A/N: Hello, all! Sickness has hindered my progress for the past few days, so it took a bit longer than usual to get this chapter out. I also feel like my fever inhibited my ability to focus and write normal, coherent sentences. Here's hoping it all got worked out in the editing stage! I should be back on track in the next few days.
Also, additional thanks to Ie-maru, LokiHetfield, and polar-bear-luv for their kind words.
In his excitement, Peter ending up arriving at Wade's apartment a bit earlier than their agreed upon 6:30 meeting time. He waited for a few minutes before knocking, pacing the length of the hall nervously, trying to prepare himself to act as normally as possible; a difficult task since he had been using the older man as masturbation fodder over the past few days. After a few seconds of muffled banging, the door flew open, and there stood Wade in an apron and the kind of dress that Peter imagined a 1950's housewife would wear (a light pink and white checkered number with a full, knee-length skirt, half-length sleeves, and a high button-up collar that was straining at the seams over the man's bulking muscles). Before Peter could even fully process what he was seeing, the merc turned with his rear poking out towards him, looking over his shoulder with one hand on his knee and the other coyly cupping his cheek, and greeted the younger man in a sultry drawl.
"Hello, Petey. Would you like a bath, dinner, or me?" He wiggled his hips for effect.
Peter looked him up and down once, took a step backwards, and slowly closed the door between them. 'Or me?'... 'Or me?'... Wade rushed to reopen the door, and dragged him inside. "Wait, wait! I was kidding!" Despite his face burning from Wade's jokingly flirtatious proposition, Peter was accustomed enough to the man's sense of humor by now to brush it off and laugh along with him.
"Is this your surprise?"
"No, no. That will come later. For now, dinner!" Wade guided Peter to the kitchen and motioned for him to sit at the table. He complied and watched with growing interest as the older man flipped and stirred the contents of multiple pans on the stove, chattering away about a tangled string of topics the younger man tried but failed to follow. After a few minutes, the merc set a plate in front of him, piled high with crispy bacon and fluffy pancakes, topped with a dollop of melting butter, and drizzled generously with steaming blueberry sauce. Peter stared wide-eyed for a few seconds.
"I... I didn't know you could cook!" Wade poured a glass of orange juice and set it in front of him.
"I'll have you know that I am quite the domestic diva." He stood with his hands on his hips, his voice pitched with an incredulous inflection. "I'll be a wonderful wife someday!" Peter choked on a mouthful of juice. Between laughing and coughing, it took him a few minutes to compose himself enough to start eating, but when he finally took his first bite, he checked off yet another area in which he had greatly underestimated the older man.
While they ate, the merc informed Peter that he had prepared everything for a sleepover, insisting that he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. The younger man gave in with little resistance, equal parts excited and nervous to be around Wade for such a lengthy period of time, and still quite curious about the supposed surprise awaiting him later in the evening.
After cleaning up and Wade changing into normal clothes, they settled in to watch an assortment of hilariously bad horror movies. A few hours passed uneventfully until Peter was struggling to keep his eyes open, and suggested that they turn in for the evening. Wade checked the time, and instead bid him to follow as he left the apartment. They climbed several flights of stairs, the merc rambling along the way that it had been too cloudy earlier, but that the forecast had said it should be cleared up sufficiently to see by then. As they stepped out into the crisp night air, now standing in the open on the roof of the building, Peter looked around, noting only a telescope set up near the edge. The older man stopped, turning to face him as he gestured up to the sky.
"I bought you a star. Or, rather, I got it named after you. None of that cheap, unofficial, money scam name assignment. This one is International Astronomical Union legit. It's a red giant! I thought that suited you best..." They stood in silence for a moment, the sound of scant traffic on the streets far below filling the space between them.
"A star?"
"A star." More silence. "I'll show you!" Wade led him to the telescope at the edge of the building, adjusting the knobs slightly before prompting him to look through. "It's a little hard to see because of the light pollution, but it's there in the center..." He shifted back and forth on his toes, waiting for Peter to react. After a few minutes, the younger man stepped back and faced the merc.
"It's beautiful. Thank you." He smiled, but to Wade, it looked a little sad, and the older man couldn't help but worry as the kid moved to sit with his feet dangling from the side of the building. Peter looked up at the sky and chuckled quietly.
"Why are you always so nice to me?" The merc was a little surprised by the question, but moved to sit next to him as he considered his response.
"I, um... Well... It's pretty hard for me to find friends. Most people don't want to be around me for very long, if at all. My brain is constantly changing, being damaged and healing back in a different way, and I know that makes me pretty volatile and, well, crazy..." Peter glanced over at Wade. He was gazing into the distance, and though he still had his mask on, the merc's grief was conveyed in his posture, and palpable as he spoke. His voice had taken on a tone the younger man had never heard before. "I was lonely for a very long time. Everything hurts all the time, and it's an understatement to say that I've been obsessed with finding a way to die since this happened." He motioned towards the cancerous scars covering his exposed arms.
"But... since I met you, little by little, everything's gotten a bit more bearable. Even since before we became friends, I always looked up to you. I wanted to be like Spider-man. You're the ideal hero, always doing what's right. A real 'good guy'. The fact that you're willing to be around someone like me makes me feel like maybe I'm not a lost cause. Your friendship means a lot to me, and... not to sound weird or cheesy, but you... kind of... saved me."
Peter was stunned. His mind was reeling, his heart was in his throat, and his mouth was suddenly very dry. He swallowed, hoping Wade wouldn't hear his voice wavering as he spoke.
"I could very well say the same to you. Ever since I gained my powers, people that I love have been dying because of me. I forced myself to be alone for a long time to keep it from happening again. I even moved out on my own, even though I really couldn't afford to, just to keep my aunt safe." The merc was staring intently at him, and he was thankful that is was dark, afraid of just how much his face might give away if Wade could see him properly. "Maybe it's a bit selfish of me, considering what you've been through because of it, but it's actually a relief to have a friend who can't die." Peter smiled weakly, "I don't have to worry about losing you."
Wade was silent for a moment, and the younger man started to panic, afraid that he'd said something offensive or off-putting, but the merc's mask wrinkled in a familiar fashion, indicative of his usual wide grin. A wave of relief washed over him. Neither of them said a word for several minutes, both peering out over the city below.
"Really, though. A star? How did you even...? Why?"
"Well, you were definitely surprised, right?" Peter could only laugh in agreement. After a while longer, Wade suggested they head back inside, cryptically mentioning in their descent something about knowing someone at the IAU who owed him.
Peter couldn't sleep.
After they had come inside, Wade had presented him with an adult-sized pair of footie pajamas bearing, of course, Deadpool's signature colors. At the older man's behest, he went to take a shower. He was impressed to see that the merc had indeed prepared everything he'd need, all the way down to an extensive assortment of travel sized toiletries laid out across the counter like a five-star hotel. He had undressed and was about to step into the shower when Wade walked in and nonchalantly started undressing as well. Peter had sputtered and shouted, shoving Wade out and locking the door behind him despite the older man's pouting and resistance. He'd had to stand under cold water for several minutes to calm himself down afterwards, and was shivering by the time he got out. What the hell is he thinking, coming in here and taking his shirt off like that? God, what am I thinking!? I should have exploited the hell out of that! No, no no no. This is for the best. I got excited just seeing him unbutton his pants. What would I have done if he was naked and lathered up next to me in tight quarters. Peter had to step back in the shower for a few more minutes, cursing himself for his overactive imagination. No, it's definitely for the best. He's my friend, and I can't abuse his trust to leer at him.
Exercising the limits of his mental fortitude, he forced the thought from his mind, got dressed, brushed his teeth, and joined Wade in his bedroom, amused but strangely unfazed to see the older man wearing his very own set of Spider-man themed footie pajamas. The merc had informed him earlier that they'd be sleeping in his bed together, assuring him that it was large enough to accommodate both of them comfortably. It was indeed quite large, but Peter was still a little concerned, promising himself that he'd just lay as far away as possible to avoid inappropriate contact, determined to behave himself.
Wade, however, had different plans. "Just to warn you, I'm a spooner," only vocalizing the fact after both of them were laying down, and he was already scooting his way across the mattress towards the younger man. Rambling about skinship and male bonding, he just barely managed to grab Peter around the waist as he almost rolled out of the bed in an effort to evade the older man's grasp. After a brief and pathetic struggle that mostly involved the merc manhandling him into position, Peter conceded to playing the role of little spoon. All he could do was hope the older man wouldn't hear his pulse racing out of control. Happy to have won their scuffle, Wade chirped a gleeful 'goodnight', snuggling closer to the kid so he was pressed flush against his back.
The merc was soon quietly snoring against his neck, but, after what felt like hours, Peter was still awake. His mind was a chaotic mess. Strangely enough, it wasn't even his close proximity to Wade that had left him so unsettled. It had rattled him initially, but after his heart had eventually stopped pounding from embarrassment and excitement, he was left remembering the merc's words from when they were on the roof. He was overwhelmingly flattered that Wade considered his existence important, but somehow, at the same time, it hurt. There was an ever-present guilt that gnawed at him for having feelings for Wade, combined with a deep hopelessness, knowing that they wouldn't be reciprocated. He wanted more than the man could give him, and the realization left him feeling hollow.
Finally, forcibly pulling himself out of his mental rut, telling himself there was no point in stewing in negativity, Peter resolved to just be the best friend he could be to the merc. Deny, deny, deny. That's what he planned to do, hoping the old adage 'fake it 'til you feel it' would prove effective. He shifted to face the older man, burrowing deeper into his hold to nuzzle against his chest, telling himself that this would be his last act of selfishness towards Wade, to just savor that moment before abandoning his feelings completely. He sighed in resignation, but his mind finally started to wind down, and he was eventually lulled to sleep by the soothing metronome of the merc's heart beating quietly in his ear.