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For a long time, Laura had only vague and unclear ideas about the meanings of the terms parent, mother, and father. What she knew, she heard from the humane nurse who was the only one in the institute interested in ensuring that the children created there, destined for mutant, giga, Terminator little killing machines, would get at least a tiny taste of what normal life was like... normal childhood.
Even after that, such kinship and blood ties remained with the little girl only for concepts containing at least a thousand question marks, among other things, because there was no one around her who would have suited any of these roles. The nurse, no matter how kind she was, still acted as one of the employees of the institute who did her duty (even though she didn't like countless segments of it). She wasn't their mother, and she never denied it.
Then one day Laura got out of there and met her quasi-father: Logan. Well, Laura was really confused at that point!
The man was nervous, sullen, angry, and most of the time heavily intoxicated: he couldn't have been further from the picture the nurse painted of the caring parents. Perhaps even the Professor, Charles Xavier, was the best fit for this, although due to his age, the role of grandfather would have proved to be more fitting.
Laura first experienced what a completely ordinary, loving family was like when they helped that troubled couple on the side of the road, who then invited them to their place, and as they all sat down to dinner, for a moment even the three of them, the outsiders, seemed quite like some family...
Then the entire family was wiped out; along with them, the professor died, and they had to flee again...
And finally she lost Logan; Laura stayed by his side until the last moments and held his hand, while he rhymed and begged not to leave, not to leave her alone. She needs him... her father. She didn't want to be alone again.
Maybe the man wasn't in his best shape when they met, but over time it became clear that despite all his previous trauma and disappointment, he was still able to bond and care for someone—to say the least, he specifically sacrificed himself to save Laura and the other children.
Even the man must have realized this, right before he died, when he told her:
"Now I know how it feels!"
Laura also understood in that minute what makes someone a father—what makes someone a parent. Maybe he's not always nice; he doesn't necessarily babysit or nickname, but if the situation calls for it, he would turn the whole world out of its corners to protect you.
This was the person Laura won, only to lose him soon after.
The girl was then left alone again for many years, in terms of parental pattern, until it found her again, thanks to perfect coincidence and where she least expected it: in the Void.
Life is just that: all surprises, isn't it?
When she first saw that Wolverine, Laura felt infinitely strange: he looked so much like her deceased father, but at the same time he was completely different, in the end, a stranger. Despite this, the girl felt an instinctive attachment to him from the beginning—and, after the worst Wolverine on paper (I won't let go of that: not a single Wolverine can be completely bad; true, not quite good either. They are such little neutrals) was willing to pull himself together (meaning to pull his head out of his ass), it turned out that he and the other Logan really have a lot in common.
If nothing else, it was definitely the way the heart behind their world-painful cynicism beat, and when it had to, they were ready to sacrifice everything, even their own lives, to save others (and of course all the multiverses, to be exact).
After that, Laura—as soon as she managed to break free from the Void and return to her own world thanks to Wade Wilson, the Merc With A Mouth —found herself suddenly in a family: a rather special one, but this label still suited it quite well.
As Laura returned home, it seemed natural for Wade and Logan to accept her into the bite-sized apartment of the mercenary and his blind roommate, Blind Al, which turned out to be more than crowded for so many people, plus a strange-looking dog, Dogpool, but somehow they solved it. She would have had another opportunity: as soon as she arrived, the X-men immediately approached Laura, and although she accepted to study with them, she didn’t to move in, even though they offered her a room of her own, and there was a very simple reason for this.
The girl wanted a home; the other mutants, although they were so kind and close-knit, still lived in a school, and it was not the same. Maybe it wasn't considered the most comfortable, but living with Wade and Logan, it was almost like living in a real family.
Then Deadpool and Wolverine, as soon as they got to the point of publicly accepting their relationship (which was totally obvious to everyone until then, but shh!), also decided it was time to move out. Blind Al agreed: she had to endure too much in the meantime (and in this fictitious multiverse, our heroes, given the minor, are quite reserved... It's just that Al has such bat ears in every universe that even Daredevil, would click on them approvingly. Bracket, close). At that time, as before, it proved self-evident to them that they were taking Laura with them, who had no thought of objecting.
Although the girl was no longer a small child at that time—admittedly, not even fully grown—she was indescribably grateful for finally being able to live in such a way that there were people around her who cared for her and took care of her as a mother and father do (although she actually got two fathers, but you see wha I mean). Her life, one might say, came closest to what could be called average: in the morning, she was either woken up by Deadpool, with a cheerful trill suitable for musicals, or by his dog jumping on the bed and snorting in her ear. Logan then drove her to school and went to pick her up most of the time. In their free time, they did everyday activities: going out to the park, walking Dogpool, and so on. In addition, Wade liked to show his feelings in the form of touches, hugs, and the like. It is true that at first it hit the girl rather unexpectedly and at the same time a little uncomfortably—then also the mercenary, when the mini Wolverine, due to her flawless self-defense mechanism, plunged into him her claws. Over time, however, she not only got used to it, she also loved it: thanks to this, Laura only felt even more that she belonged somewhere where she was loved, where she mattered. It all felt so normal…
Granted, that kind of normality included the way Wade and Logan would occasionally fall home covered in blood from one mission at a time, plus they kept such an arsenal of weapons at home that even Scarface could have envied it... But that's just a matter of detail, and from Laura's point of view, who spent her early years in a lab and almost wanted to train her as a weapon, it really wasn't considered egregious, and actually, it didn't matter.
She felt safe, and this, after so many years of abandonment and constant persecution, meant more than the world to her. She didn't care about the rest.
From time to time, the thought came to her that she should somehow show how grateful she is to the two men, but somehow she never found a suitable opportunity…
Until the second Sunday of May—Mother's Day.
This holiday was also one of those that Laura had heard about, but for a long time it meant nothing to her: she had no one to greet on this day.
Until then…
The thought seemed a bit absurd, but the more she pondered it, the less strange she felt.
Finally, she came to the conclusion: why not?
This is how it happened that on the morning of the famous holiday, Laura got up early, while the other residents of the apartment were still asleep (Dogpool was also snoring on the crap), and head out to get the invented surprise.
When he got home a good hour later, both Logan and Wade were awake and seemed rather anxious; what's more, even the equally awakened Dogpool was coiling at their feet with particular excitement.
However, the moment they saw Laura stomping in, they all relieved, and the next minute Wade was buzzing around her like some sun-stricken brooder—or even more so, like some overzealous mother hen. This completely convinced the girl that she had made a good decision.
"Where have you been? Are you aware that my heart almost stopped when we found you nowhere? Why didn't you answer your phone? What came to your mind?!”
"Hey, take it easy, just one question at a time!" admonished Laura phlegmatically, but in the process she found it hard not to smile. "I had just rund down for a little while to buy you this, and I didn't take the phone with me because of that." She lifted the paper bag she held gently.
"To me?" The mercenary raised his non-existent eyebrows in surprise. "What? And on what occasion?"
"Mother's Day," she blurted out, after a little hesitation, after (just in time!) she realised it, how stupid that actually sounds.
The effect was more colossal than Colossus himself. Said body area of the Merc with a Mouth remained open, even though no words came out of it, while Logan... Well, first his eyes widened, then he quickly turned away to hide his grin, but he couldn't hide his trembling, wide shoulders.
"You bastard!" Wade thought angrily. "But you'll regret it when night falls and this time the Golden Gate remains closed…"
"Um, Laura, listen—" Deadpool finally attempted to give her an answer, with confused uncertainty and the utmost tact he could. " It's not that it doesn't sit well that you thought of me, just as it really moves me that you see the parent in me, but... Well, I know I used to act like a diva, which people less sophisticated than me would call bitchy, but I'm still a guy. ("Your father could tell you a lot about that," he almost added; fortunately, only almost, because he realized in time it's not a comment one's daughter wants to hear, and he kept it to himself in time.) So, perhaps the logical thing would be for you to greet us both in a month, on Father's Day…”
"Yes, I know," she muttered with a prostrate face, her eyes timidly downcast. "Just..." I never had a mother” she finally said. „I got a father either recently.. Actually, I still don't know exactly what a parent is like, but I do know that no one has ever cared about me as much as you two. And from what I've heard, you're the closest thing to what's called a mother.” Laura then looked up at Wade, whose confusion had long since disappeared, instead trying not to cry, and at this point Logan didn't show his back to them because he wanted to hide his laugh… - "You always hug me; I can talk to you about anything, even something that would be embarrassing in front of someone else. I can complain if something hurts me... You even braided my hair before school last time!” She smiled faintly, with a slight trembling wind of her mouth. "There was never anyone in my life I could have greeted earlier on this day, and if there is one now, it's you... But you don't have to accept it if you don't want to; maybe it was a bad idea!” - Laura unexpectedly closed the topic; she would have immediately called a retreat, but then the mercenary quickly pulled himself together and stepped forward and stopped her.
"It was a very nice thought!" He declared in a hoarse voice, swallowing his tears more and more. "And seriously, I'm so grateful and glad that you thought of me… So, can I have a look then?" He then glanced at the bag that Laura was still clutching.
The girl, hearing this, clearly breathed a sigh of relief and then handed over the pouch with a bright smile that was rarely seen on her face even at that time.
"Sure: after all, it is yours! And... Happy Mother's Day!” - She added, with new modesty, but this time Wade didn't bother himself at all: he hugged his stepdaughter tightly.
"Thank you so much, mini Wolvie! You are the kindest, sweetest cutie pie!” - Thanked the mercenary with emotion before glancing into the bag one step away.
After that—for the second time that day, and it was still only half past nine in the morning!—his jaw dropped again.
A Hello Kitty plush (which he didn't have yet, although he had longed for it) and a red rose were hidden in the pouch.
Deadpool glanced with tears in his eyes at the girl, who stomped nervously, crumbling the sleeve of her hoodie in front of him.
"You are a true little angel!" He declared, not even attempting to stop his tears anymore. "Thank you so much!"
"I'm glad you like it!" replied Laura, smiling, but by then she was crying too.
„Healing hug! Come here!” Wade drew her between his arms again, and she fell on his neck with a soft sniff. "Don't stand there alone, you grumpy honey badger; come here too!" He then waved to Logan, who snorted barely audibly, but the next moment his two arms were wrapped around the two people who, although he had no idea, would one day stomp into his life, and he didn't actually ask for them ; however, he could not have existed without them anymore.
Meanwhile, Dogpool ran around them with an excited bark, occasionally jumping up and down on the legs of one or the other.
As a result, Laura came to the conclusion that day that the family sometimes consisted of a mercenary who chattered too much, was strange (if not downright unknowable), and was morally very flexible; a chuff, grumpy mutant who sometimes wielded claws; and a deformed-looking dog with a drooping tongue, but still very cute. That's not what matters.
As long as the members love and care about each other, this kind of family is just as whole and real as the others.
The End