Peter didn’t mean to slip into his younger headspace in front of Wade that day. Not that Peter was ever planning to do so in general. Peter’s age regression was meant to be for him, and only him. It was his own secret way of dealing with the stress that came with being a college student and a crime fighting hero. Trying to cram exams, studying, classes and crime fighting into the mere 24 hours in each day was starting to prove impossible, without Peter sacrificing a decent night sleep. And towards the end of Friday, Peter was tired. In fact, he was exhausted. The only thing on his mind as he left the class was going home and sleeping. But life doesn’t always work out as planned.
Before Peter could even open the door to his apartment, he knew something was wrong. There was a low mumbling that could be heard on the other side of the door and on any other day, maybe Peter would have been a bit more hesitant when he pushed open the door, ready to confront whoever had made their way in. He was ready to start shouting, maybe even fight if he felt like he was in too much danger. What else would someone do in that situation?
But Peter didn’t need to fight. He didn’t even need to shout. Because it was Wade. Of course it was. Who else knew how to climb through Peter’s always unlocked window, or pick the lock on Peter’s door? Only Aunt May had the spare key to Peter’s apartment so she could check up on him when he wasn’t answering any calls due to studying and she started to worry. And that happened a little bit too much for both of their liking. But there Wade was, curled up on Peter’s couch in sweatpants and a t-shirt, watching some Gordon Ramsay show. There was no mask. Nothing to hide the soft smile Wade gave Peter once he entered the apartment. The smile that was meant for him. Peter had never seen Wade smile at anyone or anything so sweetly before. Not even Mexican food.
And Peter didn’t know why seeing Wade give him that soft smile made him want to regress more. Maybe it was also the way Wade was sat that made Peter want to snuggle into him and forget everything that had happened in the past few days. He had been fighting the urge to regress for days and his sleepless nights did not help. He was drained, physically and mentally and he just wanted a night to watch Disney films with his favorite teddy bear and his blanket. But he couldn't. Not with Wade sat there. He didn’t even know Peter age regressed and Peter didn’t think asking Wade to leave was fair. And this made Peter upset. He could already feel himself slipping into his younger headspace on the way up to his apartment and now he had to stop himself. Because if he started to regress even further, Wade would be freaked out. He’d probably leave and never want to see Peter again. Peter would never get to hear Wade’s crude jokes, see the pure joy on his face when Peter produced a bag of tacos that cost way too much money Peter didn’t have. He wouldn’t be able to feel Wade’s hugs anymore.
“Hey Petey, you okay?” Wade asked. The slight trace of worry in Wade’s voice made Peter realise he was probably starting to get panicky.
All Peter could do was nod. If he even tried to speak, his voice being slightly higher would have given away he definitely wasn’t okay. Wade on the other hand could see straight through Peter’s lie and started to approach Peter.
“Peter. What’s wrong?” Wade whispered.
And that was when Peter started to cry. He had cried in front of Wade many times, more than he would like to admit. But this time, all of the emotions that came with forcing himself into his big headspace just became too overwhelming for Peter and it was the softness in Wade’s voice that made him crack. Peter wrapped his arms around Wade, searching for the comfort he desperately needed, and buried his face into Wade’s neck in hopes of hiding his tears from Wade. And Wade, well he had no idea what to do. Yeah, he’d seen Peter cry, usually at films or from laughing at one of Wade’s horrendous jokes. Heck, he had even seen Peter cry after discussing the passing of his Uncle Ben. But he had never seen Peter so upset to the point where he initiated the hug. So Wade made the decision to gently card his fingers through Peter’s hair, but Peter only cried harder.
They both waited like that, Peter’s face in the crook of Wade’s neck and Wade running his fingers through Peter’s hair until his sobs calmed down. “What’s going on Peter? What's got you so upset?” Wade muttered, his voice low but still soft. Still concerned and caring.
“I’m so tired Wade. I just wanted a night in with Snowy and my blanket but I can’t anymore. I was gonna watch Hercules.” Peter wailed. The way Peter spoke was very childlike, like he was a child who was just refused a new toy and when he looked up at Wade, he saw that Peter’s eyes looked incredibly tired, but also had a childish nature about them.
“And why can’t you?” Wade asked. He wanted to get to the bottom of what was going on. He already had a vague idea of what was happening. He had a friend, before weapon X, who used to age regress as a way to cope with her childhood trauma. He knew how to handle this situation. Sure at first, when he first found out what it was, he was a little bit confused, but Wade was quick to understand and help out his old friend in any way he could. He had looked after her when she was too regressed to do anything for herself without it being a danger.
Peter had remained silent, refusing to answer to Wade’s question and hid his face in the crook of Wade’s neck again. “Peter, why can’t you do what you want to do? Is it because I’m here?” Peter slowly nodded. Wade sighed. “Peter. You know I won’t judge you. It’s how you cope with everything that’s happening. Your life isn’t easy. We all have different ways of coping. If you want me to leave, I can. But I can also stay.” Wade paused. “Do you want me to go?”
“No!” Peter shouted as he removed himself from Wade. “Please stay. I want cuddles.” Peter mumbled.
Wade nodded. Now that Wade had Peter a bit more comfortable around him, he knew how to handle the current situation. “Well how about you get your pyjamas on and grab the things you need. Okay kiddo?” Wade decided using the softest tone he could muster would be his best bet. If he could get Peter to feel comfortable enough around him, then maybe his younger side would open up more and might even interact with Wade. The giggle that left Peter’s lips as Wade ruffled his hair was a good sign. He was opening up more already.
And so Peter ran into his bedroom and grabbed the box from underneath his bed that contained everything he needed. He snatched his blanket first, the orange one that he bought for a really cheap price, but it was still fluffy enough to make him feel small. He then picked up Snowy, the white teddy bear Aunt May had got him when he was younger. Peter had refused to part with him. He may have been old, but he was still soft and perfect for little Peter. He brought Snowy up to his chest and cuddled him hard, craving the happiness the teddy bear gave him. After a few seconds of cuddling Snowy, he fished out his bright red pacifier from the box and popped it into his mouth. It was the first pacifier he had bought and he had to choose red. The colour gravitated to little Peter. Eventually Peter started to rummage around his drawers until he found his favourite dinosaur print pyjamas and he threw them on quickly, but carefully enough not to knock the pacifier out of his mouth.
Once Peter entered the living room, still holding Snowy and his blanket close, he saw that Hercules was on the TV waiting for Peter. He couldn’t contain the little squeal that left his mouth and instantly started to blush once Wade turned around and patted the space next to him, a small smile on his face.
“You want to cuddle sweetheart?” Wade asked as soon as Peter was seated and he started to nod frantically. Wade pulled Peter closer and he rested his head on Wade’s chest, grabbing his t-shirt for extra comfort. Wade reached for Peter’s abandoned blanket and threw it over them both. Even Wade was taken aback at how comfortable the blanket was. Snowy was still pressed to Peter’s chest, like he had terminator grip on him. Peter was not going to let him go.
Both Peter and Wade sang through ‘the gospel truth’ together and Peter even started to babble on about the adventures he and Snowy had been on in the past, which made Wade’s heart swell. He was too used to seeing Peter stressing himself out and the exhaustion being evident in the way that Peter would carry himself, even though he would try to hide it. Seeing Peter so relaxed and carefree was one of the most heartwarming sights Wade had ever seen. Even the way Peter started to whine when he couldn’t find his pacifier that fell out, was adorable. (Wade thankfully found it before Peter could start to cry.) Peter, surprisingly, felt comfortable in his younger headspace around Wade. The way Wade would run his fingers through Peter’s hair ever so gently or how he would talk back to Snowy made Peter feel more relaxed than he had ever felt.
By the time ‘go the distance’ came on, Peter was only mumbling the words and when Danny Devito was singing ‘One last hope’ Peter was softly snoring in Wade’s arms. Slowly, as to not wake Peter, Wade stood up and carried Peter to bed, with Snowy and the blanket of course. Once Wade had tucked Peter into bed, he returned to the living room to turn off the movie. And then he noticed Peter’s red pacifier on the couch. Wade grabbed it and washed it in the kitchen and went to quietly put it on Peter’s bedside table. This was not how Wade had intended on spending the night. He was hoping to watch Golden Girls with Peter whilst eating Taco Bell, but this was way better. He got to saw a side of Peter he never thought he would see. Wade tried to leave Peter’s room as quiet as possible, but Peter started to stir and mumbled something.
“Please stay Wade.” Peter said a little louder, Snowy still in arms. He reached for the pacifier on his bedside table and popped it into his mouth again.
And so Wade did stay. As soon as he climbed into the bed, Peter was cuddling into him again and it was Wade’s instinct to play with Peter’s hair. Peter seemed to like this and snuggled closer to Wade, Snowy now being squashed between them. ‘Poor Snowy.’ thought Wade.
Before Wade could be lulled to sleep, he placed a soft kiss onto Peter’s forehead. “Goodnight Peter.” He whispered, and then sleep took over.