About a week ago, I pulled an alternative concept for 'Misery' out of thin air for the sake of putting a caption on an Instagram post. After some discussion, I started putting it to paper. As hard as I tried, I couldn't get it to flow together as well as I would have liked (for a one-shot), but I promise this version is much better than the first draft I started xD

Tony carried Angela up to bed, her ankle rapidly swelling thanks to not only her fall, but his clumsiness climbing up the stairs. When he set her down, he looked her over, making sure it was only a sprain.

"I don't think it's broken, but do you want a doctor to look at it?"

"No," she answered. "I'm sure it will be fine in a few days."

"We'll keep an eye on it," Tony said, patting her knee before standing up. "Stay put. I'll bring up some ice. Later I'll bring your dinner up. I'll make something special for you."

Jaw clenched, Angela nodded. Once he was gone, she fell back against the pillows.

She was even more trapped now. As if he wasn't smothering her enough before, she'd be hard-pressed to get a moment alone as he played caretaker. He was overbearing whenever anyone was sick or hurt, but given his recent attitude toward her, she was sure she'd suffocate.

More food. More attention. More affection. More… Tony.

. . .

"Brownies fresh from the oven," Tony hummed as he peaked his head through the door. "Something to cheer you up."

Forcing a smile, Angela said, "Thank you, but I'm fine. You've done plenty."

"Still, it was a long day," he said as he sat by her feet. "I thought you might want a treat."

"They look delicious." She started reaching for one but then resisted. "Oh, I shouldn't. I don't need any more of my pants ripping."

Tony stifled a chuckle. "Well, they're here if you change your mind." He set the plate down on the nightstand. "Let's see how that ankle is doing." He turned back to her feet and started to undo the bandage.

Angela stopped him. "No, Tony. It's fine, really. Really, you've done more than enough for me. It's your turn to rest."

His demeanor changing suddenly, he said in a shy and low voice, "Speaking of rest… I've been thinkin' it might be good for the two of us to get away this weekend."

Nervously, she replied, "Oh?"

"Maybe up to the mountains? Vermont… New Hampshire…"

Biting her lip, she said, "I don't know, Tony. We've never gone away together. I mean, not as a couple. And the last time we tried…"

"It was a disaster."

She had to laugh. "To put it lightly."

"I was thinking more of it as a chance to talk," he admitted, hoping he was hiding his embarrassment.

"All that way just to talk?" she questioned.

He cleared his throat. "I, uh, had a chat with Mona."

Her breath caught. Once she let it out, he tipped her head back against the headboard. "Why do I confide in her? I never learn!"

Pulling her up, he said, "I'm glad she told me. I just wish you could've come to me yourself. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

Crossing her arms, she scoffed, "So, I suppose she mentioned the 'cold fish' thing."

Tony shrugged. "I guess if you wanna clean it up, yeah."

"Great."

He took her hand. "That's what she told me, but I don't necessarily believe her."

Raising an eyebrow, Angela questioned, "You don't?"

"Of course not. Reserved, maybe, but who can blame you in this fishbowl we live in."

She nodded. "You were wise to want to keep us a secret for a while."

"That's why I think it would be good to get away. No pressure, or anything. I swear, I'm not trying to push. We can get separate rooms if you'd like."

After the day she'd had, Angela couldn't believe she was considering this. However, the impulsive Tony appeared to have pulled back. Right now, he felt more like her friend again rather than her boyfriend. If this version of him stayed, she could handle it.

"I don't think that's necessary," she said after a minute. "It would be nice to get away."

Tony smiled. "Yeah?"

She nodded again.

"We can drive up on Friday. I only have a morning class so we could get up there by dinner time."

"Sounds wonderful." Looking at her wrapped foot, she said, "I don't think I'll make it to the office anyway. Hopefully by then I'll be able to walk on it."

With a guilty look in his eyes, he said, "I'm sorry about that, too."

"Mother told you…"

"You were running away from me."

Her own look of guilt crossing her face, she said as she squeezed the hand that was still holding hers, "Tony, I'm—"

He cut her off. "You don't need to apologize. I know I go overboard sometimes. It was showing up at your office with a camera that pushed you over the edge, wasn't it?"

Sinking her head into her shoulders, she replied, "Let's just say it'll be a while before I stop hearing you referred to as Zeus."

Tony shook his head. "I really made an idiot out of myself."

"No—" she started to say, but on his look, said, "Well… maybe we need to come up with a warning phrase for when I'm in a room full of people."

He half-smiled, but couldn't find the amusement yet.

"I'll call and book a hotel tomorrow," she finished, keeping her voice light.

"Okay," he said, squeezing her knee as he stood. "Wherever you want to go is fine with me."

He was already walking to the door when Angela asked, "Don't I get a kiss goodnight?"

"Oh," was all he said when he turned around. Back at her side, he leaned down and gave her lips a quick peck.

Her fingertips grazed his hip as he turned again. She didn't say more, though she wanted to, unable to face the hurt look in his eyes any longer. He shut the door behind him, leaving her alone with her apology brownies. Picking up the plate and plopping it down on her lap, she decided the diet could start tomorrow.

. . .

Until Friday, Tony maintained his distance from Angela aside from bringing her meals and replacing ice bags. Every time she broached a conversation, he made an excuse to leave. Eventually, she gave up. She wasn't sure if this was some attempt to prove a point or not, but after every interaction, she dreaded the trip a bit more.

Dread might have been too strong a word. She was nervous. It was the same kind of nervousness she felt the first time they attempted to get a hotel room, granted, the intentions of that night were slightly different. Their relationship wasn't as new anymore. Still, going away was different than stealing a moment alone at home. Those jitters on top of the awkwardness of the past couple of days, she wasn't sure what to expect from their getaway.

"You're sure you're feeling well enough to travel?" Tony asked as he watched Angela struggle down the stairs that afternoon.

"I've been in bed for two and a half days. I'm going."

Reaching his hand out, he helped her down the last step. "All right, then." He picked up both of their bags. "Let's get a move on."

. . .

Though Angela had hoped to settle things on the ride up, much of the drive was quiet. Tony's face was void of evident emotions. He didn't look hurt nor angry, but he didn't look happy either. Every time she opened her mouth to speak, nothing came out. For the first time since their romantic relationship began, she wondered if they'd made the right decision. They'd always been able to talk through things. If the conversation was difficult, they pouted or stumbled over their words and got pushed on. Shouldn't that ability be greater now? Instead, she was scared to say anything for fear she'd damage things between them permanently. That alone was a problem, never mind what they needed to discuss. It overwhelmed her.

Tony had similar thoughts, his silence the result of wondering where Angela stood. She hadn't been overjoyed by the notion of this trip, though that had been somewhat expected given his talk with Mona. He knew she felt guilty and had tried to talk about things. Each time he panicked, afraid to hear the worst. It felt safer having the conversation away from home. At least there would be no interruptions – he hoped. So help him if the AC was busted here, too.

They reached their Green Mountains resort later in the evening than they had initially hoped. Dinner became their first focus, barely making it to the dining room before they closed for the night. Neither could complain of the rush as it was the most normal moment they'd spent together all week. Angela joked about her limp, giving Tony the opportunity to make a grand and heroic scene where he swept her off her feet and brought her safely to their table. The waitstaff rolled their eyes, alleviating more of the tension between the two of them as they fell back into a comfortable banter.

Alas, the diffusion was short-lived. Going back upstairs to their room, they were well aware that there were things to be settled before the night went on. Unpacking their suitcases and making a run to the ice machine could only stall things for so long.

"Here's a bag for your ankle," Tony said, handing Angela the ice as he sat in the seat across from her. "You should be elevating it after the long car ride."

"It's feeling better. Not swollen anymore, at least not like it was."

Taking her foot and resting it on his knee, he ran his hand gently over the bandage. "Still good to keep it up when you can."

She nodded.

"I, ah, guess I should apologize again."

"You don't need to," Angela replied, feeling a mix of relief and trepidation now that they were here. "It was my own fault."

"But it was the result of my smothering you. Sam's been getting on me about that for years… I thought it was just a teenage thing."

Leaning forward in order to reach and take his hand, she said, "My reaction wasn't only because of you. I think a lot of what I've been feeling is… I don't know, I guess insecurity."

"Oh?"

"We've waited so long for each other," she explained, "and I can't help but feel like expectations have been built. I'm afraid I'm going to let you down. You're so open and affectionate. I've never been in a relationship like this. And after years of keeping a certain distance, I'm not sure how to handle it."

Tony sighed. "I guess I sort of sensed that but took it personally."

"What do you mean?"

"You made it clear at the carnival that you were tired of waiting for me. I shouldn't have been as surprised as I was, especially after the trip to Washington and all we went through when we had to give Billy back to his grandmother."

Angela pursed her lips and looked down.

He went on. "I made some mistakes that night. No – I made a lot of them. And I've made mistakes throughout our entire confused relationship. Now that things are clear between us, I've wanted to make it up to you. And then I started to worry that you were still upset with me. Believe me, when I pictured the day I finally told you I love you, yelling it at you in a swan boat never entered my mind."

Meeting his eyes again, she smirked.

"So, I thought your being more 'aloof' was because of me. Then I tried harder. Obviously, all that did was drive you further away."

She slid her foot off his knee in order to shift closer. "Oh, Tony, please don't think for a second that I'm trying to push you away. I'm not angry. Despite what happened this week, I'm happier than I've ever been in my life. You know I love you. I can't deny that night in the carnival wasn't the profession I'd dreamed of, but I still wouldn't trade it for even my best fantasy. It was real. That's all I want."

"I can see then why stalking you at work was off-putting, then…"

"It wasn't just that," she admitted. "It was everything leading up to it, too. I love spending time with you, but sometimes I need some quiet time to myself to process my day or figure out something for work. Even just being home is enough. As much as I enjoy going out, I also miss spending the night in. We haven't really done that since we got together. Not just the two of us. We did all that while we were just friends, though I think it's safe to say aloud now there was always something more there. Regardless, I don't want to lose the friendship we've built the last seven years to make room for our romantic relationship. We should be building on it rather than replacing it, and it feels like that's been what's happening. Look at us… all of this because we were too afraid to tell each other the truth. When was the last time that happened?"

Tony shook his head. "I don't remember."

"Honesty is more important now than ever."

"And I know that. But knowing it is easier than doing it."

"Believe me, I know."

"I'll try to tone it down," he said after a few seconds. "I got over-excited. It's just so great after all these years finally being able to show you how much I love you."

Angela smiled. "It's wonderful. And most of the time I do enjoy the attention." Standing up, she moved onto his lap. "Please, don't think because I'm not good at asserting myself the way you do that means I don't care as much. What we have now… it's all I've wanted for so long. Sometimes it feels surreal."

Securing his arms around her waist, Tony said, "Like how now we can be all alone in the mountains of Vermont? Same room and no one sleeping on the floor?"

"Exactly." Dipping her head down, she captured his lips for a teasing second.

He let out a soft moan. "Do you forgive me?"

"As long as you forgive me."

He leaned in for another kiss. "There's nothing to forgive."

"I hurt your feelings. I hate seeing your sad eyes."

With a playful shrug of his shoulder, he said, "What can I say, I'm a sensitive guy."

She chuckled as she kissed him a third time, which he deepened within seconds. She didn't pull back to speak again, holding onto him tightly as his hands moved up her back. They stayed this way a while before Angela moved her hands to his chest.

When she started undoing the buttons of his shirt, Tony pulled back the slightest bit, a glint in his eye. "Mmm, the volcano of passion erupts!"

Her jaw dropped as she picked her head up. As hard as she tried to be appalled, she ended up laughing in response. "Mother!"

Tony stroked her cheek with his thumb. "Lucky for me that one is the more accurate of the two adjectives used."

"Well," she hummed as she sunk down against the arm of the seat, tilting her head to kiss his neck, "Mother doesn't need to know everything…"