Forever

Chapter 3: Regret

You find your seat on the panel stage, only to realize that it's right next to Sebastian's. Thankfully, Anthony's seat was to your left, so you sat facing your left, your back to Sebastian. You hear a small grunt from behind, but refuse to turn around, knowing it was most likely Seb trying to get you to look at him. Paul Bettany and Paul Rudd were in front of you, and you decided to catch up with them while the fans were being seated below.

"Oi, Pauls, how are we on this lovely morning?"

Bettany turned around, chuckling as he lowered his glasses to look at you - "Are you trying to mock me, (Y/L/N)? That's not very polite, you know."

Paul turned around, giving Bettany a pat on the back as he said, "Don't give her such a hard time so early in the day, Paul! It's only 9am and I doubt she's had her coffee, am I right, (Y/N)?"

You laugh as you nod your head in agreement – "That's actually true, I still haven't had my coffee! Hey Mackie, wanna go buy me some Dunkin from across the street?"

Mackie shoots you a joking dirty look, and as he's about to say something sassy, as per usual, you hear Sebastian's voice from behind –

"Kevin and I are going to get some coffee right now, if you want to come with us, (Y/N). Or I could bring some back for you – I know how you take it."

You freeze, your back still to Sebastian, not knowing how to respond.

"Actually, I'll go with you, seabass – I know how she takes her coffee too. That okay with you?"

Mackie looks at you as he begins to stand up, and you nod, relieved you didn't have to answer. You can't see Sebastian's reaction, but you can tell he's annoyed as he walks away without waiting for Anthony. You mouth a 'thank you' as Mackie leaves, and as you turn to face the Pauls, you quickly remember not everyone knows about your fallout with Sebastian.

"I'm genuinely shocked you didn't jump at the chance to get coffee with Sebastian, (Y/N). I got the impression the two of you were close, or was I wrong?"

A puzzled look on Bettany's face is all it takes for you to realize the rest of the cast will learn what happened, eventually.

"It's a long story, Paul, but the short version is Sebastian hasn't spoken to or seen me since we wrapped filming in November, making today the first time in over 5 months that we've seen each other."

"Ah. Well, don't worry about him during press time – focus on the fans and the questions, that's why we're all here, right?"

Bettany flashes you a small smile before turning back towards the front. You sigh, trying not to let your anxiety overcome you – an hour long panel, the cast then breaks off into two on one interviews throughout the convention center for about 4 hours with lunch after 2, and then another panel with fans before dinner. You can do this, this isn't your first time, you tell yourself repeatedly as you fidget with your dress and bracelets. Then, out of the corner of your eye, you see the same, shiny, black dress shoes you noticed the first time you ran into Sebastian, so you kept your head down until he passed, and then looked up to see Mackie holding out your coffee.

"Thanks, Falcon."

"No problem, Tigra – hopefully I didn't overdo the sugar."

-

"This is a question for (Y/N) and Tom – and I suppose Chadwick, although he isn't here – how did it feel being asked to bring to life these well-known characters, and did you feel any pressure to do justice for the characters and their origins, even though their stories aren't explored very in-depth in this film?"

Tom looks to you from across the stage, gesturing that you take the lead on this question – he had taken the lead on the last one since you didn't know how to answer. You smiled at him and then looked towards the fan, clearing your throat as you began to answer –

"Well, I can't really speak for Tom or Chad, but when the Russo brothers called me up, I was in the studio working on new songs, and I answer the phone, and I remember Anthony saying, 'Are you alone? I have a huge favor to ask,' and I left the room and just paced around for a good 30 minutes as he explained Tigra and her role in the film and he never even had a chance to ask the actual question because I just kept saying yes every time he paused! I was glad to become a part of the MCU again, this time with a legit character," you glance over at Kevin and the brothers, who are laughing as they reminisce on the two random characters they had you play in Thor: Dark World and Captain America: The First Avenger/The Winter Soldier.

"As to feeling any pressure, I think I did, mainly because Greer Nelson is a strong, respectable woman, and I wanted to portray her as such – I'm still waiting for my Tigra feature movie, Kevin!" 

Fiege, Evans and Downey laugh along with you while Tom begins to give his answer, and suddenly, you feel a tap on your hand - it was Sebastian. Covering his microphone with his hand, he says,

"Maybe Tigra should join in on Weekend at Bucky's, hm?"

You look at him, trying your best not to seem so shocked that your ex-best friend was joking with you, as if he hadn't been ignoring you for the past 5 months.

"What, is it something I said, (Y/N)?"

Sebastian looks at you, confused at your silence, forcing you to cover your microphone and say the first thing that comes to mind -

"We need to talk after this."

Dread begins to consume you, hoping that Sebastian refuses so you can forget about this whole thing once and for all, but - 

"I'll meet you in your dressing room right after, then."

Regret is all you can feel as both you and Sebastian turn to face the audience as they ask another question, and you don't even look at him as he answers a fan's question. All you can think to yourself is, 'What could possibly go wrong?'