Peter's new house arrived within a day, Wade spending an exorbitant amount of money to ship it overnight from the distributor. The fairy hid in the bedroom while several men carried it through the doorway, the heavy structure balanced in their arms. Wade followed them into the room to manage the delivery, his face and skin completely covered by his Deadpool suit. He directed the men to set the house on top of his derelict dresser, and with tired grunts they did as told.
As the men left, Wade on their heels to see them out, Peter flew up to the house to get a better look. It was enormous, with three separate floors, working door hinges, and extravagant decor. He gasped at all of the wooden furniture, hand-made and perfectly sized for his use. There were tiny plates and glassware in the kitchen and dining room, a comfy couch and a decorative fireplace in the living room, and a beautiful four-poster bed with a soft mattress in the bedroom.
Peter was awed at the craftsmanship and care that had gone into what amounted to a play-thing for human children, excitement filling him at the prospect that all of this was his. He heard the front door slam and Wade's heavy footsteps on the floorboards as he returned to the bedroom, the hero coming to a stop next to the dresser.
Wade removed his mask without Peter having to ask and flashed the fairy a proud grin. "How's it look, Petey? Was it everything you could have hoped for?"
"And so much more!" Peter chirped, his hands busy as he opened the drawers of his new dresser to inspect them. "Thank you again!"
"No problemo!" Wade answered, his fingers absently playing with his mask. "If there's anything you want or need, just ask and I'll get it for you, okay?"
Peter shook his head at the offer, abandoning the dresser to focus on Wade. While he was touched by the other's generosity, he didn't want to impose anymore than he already had.
"Oh Wade, you don't have to-"
"It's no big deal, Baby Boy-"
"-do that for me! I'm perfectly happy with-"
"-honestly, I got money to spare and-"
"-what I have, just as long as I'm here with you."
"-I love spending money on your cute ass."
"What?"
"What?"
Peter blinked owlishly at Wade, his head tilted to the side. The man just stared right back, his blue eyes bright. After a moment of shared silence, Peter simply thanked Wade again and went back to investigating his new home, reminding himself that the hero said odd things sometimes. He sensed Wade's gaze on him as he moved through the miniature house, but Peter figured that the man was simply making sure that his gift was well-received. The fairy smirked at that, wondering how Wade could ever think he wouldn't appreciate something so heartfelt.
Later, when Peter had packed all of his clothes into his tiny dresser and laid his sleep shirt on his new bed, he joined Wade in the kitchen for lunch. The man was talking to himself again, his words barely audible over the sounds of pots and pans clanking. Peter fluttered over and landed next to him on the counter, watching with amusement as Wade argued with Yellow about something mundane.
Peter had started to realize that 'Yellow' and 'White' were the names Wade associated with separate parts of his personality. Yellow was the more playful of the two, while White tended to be cold and calculated. And while the knowledge that Wade regularly conversed with voices in his head should have bothered Peter, he'd actually come to accept it with relative ease. In his eyes, they were just another aspect of Wade - no more, no less.
Once lunch was ready, the two of them shared a delicious meal of homemade tacos and salsa at the kitchen table, chatting amicably as they ate. As they were clearing the table, Wade's phone rang with a shrill tone, the noise capturing their attention. The hero glanced at the screen with a slight frown before excusing himself and leaving the room.
Peter listened as Wade's long strides carried him into the bedroom, the door shutting behind the hero with a soft click. The fairy debated whether he should risk eavesdropping or just stay put, but eventually decided that he didn't want to intrude on a private conversation and possibly anger Wade. So instead, he continued doing what he could in the kitchen - pushing and pulling at the faucet knobs to fill the basin with hot water and dropping dishes into the sink.
Peter had just tipped over the bottle of dish soap and dragged it to the edge of the sink when Wade returned, the man's jaw tight and his eyes hard.
"What happened? Who called?" Peter asked, abandoning the soap bottle to fly to his friend. He hovered near Wade's head as the man finished filling the sink with dirty dishes, the human's movements jerky and irritated.
"It was Coully again. He wanted to set up a meeting with us."
"Oh," Peter murmured, moving to sit on the counter as Wade dried his hands on a dish towel. "What did you tell him?"
"I told him we were gonna be busy today, and that I'd get back to him later."
From Wade's tone and his gruff demeanor Peter doubted that was all he'd said, but he chose not to mention it. Instead, he asked if Wade was ready to head out. The man turned to him with an appreciative smile, although it didn't reach his eyes.
"Sure, Baby Boy. Let's go."
They left the dishes to soak in the sudsy water and wandered into the bedroom to dress. Wade threw on his casual clothing and hoodie while Peter slipped into one of his new outfits. The hero waited next to Peter's house for him to finish, then held the pocket of his hoodie open so the fairy could duck inside. When Peter was nestled snugly in the warmth of Wade's jacket, the man quickly gathered his keys and wallet and left the apartment in search of adventure.
They reached the subway station a few blocks away in record time, boarding the train and riding it all the way to Central Park. Wade exited the underground terminal and emerged near one of the park's entrances, his steps slow as he meandered inside. He strolled along the grounds at a leisurely pace, sticking close to the tree line as Peter flew above him, hidden from view by the brush. The fairy fluttered back and forth between the leaves and twisted limbs of the trees, ducking and dodging whenever a bird saw fit to chase him. Every so often he would return to Wade to escape a particularly feisty predator, as the hero was adept at scaring them off.
In time, Peter grew tired and retreated inside the baggy hood of Wade's jacket to curl against the man's neck. He hummed as he placed his cheek on the rough skin, the texture an interesting contrast to his own. Wade allowed the contact without a fuss, his focus devoted to the trail ahead as he side-stepped oncoming joggers.
As they continued forward, Peter tucked his legs beneath him and leaned fully on his friend, his gaze scanning the park lazily. He could hear Wade mumbling under his breath, and as he strained to listen Peter realized that the hero was talking to himself again. While he couldn't decipher the majority of the quiet conversation, Peter did pick up the words "won't let that happen" and "over his dead body."
Disturbed by the threat and concerned for Wade's well-being, Peter decided to steer the man's thoughts in a more positive direction. "Hey," he called, tapping the hero's cheek to capture his attention, "do you want to go to the zoo?"
The Central Park Zoo had been a planned outing ever since Peter had arrived in New York. However, with all of the drama and t.v. binges they'd gone through over the past few days, they simply hadn't found the time to go. Peter figured that now was as good a time as any other, especially with Wade's mood teetering on the edge of a downward spiral.
The hero faltered in his one-sided conversation, his head turning toward Peter at the question. "Huh? What'd you say, Petey?"
"I asked if you wanted to go to the zoo."
"Oh, right, the zoo," Wade said, looking ahead as a bicyclist rolled by. "Yeah, sure. We'll head that way."
The zoo was crowded and noisy, but Peter was far too interested in the people milling about and the animals on display to pay it much mind. Wade was still acting somewhat dour, speaking to Yellow and White in hushed whispers as they moved from one enclosure to the next. Peter tried to keep him distracted by asking questions about the different animal species, but by the end of the visit he hadn't had much luck. It wasn't until they'd exited the park and were heading home that Peter was finally able to draw Wade's full attention.
The hero had just passed by a toy store filled with colorful dolls - their outfits reminding Peter of Wade - when a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Wade," he asked, leaning close to the man's ear, "when can I meet your other friends?"
The hero's steps faltered on the sidewalk, the people around him grunting as they moved past. He continued after a short moment of quiet contemplation, chuckling as he addressed Peter with an air of confusion. "What are you talking about, Pete?"
"Your other friends," Peter pressed, shifting in place on Wade's shoulder. "The other superheros you know. When can I meet them?"
Wade went silent again, an oddity in itself, before he shushed White under his breath and barked out another laugh. "Oh, right! My superhero friends. Gotcha," he started, his gaze darting from one point to another as though he were nervous. "Yeah, I haven't had a chance to talk to any of them since we got back from England. They're probably busy, you know, saving the world and rescuing kittens stuck in trees. But I promise you Petey, as soon as I hear something we'll go out to meet them, okay?"
Peter cheered and fist bumped excitedly, hugging Wade's neck as he smiled wide. "That sounds great! I can't wait!"
"Yeah, me neither," Wade muttered, his voice uncertain. Peter frowned and looked up at him with concern, his enthusiasm deflating at the hero's morose reaction. Why did Wade sound so anxious about meeting his friends? Were they fighting?
Peter shook his head, brushing the thought aside. No, that couldn't be it. Wade said that he hadn't spoken to them since he got back to New York, and he'd never given Peter the impression that they were at odds. But if they weren't having a disagreement, then what was the problem?
Peter pondered his friend's behavior throughout the rest of the afternoon and into the evening, but thought better of bringing it up. Instead, he did his best to brighten Wade's mood and make him laugh, the two of them cracking jokes as they watched television together later that night.
It was only after they'd retired to their own beds and the man's snores filled the room that Peter allowed his mind to return to the issue at hand. While he wasn't sure what could be causing strife between the group of superheroes, Peter swore to himself that he would find out. And if it was in his power to fix the situation, then he owed it to Wade to do so.
As it turned out, Peter didn't have to wait long for his chance to meet Wade's friends. Later that week, after a long day of binge watching episodes of The Golden Girls and eating fast food tacos, an opportunity arose in the form of a surprise robot attack.
At first, Peter didn't understand what was happening. He and Wade were just sitting in front of the t.v. in their lounge clothes, munching on popcorn, when a chain of explosions suddenly rocked the city. While Peter panicked at the sudden noise and following tremors, Wade simply snatched up the remote and switched the channel over to the news, a hopeful expression on his face.
A live news report showed a female anchor cowering in midtown Manhattan as hundreds of shiny round machines flew around behind her. The hero stared at the footage with mild interest, Peter throwing rapid-fire questions at him from his spot on Wade's thigh.
"What's happening? Is the city under attack? What do we do?!"
Wade didn't answer immediately, instead leaning forward in his chair to gaze forcefully at the screen. Peter quickly copied him, his entire focus on the television as he wondered what they were waiting for. A sign perhaps? Something to signal to Wade that it was time for battle?
Peter watched the news feed with bated breath, his eyes widening when the robots directly behind the anchor abruptly switched course and descended on a group of arriving humans. To Peter's shock, he saw the costumed people begin to do battle with the machines, their movements practically a blur.
The fairy gaped openly at the sight of them, but Wade didn't seem surprised. The hero gave a loud Whoop!, grabbed Peter off his leg, and raced into his bedroom to change. He placed the fairy inside his miniature house before rushing to his closet to pull out his suit, an eager grin splitting his marred face. He had just slid on his pants and was reaching for his belt when Peter snapped out of his stupor, his wings fluttering to take him to Wade's side.
"Are you going to fight?" he asked, adrenaline making his hands shake. "Who were those people on t.v.? Are they heroes, too?"
"Yep!" Wade called, pulling on his top. "Those are my super buddies! They're pretty strong, but if they're going to defeat those robots they'll definitely need my help."
"I'll get ready, too!" Peter announced, hurrying back to his house to dig through his dresser for a suitable outfit. He jumped when Wade appeared next to him, the man's face now covered by his mask.
"No way, Peter," he said, hands on his hips. "It's way too dangerous. I don't want you anywhere near that battle."
"But I can't let you go off on your own! You'll get hurt!"
Wade stood at his full height, his expression hard under his mask. He stared Peter down, his tone assertive as he insisted, "No, Pete. I'll be fine. Believe me, I've done this a million times. You're the one who's never been in a fight before, so you're staying here. Got it?"
"Wade-"
"Got it?"
"Fine!" Peter shouted, crossing his arms and turning away from Wade in a huff. He could feel his face heating with anger as the hero moved about behind him, gathering his weapons and preparing for battle. This isn't fair! Peter thought, biting his lip harshly. He was Wade's friend, and that meant that he had to be there to help him in case he got into trouble. He couldn't help Wade if he was stuck in the apartment!
Peter heard the man leave the bedroom and stomp around the living room, probably grabbing his phone. He dropped his arms to his sides and turned back to his dresser, snatching up an outfit and throwing it on in record time. Then he hurried out into the living room and flew past Wade, ducking behind cover so the man didn't see him. Once he reached the front door, Peter perched himself on top of the doorframe and laid down on his belly, tucking in his limbs so he was as small as possible.
He held his breath as Wade approached, the man busy attaching grenades to his belt. Peter was relieved when the hero didn't look up as he turned the doorknob and cracked open the front door, the man's body facing away from him. Taking the opportunity, the fairy rolled off the frame and zoomed out into the hall, landing on the ground a few feet away to hide behind a potted plant.
He heard Wade shout into the apartment - "I'll see you later, Pete!" - before hustling out the door and slamming it behind him. Peter waited until the hero had gained a bit of distance before following at a steady pace, careful to stay out of sight. He flew down the stairs and onto the street, watching as the hero hailed a cab and piled into the backseat. Peter quickly followed suit, settling himself on the trunk of the car and pressing close to the back window.
The trip to midtown was slow and gruelling, the air whipping around Peter's wings and cheeks in harsh waves. He tucked himself down and cupped his face in his hands, his ears ringing as the wind whooshed by. He could just barely make out the sounds of the city as they drove, the usual chatter and honking of horns soon overtaken by screams and the screeching of metal.
He knew they'd reached their destination when the cab came to a sudden halt, Deadpool hopping out of the car before it had completely stopped. Peter took to the air after him, flying behind Wade as he ran along the sidewalk and headlong into danger. The fairy gasped as they drew closer to the battle and he got his first look at the mass of robots, their metallic bodies shining in the dim light of the sunset.
Peter covered his ears when a powerful blast rang out around him, realizing a moment later that it had come from Deadpool. The hero was shooting at the machines with deadly accuracy, taking them down one by one as he rushed forward. Peter tried to keep the man in his line of sight, but it was becoming increasingly difficult with all of the action surrounding them. His senses were overloaded by the noise and flurry of movement as the enemy machines swooped in and out of view, and Peter had to blink rapidly to rid his eyes of the dust and debris floating in the air.
When he saw Wade run and jump behind an upturned vehicle for cover, Peter moved to join him, his mind racing to think of a way he could help. He gasped in fright when one of the robots spotted his movements and zoomed over, the machine stopping only inches away. Peter swallowed audibly and backed up, his gaze raking over what appeared to be the robot's face. He was surprised to find that it had some type of camera embedded near the top of its body, the lense zooming in on Peter as the robot hovered in front of him.
The tense stand-off ended when a blur of red and gold swooped by, the robot leaving Peter in favor of chasing after the new foe. Peter put a hand to his chest, his heart beating rapidly against his ribs, and took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He shook his head and fluttered over to a nearby building to perch on the window sill, his head whipping around in search of Wade.
While he didn't see the familiar red and black suit nearby, he did spot another hero dressed in red, white, and blue, the human battling multiple robots at once. Deciding quickly, Peter rushed over to join him, his gaze moving from one machine to another as he tried to formulate a plan. He noticed the hero raise a shield to his foes, the heavy metal protecting him as the robots took turns showering him in bullets. They weren't giving the man a chance to fight back, and Peter knew it was only a matter of time before he was overwhelmed.
What can I do? Peter thought desperately, cursing his small stature. He couldn't fight them without a weapon, and even then, he doubted he'd do much damage. So if combat was out of the question, what else could he do?
The passing seconds felt like hours as Peter racked his brain for an answer, flitting back and forth to try and see the fight from all sides. As he watched the robots and studied their movements, he began to formulate a plan. It looked as though the machines were working as a team to bring down the hero, their movements coordinated and well-timed. So maybe if Peter could distract them somehow, the momentary confusion would give the human time to recover and fight back.
Nodding as he gathered his courage, Peter raced into the heat of battle, dropping down from above the robots to skim the air in front of them. He made sure to travel in front of their camera lenses, his wings working hard as he passed from one robot to the next. As he'd hoped, the sudden movement captured their attention and halted their gunfire long enough for the hero below to run and take cover behind a pile of rubble.
Peter was quick to follow suit, escaping the circle of robots and flying high into the sky, his head turning to watch the human successfully take them out with his shield. He grinned at the sight, his chest blooming with pride at a job well done, then turned his gaze to the rest of the heroes. He could see Wade in the middle of the fray, the man laughing gleefully and talking a mile a minute as he shot down their enemies. There was another man beside him with a bow and arrow, the blond taking aim at any passing robots and destroying them with minimal effort. Peter sighed in relief, happy that Wade and his friend were getting along well enough to watch each other's back.
Figuring that Wade was okay for the moment, Peter continued to flit around the battlefield, acting as a distraction for the robots whenever possible. Within an hour the sun had set and the streets were quiet once more, all of the robots either completely destroyed or severely immobilised. As the heroes joined together in the center of the street to take stock of their injuries and report their findings, Peter hid nearby behind the body of a downed robot to eavesdrop.
His tired gaze roved over the group of humans with interest, drinking in their odd outfits and weapons curiously. There were four others besides Wade, two of which were dressed in sleek black leather while the others bore brighter colors. The blond man with the bow was standing to Deadpool's right, while the man with the shield had settled at his left. A woman with bright red hair stood across from Wade, her arms crossed and a severe frown on her face as she glared at the manic hero. The final warrior sat atop an upturned cab, his red and gold skin shining under the nighttime lights of midtown Manhattan.
"Well that was fun!" Wade crowed, hands on his hips in one of his 'regal' poses. "Nothing like a good ol' robot attack to get the blood pumping, am I right?"
"Why are you here, Deadpool?" the redhead asked, her frown deepening. "I don't remember anyone sending you an invite to this dance."
"No invite necessary, my beautiful flower," Wade gushed, clasping his hands before him as he approached the woman with a wide grin. "When I saw that you were in danger I couldn't keep myself away."
The woman rolled her eyes before turning to the hero in red and gold. "Did you find anything during your scans?" she asked him, ignoring Wade as he continued to croon next to her. "What are we dealing with here?"
"Nothing too severe," the metal man stated, his voice tinny and robotic. Peter jumped as the golden faceplate drew up and away to reveal a human face underneath. "From what I can tell, these guys share similarities with the doombots we've fought in the past. FRIDAY thinks it's likely that these are tied to Dr. Doom, too."
"Excellent," bow-and-arrow guy muttered, shifting the weapon on his shoulder. "So does that mean we can leave the clean up to the Fantastic Four and call it a night?"
"Not quite, Hawkeye," the man with the shield sighed, his body sagging with exhaustion. "We can contact SHIELD and have them begin sweeping the area, but we'll have to oversee the cleanup to make sure the danger has passed."
The other man groaned at that, while Wade wandered over to the shield guy and gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Aw, that sucks. Well, at least you get to rack up some overtime, eh Captain?" he said, waving jovially as he turned to leave, but Hawkeye put a hand on his bicep to stop him.
"Not so fast, Deadpool. You've got some explaining to do."
"Aw, Mom, do I have to?" Wade whined petulantly, shaking off Hawkeye's hold and facing the man. "Seriously, what's got all of your panties in a bunch this time?"
"Not so much ours as SHIELD's," the metal man grunted as he hopped down from his seat, his feet hitting the asphalt with a loud clang. "Phil called. He told us that an anomaly had shown up in your last mission report and you were refusing to disclose information about the cause."
Wade tutted at the man's comment, but his demeanor shifted from playful to guarded. "Coulson and I are having a minor disagreement right now. It's nothing you need to concern yourselves with."
"That's not what Phil said," the metal human continued, walking forward to put himself in front of Wade. "In fact, he wanted us to get very involved. Said that you might've gotten a hold of something that could prove dangerous to SHIELD if it fell into the wrong hands. He even asked us to bring you in personally, if necessary."
Peter gasped from his lookout spot several yards away, his hands flying up to cover his mouth. Oh no! he thought grimly, his stomach in knots. They must be talking about the meeting Coully wanted to have with Wade - the one where he was going to introduce us!
Did Coully want to meet Peter so badly that he'd recruit Wade's friends? But why? And what did he mean by 'dangerous to SHIELD'? Peter wasn't dangerous!
This was such a mess!
"So what'll it be, Deadpool?" the metal man asked darkly, his faceplate flipping down to cover his face once more. "Is our involvement going to be necessary?"
Wade glared at him through his mask, his gaze flickering from one hero to the next until he reached Hawkeye. The blond shrugged noncommittally, then grasped his bow and brought it down from his shoulder in one easy motion. He returned Wade's scowl with a raised eyebrow, the city lights reflecting off the leather of his outfit as his other hand reached for an arrow.
"Your move, Wade," he muttered, his gaze sharp. "Though I'd suggest you come without a fight. You're more likely to leave you with all of your limbs intact."
All five heroes stood poised and ready for action, their bodies tense and their hands on their weapons. Peter gaped at the scene in silent horror, his heart thundering in his chest. Was this the reason that Wade had been acting so strangely the past few days? Did he know his friends were angry about his fight with Coully?
Peter cocked his head to the side, his thoughts racing. Knowing Wade, he probably didn't want Peter to meet his super friends under such poor conditions. So if there had been even a slight chance of them having a spat…
The fairy smacked the side of his head, cursing his own stupidity. Of course! No wonder he'd told Peter to stay behind! Wade must have thought something like this might happen! Hoping that he could help smooth things over, Peter pulled himself up and flew to the group, coming to a halt in front of Wade.
"Wait!" he shouted, throwing his arms out in front of him. "Please don't be angry with Wade! He and Coully are trying to work things out, and he never meant to upset anyone! I'm sure he'll apologize, if you give him a chance!"
"Peter!" Wade whispered behind him, his voice harsh in Peter's ears. But Peter ignored him in favor of pleading his friend's case, the fairy's gaze locked on the faces of the other heroes.
"Please forgive him," he pleaded, his voice filled with emotion. "Wade cares about all of you, and I'd hate for him to lose his friends because of me."
The heroes standing before him were all eerily silent at his words, their eyes on Peter and their jaws on the floor. He noted twin looks of awe on Hawkeye and shield guy's faces, while the woman was staring at him like she wasn't quite sure what to make of Peter.
Surprisingly, the first one to speak was the red and crimson man, his robotic voice carrying through the thick quiet of the street.
"Uh, is anyone else seeing what I'm seeing?"
"If you're seeing a mythical creature, then yes, we are," the woman stated, her eyes wide. The other heros nodded mutely in agreement as they continued to stare at Peter, their weapons held loosely at their sides.
Wade sighed loudly behind him, the force of it causing a small gust of wind that hit Peter's wings and sent him stumbling forward awkwardly. Wade grabbed him before he could go too far, the man's gloved hand depositing Peter on his broad shoulder with a casual air.
"Ladies and gentleman, Black Widow, " he started, looking to all of them in turn before gesturing to Peter with a wave of his hand, "I would like to introduce you to my new friend, Peter."
