Undoing the Dumb - (Marvel, VictorVonDoom!SI)
Having a hate-love relationship with someone with a similar intellectual propensity can be quite perplexing and dangerous if the opposing chemicals aren't handled accordingly.
A small flaw such as arrogance can easily lead to resentment, and resentment into foolish expectations of superiority. When I first woke up as the little Roma kid known as Victor von Doom, I knew that my childhood was 'doomed' from the very beginning as Latveria was too archaic of a society to care for me, for my family and for my fate.
So, my first real gamble in my new life was not about facing off some hero or villain of Earth-616, but rather survive until I had the chance to run to the States. My mother died a witch, my father died a good man trying to smuggle me out of my homeland as the cold claimed him from me and...
And I admit that the angsty was just there to be a dangerous cocktail for my little genius brain. I had inherited Doom's mind, I had inherited his propensity into science, and I also ended up getting involved in some of his early romances.
Valeria was a cute girl from the same camp I grew up with, but there were just a few hugs between us- any further would have felt like craddle-robbing, and I preferred books to girls during my early teenage years. As I managed to carve a path to New York, I worked my butt off to show my intelligence and win a scholarship for the State University in Hegeman, New York, at the age of 16.
It was around this point that I meet Reed Richards and... Benjamin Grimm.
I have to say that Ben was such an ass at this point and one that was quick to target me because I was the 'no-Reed nerd' in sight. I wouldn't say it was aggressive, but I had to avoid being anywhere near the big guy while I was busy working.
And through the bizarre 'love-hate' I had with Reed Richards, he actually ended up ironing out some of the formulas that I was struggling with. In return, I helped Reed with his own calculations and called out any mistakes I could find.
As a team, we were perfect, but it was also fair to say that some were actually putting more interest on the future Mr. Fantastic than me. I forgot Racism was actually a thing and considering I was a gypsy, I was a foreigner and I was a 'smart nerd', I was the melting pot of 'easy excuses' to be hit by that sort of shit.
Another fair reason to sympathize with my original self, but not one that actually put me down as I still managed to get something done.
The experiment that would have scarred me was actually something I took great care in rendering as safe as possible. I realized that there were more than just 'a few wrong calculations' in the formulas as I first theorized it, with Richards pointing out the mathematical issues, but I found also some magical details that made some of my mother's old notes unreliable due to the risky experimental method she used to practice magic.
In the US, I had the chance to deepen my knowledge in mystical arts as I knew that my end goal was something that would demand a temporary standoff with Mephisto. While it wasn't my duty to save my mother's soul as I wasn't her real son, that didn't mean I was going to let her suffer- same for others that got tricked by Mephisto.
In my research of the occult, I found something that felt absurd for me to find at once but... I found it. The Time Stone, it was on Earth...
How?!
I may not be big on history behind the Infinity Stones, but I knew that most of those were not on Earth. In fact, I remembered this particular gem's story when I read this guy trying to sell this 'jade meteorite from the moon' and some people at school were talking about it.
The guy asked for 500 bucks and I gave them plus another 500. I was... this was huge. The Time Stone may not be my immediate problem-solver, not for what I needed to do, but it was a tool that made the process of crossing out bad outcomes and give me some insight on how to win the scenario I was planning to go through.
With the machine further optimized through the help of the gem's precognition ability, I then used this very skill to start working on an Anti-Mephisto effort that could actually work. More than a hundred plans 'failed' within the simulations, the basic spells were already crossed out, but my large repertoire of potential incantations was suddenly slimmed out to the point where four plans existed and only two would guarantee an absolute case of victory.
It was all feasible only because I wasn't trying to kill/destroy/ensnare Mephisto, but stop him for a time and then free the souls he had contained within himself. And with this process already worked out, and the machine ready, I set up the experiment to happen in a risky disposition with no one to help me with the safety measures, but I had to also use magic to conceal my identity as I made this happen and...
This was the kind of experiment that was meant to happen only once for now.
As the machine activated, I felt a wall of light hit my entire body as I was projected into an astral plane known as Hell/Mephisto's lair.
I appeared right in front of the tall red motherfucker, the guy sitting on his throne and chilling- at least, that's what I could tell as he appeared surprised by my appearance and... he paused in that expression as I used the Time Stone to freeze him on the spot.
Any confrontation without him being stopped in time would see me dead or soul-snatched. And since the big red guy didn't believe in having guards in his throne room since he was strong and cool, I didn't have to worry about anyone trying to stop me.
Rather, I had to use most of my magic to do a very basic thing: pry open Mephisto's abstard gullet and let out those souls that I could judge through precognition as good or bad. One by one, minute by minute, I had sorted out those that could leave and those that couldn't. Then it was my mother's turn and she appeared so saddened to see me so tired.
The process was tiresome, but the end result was going to be worth it.
"V-Victor?"
"Mama, you have to go."
"B-but I-"
"The Lord forgives you. You were tempted and you realized you messed up," I interrupted, knowing I didn't have the time to speak for long. "I-I know dad is waiting for you in heaven."
She sobbed, but the spirit soon vanished as she went upward together with the rest I let out. Once I was done, I sealed that magic belly up and ran back towards the portal. I unfroze Mephisto right as I passed through, deactivating the machine and rapidly moving to disassemble it.
I may have avoided a direct confrontation, that didn't mean that Mephisto wasn't going to try and track down who had just freed space in his soul belly. And the less proof I left behind, the better. To my relief, I was so swift with the process that I also avoided getting found out and kicked by the University's admin as the machine had drained a lot of energy and caught their attention.
They didn't seem to be able to track down where the drainage came from, and I managed to have an alibi to avoid getting caught anywhere near the campus for that time.
I just went off to take a walk, clear my mind and get myself some apple juice. Fucking hell, this was one of the scariest shit I could have planned out, but as I didn't feel any demonic presence stalking my butt, and I got back to my room without any accidents, I managed to enjoy a peaceful evening and night.
I went to sleep at the same time as usual, closing my eyes, happily patting my metaphorical back for a good job and... woke up a hour or so later when I realized that something had been cuddle-hugging me from behind for a while now.
I felt the weight while I was sleeping, but the heat was what got me to ultimately pull out of my slumber. I expected to be greeted by a mastermind of the demonic kind. Maybe Blackheart, Mephisto's son but... Who I found sleeping behind me was a barely-clothed red-skinned demoness with horns and pointy ears. Big titties and curvy ass, and...
...
"Who the fuck are you?!"
The demon girl jumped in fright, then eyed widely at me and grinned.
"Ah yes, you are finally awake!"
"Don't give me that 'ah yes' as if you were planning this, you fell asleep and engaged in non-consensual cuddling. Who are you?"
"Me? Oh, I can't believe a mortal can't recognize the daughter of the one he just tricked."
...
"Oh, you're Mephista-"
"It's Jezebel, you foolish man!" She snapped, then grinned. "Still, I finally found you and so I can do something I have really needed in a long time."
"...I am not fucking you."
Her mouth fell at that. "M-Mating? I am not asking for that, you dolt! I am here to force you to be my servant and..."
...
"And?"
"And show me the ways of you mortals!"
I frowned, then blinked. "Jezebel, aren't you just asking me to keep you away from your dad?"
"Obviously."
"Troubles at home?"
Her mouth opened and then closed, eyes narrowing at my face. "No comment."
"...Fair enough. But two basic rules: first, I am not your slave."
"Servant-"
"And that."
Jezebel deflated, but let me continue.
"Second, you ask before doing things with me, about me, and for me. That extends from simple things such as hand-holding and cuddling to potential sex and baby-making. Got it?"
"I..." She stopped for a moment. "Would 'now' count as a violation?"
"I am willing to go back to sleep and cuddle just because you are trying to follow the rule. Also, no molesting me in any shape and form when I am sleeping."
"What if it happens unconsciously?"
"I am willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. Now hush and go to sleep if you're fine with that."
Jezebel was floored by what had just happened, eyeing me in shock as I just went back to sleep- I was too tired of this shit but... At least she seemed to pick a fair choice and go back to be my big spoon as we both slumbered until it was morning.
Only at then I would have the full-brain capacity to panic as I should have from the get-go much to the amusement of my newest demonic 'friend'.
AN
Victor!SI changes destiny and... ends up with a demonic assistant! Next time will see 'Mephista' adapting to her surroundings and Victor going for some serious job-hunting, fishing out a relatively interesting job for a mercenary group.