Harold Hogan, former boxer nicknamed Happy cause you rarely see him smile. Of course an ex-boxer was just the typa guy Tony would pick out as his personal bodyguard. [Because it's awesome,] was the initial thought. Partly still is.

Throughout the years and rather quickly Happy became Tony's second closest friend, following Rhodey whom the friendship of went back as far as his time at MIT. Then came Pepper.

Not counting Stan, for a time they were the three most important – and likely only – people in his world.

This hasn't changed.

There were others now but these three, even her, they're more to family…

…Describe the way he feels seeing Happy, someone never that had looked so beat, no less than heartbreaking…

One arm was in a cast, what visible regions were bandaged, be it a tended wound or where surgery had taken place. Cuts cleaned, yellowing bruises some still blue, few still red, face rather swelled. Having been taken off life-support meant at least that his condition was stabilizing.

That mattered to Tony scarcely,

to wonder when or if he'd even wake up…

Wrathful now he's seething partly wishing Killian lived still so he'd take by hand his life in a malignant, most gruesome manner.

Loki had done well of a job at that though from this he gains little satisfaction because here he was, still unconscious, still not there.

Aside Tony puts the bouquet of flowers he knows Happy wouldn't care less for, left for a nurse to vase. Should he awaken whilst Tony's away he needs him to see it, see that he was there and waiting.

And he waits, by his side on a chair, a movie on the tv playing and he comments frequently wishful in thinking maybe he could in fact hear him, wishing it would wake him.

…He hated this, and he hated this place.

He does his best to stay distracted from just how strongly he wanted to leave, an aggravation aimed not specifically at this building but any others alike or as similar in purpose.

It was less the healing people part than it was the opening them up and juggling their organs bit.

[And that fucking smell. Do hospitals use a specific kind of detergent, one that's labeled 'creepy and potent'?

*sighs*

Just a couple more hours.]

…

…

…Then he wakes up.

XXX

Nurses and doctors came and went running tests, asking questions, changing fluids. Tony needed to stay in his line of sight and when at him Happy glanced he has to smile. If he's afraid he doesn't let it show, he won't and Tony knows so without prompt he has to reassure him.

No sooner they're left promised a later checkup, Tony nears him beaming, so unspeakably relieved he'd never know.

On Hogan's mind is one thing that must be addressed. "Tony. Listen. The explo-"

"Hey, I don't want you worrying about that," Tony shakes his head, smiles widely. "We got him."

"Got who?" asked skeptically.

"Killian." Taken by surprise. Tony further explains. "He was behind it all. The explosions, the Mandarin."

"The Mandarin?!"

"It's kind of a long story, bud. Why don't you just rest up-"

"I think I slept well enough, come on, just tell me." Tony sighs reprovingly but it's faked as he's so glad Happy's acting like himself despite it all. He settles back into the chair beside him, speaking rather enthusiastic.

"Okay, so it turns out. The Mandarin's bombings? Killian's experiments gone wrong. He needed someone to take the fall, and that's where the Mandarin came in. An actor, of the sort." He lets Happy take a minute to process.

"…Wow. That is…bizarre."

"Yeah."

"I told you there was something wrong with that guy, Killian." [When was that?] "Fucker was all smug and stuck-up, coming on to Pepper," – […Right,] Tony looks down – "Showing her that freaky brain projection. What does she think now that he's a total whack-job?"

It's probably not the best of times, for either of them really, but he's up and in some hours or tomorrow she'll come and say it herself.

"…I wouldn't really know. Hadn't got the chance to come around to that…given that we broke up." A beat the smirk on Hogan's face falls promptly – it's difficult processing the words just spoken and Tony expects the tone exasperated, maintains a plain face.

"You what?!"

"Yeah."

"Wha-Why? What ha-"

"For a lot of reasons. Most of which you already know, so can we drop it?"

"No! Absolutely not! What did you do-"

"What did I do?!" screamed this now he's leaning forth and what he says comes out compulsively. "I almost died that's what I did. Trying to get the bastard that did this to you." Off guard this catches Happy, self-blame inflected with intent and he looks down from angry browns that then soften and Tony sighs tiredly.

"…Look, I-" {Didn't mean that? But you did. Don't take it back; he ought to know.} Maybe in his mind by sense that was true, and a need to have others open their eyes and think before jumping to accuse him of this and that so eagerly – it was frustrating.

Not so much as it should be, because…"…You want the truth?...I wanted to end it. Long time ago."

At him again Happy looks this time so perplexedly. He's known long on they've had their problems and tensions were always high but enough for Tony to say that? "…Why?"

…It'd have been easier, he thinks sometimes, if she'd never spoken up, if for just one reason they broke up even though adjacent to that one is the facts many that him and her could not have gone on any longer, and funny how that was what he'd first intended bringing up, the principle reason. It'd have been easier even to believe it, if they'd ask and that was all there was to say, to keep what was between him and Loki private, a secret because at least for a time it ought to have been, since they seemed to share a mutual inability to keeping their hands off one another for what time that would've been 'appropriate' after the break up.

[But then she had to go and say what she did,] provoking him into admitting what most would argue was the main reason and maybe it was and he didn't care what was anymore.

Nevertheless when she comes she'll tell him, Happy, [so better he hear it from me. Her version's probably a little exaggerated.] {Mm. And you're all about being low-key.} [Shut up.]

"…You remember Loki?" though he knows where this would go, Happy most certainly doesn't.

…Maybe slightly and now alarmed he is greatly.

"…You mean the maniac that tried to take over the planet?" Really the look on Tony's face was the only requisite in deducing just what he'd be saying and why.

"…That 'maniac', flew out over nine hundred miles trying to save me from Aldrich and his glowing freaks. Risked his life very literally to get me back in one piece – meantime, I come back, and Pepper wants to break up cause my hazardous lifestyle gives her headaches!"

"…Wait…A minute. I'm…You. She broke up with you?"

"No worries," from a face rather abruptly cross to as abruptly one impassive, frigid. He sits back hand waving one smug leg atop the other. "I'd planned on doing the same thing. She just beat me to it." The tone and attitude Happy is not of tolerant, but althemore he's still confused.

"…Wh…Because…Wait, do you have…feelings for Loki?" asked that incredulously, and following a breath of dry laughter Tony speaks what shocks Happy genuinely, what even takes him aback because he hasn't before phrased it in words.

"…I'm in love with him."

"What?" Hogan's swollen eyes widen drastically. "Wh-When?!" brows furrow and a question with double-intent said peeved: "I mean, when did you and Pepper break up?"

"Two days ago," said rather indifferently and Happy's more stumped than to think to be vexed for reasons he was yet to process, still sorting through this information that was so sudden and new.

"Okay, so. And…how long? Has this."

"Longer than I'd first realized." Tony's caught undecided between feeling annoyed or particularly unmoved by the all-too-visible contempt and reproval on people's faces when more often than he thought at first he'd be prompted into breaking the news. [Gosh how many people are left that don't know? How many times do I gotta go through the story?

Does it even matter what I say?]

"Look, Happy," uttered tiredly and again he leans forth. "I could go on explaining, I can try and make you see things my way, see…the person, that throughout the past year I've come to know. You either wouldn't believe me, or you would and still think it's crazy-"

"It is crazy," there's the pending frustration. [Ffs,] Tony rolls his eyes. "We are talking about the same person, right? The God of Lies and Mischief-"

"No. We are not talking about the same person," snapping then again. "I'm talking about the guy that told Fury he's getting on the team one way or the other just so he's fighting by my side. The guy that overuses his magic when it wears him down enough that he's vulnerable just so he can heal me of a couple of bruises. The guy that looks at me when I'm at my very worst and tells me nothing except that he understands."

"Isn't he also the guy that tried to kill you?" [So help me God-] "Not counting that time he was conquering the planet."

"You wanna know what happened that day? We got too close. It freaked him out because he's got major trust issues and I don't know if it's obvious but so do I. He was trying to scare me into admitting that all it was was that I was playing him to get answers, pretending to care, pretending to like him. Then he found out that I wasn't and that was that. If he wanted to kill me, Happy, I'd be dead."

"And doesn't that sound in the least bit concerning to you?"

"What exactly?"

"That…he's a killer Tony." [Oh this is rich.] "Mass-"

"Remind me what I used to do for a living, Hogan."

"That is not even remotely the same thing."

"Oh, it isn't?" getting then to his feet the look on Tony's face is both grim and sinister yet the words that are spoken in them what can only be interpreted as guilt rooted deeply – what he hasn't yet forgiven and what it sounds he never will. "I think the couple thousand people in their graves because of my good-intentioned weapons of mass-destruction, would disagree, along with their friends and families…"

…To that Happy has no words, and it's like there is, it's like there's things to this that he can say but it's Tony's eyes, his voice, his face – left him at a loss for things to say that in any way would this resolve, and Tony gives him not the chance starts walking back towards the door and Happy panics. Then at the threshold Tony stops and looks at him over his shoulder. The way he speaks now and his eyes that have lenified a great deal – he says: "…I'm gonna go find a nurse, see about getting you out of here. And if we can get you a burger or something; you gotta be starving."

…He's irresponsible and he's reckless and stubborn as hell, but he cares, so much and they know – how subtle or sudden it shows – they just forget because it doesn't come out as frequently but when it does, when it shows too well not that he's trying; what's inside that comes out unfiltered the look in his eyes the care in his voice, the things that he'll do. They know the kind of man he is inside and that's what's kept them by his side for so long, what will still what they know, hope, will never change.

"…Tony." He stops a foot out, facing him apprehensive as to what of more scorn and judgement he might hear, instead this time Happy takes him aback saying: "…Thank you…For getting Killian," he certainly wasn't one to get sentimental but he needed Tony to hear and know that he does appreciate what he did.

Tony smiled at him softly, then is smirking and Happy knows he'll say something snarking if not vexing.

"…I didn't. Loki did," then he's left as Happy takes this in, and rolls his eyes.