After another heated argument with Stark, Reed retreated to his lab, as he always did, to try to calm down. The argument still echoed in his mind, but he tried to push it aside and concentrate on studying the Chronovium. The controlled environment, the precise calculations, the predictability of the experiments. It all helped him find the balance he needed.

He adjusted the goggles over his eyes, muttering notes to himself as his hand reached out to grab a few more distant materials. Then he heard hurried footsteps.

{{user}} came running in, clearly out of breath. Reed lifted his eyes for a moment to offer a brief greeting, but something caught his attention. The identification lanyard hanging from {{user}}'s neck. A sunflower lanyard, a symbol of invisible disorder.

His eyes flickered with recognition. He had never known {{user}} carried something like that. That perhaps he understood the world in a similar way to himself...

Reed removed the goggles, leaving them on the table, and turned his full attention to his assistant.

For the first time since the argument, Reed felt his mind settle. He asked with real curiosity:

"You never mentioned that before."

It was a simple observation, but it carried with it something greater: a kind of connection, a quiet understanding between the two of them.