"Ever So Shy"

It was three months after Peggy died that Steve got a new soulmark. It would've seemed more… sudden? Shocking? If they'd had a life together. Maybe it was worse because they'd lost their chance? No. He definitely felt a sense of relief when her words disappeared. If not for the fact that Bucky was somewhere out there, he would've lost his last link to the past, and holding out hope for Buck's return was potentially unhealthy.

Then… it hit him. He'd received new words. He had a new soulmate. Were they Blank before, or had they lost their soulmate? That would explain why he was only now getting a replacement soulmark.

In which case… he couldn't. He just couldn't meet them yet. It was too soon for them, whoever they were. He'd have to avoid anyone named…

"Wade Wilson?" Clint said, eyebrows hitting the ceiling.

"Yeah," Steve said, showing off his soulmark with no small amount of pride. The handwriting was gorgeous, real calligraphy style, and he hoped his scrawl wasn't a source of embarrassment for his soulmate. It said, 'Hi, I'm Wade Wilson'. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"You don't care that your new soulmate is a dude?"

"Why would I care?" Steve asked, his brow furrowing as he looked up at Clint. "Do you care that my soulmate is a man?"

"Well…"

"Clint, if everyone from the forties was homophobic, society would never have progressed as far as it has," he replied. "Look at the court ruling the other day. Since I was unfrozen, I was already impressed by how far America had come in its acceptance. I know that not everyone has let go of prejudice, but it's a big improvement. If Wade wants a platonic relationship, I'll… I'll go with that. But if he's okay with non-platonic, then we'll go for that instead. Slowly, of course." He straightened his back. "I'm treating my soulmate right, no matter what."

They looked up as Tony wandered into the room. He looked around, and not seeing Pepper began to walk out again. Clint coughed, and Tony looked back over his shoulder.

"What is it, Merida?" he asked.

"Steve's got a new soulmate," Clint said.

"His name is Wade Wilson," Steve said, and he showed off the mark. "At least that's what he's gonna say. Have you ever seen writing like this? I can't get over it."

"…Wade Wilson?" Tony said. His voice sounded strangled, but when Steve looked up at him, worried, Tony's expression was clear. "Wow."

"Wait. Do you know him? Do you know who my soulmate is?"

"I know a Wade Wilson," Clint said. "Worked with him before. He's…" He tilted his hand. "Well, uh…"

"Shy," Tony said. Steve blinked.

"Shy?" he said. "Guess that explains why it's only four words long." He'd definitely seen longer soulmarks before, but with the leaps forward in science people didn't need to resort to grandiose greetings anymore.

"Only…?" Tony trailed off. "Yeah, makes sense. I'm surprised it's as many as that."

"Barely says boo to a goose," Clint said. He patted Steve on the shoulder. "Better not come on too strong, Cap."

"Chances are he's only just lost his soulmate," Steve said. "I wasn't planning to be too forward when we met, if it's anytime soon. But…" He held up his hands. "If you see him around, don't tell him yet, okay? And don't point him out. I'll let Fate lead me."

"Good idea," Tony said. "Wilson's a real introvert."

"Huh." That was a worry. "How d'you think he'd cope with the pressures of being…"

"Your soulmate?" Clint said. Steve laughed uncertainly.

"Sounds vain when you put it like that," he said. "But I've gotta take it into account. I don't wanna keep it quiet, but I'll have to, to protect him."

"He can take care of himself," Clint said. "He's a fighter."

"…You said—"

"From the shadows. Like a SHIELD agent. You might not see him at first. Just be patient with him, let him open up to you slowly."

"Of course." Steve clenched his hands, getting his game face on. "I'd never pressure my soulmate into anything. Except maybe getting out of harm's way, but if he's a good fighter then he'll know how not to get himself killed."

"Well, he's survived so far," Tony said dryly. "Good luck, GI Joe."

During a soulmate rom-com marathon with Darcy, Steve decided that it was probably best not to find out anything more about his soulmate. If the heroes and heroines of these films didn't believe everything bad they heard about their soulmate before even meeting them, there'd be far less angst. And after everything Steve had gone through, he didn't want that anguish on top of everything else. There was nothing bad about shyness, although he had no idea how to draw Wade out of his shell.

"Sure you don't want me to find out everything I can?" Darcy asked, holding up her phone. Steve shook his head.

"It's best if I form my own opinion," he said. "If Fate wanted us to judge our soulmates through the grapevine… I don't know how to end that sentence without sounding blasphemous." Darcy sniggered, and he threw his last popcorn kernel at her. She picked it off her blouse and threw it into her mouth, even though cold, greasy popcorn was vile.

"Yeah, but how many people get their soulmate's name in their mark?" she said. "I could look up the statistic for you right now, but lemme tell you, Stevie-boy, it ain't many. In my vast, vast experience, I've only met the one person lucky enough to have their soulmate's name on their skin before even meeting `em."

"Who's that?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You."

"…Oh."

"You seriously have an advantage. What if your soulmate has your name, and is looking up everything they can about you?"

He frowned. "There are a lot of people with the name 'Steve Rogers' out there. My soulmate's not likely to think it's me."

"Well." She wriggled in place and grabbed the remote. "I'm still gonna look him up."

"Whatever you want, Darce. But don't tell me anything that you find. Well… unless he's a bad guy, or in jail or something. If I need to perform a rescue then I'm definitely gonna do that."

"Gotcha," she said, cuing the next film. "No spoilers."

"Thank you."

That wasn't to say that Steve wasn't slowly dying of curiosity. It'd been seventeen weeks since he received his new mark when they were in the middle of battle against Doom. He mustn't have known that the Fantastic Four were in California before visiting New York City, and bringing his latest silicon-coated robots with him. Those fighting Doom consisted of Steve, Natasha, and Clint. They suddenly received help in the form of a black and red-clad figure who'd appear from the shadows, duck back in after beheading a few of the `bots, rinse and repeat.

"What's Deadpool doing here?" Natasha called as Steve tossed his shield again.

"Ah, who knows?" Steve said. "At least he's on our side."

"Met him?"

"Not yet."

Fortunately, they got more help when Tony sent a backup suit remotely, from his meeting in Italy. Or was it the middle of the night there? Steve really had to check the time zone chart. Not that he minded inconveniencing Stark by calling him at strange times, as revenge for some prank or other.

"Is that Deadpool?" Clint said, and Steve noticed another explosion from one of the archer's arrows. "Shit. Uh, Steve?"

"Yeah?" he grunted, throwing his shield and beheading three `bots before it returned to his hand. "What is it?" He noticed the black and red figure salute him, then jump back into the fray with fast-moving swords.

"That's Wade Wilson."

Steve nearly lost his head to a robot. Natasha shot it down.

"He can meet Deadpool later," she said.

"Wade Wilson," Steve murmured. He grinned, and fought with renewed vigour. The sooner this was over – the Iron Man suit was free to take on Doom – the sooner he could find out whether it was his Wade Wilson. He ignored Clint's choked laughter, and when Doom surrendered, powering down the last of his `bots, Steve left cleanup to the police and ran to where he'd last seen Deadpool. (Ominous name, but there were worse. Black Widow, for instance. At least it wasn't cheesy like, oh say, Captain America?) He switched off his comm. unit, wanting to keep this moment private.

"Hi." He swivelled on his heel, and Deadpool sauntered closer. "I'm Wade Wilson—"

Relief burst through Steve, and he stumbled over his words, interrupting Wade.

"I'm so glad to meet you, you have no idea," he said. "I really hope it isn't too soon, and that you're open to… anything. Whatever you want. Please don't turn me away? If you're my soulmate, that is. If not, then just ignore this."

Deadpool was silent for a few seconds, and Steve was worried that he'd overwhelmed him. Seemed he really was shy, and the full-body suit reinforced his opinion.

"Thought my soulmate would be the one with a long mark," Wade finally said. "Not the other way around. Yeah, I think my soulmark's probably the longest in the world? Not that I was planning to compete or anything, but wow, Captain America is seriously my soulmate? Where the hell did I go right in my life to get that lucky?"

"I'm sorry," Steve blurted. "I just… I got nervous. Meeting you. I know it's been a few months since you probably lost your soulmate. I lost mine about seven months ago, and when yours appeared I wasn't… I wasn't sure when I'd meet you, and I didn't want it to be too soon, and I didn't know what I was gonna say, whether I'd be an ass or something…"

"Huh." Wade tilted his head, and then removed his mask. There were scars all over his skin, but otherwise it was a handsome face, and Steve really hoped – shallow though it was – that Wade didn't want a platonic bond. "You usually this talkative? If so, I don't know whether either of us will ever have enough breath for kissing."

Well… that answered that question. "I can talk less?"

"You'll want me to talk a lot less, trust me," Wade said, flicking his hand. "I'm not called the Merc with a Mouth for nothing, babe."

"You're called…?"

"I'm a mercenary," Wade said. "Hence thinking I've done something truly spectacular in a past life to land you. Only reason my soulmate hung around was because of our marks, and then she got pregnant, and I lost both of them, even though that was kind of another reality, but it's hard to tell with me. All depends on the author and the `verse, to be honest, and I'm really liking this one, because you're so unbelievably hot that I'm surprised our clothes haven't melted off yet." His eyes were practically devouring Steve, who was trying to keep a grasp on… everything. "Clothes-melting would come in handy right now, `cause I'll bet you look even better without anything on. You might want me to stay clothed, of course, though that'd be kind of inconvenient from the point-of-view of bonding. Then again, a guy like you shouldn't tie himself to someone like me."

…At least Steve didn't have to worry about drawing his soulmate out of his shell? Oh, Barton and Stark were gonna pay for this.

"Maybe we should get into mufti first, then go for coffee?" he suggested. "You know, get out of uniform, t-then…" He stuttered as Deadpool walked closer, hips sashaying side to side, and swallowed deeply. "Uh…"

"Problem, captain?" Wade purred.

"…Oh, Christ."

"Mmm?"

"I really wanna kiss you, but I was gonna go slowly, `cause I thought you were gonna be shy." Unwilling to admit his gullibility just yet, he gestured vaguely towards his stomach. "Only four words, you see?"

"Huh," Wade said again. "Definitely not shy."

"I'm beginning to see that."

"D'you prefer the blushing maiden?"

"I'd prefer you to be in my bed, b-but not for a quick tumble." He licked his lips absently. "You're my soulmate. I want you there… always."

"Might get messy."

Steve rolled his eyes. "I meant I want you. For more than one night. I missed my other chance. I want talking, kissing, sleeping, bonding… the whole thing."

"Only sleeping?" Wade murmured, so close he was a step from being plastered to Steve.

"No," he replied. "I wanna fuck you into the mattress, then ride you like a bucking bronco, then swap places and do it all over again."

"How good's your stamina?" Wade asked, his eyes darkening.

"Damn good."

"Then I guess we'd better go somewhere private."

Thoughts of getting his revenge on Clint and Tony entered Steve's mind. Still, some things should be private.

"You got somewhere?" Steve asked. "Where we can be alone?"

"Want me all to yourself, huh?"

"We can save the exhibitionism for later."

"I like."

Tony was back from Italy and snuggling with Pepper when Steve arrived home. He took the elevator straight up, and Clint snorted when he met Tony's eyes.

"Children," Natasha scolded.

"What did you do?" Pepper said, frowning at Tony. He gave her an innocent look.

"Nothing!" he said. "And I'm hurt that you'd believe me capable of tricking Cap."

"Tony."

"You'll never guess who his soulmate is."

"Wade Wilson," Natasha said, spoiling the ending.

"Deadpool?" Pepper said. "You're kidding."

"God's own truth," Clint said, shuffling restlessly in his nest. "Told Steve that he was shy, and Cap actually believed us."

Pepper slapped Tony's arm. "That was really mean, and I can't believe you'd do that to one of the nicest people we know."

"They're coming," Natasha said, nodding towards the wide doorway that led from the lounge to the kitchen.

"Shh!" Tony hissed, and he and Clint dived behind the furniture. "If they don't know we're here, Cap can't give us that disappointed face."

"Or yell at us, which is just as bad," Clint added.

"Forgetting the super-hearing," Pepper muttered.

"Whoa!" Wade exclaimed from the kitchen. "Is that coffee-maker futuristic or what?"

"I have no idea how to operate it. Every time I think I've got the hang of it, Tony does something and then it's completely different."

"Ah. That'd explain the one you have on your floor."

"Uh-huh." There was silence for a few seconds, then Steve groaned. "Mind not bending over like that? I'm gettin' all kinds of inappropriate thoughts, Wade."

"Aw, but I don't know where you keep the leftovers."

"In the fridge, and honestly, we ate before we left your place."

"Yeah, but someone here has super-metabolism."

"You love my super-metabolism."

"Correction," Wade said. "I love your super-stamina, and mine, too. No wonder someone called the cops."

"Hey, at least we weren't being accused of trying to kill each other."

"Except through sex." Pepper's jaw dropped, and she noticed Natasha trying not to laugh. Tony and Clint were gaping at each other, eyes wide.

"Or drowning, if we set off the fire alarms in your apartment."

"Mmm." There was a creaking noise. "Damn, those naughty ideas getting the better of you, Captain Rogers?"

"Stop. Wiggling. Your ass."

"My hips, actually."

"It's not your hips I was staring at, though. Wondering whether you're still loose enough for me to just slide on in."

Pepper was sure she was as beet red as her nickname implied. Natasha's shoulders were shaking. There was a loud moan from the kitchen, slightly muffled, then the clatter of a cupboard door and rustled clothing. Wade swore softly, and something seemed to hit the kitchen floor. Steve groaned.

"Fuck, still so tight," he whispered, but it was loud enough for the four in the living room to hear. "Plug didn't do anything."

"Kept your semen in me. Thought that was the point? O-ooh, I love your point, Steve."

Among Pepper's jumbled thoughts was 'That's so unhygienic' and 'I'll kill Tony and Clint for this', along with 'Damn, that's hot'. Judging by the fact that Natasha was no longer pretending to read, and was instead watching the door with a small smirk, she was probably thinking much the same things.

"Ah, God, Steve!"

"Wade, beautiful, so beautiful, all mine." Wade yelped, and Steve growled, sending shivers straight through Pepper.

It seemed to take forever before the creaking of the countertop – or wherever they… 'were' – came to a halt. There were soft murmurs, and Pepper sank down into the cushions with an embarrassed whimper. Eventually, Steve and Wade left, and Natasha rolled up her magazine and hit both Clint and Tony on the head with it.

"I hope you've learnt your lesson," she said.

"Hey, Pepper," Tony said casually, "wanna go up to my room?"

"If I do," Pepper said primly, "it won't be with you, Anthony Edward Stark."

"Pe-ep…"

"Don't give me that."

"He knew we were here anyway," Natasha said. "I'm not complaining. Never let it be said that Steve Rogers hasn't mastered the art of revenge through public sex. Well," she cocked her head, "semi-public. So far."

"He knew," Pepper said, staring into space, her cheeks still hot enough to fry eggs.

"They probably both did."

"Oh God," Clint said, covering his face. "I didn't know Steve would do something that evil in return."

"What did you think, Clint?" Natasha asked. "That he'd take it lying down?" Her lips twitched at the corners. "So to speak."

"Gah!" Tony said. "The mental images alone."

"How's it going with that brain bleach?" Clint asked, paler than usual. "I'll need some."

"I want a copy of the video footage from the kitchen," Natasha said.

"Me too," Pepper said. "And I'll have to break out my old toys, because, Tony? You're on the couch until further notice."

Back in Steve's quarters, he showed Wade the Jacuzzi. The sight of his soulmate stripping off and then leaping into the hot water had Steve pulling off his own clothes and following. Wade perched on the bench and tugged Steve into his lap.

"Thanks for the quickie in the kitchen," Wade said, kneading Steve's butt cheeks. "Best plan of revenge I've ever been involved in."

"We haven't even begun," Steve said, fingering himself. There was always the risk of his healing power kicking in to tighten him back up, and while that had its advantages – Wade had mentioned fisting to him, and Steve nearly came from the description alone – it was inconvenient when he wanted to be able to sink down on his soulmate and bond with him again. Wade was still self-conscious of the scars which littered his body, when Steve's own regenerative powers left him with flawless skin, but Steve instead took advantage of the sensitivity to drive Wade (more) insane through teasing the raised stripes of flesh.

"To think you were technically a virgin when we met two days ago," Wade said. As soon as Steve was in position, Wade yanked him down, and Steve wrapped himself around his soulmate when their soulmarks met and shone, strengthening the bond.

"Mmm." He licked a major scar on the side of Wade's neck, one of the attempts to behead him. Steve didn't know the whole story yet, because Wade had had a long life, but there was time.

"Want me to talk dirty to you, oh captain, my captain?"

He should've commented on how inappropriate the quote was considering what they were engaging in, but then Wade hit that spot which made stars appear behind his eyes, and Steve stopped thinking altogether.

Ship requested by Bullla, who also suggested that Clint and Tony convince Steve that Wade is shy before they meet. Hope this met with expectations. And it's canon that Deadpool's handwriting is gorgeous.

For those who haven't got the memo yet, I've started posting my headcanons about how the stories would continue. I've only posted the first instalment, which covers chapters one to ten of 'Fate Has a Twisted Sense of Humour'. Hope to see you there. :D

Please review!