"Damn! Why isn't this guy Allen here yet? He didn't forget the time we agreed on, did he?"
Staring at the pitch-black grocery store before him, Tony Stark, who had been waiting for nearly half an hour, instinctively pulled out his phone and prepared to dial one of the emergency contact numbers.
He had never been particularly patient.
And usually, others were the ones waiting for him. This was the first time he had ever been stood up himself.
Just as his finger was about to press down, the grocery store suddenly lit up, and the closed door swung open.
"Sorry, I just made a trip to Kamar-Taj and ended up talking with the Sorcerer Supreme a little longer than I meant to."
Although Allen said he was sorry, there was not the slightest hint of apology on his face as he stood casually in the doorway.
In truth, he had deliberately made Iron Man wait another half hour while he hid nearby and watched with amusement as the other man grew increasingly frustrated.
Fortunately, Tony Stark did not notice the fleeting mockery in Allen's eyes and asked curiously, "You went to see the Sorcerer Supreme? What did you talk about?"
"We discussed time," Allen answered with a shrug.
"Time?!"
The moment Tony heard that word, he froze.
He simply could not understand why two men who might be the strongest mages among humanity had gotten together not to discuss mysteries or magic, but such an incredibly complex and tangled subject as time.
Allen smiled and nodded. "That's right, time. This conversation gave me a great deal of insight, and I gained a new understanding of the relationship between time and the universe. Anyway, you're not interested in that topic, so hurry inside and pick out what you want. Trust