Another reporter tried to interject, but Natasha cut them off. "You don't trust us? Fine. But ask yourself this: without us, who else do you have?"
The room fell silent again. Hawkeye, sitting quietly in the corner, finally spoke up. "You want guarantees? You already have one. Look outside—Earth is still here. We didn't do that by accident."
Tony crossed his arms, addressing the room one last time. "We're not here to be loved or celebrated. We're here to keep this world spinning. You don't have to like us, but you damn well better understand that without us, there wouldn't be anything left to argue about."
The tension in the room was palpable, but no one dared to speak. The Avengers had made their point, and for now, it seemed enough to end the debate.
As the press conference concluded, the reporters reluctantly dispersed, their questions left hanging in the air. Tony and the others regrouped, stepping away from the podium.
"That went well," Natasha muttered sarcastically as she crossed her arms, her sharp eyes scanning the room for any lingering onlookers.
"It could've been worse," Clint replied, shrugging. "At least no one threw a shoe at us."
Tony smirked, his usual cocky demeanor returning. "What can I say? I'm a people person."
Rhodes sighed, his tone more serious. "They're scared, and they have every right to be. Aliens, superheroes, nukes—it's a lot to process. They need reassurance."
"And we gave them that," Tony shot back. "Sort of."
"Sort of isn't good enough," Steve's voice cut through the group as he walked in, his expression stern. "We need to do better. It's not just about saving lives—it's about earning trust."
Tony raised an eyebrow, his smirk fading slightly. "And how do you suggest we do that, Cap? Hold a bake sale? Maybe hand out autographs?"
"By showing them who we are," Steve said firmly. "Not just what we can do, but why we do it."
Natasha tilted her head, considering his words. "He's not wrong. The more they see us as people and not just weapons, the better."
Tony groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Fine. I'll consider your little PR campaign. But don't expect me to wear a cardigan and kiss babies."
Rhodes chuckled, clapping Tony on the shoulder. "Small steps, Stark. Small steps."
As the group began to disperse, Dave entered the room, his calm demeanor drawing their attention. "You all handled that well enough," he said with a faint smirk. "But don't get too comfortable. The world may be quiet now, but it won't stay that way for long."
Tony turned to him, a curious expression on his face. "You got something on your mind, Dave?"
"Just a feeling," Dave replied cryptically. "There's always another storm brewing."
Clint nodded, his gaze distant. "And when it comes, we'll be ready."
"I guess the little power is going over your head," Dave said, his tone cold as he lifted Clint off the ground, choking him with ease. The others watched, tense, with Cap's hand already poised to fire if things escalated.
"This little power means nothing. Don't let it get to your head," Dave said, his voice unwavering as he held Clint in place, his grip tight. He released Clint only after a moment, dropping him to the ground.
Clint coughed, glaring at Dave, but he didn't retaliate. Instead, he clenched his fists, still breathing heavily.
Tony, who had been silent during the standoff, finally broke the silence as he leaned against the car, hands on the door. "Don't mind him, Clint. We've seen plenty of people gain power and start acting differently. He's just helping you... in his own way."
Dave ignored the comment, turning to head toward the car. Clint, still a bit rattled but proud as ever, gave Tony a sharp nod and joined him in the vehicle.
As Tony started the engine and pulled out of the area, he glanced at Clint. "I get it, Clint. You're proud, but don't let it get in the way of the bigger picture."
Clint nodded as Tony drove the car away.
"What about the scepter and the Tesseract cube?" Black Widow suddenly asked, as Captain America replied, "I was just about to ask him, but who knows if he has it or not?" he said.
"We all saw Thor take Loki right after. Maybe he took the scepter too. And Dave ended up creating a massive explosion when he detonated it. That explosion was so powerful, it wiped out the top two floors of Stark Tower, maybe even the Cube was lost along with it," Captain America added, glancing at Black Widow.
"You sure are being lenient now," she said, eyeing him carefully.
Captain America chuckled. "Given his power, I don't think he needs to lie to us. He can just show up and put his middle finger in our faces when we ask for these things back," he said, leaning back in his seat.
"But the World Council wants his sword; they see it as a symbol of power, something to oppose tyrants," Clint said, his voice thoughtful. Captain America let out a deep sigh, finally letting go of the conversation.
"Let it go and ask yourself, but do you dare?" he said as he hopped off his bike and headed off.
Rhodes, Clint, and Natasha watched as Captain America walked off, and Rhodes spoke up. "Well, I'm leaving too. See you guys," he said, before hopping into his own car.
"Just for the record, we asked Dave for his sword, and he politely declined," Clint said with a smirk as he hopped into his car. Black Widow nodded, settling into the passenger seat.
"Well, let's enjoy our vacation while we can," she said, her tone light.
Clint gave a brief nod, and with that, they drove off, leaving the building behind them.
Everyone went off to do their work, enjoying their leisure time while the world simmered over the interview. The media was divided into three parts: one group claimed that the heroes were hiding the true secrets of their power, another argued that they were simply here to help, and the third, though smaller, said we should be grateful for them.
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