It was late at night, and almost everyone had already retreated to their own rooms to get some well-needed rest. The tower was quiet, as it usually was at this hour.

But in a well-lit room, one man stood wide awake. With various tools in his hands, tinkering away as AC/DC echoed through the walls of his lab.

"Jarvis, what time is it?" He mumbled, fighting off a yawn. He would stay awake until his body gave in, but that didn't mean he would fight it.

No reply came. Tony paused for a good minute, wondering what went wrong with his A.I companion. "Jarvis?"

"Sir, are you calling for me?" A female voice replied, one that he forgot even existed. He cringed, shaking his head at his mistake. This only happened once or twice, but everytime it did, it broke his heart.

"Yeah, sorry...FRIDAY." Tony replied, "What time is it?"

"It's three thirty five a.m., sir."

Tony nodded, bringing a hand up to his chin to stroke his beard. It was late enough, and he was exhausted. But going to bed meant having to sleep, and sleep always lead to nightmares. Ever since Sokovia, rest never came easy to him. Of course, nobody knew about this. He wasn't planning on telling anyone at all in the first place. But right now, he was regretting it. Maybe he needed help. But would anyone even want to give it to him?

He put his tools down, letting out a heavy sigh as he made up his mind to go back to his room. The man really needed sleep. A low chuckle vibrated in his chest as he realized how absurdly fucked up his life seemed to be. But then again, when was it never?

Tony walked out of his lab, and out into the hallway, heading for the elevator. But then his steps came to a halt when a loud groan sounded, out of the blue.

He turned his head into the direction of the sound, trying to figure out if his imagination got the better of him. But then the groan came again, this time louder. His legs seemed to take a life of their own, as they took slow, but steady strides towards the source.

It turned out to be the 'dragon lady', as Tony had dubbed her. She looked so lonely in her glass cell. He kept quiet, not wanting to bring any attention to his presence.

She groaned again, and Tony could see clearly why she was making such sounds. The young woman was tossing and turning in the little white bed prepared in the cell, her eyes shut tight. The man didn't even need to take another look to know what it was that was bothering her; she was having a nightmare.

He bounced on his heels, knowing full well that what he had in mind was a hundred percent crazy. "FRIDAY, give me a read on her vital signs."

In reality, it only took the A.I a mere five seconds to scan her, but for Tony it felt like a day.

"Her heartbeat has accelerated, the adrenaline levels in her body is spiked, she is breathing rapidly-"

"Wait, FRIDAY, she sounds like she's..."

"According to my readings, it sound like the detainee is experiencing a panic attack or having a nightmare, sir."

He took a deep breath. Am I really going to do this? Tony thought to himself. Countless of times, his sleep was interrupted by the same cause and he always wished he didn't have to be alone. He knew exactly how it felt like, and even though the woman was basically a criminal, she was still human. And God, did Tony know how much it hurt.

Another cry came from the girl, this time more loudly. Tony eyed her more carefully, thinking over his decision once more.

"Yup." He mumbled out loud in reply to the voice inside his head. This was crazy, of course, but when did Tony ever do something that was not? "FRIDAY?"

"Yes, boss?"

"Unlock the cell."

"But-" FRIDAY tried to rationalise.

"Unlock it, FRIDAY."

There was a silent pause, but then he heard the sound of the door clicking open and he didn't even hesitate to walk in.

"Hey, hey." Tony walked over to her bed, putting his hands on her shoulders gently.
"I got you, don't worry I got you." He felt a little weird, like he was invading her space or doing something wrong. Every cell in his body urged him to turn away and walk out the door, but somehow he couldn't obey them.

His soft soothing voice calmed her down enough. Her breathing slowed down and she sort of stopped thrashing around. Tony pat her head carefully, thinking about the times when he was in her place and how badly he needed the comfort he was offering her now.

She looked so fragile. He wondered if he wore the same expression when he was in her place.

It was silent for a while, and Tony watched as her eyes slowly opened. She looked lost for a second, but then her eyes shot up and met with Tony's and all hell broke loose.

Tony sensed it once her eyes widened, but he couldn't prepare himself when she grabbed his arms and flipped him over onto the floor. He groaned in pain, his hands flying to his back, clutching it. But that turned out to be a huge mistake, as the girl's fists cannoned into his chest.

"I wasn't trying t-to hurt you," he managed to croak out, all oxygen gone from his lungs. "Calm the hell down!"

But she paid no mind to his plea. She eyed the room frantically, looking for a way out. Tony yelled out just as her foot made it one step out the door. "Lock it, FRIDAY!"

Friday didn't hesitate to abide Stark's order, but he was a little too late and she was already long gone.

"Fuck!"

—————

I'm out. I'm out? I've escaped my cell with the help of no one other than Iron Man himself, and I don't know if I should thank him for my freedom or go back and kill him for touching my shoulders in my sleep.

Just minutes ago I was back in the Red Room, fighting for my life and begging him to just let me go, let me rest. I was back to feeling vulnerable and useless. That place, and that man, were the only two things I could never face. I could get hit with a dozen bullets and the pain wouldn't sting the same as it did in that hell they call a training room.

I haven't had a nightmare for as long as I can remember. I hate them. I'd do anything to get rid of them if I could. They're always about the Red Room. And God, I wish they were hazy or blurry like most people's memories are, but I remember everything as clear as day. I hate that I have a weakness. And I hate the fact that Stark now knows about it.

The fluorescent lights that glowed lazily above me suddenly turned blood red, and the robot voice I recognised as what Tony called 'FRIDAY' began to announce my escape.

"The detainee has escaped. All available Avengers are needed urgently. This is an emergency!"

That's...tacky.

I then began to scan the room I was in, trying to search for a practical way out. I've got maybe a herd of Avengers heading my way, and I was definitely out of my game.

I ran to what seemed like a door to a stairwell and yanked on it, hard. I expected to find my route to freedom but when I opened the door, I was greeted by a deadly grin.

"You're on our turf, babe."

The last thing I saw was a flash of her red hair as she pulled her arm back and punched me in the face, knocking me out.

I was too drowsy to respond.