Chapter 5
They get back to the Tower a lot faster than Wade would have liked. Spider-Man leaves as fast as he had shown up. He webs them to the Tower, drops Wade off with a frantic half assed 'goodbye' and swings around the Tower leaving Wade's sight.
As cliché as it was and is, it starts raining and Wade just stands out on the balcony of the Avengers Tower. He tries his best to make any sense of everything that had just happened in the past hour and a half (or longer) Peter had been badly hurt, he wanted to kill a child a young girl he didn't even know and who he had wrongly accused, and because of that Spider-Man had shown up and kicked his ass.
And now here he was, standing in the pouring, freezing rain, on the Avengers' balcony. He swears he can hear Céline Dion singing 'Ashes' in his head, because he's too scared to confront a child he so badly wants to protect.
"Sounds like a poorly written fanfiction." He grumbles in annoyance.
He stands there for what to him feels like years, his mind is completely fuzzed and in a daze. His trance is broken when he hears a familiar soft voice speak that makes his knees weak.
Peter.
"Wade?" It's Peter.
The twin doors to the balcony open fully revealing the shaken up boy and the sight of Peter, Wade is pretty sure his legs are going to give out and kneel before Peter as if he were a God among him. He hears a sigh of relief. Wade is seventy - five percent sure it's because he's not covered in a fountain of blood.
"Wade, come inside it's freezing." Wade knows by the tone of Peter's voice that he isn't asking, he is demanding Wade's presence. The boy wouldn't go down without a fight either. He's just as stubborn as him and Tony if not more.
Wade carefully and slowly starts moving his feet and body toward Peter. His heart is pounding in his chest so fast he might just have a heart attack. When he gets closer to Peter he shuffles slower than before. He's nervous, and just as anxious as he was when confronting Russell at the orphanage.
He's a few feet away from Peter now (about two rulers worth of distance between them) and Wade doesn't hesitate to fall to his knees before Peter. He's ready to be hit, screamed at, hell even killed and he's not ashamed to admit he's more than willing to let Peter do that. He worried and possibly hurt one of the few people in this world that he actually gives a shit about. This was a child, his child, a young man that he was willing to both live and die for.
But nothing like that ever comes. No hits, no screaming, not even death, nothing. But he feels shaking small arms wrap around his torso and it's only then does Wade realize that Peter has dropped to his knees as well and is seeking comfort in him.
Him.
Wade is hesitant at first but he wraps his arms around Peter. Both boys shaking in fear, panic, and a full understanding of the love and care they share for one another. Wade can't handle the emotions that come off of Peter in tidal waves and he breaks, he wails brokenly. He hides his masked face in the crook of Peter's neck and starts sobbing heavily.
He sobs out broken apologies and utters out through his cries;
"I just want to protect you."
Peter shushes him and rubs circles into Wade's back firmly but still soft at the same time. When Wade's body decided it's had enough of the freezing cold rain he stands up using his super strength to support both him and Peter in his arms. Peter's legs instinctively wrap around Wade's waist holding onto him like a Spider Monkey.
Peter is silent as Wade carries him down the halls of the Tower like he was an eight year old who fell asleep during a movie and needed to be taken then tucked into bed.
Peter can hear Wade's heart beat, it had been so fast for the past hour that it was physically hurting his ears. But now, it was so soft and he was content. The slow and gentle pounding of Wade's heart was almost enough to lullaby Peter to sleep but he couldn't sleep just yet so he willed himself to stay awake.
He feels Wade shuffle for a minute, one of Wade's hands that had previously rested on Peter's back thigh in order to keep him hoisted up easily. He hears the click of Wade's door handle and he understands right away why the hand was absent. Once the door is opened Wade's hand finds its place back on his thigh.
Peter peeks at the clock on Wade's bedside nightstand and swallows thickly.
[6:35AM]
Tony was going to kill the both of them.
Wade lays down on his bed in a way that allows Peter to be on top of him cuddling the ex - mercenary with strong arms wrapped around him as if he were a life line.
"Peter." Wade breaks the comforting silence and Peter knows what's coming next;
"Who hurt you?" Wade's voice sounds so small, weak, and vulnerable that it causes Peter's chest to twist and turn in hurt.
"Wade."
"Peter." Wade begs.
Peter sighs defeated. "I can't tell you, not right now Wade. I'm sorry and I know this is shitty of me to ask of you but, can you please wait for me? Wait for me to be ready to tell you? Once I am I'll tell you everything I promise, every little detail. But I'm not ready, not yet at least."
There's a thick silence that fills the air and it's so constricting and tight Peter is choking until Wade speaks.
"Fine, but I am not forgetting about this."
Peter sighs sleepily and hums without thinking he says; "I love you Dad." Peter is almost one hundred percent sure he hears Wade gasp in surprise at that and sleep takes over his very worn out body.