"A Coulson that's actually on time, I'll be damned."

Sasha felt her cheeks turn pink as she held a brave smile, walking through the glass doors with an expensive black clutch bag in her hand, her heels drawing unwanted attention to her as if Tony's announcement hadn't done that enough already.

She'd spent the entirety of Saturday debating whether to text Tony and tell him she couldn't make his party that evening, but when his message came through telling her to be there at seven o'clock and not a minute later, she knew there was no getting out of it - especially after spilling her boring weekend plans the previous night.

Dressed in black leather trousers and a tan blazer, Sasha pulled her dark hair over one shoulder with the twirl of her fingers, letting the curls fall across the left side of her chest. A silver necklace with a Cancer and Capricorn sign engraved on the back hung from her neck, the same design Phil had kept on a keychain. Three rings were scattered across her fingers and a pair of thin, diamond earrings added some sparkle to match the shadow on her eyes.

"Oh my God, Sasha! It's so great to see you!"

Maria Hill was the first to jump up from the couch by the window, abandoning what looked like a large gin and tonic on the table as she rushed over to Sasha, immediately pulling her into a tight embrace.

Like everyone else, Sasha and Maria had known one another through Phil. They'd often spent time together chatting when Phil was running late or the handful of times they'd had dinner with Nick Fury.

Sasha wouldn't have called Maria a close friend, but she was the most familiar face in the room that evening and for that, she was grateful, happy to have a hand to hold in a room full of what were barely less than strangers.

"Tony told me you were coming but I thought you'd be tied up with work, I'm so glad you could make it."

A group of friendly faces were looking over with welcoming smiles, though Sasha was quickly pulled by the hand over to the bar, being able to give nothing but a reciprocated smile back at them.

"You know me, I'd work all the time if I could. Tony convinced me to actually have some fun." Sasha said, shrugging her shoulders with a gentle laugh.

Maria smiled and grabbed a bottle of champagne from behind the bar, pouring a fresh glass for Sasha.

"I'm glad he did, you deserve a break. Come on, let me introduce you."

Perched on the arm of a grey leather sofa, Sasha waved and smiled politely at the rest of the guests as Maria went round introducing each of them to her. She had a vague memory of meeting Natasha Romanoff at Phil's funeral, but apart from that, it was a list of new names and faces to learn.

More guests arrived at the party as the evening went on, though Sasha had remained in the company of the handful of other people sat around a glass coffee table that had slowly become littered with empty champagne flutes and pizza boxes.

"What is it you do for work, Sasha? You didn't want to work for S.H.I.E.L.D?"

Sasha looked across the table as Steve Rogers who was sat with a raised brow and a small smile, his head tilted inquisitively as he kept a hand wrapped around a beer bottle.

"S.H.I.E.L.D would definitely not be for me," Sasha replied with a laugh, shaking her head, "I'm a lawyer here in New York."

"A lawyer, huh? I bet your heels and handbag collection is something close to a girl's dream." Natasha smiled from behind a glass of red wine, sat beside Bruce with one leg crossed over the other.

"Forget the Steve Maddens," Tony scoffed, "You should see her car."

"Why? What car do you drive?" Clint asked.

Sasha rolled her eyes, scowling quickly at Tony who just flashed her a grin as he sipped his whiskey, sat comfortably in an armchair at the end of the table.

"Lamborghini Aventador, matte black."

A mutual mumble of impressed agreement came from everyone on the sofas as Sasha let a small smile cover her face, her shoulders cowered inward slightly.

"Nice, real nice. No wonder Stark's been looking at buying a super car all afternoon, can't deal with someone having something better than him." Bruce laughed, nodding towards Tony.

Sasha's smile curved into a smirk, her eyes narrowing at Tony who's expression turned defensive at the embarrassing admission from his friend.

"Is that true, Tony? You're jealous I have a nicer car than you?"

Tony swallowed as his eyes met Sasha's, her smirk making his face turn hot for a split second as his mind tried to conjure up a witty response.

"I've been wanting a new car for a while now I'll have you know. Don't go spreading rumours, Banner," he said, pointing a finger at his friend, "Who wants a tequila shot?"

It was a little while later when Tony found himself sat on the staircase with Bruce by his side, both of them talking about the meeting the Avengers had held earlier that day while nursing half-empty bottles of beer.

He'd been keeping a watchful eye on Sasha the whole evening, making sure she was never left by herself. Luckily, it seemed like Maria had more than enough gossip to keep her occupied for the majority of the time. When she finally decided to call it a night, it was Steve that wound up at Sasha's side.

The two of them were sat on stools at the bar with a bottle of vintage champagne in an ice bucket between them. They'd been talking for around an hour, Sasha frequently laughing about things Tony was convinced couldn't have been that funny coming from Steve, but it was nice to see her enjoying herself nevertheless.

"What's the deal with Sasha, anyhow? I didn't think you two really knew each other that well?" Bruce asked, leaning his forearms on his thighs as he too turned his attention down to Steve and Sasha.

Tony shook his head, "I don't. I ran into her when I was laying flowers at the cemetery and we just got talking. I felt bad I didn't go to the funeral, turns out she's kinda alone now, no family or anything, you know? She works all the time, too, seems like it was just her and Phil against the world. Now it's just her."

Bruce nodded. He'd only known Phil Coulson for a short time but was overwhelmed with how brave the Agent was, not to mention his fierce heart and unmatched kindness. He knew all too well what being alone was like, but was glad Tony had taken some responsibility in trying to keep Sasha's feet going forward instead of backwards.

"So what, you're just keeping an eye on her, that kind of thing? Does she not have a boyfriend or husband?"

"Nobody. You'd think she would, right? A girl like that, successful, driven, independent. Though most dudes would probably feel emasculated that she drives a better car than them."

"Oh yeah?" Bruce turned to look at Tony with a wide grin, "I knew it. Has the pretty girl with a fast car rattled the Tony Stark?"

"Shut up, Banner," Tony kicked his friend in the shin, "She has not."

Bruce scoffed, shaking his head, "Yeah, right. It doesn't look like you'll have to keep an eye on her for much longer, anyway. Seems like Rogers is doing that for you."

The two men glanced down at the bar beneath them, observing the way Steve had slowly become more tactile with the guest of the hour. He reached behind Sasha to grab another bottle of champagne, leaving his arm draped across the back of her chair, closing the gap between them as they continued their conversation.

It hadn't come as a shock to Tony to see Sasha getting attention that evening, in fact, he'd have been more shocked if nobody had made a move on her. There were countless single guys at the party but Tony felt content in the fact it was Steve by her side and not anybody else, knowing he was perhaps the most respectful out of all the men there.

"You think she likes him?" Bruce asked, narrowing his eyes to try and see better.

Tony pursed his lips, "You want my honest opinion?"

"Don't I always?"

Watching intently as Sasha batted her lashes effortlessly at Steve, Tony smirked, chuckling quietly. Considering that twenty-four hours ago she'd told him she wasn't interested in dating, it seemed like Sasha had Steve Rogers right in the palm of her hand.

Again, it was no surprise. The lawyer in Sasha made it clear that she rarely didn't have things go her own way, and that rule looked like it applied with men, too. She laughed at Steve's jokes and touched his arm, let him pour her more champagne and hold her purse while she went to the bathroom. The girl was doing everything right and to say the least, Tony was impressed.

"That girl is a maneater, Bruce, she'd take us all alive. Cap wouldn't stand a chance."