Lamborghini | Tony Stark

FIFTY SIX - TABLES TURNED

"I can't do this, I have to go out there, I have to-"

"Would you sit down? Please, your pacing is making me dizzy."

Happy was sat with his head in his hands while Sasha irritatingly paced back and forth. The two of them were somewhere underground, though Sasha didn't really have any concept of where she actually was since she was convinced the tunnels beneath the Stark Tower led to every corner of New York City.

Tony had instructed Happy to not let Sasha out of his sight and while that seemed like a simple request on the surface, what Happy wasn't prepared to deal with was her continuous vocalisation of stress and worry, asking to leave their safe room every five seconds with the intention of wandering right into the path of destruction - exactly the opposite of what Tony had told them to do.

"How are you so calm? I don't understand, Happy. I can't sit, I can't even stand still, I feel like I'm being eaten alive stuck in here without any idea whether Tony's alive or not."

"You will be eaten alive if I let you go out there," Happy grumbled, shaking his head, "And for the record, I'm not calm. I hate this just as much as you do but in this type of situation, Tony knows best, as much as it pains me to say it."

Sasha sighed and eventually slumped down onto the floor beside Happy. She pulled her knees up to her chest and rest her head back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling as she wallowed in what felt like was a premature loss.

Sasha knew Happy was right, Tony did know best. They were as safe as they could get in New York and while it sounded crazy to even think about walking away from that safe haven, the way Sasha felt her nerves being severed one by one as the seconds ticked by slowly started to rationalise even the craziest of thoughts.

"I'm sorry," Sasha said softly, turning to look at Happy, "I'm still not used to all of this."

His expression warmed and compassion filled his gaze as he looked at the young woman. Happy thought he could feel her pain first hand, though he knew deep down that however worried about Tony he was, Sasha's concern was a thousand times greater.

He had witnessed Tony fall in love when he was convinced that the superhero lived in a world where for him, that didn't exist. Happy was thrilled for his boss and even more overjoyed that the woman to capture his heart was Sasha, seeing first hand just how good the two of them were for each other.

Happy had seen Tony lust after women and money, fight for the sake of fighting and losing just because he could afford to, though he'd never seen desire fill his dark eyes until they landed on her.

To Tony, desire wasn't designer clothes and fast motors, nor was it money or gold. If desire was something tangible, it was by no doubt Sasha Coulson.

"I'm sorry too," Happy said, offering her an apologetic smile, "I worry about him too, I worry about all of them, but the only way we can help is by staying here. If Tony knows we're safe and sound down here, that's one less thing for him to worry about."

Sasha nodded solemnly, accepting that there was less than nothing she could do to get the nightmare over with faster. And while she thought she might get used to the idea of Tony having to put his life on the line to save the world, watching him leave without knowing if he'd come back only hurt more each time.

Happy watched as Sasha retreated into a mind full of dangerous thoughts. Her eyes glazed over and she rest her chin in her hands, swallowing hard as a low rumble shook the walls.

"Hey, come here."

With a wave of his hand, Happy beckoned Sasha to him. He opened his arm and she lay against his shoulder, sniffling quietly as she wiped away a couple of stray tears from her cheeks. Still wrapped in Steve's blazer, Sasha pulled the sleeves over her hands and tugged the lapels tighter over her body, sighing loudly as she closed her eyes.