Peachy

Behind Closed Doors

Narrator's POV

"Ah!" Tony quickly shot up from his bed, gripping his chest. "Hah..." He panted. He reached for the other side of the bed. Empty. God, his PTSD and anxiety was getting worse by the minute. Tony sighed, putting a hand to his head. All these images of what Timothy could've done to Stephen replayed in his mind. The terrified look on Stephen's face replayed in his mind. He could hear Stephen screaming and calling out his name, those voices echoed in his head. The heartbroken look on Stephen's face when Tony told him he didn't mean anything to him haunted him.

He laid back down, turning his back to the empty side of the bed and facing the wall. He noticed a small bronze bell on his nightstand. He took it and rang it. He waited a while.

Nothing.

He sighed and held the little bell close to his pounding heart.

///0///0

"Ah." Stephen gasped when The Ancient One addressed an open wound on Stephen's shoulder. He was sitting on a bamboo mat with his legs crossed. He wore manila colored harem pants. His feet were bare, and he wasn't wearing a top.

"I'm sorry, Stephen." She said, trying to be more careful. Stephen didn't say anything and waited patiently for The Ancient One to finish

The old temple nurses had bathed him dressed him with bandages and adhesive gauze around his abdomen and chest. They carefully removed the needles in his hands, which were wrapped and covered in bandages, and addressed his black eye.

Hurried footsteps came from the hallway and came into the room. At the door stood a boy not much older than Stephen.

"Wong?" Stephen asked, looking up.

"Stephen." Wong approached him and sat on the mat with Stephen. He looked at him. "You look awful."

Stephen scoffed, smiling. "Thanks."

"What happened to you?" Wong asked. Stephen's smile faded. Wong looked up at The Ancient One, who gave him a gentle smile. "Oh, sorry."

"It's okay." Stephen said, giving the ground a soft smile.

"So, how was the academy?" Wong asked.

"It was alright, I guess." Stephen said, sounding a bit sad.

"Wong, why don't you show Stephen to his room? He needs a lot of rest." The Ancient One said putting some finishing touches on the last of Stephen's bandages.

"I still have my old room?" Stephen asked.

"No one has touched it since you left." Wong told him.

Stephen looked back at The Ancient One. She smiled at him and nodded. "Go on."

Stephen smiled at her. That felt like the first time he had given in a long time and meant it. He stood up, and bowed.

"Come on." Wong said at the door.

Stephen limped his way to the door. Wong was very patient and waited for him.

///0///0

Stephen looked out the windows of the temple as he limped down the hallway toward his room. He saw new faces as well as some old ones. He looked around, everything was the same.

"Nothing's really changed, huh?" Stephen asked. He listened as he heard droplets of water hit the roof of the temple. The smell of nature and wet dirt filled the atmosphere.

"Not one bit." Wong said, taking a key out of thing air and opening a door. "Well, here it is." He said, pushing the door open.

Stephen looked inside. His room looked like he had never left. He stepped inside.

"No one has come here, we'll except for me. I came in to water your bonsai tree, other than that, nothing's been touched." Wong said.

Stephen looked at his little tree on the windowsill. "Thank you so much, Wong." He went over to it and looked at it carefully. "That really means a lot."

"Anytime Strange." Wong stood at the door, smiling. "Would you like me to bring any books to read?" He asked.

"Do you have any comic books?" Stephen asked.

"Comic books?" Wong asked.

"You've never read a comic book?" Stephen asked him. Wong shook his head. "You have to read one. Where's my satchel?" He looked around for it.

"I believe you left it in the infirmary." Wong said.

"Right." Stephen opened a portal and stuck his hand inside. "Ah!" He gasped when he tried to grab the satchel. Wong looked at him. "It's my hands."

"Here. Let me." Wong said, walking over to the portal and taking the satchel.

"In the very first pocket, you should see one." Stephen told him.

Wong opened the first pocket and saw a colored book. "Indiana Jones Adventures." Wong read aloud.

"It's like a book, but it uses drawings and color." Stephen said. Wong flipped through the pages. "That's Indiana Jones." Stephen pointed at a drawing of a man wearing a hat and holding a whip. "He's the protagonist."

"What is it about?" Wong asked.

"Just read it." Stephen told him. "I think you'll like it."

Wong looked up at him. "Thank you, Stephen."

"Mhm." Stephen nodded.

"Would you like me to get you anything else? Something to drink?" Wong asked.

"I'm alright, thank you. I'd just like some silence and rest. That's all."

"As you wish." Wong said, walking to the door. He looked back at Stephen. "It's good to have you back." He said, slowly closing the door.

Stephen's smile faded and his whole atmosphere grew sad and uncolored, the rain outside wasn't helping much. He walked over to his window and watched as the rain and clouds dominated the Himalayas. The sky was gray, and a cold breeze blew in his window. He limped over to his bedside and used a spell to empty out the belonging in his satchel. A small white paper flew out under his bed. The waved his hand to lifted it up, it wasn't paper. It was a purple flower bandaid.

He smiled at it and looked at it for a while. His eyes began to pool with tears, and his face became really hot. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to hold his tears back, and gritted his teeth. He took in a deep breath and let it out. He opened his eyes, sighing, he looked up at the ceiling and blinked a few times. He looked down at the bandaid and opened a drawer with his magic in his nightstand, placing the bandaid in there.

He sighed and laid down on his bed, taking on a spooning position and covering himself up with the wool blanket that was on the bed. He let small tears spill from his eyes.

///0///0

"He's not doing very well." Thor said.

"I know. Tony hasn't been out of his room for hours." Bruce was concerned.

"What?" Thor turned to him. "No, I'm talking about Robert." He told him and pointed at the tank Robert was in. Bruce raised a brow at him and crossed his arms. "Oh yeah...and Tony too." He said.

Bruce looked out of his room and into the hallway, looking at Tony's closed door.