Day 8.
Things were only getting worse as Tony has used almost all his remaining energy to try and plan the next attempt. It was so bad that everyone was in agreement to kick him out of the lab until he could recover. So there the playboy was, walking around the park in a closet thrown disguise. Pepper kept blowing up his phone asking why the hell he wasn't helping her with the company, meanwhile Happy would check up on him occasionally.
Stark had tried to protest, after all, the lab was his safe blanket for when the weather was rainy, but he was easily overpowered due to lack of sleep. The park was noisy and not a good place to relax. Children screamed from the playground equipment as dogs barked and whined in the field section of the property. Even if his brain struggled to block out the racket, his heart reminded him of small dates he and Quentin had gone on in this very location. He stopped and stared at a tree.
It must have been nearly fifty years old. The branches appeared weaker than they were three years ago. He remembered it well. All too well. The two had purchased a cup or two of ice cream from the portable stand before sitting on that very branch to eat it. The one with eyes of blue had gotten a brain freeze and fell to the floor from lack of balance. His secretive boyfriend, at that time, had to slip down to help him up without laughing in his face.
The sunlight was supposed to help cheer Tony up. The warm glow giving him a sense of warm. But it felt like a blizzard. The snow getting closer and closer to him before its coldness will eventually swallow him whole. Memories of Quentin stung, just like they had decades ago.
He must have looked like an insane person for how long he stared at that ancient tree. Eventually, he moved on when the playboy noticed people staring at him. Not that he was embarrassed or anything, he just didn't want people to look at him too long and notice the iconic goatee on his perfect face. Silent tears prickled his brown doe eyes as each step he took made things worse. His brain imagining footsteps next to him, but not just any footsteps. Quentin's footsteps.
It was crazy to think how he denied that he and Beck were something special all those years ago. What friend recognizes the sound of a person's footsteps? Not only that, but the heaviness to those footsteps. The print of those footsteps. Don't think being able to point to dirt and going 'yep, that's him.' is a normal heterosexual activity.
As he came closer and closer to the exit of the park, he stopped to gaze at the water fountain that sat beautifully in the middle of the trail. Another memory triggering when he saw one of the benches. Only this time, it was when life was a tad less chaotic. He and Quentin were young adults who were taking a break from the mess that the company had found itself in. All felt right when they tossed coins in the water with small wishes.
Love was blind. Tony was blind. Thinking back to that day, he could recall how many times Quentin had looked over at him before tossing his share of pennies. God, Tony had wished for such stupid things, it made him sick remembering how greedy and selfish he used to be. Though, Stark was 99% sure that if he asked the other man present about that day, about what he had wished for... he was sure to answer-
"You."
Oh, Quentin~... I am so sorry for how I treated you. You didn't deserve it.
You know, this small memory reminded Tony of a song. He had never thought about it when time was present. In case the public didn't know, thee Tony Stark was quite a swifite. Personal friends with the singer, in fact. He had no idea how he didn't put two and two together sooner, but this moment, that had felt like it was ripped right out of a story book... it had serious The 1 energy.
Finally, he had exited the park. Even if the man was off the property, the memories followed. It was a weird type of mourning. Quentin wasn't dead, at least he hoped not. That was another thing that kept him on edge. That small piece of information that Friday had given him on the very first day.
"Time is frozen inside the prison and the overall item is unusable unless the victim is unsealed *or they kill themselves.*"
What if he was stressing over nothing?? What if he did unseal the realm, only to find that Quentin had been dead the whole time?? Was all of this for nothing? Was he wasting his time? Would he truly never see his beloved again?
His crisis was interrupted by the small bark of a puppy in the glass window. It had brought the Avenger back to reality. Tony hadn't realized he was walking the whole time he was lost in thought. His heart brought him to a local shelter. And guess what? It was another memory that he had with Quentin. In fact, it was the same day as the tree branch date.
The park was his idea, while the shelter visit was Quentin's. Wow, he really did love Tony. A man allergic to cats took his secretive boyfriend to a place that had the felines everywhere because it made him happy. He had to appreciate Beck's love more. He took him for granted all those years ago and even in 2028 he deserved so much more. Furthermore, he had failed him constantly.
The first thing Tony would do when he sees that glorious blue-eyed man again, is wrap his arms around the man's waist and not let go. Express how sorry he had been in the past, how much he made the man go through for no reason. Tony had thought it before, but he'd think it again because dammit, if there was one thing he was good at... it was blaming himself. He should be the one in that box.
Tony tried playing with kittens, cat hair all over his hoodie like a hurricane of cats had hit him... but he just couldn't feel joy. Even small furry creatures couldn't save him from the snow swallowing him whole. No.. only a shovel could do that. And Quentin was the shovel.
Fury better give him the Prison Realm before Tony Stark does something destructive.