Safe and Sound

Chapter 13

    Aunt May is asleep when I get home, thankfully. She stinks of booze and weed, so I head to the kitchen to clean up, throwing away beer bottles, straightening up the living room, shoving the dirty clothes into the washer, etcetera.

    I only shower after I’m done cleaning, to wash away the stench of alcohol and such along with the sweat and blood from tonight. Along with my shoulder being dislocated, Mr. Barton struck me with an arrow. It was on the edge of my arm, leaving a sort of notch. It hurts like hell, especially in the cold water.

    I wrap my arm with gauze and collapse into my bed for a few hours of sleep before I have to be up for the internship.

    The next morning, thanks to the food Wade got me last night, the wound on my arm has almost completely healed, and the ringing in my ears have faded, but it’s still not gone. I’m starting to think it may be permanent.

    I pull on some jeans, my knee brace over the top since their skinny, and a blue long sleeved shirt. But just as I fasten my brace, my door slams open. If I’d heard her coming I would have jumped out the window, but my hearing loss is causing more than a few problems.

    By the time I do leave the house, I have fresh bruises, I can barely walk on my knee, and my jar is turning a dark purple. I think I might throw up. As I leave the house my phone goes off with a text.

    Ned- Where are you?

    Peter- I’m just leaving, I’m seriously late. I had a hard time getting around this morning.

    MJ- You okay?

    Peter- Sorry I didn’t realize this was the group chat.

    Peter- Yeah I’m just tired. Wade, will you tell Mr. Stark I’ll be late?

    Wade- I’ll be right there.

    Peter- That’s really not necessary, I’ll be there in thirty minutes.

    Wade- Mr. Stark said we can pick you up. I told him you got mugged again.

        Peter is typing….

    Peter- Wade really I’m fine I- Did you just pull up?

    MJ- Have a nice day at the Internship!

   

    “Hey Peter.” Wade opens the door for me and I climb in.

    “Kid how do you always get yourself in these situations?” I look over to see Mr. Stark in the back with us, and Happy is driving. I just shrug, instantly regretting it, wincing.

    “Peter? You okay?” Wade asks, his eyes lingering on the bruise on my jaw a bit too long. He knows it wasn’t there last night… But I nod. He just sighs.

    “So, I thought you could help me with my thrusters this morning. I’ve been working on some suit improvements for this kid named Deadpool who works as an informant for 

S.H.I.E.L.D. And yes, I know he’s a mercenary, but we had a little talk and he seems like a pretty cool guy. Besides, no one needs pedophiles and crap anyway.” Mr. Stark rolls his eyes. I nod, but I can see Wade trying to hide a stupid grin on his face.

    We pull up to Stark Tower and Wade and Mr. Stark climb out, both wincing as I drag myself out of the car and limp after them.

    “Kid do you want a crutch?” Mr. Stark asks. I shake my head. But one more step and I stumble a bit. It hurts so much… I wonder if it’s finally broken. Wade rushes to me, wrapping his arm around my waist like last night to help support me.

    “I think you should take the crutch.” Wade tells me. I think for a moment and nod. It hurts like Hell. I don’t even believe in Hell!

    “Okay, Wade, help me get him to the lab. I have a couple in there for when I hurt myself when things explode.” Mr. Stark shrugs.

    Wade helps me into the elevator, and then into the lab where blueprints for Deadpool's new suit are splayed out. Mr. Stark grins, glancing at Wade and winking. Does he know? Mr. Stark pulls out a crutch and hands it over to me. Wade lets me go and I situate myself on the crutch.

    “Thanks for the help Wade.” Mr. Stark says.

    *Thank you.* I sign.

    “No problem. I have to go meet Natasha, but I’ll see you later.” He offers me a sad smile, which I return.

    “Here kid.” Mr. Stark pulls a chair to the table with the blueprints, paper, pens and pencils, extra erasers, two different calculators, and a laptop. “I set this up for you. It has a spinny chair so you can roll around.” he laughs. Someone groans in the corner and I look over to see a man asleep on the couch in the corner.

    “I can’t figure out how to stabilize the sheaths for the katanas. It’s supposed to double as a bulletproof vest. I know he can’t die but that’s gotta hurt.”