#( quentin in the sinister six group chat )

[masterserris]

FUNERAL FOR A MAGICIAN    Pt.12 Discombobulate

Coming back from the dead, isn’t easy on anyone. Beck is struggling with himself, as is the rest of the team.

Characters: Neo Mysterio (Quentin Beck), Doc Ock (Otto Octavius), Spider-Man (Peter Parker), Alexandria Beck (Alex), Maria Beck, Sandman (Flint Marko), Chameleon, Electro, Rhino

Warnings: Explicit gore and death, violence, mentions of past abuse, mental illness, physical illness

^These warnings are here for the story as a whole. If you get invested by reading a less graphic chapter, then be prepared for the warnings above in other parts!!

(This chapter is fairly light hearted!)

It had been two full weeks since Beck had come back from the dead. Adjusting had been... difficult. The Avengers patiently waited for a sign. Was Beck going to turn over a new leaf and stray away from villainy, or was he going to destroy his second chance? They had pardoned all of his crimes for his heroic sacrifice. He could go back and live with Alex in peace. He could become famous. He could even become an Avenger with a little work and great showing of change and growth. Perhaps only time would tell. 

For the moment, the Sinister Six stayed off the map. Spider-Man kept a very close eye out for any evidence of them, but Otto was extremely elusive. Even though he had recently been to their base, he could not find it again. It was truly a disappearing act, the kind Mysterio used to greatly enjoy as a prank, but this seemed far more serious than simply a base move. They were planning something BIG and everyone wanted to get to the bottom of it. 

Come hell or high water, Beck was going to see Octavius’s plan through until the end. Rhino could live free with his wife, Sandman and Electro could get cured, Chameleon could be free of his past, and Beck could remake himself into a new man. Otto’s life goal and work was worth it. The whole world would know the name “Otto Octavius,” come hell or high water. It was worth throwing away his life again. 

At least that’s how it was for Beck. To be honest he still felt... Off. Not fully there and alive. Sure, he had a fully human body again, but it wasn’t the same. Perhaps it also had him feeling a bit... Powerful. The fact that not even dying could stop him was a little intoxicating. With Otto’s advances in health care, it was possible to clone a new body and simply save a quantum copy of his mind and place it into a new life at any time. 

Given all of this, however, Beck was still in an abysmal mood and slumped further into a depressive state, but there was something he needed to do. His sister had her operation and was pronounced cancer free. She would need to keep an eye out for it in the future, but for now, the stars had aligned and the Beck family was free from imminent destruction for once. This was the prime opportunity to pay her a nice visit.

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It took him all night to fly to the midwest. He had to often fly slower and lower to the ground than commercial jets to avoid detection. Luckily he was rather quiet flier. He had sent a message to his sister, letting her know he was coming and a message to Otto telling him when he would return. 

With a quiet knock on her front door in the early hours of the morning, Quentin was welcomed in with an abrupt hug. She had not seen him after his resurrection. It had been far too long.

Alex: “Agh, you idiot,” she huffed, still holding him tight. 

He was stunned at first, but gently hugged her back, and they headed inside.  He pulled off his helmet and set it on the couch. It was not Mysterio who entered her house that day, but rather her lost brother who needed his sister’s love once more. 

She had been preparing breakfast for the three of them, to which he gratefully accepted and even offered to help.

Quentin: “Here, add some chives to the eggs. It tastes way better.”

She looked at him confusedly for a moment, then shrugged and continued to peel an apple.

Alex: “Heh, since when did YOU of all people learn to cook?”

Quentin laughed sheepishly.

Quentin: “Haha, well, Otto’s been sharing some of his mother’s recipes with me... and in my free time I’ve been binge watching cooking shows.. and reading... I thought it was high time I tried something new...”

She narrowed her eyes at him playfully and gave him a wry smile.

Alex: “You were always hot garbage at cooking, so when you offered to help, I was planning on watching you fail spectacularly, then jumping in to save the day. I guess this is your chance to prove me wrong, oh master chef.”

Quentin: “Oh screw you, hahah! Sure, I was bad, but not THAT bad...”

Alex: “....................................you once burned a piece of fish so bad I had to throw out the pan entirely.”

Quentin: “SHUTUP!” 

He couldn’t keep a straight face and nor could she.

In truth, he wanted to get good at cooking to impress her. To show her he was working on himself. That perhaps someday, they could all get away from their past.

With the smell of scrambled eggs and fruit tarts, the sound of laughter and sizzling food, Maria Beck came down stairs, still in her onesie pajamas. She was holding a plushie of her uncle Mysterio in his costume that he had sewed together for her birthday. She rubber her eyes and ran up to the table in excitement.

Alex: “Bedhead! Now you finally wake up?”

Quentin: “And with Little Mysty, I see? How have you been taking good care of me?”

Maria: “He got ripped once, but mommy sewed ‘em back up... She said it was a.... battle scawrr?”

Quentin shook his head laughing, as Alex’s face went red with embarrassment.

Alex: “Yes well, you seem to get a lot of those so it’s FINE,” she said as she thwapped his shoulder with a hand towel.

Quentin: “H-hey!! I didn’t say anything!! Hahah.”

Alex: “Youdidn’thaveto, youlittletwerp!!”

With breakfast made, they all sat together. Quentin was content to simply listen to the pair of them catch him up to speed with their lives. It was the happiest he’d been in a long while. But sooner or later, he would have to head back... and face the music of the life he’s lived. He could choose to stay here. Forever. Renounce villainy for good. Be free of his burden.

But that would mean forsaking Otto, and that was impossible for him to do.

His heart was heavy with this knowledge, but he hoped more than anything that once this was over, he could return here. That he could simply cook every day for them. Take up a new business in special effects. Put his master’s degree to good use. Maybe even be the hero that he so desperately needed as a kid to those who also needed someone like that. The future was uncertain, but he needed to push forwards anyways. There were people who needed him.

But for now, he would enjoy breakfast.

                                            ---------------------------------

Alex: “Alright, kiddo, go upstairs and get dressed, you gotta go to school today. The bus will be here in 20 minutes, so hop to it!”

With that Maria, ran upstairs as the two siblings cleaned up. 

Alex: “I.... suppose you have to get back soon, don’t you?” She asked sadly.

He nodded silently.

Quentin: “But forget that. I’m staying. At least until 1pm. I won’t be here when Maria gets home, but I think Doc can wait just a few extra hours.”

Alex beamed at him, eternally grateful for this one day together.

Quentin hugged Maria before she hurried off to school and wished her a wonderful time. For the rest of the day, Alex and Quentin spoke in earnest as they watched a movie, both picking apart plot holes and bad acting. It was a great day, but all good things must come to an end. 

Soon, Quentin said his goodbyes with one final hug. Even if he was unsure about his new life, he thought it was all worth it just for this one moment of bliss.

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By nightfall, he returned to base, and with his return followed his gloom. While the time he had spent back at home was truly wonderful, he was now back into the thick of his misery. No one, save for Otto even noticed he was gone.

The only members of the Sinister Six outside of Otto that seemed to bother trying to understand Beck’s pain were Sandman and Chameleon, with the latter being the silent supportive type. It was not that Electro and Rhino did not care at all, it was just that they did not know how to handle such a situation. That, and with what they were going through themselves? It was not such an insensitive thing to do to avoid further pain. No one there had an easy time in life..

Chameleon was the kind of person who merely would sit next to you when you were lonely, or randomly leave a gift on your bed without a card or note. He was the man of a million faces, but outside of acting like another person he simply found it hard to show how he truly felt and let his actions do the talking. Perhaps it had something to do with his assassin’s training and harsh history, his cold precision, or perhaps he was simply always like that. No one truly knows.

Flint Marko, on the other hand, was a regular man before his accident. He understood what it meant to lose one’s identity. Their life. To be separated from their loved ones. Perhaps most of the Sinister Six had a connection to that sort of loss, however Marko was not afraid to wear his emotions on his sleeve. If he was upset, he would let you know about it. And if you were upset, he would do his best to try and help out, no matter what.

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Seeing Beck being so quiet, Marko simply knew that he was still torn up on the inside. After one of their group meetings, he pulled Beck aside for a little “chat.”

Flint: “C’mon, we’re goin’ out, Beck.”

Quentin: “W-wh- Why? The mission isn’t until the 30th. We should lie low.”

Flint: “Yeah? So? We won’t get spotted. Ock has nuthin’ to worry ‘bout. Just switch into one a’ yer fancy black suits and let’s get goin’.”

With a confused look, Quentin merely complied. He was not about to argue with a dump truck full of sand.

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It only took a few moments to compress his armor into a skin tight under suit, and a few more minutes to change into his rather dashing suit. He hadn’t worn it in a long while. A lifetime ago. 

He was set, and exited his room with Flint waiting just outside. Marko looked him over and sighed.

Flint: “Nice try, but get back inside. Mysterio doesn’t look like a disheveled wash up.”

Quentin: “What if Mysterio IS a disheveled wash up? HM?? What then?” Beck said as he narrowed his eyes sarcastically at Marko.

Flint: “Then Mysterio better get his act together because people care about him. Deep down, Mysterio prooooobably doesn’t wanna go out in public with helmet-head and extreme bags under his eyes, an’ he knows it. So get back in there, an’ fix yourself up more. It might be tedious an’ seemingly pointless at first, but ya know you’ll feel better when ya actually try to give a damn. You LIKED dressin’ up and lookin’ snazzy. So hop to it, or I’m gonna comb your hair FOR you an’ we all know how bad that’ll be.”

Beck relented at his friend’s threat. Nothing worse than having sand in your hair all night. Amusingly enough, Flint sounded like Beck’s own sister scolding him once more. To his credit, Marko was right. Fixing himself up did slightly improve his mood. This might not have worked with other people, but with Beck it did. Flint was just a people person, it seemed.

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When Beck stepped out, he looked much better, and Marko nodded in approval.

Quentin: “You haven’t told me where we’re going, yet, you know. ..wait. What is that.” 

Beck pointed at Flint’s new clothes.

Flint: “Oh, this? Don’t worry ‘bout it. I just made my own suit outta sand. Gotta fit in, right? Chammy’s comin’ too, so ya won’t feel so alone. It’s a surprise trip, Beck, relax. I’m sure you’ll like it.”

They headed out the back entrance of the base, where Chameleon was waiting in one of their unmarked limos, with him disguised as the driver. Politely, Flint opened the door for Beck, before seating himself as well. Quentin was supremely confused and suspicious at this point. He had an idea what was in store, but he held his tongue and simply let things play out.

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They soon arrived at Broadway. It was a busy night and when Beck looked out the window, he gasped and whispered “fuck off, no way.”

But there it was, one of his favorite theater troupes were performing The Phantom of the Opera, and Sandman had three tickets with him to see it. He handed Quentin his ticket, to which Beck gratefully accepted.

Quentin: “H-how the hell did you...? How did you get these? They sold out weeks ago. How did.. you know that I liked them?”

Marko: “A little birdy told me, now let’s get inside. Chammy’ll be right behind us.”

It was a full theater, and they had prime seats. They didn’t have much of a problem hiding in such a large crowd. That and Sandman changed the structure of his face a bit to avoid being recognized. Mysterio’s face was less well known, but for good measure he released a bit of his hologram gas to blend in. 

Sure enough, Chameleon joined them soon after, completely disguised as another person all together. The three of them sat and waited for the show to start, when Beck noticed who sat to his right. At first he didn’t pay much attention to the man in the black overcoat, sunglasses, and hat, but it is impossible to not recognize one’s best friend. Indeed, it was Otto that had set this up in the first place. He had ordered the tickets several months back, hoping to surprise his friend with something nice for once, instead of constantly plotting, fighting, and stealing things. He noticed Beck wasn’t doing too well and had hoped to cheer him up. When Beck died, however, Otto was shattered that his friend was gone and that also all of this effort was wasted. That Quentin would never have had the chance to see his favorite actors perform his favorite play.

Otto: “But you’re here now, and to us, that is all that matters. So let’s set everything aside, and enjoy ourselves tonight.”

Quentin merely beamed a rare, genuine smile at them and sat back. Fairly content for once. He had people who were there for him, and that was the best part.

Quentin: “I could see you and Chammy watching this with me, Doc, but you Marko? I didn’t think you were the kind of person who would enjoy this sort of thing...”

Flint: “Who cares? As long as it makes you feel good, then I feel good. An’ that’s that, so shaddup and watch the show.” He said with a chuckle.

Truly, for one night in a long while, Quentin Beck was happy spending time with his teammates. Nothing could take this from them. That was, until a certain photographer taking pictures for the Daily Bugle noticed them leaving.

And Parker was not about to let them escape.