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The streets were covered in snow, the shops lit up with festive lights. Sales and deals plastered on almost every store’s window. Christmas music spilled out from store fronts and into the streets. Holiday cheer filled the air, even brightening up some New Yorkers, which meant Christmas was near, and Peter had yet to get a gift for Wade.
In spite of what everyone said about the former mercenary for hire, Peter had come to find Wade to be a decent guy, with loose morals and an even looser tongue. He even helped Peter hide after the whole Mysterio debacle. One could say, that’s when Peter had started to develop feelings for him. It wasn’t just the way he laughed, or the way his mouth quirked up in a smile meant only for Peter, nor was it just because he could make Peter laugh like few others could.
It was the way Wade remembered Peter’s favorite food, or how Peter took his coffee (black, two sugars). The way Wade would listen to Peter rant about college work, about his job, or how annoying it was the Green Goblin always managed to make the same slip up in a fight.
It was the way Wade held him when Peter had had a mental breakdown after Mysterio outed his secret identity. How scared he was, how vulnerable he felt but somehow, with just one hug, Wade made him feel safe, as if it wouldn’t be like that forever and that things could get better. And Wade was right because they did get better.
Peter had to make it up to him, but how did you convey all of your feelings with one gift? What did one give to a merc who seemed to have everything - every trinket, collector’s item, and funko pop he could ever want?
Maybe he could ask Mr. Stark - no, not him. He’d be suspicious and would want to find out who his secret crush was. Maybe the Hulk? No, too risky. He might tell Tony.
Peter thought of more people he could ask for advice but sitting on the roof top, shivering in his suit wasn’t helping.
“Spidey!”
He flinched. It was his luck his spider senses had decided to start trusting Wade. Not that Peter minded, but Wade always managed to spook him.
“How’s my favorite baby boy doing, huh?” He skipped his way towards him and sat on the ledge next to Peter.
He had been about to answer when a metaphorical lightbulb lit up in his mind.
“Just thinking of what to get a friend for Christmas. Hey Wade, do you celebrate Christmas?”
“I sure do! Second best pig-out day of the year, right after Thanksgiving, of course. Al wants to spend it at the senior center but I’m tired of the old people smell, so I’m just gonna stay home and watch Hallmark movies all day.”
Peter couldn’t conceive of Wade spending Christmas all alone. He almost invited him over to Aunt May’s but thought better of it. Aunt May was never fond of swords, much less mercenaries.
Instead, he asked what he had originally wanted to ask him about.
“What did Al give you for Christmas last year?”
“Some new crocs, because the other ones were worn out. A Playboy magazine, and some homemade tacos. I’m a simple man. You give me food, and I’m all yours, baby.”
The answer didn’t satisfy Peter. Thus, he began his mission to find out what to give him.
The first person he went to was Logan. Wade had talked about him enough (including how beautiful Hugh Jackman was, though he never understood the reference or how that correlated to Logan).
Peter stumbled into him in a bar, with Wolverine looking like the perfect symbol of nonchalance, cigar in one hand and a glass of liquor in the other. However, his face changed immediately at just the mere mention of Wade’s name.
“You mean Wilson? Christ, I can never get him off my back even when he’s not around,” he muttered the last bit to himself but Peter could hear him.
“Look, kid. With the way he talks about you so much, just give him a good fuck. He’ll be happy with that.”
Peter’s whole face turned tomato red. There was no way he was going to give Wade that, even if he had fantasized about it a few times.
With that answer, Peter crossed him off his list of candidates that could help him. Next up, was Cable, who was presumably Wade’s best friend even though they had been through a few “divorces”, whatever that meant to Wade. Wade talked about him often enough to make even Peter jealous over the kind of relationship the two former X-Men had.
Cable’s answer had been even less helpful than Logan’s, but no less curt and sharp as was his custom.
"This is what you called me for? Kid, I've got timelines to save. Get Wilson whatever the hell you see first and he'll love it. Bye."
“No, wait-”
But before he could even finish his sentence, Cable had hung up. Peter let out a sigh and with a click of his pen, crossed out Cable’s name off the list.
“This is a lot harder than I thought it was going to be.”
He wasn’t going to quit, though. Peter could be many things but not a quitter, not when it mattered, and this mattered to him very much even if others didn’t feel the same.
The next person on the list was Negasonic. The one good thing he managed to get out of Cable when he called him again (because Peter was not a quitter), was the suggestion of asking Negasonic. When he found her, he hadn’t expected to meet someone closer to his age, and it thrilled him as he thought of the possibility of becoming friends but she shot him down quickly.
“Why would I care about what Wade likes?” she grunted, her arms crossed as she chewed on her bubblegum.
Once he got home, he scratched out her name and almost ripped the paper.
“Ugh! Does Wade have any good friends?!” he groaned to himself, but the more he thought about his own question, the sadder he felt.
If true, Peter hoped his friendship with Wade filled a hole in the merc’s life.
Peter continued to ask other Supers. He tried Colossus, and Blind Al, and they did try to help but their advice was terrible. Steve and Natasha had nice ideas, but he wanted something more.
Days had passed since he last asked someone for help, and Christmas had become a looming spectre hanging above Peter’s head. Aunt May noticed during dinner time. She always noticed.
“Why the long face, Peter?”
He debated on asking her for help. It couldn’t hurt to try, right? Peter had become a desperate man.
“May? What do you give a friend for Christmas? Especially when said friend seems to have everything they want and you want to express your- appreciation for them with a gift?” He played with his food using his fork.
“I’m assuming you mean material things.” Peter nodded.
“Well, in that case - why not make something? A handmade gift goes a long way for some folks. Or, if it’s just your feelings you want to express, you can write them a letter and snail mail it!” She smiled. “I’m sure your friend would appreciate it.”
His heart sank at the idea of writing a letter. Writing a letter felt like a very vulnerable thing to do, when he wasn’t even sure if Wade would reciprocate his feelings.
Sure, Wade flirted with him often enough, and he’d heard so many pick-up lines, and jokes about his butt that he could fill a whole notebook with. But, Wade was a jokester. He’s known for that, and who’s to say he hadn’t been kidding around this whole time?
“Great idea, May,” he put on a smile to assure her. “I’ll do that.”
May seemed satisfied with his response, but Peter didn’t feel the same.
Peter’s mission had failed. His first failed mission, and it was just to find the perfect gift for Wade. Who was he kidding? The mission had been a joke from the start. He should have known the people closest to Wade wouldn’t help him, which pissed him off more than not finding the right gift for his friend. They should care about him. Wade was a great guy. Why couldn’t they see what he saw?
In 23 hours, 14 minutes, and 8 seconds, it would be Christmas day and Peter was nowhere closer to finding a gift for Wade. As stubborn as Peter was, even he had to admit defeat to Father Time. With a shaky hand, he grabbed the nearest pen, and started to write his letter to Wade, pouring out all of his feelings.
Peter dropped it off at Wade’s place. He had attached the letter to a flower and left it on his doorstep. He knocked on the door a few times before sprinting away. Even though he dreaded Wade’s reaction, he felt relieved the task had been completed, as if something heavy had been lifted off of his shoulders.
Later that night, the snow had settled into soft patches. Peter swung from building to building, mostly to distract himself. He hadn’t seen Wade all day. He wondered what he thought of his letter. Did he like the flower? Did he laugh at the words written on the paper? Peter hadn’t received word from him at all. It made him uneasy. It wasn’t until much later when his anxiety finally settled down, that Wade showed up.
And there was his anxiety again. He turned from his perch on the edge of the rooftop, nervous but determined to see this through.
“Hey, Wa- “
“Did you mean it?” Wade stepped forward. “All of it?”
Peter shifted from one foot to the other.
“Yes, Wade,” his voice as soft as the snow. “If you didn’t like it, then I’m so-”
“Didn’t like it?” Wade’s voice had gone soft as well, softer than Peter had ever heard it.
“Didn’t like it? Wha- of course, I liked it. I loved it. Why would I not like it?”
Peter knew it was a rhetorical question, but he still felt the need to answer it. He was going to, right before Wade interrupted him again.
“No one has ever written me a letter, much less one like that. I never- I never thought you cared about me so much.”
“Of course I do, Wade. After everything you’ve done for me…”
Peter had expressed his heart-felt gratitude and appreciation, so much so, that if you squint, you could assume it was a love letter sent from Peter to his beloved.
“Goddamn it, baby boy! I could just kiss you.”
“You can,” Peter blurted out. “Kiss me, I mean.”
Wade stood still, almost as if he were unable to move.
“If you want.”
Peter hadn’t planned to say that. In fact, Peter didn’t confess his crush to Wade in the letter, but he always had a way to put his foot in his mouth. Now that he has, he figured he might as well go for it. He took the initiative by pulling off his mask.
“I’m Peter, by the way.” He couldn’t help but give him a nervous smile.
After the shock wore off from seeing Peter’s face for the first time, Wade pulled off his own mask as well, though he took his time with it. Peter had seen glimpses of Wade’s skin before when they would eat late night tacos. It didn’t bother him and he hoped in time, it wouldn’t bother Wade to reveal more of himself to Peter.
“Hey, Peter,” Wade’s voice as soft as before, a smile graced his features. “I’m Wade.”
They walked towards each other slowly, as if some invisible thread were pulling them closer. Wade’s eyes caressed over Peter’s face, to etch it forever into his memory. His brown eyes looked stunned, as if he couldn’t believe this was still happening. Their arms wrapped around each other, their kiss slow and sensual but full of heat. It made Peter feel dizzy.
After some moments had passed, Peter broke the kiss.
“Merry Christmas, Wade.”
“Merry Christmas, Pe- wait, you are over eighteen, right?”
“Of course I am”
“Just checking because you have the most adorable, precious, scrumptious baby face on the planet and I just can’t deal with how cute you- “
“Shut up, Wade,” Peter laughed and pulled Wade in closer for another kiss.
He was glad he had listened to Aunt May. Thus far, it had been the best Christmas he’d ever had.