Water log
The metaphorical dam broke all around him. The literal swarm of people rushed the metal grates before Steve could cut in.
He took the mic and said something inaudible to calm the crowd. Deadpool reacted almost as quickly, a guy went to hop the barricade to his right. Deadpool grabbed the scruff of his jacket and tossed him back into the crowd. He used the momentum to hop the rail himself. Spiderman was beside him in a second.
“Hey- hey I know it wasn’t Oscar worthy but don’t you think this is a tad too far?” Spiderman tried to soothe the front runners. He held up his hands in surrender.
“You masks are all the same! Do whatever you want and we’re helpless to stop it!” One cried
“Who’s going to account for the damage you cause!?” Another one screamed in his face. Spiderman took a step back. From somewhere behind them Deadpool could hear Steve addressing the crowd.
But he couldn’t focus on the words over the noise. Didn’t exactly care to either. Someone tried to climb over and Deadpool shoved them back.
Spiderman pulled his hand away before he could get the next.
“Listen let’s all just calm-“ someone threw a glass bottle, and it shattered on impact with the stage. The tide had turned. Someone threw another object and spidey webbed it mid air. It clattered harmlessly on the ground.
Captain America joined them, he said something to spidey Deadpool couldn’t catch. Then even quieter into an earpiece he hadn’t seen.
“I don’t think that’s the worst of it fellas.” Deadpool threw behind his shoulder. Spiderman didn’t answer him right away. Unnaturally. Fighting was the only time the hero didn’t shut up. It may be the only reason they got on so well, each one was able to keep up their side of the banter without so much as a pause.
Deadpool turned towards the hero’s confused. He saw the reaction in Spiderman first.
In the slightest tightening of his muscles, in how his blank stare shifted into something calculating.
Deadpool heard the gunshot second.
{{dammed gun toting Americans.}}
He couldn’t be sure who it was aimed for, could have been spidey or Steve. All he knew was he’d seen Spiderman shot once already today. And once was enough.
He moved on instinct. Similar to how Spiderman moved an arm instinctually to shoot a web.
He accessed the greater danger and decided to stay still. Deadpool made his own assessment.
Slammed into spidey with enough force it should have sent them both toppling over. But spidey didn’t budge, his nerves too fried to allow for movement.
Deadpool felt the bullet rip into his shoulder blade. Like a drill tunnelling into the earth until it would hit the core and pierce through. Instead it hit a bone and got lodged somewhere inside him. Something as hot pored out of the wound,
If the bullet really had ripped through his front it would have shot Spiderman square in the chest. If Spiderman had moved Captain America would have taken it instead.
Everything happened in double time. A spinning record stuck on repeat. All together too fast, wrong and out of control. Spiderman webbed the gun out of the culprits hands. And Everyone in the crowd had a different reaction. Some screamed, others ducked, some ran for cover. The commotion sent booths over on their side. Knocked people onto their asses. It was without reason, chaos for chaos sake.
The culprit fled with captain America in hot pursuit.
[[He is pretty hot in that suit~]]
{{Is this really the time??}}
“Deadpool.” It was hardly a whisper beside his ear. Deadpool realized somewhere in the back of his head that he had hooked his arms around Spider-Man’s neck and had refused to let go. Spiderman gently pried his fingers lose and pulled away.
“That’s two for two.” Deadpool rasped. Spiderman stayed only long enough to ensure Deadpool wasn’t dying. “You know what they say, third times the charm.”
“We’ve got to go help.” He said, once he was sure Deadpool wouldn’t keel over. He stepped around Deadpool to assess the situation.
“Huh. Think I’m already ahead of you on that one baby boy.” Deadpool rolled his shoulder until he felt the iron burn. Then rolled it again for good measure. He stared out at the crowd. Officers had been called in to quiet the riot, it only seemed to egg them on. “But by all means lead the way.”
It was nothing short of a riot. Nearly half of the citizens had tried to run. The remaining half stayed and wrecked whatever they could get their hands on. Spiderman was already in the fray of it.
A block here. A calming word there. A rescued citizen or two. He Did his best to lull the beast. It lashed out violently.
[[on your left. Backpack.]]
Deadpool held out on arm and took the weight of it on his undamaged shoulder. He should have dodged.
“What’s in there?!” Deadpool grabbed the bag arm loop, and dragged the perpetrator close. Until they were face to face a hairs width away. “Fucking bricks?!”
He slammed his forehead into theirs and they went down like, well a bag of bricks. He tossed the bag down with them.
[[3 o’clock!]]
He took a right hook to the face. His head moved with the motion. He lifted his head back up to stare at the culprit.
“You- you don’t scare me! There’s more of us then there are of you freaks.” He panted. gripped so firmly onto his sign that his knuckles went white. White even under the blood that dusted them from the punch. Who’s it was Deadpool couldn’t be sure. The sign read ‘only oppressors wear masks’ In the same red on white motif.
{{This… was planned.}}
Deadpool whipped the blood off his chin. Flicked his hand to toss the droplets away. He stood upright and stared into the kid.
His hands shook until the sign rattled. but he didn’t run like he wanted to. Like he should have.
Wide eyed, Brunet, no more then twenty. He hadn’t grown into his wits yet.
“Next time kid, you should probably use the sign.”
The police dragged out the riot hose in the next moment. Before he could really give that punk a taste of his own medicine.
Deadpool took the hose right to the gut. He was sent on his ass and couldn’t bring himself up to his feet again.
Either the officers didn’t have time to aim away, or they just didn’t care.
[[my money is on the later.]]
It took five minutes. Five painstaking minutes where Deadpool gurgled more water than he had probably had his entire god damn life. When the hoses were finally shut off he rolled out of his fetal position and onto his side.
He lifted up the mask and puked up his merger breakfast.
[[our body… it’s rejected the water! It really is bad for us!]]
{{it’s healing from nearly drowning you tool.}}
Deadpool spit up a lubricated glop of spit. It tasted like iron and burned his face. His nose was on fire.
“Hate to think how anyone without my sexy healing factor is doing.” Deadpool felt a hand lightly pat his back. Spiderman sighed above him, bone tired.
“Everyone is going to be fine. No one had any substantial injuries and the ambulances are already on the scene.” Spiderman patted one last time to help Deadpool dislodge the water from his lungs. Then he stood. “You, they left out to soak longer than most.” He joked.
[[called it.]]
Spiderman reached out to help him up. Deadpool clasped the offered hand and was hoisted up to his feet.
“See I knew they were aiming for me.” Deadpool laughed humourlessly. His legs wobbled under his weight. the laugh sent him off kilter. but before he crashed back into the earth, he felt an unfamiliar weight under his shoulder. Spiderman steadied him. “Turn your friendly fire off. I’m on your fucking side fellas.”
“I know.” Spiderman said. It was barely a rumble past his chest. Deadpool felt it where his arm slung around spideys neck for support. “You took a bullet for me.”
They limped towards the ambulances. Deadpool heard them wail from somewhere just at the edge of the park. Eerie and Unwelcoming.
“Nah I just have no personal boundaries remember?” Spiderman laughed the same laugh from beside him. Hallow and Devoid of any humour. Deadpool felt that too as a rumble travelling up his arm to rest somewhere in the middle of his chest. “That was just a really long awkward hug.”
“And I’m not carrying you. This is just one of those weird co-worker side hugs.”
“Exactly.” Deadpool breathed.
Spiderman let him have his moment. When they reached the end of grand Central Park and crossed the threshold Spiderman pulled away. The moment gone.
“You look like shit.” Spiderman looked him over in all his soppy glory. His suit dripped into the sidewalk, and his ankle was twisted strangely. The bullet wound bled steadily down his back to became diluted with the water before it hit the ground.
“Gee thanks baby boy.” Deadpool said dryly. He would never get the water out from between his toes. “Well I think You look like a millions bucks.”
Spiderman shook his head.
“I mean let’s go get you cleaned up.” Spiderman began to walk away, and Deadpool couldn’t help but follow.