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"i want to be inconvenienced by you. i want to wait for you, i want to hold your things while you do something else, i want to make adjustments to my plans to make space for you.
someone at your side who takes up no space and has no needs of their own is not a person, but a shadow.
i don't want a shadow, i want you. i want my life to be altered by your presence in it. please, inconvenience me."
— User: Jupiter-suggestions on Tumblr.
Being around Cable always makes Wade have to deal with things he doesn't want to.
"You have to aim lower!" The older man shouted as the large ship fell under their feet. It was a bitch to hear anything, it was even more a bitch to hear anything with the oldest man alive screaming at Wade's ear.
"I am trying!" Wade hears his own voice, shouting in the midst of screams and shots and winds all over the place. If he had hair he'd be worried about his haircut.
"I can't just aim lower, if I do, I'll shoot one of the people in the way." He shouts back and it's not like Wade cares or anything. But Cable does. And Wade doesn't care, he doesn't give a shit about what Nathan Christopher Charles Dayspring Askani'son gesundheit! Summers care. What he does care is not having to deal with the aftermath of fucking up his mission and dealing with another character improvement speech.
They 40,000 feet up which was some good moment before the island shaped ship hit the ground. Fast and hard (HA), and Wade likes things hitting fast and hard.
Unless it implies being blown to million fucking pieces, again. He already fell onto a meat grinder that week he's not planning the full anatomic healing factor come back two times this month.
"You can always ask for back up!" Nathan shouts behind him, normally it's the kind of thing Cable says calmly but they're both past that point when the enemy ship pulled a 'gravitational device' to a ship filled with money and people.
And that was that theme that day apparently. Help. Because with p it always has a fucking theme.
"Really?" Wade asks his head making a 180 circle to face Nathan. "You want to discuss this here? Right now?!"
Nathan's lips turn into a thin line as if he knows how ridiculous that sound. And his eyebrows furrow, it's always weird to Wade how expressive Nathan can be, unless he doesn't want you to know what he's thinking.
And people say he's the one to exaggerate expressions.
There's less time, so much that by that moment on until the ship hits the floor Deadpool could start a song he'll never finish that day. The people running back and forth around them while the enemy ship shoots with large laser guns, because of course it does, one man in particular fly over Deadpool's head and hit one of the enemies robots on the process.
It distracts Wade enough that when he looks forward again he's able to see one laser in particular going at full speed right at his face, early enough to dread the impact and little too late to deflect. And Deadpool knows that will a bitch deal with too. He can't always make sense with a hole on his head.
Not that he makes sense most of the time without a bullet on his head either.
But for Cable time is a concept at best and a consideration at worse. He sees large part of the ship floor being torn up, the heavy metal surface folding into itself like a wall. It immediately shield Wade's front and weak spots as Deadpool, like an old cranky soldier, hits his own back against improvised shield.
"You never ask for it." Cable shouts back. And Wade is half way into quoting that tweet 'should we throw a party? Should we call Trixie Mattel.' while he turns to shoot over the robot who aims towards them. The gun hits right in the forehead. Bullseye who?
But off course, Nathan doubles down.
"It's a liability. You need to ask for back up when it's necessary."
And that is a talking point, except Wade should apply for a back-up team with himself, Punisher and Black Widow real. Specially if he considers that at least neither of them are akin to philosophical questions while they're this close to become pancake.
Either of them wouldn't make this stupid wall to protect Wade either.
Then Wade almost falls over himself, shoulder losing access to the wall as Nathan's telekinesis works on the previously improvised shields and it takes it apart like a fucked up Lego set. Each thorn up piece slightly above each other so Wade can walk up through it like a stair case.
"Well then how are you going to show off?" Deadpool say back trying to hold himself up again but falling over, his hand hits the lower half of the made it up stairs hard, wrist screaming at it. Deadpool almost finds grounding. Either way he stands up to his feet again running up the stairs. "That's like your main thing."
"That's not what I–" But then there's silence and for a second Nathan's voice is closer. He might be figured out a way to push the main target and win more time to Wade. That's like the shtick most of the time, win time, lose time.
And despite anything Nathan huffs a noise that sounds almost like a sight and a laugh, but Deadpool doesn't have time to make sure it's real or a hallucination.
Deadpool is almost tempted to look back, but he doesn't. They don't have long before the ship hits the North Caroline forest under them, hard. So he just keep running up each ship piece made of the previous improvised shield Nathan had disassembled. The older man's telekinesis, holds it like a floating stairs case, each step higher and higher. He is jumping through the seventh metal piece, the sniper Wade brought with him firmly placed on top on his shoulder.
Deadpool localizes the shining device inside of the ship who attacked them, just in the middle of the pirate ship's control panel. The ship is Hovered slightly above of Cable's own ship, it's prow docked on top of it. But from Wade's spot he finally had a leverage, several feet on top of both of them, thanks to Cables little builder idea, he can see not only both ships but the spots from where billion short robot-pirate falls the pirate ship control like fleas and he can also see the trinket and gravitational device responsible for their fall to death. Blue and shining.
Deadpool presses the visor of his sniper against his mask and pulls the trigger. It takes a second, and then is like clockwork. Like an old elevator, the ship lurches, plummeted through the air first and rising up again. The impulse is so strong, he has to sink his hands on the floor of the metal he's on top of, really, really rooting for the impact not distract Cables from keep holding the metal pieces up with his telekinesis.
That's when he looks back and Cable is half fighting off twelve small robots on top of him, both with his punches and his own telekinesis and half checking on the people on board. His jaw is tight and there's this way Nathan furrows his eyebrows in the middle of battle when no one is looking.
He looks at Wade.
Wade is with his knees on the metal, hand holding tight, another sinking a knife onto it, his sniper falls off (oops) and luckily shoots one of the enemies and not Cable's little new team mates.
And Nathan smiles.
And it's not provoking Wade. It's not a "mad'ya look" smile. It's not even "And you still take it" smile. Is that smile he makes when Wade is okay despite all the wreckage.
Deadpool frowns.
He then feels the telekinesis pulling the metal under him and sinking down hard on one of the larger robots they're fighting. Wade hold the knife with the both hands and quickly pulls his Katanas to keep with the back up.
Just because they destroyed their gravity device doesn't mean they're little less entitled to keep invading the ship for the new stupid trinket Nathan's looking for stop another time collapse and Deadpool was assigned to keep it away from Space Pirates by a large government organization (shh).
"What I was trying to say is that you can Wade."
And Wade is torn between ignoring Cable which he's bad at or getting back at him which he's too good.
But when he shoots a robot aiming for Cables head at the same time Nathan tears in million pieces another taller robot ready to shoot laser at Deadpool's shoulder he catches himself saying.
"You are going to do it anyway." It sounds annoyed. Nathan smile widens.
"Let me hold it." The voice is soft. Disgustingly so.
"I can hold my own damn blood–" Deadpool answers back before the "bloodied bag" starts floating at his hip.
He drops his hands on each side of his hip. One of them holding his own key. Actually, the ships key.
Deadpool was supposed to leave today, the money is already on his account. The device is now being properly transported for the Government Facility under the threes that night and will be thoroughly escorted by Priscilla of all people.
He should be at the hotel by now.
Deadpool looks up which is kind of funny because he does not believe in god.
Maybe he believes in ship's ceiling falling on both of them and taking him from this conversation.
The sight he leaves is heavy, and he swears he can hear Cables breathing and he tries not to get aggravated on how mirrors his.
"You should open the door." Cable says large shoulder leaning on the wall next to him.
"Don't you have a powerful time destroying device to watch over?" He asks back and he's unlocking his own room not because Cable told him so. But because Nathan is right. He should unlock his room.
And he should also leave, he has a flight to take early morning to Monaco. And the stripper he hired only work until 3.
"You're leaving." Nate say. Like a fact and Deadpool doesn't look at him.
"Well there's always a first." He drops the heavy back with his guns on the floor this time no one goes off which means that either he's getting better at containing side casualties since he started living with a child part of his full time as a mercenary when he's off missions or that Cable also held back some bullets from being shot.
Nate doesn't answer and Deadpool is making his own suitcase this one is pink and has unicorns in it. He's pretty sure he swapped with Eleanor by mistake and somewhere in his daughters camp there's a terrified teacher calling Preston about a middle-schooler having a collection of knives.
Wade packs up quickly though he doesn't know exactly why and it kind of feels spelled out when a large palm presses against his back, in the middle of his shoulder blades and Wade despite best judgement feels himself arching from it.
Nathan doesn't ask either.
And of course, Wade stays.
"I never knew you liked cooking." Cable says and it's almost comical the larger than life man sat on Wade's table. He looks so out of place and somehow don't act a second like it, big hand wrapped on the steamy mug of coffee.
"I don't but we have to make lunch or–"
Wade pauses as his phone vibrates, his fingers reach down the pocket of his suit and he pulls back the burner phone from it. This one is encrypted through and through, Preston's personal gift, Wade rarely carries around missions since it has four contacts at best, Preston, Eleanor, Eleanor's School principal and Weasel.
He makes a face why the hell he saved Weasel's phone number in it again?
His eyes scans over the messages once again.
"Dad I found snake at the camp today!"
"Can I bring it home?"
Deadpool smiles for a second. He laughs to himself , his hand scratching a particularly itchy scab on his cheek.
"Only when you're old enough to drive yourself to the hospital"
">:("
He looks up Cable is smiling.
"What?" Wade asks.
"Nothing."
"What?"
"You said we." Cable points out.
Deadpool stares.
"So what?"
"Nothing." Nathan says as he sips his own coffee but is unable to hold his own smug grin as Deadpool glares at him.
He takes his sweet, sweet time. And it drives Wade up a wall, and of course doesn't get any better when he say.
"You never said we. But you just did right there. You and Eleanor. We."
"Well when you live with a little creature you might as well use plural. Do you know how to count, Summers?"
But nothing takes that smug expression from Cable. Until it does.
He looks up at Wade again.
"How old is she?" He asks then. Because Cable does that, he presses pokes and then continues as if nothing has happened.
Wade rolls his eyes. He stop poking and scratching his wound. It's bleeding now. He knows because he sees the tip of his own fingers bright red. Wade cleans over his own pants and walks towards the chair in front of Cable.
Wade sits before he say.
"Twelve." He says and sips his coffee. "Terrible age she wants a snake for her birthday."
"I was throwing rocks at' em at her age." He says casually he knows this kind of admission what makes people to put him as a head case even before he being a weapon x reject but Nathan doesn't move.
He shrugs.
"I was killing."
"Meh, Only killed when I was old enough to drive." Wade smiles snarky and dry.
Nathan looks up at him but he doesn't make a witty remark first. Then he indulges.
"Sure." He pauses and sips more of his own mug. "Was with your coffee making skills?"
And it makes Wade snort and he hates it.
"Keep drinking." Wade say and Nate laughs.
He looks at Wade. Wade looks to the wooden table.
Wade doesn't ask.
"I was... around." Cable answers anyway.
Around can be in New York. In the country. Time lines. Dimensions.
For or the first time Cable looks out of his own depth. And it almost makes Wade weirdly satisfied somehow along the way Nathan lost the tact around drinking a cup of coffee and talking.
Wade ignores the probability of Cable losing the tact of considering drink a cup of coffee and talking with him.
"And you missed little old me?" Deadpool says back elbows on the table but his own tone misses an edge. Because Wade always gets slightly thrown off when Nathan goes as far as contacting him at home of all places.
Because Nathan gets in and out of Wade's life like a game of jump rope. In. Out. In. Out.
And rarely is for good reasons.
Nathan look around Wade's house.
"You… It's different." Cable tells him, as he's changing his mind mid phrase. "Your space."
Wade looks around too, as if it's the first time he noticed. Last time Cable was in his apartment. If you could call that safe house an apartment, Wade lived, slept, ate and watched endless marathons of golden girls in an old and dirty gray armchair on old and used television. With alcohol bottles and dirty magazines loaded all around. The rats and the spiders as housemates. And the floor that makes more noise stepping on it than cleaning.
Wade shrugs.
They're both now sitting on a table at an actual kitchen. Not a corridor. Not behind a counter. Not small or dirty or with cockroaches and rats. A large kitchen in his large apartment. With a dinner table and dishes made. There's food in the fridge that is not going bad and it's not pizza. There's coffee. No bottle in sight.
"Hired a decorator after the divorce, helps keep things going."
He looks at the dry blood on his fingers and passes his fingers in the space where his gloves meet the sleeve of his suit. Wade looks at the apartment, it's been what? Three years since he and Shiklah broken up? He should remember, he was still with her last time he saw Cable. Deadpool short nails start poking at his own skin. He mindlessly scratches it. Feels it.
It has to be two, since it was a couple of months before he actually took the guts to get his life ready for Eleanor. Actual life, not a couple of visits at Preston's home.
"Our divorce or Shiklah?" Nathan teases snapping Wade off his own thoughts. Wade looks up at him.
"I'll let you guess." Wade say, he passes his hand over his head. He doesn't ask. He won't ask.
Wade looks up at Cable.
Cable is staring.
Then he sighs.
"Domino told me about it maybe I just had to see for myself." Nathan stands up slowly. And for some reason a weird and small part of Wade wants to ask 'what? why? Did I do something?'
"See what?"
He say instead.
"You have changed."
And Wade stares. Cable doesn't stop.
"People do that." Deadpool says then with a calm that make his tone almost cynical. "What you thought I couldn't?"
It gets more defensive then he intended and somehow it makes it worse than he expected.
Are you disappointed?
But Nathan smiles he opens his mouth and Deadpool feels his phone vibrating again this time making him drop his own mug reaching for it. "Shit."
He says, standing up. The mug falls over the floor and there's little pieces all over it. Cable widens his eyes and Deadpool stand up, coffee all over the floor.
He moves over to prevent coffee to stain the phone but almost drop it in this small almost comically tragic seconds, Cable reaches over for grab the cellphone as well before it lands on the puddle of coffee on the floor between Deadpool's legs. But his own telekinesis makes most of the work.
Wade looks at the mess under him. A string of curse words live his lips. And Nathan observed as Wade passes his hand mixed with blood from the wounds he was picking, coffee and a new one from the hand without a glove. A sharp cut on his palm.
Nathan holds the phone patiently as Deadpool curses and stumbles over to grab a paper cloth.
"You should–"
"Don't– really fucking, just…" Wade sighs. He grabs his phone. Mind already running to Eleanor millions of possibilities over it.
… It's Weasel.
"Get out of your date with your Cable already and answer your fucking phone before we both lose the biggest fucking gig on Margaret's."
"Spam me a little more and I'll hunt you like a duck." He types back getting blood all over the screen.
"Great. Fucking–" He curses.
"Wade." Nathan says again.
"What?!"
Nathan points to the sink, and of course Wade forgot of turning off the water the dishes under the sink making it overflow as it spills all over the floor mixing with coffee and the dirt of Wade's boots.
"Oh but that's just fucking–"
Nathan sighs. He turns off the sink with telekinesis and it's enough to send Wade over the edge.
"I'm not asking your help." He says back heavy and pointing like a knife.
"I know." Nathan says back.
He walks over Wade. For a second, but stops. Instead he uses telekinesis to let a cloth fall over the man's phone. Covering it the bloodied screen.
He has his palm over the table looking as weirdly out of place a when he arrived. But his face is calm. Serene even.
I know.
Hesitantly, Wade takes the cloth with his bloodied hand and cleans it slowly. He for a second considers wrapping around the new wound. But instead just let's a small curse and leans down using it to clean the water.
Nathan stares.
Wade doesn't look up.
Nathan crouches and Wade can see in his corner another cloth hoovering towards Nathan before the man's big hands presses against the floor, wiping it in circular motions in front of Wade.
"… A snake." He says hesitantly.
And Wade snap his head up.
"A fucking snake!" He says back. "Where the hell would I put a snake around here when I have a kid lunch size for them."