Something Stupid

Bad Shrimp

Narrator's POV

"Urgh... ARGH! I can't go on, I just-"

There was a splatter sound.

"Pep..."

More splatter sounds.

"Pepper."

"Oh, get up." Pepper said, standing at the doorway of a bathroom with her arms crossed. "It was one bad shrimp, Tony."

"I seriously think that guy was onto me. I looked at him, and I could just tell he was onto me. He put something in my shrimp." Tony said, getting up and leaning weakly against the doorway with a hand to his stomach. "I wouldn't go in there." He said, going over to the bed in the room.

"I have wo-"

"I think..." He said, flopping on the bed. "I think you should I leave. I'm not up for anything. Cancel my plans today."

"You have no p-"

"Oh yeah, I have no plans. I'm dead." Tony said, sighing against the sheets. "God, I never knew being dead was so exhausting."

"I have-"

"Just. Leave me." Tony said, flopping his arm around. "I'm staying in today."

"Dr. Strange seems to be doing better." Pepper said.

That caught Tony's attention. He sat up and looked at Pepper. "Tell me everything."

"I thought you wanted me to leave." Pepper said.

"No, no. Stephen, how is he?" Tony asked.

"He's doing well. Very well now." Pepper said. "He's taking Captain for walks, and working on his garden."

"Garden? He has a garden?" Tony shook his head. "No, Pepper wait. Is he...has he..." He swallowed. "Replaced me?" He whispered.

"Replaced you?" She asked.

"You know." Tony shrugged. "Do you know if he's...seeing someone? Maybe going out with another?"

"Oh yeah. I think I saw him out with a nurse from his work place once." She said.

Tony gasped. "No." He said. "Tell me more."

"Anyway, his garden... It a beautiful garden." Pepper said. "He's got roses, petunias, tulips. Oh! He's growing vegetables and fruits. He gave me a melon, and I tell you it was delicious. Wonderful garden, really."

"No, no. Tell me about Stephen. How is he? Who's this nurse?" Tony asked.

"He's good." Pepper said.

"No, really. How is he?"

"He's..." Pepper sighed. "He misses you, Tony." She said. "He puts on a smile and happy face for the public, but we have our talks on the back porch, sitting in his rocking chairs and eating cookies with lemonade, you can hear the sadness in his voice when he talks. Sometimes I bring you up, and it saddens him even when he says it's best this way." She said.

Tony looked down at his shoes, sighing.

Pepper looked at him. "Tony, do you think this was the best idea?"

"I had to do it." Tony said. "It was the only way to keep him safe." He walked toward a glass sliding door.

"Tony, if you could see him like I-"

"It's for the best Pepper." Tony said.

"But Tony-"

"Pepper, I'm a target wherever I go." Tony said. "The only way to keep him safe was by disappearing. I had to do what I did." Tony sighed. "As much as it broke him, it had to be done."

"So you're okay with this? With lying to him? With hurting him?" Pepper asked.

"Of course not." Tony said. "But there was no other way. At least now, he's safe." He said, looking out of the glass door to the ocean. He saw a black car pull to the hotel. "Oh, Happy's here for you."

"Yes. I'm seeing Dr. Strange today. He's making homemade blueberry tarts." She said. "With blueberries he's growing in his garden. Maybe I'll save you one."

"Hm." Tony looked back at her, giving her a side smile.

///0///0

>knock< >knock<

"Oh. That must be Pepper." Stephen said, mixing some stuff in a bowl and looking down at Captain.

Captain barked.

"Won't you let her in?" Stephen asked him, motioning his head to the door.

Captain barked and ran to the door, pulling on a chew toy the shape of a bone that was attached to a rope on the doorknob, opening the door. He barked once the door had opened.

"Oh." Pepper smiled. "Thank you Captain."

Captain barked, running in circles around her.

Stephen walked to them, still carrying the bowl and mixer. He was wearing a white button up shirt, which head rolled the sleeves up to his elbow creases along with some black office pants and shiny black shoes. He wore an olive green colored apron with a small bunch of flowers sewn at the sternum. "He's happy to see you." Stephen said.

Pepper smiled. "I can tell." She said.

"Come in. Tarts are in being made right now, sorry. I had to work a little later this morning."

"That's fine." Pepper said, coming in and closing the door.

///0///0

"And over there, I'm gonna plant some bell peppers." Stephen said, pointing at an area in the garden. "Maybe some tomatoes."

Pepper nodded, listening. She took a sip of the lemonade.

"Yeah." Stephen sighed.

"How've you been?" Pepper asked him.

"I've been better." Stephen said. "Today was suppose to be our year and a half." Stephen said. He shrugged. "It's alright." He took a drink of his lemonade.

"Oh." Pepper said. "Have you thought about playing the dating game again?" She asked.

"No. Not really." Stephen said.

"How about that woman you took out for dinner?"

"Oh, Cynthia." Stephen smiled. "I only took her out to make up for the time she wanted to take me out for dinner, but Tony walked in." He chuckled. "You should've seen her face. She was so heartbroken." He said. "I felt bad. So I took her out."

"Oh." Pepper aaid.

"I don't really look into relationships all that much." Stephen said. "I'm okay just being me." He said.

Captain barked.

Stephen chuckled. "Well, and Captain." He said. "And cloak. We're okay." He said, looking at Pepper with a smile.

Pepper smiled at him. She was happy to see him like this, but in the back of her mind sat the truth about Tony.

Everyday, every time she saw Stephen, she wanted to tell him so badly; but she thought about what Tony had said.

How it was better this way.

This way Stephen was safe.

"Glad to heat it." She said, sipping on some lemonade. She noticed a small daisy planted in an empty bird bath. "And that little daisy, what's its story?" She asked pointing at it.

"Oh." Stephen said, looking at the daisy. "It's a daisy I grew from a seed that I showed Tony when I suggested we start our own family." He said. "It symbolizes a new beginning, growth." He smiled, but that smile quickly faded. "I planted it there, above all the others, in memory of Tony." He said.

Pepper's heart ached, for her hurt friend. "It looks nice." She said. "I'm sure he'd love it if he were here."

"Yeah." Stephen said.

The two looked out at the garden.