Chapter Text
It’s late when Wade stops his car and looks over at Peter. They’ve just come from Uncle Ben’s birthday party, and Peter is still wearing the jeans and green sweater he wore for the festivities. Wade is a little more formal, dressed in black trousers and a white shirt, but his brown hair is sticking up wildly around his handsome face as he grins nervously across at Peter.
“Is this what you want, baby?” he asks, his voice tender.
Peter reaches across and takes Wade’s hand, loving as always the way Wade’s skin is so hard and warm. “I want you, Wade.” And he means the words; he’s never meant anything more than he means them. In his eighteen years of life, he’s never cared about anything as much as he cares about Wade Winston Wilson.
Wade is the handsome older man of Peter’s dreams, with him being eight years older than Peter. Having turned up one day to help on the Parker farm, Wade possessed twinkling blue eyes and a sinful smile, and one look was enough for Peter Parker to hurtle, headlong, into falling for the guy.
He’s still not sure where Wade came from or what he did before turning up at the farm, but it doesn’t matter to Peter.
“Marriage is a big deal,” Wade says, cocking his head, raising his eyebrow in the way he always does when he’s about to be funny. “It shouldn’t be entered into lightly, you know.”
Peter snorts. “No, definitely not by two men who barely know each other and who are planning to elope in New York after knowing each other for a month.”
“That would be ridiculous indeed,” Wade smiles. He leans over and presses his mouth, hot and gentle, against Peter’s. His beard scratches Peter’s face.
They haven’t done anything more than kissing- not yet. But everything about Wade promises pleasure; the way his eyes narrow slightly when he sees Peter, the way he kisses Peter slowly and languidly, the way his bulky frame presses against Peter’s slight one… it’s heavenly.
“I love you,” Peter says. He adjusts his glasses nervously. “Shall we do this?”
They make their way into the registry office, hand in hand. It’s a cool evening, and Peter presses against Wade’s side as they cross towards the building from the car. He looks up at Wade for a moment, sighing happily.
The registrar greets them with a pleased smile; they’ve met her before, two weeks ago, when they came down here to arrange this wedding.
“Mr Wilson,” she says, “Mr Parker, how lovely to see you again. Are you ready to begin?”
Wade looks at Peter. Peter knows he’s giving him the option to say no, to change his mind, but Peter has no intention of doing so. He knows what he wants, and it’s standing right beside him, the man of his dreams.
“We’re ready,” Peter says.
The ceremony is short and simple.
“Do you, Wade Winston Wilson, take this man, Peter Benjamin Parker, to be your lawful wedded husband?”
Wade’s blue eyes burn into Peter’s. “I do,” he says, softly.
“And do you, Peter Benjamin Parker, take Wade Winston Wilson to be your lawful wedded husband?”
Peter feels tears prick his eyes. “I do.”
One of the office workers comes to witness the event, and Peter and Wade exchange plain gold bands. Peter swallows hard, trying to avoid tears, as Wade slips the cool piece of metal down over his finger. They went to the local jeweller yesterday, getting the inside of the rings engraved with sweet messages, one of which now rests snugly against Peter’s skin, forever.
“Congratulations,” the registrar says, with a smile. “You’re married.”
Wade kisses him, crushing his lips against Peter’s in a possessive, passionate display of his love. Peter reaches up, wrapping his hands around Wade’s shoulders and clinging on to him tightly. This man is his husband.
He’s giddy by the time they make it back out to the car park. Wade has lifted him in a bridal-style carry, and the registrar has pressed a Polaroid photograph into his hands. Peter is gazing at Wade with a broad smile.
“Tell me you didn’t.”
The voice is cold. Peter shrinks back from it instinctively, hating the judgement that’s in it. It’s Uncle Ben, leaning against his pickup truck, his arms folded across his chest.
“So what if we did?” Peter asks. Wade releases him, allowing him to slip to the ground and stare firmly at his uncle. “I didn’t think you cared I’m gay.”
“I don’t care that you’re gay, Peter,” Uncle Ben says, and for a moment he looks hurt.
“Then what’s the problem?” Peter asks.
Uncle Ben sighs. He looks at Wade, then back at Peter. “I wasn’t going to tell you this. I never wanted you to find out. I assumed Wade would leave at the end of the harvest and we wouldn’t see him again.”
Peter hears Wade stiffen quietly behind him.
“He’s a mercenary, Peter,” Uncle Ben says. His eyes are burning into Peter’s, honest and open. “He’s killed people for money.”
Peter feels as though the bottom has dropped out of his stomach; his whole world spins dramatically on its axis and he staggers, the breath knocked out of him. He knows that Uncle Ben wouldn’t lie to him, especially about something like this… but Wade? A mercenary?
“Tell him,” Uncle Ben says firmly, looking at Wade over Peter’s shoulder.
Peter looks at Wade, trying to force a smile, to laugh at how ridiculous this is, but it dies when he sees the expression on his husband’s face.
Wade sighs. He looks down at Peter. “I’m so sorry,” he says.
Icy horror begins to wash over Peter. “It’s… it’s true?”
“I’m sorry,” Wade repeats. “I wanted a different sort of life. That’s why I came here. I never lied to you. I just… I just didn’t want you to know.”
Peter’s heart breaks. He pictures this man, a person he thought he knew so intimately, doing unspeakable, bloody things, and he takes a step away from him.
“Let’s go home, Peter,” Uncle Ben says, softly. “We can get this marriage annulled.”
“But-” Wade says, his tone panicked. He takes a step towards Peter, flinching as Peter takes an even larger step back.
“Just get out of here,” Ben says to Wade. “If you love my boy, you’ll want what’s best for him, and what’s best for him isn’t to be married to a criminal.”
“Please go, Wade,” Peter says, and the words come out choked. He pulls of his wedding band, fingers trembling, and presses it into Wade’s hand. Tears are starting to fall freely down his cheeks. “Please go.”
Wade sighs; his bright eyes fall intently on Peter one last time before he heads to his car.