I didn't know I was lonely 'til I saw your face
I wanna get better, better, better, better,
I wanna get better
I didn't know I was broken 'til I wanted to change
I wanna get better, better, better, better,
I wanna get better

-x-

When Peter first meets Deadpool he's practically ancient by superhero standards.

He was one of the first Heroes on the scene when the Villains seemed to pop up all at once. It's years before Tony Stark gets lost in Afghanistan, years before Captain America gets found and unfrozen, years before SHIELD becomes mainstream knowledge, years before Banner becomes the Hulk and years before he knows he's not alone.

He's a fourteen year old kid who gets bitten by a radioactive spider, fails to save a man who'd been more of a father to him then his original one had ever gotten to be, ends up having to fight his best friend turned super villain and watches the love of his life die falling from a tower. He's just a kid and by the time the other Supers catch up, he's been Spider-Man for close to seven years. He's one of the youngest, even with all his experience, of the larger names.

Which is something he can admit he is. People know him, trust him because he is one of the most visible, most human Heroes they have. It's hard to think of a guy as anything but that, no matter what powers he has, when they've basically watched him grow up in the suit.

Spider-Man is a Hero of the People more than almost anyone else. His presences is practically as much of a tourist trap as the Statue of Liberty is now. (His favorite piece of merch is the 'I Came All The Way To New York And All I Saw Was a Crappy Spider-Man Fight' T-shirt. He has 10 of them, all in different sizes and colors because they're amazing and he loves them.)

But even though he's one of the youngest in years, the other Supers all getting their Tragic Backstories done and over with in their late twenties, early thirties, he's one of the oldest in terms of sheer time he's spent in the suit compared to most of the community. Spider-Man has fought most of the world's Villains at least once before they all moved on to their own personal Heroes to beef with.

It's how he comes to know such interesting people. It's why he has such grey friends. When you've worked as long as he has, been in the mask for what feels like longer then you'd been out of it, it's hard to not make friends with people you shouldn't.

It's how he met Deadpool.

He hadn't even really heard about the Merc to begin with. It had started when he'd been told by the civilians he saved from purse snatching and the Ike, about how there was a discount Spidey running around. It had been hilarious for Peter in the beginning. He'd assumed it was some young mutant that wanted to take on a similar name as him, maybe in homage? Maybe to mock him? Kids in New York could go either way and that's one of the reasons why Peter loved his city.

But he'd thought it was harmless, another new Super keeping the training wheels of an already confirmed Hero on until they'd gotten enough confidence to go their own way. He'd keep an eye out for them, try to see if they needed any help but he wouldn't interfere if they didn't want him to.

Then the bodies started to show up and Peter realized that whatever this was, it wasn't a new Hero earning their wings.

—

Deadpool had been nothing like he'd expected when Peter had finely tracked the Merc down. He was friendly when he wasn't trying to shoot his target, seemed genuinely upset when Peter hadn't been able to dodge a slice of his katana fast enough, hilarious in a way Peter had never met someone other then himself be, fucked up to the extreme in the head and after an intense, deadly game of keep away (With Deadpool's mark as the ball) throughout the city, completely willing to compromise when he wanted to.

Deadpool ( "Wade actually, but you can call me Daddy, Baby Boy!" Who gives their real name out when first meeting someone? Peter sure as hell wasn't reciprocating that strange mark of trust any time soon ) agreed to no more contracts in Spider-Man's city.

They'd had tacos after that, sitting on the rooftop of some ridiculously tall building and making each other laugh so hard at awful puns that Wade had almost fallen off the tower. It had been the first night of a truly awful (for everyone else) friendship.

—

Months went by and Tony Stark came back from Afghanistan as Iron Man, more Supers hit the map seemingly everywhere with their own personalized Villain, either trailing after them or sprinting on ahead when the forming community of 'Heroes' found out Spider-Man had both befriended Deadpool and somehow convinced the insane mercenary to stay out of New York when taking jobs.

It had gone over about as well as a bathtub full of cats when the water turned on, which is to say, not at all.

At first they'd demanded that Spider-Man man stop socializing with Deadpool. When all that'd gotten them was a snort and wave while he slung away they'd tried other tactics.

They'd tried to press on his age, on how he was being childish with his naïve wish for Deadpool to change. On how that just wasn't how the world worked, that bad guys didn't just change into good guys because we want them to.

That conversation had gone over almost was well as the news about Deadpool and Spider-Man's friendship. Peter had been pissed, never mind that he'd been a Hero longer than any of them, but that they'd have the nerve to condescend down at him like he wasn't an adult, like he hadn't been saving the world long before the Avengers even had their entire team together.

He'd been so mad in fact, that he'd webbed the two that had tried to corner him in the library and left them there for two days before telling anyone where they were at.

When he'd told Wade that story over dinner-so-what-it's-4am-who-the-fuck-cares-Wade-I-swear-to-god-you-better-give-me-my-damn-burger-back-or-they-will-never-find-your-dick-when-I-chop-it-off-and-shut-up-I-know-you-can-grow-it-back-that's-not-the-point, the man had ended up choking on his milkshake so hard he'd fallen backwards out of the chair he'd been trying to balance.

(He'd also had something like awe in his eyes, or something very similar looking on his impossibly emotive mask. Peter hadn't wanted to look to deeply on why such a look made him what to squirm in his seat just from being under it.

They hadn't talked about it again, but sometimes Wade would get the same look in his eyes when he watched Peter go head to head with the entirety of The Avengers. Peter had learned it was better to be assertive with the other Supers or they would end up trying to live your life for you and Peter didn't abandon people just because it might be convenient. That was also around the same time Wade had started to treat him... differently. )

—

The third time it happened was completely unprofessional and it pissed Deadpool off almost as much as it pissed Spider-Man off.

It had been a normal Wednesday night and Spider-Man had been friends with Deadpool for close to two years. The other Supers had mainly stopped trying to get him to stop associating with Wade, but the attempts that did still happen had been slowing down the longer Peter ignored them. He'd had a indistinct wish that maybe they'd all finally given up and left him alone.

That thought had been quickly tossed out when the Green Goblin had shown up, flying by on his hover board (what was his life where that was a sentence he could say and actually mean it ) and trying to terrorize the civilian population below.

Peter had shot a web out at the Goblin, grabbing on to the back and being flung after him. Deadpool whooped excitedly behind him and Peter knew he'd catch up at some point. He'd be heart broken not to fight one of Spider-Man's ' original baddies! ' as Wade called The Green Goblin, with him.

Everything had been going normally at first, Deadpool had caught up some time during the fight, rubber bullets smacking into the Goblins head every time he almost cornered Spider-Man and the banter they had going, completely ignoring the increasingly annoyed Goblin, was beautiful in its ability to confuse everyone but each other.

But that's when it had all gone to hell. Iron Man and the Hulk (still as Bruce Banner) landed behind Peter drawing his attention, because what the hell? Who just goes into another's blind spot like that? When the Goblin had seen his chance to finally be rid of his 'Arch Nemesis' for once and for all.

The Goblin had stuck a pumpkin bomb straight on Peter's face like the mother-of-dicks he was, and cut Peter's web away from his board. He'd shot off after that, Peter to concerned with the bomb on his face to care about the Goblin getting away.

Peter knew how long he had until it went off, knew that he had to make a choice between keeping his identity a secret and dying horribly in fire because his old friend decided to be a Halloween themed villain with stupid pumpkin shaped bombs.

Iron Man was yelling at him to take his mask off, Bruce was trying to calm him down, Peter himself has been close to a panic attack, because of all the people who he could have knowing his identity, Tony Stark would be one of the last ones he'd want to ever find out, when Deadpool had come swooping down out of nowhere to jerk both their masks off, transferring his over Peter's head before anyone (himself included) had time to see more then longish brown hair.

He then threw the bomb-ified mask at Iron Man who disarmed it, stalking up to two of the very famous Avengers demanding why he hadn't done that when it had still been on Spideys fucking face.

Peter had been too shaken on his almost unmasking that he hadn't realized until Wade almost screamed it, that Tony could have disarmed the bomb at any point instead of demanding he take his mask off.

But he'd wanted leverage. They all needed some type of leverage on Spider-Man, some way to control him if they 'had to' for his 'own good.' Power that Peter had done his damnedest to never let them have over him. Spider-Man's identity was one of the best kept secrets on the globe at that point in time, Wade had told him stories on the millions that even a hint of his identity could go for.

And this.. ALL of this was way Peter couldn't stand most of the rest of them. Why most of his friends and contacts weren't called Heroes, but Vigilantes. Why no matter what they called him he'd take being one of them over being one of the Heroes any day.

They all might want to help people, but for most of the Hero community it was all on their own terms. Never mind that they didn't need his identity to work with him, didn't need his face to know he was trustworthy, they wanted it. Even if it meant sacrificing something that wasn't even theirs to give.

Wade had been furious. Tony had been defensive and when it came out why Iron Man had decided to come help Spider-Man with Green Goblin, they'd both been speechless.

Apparently, Deadpool didn't count as backup against a villain Spider-Man had fought alone for years.

Peter ended up having to drag Wade away using his full inhuman strength when the Merc had tried to stab Tony. But not before he crushed the Iron Man helmet bare handedly and told Tony very simply that he could take care of himself and that if he ever needed more backup he would call for it.

Do not come before that Tony, or I swear to god you won't like the end results. If I need help, I'll call you.

Their working and personal relationship after that had taken a nosedive. Not that Peter had cared by that point.

—

The very last time it happens is when the Avengers as a whole give him an ultimatum. Either stop talking to Deadpool or give up his Hero title.

And that was... it's ridiculous, is what it is. Tony's got his arms crossed over his chest, the picture of Fatherly disapproval while the others (most of the others anyway, he can't see Thor or Clint here so they do still have friends in the Avengers, which is nice to know) stand behind him awkwardly.

Peter honestly thinks it's a joke at first. They can't be serious, he can't actually think that Peter needs the Avengers permission to be a Hero. But the look on Tony face and the iron in Steve's eyes are completely genuine. They definitely mean it.

Sometimes it amazes Peter on how willfully blind humans can be. It's honestly insane that these two think they have any type of say in his life. If Peter hadn't been prepared to do things he wasn't supposed to do, he would have never gotten the idea to put on a spandex suit and try to help people. Peter is Spider-Man, Peter is who Spider-Man will always be, so if Peter doesn't need their permission to do what he does, Spider-Man sure as hell doesn't.

So he laughs.

Right in their faces he laughs so hard he can feel tears in the corner of his eyes, soaking into his mask. It's just.. the nerve of these people, the sheer hypocrisy that Peter's sure they can't see. This is exactly why most of his friends and acquaintances were all more Anti than Hero.

It's hilarious.

The reason this is the last time they all try to convince Peter to stop seeing Wade is because the moment the silence drags on slightly longer than their all comfortable with, and Tony starts to get that look in his eyes like he's won, Peter, Spider-Man drops down from the ceiling and starts rummaging around to drop whatever he has on him with a Stark logo at their feet.

As the others look on with apprehension, Tony face says he knows exactly where this is going. So it's to everyone's surprise but his, when Peter takes the headset Tony had given him at some point and crushes it under his heel before silently web-swinging away.

His answer is loud and clear in the silence that follows his exit

Spider-Man doesn't need permission to be a Hero, he never asked for it, because when he'd first gotten his powers it never would have been approved.

So Peter learned not to ask.

It's later that same night when Wade appears silently behind him. Peter doesn't react because sometimes Wade will come to see him and just stare. He won't say a word to Peter, just talk to his boxes about whatever's going on in that play deck of a head of his.

Peter knows better than to try and address him when he's like this, knows that somehow the sight of Peter is enough to quiet some of the voices more violent impulses in his head. So he just sits there for a long time, letting Wade get his feel of watching Peter before he comes over and gathers him into his arms.

Wades hugs are always warm, his body's so big that whenever the man wants to, he can pick Peter up and just cradle him for however long he needs to reaffirm that Peter is alive, that he's not a hallucination, and that Wade can just be Wade when their together.

But this hug feels different from all the other ones Wade's given him before. It's the same tight hold he has when he's not sure whats real and what's not, but the hand in his hair is new, and it makes something inside him quiver when Wade ducks down to bury his face in Peter's neck.

He's shaking just a little bit, and Peter doesn't know what to do when it hits him. Wade had been planning to pick him up from the Avengers Tower that night, but if he'd gotten there after Peter had already left, he'd want to know what happened.

And if the Avengers had told him what'd happened, probably to try and get help from his side, then Wade would know about the ultimatum.

And Peter's answer to it.

It really is to bad for them that Wade was a possessive person to the few things he liked in the world. Deadpool was surprisingly loyal as a Mercenary for hire, but it was common knowledge that when he gave his heart, gave his loyalty, he gave everything.

Peter is just enough of a dick to understand the intent behind The Avengers telling Wade what happened and find the humor in how ironic it is that they happened to talk to the one man who would never help with this, who wouldn't try and make Peter's decisions for him. It's horrifyingly funny that a man who kills others for a living understands Peter's autonomy better than Heroes who are supposed to be all about what's right.

It's not perfect, they're not perfect. They still fight about Wade's job and they fight about Wade spending money on Peter, about Peter going out and fighting Carnage alone, about Peter ignoring the larger Hero community whenever they did something he didn't like but all-in-all, their good.

The rest they could work on.