Safe and Sound

Chapter 12

    I settle in the grass below a tree, where the street lamps lights don’t reach. Gods it hurts… Why do they have to be so loud? I can’t hear anything over the ringing in my ears. Nat dislocated my shoulder and I barely caught myself before I hit the ground.

    Captain America got my knee. How ironic… Same bad knee too. At this rate I’ll need crutches.

    “Peter?!” Wade sounds panicked. I cover my ears, or one ear with my good arm, as the ringing spikes. I didn’t even hear him coming… “Jesus Peter.” he says more softly. There’s a snap and a terrible pain shoots through my shoulder before it starts to fade, I can feel my eyes welling with tears. Fucking hurts.

    A little warning would have been nice. I whimper.

    “Sorry. Where else are you hurt?” he whispers.

    I pull out my phone to text him, pushing myself further against the tree, so I can sit up straight. Fuck fuck fuckity fuck fuck. My ribs hurt… My everything hurts.

    “Spidey?” Deadpool asks. “Let’s get you something to eat.” he says. I shake my head. “I wasn’t asking. Can you stand?” he asks.

I shake my head again. I don’t think I can on this knee. Why is it always the same one? I yelp as he very suddenly picks me up bridal style.

“I know a great twenty four hour mexican place. We can run by there. I drop by all the time…” as we leave the park he rambles about how the night crew is always high but makes the best chimichangas, and how they normally just go to the back to smoke and he changes in their bathroom before eating and such.

    I grab my phone and tell Ned and MJ what’s going on. They seem to be okay. It takes ten minutes to reach the alley my bag was in, and we decide to just change there. He helps me peel my suit off my body, given that I have underwear on underneath.

In the winter I wear more layers underneath, but in the summer it’s too hot, given my lack of thermoregulation. I’ve had to jump in a fountain once or twice on patrol before.

His eyes seem to search the scars that litter my body as he changes, his own matching scars evident. I have a large burn on my shoulder that wraps around to my back from Iron Man, and a couple scars from stabbings. A few circular one’s from being shot, and multiple others from glass, knives, ceramic plates, or whatever else May deems appropriate, along with the multiple, large, black, blue, and purple bruises that cover my whole abdomen and litter my arms and legs.

But he doesn’t ask about mine, and I don’t ask about his as I wrap the arrow wound on my shoulder and slip my knee brace out of my bag and onto my shaking leg. Now that my adrenaline’s worn down, I can feel the pain coursing through my body.

“Th-thanks for d-distracting Cap.” I whisper, voice hoarse. He stops dead, in the middle of pulling his own shirt on, eyes wide.

“You spoke.” he whispers. I can feel my face redden. I guess I did. I mean… I feel safe around him… he did just find out my identity, didn’t freak out, and carried me all the way to this alley.

“Y-yeah.” I fasten my brace and pull my bag over my shoulder. Wade pulls his shirt on and grabs his own bag. I limp after him out of the alley way.

“Do you want help?” he asks. I start to shake my head, but another step has me nodding as pain laces my movements. He moves towards me, reaching for my arm. I flinch away from him, staring down at the ground. I can’t believe I still flinch from him, even after all he’s done for me.

“I-I’m sorry.” I whimper.

“It’s alright.” he says. “How about this?” he wraps his arm around my waist, letting me lean on him. We limp out of the alley and down the road, to his favorite mexican restaurant. (Which makes awesome burritos.)

Over dinner he asks me if I want to stay with him for the night, at his place. He looks genuinely concerned. But I can’t. And given the guy behind the counter I message him this. I have to go home and clean the house and such.

“If you need me, you have my number. Even if it’s three o’clock in the morning, like right now, call me. Medical attention, someone to talk to, don’t hesitate, okay?” I nod.