After Tony finished speaking, the living room fell silent for several seconds.
Lynn leaned back in his chair, set down his cup, and smiled.
"Don't be so serious." His tone was casual, exactly the same as when he haggled with Wong over the dinner menu on the Sanctum's sofa. "Then I won't use it. There's always a way to work things out."
Tony looked at him, his brow still furrowed, clearly not expecting him to get his emotions under control so quickly.
"You sure?"
"Of course. There's an old Chinese saying I think makes a lot of sense. A living man can't let a full bladder be the death of him. There's always a way to work things out."
Lynn pushed his cup aside, laced his hands behind his head, and leaned back. "Oh, right. Since you looked after me for two days, I'll pass on the AI, so you can't accuse me of taking advantage of your predicament. But you can't back out of the house you promised me. If I can't use my ability, I at least need somewhere to retire."
Tony stared at him for two seconds, then snorted, the corners of his mouth finally lifting a little.
"You nearly burned out your own brain, and the first thing you do after learning the truth is push me to hand over your house?"
"Obviously," Lynn said, utterly unabashed. "I need to make sure my retirement's covered. You were the one who sorted out my identity. If I lose the house, I couldn't earn enough to buy it back even if I worked myself to death."
Tony shook his head, stood up, picked up an empty plate from the kitchen island, and tossed it into the sink with a metallic clatter. He didn't bring up the ability again or ask what Lynn planned to do. He simply turned his back to Lynn, turned on the faucet, and rinsed the plate, his voice mingling with the running water. "Fine. You'll still get the house."
Lynn fished his phone out of his pocket. There were two unread messages on the screen. Wong had sent, "Still alive?" and Yinsen had sent, "Tony said you're at his place. How are things?" He replied to both, letting them know he was safe.
After replying, he placed his phone facedown on the table, stood up, and stretched.
"You don't mind me imposing for another day, do you? The mattress in your guest room is really nice. I'm planning to sleep here another night."
"Suit yourself."
Lynn stayed at Tony's place for another day. He had no particular plans, just eating, sleeping, and flipping through Tony's collection of technology magazines on the living room sofa. Halfway through, he realized he couldn't understand most of the contents, so he gave up and switched to watching documentaries JARVIS found for him. Tony spent most of his time in the lab, occasionally coming out to grab a can of soda. Seeing Lynn sprawled on the sofa, he would make his customary jibe-"You're certainly making yourself comfortable"-then return to the lab to keep working.
The following afternoon, Lynn walked to the lab entrance and knocked on the open glass door.
"Tony."
Tony looked up from behind a holographic projection.
"Could you get someone to take me back to the Sanctum?" Lynn said evenly. "The portal fare is too expensive, so, sorry for the trouble."
Tony didn't say much. He shut off the holographic projection, picked up his car keys, and grabbed a jacket from the coat rack as he passed through the living room.
"Let's go."
The silver sports car stopped outside 177A Bleecker Street. Lynn opened the door and got out, then glanced back at Tony. Tony sat in the driver's seat, sunglasses perched on his nose and one hand resting on the steering wheel, his expression unreadable.
"Stop standing around at the door. Go inside. I won't stay. I'm only halfway through optimizing the armor, so I'll head back."
"Okay." Lynn shut the car door.
The sports car's engine faded into the distance. Lynn pushed open the Sanctum's front door, and the familiar scent of sandalwood and old books washed over him. Wong leaned against the second-floor railing with a book in his hand. When he saw Lynn enter, his gaze lingered on him two seconds longer than usual.
"Finally decided to come back?"
"Heh. What's for dinner?" Lynn said.
Wong didn't answer. He lowered his gaze to his book and turned a page.
Yinsen rose from the sofa in the hall, walked over, and patted his shoulder very gently, saying only, "It's good to have you back."
Lynn replied that he was a little tired from having fun over the past two days and would go to his room to rest.
His room was just as he had left it. A window overlooking the street, a wooden bed covered with a thick quilt, and the notebook filled with records of anomalies on the desk. He shut the door. The lock clicked, shutting out both the warm yellow light in the hallway and the sound of Yinsen's footsteps.
Then he leaned against the door and slowly sank to the floor.
The lights were off. Outside, the streetlights cast parallel shadows through the blinds, cutting the floor into neat stripes. He drew up his knees, rested his elbows on them, and bowed his head. It was very quiet. The Sanctum's walls were too thick for the traffic outside to reach him. There was only his own breathing.
"Fuck."
He swore, then swore again. He cursed this world, cursed this ability, cursed whatever had dumped him here. There was no logic or order to it. He was simply pouring out all the frustration bottled up inside him.
When he first transmigrated here, he had gone hungry in the subway station for five days, rummaging through trash cans and drinking restroom water. He had made it through. He had never complained. When the Ancient One came to him, he thought his luck had finally turned. The cafeteria at Kamar-Taj, the thick quilt at the Sanctum, Wong's silence and Yinsen's gentleness-he had found a place in this world he could return to. He had learned magic. He thought he had found his piece of the puzzle.
Then reality told him he wasn't learning magic. He was merely using his ability to imitate its effects. Every imitation consumed his own brain. Everything he had thought was talent came at a cost.
"I really fucking thought..." His voice suddenly broke.
He curled his knees tighter, pressed the back of his hand against his forehead, and his shoulders trembled faintly. Tears fell onto the wooden floor, one drop after another. No one saw them in the darkness.
He couldn't go on. All those curses and grievances, repeated over and over, only brought him back to the same starting point in the end.
In this dazzling, crazy Marvel Universe, with heroes flying all over the sky, he wanted a place of his own. Even if it was only a corner.
The Ancient One had given him a key. He held it in his hand, but before he could open the door, it shattered.
"I can't even open a portal anymore."
He didn't know how much time passed before he finally quieted down.
Lynn closed his eyes and let out a long breath. In the darkness, he heard a car pass in the distance, then quickly fade away. He reached out and felt for the edge of the bed, slowly pulled himself up, and fell onto his back on the mattress. He didn't take off his jacket or pull up the quilt. He simply lay there, staring at the ceiling, watching the light and shadows slowly shift across the wall.