Chapter 3
The first thing Wade noticed waking up was heat. It was so damn hot under his blanket and- is that a body?
Right, he remembers, Peter decided to join him last night. Hmm- maybe the temperature isn’t that bad after all.
Wade peels his eyes open with great effort only to be blinded by the sun shining through the window. After a big yawn and another attempt at opening his eyes he sees him, Peter pressed to his side.
And no wonder it’s so hot the way the younger teen is radiating heat while making contact with him literally everywhere.
Oh? Wade tries to sit up a bit and - yes, Peter is sticking to him. Great.
Well, seems he has no other choice than to stay in bed.
He sighed content and laid back into bed again. Opening the blanket to let some of the heat out and tightening his arms around the small body he couldn’t help but smile to himself.
The little gnome slept so content by his side. When was the last time someone touched him willingly let alone slept in the same bed as him, especially as he isn’t wearing his suit right now? Wade couldn’t remember and didn’t try either.
Instead he watched him sleep. (Not in a creepy way though. In a totally straight, watching your best friend in his sleep while smiling to yourself, way. That type exists, right?)
{no, it doesn’t}
[you are a total creep]
{he will totally regret sleeping here when he wakes up and sees your ugly mug}
No he won’t. He came to me and snuggled up to me on his own.
[in his sleep. that doesn’t count]
{no way he would do that awake. barf}
[did you just say ‘barf’]
{what if I did? you stupid-}
Peter groaned beside him. “Shut up,” he mumbles into his shoulder. “I mean the boxes,” he adds as an afterthought, sounding as drowsy as before.
[Rude.]
{No, I think he is right. You should shut up.}
[If anything Wade-]
“Shh-” he interrupts them quiet but fiercely.
His hand finds its way into the mob of curly hair tickling his neck. As he brushes through them Peter makes a content noise and God, didn't that stir something up in his chest.
The sun in his face doesn’t seem to bother him much as his eyes stay closed. They fluttered only slightly when he asked, voice deeper than usual, the normal morning roughness, “Do we need to get up soon?”
Wade has no idea what time it is nor does he care, honestly. The soft hair between his fingers holds all his attention. If it’s up to him they wouldn’t get up for a few more hours. After they’d treat themselves to a nice extended breakfast followed by-
“Actually,” They both jump up at the sudden voice from the doorway. “-you’re already late.”
Peter had fallen out of bed in his shock and sat beside it on the floor, red faced and definitely awake now.
If he weren’t so super powerful and could probably deflect any of Wade’s attacks he would have wiped the amusement clear of Erik’s face. The smirk and arched eyebrow made Peter shoot up from the floor. The teen seemed to just notice that he was only wearing boxer shorts and clearly one of Wade’s shirts, as he not only drowned in it but had a little machine gun pattern on it. And that in front of the older man.
The red shade of his face deepened another tone and he shuffled in his spot.
Wade decided to put him out of his misery and said around a big yawn, “I didn’t remember knocking not to be a thing around here. What’s with the wake up service?”
He grabbed sweatpants and a hoodie, threw them at Peter who quickly put them on, clearly relieved.
“Peter told me at breakfast that he woke up without his roommate there. Since you both didn’t show for either breakfast or your first class I figured to wake you. Maybe you’ll grace your following period with your presence.”
Wade could see the exact moment panic seized through Peter, as his eyes widened comically and his mouth gaped apart. His eyes frantically looked at his wrist only to be met with nothing but his skin. Next were the walls where, who would have thought, no clock was to be found either. Back to look at Magneto.
“Oh my God. I’m so sorry, sir. I couldn’t sleep, that’s why I came here. I totally forgot to set some sort of alarm. It won’t happen again, I promise. I’ll quickly go to my room to get my stuff and then go straight to the class. Again, I’m so sorry,” he rushed out in one breath and made a mad dash for the hall, pressing himself through the door, trying not to touch the man in the process who looked as entertained as Wade felt.
He couldn’t help but snort at the scene and sat down into his beanback. Erik didn’t leave directly, instead leaned into the doorway and fixed him with a glare.
After a beat of silence and the little staring contest (Wade was winning), Erik said nonchalantly “Do I need to arrange a health class?”
“Ha-” He barks a laugh. “Oh please do, I fully support you! Actually I think it’s kind of irresponsible if you don’t have health classes considering a bunch of hormonal teenagers are living under one roof. Oh wow! Yes! This will be hilarious . Do it soon so Peter knows it’s because he slept here and what you're implying, though nothing happened. I just clarify this for Pete's dignity by the way. Uhh! I'm excited. He’ll be so embarrassed.” Laughter continued to bubble out of him.
“Don’t let Charles catch you two.” The scolding tone did nothing with the grin still tugging at his lips but he continued anyway, “And hurry up or you’ll be late for your physics class. Wouldn’t want to disappoint Hank on your first day back.”
He left with a wink, amusement still radiating from him as Wade threw his back with a groan.
This is gonna be total shit, especially because he didn’t even have Pete to keep him company or to annoy there. Being as smart as he is, he gets special advanced classes to challenge him and his educational goals, they said.
It’s to torture him. Wade is sure of that.
Fuck. He really has to go to school doesn’t he?
Fuck.
Sitting there in his beanbag he tried to think of the last time he had sat in a classroom with the purpose of being an actual student there and not just to disrupt any of the x-kids classes. And look at that, Wade can’t remember. What a surprise.
But he is doing this so he can stay. For Petey. (Sadly,) he had promised, so no chickening out now.
With another groan he lifted himself off the bag. One thing after another. First clothes, then suffering.
But standing in front of his drawers he found himself in his next dilemma.
Suit or no suit?
Most people here have seen him without it already and the others will just have to deal with it. No suit it is.
Wade wouldn’t admit it but it’s always the hardest to take it off after a long period of time that he had worn nothing else but the red leather. Especially when the people who will see him undoubtedly talk about him and his skin.
It’s gross and ugly and he knows it. He also can’t change it, so they’ll just have to get used to the sight like he had.
There are only a few people who don’t seem to care at all. Conveniently they are all in the same house as him.
And even more convenient is that one of them is in his physics class.
The second they meet eyes, his sparkling in barely contained excitement, hers rolling, she lets out a deep sigh.
“What’s up Negasonic Teenage Warhead,” he greets her chippy, sitting down at the desk next to her. “Oh this class just became so much better! I need a paper and pen by the way as I just came yesterday and sadly don’t have any school supplies. I also have no idea about anything physics related so I’m just gonna ask you about any and all things I don’t get and you can explain them to me. Deal? Great! You’re like my sensai. Sensai Negasonic Teen-”
“Just kill me now.”
“Well that is no way to start the day.”
“It's almost lunch,” she deadpans.
“Like I said-” Before he could finish, the door opened and in walks his favorite blue fur ball.
The class quiets down on its own as Hank sets out his supplies and writes the words ‘Non-conservative forces’ on the blackboard in the front. Wade has absolutely no idea what it's supposed to mean but guesses it’ll be today's topic.
Hank turned and as soon as Wade crossed his line of vision he does a double take. His class room is quiet so not only he but everyone else heard the mutter, “Oh, you have got to be kidding me.”
And then the man was gone again, to presumably 'have a word' with dear old Mr. Clean. Hands clenched into fists and door flying on his way out.
“That means we can go right?”
Negasonic Teenage Warhead sits back in her seat and says in her usual bored tone, “It doesn’t dipshit.”
He hums and begins to draw a penis, with shades and all, on the paper he had gotten from her.
“What are you doing back here anyway,” she asks though it barely sounds like a question.
“My friend’s aunt kicked him out because he is special .” He breathes the last word out, with fondness in his tone and fingers wiggling as a sparkling motion. “Obviously, I brought him here instead of the big bad government people. I trust no US-anything. Uhh, you’ll love him! His name is Petey and he has bug powers. His favorite colors are a red and blue, horrible combo if you ask me but we don’t tell ihm that. His feelings are very fragile. He is probably smarter than Dr. Sully and wow, I don’t even know where to begin, there are so many great things I could tell you about him!”
“You gushing about your boyfriend doesn’t answer why you’re sitting in my class right now.”
Wade’s head whipped around to the other teen, “Why would you think Pete is my boyfriend?”
{maybe because you have literal heart eyes while talking about him}
[he is just so cute]
{and his ass…}
[ his ass !!]
{we love his ass}
Meanwhile, Negasonic Teenage Warhead looked at him like he was the stupidest person to ever exist. Not like he wasn’t accustomed to it, especially by her.
But she also didn’t treat anyone else much differently except maybe cute, wonderful Yukio. She, as well as her beautiful girlfriend, Mr. Terrorist, his son and Mystique never treated him any differently than anyone else. They didn’t seem to care that he killed a lot of people and still does on a regular basis or that he looked like a rotten raisin. Never once have they said something about his look or if they did, it was always a good hearted joke which they knew wouldn’t hurt him on a personal level.
He had a slight feeling, a suspicion if you will, that Negasonic Teenage Warhead wasn’t as fond of him as he was of her, but whatever. She was his friend and will have to handle that. Her own fault for treating him like a human.
The door swung back open. “If you don’t do the work, I’ll kick you out myself. I don’t care what the Professor says,” the doctor exclaims as he reentered the room.
The wicked grin appeared all by itself on his face.
This school is freaking amazing!
After his debacle of a morning he got another tour but this time of the labs and lower levels of the building. A literal nerd's dream and Peter now with access to it. Supervised, but still!
Since he kind of skipt breakfast he had an extra large lunch. Wade pretty much flipped when he heard that he had forgone the meal which led to a ten minute lecture about his already malnutritioned state and need of a regular eating-schedule.
Peter knew that. He knows what his body looks like right now and how it could look in comparison.
He really does know and wants to eat more but these last weeks, as he had barely scraped the amount of calories he is supposed to consume on a daily basis, he can’t just jump into full meals like he did yesterday. His stomach won’t be able to handle it and he’ll have to build his intake.
That answer didn’t satisfy Wade, at all, but he let it drop thankfully.
Over lunch he got introduced to Yukio and a grumpy friend of Wade’s with a too long name, he has already forgotten again. She never smiled unironically and was borderline mean. And super cool.
After lunch they had classes again. He had English with the Professor and Wade was- somewhere. Maybe in class, maybe not.
All the new impressions, meeting these new people overwhelmed Peter slightly. He had never not been socially anxious. He is aware of that. People at his last school liked to remind him oh so often of the fact that he is a nerd, a loser, a teacher's pet, pathetic, small and ‘a sad attention seeking orphan’. The list could probably go on for a while with all the shit he heard about himself which he was either told directly or after the spider-bite, picked up without even being in the same room.
To join a new school, midway through and sickly looking, will probably fuel the inevitable.
Mutant or not, teenagers still stay the same.
In the afternoon he met Peter M. and Wade outside for some kind of P.E. and or training. Peter wasn’t exactly sure. The friend group around that Scott guy stood closeby, talking among themselves.
“How was your sleepover,” the other Peter greeted him with a grin. “Heard Dad say something about Health Classes and if it’s your fault I have to sit through Beast’s bees and flowers talk again I will do something. I don’t know what yet, but I know you’ll have to suffer.”
He felt his face heat up and tried to stammer an explanation over the laughter of Wade who fell to the ground, rolling and gasping for air.
“I don’t- We didn’t- I just couldn’t sleep and- Did it really look like we- Oh my God.” Peter groaned into his hands and wanted to disappear into the ground.
But sadly he was interrupted by Mrs. Raven who clapped loudly into her hands one time to gain the class's attention.
“For everybody who hasn’t been introduced yet, we have a new student. Peter, please raise your hand for everybody to see.” He did so and got a cute little wave from a curly haired girl close by. “Wade also rejoined us. Great, now that that’s out of the way, start with five laps around the basketball court.”
They all did their laps except Peter M. who just stayed by their teacher's side. Well not like it made a difference for him to run five laps or not.
After she announced that they would do some target practice followed by simple sparring.
Peter wasn’t exactly sure what kind of school does that kind of P.E. but hey, they were all superpowered in some sense. And he couldn’t embarrass himself in disciplines that he used every day. Another big plus.
Wade was as ecstatic, jumping by his side and Peter could barely hold his friend back from rushing to his room to get his guns. They would practice with either their mutations or knives. Not guns. Like, for real, Wade? This is a school.
Technically he knew he could shoot his webs, but as he stood before the class watching him as it was his turn, he suddenly felt an overwhelming panic strike right through him. He couldn’t just show all these other people he barely knew his webs. They would know and too many people knew already.
No. No way. He is gonna use the knives.
Not like he is gonna humiliate himself. Wade showed him months ago how to throw them.
It must have been his nerves, him still being too strung up and the feeling of being watched. He accidentally launched the knife with so much strength at the bast mark that it lodged right through the middle and stuck into the tree a few feet behind.
Wow. Do just anything normal for once, would ya’ Pete.
Peter M. rushed to get the knife back and as he stood beside Mystique he breathed amazed, “Dude, you crushed it.” Literally. The handle had crushed under his grib.
“Oh- I’m so sorry. It won’t happen again. It’s just, everyone was watching and I- I am like not that good with, well, people watching and sometimes when I’m nervous I forget how much strength I need for things. I can try to form it back? Really, I’m so sorry,” Peter stuttered out, looking a little shocked at the handle himself.
“It was a good throw. We can work on your strength-control on another day,” Mrs. Mystique said kindly.
“Yes, of course. I’d really like that. You have no idea how many doorknobs I have already destroyed.”
He laughed self deprecatingly to himself before freezing and rushing out, “Like in general. Not here. I didn’t destroy anything besides the knife and the target. It probably will happen, but not yet. That’s what I meant. Oh and maybe when we sparr I should go against Wade? I don’t want to accidentally hurt somebody.”
“I wouldn’t worry about that.” Scott scoffed from the side. “We all have a lot of training, you know.”
Peter stood there, in between his class and teacher and all the words left him at once. He didn’t know how to explain that he indeed has fighting experience as well as the muscle behind it, even though he still wasn’t up to health or looked like a bamboo stick. The possibility of accidentally hurting any of them felt a little too real.
Mrs. Mystique knew though and easily suggested, “Why don’t we let Peter and Wade give us a little presentation, so we can all assess on what level Peter is.”
Wade hopped up from his spot on the ground in excitement. Every now and then they fought. Friendly fighting which was more of a game Wade started, trying to find a weak point in Peter’s danger senses and escalated into a wrestling match on some dirty rooftop.
(Little does he know that Wade never once had caused the buzz in his neck to spike.)
“I don’t think-”
Peter began weakly but was cut right off by Wade who dragged him over to an open patch of grass. “We are so going to do that. Show that asshole what you’re made of.”
Hey, he heard Scott shout from the side but thankfully the teen had joined the others on the ground, watching them both with interest in their eyes.
“No holding back, Petey.”
“Wade, you can’t be serious-” he quietly tried to reason, but he could see it in his eyes. They will genuinely try to bash each other's heads in. Great .
“Until someone taps out. Ready?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “Go.”
Peter tried to argue one last time with Wade, “Please, let’s just take it-”
“Oh, no way Petey. Ms. Blue Bird told us this is a presentation. How would the others know what level you are when we go easy? Ha- no, I won’t tap out until you break at least one bone.”
He let his hands drop from the fighting position to his side and looked at Wade, mouth apart and very exasperated.
He can’t be serious, right?
Not even a second later Wade lunged forward, right fist going straight at Peter’s face. It could easily be dodged, ducked under it for Wade to stand with his back slightly turned to him. His partner anticipated the move though and sent his elbow right back in Peter's side before he could attempt anything else.
Peter barely groaned before he reacted. With Wade fully into the fight, he couldn’t waste any time on possible pain. He ducked down and with a sweep of his leg pulled Wade’s form under him.
As he tried to send another kick Wade rolled away from the spot he had fallen into.
They circled each other for a second, studying each other and their moves. A sneeze from the group behind them startled Peter slightly which Wade used to attack again. Sending fast punches at him which Peter blocked and reciprocated.
Like a boxing match they exchanged blows and the occasional kick before Wade ducked under one of Peter’s arms, kicked him in the shin which made him stumble forward. He sidestepped around Peter, grabbed one of the oversized sleeves of his jackets in the process and janked it back over his hand. Peter twisted to throw back his elbow like Wade did before, but his other sleeve was grabbed in a similar manner and swiftly twined with the other to make his hands useless.
Hands twisted behind his back and Wade trying to push him forward and down, Peter struggled against the hold for a second.
It’s a smart move Wade had never used before.
Peter stomped his foot down back on Wade’s and as he slightly faltered in his step Peter jumped up and over his hands, kicked his legs out back, straight at Wade’s face. The other teen loses his grip and falls back at the strike. Peter rolled off over his shoulder and pulled the jacket off over his head, threw it to the side before it could be used against him again.
Wade had regained his composure and charged at him with a bloody nose.
Broken bone, check.
He jumped up to use brunt force and his weight against Peter, but he saw it coming and just grabbed him out of the air, ducked his thumb into the pressure point between thigh and hip and hurled him into the ground in front of him with enough strength to send any normal human into the hospital.
Peter flipped Wade onto his stomach and sat on top of him. Legs, constricting his thighs and his forearm pressed into the back of Wade’s neck, the same hand pushing his face into the ground. The other arm held his arm down beside him.
For a moment the older teen struggled in his hold, clawing with his free hand at the arm in his neck but soon enough he tapped out, admitting defeat.
Finally.
He let go and held his hand out to pull Wade off the ground. They both were covered in dirt and grass marks top to bottom. Wade’s face and shirt was smeared with blood and some droplets even managed to find a way onto Peter’s yellow T-Shirt.
Many droplets.
Are they getting more?
Yeah, shit, he busted his side. That was a growing bloodstain.
“Huh,” was all he could come up with looking at his side. He pressed his hand over it, successfully staining it red, too.
“Ah shit, sorry,” Wade exclaims, fuzzing by his side even though he looked worse for wear. Not only the dirt and bloodstains but also the side of his head now blue and purple as well as this horribly crooked, broken nose.
Peter couldn’t look at it. It would heal like that if he didn’t fix it immediately and he won’t let Wade walk around like this.
Without a thought to it, Peter grabbed forward and with a crack he set the nose right.
“Ahh! Really?! Mother. Fucker. Wow, argh- you are openly bleeding and the first thing you do is set my nose? God, Petey, we need to have a talk about setting priorities,” half shouts at him.
Mystique stood beside them a moment later crouching down to be more at the height of the wound. “Lift your shirt,” she ordered.
“It-it isn’t too bad, I think,” Peter stammered out, trying to cover the growing blood stain with his other hand as well. “I know how to deal with injuries or- or Wade could look at it.” No way he is gonna let anyone see his body right now. It was horrible enough that he had to let Wade help and see the state he was in.
“Sit down and let me see it,” she repeated the order, more fiercely this time.
Sitting sounded actually great right now as the dizziness of blood loss began to set in. Peter staggered back instead.
He looks disgusting. And if he knows that, if he doesn’t want to see his body, if it makes himself sick, then others would feel the same.
People will know how weak he is, seeing his stomach, the bones sticking out of his body. Standing there in just his shirt, showing off his sticky arms is bad enough as it is. They’ll ask questions. Questions he isn’t comfortable answering at all.
No. No, he won’t lift his shirt.
“Pete, please let us look at it. That’s a lot of blood,” Wade calmly tried to reason with him. Which, man, he must seem really spooked if Wade reacts with that much compassion. Or his injury is worse than his adrenaline high lets him believe it to be.
For a moment they all just stood there, looking at each other, waiting for Peter to react. He hoped that his face conveyed his desperation to Wade, for him to deal with it and to get away from the others.
Before any of them could act in any way, Scott appeared by his side, saying impatient and annoyedly, “What is your problem? Just show your side,” and wrenched his shirt up.
Wade hauled the teen back immediately but it was too late, the shirt stayed up long enough. They had seen his sunken stomach, the old yellow bruises as well as the fresh blue and purple ones. Gasps sound out from the group watching the scene unfold. People staggered back away from him at the sight.
The cut in his side seemed less important all of a sudden.
“Let’s get you to Hank,” Mystique said shortly. Normal hearing wouldn’t pick it up but he heard the pressure in her vocal cords, the spike in heartbeat.
As he looks into the faces of his classmates, for the first time since the fight had started, he only sees shocked faces, wide eyes and covered mouths.
One of them even turned a little green around the edges.
As he predicted.
He takes a step back and another one. Everything blurred as the tears began to spring into his eyes.
Peter turns and is ready to take off, when Wade’s arm slings around his shoulder in a firm grip, pulling him in the direction of the house as if he knew exactly what Peter was thinking.
“Let’s get that cleaned up,” he says warmly.
He is vaguely aware of Mrs. Mystique following them closely behind but all he notices, all he directs his attention to is the hand rubbing his arm soothingly up and down. Wade quietly talked to him from the side, sweet nothings’ while his mind blanked.
How is he ever going to explain this?