Narrator's POV

"Look at you Stark." Tony told his reflection in the bathroom mirror.

It was 2:41 am.

This was his fourth night without sleep and without him.

He didn't notice how lonely he was until he had lost his wizard. Christ, he had been talking to the walls in his room for four days now and he was running out of ideas to keep himself distracted from the pain. Bruce and Thor had knocked at his door many times throughout those four days, he never opened the door to them. He saw no reason to. He wanted nothing to do with the outside world, but food had run out two days ago.

Hunger, oh what a paralytic.

Tony splashed his face with water and dried it up. He looked at his reflection once more. He popped two pills in and swallowed them without water.

What the hell are you doing?

"So people won't see right through me." Tony said to himself before putting some sun glasses on and smiling at his reflection. "Time to seize the fucking day."

///0///0

"Hah!" Stephen pushed his opponent, twice his size, with a spell to the ground.

"Hasn't lost his fierceness, huh?" Laughed Mordo.

"Not one bit." The Ancient One said, fanning her self with a paper fan as she watched Stephen train.

Stephen helped his opponent up, and they bowed together before his opponent parted. Stephen looked over at her and Mordo.

The Ancient One folded her fan as Stephen approached.

"Stephen Strange." Mordo smiled at him.

"Mordo." Stephen smiled, hugging him.

Mordo laughed. "Haven't seen you in while." Mordo patted his back.

"Yes, he's been away at the academy." The Ancient One said. "Mordo, would you excuse us?"

"Of course." Mordo bowed and left the two.

"What's-"

"Walk with me, Stephen." The Ancient One said, turning her back to Stephen and walking. Stephen followed.

They came into the gardens. Oh, how Stephen had missed them. They were so beautiful. They bloomed with screaming colors of flowers. The trees were green and full of birds singing. Vines draped from them with little purple flowers that twisted around them. It was just amazing.

Stephen took in a deep breath, taking in the smell of the flowers and nature around him. He smiled and let it out. A butterfly fluttered around him. He followed it with his eyes.

The gentle creature landed on a bush. Stephen reached for it, and suddenly the bush exploded with butterflies, flying all around him. He laughed as the butterflies swarmed around him, fluttering at him with their wings.

"Stephen, come on." The Ancient One said as she walked to the garden terrace.

"Coming." Stephen said, covered in butterflies. He gently brushed the butterflies off his body and ran to her side. "What are we?-uh!" He grunted when he felt the Ancient One tugged him back. "Ah!" He gasped once he realized he was on the ledge of the terrace. He backed up slowly. "Thank you."

"Sit." She said, pointing her fan at a concrete bench to her side. Stephen went over to the bench and sat. He waited patiently for further instructions. "Do you remember when I brought you here for the first time?" She asked with her back to Stephen as she looked over the Himalayas, opening her fan and fanning herself.

"Yes." Stephen said, looking down at his hands.

"You were suffering." She said.

"Yes." Stephen said.

"Not only physically, but also spiritually." She continued. "Your soul was in pain...agony. You were broken." She continued, Stephen was quiet and listened. "Just like you are now."

"Hm?" Stephen picked his head up.

"Tell me what's hurting you."

"No, no, no. I-"

"Stephen." She folded her fan.

Stephen sighed. "I just can't get over what happened at the academy. It keeps replaying in my mind. It keeps me awake at night." He explained.

"Hm." The Ancient One turned to him and stood in front of him. "I want you to close your eyes."

"No. Please, I don't want to do this again." Stephen shook his head. "When I close my eyes, I feel like I'm still in that room."

"Stephen, trust me." She said, looking him in the eye. "I promise if you dive in too deep, I will get you out. I will be right here." She put a hand over Stephen's hand.

Stephen looked down at her hand, then up at her. He took in a deep breath and nodded. He closed his eyes and felt The Ancient One's index finger and her middle finger against his head in between his eyebrows.

"Now, tell me what you see. Tell me what you hear and feel." She said.

He took in a deep breath and let it out, shakily. "I can feel....the tight ropes around my ankles. The sting...the needles, I can still feel them.
I can see him, he's right there."

"It's okay, Stephen. He can't hurt you." The Ancient One reassured him.

"He's looking for something." Stephen's expression grew worried and frightened. "He has a mallet. He's coming for me." He gripped the concrete bench tightly.

"Stephen, it's alright." Her voice echoed in his head.

Stephen could see Timothy walking toward him, carrying a mallet with him. "He's asking me something, but I can't hear him. He's shouting at me. He's-" Stephen stopped.

The clouds in the sky began to swarm around them and the wind picked up, blowing leaves and debris around them.

"Stephen." The Ancient One said.

Stephen was quiet, with his eye tightly closed. "No! No!" He shook his head. "Stop!"

A large log flew toward The Ancient One. She opened her fan and cut the log right down the middle, gasping. She scoffed and looked at Stephen. "Stephen." She said. "Stephen!" She shook him. She noticed a glow coming from Stephen's arm. He lifted the sleeve up and saw a red glow branching up Stephen's arm. She gasped and looked up at him. "Stephen."

"Stop!" He yelped. His breath quickened. "Help! No!"

The Ancient One pulled away and made symbols with her hands and fingers. She pushed a green aurora toward Stephen, pushing him off the bench.

Stephen opened his eyes. "Tony..." Everything around him moved in slow motion. His vision became blurry, and he felt a loud thud in his ears as he hit the ground. His eyes were getting heavier. He saw a yellow robe in front of him before everything went black.

///0///0

"What about the suit?" Bruce asked, picking up at chest plate from Tony's desk. He looked over at Tony, who was laying on the bed.

"I've given up on it." Tony said with a hand behind his head, the other messing with a lollipop stick in his mouth, and his legs crossed over each other as he laid on the bed. He didn't even bother to take his shoes off. "Don't see a reason to finish it anymore."

"But it was your legacy." Bruce said, looking at all of Tony's projects and ideas on his desk.

"Well, not anymore." Tony said, throwing the lollipop stick across the room.

"Man, I would've loved seeing this fly around the world." Bruce said, smiling down at the helmet.

"Mhm."

"South America, France, Africa." Bruce listed the places. Tony rolled his eyes. "India. Oh, could you just imagine going over the Himalayas? How much fun would that be?"

Tony sat up and looked at Bruce. "Wait, what did you say?"

"How much would traveling around the world be?" Bruce said.

"No. Before that." Tony said.

"Going to the Himalayas?" Bruce said.

Tony thought for a moment. His face lit up. "Yes. Yes!" He jumped off the bed and ran toward the closet. He began to dig in it like a dog after a bone.

"Tony?" Bruce asked, extremely confused.

Tony took out a hiking backpack and searched through it. He took out a map and searched it, whispering something. "Aha!" He jumped up in happiness.

"What?" Bruce asked.

Tony looked up at him with a huge smile. "Thank you for the idea." He hugged Bruce.

"You're welcome?" Bruce said, confused as hell.