He had been debating this long and hard, with himself, running every scenario in his head, always coming up with him, Peter Parker, being stupid and probably a coward. Not Spider-Man; Peter Parker.
So here he was now, inside Avengers Tower. Deep inside, on a level where only a select few people had access to. Meeting with no other than Dr. Bruce Banner, the man who was a genius, and who happened to turn into a green rage monster. A mutant. Turned into one by his own experimentation, his research into gamma ray particles.
Peter had only ever met the Hulk throughout battles, and he had only ever listened to Banner giving a lecture over YouTube, or read some of his rare papers.
They had never met personally, because Spider-Man didn't tag along with the Avengers when they went home to their headquarters, and he had never dared approach Banner throughout a lecture.
The man was a genius, someone Peter respected and admired.
He was also an Avenger.
And he knew who Spider-Man was.
That was the part Peter had been fretting about all week; a week that had been leading up to this meeting, which he had wanted to cancel the moment he had stepped into the elevator up to Tony Stark's personal penthouse on top of the impressive structure.
He had gone through several security checks, the last just before he had been allowed on the elevator, where he had been greeted by Jarvis.
"Dr. Banner and Mr. Stark are expecting you," the AI told him pleasantly.
"Thank you, Jarvis."
"You are very welcome, Mr. Parker."
He barely felt the elevator move.
They knew who he was, ran through his head over and over. They knew!
Peter still felt panicky when he thought about it too hard.
His secret identity had been just that: secret. For so long. It was an automatic reaction on his part to lash out or retreat to hide, figure out how to protect those he loved.
Something deep inside him unfurled, dark, warm and heavy, caressing his very self and calming him down. The chimera, while not physically present, was there, reacting to its mate, and Peter drew a deep breath.
He was calm.
He could do this.
It was just talking.
They were Avengers, not bad guys out to expose him to the world.
He wasn't going to sell his soul to anyone.
He almost laughed. His soul belonged to Deadpool, the chimera, and to Wade. Just like his heart, his body and his mind. All of him. And Peter was just as possessive in return.
SDSDSD
"You have an impressive resume," Banner said in his mild voice, looking truly interested in Peter's past work, his grades, his field of work.
"Thank you," he only said.
Tony cocked an eyebrow at the rather meek reply.
"You have a gift," Bruce went on. "And the passion for research. I've looked at your college projects, which were impressive, as was the internship with Oscorp, though that didn't last long."
Peter refused to be baited into explaining Harry and the Green Goblin, which had cut anything and everything concerning Oscorp and working there one day extremely short. He had lost more than a possible future job, though.
He had lost friends.
It was a pain that would always be there, no matter what.
Gwen had been so much more than just a friend. He had told her he loved her.
Back then he had.
She was dead now.
Harry… Harry Osborn was gone and the Green Goblin was there in his stead. He had lost him just like Gwen, had killed him, though in a different way.
"You built all your own gear for Spider-Man, I presume?"
The questions drew him out of his thoughts and he nodded.
"Impressive."
Tony's eyes shot back and forth between Peter and Bruce, a frown marring his features as they finally came to rest on the rather meek Spider-Man. Peter was more than a little overwhelmed, even if he tried not to show it, but he was out of his league. He was Spider-Man; he fought small time crooks and super-villains, thwarted off the occasional interdimensional invasion, sure. He was also a biophysicist who knew what he was talking about, who had an extensive resume, who was into chemistry, physics and biology, who dabbled in almost everything that caught his attention.
But he was also twenty-four years old, had never held a steady job, and he was in the presence of a renowned scientist who he admired. Yeah, he was a little star-struck.
This wasn't a team-up of Spider-Man and the Avengers. This was Peter Parker applying for a job at Stark Industries Labs, under the lead of Dr. Bruce Banner, and he would be getting paid for whatever he did here. Royally paid, too.
"You thought about my offer?" Tony asked, drawing him out of his thoughts.
"A lot, actually."
"And…?" he prodded.
Peter wanted to run a hand through his hair, pace – jump out the window and swing away on a webline, never to be seen near this place again.
"I won't be an Avenger."
Bruce smiled, almost laughing. Tony did laugh.
"I'm not hiring," he replied, amused. Tony grew more serious with the next words, though. "This isn't about you being Spider-Man. This is about Peter Parker, who should be tagging a PhD to his name, who should be researching in a lab of the highest standard, who should be doing what he does best. Not deliver pizza, take selfies of his alter ego to peddle to newspapers, and do grunt work in labs too cheap to hire him for more than temp jobs."
Peter glared at the man. He would have done all that already if not for the monetary problems. Tony knew that. He was clearly looking for an emotional reaction. Peter refused to give it to him.
"I could use a fresh set of eyes on some of the projects I'm running," Bruce offered.
"Hey," Tony protested. "I am fresh eyes."
"You are my go-to tech guy," Bruce replied easily. "I need a biologist. Like Peter. Who also has the necessary background in chemistry and physics."
"Watch me share my organic blueberries again, Banner," Stark grumbled, shaking a finger at him. "You're so off the list of science bros for life."
"What about… Spider-Man?" Peter asked carefully.
"This would be a part-time job," Tony told him, switching from playfully grumbling to playfully serious. "You make your own hours, Mr. Parker. The rest is freelance. Bill me. SI gets sixty percent on any of your patents you register as of now. Just don't try to slip an entertainment center shy of an IMAX past me as necessary expenses and we're good."
"Uh, what?" Peter blurted.
Tony waved it off. "You read my offer on the freelance stuff. I stand by it. We need the manpower, we call you. You can accept or decline. Just like with Avengers stuff."
Peter chewed on his lower lip. "You're aware I come with a preternatural bond?"
"Oh, quite. Quite a lot, actually. You can't ignore Deadpool. We all tried. Failed, actually. Spectacularly." Tony waved a hand. "This isn't Bring Your Bond Mate to Work, so leave him at home and we're good."
"Uh, okay? Not that I would? I mean, we're not joined at the hip."
Tony waggled his eyebrows a little.
Peter rolled his eyes.
It got him a grin.
Bruce regarded him with that infinite calm, such a contrast to what he could shift into. His expression was open, non-threatening, but Peter knew it was a façade. Behind this unassuming exterior lay an incredible power.
"This is about you, Peter," he said. "The scientist. Not your bond. I would be lying if I said I'm not interested in knowing more about this, but it's very private and I, and the others, respect it. Some more, some less."
He glanced at Tony, who just huffed.
"No conjugal visits either. If I find you making out with your bonded in the lab or any of the offices, you're fired. I don't want to see anything of the like. Especially with Deadpool."
Tony gave a mock shudder.
"You weren't as considerate when you were jumping Steve's bones." Bruce's expression was almost devious there for a second.
Stark glared. "It was one time!"
"In my lab."
"Our lab, Dr. Banner. Or actually: my lab. I'm funding the whole shindig."
"We still didn't want to see that, Tony," was the mild reply.
"Don't start with defiling a national icon on me again!" Stark warned, looking grumpy.
"Well…"
"Don't."
Peter wondered if this was normal for them.
Bruce turned toward him again, ignoring the still miffed looking genius in their midst.
"If you ever wanted to look at the anchor bond on a more scientific level, you are very welcome to use these facilities," he said calmly, flawlessly changing from berating Tony on his lab behavior to Peter's bond with a preternatural of the chimera's caliber. "It is rather unique and unheard of, so there might be questions or incidents you want to look at in a more scientific environment."
"I won't," Peter replied flatly.
There had been enough experiments, enough digging and pain. What he and Wade shared was extremely private, just for them, and there would be no files.
Aside from the ones already in existence.
The bond was proof of the absolute trust Deadpool had given him and it was more intimate than any physical acts between them.
Tension had started to creep into his frame and Peter forced himself to relax. The chimera's presence was unabatingly strong, protective and defensive, and Peter felt it as if Wade was right next to him. It was extremely reassuring.
Banner was watching him, a curious and thoughtful expression in his eyes, and Peter dared him to say something.
He didn't.
"So!" Tony announced loudly, clapping his hands. "Can I call Pepper and have her mail you the final contract? Yes or yes?"
Peter knew he needed a job, a steady income, and this, right here, was the best that could happen to him under the circumstances. He could be Spider-Man, could make his own hours, had the necessary room to adjust his work to his other activities and vice versa.
Best of both worlds.
With Deadpool included.
There would never be a compromise without his bonded.
"Yes," he heard himself say.
Tony beamed at him.
SDSDSD
He signed the contract two hours later, with Tony and Pepper in attendance.
It didn't really feel like selling himself to the Avengers. It was just a job and Tony Stark was the CEO of the company Peter would be working for.
It had been his decision. No pressure from anyone.
Peter left the Tower and stopped outside, looking up the impressive building.
He had a job now.
A really well-paying job. One where he didn't have to beg Jameson for a bonus for the latest Spidey pics, where he didn't have to work temp jobs that sucked.
"Wow," he murmured.
The Bugle might just have to find another source for high quality shots of their favorite menace.
Peter grinned. He could just imagine Jameson's expression, that vein starting to swell and throb, and his explosion that would hit the hapless reporters and journalists.
Right now he couldn't care less.
He might still take a few pictures now and then, especially when fights became interesting, and he might just offer them to the Bugle, but then again, maybe not. He wasn't gambling on higher prices for the shots. Peter was simply done with catering to every of Jameson's whims, to getting a dressing down, a cut in payment, the name calling and the threats.
He had started a new path in his life the moment he had bonded to Wade. Maybe even a little before that.
It was time to let other photographers handle the always foul-tempered man.
Peter took the subway to the stop closest to his favorite fast food stop and placed a large order. He splurged on dessert, though with his new living arrangements and a steady income it was no longer splurging. It was normal.
He left a tip in the jar when he paid, then headed home.
Time to celebrate.
SDSDSD
Deadpool wasn't home when he got back. There was a note – on My Little Pony paper - on the fridge and another one smack across the TV screen that both told Peter that his partner was currently on a mission – non-lethal – and not to wait up.
Toodles.
Yes, there was a toodles signed underneath.
Huh.
Peter removed the note from the TV, crumbled it into a ball and tossed it into the waste basket clear across the room.
Well, more food for him then.
Peter chose a channel, unwrapped his food, dug in and enjoyed a movie.
SD
Halfway through he was distracted by an idea popping into his head concerning the web fluids that had been bouncing around in his head for a while.
So he got to work.
tbc...