Genre: Drama
Ships?: Tony Stark/Zexion, Mirage/Deadpool/Xigbar
→Friendships?: Tony&Mirage, Tony&Spidey
Characters: Tony Stark, Mirage, Deadpool
→Cameos/Mentions: Nick Fury, Daisy Duck, Fran, Spiderman, Fantastic Four, Captain America, Xemnas, Xigbar, Xaldin, Vexen, Lucrecia Crescent, Lexaeus, Zexion
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: No. This is only a 'what if' AU of KtH... Which is also a 'what if' AU of the first Kingdom Hearts game.
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Marvel, Pixar, Final Fantasy, or any related characters. This was written out of enjoyment of the series, and no profit is being made.
Music: Criminal - Fiona Apple
Notes: For those of you just joining us, Kill the Hero is a roleplay. Now in Chapter 2, we fast forward a month or two ahead, where the rebels have contacted another world, the world of Marvel, in order to combat the threat that is the Organization... In this, they are given information about their newest foe.
Also, feel free to blame Tuna for that threesome.
Falling and Catching - Decline
"We're being briefed by a duck."
"Considering our illustrious careers, I'm surprised you're surprised," Tony replies, swirling ice about in a shot glass. Out of the entire room, he's one of the few who isn't wearing spandex. The epitome of casual coolness, he reclines in his chair, garbed in a stylish black suit. It makes him stand out among the bright colors the rest of his companions wear, whether it's the patriotic colors Captain America wears or the bright blues of the Fantastic Four. He doesn't have the same kind of deathwish. Black is nice enough, although admittedly a bit of flash is alright as long as it's made of a gold titanium alloy... Red and gold, of course.
With their otherworld visitors gathered in a corner, conversing and generally keeping to themselves for now, Tony's companion just shrugs. Hanging upside down by a web, Spiderman points out, "But those were all not-nice and pretty creepy surprises, like drinking roaches out of a soda can in the dark. She's more of a cake for breakfast as a kid surprise. Even her name is an oldie but goodie."
The kid has a point. Their dear visiting lady duck is almost old fashioned in some aspects.... And then one recalls how she's traveling around in a spaceship with what looks like a mace attached to her belt.
"Alright, you bunch, shut up and LISTEN up!" Both supers look in Fury's direction, not at all surprised by the order in his voice. He's one of the few people who can get such an enormous crowd of supers (and people from other worlds) to obey when he yells, Tony notes with a bit of respect.
"What if we can't tell our speech bubbles and our thought bubbles apart? Man, I'm always having that problem!"
Well, almost an entire crowd. Against what is probably his common sense, Tony takes a glance across the room right as Fury glares. Both gazes are focused on a red-and-black super who's equipped with both guns and blades, currently reclining rather cheerfully in one of the many available chairs: Deadpool. Tony's not quite sure who invited him to the party (in other words, paid him lots of money), but he has a sneaking suspicion it's the beautiful woman next to him who whispers something intelligible, hopefully quieting the insane super. Now if that isn't a blast from the past... Mirage, a name he'd only recently remembered when she'd gotten rather... annoyed with him. In his defense, he slept with a lot of woman.
Now, with truly everyone shut up, two representatives from other worlds come up: a white anthropomorphic and short duck named Daisy and her companion, a tall beautiful woman with tanned skin, white hair, and bunny ears. That's Fran, a 'Viera' apparently. Needless to say, she undoubtedly makes more than a few men think inappropriate thoughts; strangely Tony can't count himself as one of them. He blames it on how similar her serious gaze is to someone else, and him trying to focus on the screen which flickers on. Breaking the silence, the duo explain the situation, and their universal enemy. From what Tony can tell, most of their information comes from one source, an informant, DiZ. In truth, lots of things are vague; this "Organization" covers at least a dozen worlds, most of which don't have the technology to create 'gummi ships' or any other means of Inter-Space travel. Those that do, such as "Traverse Town" and "Bristol Spaceport", have been put down on tight lockdowns.
In a way, he can't help but pay attention as Daisy and Fran o over the list of worlds. Blame it on his childhood. What kid hadn't wanted to be an astronaut growing up? It's really quite a surprise to feel such childish fascination, something he had forgotten since he had discovered being a superhero, women, and alcohol. (Not necessarily in that order. ) Still, he manages to get over himself rather easily once they start on a review of the Organization. He doesn't want to go rushing in blindly.
The first image of their enemy flickers onto the screen. Static ruins the picture, but not enough to hide the figure which is the focus. Even with all the blurring, something about the piercing amber gaze is disconcerting. It makes the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, and Tony swirls his ice once again as he frowns. Xemnas, huh? The leader of the Organization... Considering the power they all hold, that is an impressive title.
Xemnas is the exception in the numbering, because despite the numerical system the Organization uses, it does not decide who is stronger than who. It's simply a way of keeping track of who joined the Organization when, Fran explains cooly.
That's demonstrated when the screen changes again, this time showing two figures. Unlike withi Xemnas', the picture is fantastically clear. It shows every scar on the eyepatched man's face, and no detail is lacking form his companion's many floating spears. The way the former lazily leans against the latter's arm suggests a hint of friendship, but it's just a mimicry of their lives before, if their current speakers are to be believed. Xigbar the Freeshooter and Xaldin the Whirlwind Lancer of the Organization, respectively, and both are forced to be reckoned with. Tony hears what he thinks is a sharp intake of breath somewhere from the side, but he doesn't look to see who made the little noise, as the picture is already changing to another.
While those two certainly looked threatening, the next member is somewhat the opposite, Tony muses. He's an extremely tall and thin man with long blond hair. None of his clothes seem to quite fit, enhancing the image of skinniness. This would be Vexen the Chilly Academic, a name which fits accordingly with his control over ice and allegedly being one of the most scientifically intelligent members.
What Tony finds interesting is the woman who's besides Vexen in the picture, and how she's not mentioned. Interesting, because she's apparently quite close to him, literally; they're both looking down at a clipboard she's holding and arguing, if the looks on their faces are any indication. She's a very beautiful woman, and Tony wonders what her connection to Vexen is. Partner, secretary, lover... Anything is possible. Anyone who thinks scientists can't get laid obviously hasn't heard of Tony or...
Thinking about his missing friend draws Tony's mind away from the task at hand and into worrying memories: finding the other in his house, how scared he had been, the midnight disappearance despite his best efforts... The most frustrating thing of all is how that stubborn b*****d refused to tell him a damn coherent thing when he was obviously in trouble. Then gone without a trace... It doesn't feel right. Not at all. In fact... Tony's grip on his glass tightens. Maybe he's having too much to drink after all.
Doing his best to keep a cool face, Tony looks at the current picture, one he hadn't even known had switched with Vexen's. Tuning back to the briefing, he learns that this muscular gentleman is Lexaeus. He'd pay more attention, except he's fighting the urge to go through all his memories. Clues are suddenly glaringly obvious in the past few years, things Tony can't deny with new evidence and theories. It could just be coincidence, could be, even the fact that all of the Organization's names have an 'x'...
But he doesn't really believe in coincidences.
Then the screen changes again, and Tony can feel his heart constrict.
Just like Xemnas' image, this one is also static filled, although the reason is blindingly obvious now. It's almost funny, in a way; the look the young man with the slate-colored hair directs towards the camera is the same one he's directed to Tony dozens of times before, that very same look that near radiates the message 'Would you kindly cease invading my personal space before I strangle you with the nearest possible object?'. What doesn't fit are his clothes, or the surroundings. He looks almost exactly like some medieval king in black, standing alone on a stone balcony.
Oh, dammit, Zex Tony thinks, even as Daisy begins to speak.
"This is the youngest of the Organization's founding six, Zexion the Cloaked Schemer. You better not be fooled by how young he is; he's one of the most dangerous members, even though he's not a great fighter. He's a brilliant tactician and manipulator. His illusions aren't things to toy with. Currently, he rules over the world Prydain, and-"
Tony's frantic paced thoughts almost drown out the rest of her words. It's hard to pay attention when his heart and brain are waging civil war inside of him. The words 'brilliant manipulator' should clear all doubt, but something just doesn't feel right. He doesn't need any of these Inter-Space travelers to tell him that Zexion's a genius; he's seen it first hand, whether in the field of technology or winning the heart of whoever caught his eye with ease. So why fake a mental breakdown? Logic would dictate because that's a surefire way to earn someone's pity. No one but the most heartless of bastards kicked a dog when it was down, after all. Manipulation... But why that particular act? Why? Which also brought up the worrying question of why Zexion had worked to become his friend in the first place.
The answers aren't going to be ones he'd like, but Tony has to know them anyway.
The second the screens go dark and the room lights up again, two courses of action are very clear to him, and ones he knows he has to do. The second he's able, he's out of his seat and heading to the room they've provided for him on Desunt Cetera. In one corner is an Iron Man suit, red and gold shining in the light, but he ignores that. The item he really wants is ice cold in his hand, and his fingers fit perfectly around it. With it secured, he's off again...
One hour later, and he's in the Hydroponics Deck, surrounded by the soft green glow and drunk out of his mind. Clearly, he is not drunk enough. Leaning against the glass tube of a growing plant, Tony closes his eyes and presses the bottle against his face. Damn, damn, damn... This isn't ******** fair. He'd liked Zexion- actually liked, too, not just 'you're pretty and I'd want you in bed' liked, or 'you amuse me' liked, but 'you got me hooked by the second time because you're sarcastic and handsome and intelligent and you never truly asked me for anything besides a night or two of company and dammit but maybe I fell in love with you, maybe even that first night' and- This had happened before. Stane had lied to his face, had stabbed him in the back, and that hadn't hurt. Sure, it had sucked, had made him just a little paranoid at times and smarter, too, but it hadn't hurt.
Knowing Zexion had lied to him hurts. Knowing he's now officially the enemy hurts.
...It shouldn't hurt this bad.
"I don't think I've ever seen you look quite so pathetic."
And yet another blast from the past. Wearily, Tony removes the bottle from his face and looks up at the slender woman with the white hair who stands in front of him. "And a cheery hello to you too, Mirage. It is Mirage, isn't it?"
Despite his drunken and sarcastic greeting, even he can tell the Latina is far from happy. Her arms are crossed in front of her chest defensively, and her eyes are narrowed in a pained way. They just narrow more at his response. "I'm so pleased you remembered this time." Definitely some venom now. "There's something I want to speak to you about. A favor, in fact."
Of course. "Shoot," he mutters, raising the bottle up to the light to see how much liquor is still inside. Even drunk, he can tell that the only reason she's approaching him is because they had that single one-night stand, and he has power in this little hero hierarchy of sorts.
"If we ever send a team to Port Royale, I would appreciate it if Deadpool and I were in charge."
"...Are you drunk too? I mean, I'm drunk, and I know letting Deadpool lead a team is a stupid idea."
She breathes in slowly, trying to keep her cool as she starts over. "We need to find someone who is there."
"Who?"
"...A friend."
Who had been in charge of Port Royale again? Tony has to close his eyes to think, and recalls scars and black. "Xigbar." He opens her eyes just in time to see a slight tightening of her lips. Someone had... made a noise, right? Or something, during that review... "That's-"
"Someone we need to talk to," she interrupts coolly, and he can see her hands shifting into fists. "I wouldn't expect you to quite understand."
He just stares at her for a moment, a perfect poker face in place. She just returns it challengingly, but it shatters easily when he tosses her a bottle. He has a whole case, after all; what's one bottle? As she juggles it in her delicate hands, trying to get a grip and keep it from crashing, he just let's his head thump back against the glass. "So I'm not the only idiot who fell for a mysterious b*****d too likable for his own good. Cheers to idiotic relationships, then. And can you tell your... other boyfriend to not point a gun at my head?"
"NICE TO SEE YOU TOO, TONY! Great atmosphere this level has, huh?"
Hesitantly, Mirage sits down besides him as Deadpool leaps down from a series of pipes from up high. As he steals one of Tony's beers (he doesn't remember offering), she just stares at him with a puzzled frown. "So is this all you're going to do? You're just going to sit here and get drunk?"
"It's a very appealing idea," Tony mutters in response before he pushes himself up, drawing one of his legs up slightly so one arm can rest on it, dangling the bottle in its grasp as he directs his gaze right into hers. In this strange light, it makes his eyes seem darker, deeper, somehow.
"Of course I'm not just going to sit here. The only reason he didn't let me help him is because I'd get into dangers; now that I'm jumping face first into it, he can't complain if I finally save him like the damn damsel in distress he should be." It'd make things so much easier, that's for sure. With a heavy breath, he takes another swig of liquor.
"I'm blaming this on too much to drink, but dammit, I do love him after all."
