Work Text:
Matt didn’t like using his window to enter his apartment, but sometimes he didn’t have any other choice. Battered and bruised as well as still wearing his costume limited his options. He certainly couldn’t stagger down the hall, lest he worry about a nosey neighbor spotting him. He’d just finally gotten all the rumors squared away. He definitely didn’t want to reopen that can of worms. He pried open the window and lowered himself through it, doing his best to not flop onto the floor despite the ache in his ankle. He barely remembered to shut the window behind him before he made his way over to the couch.
It was harder than Matt anticipated; the radar of his surroundings curved and twisted as he walked. He reached a hand out as the couch’s image twisted away in his mind. He fell forward, groaning in relief as the rough cotton cushioned his fall. It irritated the skin on his cheek but Matt really couldn’t be bothered to move. Every bone and muscle protested as he shifted minutely to get a better position. He let his eyes slide close, hoping he’d fall asleep and wake up in significantly less pain.
A sharp rap on the door jolted him from his light doze. He must’ve nodded off at some point, but he had no recollection of doing so. He could sense a familiar shape hovering at his door and assumed it was one of his two partners who he knew had a key. The knock was just to help announce their presence to him more than anything.
“Come in,” Matt mumbled, more into the couch cushion than to the room for whoever was at the door to hear. Though his head still spun, he heard the scuff of metal as the key was inserted into the lock and turned, the deadbolt clicking out of place. The soft groan of the metal hinges of his front door paired with the dull padding of rubber against hardwood forced Matt to raise his head. He could just barely register the familiar combination of cheap drugstore cologne, old street corner hotdogs, and a tinge of radioactivity. “Peter?” His voice sounded rough and tinny as well as somewhere far away. The wavering form in his radar sense approached the couch. A hand found its way to his hair, pushing back a matted clump off his forehead. His eyes slid shut but the trembling image his senses formed for him remained.
“Hey, Matty. You didn’t answer my texts… I was getting worried. Didn’t realize you were getting reacquainted with your couch,” Peter huffed, amusement laced through his voice as he tried his best to sound light-hearted despite what Matt assumed was an unpleasant sight before him. He could feel the bruises blossoming over his ribs and the swell of his split lip, not to mention the congealing blood from the cut near his temple. Matt blinked slowly, moreso out of habit and to wet his eyes than to refocus his radar sense.
“Hey, Pete. Sorry, I think I left my phone-” he started, attempting to sit up. His inner radar tilted and it was luck that Peter’s steady hands caught him by his shoulders, pushing him back.
“Woah there, Matty. You’re in no condition to be moving. Wait here. I’ll get the first aid kit. Do you want me to text Wade?”
With a muffled groan, Matt lowered himself back into the couch. “I thought he was still out on a job.” He could sense Peter move away from him and to the bathroom, riffling under the sink to grab the kit he’d stashed there.
“He finished early, which you’d know if you would’ve looked at your phone before you went out on your pajamed escapades.” Peter had returned to the couch, sitting on the edge when Matt moved his legs to allow him room.
“Hey, you also go out on pajamed escapades. Pot kettle black, Parker.” He winced as Peter began to clean the cut on his head before switching to his lip.
“They don’t look like they need any stitches. Any more I should be worried about?” Peter hummed, putting a butterfly bandage on his temple.
“Nah,” Matt grunted, shifting with a wince. Peter’s hand squeezed his arm.
“Let me see your ribs.”
“Peter, I’m fine-” Matt tried to shake him off but again, Peter’s supernatural strength caused him to hold tight to the fabric of Matt’s suit.
“I’m serious. Strip.” Peter’s weight left the couch as he stood. Matt groaned, more out of annoyance than physical pain. He stood, staggering slightly. Peter’s hand found his waist, steadying him once again.
“Need help?”
“No, I got this,” Matt huffed, tugging at the top part of his suit. Peter’s hand still found their way under the kevlar lined fabric, helping ease it off Matt’s torse. The click of his tongue alerts Matt that he must look as bad as he feels.
“Yikes… Anything broken?” Peter's fingers ghost what Matt assumed to be the worst of the bruising on his ribs.
“No, thankfully,” Matt sighed out in relief. Peter’s hand found his waist, thumb rubbing circles over his hip.
“Did you take any pain meds?” Matt shook his head. Peter sighed. “Of course you didn’t. Why do I even bother asking at this point?”
Matt huffed out a laugh, letting Peter gently guide him back to the couch. They sat together, fingers finding each other as they tangled loosely. Matt stared straight ahead, observing Peter’s flicking form next to him in his radar field; The steady beat of his heart grounded Matt and he slid his eyes closed.
“Did a bad thing, Peter,” Matt murmured, breaking the silence after a couple moments. “Hurt someone who…” he hesitated, licking at the coppery wound on his lip. “I hurt someone who didn’t deserve it.” He could still feel the way his tears smelled hot and salty, full of genuine terror. Paired with the beating of the man’s heart, fast and panicked. One of an innocent man. He should’ve known. He should’ve caught it.
“Oh, Matty,” Peter shushed, fingers finding Matt’s face as he stroked through his soiled hair. “We all make mistakes-”
“Yes, but I… I don’t.” He’d raised his voice slightly by accident causing Peter’s hand to still. “S-sorry, I didn’t… mean to shout,” Matt apologized, attempting to sit up and pry himself from his partner’s soft touches. Peter put a hand on his shoulder and forced him back down. His strength always came as a surprise to Matt, as Peter was never one to throw his weight around.
“It’s fine, you’re allowed to be upset…” Peter tapped his forehead. “Do you want to talk about what happened?”
“No… I’ll… deal with it later.”
“Mm, so you’ll do what you normally do and go to confession?” Peter’s tone was light, full of understanding that caused Matt’s throat to constrict. He felt the tears drip down his cheek before he could stop himself. Matt couldn’t quite silence the sob that ripped itself from his throat. “Matty, hey,” Peter shushed, tugging Matt into himself. Pressed this close to Peter’s skin, he could really let the familiar and comfortable scent wash over him. His shoulders shook as he struggled to keep his sobs muffled. “Matt, sweetheart… It’s okay… Really… We’ve all done it. The best thing to do is learn from it… Not make the same mistake, yeah?” Peter’s fingers stroked at the soft tufts at the back of his neck. Matt nodded, struggling to control his frantic breathing. “Hey, breathe with me.” Peter took a slow deep breath in, holding it for a couple seconds before he exhaled. Matt followed in time with him until his hiccups subsided.
“I’m sorry. I don’t normally…” Matt grunted, rubbing some tears off his cheek as he pulled out of Peter’s embrace. Peter just pushed their foreheads together, a soft chuckle escaping him lips.
“It’s okay to be human, Matt. It’s okay to cry and it’s okay to talk to me about them. You shouldn’t just bottle things up until you go to confession.” Peter pulled back and took his hand, lacing their fingers together before he squeezed.
Matt swallowed, dipping his head in a nod. “I… I know. Thank you… For being patient with me.”
“Of course…” Peter pressed a soft kiss to Matt’s temple that wasn’t injured.
“Can we… just sit together for a bit?” Matt mumbled, almost embarrassed to be asking it. Peter hummed, nodding. They settled back together on the couch, Peter opting to rest his head in Matt’s lap as he muffled a yawn. Matt’s free hand found their way to Peter’s hair, threading gently through the soft strands.
Eventually, Peter’s breathing evened out and the hand holding Matt’s slackened, releasing his fingers. Matt leaned his head back, listening to his partner’s steady breath and the creaking of the building in the wind. He felt himself beginning to doze when fire escape outside his window started groaning out a sound only he could hear. A form was making its way down from the roof. Instead of panicking, Matt just smiled, fingers going back to stroking through Peter’s hair. He recognized the familiar shape of none other than Wade Wilson.
The window opened easily as Wade tugged it upward. “Hey, sorry I’m late-” Wade called into the apartment before he lowered himself through the window, landing easily on his feet. Matt tilted his head towards Peter, putting a finger over his lips. “Shit, Petey asleep?” Wade whispered as he did his best to soften his voice, shutting the window softly before crossing the room. He tugged off his mask, dropping it on the coffee table before he slid next to Matt on the couch. He hooked his ankle under Matt’s, and Matt couldn’t help but lean into his partner’s warmth. A strong arm slid around his shoulder, encouraging him to lean into Wade.
“Yeah, he just fell asleep a couple minutes ago,” Matt murmured, fingers stroking through the soft tufts of Peter’s hair. “I feel awful. I kind of… freaked out on him… It wasn’t right of me
“He’s been up all night lately. Grad school’s a bitch. But, Matty boy, you know he doesn’t mind. Neither of us ”
“I… I know… I just feel guilty-” Wade stopped him mid sentence with a finger to his lips. Matt grimaced. He could smell that Wade hadn’t washed his hands recently.
“Don’t. Don’t feel guilty. We’re in this together, remember? We take care of each other, we support each other, we love each other. That was the agreement, right?” Wade’s hand moved to cup Matt's cheek. Matt tilted his head, eyelids flickering as he swallowed, hoping the guilty feeling stuck in the pit of his stomach would dissipate.
“Yeah, I know. I just… wish I did more for you guys.”
“Hey, you do so much. You help keep Petey on track with his studies and you help keep me out of trouble. Plus you’re a badass lawyer. You fight crime in two badass ways. You’re allowed to lean on us a little, Matty. Trust me, you don’t have to do this alone.”
“Sorry-”
“Stop fuckin’ apologizing. If you apologize one more time, I’m gonna fuckin punch you,” Wade threatened, nudging his shoulder against Matt’s.
“Seconded,” Peter mumbled sleepily against Matt’s stomach. Matt let out a soft chuckle.
“Thank you, both. Truly.”
“Stop thanking us. It’s too late to get this sappy,” Wade groaned, knocking his head against Matt’s. The other chuckled, letting his eyes slide shut to enjoy the warmth and company of his partners.