heard your name in every love song {Ben Hardy}

8. don't follow me, you'll end up in my arms

Five weeks into filming and the production team announces that you're all going to be attending Comic Con, and that there's going to be a panel, and a trailer comprised of what footage they've already gotten. Actually, you've known for longer than that, but that's only because there had been rumours all over Twitter about it, so it's nice to have it confirmed. You're about a third of the way through filming, so it's a considerable amount, but it also feels like not a lot.

"I've never been on a Comic Con panel before," the plane is booked out for just the cast and crew attending, and it's kind of hard to wrap your head around. You work for Marvel, sure, but you'd never considered what that meant.

"It's kind of exciting; it still doesn't feel real," Alexandra, beside you, agrees.

The flight is mercifully short compared to you took from England, and something about the air smells like sunshine when you step off the plane and are quickly ushered into the waiting cars. The hotel is a few blocks from the contention center, a flat grey skyscraper overlooking the ocean, and you're told on the way there that you'll be sharing rooms. It's no big deal, you've been paired with Alexandra in a spacious room with two double beds and an ensuite with an entire bathtub, and you're pretty sure it's nicer than your room back in Canada.

When you arrive on Friday, the convention's already been in full swing for a day and a half, and you spend most of Friday afternoon on your bed watching panels that have already happened.

"I can't decide if I just wanna hang out here and order room service for dinner," Alexandra sighs from where she's laying horizontally across her own bed and scrolling through Twitter.

"We should take advantage of the city, right?" You respond with a slight frown, getting up from where you'd been draped on your own bed. Alexandra makes a noise at that, but doesn't otherwise respond out loud, "you've been here before, haven't you?" You ask, opening your luggage.

"I've been around here, but not here here," Alexandra explains, just as your phone gets a notification.

[anyone know a good place to grab dinner?] Alexandra had messaged the cast group chat, and only a moment later there's a response.

[no idea but im down to go explore] Evan messages back, and you throw your phone back onto the bed as it dings again.

"We're meeting downstairs in an hour," Alexandra informs you helpfully, before stretching, getting to her feet, and heading into the bathroom for a shower.

Most of your clothes were back in Montreal, since you were only due to be in San Diego for about three days; Friday, Saturday, Sunday. They've brought a stylist in for your panel appearance, so all you needed to do was bring casual clothes. Jeans, shirts, the occasional sweater, though you're pretty sure you wouldn't need it as it was coming into Summer. You've even brought a nice dress, in case you go somewhere warranting more than jeans or shorts. But for now casual's fine.

You shower after Alexandra, and the pair of you spend ten minutes in the lobby of the hotel once you're ready, waiting for everyone else who was interested to join you. It's only a small group, yourself, Alexandra, Evan, Kodi, Lana, and eventually Ben, who comes jogging from the elevator three minutes after you send [final call. If ur now down here we're leaving without you].

The moment you see Ben, your expression lights up, and your phone goes off.

Oscar's sent a photo from the convention; he'd arrived a few days ago since he had other franchise commitments, but you kind of forgot, in the moment, that that franchise was Star Wars. It was the green room, possibly after a panel, Carrie Fisher was vaping and talking to a beautiful woman who you recognize immediately from the new Star Wars trailer as the lead. You're pretty sure her name is Daisy.