Being Brave
Clint does not want to go to the press conference today.
They’re all backstage at the venue, which Tony has booked fully to allow for the anonymity of the Avengers with secret identities. Tony himself is getting his makeup touched up by Pepper, who herself is looking radiant today in a smart, white dress.
Natasha is straightening her hair in front of a mirror, and she’s wearing a velvet black dress and a pair of vinyl red boots that look familiar to Clint, yet he knows he’s never seen her in them before. She’s getting dressed up to go out on a date after the conference, however she’s brought her leather jacket to make her ensemble more TV appropriate.
Bruce stands by the coffee machine, filling up his cup. He doesn’t particularly like media engagements, however he’s here because he likes Matt, and so some of the focus will be pulled towards the famous Dr Banner making an appearance, rather than everything being about Daredevil.
Matt himself has changed into his Daredevil costume. He’s laughing away with Peter, who is similarly dressed in his Spiderman costume. They’ve been spending some time together this week – Clint passed Peter leaving Matt’s apartment the other day, but he hasn’t pried into what’s going on yet.
Kate is sitting beside Clint, fiddling with a loose string on her blouse. This is her first press conference, and she’s understandably nervous about it, despite there likely being no questions for her.
“You okay, Kate?” Clint asks her.
“This shirt is uncomfortable,” Kate says to him, tugging at hem of her blouse. “I feel like I’m dressed up in a costume.”
“Well, at least you’re not wearing a full suit like Matt and Peter,” Clint says, nodding his head over to the two masked vigilantes.
Kate nods, “I suppose. But I just hate dressing like this. It reminds me of all the times my mom wanted me to be something I’m not.”
“It’s only for an hour or so,” Clint replies, patting her on the shoulder. He excuses himself and makes his way over to Matt, who is smiling away with Peter, despite his initial apprehension of the situation.
“You’re all going on in one minute!” a voice calls over the speaker, and Clint sees the expression darken on Matt’s face. He grabs his mask and places it over his face, and Peter does the same.
“You’re going to be great out there,” Clint says to him with a supportive smile, before he remembers that Matt cannot see his expression. He reaches over and squeezes Matt on the arm as a way to reassure him, and Matt smiles slightly at the contact.
Once everyone is ready, they make their way out from the backroom and into the conference room. There are rows and rows of seats filled with various journalists from all over the country, and there are TV cameras positioned strategically to get the best angles. Set up at the front of the room is an elevated, long table for the Avengers to position themselves at, and each Avenger has a placard in front of them with their names printed onto it.
They’d all organised for them to be sat in a certain order, however Clint can see that this has been changed. Therefore Matt won’t know where he’s sitting.
Clint places his hand on Matt’s lower back as they walk towards the stairs. He leans in and whispers, “They’ve changed the seats – I’ll show you where you’re going.”
Matt nods in appreciation and starts climbing. There’s only five or six steps to get into the platform, but Clint keeps a close eye on Matt as he’s been having a few issues with dizziness lately, despite him not wanting to admit it. At one point Matt stumbles slightly, to which Clint quickly grabs his elbow to stabilise him.
Once they’ve reached the platform, Clint quickly guides Matt towards his seat and takes the spot beside him, and Peter circles around to sit on Matt’s right. Tony sits in the middle of the table with Steve beside him, the two figureheads of the Avengers, and the other teammates take their assigned seats without complaint or confusion.
“Good morning, everyone,” Tony says into his little microphone. “I am here to introduce Daredevil as the newest member of the Avengers. We are here to discuss the appointment of Daredevil and answer any questions the people may have regarding this.”
There are some flashes of cameras, which obviously Matt takes no notice of, and then reporters are raising their hands for questions.
“Before we move on, I also had something I needed to say,” Peter says into his mic, and everyone turns to look at him.
Matt doesn’t even pretend to glance his way, and Clint wonders if this was part of what they were discussing earlier. Matt, however, does lean over and place his hand on Peter’s arm, giving him a reassuring squeeze when the boy seems to freeze at the sight of everyone staring at him.
“I’ve seen a lot of discussion online about the diversity of the Avengers lately, especially with us hiring another white man,” Peter says to the crowd, and Clint sees Tony frown at this. “People are wondering where the POC or LGBT representation is, and I thought it was finally time to come out and announce who I truly am. I want to be a role model for people in my community, and I want to show others that people like them can make a difference.” Peter takes in a little breath before pulling something out from under his seat. It’s a flag, with blue and pink and white on it, and Peter lays it out on the table in front of him. “I am Spiderman, and I am a transgender man.”
The cameras flash.
Peter holds up the flag.
Tony looks absolutely stunned, but Clint realises that he must have always known about this. There are shocked faces on nearly every single Avenger. Not wanting to dissuade the younger man, Clint gets to his feet, walks around behind Matt, and pulls Peter into a hug.
“You’re so fucking brave, Peter,” Clint whispers into his ear.
“Thank you, Mr Barton,” Peter replies softly. He steps back from Clint and leans forward, into his mic, “Any questions?”
Nearly every hand in the room is raised.