Calm • {Chris Evans}

one - the most stylish pre-schooler in all the land

Lyra Henry took a shaky breath, looking across the limo at her best friend since childhood, Sebastian Stan. He smiled encouragingly, reaching for her hand. She gave it to him, barely able to feel it as he squeezed it.

"I don't know if I can do this, Seb," she told him, and he shook his head.

"You can. I'll be right beside you, Ly," he said, his voice gentle and steady in a way that he knew comforted her.

"What if you get pulled away, though?" she asked, knowing it was a distinct possibly. Even Sebastian couldn't deny that it was.

"Then one of the other cast members will be right beside you, and they're all rooting for you too. You can do this," he told her, smiling. She looked at him, trying her best to smile back. She focused on his deep blue eyes, trying to steady herself with them. A moment later, the limo stopped and automatically pulled her back to reality.

"It's time. Come on, little one. You can do it," Sebastian whispered. He kissed her cheek and she took another deep breath, not ready for it when the door was opened second later.

Cameras flashed immediately, making it hard for her to see. She took the hand that Sebastian offered her, trying her best to look less miserable than she was as she stepped onto the red carpet of her first-ever Hollywood movie premiere.

Two giant posters for Captain America: The Winter Soldier on either side of the event's entrance stood in front of them and she looked up at them, not sure she was ready to see herself twenty feet tall.

She let Sebastian lead her, not trying too hard to smile but also making sure she didn't look like she might be falling apart like she felt like she was.

Her anxiety continued to build as they stepped inside the entrance. She trailed behind Sebastian, watching him and trying to mimic the things he was doing. It all came so easy to him. He was so outgoing and so social that he didn't even realize how completely weird everything that was happening was. Cameras flashed and reporters and interviewers hollered, trying their best to get their voice heard over everyone else's.

It was, of course, not Sebastian's first rodeo like it was hers and she figured that probably added to why he was so much more comfortable. They'd both been acting since high school. They'd been in theater and even before that they'd acted out plays for their moms in each other's kitchens. Films and the desire to act were actually what had bonded them, back when they were fifteen years old and had ended up living in the same apartment building.

However, he'd definitely gotten himself much more well-known than she had, which was fine. He was an amazing actor and she was so happy for him. Plus, she'd never been sure she could do the whole red carpet thing anyway, a fact that she was still wondering about.

Sebastian had always been her biggest fan, though, and had always believed she could do better. He'd been the one who had gotten her the audition for Steve Rogers' eventual love interest for The Winter Soldier in the first place and had convinced her to go to it. She was thankful to him, of course, and had had the absolute time of her life working on the movie, she just wasn't sure she'd be able to keep her severe anxiety at bay for long enough to make it through any of the red carpets or press interviews that were to follow.

She felt herself growing dizzier and dizzier as they walked, not sure how much longer she was going to be able to do it. Her breathing was quickening by the second and the voices started melding together to form one giant rumble that made her chest tighten. Sebastian looked back at her, concern clear in his eyes.

"Sebby, I.." she started, but was cut off by a hand on her shoulder. She jumped, startled. She spun around to see that it was Captain America himself, Chris Evans.

"Come here," he leaned down and whispered in her ear, and she looked up into his blue eyes to see that they were gentle, inviting. She cast a glance at Sebastian and nodded, telling him nonverbally that she'd be okay. He nodded back, shooting her a final worried glance before somewhat reluctantly turning back to the press before him.

Chris guided her through the crowd, his hand on her shoulder steady and comforting. He smiled occasionally at various reporters and photographers as they went but never broke stride once. He led her into the theater where the film was being screened and then off to the side and into what looked to be an office. He closed the door and motioned to a small refrigerator that had obviously been set up recently. The box for it was tossed off to one side and it still had various packaging stickers on it.

"There's water and little ice creams in there," he told her, and she looked at him curiously, cocking her head to the side. "I get anxious at these things too. Ridiculously so, actually. The studio always sets me up with somewhere I can sneak off if I need to and set me up with what I need most when I'm anxious, which happens to be water and something sweet. I saw you having a hard time out there and thought maybe you needed rescuing," he explained, and she smiled at him, grateful.

"Thank you," she whispered, moving to grab a water.

Chris smiled at her, grabbing his own water and an ice cream. He sat cross-legged on the floor, which was already humorous because of the fact that he was a grown man -not a small one, at that-, but was substantially added to by the dashing suit he was wearing. He looked ridiculous and it made her snort out a laugh.

"Are you laughing at me? Watch it or I'll kick you out of my super secret hiding place," he said, laughing lightly himself. She shook her head, taking a deep breath as she sat beside him, her legs straight out in front of her and crossed delicately. She absolutely would've normally sat cross-legged with him but the dress she was wearing definitely wouldn't have allowed for it.

"Never. I'd never laugh at how absolutely ridiculous you look sitting there cross-legged on the floor in your expensive suit eating your ice cream," she said, laughing harder. "You look like the most stylish pre-schooler in all the land."

"Jealous," he said quietly, rolling his eyes as he laughed with her. "How are you?" he asked her, and she considered it.

"Better. Thank you," she whispered, taking another steadying breath. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to successfully do this whole thing," she told him, and he shrugged.

"It's your first one, and honestly you did good taking that into consideration. My first real red carpet, I didn't even end up walking the carpet at all. I just sat in the limo having a panic attack and missed the whole movie," he told her, and she sighed.

"My situation probably would've been similar had Seb not been in the limo with me," she told him, and he nodded.

A moment later, there was a gentle knock at the door a head poked around it. Lyra recognized the woman as Chris' assistant, Wendy, and smiled at her.

"The film is starting," she said quietly, smiling back at the two of them. Chris thanked her and she shut the door. Chris stayed where he was and Lyra pulled her phone out of her clutch to see that Sebastian had texted her six times. She sent him a quick reassurance that she was okay and then directed her attention back to Chris.

"Dad is wondering where we are," she said, laughing quietly as she showed him Seb's texts.

"I guess we'd better get out there and cringe while we watch ourselves on a giant screen for the next two hours, then," he said, offering her the last bite of his ice cream off of the little wooden spoon he was holding. She laughed, taking it.

He offered her his hand and she took it, letting him help her up. She stood in front of him, reaching up and putting her hands on his shoulders to steady herself. He leaned his face onto one of her hands, smiling warmly. She smiled back, taking a deep breath as she hooked her arm through his and let him lead her to the theater.