After Peter broke up with Mary Jane, she wasn't bitter because she was the one who got dumped; she was miserable because they weren't together anymore. It might have seemedlike she was bitter, but she didn't care – just like she didn't care that her confidence was seen as vanity or her curiosity as nosiness. People generally chose to think the worst of her and she was used to that. Most people were petty and shallow so they either treated her as a threat or as a prize. But not Peter.

Peter was the sweetest and most caring person she knew and she loved him. So of course she hated the fact they broke up. Sure, things weren't perfect towards the end of their relationship, but she honestly didn't expect Peter to just end things instead of trying to fix them, like always. She understood, though – everyone got their limits. Mary didn't make it easy for Peter. She liked attention, she deserved it, and she demanded it. It wasn't that she made him choose between her and being Spider-Man; she just wanted him to make a little effort. She wasn't the bad guy here.

And yet, she felt like one. She felt like she pushed Peter too far, or that she wasn't supportive enough. She drove him to look for the things she couldn't offer him elsewhere. Oh, right, the most important part; Mary Jane wasn't just dumped – she was dumped for someone else. Yeah, that stung, but it wasn't incomprehensible. She was a handful, and Peter wasn't a superhuman. Well, he was, but that wasn't the point. And it wasn't that Peter loved her any less, he just loved someone else more – he said so, and she believed him. Peter never lied to her ever again after coming clean about being Spider-Man so she didn't have any reason not to trust him.

Still, when Peter came over to bring some of her stuff a few weeks after their break up, she followed him. It wasn't distrust, it was curiosity. It was concern. Maybe a bit of jealousy. She wanted to know that person. Peter refused to say anything about her, said it didn't matter, it was about them, about Mary and Peter. But it wasn't, was it? Not for one hundred percent. And she was anything but insecure, but she wondered, waiting in the café across the street for Peter to leave the building he disappeared into, what that woman had that she didn't. Was she more beautiful? Did she fuck better? No, Peter wasn't like that. Maybe his new girl gave more and took less. Maybe she liked science, like Gwen…

When she saw Peter leave the building, she waited a few minutes and entered it herself. She noticed curtains in one window being closed right after Peter came inside and that was her best shot. She took the chance. Pressing every button always worked in cases like this, someone always waited for someone. Before she could even prepare herself properly she was about to knock on the door she suspected belonged to her replacement. Just as she raised her fist, the door flung open and she was forcibly pulled inside the apartment and slammed against the wall with a gun pointed at her head and a masked man towering over her.

"Who are you," the man gritted out.

"I'm Mary Jane Watson, and who are you?!"

Mary didn't even have the time to regret saying that because the man took the gun away and scratched his throat, humming. She looked at her hands, they were shaking a little. When she lifted her head again, the man was watching her with furrowed brows.

"You're Peter's ex, aren't you?"

MJ froze. No. She made a mistake, she came to the wrong apartment. This wasn't the person she was looking for. But he knew Peter. Maybe they worked together. This seemed like the only reasonable explanation.

"You just missed him, you know. You can still catch up if you don't waste time on wiping your piss of my floor. I'll be upset, obviously, but I'll understand."

"Hey, I didn't piss myself, alright?" she shouted, fixing her dress and hair.

The man chuckled darkly. "No, you didn't. You have no idea who I am, do you?"

She shook her head and crossed her arms on her chest, raising her eyebrow. She should have pissed herself. Where she was expecting to find a petite blonde singing sweetly while she baked apple pie, she found a huge masked man with guns and voice like sandpaper. But yeah, raising an eyebrow at him was what she did.

"I'm Deadpool. Ringing any bells? No? Well, then, what are you doing here, miss Watson? Because I'm pretty sure you're not here to hire me."

"I made a mistake. I don't know who you are and I don't want to. I followed Peter here. I thought he would go to his new girlfriend but, obviously, I was wrong. I'll go now."

Deadpool burst out laughing so suddenly that Mary almost jumped. He wouldn't stop and it just felt weird leaving in the middle of a joke she didn't get yet, so she waited. Deadpool finally calmed down enough to motion with his hand for her to take a sit. She eyed the couch suspiciously but decided to sit down. Maybe that Deadpool new about Peter's new girlfriend. He seemed pretty well informed about her after all. Deadpool went to the kitchen and came back with two beers. It wasn't even noon, but MJ didn't think it was wise to refuse him. She didn't open it, though.

"My name is Wade," Deadpool said as he flopped down on the couch next to her. "I'm the new girlfriend. Nice to meet you."

At first Mary didn't understand what Wade was saying. She frowned as she waited for the words to connect in her mind. When they did, she opened the can and drank until her throat refused to cooperate any longer. She felt Wade's eyes on her.

"Oh God…"

"It's a lot to take in, don't worry, I have more of those."

MJ snapped her head around and looked at Wade. She noticed a smirk under the mask and she wanted to slap it off his face. With her heels. She downed her own beer and took Wade's unopened can from his hand. It wasn't that she thought it was wrong or disgusting, she was just… surprised. Peter never told her he was into dudes too. Maybe he didn't know himself. Maybe he didn't think it was important. Maybe he was afraid of her reaction…

"So. Peter. Swell guy, huh? Great sense of humor. Amazing ass."

Mary choked on the beer she was sipping. She looked at Wade in shock, wiping her chin with the back of her hand. "Are you trying to be completely disgusting and inappropriate?"

"No, it's a gift," Wade said with a shrug. "I'm gonna get another since you stole mine. Don't look under the couch while I'm gone."

Of course she looked under the couch, but there was nothing there. Wade came back with a six pack, still smirking.

"Naughty, aren't we. There's nothing under the couch, I just wanted to stare at your cleavage when you were leaning down. Didn't take your hair into consideration, Rapunzel. Wish me better luck next time."

Mary Jane scowled. She took the six pack from Wade and opened another beer, screw the consequences. "You're gross, you know? I don't get what Peter sees in you."

"Well, then there's two of us, sister. Look at you. You're picture perfect. You're smoking hot. You're clever. You have guts. Maybe my brain damage rubbed off on him."

MJ blushed despite herself. She was used to people complimenting her looks, but nothing more than that. Wade sat down and sighed, picking nervously at his sleeve. His nervousness annoyed her – she didn't need his pity or his guilt.

"I'm not here to play a jealous ex, you know. You can relax. I'm a big girl, I can handle a break up."

"So why the hell are you here?!" Wade shouted, leaping off the couch and Mary startled. "To rub you fucking impeccable perfection in my face? To remind me that you're better for him? To show me what I took away from him?!"

"Whoa, calm down! What are you even talki-"

Wade suddenly tore the mas of his face and MJ's eyes widened to the point of hurting. She covered her mouth with both of her hands, spilling the beer on the carpet. She could feel bile rising in her throat and tears welling up in her eyes. She couldn't look anymore, she had to close her eyes.

"That's who you got dumped for."

She shook her head before putting it between her knees. "Oh God, this is not happening. This is a cruel joke. Did Peter put you up to it. Did he ask you to lie for him. Was I such a horrible girlfriend. Is this punishment." She knew she was rambling and probably making Deadpool even more angry, but she didn't care. She let out a wail and her throat hurt so much she choked and had to sit straight. Wade was by her side in a second, holding her head up and rubbing her back. She flinched instinctively but didn't push him away.

"Breathe. Just breathe. Slowly. Deep breaths. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Wade was the one to ramble then as she tried to catch her breath. He smelled like tacos and gun powder. And Peter. Another wave of tears washed over her and she choked out a sob. Wade was stroking her hair and she kept crying. She didn't even notice when she started clutching his sleeve. Eventually, her tears run out and her breath evened out. She closed her eyes one more time and took a deep breath before lifting her eyes up to look at Wade.

Who could have done something like that to a person? His face was damaged beyond repair and the scars looked so painful Mary felt her stomach twist. How could Peter look at it every day? How could he touch and kiss it? How could he ignore it? Didn't it matter to him? When he told her how beautiful she was, did he really care? Did he mean it? What did he mean by it? Did he see past the flesh when he looked at her too?

Wade must have finally realized she has calmed down because he looked at her with eyes so blue and sad and guilty that she felt like screaming. He gave her an unsure apologetic smile and tried to move away from her. She didn't know why but she instinctively stopped him and reached out to touch him. He shut his eyes like he was afraid she would hit him. His skin felt weird under her fingers; hot and dry, uneven but smooth.

"What are you doing?"

"I don't know."

He gently put his fingers around her wrist and pushed her hand back. She looked at her frail arm in his strong hand and wondered how easy it would be for him to break it. Did Peter feel the same with Wade as she felt now? Weak, young and small? Wade let go of her and got off the couch, grabbing a beer off the table and downing it in one go.

"You should go."

She should.

"Do you love him?"

She didn't even realize she was the one to ask that question until Wade said, "I do." She blinked a few times and nodded. She got up from the couch and made a weak attempt at fixing her hair. She considered asking where was the bathroom but that would be just awkward and she had sunglasses in her purse anyway. She nodded again, forcing herself to look straight at Wade.

"That… that's good. He deserves to be loved. I'm sure he- I'm sure that he loves you too."

She reached for her purse and turned around to leave. Now she was bitter. Now she was jealous. She expected to meet someone prettier or nicer or smarter; she expected to see a person full of qualities she was lacking. That would make everything easier to understand and then to accept or defy. But this? How could she compete with someone who wasn't a competition at all?

This wasn't about her. It was about something intangible that she couldn't grasp. She couldn't even name it, let alone comprehend it. So how could she do anything about it?

"He loves you too," Wade said as MJ grabbed the door handle with shaking fingers. "And he always will."

"I know."

She just wished she could have it too.