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Peter liked his name.
Not his birth name (although that one didn’t suck either)
His name. The name that was written on his wrist in big messy block letters, the one everyone was born with, the name of his soulmate. His other half. Light of his life.
If you believed it.
Not that Peter had anything against it per say, it worked for some people. His Aunt May and his Uncle Ben were one example of that. They had been together for the last 40 years (and were still sickeningly happy, much to Peters disgust) but…. how likely was it that there was one person made for him living somewhere in the world? So Peter wasn’t holding out for some mustachioed muscled dude to come waltzing out of nowhere ready to save him like in Aunt May’s shitty romance novels. His name was still interesting though.
Wade Wilson.
An alliteration (like his). Peter had never met anyone named Wade before, but he was antisocial like that. Wilson wasn't a bad last name either. Maybe they would just be good friends?
So he didn’t really feel any particular way about it until his Uncle Ben died. Aunt May had spiraled, the loss of her soulmate crushed her, she turned to alcohol to help her cope. She still worked her shifts at the hospital but she didn’t have the same enthusiasm. Her co-workers and regular patients stopped wanting to interact with her outside of the hospital and even Peter was wary of talking to her. On one particularly bad night she told Peter, her eyes red and glistening with unshed tears breath saturated with smell of cheap gin, that she didn’t want to keep living without her soulmate. That it felt like her heart had been ripped out when the police officer had knocked on her door and changed her life forever.
After that Peter decided that if losing his soulmate would hurt him up that bad when they died he didn’t want to meet them. Ever.
Four years later….
“Spi-deyyyyyy!”
Rolling his eyes Peter twisted around to look behind him, he was sitting on top of a high-rise his legs dangling over the side.
“Hey Deadpool” The man in question was sauntering towards him holding a fast food bag from his favorite mexican restaurant.
“You look rested! How’s my favorite masked crime fighter doing?” Peter could hear the grin in his voice.The two had met while trying to nab the same villain ( well Peter was but Deadpool just wanted to kill him) and had hung out regularly ever since. But deadpool was supposed to be on a job, he had told Peter a couple days ago that he would be gone for two weeks.
“I’m good, how did your job go? I thought you said you would be gone for a while?”
“Awwww you missed me Spidey! Well don’t worry I missed you too that’s why I brought food” the assassin dropped down to sit next to Peter and started rummaging through the bag he’d brought. “Tacos, chimichangas! The works, gotta keep that sweet ass of yours plump somehow!” Predictably Peter felt his face heating up underneath the mask like it always did when Deadpool teased him.
“I didn’t miss you but why are you back so early? Did something happen?” for some reason he felt unaccountably worried for the older man.
“You do care sweetums! But no nothing happened except i heard some rumblings that some bad guys were going after my soulmate.” His what! Deadpool had already met his soulmate? The thought of him being with someone else made Peter feel like he had been punched in the gut.
“You-you know your soulmate?” Peter managed to get out, sounding like he was choking.
“No” Peter sighed in relief feeling stupid.
“But I know his name! And I would hate it if my sugar pie was hurt by some b-grade goons before I met him.” Frowning at the thought Deadpool turned back to his food, flipped up the bottom of his mask and took a bite from his taco.
His soulmate. Peter knew that the feelings he had towards Deadpool were a little more than friendly, he had no right to be jealous. Just because Peter had made a commitment to avoid any and all people with the name Wade for the rest of his life doesn’t mean that anyone else had to avoid their soulmate. But still. It hurt.
“What’s his name?” Peter blurted out before his brain-to-mouth filter could catch up. “I-I mean you don’t need to-”
“Naw, don’t sweat it Spidey I’ll tell you.” Perking up deadpool turned him. “Maybe the you can look out for my boo too! heh.‘boo too’” Peter though his heart would shrivel up and die inside his chest, why the hell did he ask that stupid freaking question?
“His name is Peter. Peter Parker”
~***~
A week later Peter was climbing out his window in his suit for the first time since that disastrous conversation with Deadpool. Or Wade. (A stupid fucking name to go with a stupid fucking person!) When someone grabbed him and dragged him up to the top of the building.
“Hey! What gives?” Peter yelled struggling against his captor.
“Relax Spidey it just me” Deadpool's voice rumbled into his ear and Peter shivered before remembering himself and lurching away..
“What the hell? What was that? What are you doing here?” he demanded
“That’s what I should be asking you! Why are you climbing out of my soulmate’s window in the middle of the night? I thought we were friends Spidey!” He pouted, his full lips visible through the skin tight red mask. Focus Parker!
“We are?” His voice went up at the end as though phrasing it like a question instead of a statement. “We are. What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about how this is Peter Parker's apartment. Who last time I checked was NOT my favorite arachnid.” Peter flinched at that, looking down feeling so guilty for a moment he couldn’t keep looking into Deadpool’s white eye socket-hole things.
“Why were you lurking around here anyway?”
“Well, what d’ya think Spidey? I was watching over my soulmate cute ass which now that I think about it bears a shocking resemblance to yours……”
Looking away uncomfortable Peter asks. “Were you ever gonna introduce yourself to me- I mean him? Or just lurk.” when he looks back pool isn’t paying attention but instead craning his neck to get a look at Peters ass. “Hey! I just asked you a question stupid!”
Looking not at all chastened Deadpool straightens up “Just wanted a little lookey-loo Spidey relax! BUT to answer your question the answer is a no!”
Blinking Peter asks “Why?”
“Weeeeeeellllllllll” pool draws out the word and for the first time in all the months Peter’s known him looks him almost embarrassed. “He’s a cute kid, only 19. He deserves better than some washed out scarred mercenary. Wouldn’t want to fuck him up with my problems, he… has a good life.” Confused Peter opens his mouth to asks another question but is cut off. “SO how do you know him?”
“Ummm”
“Friends? Boyfriend? One night stand? Cleaning service? Sibling? Actually scratch that last one he’s an only child.”
“I-I I’m w-we’re ummm…”
“Come on Spidey! Stop stuttering, who is he to you?!” at this point Deadpool seemed really agitated. Probably torn between between his loyalty for his soulmate and for his friend. Stepping forward he grabs Peters mask and yanks it off revealing Peters tousled hair and shocked red face underneath.
“Peter?!”
“Ummmmm…. surprise?”