Chapter 14 – Broken Friendship

'Mr Stark can you say with certainty the Avengers are a fully cohesive team once again?'

Peter and Ned look up from the floor of Peter's living room where they're busy building a couple of tie fighters to go with the Lego Death Star they'd finished months ago. On the TV Tony looks calm as always.

'Absolutely. We are working around our remaining differences and coming to understandings. We are also working to show the rest of the world that we have learned from our mistakes and we will do everything in our power to ensure they are not repeated,' Tony's voice is confident as he continues to field questions from the reporters.

'He's really trying to get back the Avengers' popularity back isn't he?' Ned comments, putting down a finished model.

Peter shakes his head. 'He's trying to give people confidence in the team again. Germany kind of ruined that.'

'Everyone else calls it the Civil War, why do you refer to it as Germany?'

He shrugs. 'That's what the team calls it. Guess I just picked it up. Besides Civil War sounds a bit overdramatic if you ask me.'

One question from a reporter catches his attention again. 'What of Wanda Maximoff? Her powers have caused deaths, are you positive we won't have a repeat of Lagos?'

'What?!' Peter shouts, jumping to his feet, his hands clenching into fists at his side. 'You bastards-'

'Peter! Language!' May shouts from further in the apartment. Ned shushes him as Tony starts to answer, his face is hard and Peter is very glad he's not the one on the receiving end of that look. If he'd thought Tony had been angry with him before, it was nothing compared to the obvious fury being directed towards that reporter.

'Wanda Maximoff is a member of the Avengers and, as such, has made a promise to protect this world and everybody on it. She is making a concerted effort to improve control of her abilities so as not to cause any unintentional harm in the future; and if I'm honest is working harder than I did building the first Iron Man suit in a cave in Afghanistan,' the last part of that sentence is spat at the crowd. 'And perhaps I should remind you that without those powers more than half of the population of Sokovia would still have been within the city limits when it started heading skyward. As it was only a quarter of the population still remained to be evacuated.'

'Looks like he's shamed them into silence,' Ned mutters as it takes about twenty seconds for anyone to brave another question.

'Yeah he has that amazing ability to either make everyone shout at him or stun them into silence,' Peter laughs, unclenching his fists and sitting back down on the floor to return to his unfinished model.

'Mr Stark how would you describe your relationship with Captain Rogers?'

Peter frowns at the question.

'Well we're not going to be giving you a wedding date any time soon if that's what you're asking,' Tony quips, his usual light tone is back.

There's a ripple of laughter through the room. Then someone asks. 'You mean after the Civil War there's no hard feelings?'

There's an uneasy quiet again in the room and Peter looks up from his model. 'Do you really think they would have come back if there were?' Tony argues.

'Only one more question now,' one of aides says from Tony's side. He sees Happy standing in the background looking menacing and can't help a small smile at the sight of his unofficial 'super-babysitter'.

'What of the Winter Soldier, Mr Stark?'

'Are you asking me if I'm intending to marry him instead of Captain America?' Peter notices the tightness around Tony's eyes that gives away the man is not happy. He's become very good at reading his mentor's moods so as not to annoy him. That's a definite warning sign.

'Are you honestly telling us that he can be trusted after being brainwashed by Hydra? We know he was responsible for attacking the Avengers whilst in custody in Germany because of it. He is a former wanted criminal and we are expected to trust him on American soil?'

'Ok,' all the usual jovialness is gone from Tony's face now' his patience has run out. 'If this is just going to turn into you all wanting to attack individual members of the team then this press conference is at an end.' He starts to walk away from the podium.

'Mr Stark-'

'No!' Tony leans back to the podium. 'Need I remind you that not that long ago you would all happily sing the praises of Sargent James Barnes, the only member of the Howling Commandos to have given his life in service to his country. When I came back from having been tortured in Afghanistan you were all full of sympathy; this for the man who you nicknamed "The Merchant of Death". So let me ask you a question: why can't you give sympathy to a decorated war hero who went through more than I ever did?'

He ignores the shouts as he walks off the stage, Happy following a couple of steps behind. The news anchors now take over, discussing Tony's answers and reactions.

'Well that was…intense,' Ned says, putting down his next completed model and picking up the next one Peter should be working on. Peter just nods. 'Hey, Pete? What is he like? The Winter Soldier I mean.'

He laughs a little. 'He's a pain in the arse a lot of the time, he likes to wind people up, especially Mr Stark and Captain Rogers. And Mr Wilson actually. And me. But he's a nice guy; when I met the whole team for the first time after everyone was back he was the first one to make a real effort to make me feel included.'

'So he's not a psycho killer?'

'Why would the Avengers have a psycho killer on the team, Ned?'

'I don't know. Hey what's the Scarlet Witch like?'

'Wanda? I think she's trying to make me her little brother or something. But she's really cool, and her powers are awesome.'

'Pete, didn't you want to go out on patrol tonight?' May comes in and asks, tying her hair back in preparation for cooking food. 'Ned did you want to wait with me for him to get back and have dinner?'

'Oh, yeah, patrol right,' he says.

'Oh no thank you, May,' Ned smiles. 'I'll head home. I've got some homework left to do.'

'You better have done all your homework, Peter. You aren't going out on patrol until you have. Are you still listening to me?'

'Of course I am, May,' he says as he says goodbye to Ned and walks to his room, only half listening to what his aunt's saying. 'Spider-Man gets grounded for not doing his homework,' he mutters to himself as he gets out his suit. 'If that ever happens Sergeant Barnes is never finding out. I'll never hear the end of it.'

'I think Mr Stark would have a few things to say about it as well,' Karen says once the mask is over his face.

'Oh hey, Karen. Yep which is exactly why everything is done. You ready for patrol?'

'Always, Peter,' she says as he climbs out of the window. 'Did you remember to do your algebra you've been procrastinating on for the past two days?'

'Oh man. I'll do it when I'm back.'

Peter sits on the edge of a building, kicking his heels against the brickwork and looking out over Queens. 'Pretty slow evening today,' he comments to Karen. 'Anything showing up on the police scanners?'

'Nothing coming up, Peter. Only reports of police being called to intervene in domestic disputes, and I wouldn't suggest getting involved in those,' the AI responds.

'Oh yeah, no thanks,' he laughs, 'I can barely cope when May's shouting, let alone trying to cope with two people.'

'Spidey!'

Peter looks over his shoulder at the red clad mercenary approaching him across the rooftop. 'Oh hey Deadpool.'

'How is my favourite arachnid superhero this evening?' the excitable man asks, sitting down next to him. 'Want a taco?'

He shakes his head. 'No thanks. Been a pretty quiet evening so far so I'm not really hungry.'

'All the bad guys too scared to deal with the Spider-Man now?' Deadpool teases, listing up his mask just enough to let him eat one of the tacos he'd brought with him. It had taken them a while to get to the stage where the merc was comfortable enough to eat around Peter; he'd never asked if the scars covered more than just his face, nor what had happened to give him them. Deadpool was obviously not comfortable about them, so he avoided mentioning them as much as possible. Not that they phased him at all.

'Apparently so. Or at least tonight they are,' Peter sighs. 'Even Karen can only pick up domestic call outs on the police scanners, and my spidey senses are saying everything is boring.'

'And you don't fancy going and resolving some domestic dispute? It's better than watching daytime TV!'

'Yeah no,' he shakes his head firmly. 'I have trouble when family shouts thanks to sensitive hearing. I don't need to hear two people screaming at each other about whose turn it is to wash the dishes.' He turns to look at the mercenary. 'Where have you been the last week? I haven't seen you around.'

Deadpool shrugs, quieter now. 'I had to head out of town for a few days.'

Peter feels a sinking in his stomach. 'You had a job didn't you?' He turns to look back out over the city.

Next to him the other man sighs. 'I had to, baby boy. Not all the jobs at Sister Margaret's can pay, if I take the occasional big paying job I can keep on with those.'

'Sister Margaret's? Peter asks.

'A bar in town,' Deadpool pulls his mask back down, tacos now finished. 'Someone needs some help they can put in a request there. I've threatened boys stalking teenage girls, got granny's back their stolen money, even once beat up an abusive ex-boyfriend. Not mine obviously. Problem is, Spidey, they can't all pay. And ever since darling Captain America took down SHIELD, there's not been much work coming in from those wonderful people.'

'So what was it you were doing?' he asks, trying to get his head around all of this information.

'Un-aliving some gang members,' he responds, voice harder now. Peter doesn't say anything in response. 'I don't take contracts unless it's people on the wrong side of the law, baby boy. Not anymore.'

He nods. 'I know, I just- I wish you didn't have to do them at all.'

Deadpool shrugs. 'Got to pay the bills, sweet pea. Ever since I got my Freddy Kreuger look there's not much else I can do until Halloween comes around.'

He rolls his eyes beneath his mask. 'I'm sure it's not that bad. Why don't you try for parts in horror films?' He laughs and drops down to hang on the wall just out of Deadpool's reach.

'You hurt my feelings, baby boy!'

'What? You'd be perfect for the horror role! You apparently have the face for it, and you've got all the killer fighting moves. You could be the next big bad,' Peter laughs, cautiously crawling back up the wall, staying just out of reach of the merc.

'Hmph,' Deadpool crosses his arms, pretending hurt, and looks the other way.

'Awww come on. I'd dress up as you for Halloween,' he teases.

'Err not meaning to change the subject, baby boy, but my asshole senses are picking up something across the street. Two shady characters by the parked car in the alleyway,' the man says, pointing across the street.

Peter turns to look at where he's pointing, and his spidey senses start tingling. 'Karen? Can you get me sound?'

'Sure thing Peter,' she says.

He turns to look at Deadpool. 'I hope those "asshole senses" isn't a jab at my spidey ones.'

'Would I?' Deadpool asks, grin obvious beneath his mask.

'Yes,' he replies, before signalling for the man to be quiet as he listens to their conversation. 'Sounds like they just did a drug deal and they're about to head back to their base. You fancy giving me a hand Mr. I-Want-To-Turn-Over-A-New-Leaf?'

Deadpool's eyes go wide. 'You mean it? You want me to work with you?'

'Consider this your interview,' Peter laughs as the two men get into the car and pull away. 'Think you can keep up or do you need a lift?'

He immediately regrets his question as the grin shifts beneath the other man's mask. 'Don't think I need to answer that do I, Spideykins?'

Peter just groans. I'm so going to regret this, he thinks as they take off after the car.

The journey went surprisingly well; for the most part they were able to follow along the rooftops, and Peter only had to help Deadpool when they reached particularly large gaps between buildings, and the man was more than happy to hang on to the webslinger's arm as they swung between them.

How the guys in the car hadn't heard the merc's excited shouts was beyond him.

'Dude, I know I'm not one to talk, but don't you ever shut up?' Peter says as they creep towards the edge of the building, watching where the two men enter. 'Karen, keep an eye on where they go for me.'

'Will do,' the AI replies.

'I am known as the merc with the mouth for a reason, baby boy.'

'Now I know why the team comments on me talking so much,' he mutters to himself. 'Second floor,' he tells the merc. 'We need to get close so I can record the meeting and we can alert the police.'

'You don't want to go web them up?' Deadpool asks, sounding disappointed.

'Well, yeah, but we need evidence first otherwise I'm just webbing up random people,' he points out. 'Come on we need to find a way in. And no killing anyone.'

'Spoilsport,' the man grumbles.

'Promise me you won't kill anyone Deadpool,' he says, looking back at the mercenary.

'Fine I promise not to kill anyone,' the man replies. 'I can still hurt them though right?'

Peter rolls his eyes. 'As long as they're alive.'

The two of them creep down a fire escape and enter through the third floor, the door is already half broken so it doesn't take much for Peter to pull it open. Thankfully it doesn't make too much noise. Silently the two of them creep along, following Karen's instructions, and reach the second floor.

'Alright Karen start recording ready to send to the police,' Peter whispers.

'Already on it, Peter,' the AI replies.

He signals Deadpool to follow him as they continue along a corridor where voices are coming from a room further down. They drop down into crouches just beside the door so they can hear what is said, and Peter sends his drone into the room to get a visual on what was happening.

They stay there for a good twenty minutes, Peter's legs are going numb by the end of it, but he's got names of people they supply to, the drugs they're selling, names of their suppliers, and dates of meetings. Despite the numbness in his limbs he's feeling pretty good about the situation. He's not sure how he could have done a more thorough job.

I can't wait to tell Mr Stark, he thinks, stretching a leg with a grimace to try and get some life back into it.

'How much longer?' Deadpool hisses in his ear. Peter jumps, not realising the merc had gotten that close. Why does his spidey sense decide to take a holiday around the man?

'Let's go,' he whispers. Without giving the merc a chance to keep up he launches himself through the door, webbing two of the five occupants. 'Hey guys, mind if we join the party?'

'Shit its Spider-Man!' one of the remaining three shouts, pulling out a handgun.

'Hey Spidey! You're supposed to leave some for me!' the red blur says as he tackles the armed man and one other. 'Bear hug!'

'Why do I feel like I've brought a child into this situation?' he muses out loud. 'Hey, man, let's put that down yeah?' He webs the third man's hand to the table as he tries to pick up his friend's discarded weapon, where it had fallen when Deadpool tackled him. 'Someone might get hurt.'

He turns, shaking his head as Deadpool wrestles with the two on the floor, knocking one unconscious and putting the other in a strangle hold.

'I thought we agreed no killing?' he says as the man goes limp in the merc's arms.

'He's fine!' the man says. 'Well he's going to have a killer headache when he wakes up, but other than that he's fine. Do you not trust me baby boy?'

Before Peter can reply his senses go haywire and he feels something pressing into the back of his head through the mask. The merc's eyes go wide and he scrambles to his feet.

'One more step and I'll put a bullet through his brain,' a voice Peter doesn't recognise says. He tries to turn his head to take a look but the gun presses harder into his head. 'Don't even think about it. Hands on your head, Spider-Man. You even think about webbing anything and I'll blow a hole in your skull.'

Peter does as the man says. 'Peter shall I activate the stun ability of the drone?' Karen asks. There's no way for him to say yes without alerting the man, so he tries an affirmative noise.

'Deadpool and Spider-Man in the same place? Well isn't this just my lucky day? I wonder what price you two would fetch?' the man tosses a knife to the man Peter had webbed to the table. 'Cut yourself free and get the others cut out.'

'I really wouldn't do that if I were you,' Deadpool's voice is threatening, and Peter is sharply reminded that the man he's brought into this with him is a killer. Please don't do anything. Karen's about to stun this guy.

'What? Sell you to Hydra? Why not?' the man laughs. 'This one especially would fetch the highest price. A safety blanket if you will against the Avengers.' Peter feels fingers reaching under the back of his mask. 'What's say we take a look at the little superhero, and find out just who it is that seems to have caught Iron Man's interest?'

Panic fills his chest as the material starts to rise up, the man at the table has cut himself free and is heading towards the other two. Hurry up, Karen!

A loud bang echoes through the room, and suddenly the gun and fingers against the back of his head are gone. Another loud bang and he hears a thump behind him. Oh no.

Peter spins around. His fears are confirmed when he sees the two bodies on the floor, a hole in the middle of each of their heads. Spinning back around he sees Deadpool holding a gun, there's still a bit of smoke coming from the end and the acrid smell of gunfire fills the room.

'No, no, no, no,' Peter repeats the one word mantra and stumbles out of the room, pushing past Deadpool.

'Spidey-' whatever he was going to say is cut off as Peter manages to get his mask over his mouth before throwing up further down the corridor, gripping a doorframe to keep his balance. He hears the merc curse behind him.

Suddenly he can't be near the other man, the sight of blood and brains on his eyelids when he closes his eyes against the burning in his throat.

Without seeing where he's going or what he's doing he pushes away from the mercenary. Somehow he makes it outside and finds a rooftop to curl up on, hugging his knees to his chest.

'Peter are you alright?' Karen's voice sounds as worried as an AI can be. 'Should I contact Mr Stark?'

'No! No I'm fine, Karen. I just need a minute,' he replies, rocking himself backwards and forwards until his stomach finally starts to feel more under control and he notices the wetness on his cheeks. When had he started crying?

He's not sure how long he's on the rooftop when he hears footsteps behind him. He doesn't need to turn to see who it is.

'What do you want Deadpool?'

'I'm sorry,' the merc says, his voice quiet. 'But I couldn't let him kill you and I couldn't let him unmask you, Spidey.'

'You didn't need to kill him!' Peter shouts, scrambling to his feet. 'Karen was about to get Droney to stun him; I just needed a couple more seconds. You promised me you wouldn't kill anyone!'

The merc looks down at his feet, raising his hands in a placating gesture. 'I didn't know that. I panicked alright, and I did what I thought was best. I did what I had to save you.'

'What about the others? What did you do with them?'

Deadpool pauses before he answers. 'I took care of it, baby-'

'No! Don't call me that!' he screams. 'You promised me, Deadpool.'

'I just wanted to keep you alive, alright?' the merc shouts back, clearly having lost patience.

'He was more interested in selling us anyway,' he spits at the older man. 'We could have got out later.'

The laugh that escapes Deadpool's mouth makes him pause. 'Oh yeah, good one, Spider-Man. Maybe you should ask your buddy the Winter Soldier just how easy it is to escape from Hydra.' He takes a deep breath and sighs. 'I said I'm sorry, alright? I panicked and I went on instinct. In the past that's the only option I've had because I've always worked alone. I'm not like you, Spider-Man, I didn't have people backing me up, giving me snazzy gear and that would come and find me if something happened to me. Most of the people I knew thought I was dead when I got my abilities. It's always been me, myself and I. So if my methods don't match up with yours I'm sorry but that's just the way it's always been.'

That makes him pause. But it does nothing to stop the pain in his chest. 'There's a reason I don't let people get killed Deadpool,' he says, tone still cold. 'Because before Mr Stark found me I was by myself as well. I got someone close to me killed because of these abilities.'

Deadpool looks at him, and for the first time Peter wishes he could see his face under that mask, because he has no idea what the man is thinking. 'I'm sorry.'

'I don't want your sympathy, Deadpool,' he snaps, then turns and runs off the building, shooting a web and swinging towards home.

A/N: Hey everyone! So, I really hope you don't hate me for the argument between Peter and Wade? Because I still love you all, especially my reviewers! So yeah, things have kind of come to a head, because we all knew Deadpool was going to kill someone eventually and Spider-Man wasn't going to like it.

Also I feel extra bad posting a pretty down chapter considering I'm sure we all need some cheering up after hearing Stan Lee has passed away. Such a wonderful creative mind is going to be sorely missed in this world. In a way to remember him I may end up posting another chapter tomorrow; he's given us such wonderful and rich characters to have our own creative time with, I'd like to give you guys a little more of this story that he and his characters have inspired.

I've been wondering about whether to do a Christmas Special of this fic and post it around Christmas, but I'm never sure how I feel about them. Would you guys want a short multi-part side story to this of an Avengers Christmas? Let me know and I'll start working on it.

Thank you again for your continued support.

RIP Stan Lee.

L x

As always here's your sneak peek:

'There's only three people still alive that have stuck by Tony through everything, Cap. That's me, Happy and Pepper. Anyone else who stuck around through his temper tantrums and mood swings died a long time ago. Everyone else he trusted? They betrayed him or walked away from him.'

'I did both,' Steve says with sudden clarity. 'Oh god, Rhodey-'