8510/It's a Running gag, on your left

It's a Running gag, on your left
Date of Scene:	25 July 2019
Location:	Avengers Mansion
Synopsis:	Wade visits Steve about Bucky's mental problems.
Cast of Characters:	Captain America, Deadpool

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Captain America has posed:
Morning rises with the air soft and warm. It draws Steve from beneath his covers, bleary-eyed, just after dawn and he's out on the streets with sneakers pounding for a run. After stopping by down the way for a bagel and an Americano, no room for cream or sugar, he's returned to the mansion. A quick shower and he's currently ensconced at the small round table set aside in a pesudo-kitchenette location. Guests have sat there before, within a few step's reach of the small fridge tucked to the wall beside an open-faced cabinetry filled with dishes and silverware.

Chewing thoughtfully on a bite of his bagel, smeared liberally with cream cheese, Steve frowns down at his phone. He's surfing through his emails from SHIELD and already, it looks like it's going to be an all-day grind. At least he's been asked to run the trainees through their next level in the program's obstacle course. Nothing like Captain America overseeing things to make the newbies do their utmost! His coffee, sans lid, steams beside his wrist as he thumbs the screen again with a sigh.

Deadpool has posed:
And there's that voicemail from Deadpool from the day before. The message goes:

"Steeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeve," Deadpool says, extending the word out over a full, lonnnnng, deep breath. And then breathing in again, to add, "eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeve. ... OOooo, hi. Who's a pretty doggie. You are. Prettiest doggo!" And then the message ends.

There's another one following it later. It says more simply, "I'm outside. I'll start knocking in a minute." It's marked two minutes ago.

The knocking starts.

Captain America has posed:
Attending upon the small red-circled numbers indicating a second voicemail, Steve pauses in reading emails to listen to the first voice message. He quirks his brows in wry amusement to hear the interruption and consequential chatter at what must have been Lili the German shepherd, service dog to one Bucky Barnes. His expression shifts to a mild wince in memory as he deletes the message. The second one is just ending when the rap of knuckles on the door announces the arrival of likely none other than Wade.

Tapping twice on the table lightly with a fingertip and squinting at the door, Steve then deletes the second voice message before rising to his feet. The scrape of his chair will be heard and followed by footsteps before the bedroom door opens.

"G'morning. I appreciate you knocking instead of barging in," says the Captain by way of greeting, polite as always, with a dance of his mobile eyebrows.

Deadpool has posed:
"I did good!" Wade assures. "Also I was off by about twenty feet, I ended up in someone else's closet. It happens." He's in his full Deadpool attire: in fact, he hasn't changed from the night before, except the green army shirt is missing now. He just smells kind of heavily of gasoline and burned plastic. He still has the rip in his palm of lift hand, from the knife. A guess would suggest he was busy that night.

"So tell me about James. He had a panic. Are there other triggers I need to not squeeze?" Wade asks, attempting to just walk into the apartment.

Captain America has posed:
Those eyebrows dance once more to hear about the mis-arrival. Well, no one screamed and there were no immediate sounds of a ruckus or abrupt thuds, so no harm done for Wade leaving the closet! Steve turns and walks into the room, a silent invitation in itself for how he leaves the door for the Merc to close.

"If it were me, I would try very hard not to move quickly around him. I'd also keep my weaponry in its holster or sheath." The Captain speaks thoughtfully without intending condescension as he sits back down at the table before his half-finished bagel and coffee. "I would also never appear to menace the dog. I chose the dog very specifically for him." Steve gives Wade a level look.

Deadpool has posed:
"What will he do? Will he spring into combat mode?!" Wade asks quickly, with a very fake empathy that is loaded with eager hope under it. Combat mode would be really keen.

"Combat mode would be really keen," Wade says without a filter, even after slightly evaluating whether or not he should say it. He trusts the Steve, though, so there it goes. Also he'd probably say it anyway. Wade.

"I didn't menace the doggo! I wouldn't. I had eight baby doggos until I sold them," Wade supplies, as if that were somehow a way to show that he liked animals. "They were going to my cancer children but then I was paid for them so I mean, I assume they got to the kids after that."

Captain America has posed:
The super-soldier continues to give Wade the same patient, even look overtop the rim of his coffee cup as he returns to drinking it after a brief pause, as if he wanted to be certain he heard the Merc correctly. Sitting it aside, he licks his lips and shakes his head twice to a small degree.

"I like you, Wade. I do. Sometimes, you're screwier than a milliner, but you're a good man. Or, at least, you try to be a good one, given your story about the puppies," he allows as he leans back in his chair, resting his hands on his thighs. He never drops Wade's masked gaze. "But I'll be completely honest with you, since we're friends. Do not...ever...deliberately goad James into attacking you. You do that..." Palms lift and fall with a slap to his thighs again. "We won't be friends."

Deadpool has posed:
Wade goes very still, standing in a funny way, in that he just stands there with his palms loose against his armed thighs, with his head tilted just SO to one side. His eyes aren't visible, due to the mask, which also tends to make him seem even more mercurial than he is in any moment: lacking eyes to meet can create discomfort socially. No more than seeing his face, though, so it's a give and take situation.

"Huh," Wade says, as if being told that beavers were actually lizards. He didn't know. How about that. "How come?"

"I mena, how come don't goad; not the friend part. I get that part."

Captain America has posed:
Again, the man's fingertips tap-tap on his leg. His face closes off, however, to shift from polite and friendly to markedly distant and professional.

"James was once a soldier too." Steve's decision to keep the explanation short and simple, sans any nuance of a lie while witholding a great deal of fine detail, may not come as a surprise. A deep sip of his coffee follows and almost drains the cardboard cup entirely.

Deadpool has posed:
Deadpool slides sideways, his movement dragging his burned plastic scent across Steve as he plops to sit down at the table, and weaves his fingers together, in a very studious manner, alert and listening. If one didn't know him, it would seem sarcastic or mocking, but with Wade, it isn't that. He's really being attentive: perhaps overly so, but Maximum Effort.

All Wade's missing is some popcorn and a snuggie.

Captain America has posed:
Steve's lips make a parting rounding of realization once his guest seats himself. It's a silent request for more information. The Captain frowns down at the last third of his bagel before he picks it up. Then, leaning back in the seat with his other arm in half a folding across his ribs, he looks back up at Wade.

"James spent a good amount of time in the Army. He's seen enough in his life that he sometimes has hard days, like the rest of us, but it's things we take for granted. You know what a grenade going off sounds like, same with guns and people running at you. You...like your job though." How decorous of Steve, calling the Merc's line of work simply a 'job', as if Wade were delivering UPS packages instead of knives to kidneys.

"Cars back-firing or fireworks aren't the same for him. Lili is a lifeline for him. He doesn't need any more stress in his life and as his friend, it's my job to help him out. This means sometimes stepping in." -- in front of Buck, in his usual over-confidence he's been exuding since he was in overalls. "So, do me the favor. Don't ever goad him." Steve then gets to finishing his bagel.

Deadpool has posed:
"Okie dokie," Wade says, patting his palms on the table to the music in his head and heart: pat--- pat pat patpat. Maybe it's just that easy? Or is it too easy? Did Wade listen or take any of it in? Or was there an entirely different narrative going behind Wade's eyes during the explanation? Wade could have been agreeing with whatever that was.

"I never did get jello. I don't remember why it was so important, or what I needed it for, so I'm not saying I want it now. Just that I recognize that it was going to happen and then I didn't get myself injured enough to earn it," Wade says, fluttering his stabbed hand near his head.

"Feels a little like crazy talk now."

A little.

Captain America has posed:
Given Steve's got the last mouthful of his bagel to stopper up speech and a napkin at the corner of his mouth, it falls upon his pointed hand and nod towards the fridge to direct Wade. If opened, inside, there's a multi-flavor six-pack of little Jello cuplets moved from the downstairs main fridge. Peter likely brought them into the house -- surely they won't be missed?

The rest of the coffee follows in a toss-back from the cup and the man then sighs.

Deadpool has posed:
"That was then, this is now," Wade continues, as he'd said he didn't need the jello now. But now he's curious about what IS in the fridge, so he gets up to pass by over to the fridge and swing the door open to see what all is in there in the entirety. "Oh hey. Other flavors!" Wade is often easily distracted. He does end up claiming one, and then rattling around in the variety of silverware to look for the perfect utensil. It's loud. He finally claims a spoon and returns. He sets the items down and then neatly pulls his mask up and entirely off, instead of resting it over his nose bridge, and plunks the mask on the table while peeling open his treat.

"Are all of your friends mentally damaged?" Wade asks.

Captain America has posed:
Now Steve wears a small smile, amused and a small part triumphant. Sometimes, it's the little things, like cuplets of Jello.

Wade's question takes him off-guard and there go the brows jumping up once more. The Captain tilts his head and slides his gaze elsewhere in the room while he considers his answer. "I think we all have our demons to battle," he finally murmurs. "Maybe some us fight with 'em more often than the others, but we make it to the next sunrise." He meets Wade's eyes again through the mask.

Deadpool has posed:
"I was always fun, I'll have you know," Wade assures with a grin and point of spoon. "I just fuck my demons to death mentally now," he continues, adjusting the spoon to go into the small pleasure of tastiness he was given. He licks a big glob off the spoon, proving his tongue isn't all that much nicer to look at than his skin. His healing factor and cancer is not skin deep, it goes through everything.

"I think all of us got 'em. Makes me feel more at home with you guys," Wade says, more brightly. "Super teams are mostly for belonging, among the crazies and the power struggles. That's what I think. Support groups in tights."

Captain America has posed:
"Yes, support groups in tights," Steve agrees with a laugh bubbling up to pop brightly. "No more tights though if I have my druthers. Spent enough time in 'em." A final flick of his brows and he then gets to his feet. Collecting his trash from the table, he continues speaking.

"You can have all of those Jellos. Figured I'd bring 'em up 'nd you could take 'em home if you wanted. 'm not a fan of it. Reminds me of being laid up in traction." The coffee cup and bagel sack are placed in the small blue recycling bin beside his personal trash can. Grabbing up his motorcycle jacket, it's clear Steve intends to leave for work now. "Gotta head out. You can walk with me to the curb if you want," he offers as he shrugs into the leather jacket.

Deadpool has posed:
"I don't get laid up in traction, so it's just sunshine and rainbows and parents I don't remember to me!" Wade answers. "Okay! I know where they are." Meaning, if he wants jellos, he will be back to have them. Clearly that's what steve meant to do, to invite Wade back for more food. "I have leggings, not tights. I have worn them though. It's no big deal," shrugs the mercenary. He gets up, scoffing down his jello rapidly and then picks up the mask again.

"I better, or I'll get dragged out again. I think my loophole is just indoor permission, so I don't make more sculptures on the lawn," Wade shares, coming along to cheerfully walk Steve (and himself) out of the mansion.

"But I could really see a unicorn topiary as being cute by that lab on the left. Or maybe a giant ant shitting itself."