A book end of sorts
Spiderman didn’t stay long after that. Left Deadpool to his garbage apartment with little more than a vague excuse. Places to be, people to save, hero stuff to do.
Deadpool sunk into his couch.
{{going to make a habit of this? Becoming Spider-Man’s human meat shield?}}
Deadpool sure fucking hoped not. He meant to say as much. But his head lulled on the seat, he closed his eyes for a second.
He fell forward a second later and it was night around him. His apartment was dark, save for the orange glow of the streetlights. his window was small so even that glow barely reached him.
Sometime after ten, five hours had passed. The room was too dark, Pitch black, inky in a way that sent chills down his spine. Some ancient animalistic part of him froze. Told him he was vulnerable in the dark. That’s where the predators were. Ready to dart out from the corners where the cover was thickest.
[[We’re the monster hiding in the dark.]]
{{waiting in the corner with a bullet and a gun.}}
He stood up in his silent, pitch black apartment. Moving for the door, he left the shadows to their own devices.
He hadn’t meant to go towards the crowd. To follow the low mummer until it turned into an all encompassing roar. Where the overhead speakers were all too loud, and it was too closely packed. But he’d been swallowed up by it.
[[like fucking sardines in a can. Shove em off DP]]
Deadpool ignored the box.
The city was like a barely functioning organ, a heart, it pumped blood in on one side and Deadpool was pulled with it. It pumped blood back out and random citizens went home. He searched for the rhythm To move through the crowd.
[[Well someone is poetic tonight.]]
{{pathetic you mean, what’s with this new shtick?}}
He found spidey with his elbows hung over the metal railings of the barricade. A moment of quiet, a calm in the storm.
He wasn’t twenty feet from Audrey. A still heap of metal and gears. Painstakingly crafted with what Deadpool could only describe as love.
“Thrice in one day. To what, do I owe the honour.” Spiderman had heard the approach. Because of course he had. He was Spiderman. Deadpool moved up beside him, and leaned over the same railing.
“How’d it go?” He answered with another question. Sure it was odd, them spending so much quality time together. But it had been an odd day for Deadpool. Some sick part of him might even miss it when it was gone.
{{every part of you is sick.}}
“How you’d expect it to.” Spiderman said. To Him or Audrey Deadpool was unsure. “They got the villain in the end.”
Deadpool hummed. Waiting for him to continue.
“But the crowd. The crowd cheered for her.” It was a whisper. A sound carried off on the breeze. It wasn’t for deadpool’s ears. But he heard it all the same. “… maybe next time.”
They stood like that. Unmoving as the crowd dispersed around them. Spider-Man’s eyes glued to Audrey. Even when they moved her, and he was only staring at her ghost.
There should have been fireworks. Originally they were scheduled after the Tony awards were tallied. Judging by the smell of smoke they had been set off early just as they had the first time. A distraction instead of celebration. To lull the crowd.
Finally Spiderman straightened his back until it cracked. Deadpool hadn’t noticed how quiet the streets had become.
“We’ll. I think that about wraps it up, yeah?” It wasn’t really a question. But Spiderman expected him to answer anyway.
[[He just knows you never shut up.]]
“I sure hope so.” He admitted a little bone tired himself. He felt like he hadn’t gotten any real sleep. “Skipping out on patrol? Here I thought you were a model student.”
“Even valedictorians need their beauty sleep.” Spiderman said, and empathized it with a yawn. “Besides I handed in my extra credit assignment this morning at the bank.”
Deadpool laughed despite the lame joke. Nodded at his hero. He was sure spidey would do his rounds on his way to whatever penthouse suit he lived in.
He just wasn’t invited to the after party.
Deadpool watched spidey go. He stared long after the hero was gone and the crowd was further reduced to only the cleaning crew. Some man in a green jumper swept up party poppers. When he noticed deadpools stare he smiled.
[[Jesus I’ve never seen a happier garbage man.]]
Deadpool didn’t stick around to bump uglies with the Brunette. He unpeeled himself from the bannister and started his long treck back home.
He had only made it half way before his mental illness reared it’s ugly head.
[[Rude. I just asked if you heard that.]]
“Heard what, your disembodied bunch of nonsense?” Deadpool snarked, but focused closer on his surroundings.
{{He was too distracted brooding.}}
“Shut up.” It had never worked in past but that didn’t stop Deadpool from trying to silence the boxes. Between their chatter he heard it.
The unmistakable sound of a glass window being shattered, as someone broke in. Deadpool walked around the corner to see three small time thugs breaking into a little ma and pa shop.
“Shit! Greg shut the fuck up you’re going to get us caught!” Thug number one snapped. His back was turned to Deadpool. Deadpool sighed and leaned against the cool stone of the building.
[[ah babies first step.]]
“Well, if he doesn’t your loud mouth is sure to do the job.” Deadpool watched as his shoulders hunched up. He grinned at the rigid poster. “Don’t you newbies have any tact?”
{{You never have.}}
The first thug, clearly doing a piss poor job of door duty, spun towards the noise. They were both stunned.
[[oh wait… no way!]]
Deadpool blinked. The other thug, Greg seemed confused. The third could have been nonexistent to Deadpool for all he cared. Because he was locked in a staring contest with thug number one. A familiar face.
“Conner?” Deadpool and Greg asked in unison. Conner looked ready to bolt.
“Jesus kid did I not just put you behind bars?” Deadpool sighed. He wondered briefly why Conner hadn’t waived that gun on his hip around, like he had at the bank. But maybe he had thought better of it.
[[didn’t go so well the first time.]]
“Come back to throw me in jail again? Finish the job?!.” He seethed. Greg tried to make himself as small as possible. And the third thug had started to toss valuables into his bag.
Conner stood stock still. Deadpool wasn’t sure if it was fear that held him there, or spite. It was times like these he wished he still smoked.
“Nope.”
[[Wait we’re not?]]
“Not my mess to fucking clean up.” Deadpool raised a brow at the kid. Dumbfounded in a way Deadpool was sure wasn’t new. He seemed to always be three paces behind. Maybe Deadpool was just three paces ahead.
Deadpool shoved off his slouched position on the wall. Moved past them until Conner’s back was once again too him. Kept on walking by as Greg tried to get Conner’s attention. And when he gave up to to line his pockets instead.
“But you ought to consider a different line of work kid.” He threw the comment over his shoulder. Condescending and dismissive. Deadpool didn’t care what he did one way or another. “You fucking suck at this.”