Tony was sat on the couch with a steaming cup of coffee in his hand when Steve walked into the room. The team had been given a day off but Tony had spent it in the workshop anyway, deciding to finish up in the early evening.

The sun was setting before he left his workshop most days now Fall had dawned on New York, meaning he didn't see too much sunlight since he disappeared downstairs well before the sun came up and stayed down there till after it set, too.

"Hey Tony, how's it going?"

Steve threw himself down onto the couch beside his friend, folding his arms and smiling widely.

"It's going," Tony shrugged, "You? How's things with Coulson?"

Steve rolled his eyes with a quiet laugh, his cheeks blushing ever so slightly at the mention of Sasha. Since they'd met at Tony's party just under a month ago, Steve hadn't been able to get the dark-haired beauty out of his head. From one conversation he was infatuated with her, in awe of the drive and determination she had instilled in her and the intelligence in her words, the kindness in her pale blue eyes.

It helped that she was beautiful too, of course. Steve had been texting Sasha back and forth as much as he could, though work commitments had meant that he'd yet found the right time to ask her on a date, despite wishing he'd done so the second he met her.

Tony hadn't spoken to Sasha in two weeks, the last thing on their iMessage chain was laughing emojis he'd sent in response to a link to a funny video from her saying 'reminded me of you'.

It was a strange feeling for Sasha, scrolling through Facebook one evening and seeing a video and immediately thinking of Tony. The fact she felt comfortable enough to make fun of him was concrete evidence to her that she did in fact have a friend in Tony Stark by that point, and she was certainly glad about it.

Life was fine for Sasha without friends, work took up most of her time anyway, though it was nice to have someone to laugh and joke with like she did with Phil. Although a superhero billionaire might not have been her first choice for a friend, Sasha wasn't exactly spoilt for choice, and as it turned out, Tony was exactly what she needed him to be.

"I want to ask her on a date, you have any ideas?" Steve asked, turning to his friend.

Tony placed his coffee down on the table, looking upwards in thought.

"She likes steak. But don't take her to any of those places round Times Square, go up town. She likes fancy cocktails, champagne, not chain restaurants. Oh and she hates sushi, so if you can't find a steak place, find an Italian instead, don't try and impress her with Thai food or anything like that, she'd just eat it to be polite instead of saying anything."

Steve sat in a stunned silence, his brows raised, "Wow, you know the girl well, don't you?"

Tony bit down on the inside of his cheeks to hold back a smile, "Yeah. I guess I do."

He wasn't aware he'd learned so much about Sasha in their short friendship, but he clearly paid a lot more attention to her that he was inclined to admit. Tony listened to her, enjoying the way she'd smile when she was talking about The Rolling Stones or Led Zeppelin, a glow radiating from her face with every happy memory she recalled from her childhood.

He'd realised that slowly but surely, Sasha had opened up to him. He knew she enjoyed his company, seeing a spark flicker her eyes back into life whenever he walked across the street to meet her. She'd called him a couple more times to meet up for a beer in O'Shea's after she'd had long day at work, to which he was more than happy to attend, though they rarely saw each other apart from that, texting only on occasion.

A shrill tone broke the silence between the two men, Tony reaching forward and picking up his phone from the table.

"Speak of the Devil," he smirked when he saw Sasha's name on his screen, answering the call and holding the phone to his ear, "Coulson, what's up?"

The sound of passing traffic was heavy in the background as Tony furrowed his brows, trying to listen properly.

"Hey Tony, are you busy? I could do with a huge favour."

"Sure, what is it? Are you good?"

"No, not really," Sasha replied, a tremble in her voice that Tony had never heard before, not even when she'd talked about Phil, "I have a flat tyre and I've no idea how to change one, roadside recovery said they'd be two hours at least and I'm stuck on the side of the freeway. Could you help me? Please? I'm just a little panicked and I'm- oh are you kidding me? It's starting to rain, too."

Tony immediately rose to his feet, Steve following him with an inquisitive look on his face, attempting to listen into the conversation but ultimately hearing nothing but traffic noise.

"Sure, send me your location and I'll be there as soon as I can. Oh, and for the love of God, don't get back in the car even though it's raining, alright?"

With a exasperated huff, Sasha agreed, thanking Tony and promising she'd stay stood as far away from the road as possible while she waited.

He ended the call and took an elevator to the top floor, Steve on his heels.

"What is it? Is she alright?"

"She's fine, needs me to change a flat tyre."

"Oh," Steve said, his face falling slightly as he watched Tony switch from sweats and a t-shirt to his red and gold suit in a handful of seconds, a glass door on the side of the tower opening, "Why didn't she call me? I could've helped her."

Tony turned over his shoulder, smirking beneath the mask, "Probably because you didn't text her while you were in Europe, unreliable energy, dude. Anyway, later Rogers."

It took Tony less than ten minutes to find Sasha, laughing to himself quietly as he saw her stood with what he assumed was an expensive blazer over her head to keep her hair dry, her lips pulled down into a miserable frown.

She almost jumped from her skin when he landed with a thud a few feet away from her, a shocked and equally disgusted expression on her face as the suit disappeared, leaving him in his oil-stained sweats once again.

"I thought the superhero thing was for emergencies only." Sasha shouted over the sound of the traffic, her cheeks red with embarrassment as passing cars slowed down to stare for brief moments.

"This is an emergency, your Louboutin's are getting wet. Let me take a look at this."

Sasha held back a smile and tossed Tony the keys, standing back as he rummaged around in the trunk. Although her father had never shown her how to change a tyre, he had told her to always keep the necessary tools in her car just incase.

Despite being a generally cool, calm and collected person, the minor incident that evening had shaken Sasha more than she imagined it would. She wasn't sure whether it was the feeling of helplessness on the side of the freeway that scared her, or the fact that she felt truly alone for the first time, not having the one person she was always used to depending on being available to call.

Tony was the first person that came to mind after her roadside recovery company said they wouldn't be able to get to her for two hours, knowing that a deep-rooted anxiety wouldn't have been able to let her cope waiting for that long. Luckily, Tony didn't let her down.

Within ten minutes he had changed the tyre and the two of them were heading back down the freeway into New York City, an uncomfortable silence between them that hadn't been there before. Sasha usually always had something to say, and Tony was always happy to listen to whatever strange and wonderful topic she brought up, though that time, he could sense an uneasy feeling from her as she drove them both home.

"Thank you, Tony. You've been such a great help."

Sasha grabbed her purse from the trunk of the car, locking it as they headed onto the street after parking the car in the garage of her apartment building, Tony insisting he was more than happy to walk home now the rain had stopped.

"No need to thank me, I said I was always around if you need anything, remember?"

He smiled warmly at her and she smiled back, though he instantly noticed the tearful look in her eyes and the way her lips weren't quite as curved as they were when she gave him a genuine smile.

She stood before him in a matching beige pant suit and black high heels, her dark hair still slightly damp from the rain that had seeped through the blazer, her lipstick worn off from the day, leaving a pale red stain behind. She looked beautiful, she always did, but for the first time since they'd met, Tony saw Sasha looking sad.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

He watched her bottom lip quiver at the question, relaxing his shoulders with a deep exhale as his face fell into a sympathetic frown, "It's alright, come here."

On the side street beside her building away from the busy main road, Tony took Sasha by the hand and pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly against his chest. He felt her instantly crumble as he held her, her arms wrapped meekly around his torso with her head buried into the crook of his neck, the perfume that clung to her skin and hair smelled strongly of vanilla, fresh flowers and musk.

"I'm sorry," she said when she eventually let go of him, attempting to dry her eyes with the pads of her fingers, "I just, it was the first time I've needed Phil and he wasn't here, I just felt so lost, so alone. I felt helpless, even though it was something so small, how stupid is that?"

"No," Tony said quietly, shaking his head, "It's not stupid, it makes perfect sense. Grief comes in waves, different shapes and sizes, and we never know when they're gonna hit, alright? But it's important you remember that you're not alone, ever. You need a friend, a drinking partner, a personal mechanic, I'm a phone call away, always."

Sasha nodded with a weary smile, flinging her arms around him once more. Tony hugged her back, not all too used to the feeling of being embraced by anybody, but enjoying the feeling all the same. He liked how it felt to be needed by somebody, getting a rush out of being able to help and protect someone on a personal level. Of course, he loved saving cities and even countries, but the feeling of pure relief and thanks he felt from Sasha as she squeezed him was something he hoped he'd never have to let go of.

"Thank you, Tony. You've no idea how much I appreciate you, seriously."

He smiled at her, nodding once as she headed towards her building, her face now dry of any tears and her lips turned into a gleaming smile that did reach her eyes that time.

"I've got your back, Coulson."