No-One But You (The Star Child's Eclipse)
Chapter 45: Daydreamer (Part 5)
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Steve Rogers ordered up some food for himself and Tony Stark, but he also made sure to order enough for everyone there at the meeting.
…
There was an agenda going on behind all that, and it had everything to do with the somber man who silently made his way across the room.
Victor Von Doom didn't say a word to anyone, but boy his eyes sure said a lot.
He seemed very withdrawn, moody, bothered, and Steve happened to see where his focus kept going.
The ruler of Latveria was always looking outside the window, and that behavior alone was very telling.
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"Are you hungry, Victor?"
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Say what? Doctor Doom's neck almost snapped as his first name was mentioned within the room.
It seemed "Captain America" was trying to impose some sort of cordial tone into the scenario before them, but Doom wasn't going for it.
His eyes did glance at the "food" that the would-be soldier went off and fetched, but Doom would never eat it.
He didn't fuel his body with such filth.
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"I'll pass on the grubby sandwiches Steve Rogers, but thank you for the gesture."
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Tony Stark seriously almost choked. I mean… GRUBBY?
Grubby sandwiches? Oh wow, that noble response made Tony laugh hella hard…
Steve perfect-face Rogers was so adorably offended too.
He had the best reaction to Doom's rude-ass response, and the look on the blonde's face made Tony laugh even harder.
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"Oh, well, my apologies Victor Von Doom. I didn't think to order any fine-dining. We'll have the caviar catered next time…"
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"There's no need for that gesture either, Captain Rogers. I don't eat caviar."
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Doom simply wanted their ridiculous meeting to RESUME itself… and actually reach some form of a conclusion.
Tony Stark was no dummy, so surely he had enough sense to realize that the time was metaphorically ticking..
The ruler of Latveria watched the son of Howard Stark loudly clear his throat and eventually he wiped the "grubby" food from his mouth with a napkin.
It was time for the meeting to resume, yeah, Tony caught the drift.
He glanced around to see who was there and who left the scene.
Donna Strange and Sofia were physically there, but Tony could tell that their souls were way off in the Realm of Light.
They'd be back in a jiffy, so Tony's eyes focused on someone's yellow hover chair as Charles Xavier made his way back into the room.
That little side meeting obviously came to an end… so now it was time to wrap shit up.
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OH.
Ezekiel Stane and Wade Wilson were obviously M.I.A… and Tony was secretly grateful for that.
He didn't want Ezekiel around as he questioned Victor Von Doom, so NOT seeing those two return was actually a blessing.
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"Yeah, we can wrap this up while we eat our grubby sandwiches, since you clearly don't mind…"
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Tony decided to take over the weird little back-and-forth going on between Steve and Victor Von Doom, then he heard a salty sigh of frustration follow suit.
Doom was clearly annoyed, so the exhausted sigh obviously belonged to him.
WHAT A FUCKING KAREN. Tony was mega over it, so he sat up an inch or so taller and he started wiping his hands with a ton of napkins.
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"I WANT TO KNOW ABOUT WENWU, DOOM, AND I'M SPECIFICALLY DIGGING FOR INFORMATION ABOUT EZEKIEL'S CONNECTION BETWEEN YOU AND THE TEN RINGS."
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Ezekiel Stane was planning on sending a handful of people into Wenwu territory, remember?
Tony didn't forget that friggen detail, and he needed to really understand WHY.
Victor Von Doom was a middleman in this scenario, and Tony came to know this by coincidently digging into his own past.
SO, for the sake of maintaining sanity, Tony was actually setting a trap for Doom in that moment… to make sure the man was going to be honest with them about Ezekiel Stane.
There's always a reason, and we're almost there…
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"Stark, I don't have any connection to the Ten Rings… but when Ezekiel was younger he wanted to retrieve Wenwu's rings for me. I always advised him against it, because I know for a fact that he would lose."
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Ding dong.
Winner winner, chicken dinner.
That information was exactly what Tony Stark wanted to hear and he wanted to toss piles of confetti all around the room to celebrate.
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"THANK YOU FOR THAT HONESTY, DOOM. DO YOU THINK EZEKIEL STANE STILL WANTS TO GIVE YOU WENWU'S TEN RINGS?"
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Awww, I mean, does the PRINCE OF DARKNESS still want to please and impress his former sensei?
DO TELL, because that's the information the Surveillant Council needed to know, wanted to know, and ABSOLUTELY HAD to know before they allowed Rae-Ann, Natasha Romanov, Bucky Barnes, and Clint Barton to participate in any of Ezekiel's friggen games.
There was a lot going on in Ezekiel's mind, so they needed to keep tabs and look in on any sort of hidden agenda.
Harnessing the power of Wenwu's "Ten Rings" was a biggggg fucking goal for a lot of people too, so Tony absolutely had to ask.
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Hmph…
Victor Von Doom was finally understanding where Tony Stark was aiming with the meeting, and the subject matter finally made sense.
In fact, Doom's outlook on the "Surveillant Council" took a shift in his mind right there in that moment, so he took his time before he offered up a response.
Steve Rogers watched Doom turn his focus back out the window again, and let's just say everyone started understanding what they were actually doing there just a smidge more…
Doom seemed very protective in that moment, and deep down Steve kinda wanted to draw him.
He wanted to sketch the person he was seeing, and possibly understand him a little more…
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"Ezekiel would always return to Latveria with an elaborate plan to take those rings, so I can't say it's not on his mind. The five of you have been doing as you please with his mind and memories, so if he does something foolish that's on you."
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So, after Victor Von Doom said what he did… Tony sat back in his chair, then he started looking around at the rest of his "Surveillant Council" crew.
He was sitting in the middle this time, running the show… but he had to take a moment and simply look at everyone.
Nick Fury was on the far end, toward Tony's left, followed by Charles Xavier.
Steve Rogers was sitting right beside Tony, then Donna Strange was sitting off toward his right with her tiny guest.
Why did any of this shit matter? Well, a decision about what they were doing was finally friggen made that day…
Tony was the last one of the pack who was on the fence about it, but now…
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"Doom, we'd like to forgo a vote, and extend an invitation for you to join us on this Surveillant Council. Do you accept?"
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Doom's insight was mandatory, and his unspoken devotion to Ezekiel Stane's freedom and well-being wasn't being overlooked at all.
It was a perfect fit to have him join the fold, but it was something that the current members of the Surveillant Council had been debating for months…
All eyes were on Victor Von Doom as he forced his focus away from the window. Doom turned his head, and he noticed that he was the only person wearing a mask.
His entire body was covered in a "mask" of sorts. How funny.
Everyone was looking at him, and waiting for the ruler of Latveria to finally respond…
Chapter: END
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