interviewer genuinely wants to know the answer, so you give them the genuine answer. Sometimes, you can tell they want to take your answer and spin it to sell some twisted story, so you answer those in a way that makes you seem cute or wholesome or precious, complete with light, girlish giggles, overly sweet smiles, delicate waves, and, of course, hair twirling. Sometimes, you're very passionate about the thing you're being interviewed about, so you let yourself ramble on a little bit longer than normal, but not so long people get annoyed.

    "Lexi, who is the mastermind behind Tony's birthday party tonight?"

    And then there's the aftermath of public appearances. Usually, you feel good about how the interviews went, but every once in a while, you worry you slipped up, and then spend the next week anxiously checking newspaper and magazine headlines. Some nights, you're so exhausted you go straight to bed and fall asleep almost instantly. On your favorite nights, you and Tony are feeling good, so you celebrate when you get home. And sometimes, the paparazzi treats you so badly you can't do anything but lock yourself in your room and cry yourself to sleep. There have even been a few times you haven't even made it home, and the limo driver has to take back alleys and pull up the blackout curtains so no one can plaster photos of you having a mental breakdown on the front of People.

    "Miss Stark, do you have any inside information on the two new Avengers?"

    But tonight is Tony's birthday. Birthdays tend to go well, and usually you let yourself have a little freedom and improvise some or all of your answers. Grinning broadly for the 20 cameras shoved into your face, you lean towards the nearest microphone, and–

    "Lexi! Comments on the theories that you are one of those new Avengers?"

    Shit.

    You decide to answer a question about the designer of your dress to give yourself time to recalculate. Looks like there won't be much improvising tonight. You thought — or rather, hoped — people would've moved past Sokovia so you wouldn't need to answer any of those questions, but you should've known better. It may have faded in the past month, but now that you, the public's darling for getting answers about the Avengers' private lives, are here, all those questions have come rushing back.