Deadpool looked around the ruined warehouse, taking in the destruction that had taken place over the last few minutes.
The place barely resembled a building anymore. There was also the rather unpleasant sight of what remained of Nathaniel Essex lying motionless among the rubble.
Deadpool stared at the scene for several seconds before slowly turning toward Kakashi. "So we are done?" he asked, sounding almost surprised that things had actually reached an ending.
Kakashi looked at him with his usual calm expression. His one active eye moved toward the remains of Essex before returning to Deadpool. "Unless you have another mad scientist hiding somewhere that you forgot to mention, I believe we are."
Deadpool raised both hands slightly. "We protected the timeline and now my world is safe?" he asked, almost as though he needed someone else to confirm it. "That sounds suspiciously easy considering how much trouble we went through."
Kakashi snorted from nearby. "You should ask the TVA about it. They're the ones who dragged you into this mess in the first place."
Deadpool turned toward him. "That is actually a very good point. I should probably get an official confirmation before I start celebrating. Imagine me going home, throwing a party, ordering several hundred chimichangas, and then some time cop shows up and tells me that the universe is still dying."
Kakashi shook his head. "Knowing you, you'd throw the party anyway."
"Obviously. I am an optimist."
"You are an idiot."
"I prefer optimistically challenged."
Kakashi sighed quietly. He had learned over the past few days that trying to stop Deadpool from talking was about as useful as trying to stop the ocean from making waves.
Logan finally pushed himself away from the wall and looked toward the dead Essex. His expression hardened for a moment as he stared at the man who had spent months hunting him and kidnapping mutant children.
"Heah, I at least got rid of this pesky fucker who was kidnapping children and being after me for months now," Logan said. His voice was rough, but there was a noticeable sense of relief behind the words. "I can finally stop looking over my shoulder every time I walk into a bar."
Kakashi glanced toward Logan. "You should probably still look over your shoulder occasionally. There are plenty of other people in the world who would like to kill you."
Logan gave him a flat stare. "Thanks for the advice."
"I try to be helpful."
Deadpool pointed at Kakashi. "See, this is why I like him. He gives you completely reasonable advice while casually reminding you that your life is terrible."
Logan grunted.
For a moment, none of them said anything. The tension that had followed them since they had teamed up was finally beginning to disappear. Essex was dead. His clones were dead. And now Wolverine, the anchor being of this universe was safe.
Deadpool looked toward Kakashi and then toward Logan before placing his hands on his hips. "Well, gentlemen, it seems our little adventure has reached the part where everyone awkwardly says goodbye."
Logan gave him an unimpressed look. "It was not so nice meeting you two creeps. I will take my leave now. I have a drink waiting for me somewhere, and after everything that happened, I think I deserve it."
Deadpool placed a hand over his chest. "That is the nicest goodbye anyone has ever given me."
"I called you a creep."
"I choose to remember the important part."
Logan rolled his eyes and started walking away.
Deadpool raised one hand and waved enthusiastically. "See you later, Logan. Try not to get kidnapped by any more evil scientists."
Logan continued walking without looking back. "Try not to get your head cut off again."
Kakashi watched Logan disappear through the remains of the warehouse entrance. He then looked toward Deadpool. "You realize he was probably the most normal person involved in this entire situation."
Deadpool stared at him. "Kakashi, he drinks whiskey in the middle of the day, attacks people before asking questions, and spends most of his time looking like he wants to stab someone. If that is your definition of normal, I am starting to understand why the Avengers made you their leader."
Kakashi ignored the comment.
Deadpool suddenly reached into his suit and pulled out a small device. It looked strangely advanced, although Kakashi recognized enough of its construction to realize it was connected to the TVA's technology.
"How do we return to our respective timelines?" Deadpool asked while examining the device. "I do have a way to go to the TVA with one of their gadgets and all that I have."
Kakashi nodded. "Use it. It would be better for you to use it. I will return with the help of the Ancient One. I don't think the people at the TVA would like me very much."
Deadpool stopped pressing the buttons and looked at him. "Why would they dislike you?"
Kakashi stared at him. "Deadpool, I am not from any timeline. I have crossed universes and interfered with events that were not supposed to involve me."
Deadpool considered that. "Okay, when you put it like that, you sound like a bureaucratic nightmare for them."
"I imagine they would have several forms for me."
"Probably several thousand."
Kakashi nodded solemnly. "Exactly."
Deadpool pressed the button.
A rectangular portal immediately opened behind him. Deadpool looked toward Kakashi and raised one hand. "You know, for a guy who spent most of our journey looking like he wanted to take a nap, you were surprisingly useful."
"I will take that as a compliment."
"It was."
"Then thank you."
Deadpool stepped toward the portal but paused before entering. "One last thing."
Kakashi waited.
Deadpool pointed at him. "You should really consider changing your mask. I still have no idea what you look like underneath it, and that has been bothering me for days."
Kakashi's eye curved slightly. "You could always stop wondering."
Deadpool stared at him for a second. "That sounded suspiciously like a challenge."
"It wasn't."
"Now I am definitely going to wonder."
Kakashi sighed.
Deadpool grinned beneath his mask before stepping through the portal. "Take care, buddy. Try not to get involved in another universe-ending disaster before I come back."
"I will do my best."
The portal closed behind Deadpool.
For the first time since arriving in this universe, Kakashi was completely alone.
No Deadpool talking constantly beside him.
It was almost peaceful. Kakashi looked around. "That was surprisingly exhausting."
He had barely finished speaking when a familiar golden-orange portal appeared directly in front of him.
Somehow, the ancient one had apparently known that he had finished before he had even decided to leave. Kakashi walked toward the portal and looked through it.
On the other side was his Avengers Tower office.
He stared at it for several seconds.
"She really does enjoy making things convenient."
Kakashi stepped through the portal.
The moment he emerged, the portal disappeared behind him.
His office looked exactly as he had left it. The desk was still covered with reports. Several folders were stacked neatly on one side. A half-finished cup of tea sat near his chair, although Kakashi had no intention of finding out how long it had been sitting there.
He looked around the room and felt his shoulders relax.
Home.
Kakashi walked toward his desk and reached into his weapon pouch.
His fingers searched for something. He searched again when he found nothing.
He checked another section of the pouch. It was empty.
Kakashi slowly reached into the pouch a third time as though the missing object might somehow appear if he looked hard enough.
It didn't. A faint sense of suspicion entered his mind.
He knew exactly what had been inside that pouch before he left.
His reading material. More specifically, the particular kind of reading material that he had absolutely no intention of explaining to anyone.
"Cheeky little bastard," Kakashi muttered.
He knew exactly who was responsible.
There was only one person who had spent enough time around him recently, possessed enough nerve to steal something from his pouch, and would find the entire situation amusing.
Deadpool.
-----Author Notes---------
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