timewasting | OPEN POST 2020.

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OPEN POST 2020.

【my ❝CALL ME OUT❞ post】
get my ass in gear.

♛ here is my muselist.
♛ post "calling" one of them out — you can do so by putting their name in the subject line!
♛ can be informal/formal/comment spam/crosscanon/explicit/whatever tickles your fancy!
♛ feel free to make up a scenario at the start, or wait to see where things go.

meme code.

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[ the voice sounds . . . vaguely familiar, and as tony opens the door, it reveals the hallway of avengers tower. still nobody there, though, but the illusion continues. a perfect replica of tony's memory. ]

Not much.

[ after a moment, as he turns back to narrow his eyes, looking around the room. ]

I've cornered the market on cool toys for the boys, sorry you didn't get the invite. This is nice, though. A perfect replica.

[ he can at least be honest, as he slides his hands into his pockets, frowning to himself. ]

So either you've been to Avengers Tower, or you're in my head.

[ judging from tony's tone, it had better be the former. ]

Where I'm from, I am an Avenger and you're just a memory.

[Was it a lie? A real multiverse? With Beck, it could be anything. Maybe he doesn't even really know the truth himself, in his delusional ego.]

As for your 'cool toys', as you put it, you may put your name and your endless cash on them but are they really your creations? Or did you just be dismissive of the possibilities when it suited your own ends?

[ he arches his eyebrows at that little nugget of information; the multiverse is something that's theoretically possible, but . . . tony shelves that for now, instead focusing on the next piece of information.

they hadn't really known where this illusion tech came from. natasha had surmised that it seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, rumors on the dark web of someone building something magnificent. and tony himself had looked over the files, determining that it looked exceptionally similar to the dream tech he had tinkered around with, but the project had been shelved.

too dangerous. too easy to manipulate. not really needed, for the avengers. next.

but there hadn't been any evidence of stark industries theft. however: ]

So when did I piss in your Cheerios?

[ a bit shrewdly, as he pulled up his sleeve to look at his watch, tapping a few buttons. preparing his suit for activation, just in case. if this person was inside his head, he needed to get out of here before anything more dangerous or deadly showed up. ]

It's difficult to pinpoint, isn't it? When you've hurt so many people.

But I'm hurt you don't remember me.

[He sounds more like he's fuming, rather than hurt. Repressed mocking anger.]

You're no hero.

But when I'm done? People will see who the real hero is.

[And now hovering toward Tony is Mysterio in full costume, including helmet obscuring his face. Another illusion, for now. But the voice seems to be coming from the figure.]

[ the dig at hurting people causes his jaw to clench slightly, because that part is definitely true. but tony keeps that to himself as the illusion shifts, and . . . this thing appears.

the suit is kind of cool. the helmet looks like a fish bowl. overall, a solid C for effort. but tony keeps that to himself, fixated instead on whether he knows this person.

he has to. somewhere, he has to. ]

There's a laundry list a mile long of the people I've hurt, kid.

[ tony at least has the grace to allow the tiredness to seep into his tone, the acknowledgment of harm done. ]

But trapping me in some illusion of my office isn't going to fix whatever I did to hurt you. [ and tony spreads his hands slightly, his gaze even. ] So either we're gonna talk, or we're gonna fight. And I'm telling you right now that you're not winning the fight, so I'm suggesting we talk.

[ he's gonna kill steve for sending him on this stupid mission. he could've been home with pepper actually enjoying himself versus entertaining this idiot. ]

Wow. You're going to condescendingly call me kid and then outright arrogantly state you'd always win? You're past the limit of confidence and moving into asshole territory.

Look, I'm no teenager you can manipulate to think you're so great like Spider-Man.

[And as the figure steps forward on the ground, his helmet retracts, revealing a frowning, bearded Quentin Beck. Tony may notice a similarity to how his own Iron Man suit handles its own helmet, with nano tech. Beck is now actually there before Tony, having stepped forward into the illusion. For reality's sake, he is wearing the costume too.]

We can talk - but will you listen?

[ it takes about 2 seconds for the face to finally match the voice, and tony's vision clears with understanding.

beck. right. tony had canned him and shut down his project. tony would probably be pissed too, if he were beck, so that part makes sense. but his brow furrows slightly, at the mention of peter, and tony exhales slowly, crossing his arms over his chest.

quentin had been unstable. and tony can see the signs in someone who can't handle the gifts granted to them, mostly because he sees them in himself all the time. it's been a long journey, to become the defender of the universe or whatever he is now.

how beck got the stuff to rebuild this tech, tony has no idea. but before he dives too deeply into the rabbit hole: ]

I'll listen to whatever you've got to say if you leave the kid out of it.

[ leave spider-man alone, you loony tune!! ]

We're going to negotiate over Spider-Man?

I think he's been corrupted enough by your bad influence. Kid needs a break. He needs time to be a kid. Stop expecting him to be the big hero. Leave him alone.

[Despite all they'd gone through, Beck does still like Peter. He just thinks he's been led astray and needed to be taught a lesson. Unfortunately, he doesn't regret hurting him, even if he's seemingly defending Peter here.]

[ how does know peter?

there's a slight racing in his chest, his heartbeat accelerating. what had peter gotten himself into, in his absence? and tony's jaw tightens, as beck speaks. ]

Yeah, see...

[ and tony adjusts the sleeves of his suit, so he can look at his watch, and is casually just typing out a message to peter as he talks. ]

One, I don't like being told what to do. [ just to get that part out of the way. ] And two, how come you know so much Spider-Man?

We're a team.

[He says that plainly, as if it's just a fact.]

I work with him. I try to understand his point of view, not order him around.

[The supportive, cool uncle.]

[ ohhhh, peter, what did you do. ]

Right.

[ blithely; it's clear that tony (1) does not believe him and (2) doesn't care even if this is true because: ]

I remember you, now. [ raising a finger, brow furrowed. ] You're smart. You're not me, but you're pretty smart. Brilliant, even, if I wanted to toss out a compliment, but I'm pretty sure your personnel file said delicately unhinged.

[ stark industries h.r. department should probably find better language, but. you know. it works. ]

Did you tell Peter any of that? How you got canned for not knowing when to stop? Or did you leave that part out on your trust fall exercise?

[Beck's face twitches. The 'you're not me' in particular makes him tense up in anger. Then a compliment of sorts followed by what he takes as an insult. Still...]

I don't want to be you. I'm better than you.

You would have liked for me to ruin his memories of you with the truth of how you treat your employees?

[He retorts back bitterly.]

I would've liked you to stay out of Queens.

[ blithely. ]

And sure, you might be better than me, but that's not my point. You're not me. You know how quickly the Avengers figured out this tech was going rogue?

[ with a gesture toward the board room, arching his eyebrows. ]

There's a reason we're world famous, you know. And there's a reason why I'm here. Because I know this thing, inside and out, and you're not going to fool me with it. So how about we cut to the chase and end this so we can both go our separate ways.

I didn't ever go to Queens. I came to Europe. That's where the trouble was and is.

[That he caused.]

Nothing's going rogue. This is all going perfectly to plan.

[Insinuating that he lured Tony here.]

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OPEN POST 2020.

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