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It’s been some time now. But everything has changed.
Once Peter Parker was totally okay with just being loner-Pete/Super-mega-awesome-Spiderman. But then – then some dumb lunatic of a mercenary had to start leaving him flowers. In his damn apartment. Which is no longer just his apartment.
Wade moved in. That’s the first big change.
It’s not like Peter could actually keep him out. He knew the place now, and after the whole flower-escapade they both felt weird. Wade found that not visiting Pete once a day – at least – was just weird to him now. So Peter invited him in. Not through the window, but through the door for once. Not wearing a damn suit for once.
“This feels all wrong, Baby Boy,” Wade had nervously laughed as he entered the apartment through the door, Peter right by his side. “I’ve never seen your place from this angle.”
“Well, this is damn less creepy than you sneaking in through my window,” Peter had said has he had locked the door behind them.
Turning around he had seen Wade standing looking pretty lost in his small hallway. On one side was the door to his bathroom and on the other side the door to his bedroom. Down the hall where the living room – still crammed with flowers – and from there, there was an open doorway into the kitchen. And that was about it for the apartment.
Wade, standing there in the hall, looking around at the photos hanging on the walls and the few vases that had to be placed out here, he seemed quite small. In that moment Peter saw how truly fragile Wade actually was. No walls up, no facades. Just – Wade.
Peter had never wanted to hug him more. And wow, that was a new thing.
“Hey,” Peter had said as he slipped over to the other man, gripping his elbow. “This is okay. Wade, really. It’s okay. It’s all right. All right?”
Wade, still not used to be without his mask around Peter, turned his face away, hiding in the hoodie. But not before Peter could see the blush and the slight but determined nod.
“So,” Peter dragged the word out. “Do you want a tour?”
“Ha,” Wade laughed, relived by the change of subject. “Like I haven’t seen most of this place already.”
“Come-on, let me play tour guide here.” Peter nudged him in the side.
Faking a sigh, Wade had shrugged his shoulders. “Fine,” he had said, dragging the word, but not able to hid the smile.
Two weeks, the vases were gone and Wade’s most personal stuff was placed around the apartment.
If Peter had to be honest, he couldn’t go without the other guy. Not having him around was suddenly just a really weird and uncomfortable feeling to him.
God, he had gone insane.
It had started out with Wade just sleeping on the couch. Since they had pretty epic movie night every night, Wade just passed out sometimes and it made sense for Peter to just tuck him in. Sometimes Peter fell asleep first, and then Wade played the true gentleman and carried the other man to his bedroom, returning the favour and tucking him in. None of them were really comfortable with sharing a room yet. And sharing a bed was way too fast.
They hadn’t done anything more since that kiss on the cheek Peter had given Wade that day. But damn, Peter wanted to.
He wanted to cup Wade’s face, caresses the skin the there, touch everything, see everything. Make sure that Wade knew that he didn’t care. He didn’t care about the scars or the troubles that sometimes made Wade silent for hours. Somehow, Peter didn’t care. It didn’t matter. He accepted it.
The conditions for Wade staying, for them to stay, had been simple. Don’t kill. Most surprisingly of all was that it had been Wade’s condition.
“I don’t want you to feel like you got to be near me. If I do something you’re not comfortable with, you say so. You tell me.” And Peter had understood. He didn’t know exactly why Wade had felt it necessary for these to be conditions, but he was not gonna ask if Wade didn’t want to tell.
So the first thing had been simple.
“No killing.”
“Aw, man really? Just a little killing? It gives good money?”
“No.”
And that had been it. Peter didn’t know, but the boxes had been going crazy in Wade’s head and much arguing had been going on in there. But at last Wade had cut through and a mutual agreement had been formed.
So now both Yellow and White had a small grudge with Peter, but it was mostly overseen.
{Only because of that magnificent ass}
[Amen]
So Wade had pulled a cold turkey. It sucked and he was upset about the dent that it made in his carrier and his wallet. But Peter then suggested that maybe he could do jobs that didn’t have killing plastered across them. Or were, you know, illegal.
After one of their movie nights, where they had both somehow managed to stay up through all of it, Peter had wished Wade goodnight and went to his room. Sleep hadn’t come though, and Peter lay for hours awake and not sure why. In the end he left his warm bed, and went to his tacky couch. He didn’t know what had driven him there, but the thing went away as soon as he saw Wade turning towards him. He had been confused and flustered, of course. But he had been accepting.
“Aw, yes. Always knew you were gonna be the big spoon,” he had mumbled, as Peter had slipped in behind him.
“Shut up, Wade, and go to sleep,” Peter had mumbled into his scared neck. After minutes of them just lying there, not sleeping, Peter had heaved a sigh. Then he had kissed the back of Wade’s neck. After that, Peter slept much better.
Wade on the other hand had lain awake for hours, shining like a little sun. He had wanted to turn around and peppered Peter in small kisses. And really that was concerning. Wade was not a “peppering-kisses” kind of guy.
Damnit, this kid made him go all soft.
(But – isn’t it better this way?)
The boxes had not answered that question. Yellow had, on the other hand started ranting about how awesome it would be, if Peter would wake up with morning wood. After an hour he had White convinced that it would be the ultimate declaration of love. Wade was not sure he agreed.
After two nights like that – Peter coming in, in the middle of the night, joining Wade on the couch and them lying like that – they had silently agreed to move it to the bed instead.
It had been during dinner, consisting of tacos – homemade, for once – that Peter had looked at Wade over his plate, with this big dumb grin after Wade had cracked a joke. Then they had both got this intense look in their eyes. Peter swallowed once and Wade had desperately been trying to think of a witty joke. Nothing had come, and they sat in silence for long. Then –
“Do you want watch a movie and then go to bed?” Peter had gotten out, at the exact same time as Wade said:
“Do you wanna have a Lord of the Rings marathon and a slumber-party?”
They had both stared each other for a long moment after that. Then they had both nodded. Popcorn was made and The Fellowship was sat on, and they had gotten some of the blankets from the couch wrapped around them.
They had started on their separate ends of the couch. Then Wade’s foot had knocked against Peter’s thigh. Then Wade’s legs had been over Peter’s legs. Then Peter’s head against Wade shoulder. Then Peter’s arm around Wade’s waist. Then their hands had slowly crept towards each other. Then Wade’s pinky had brushed against Peter’s, and Peter’s pinky taking hold of Wade’s.
Then they were done with all three movies it was late at night. They were still crammed up against each other. Then Wade had looked at Peter, and Peter had looked at Wade. Both tired and sorta foggy they had untangled themselves from each other almost completely. Except for Peter’s pinky that determined kept its grip on Wade’s.
Wade had been surprised, but then he had looked down on their conjoined pinkies. He had wanted to laugh, but he didn’t. It was so them.
And then he had realized. They were a ‘them’. They were a ‘they’.
So they went to bed. They had lay down besides each other and stared at the other for a while. When Wade had whispered: “Fuck it,” and had curled up against Peter’s side. And Peter had huffed a laugh but had wrapped his arms around Wade right away. Wade placed a hand on Peter’s chest and Peter had taken that hand in his and intertwined their fingers.
They had fallen asleep like that. The next morning they had woken up, more or less in the same position.
Peter woke first. He had looked down on Wade and had smiled. This was right. He had never known that it could be like this, that this was something he would want. But, boy, did he want it. He had never wanted anything more in that moment. To just stay like this and forget about anything else.
Wade had woken moments later. He had feigned sleep and just felt Peter’s eyes on him instead.
Peter had noticed of course, but he could guess that Wade probably felt the same about the situation. So he hadn’t moved. They had stayed there, wrapped up in each other.
Then Wade had brushed a thump over Peter’s hand, because he just couldn’t help it. He was not expecting Peter to lift their intertwined hands and kiss the back of Wade’s scared hand. But Peter did and Wade turned his head to watch the motion.
Peter had met his gaze. Then his eyes had fallen to Wade’s lips and then flickered back to his eyes. It had only been a short second of that little flicker in Peter’s gaze but Wade had caught it.
{Are we going to kiss Petey now?}
[About damn time, if you ask me]
Ignoring the boxes Wade lifted himself up so his face was hovering inches from Peter’s.
“Is this for real?” He had whispered, hoping against hope that Peter would understand.
Peter had looked confused, eyes flickering between Wades’, trying to understand. Then it had seeped in.
A slow smile had spread across his lips. Lifting his chin he had captured Wades’ lips with his own. It was a soft and gentle press nothing else. Then he had pulled away and looked Wade right in the eyes.
“Yes,” he had said. “This is very much for real.”
This wasn’t a hallucination. This wasn’t a joke. This was not just a whiff of their imaginations. This was certainly not just Peter being carried away by a stupid – though heart warming – gesture that Wade had made. Given, it had been the thing that had pushed them to this moment. But it was not just that. It was them.
And that was how Wade started spending every night in the same bed as Peter.
*~Present time~*
Peter has no idea what to do.
It’s been about three months of this now, and he wants to celebrate. But there are some … complications.
First of all, his not sure when they should celebrate. They are both quite busy – or well, Peter is, Wade just does whatever Wade does then Peter is not around – and he wants to have the whole day for this.
Second of all, he wants this to be grand. He wants it to be cliché and taken straight out of a romcom and have “heart-eyes” spelled all over it.
He wants this to be something special that will make Wade smile that dumb smile that makes Peter’s heart all tingly. And really, wow, that’s so cliché.
So what is Peter going to do?
“There’s gotta be something I can do that will be appropriate,” Peter mumbles down into the phone that is pressed between his shoulder and cheek. On the other end Aunt May makes a thinking noise and stays quiet for a while.
“What about a classic date?” She suggest, as Peter picks up some tomatoes. They are a very nice shade of red which probably means they are good. So down in the shopping basket they go.
“I don’t know. I mean I thought about it, but it just seems so – normal,” Peter sighs. “And the thing is, we’re very much not normal.”
“Oh, Peter,” May sighs. He can almost feel the motherly look in her eyes. “You really like this guy a lot, don’t you?”
“It seems like it,” Peter mumbles and ignores the blush that is starting to creep upon his face. Damnit, not what he needs right now.
“Isn’t there something special that you guys have done that you could repeat? To refresh the memory?”
And then the plan clicks.
“Aunt May, you’re a genius!” Peter exclaims very loudly. Some of the nearby standing customers turn around to look at him and Peter lowers his head. But he can’t stop the smile that’s starting to spread on his face.
“Thank you, Aunt May, I’ve got the perfect plan now!” Peter doesn’t get the ‘goodbye’ out and hangs up the call. He’s got the perfect plan and he’s not going to waste a single moment.
*~Meanwhile~*
“How do you tell a boy that you really like him?” Wade asks in a dragged out tone.
At the end of the table Wolverine makes an exhausted sound and Hawkeye, sitting by Wade’s side, chokes on his coffee.
“Wade this is very much not the time to talk about your personal life,” Steve Rogers comments, not looking up from the mission report that he is currently going through.
“But I need advice!” Wade whines. Recently, Deadpool has been doing some ‘interning’ at the Avengers’. They’re practically test running him, to see if he really has sworn of off the killing. Wade hopes that with good behaviour, he’ll be a prime member of the Avengers by next spring. Hopefully.
“Wade, whatever it is I’m sure it can wait ‘til after this meeting,” Black Widow comments while looking at some files Steve has handed to her.
“But then you guys will not be all together, and I need all the advice I can get!” Wade sits more upright in his chair and gives the team his best puppy eyes.
“We might as well listen to him and get this over with,” Logan comments. Then, turning to Wade, he says: “Can you promise that this will be quick and that after it Steve can continue with this briefing and I can pretend to listen?” Logan asks with an eyebrow raised.
“Pinky-promise!” Wade exclaims, holding out his pinky, which Logan for some reason doesn’t take.
{Rude, if I may say so}
[Then how do they expect us to keep that promise?]
Sighing, Steve covers his face with a hand and gestures to Deadpool with the other.
“Go on then, Wade. The sooner this is over the better,” he mumbles out.
“Yay, story time!” Wade gets comfy in his seat looking around the table to make sure he has everyone’s attention. Hawkeye and Hawkeye (the younger one is apparently also interning) seem to be having a mental dialogue. Logan has one elbow on the table facing the general direction of Deadpool, but not looking directly at him. Black Widow is still looking at the files, but Wade is almost sure that she knows exactly what is going on everywhere in the room. Falcon and Banner seems to be paying some attention, and Steve is still covering his face with that hand. The Avengers that are currently not in the room are out on some mission with Tony. Something in Florida that need attention.
Spiderman isn’t here either – of course – because he had to be on patrol.
“Someone’s gotta watch the streets while you guys talk business,” he had said that morning
“You’re just saying that, because you don’t wanna listen to Cap going over the mission-briefing,” Wade had pouted. He hadn’t exactly been excited for going to the meeting, but he was excited about being invited. That meant that the Avengers were starting to see him as a help.
“Well,” the word was dragged out, as Peter scratched his neck. “I’m not even going to be participating in the mission so there isn’t really any need for me to be there.”
“Ugh, but it’s a lot more fun when you’re there!” Wade had said, trying to butter Peter into coming.
“Yeah?” Peter had smirked. Then he had leaned in and given Wade a soft peck on the lips before dragging the mask over his face. “I’m still not going to come, Wade.” And then he was off through the window.
“I’ll pick up groceries on my way home!” he had called over his shoulder.
So now here Wade is, with the perfect opportunity to ask the other Avengers for advice.
“So I’ve been dating this guy for a while now,” Wade starts out looking around at the room. That wakes some attention with some of the Avengers. They all know that it isn’t often that Wade has a lasting relationship. Most of them run away screaming after a couple of days. Sometimes weeks if he’s lucky.
“And, things are going pretty damn good. Awesome, actually. He’s great, and isn’t too grossed out by me. So that’s a plus.
“But things are also pretty vanilla, if you know what I mean.” This catches the Avengers attention.
“Vanilla? You?” Hawkeye (the older one) blurts out, once again spitting out his coffee.
“Yes, me, vanilla. This guy is special, didn’t you listen?” Wade sends Hawkeye a real stink eye, but the other guy just waves it off.
“Well, as I was saying, we’re taking things pretty slowly. And that’s good. That’s totally okay. He isn’t comfortable with more, and that’s what is important.
But now, my question, fellow heroes is this: How do I woo the guy completely off his feet?” Wade asks looking from Avenger to Avenger. They are all looking at him now, some with impressed looks, others a little more sceptical. And then there’s Cap. He just looks done with the whole situation.
Falcon clears his throat, making Wade turns his attention towards him. “Well, you could, I dunno, give him some flowers?”
“Ah, already did that,” Wade waves him off. “That worked to some extinct but I wanna impress the guy. Not fill his apartment with flowers. Again …”
“Again?” Banner raises an eyebrow, but doesn’t comment further on it.
“Have you tired getting him drunk?” Logan asks, unsheathing and sheathing his claws and looking rather bored.
“Nooooo …” Wade drags the word out. The thought had crossed his mind. He knows that Peter is legal to drink, but he just does not seem the type. “He’s not very fond of alcohol.” But maybe he should give it another go … he must think it over again.
“What about chocolate?” Bird-girl (or younger Hawkeye) suggests.
“Hmm,” Wade contemplates. “Not bad. But you’re not thinking grand enough! It needs to be bigger! This is a love declaring, not courting! I did all that in the previous fic. And really, I didn’t so a stellar job at that.”
{That was totally not our fault, though}
[Nah, it was just the writer who doesn’t know how to write flirting without making it awkward]
“Oh for Christ sake, why don’t you just ask him out?!” Steve blurts out, bringing both hands up to rub his face. “A dinner and a movie, it’s not that hard!”
[And this comes from the guys who doesn’t know how to talk to women]
{Well, this is men, he might be better at that. I’ve heard that he has a thing for Falcon, oh and Iron-man, and not to forget the Winter Soldier!}
“Hmm. That might actually work, ‘merica.” Wade says excitedly, smacking his hand down on the table. In thought he falls back into his chair. “But what kind of movie should I take him to then?”
A scared groan rises from all around the table. Steve Rogers decides for himself never to let anyone ever interrupt him ever again when he is briefing missions.
*~Meanwhile~*
“Um, so I need some … roses?” Peter really tries to make this seem not like a question, but he knows nothing about symbolic meanings in flowers and wouldn’t for the life of him know what to pick. Thankfully the florist currently behind the counter smiles encouragingly at him.
“Are you looking for a specific kind of bouquet or do you just want to get them something pretty?” the cashier asks, a friendly smile on his face. He’s not very tall, but he’s broad-shouldered and has hair that is somewhere between being purple and blue. Peter can’t help but smile at the guy, and be impressed by his gender-neutral use of pronouns.
“Ah, well, um. Yeah, I’m kinda looking for, um …” Peter rubs his neck and a flush creeping up over his face. “I kinda have an anniversary coming up and … well I need something that says that I like the guy. Like a lot.” Peter doesn’t understand why this is so hard to say, the cashier is a stranger, it’s not like he is going to care if Peter is heads over heels for Wade.
The cashier only smiles and starts shuffling around somewhere behind the counter.
“Well, that sounds pretty serious. If I were you I would choose some flowers that have meaning. I think … yeah, here we go,” the cashier disappears under the counter for a while to pop back up, a arc of paper in hand that he hands over to Peter. “This is our list of flowers. We don’t have the once that are crossed over, but the rest are all here. This,” he points to one of the two columns on the arc, “are the different flowers, and this,” he points to the second one, “this is the meaning of the individual flowers.”
Peter skims over the list of flowers, noting several flowers that he has never heard the name of, and others that he know of, but is surprised by the meaning behind them. Some of them are pretty tame, some are a bit shocking and other makes him blush.
“Can I …?” Peter gestures at the arc and the cashier smiles and nods. Peter stands at the counter for a while just reading through the list, as the cashier helps the next customer in line. Peter goes over the different flowers and notes down which ones he thinks would be appropriate. Then he gets to the end of the list, he sees and old name and smiles to himself. Damnit, Wade, you smooth flirt.
“Tulip, purple:” the arc reads. “Forever love”
“You smooth ass mother-f…” Peter smiles and tries to bury the laughter that is on its way to spilling. Even right for the beginning Wade had been going big. Damnit, it was right there. Wade probably didn’t know the significance of the flower, but … Well, Peter wants one to question the universe, for it had apparently already spoken for them.
When the cashier was once again unoccupied, Peter went back over with his list and the cashier smiled when he heard the different flowers.
“Hibiscus, red carnation, gardenia, rain flower, phlox and purple tulip? Guess I was right. This is pretty serious,” he grins and Peter sheepishly grins back at him. After the cashier finds the different flowers and hands Peter the complete bouquet Peter can’t help but looking a little sheepish as looks anywhere but the cashier.
“Is there anything else I can help you with?” he asks, amused smile on his face.
“Well, yeah … Could you make twenty more of these ones?”
*~Later~*
“Peter! I’m home,” Wade enters the apartment closing the door behind him and locking it. As soon as he turns around a wave of sense hit him all at once. First is the smell, which is a mixture of many different flowers. He can’t remember having his nose ever being so attacked as the time when they still had all the flowers in the apartment. And now it is back. But it is different. And that’s then the next sense ticked in.
The hall is not very wide nor is it long. So there isn’t normally much space out here. But now there is even less space. For spread out on the floor is a bunch of different bouquets containing flowers of blooming colour and shape.
“Peter?” Wade mumbles out in shock. He slowly starts walking towards the door to the living room, which is opened just a peak. He opens it up and steps in the door and freeze to the ground.
On the floor of the living room, covering the few surfaces that they have, are more bouquets. They are all in the same blooming colours and variation, but their sizes are varied. In the middle of all that – holding another one of the bouquets – stands a smiling and radiant Peter. In the midst of all the flowers that all holds such beauty, all Wade can see was his face, and how a wide beautiful smile is starting to form on his face.
“Hey Wade,” he laughs nervously, shuffling on his feet. “So, um, I wanted to celebrate, you know, this, us, and I thought, that, well, you did this for me once, so I … um I wanted to do the same for you …” He glances around the room nervously taking in the many flowers.
“I, um …” he licks his lips. Damn, where is his normally graceful tongue? This never happens. He always (almost always at least) know what to say. But now? He doesn’t have the faintest idea.
Wade, still standing frozen to the ground, is feeling much like Peter. All his normal wit and charm is wiped right away. He pries his eyes from Peter’s face and glances around the room. Red, white, purple, pink and orange is meeting his gaze where ever he looks. They are all beautiful, but they are nothing compared to the hazel brown that meets his gaze when he looks back at Peter. This. This is true beauty.
Wading through the sea of flowers, earning him a yelp of outrage from Peter, but not caring, Wade makes his way over to him and grasps his face.
“This is for real?” he asks, knowing Peter will understand the question.
Peter’s safe softens and a soft smile spreads across his lips.
“Yes, Wade. This is for real.”
That’s all Wade needs to hear, before he is leaning in and connecting his lips with Peter’s. He’s scared that Peter might not want this, but his worries fades away the movement Peter’s lips starts working against his own.
Wade breaks them apart, Peter trying to follow after him, but Wade staying just out of his reach. Peter looks up at him then, their eyes meeting, and Wade finds the courage to mumble those three stupid words. Which makes Peter smile that stupid goofy smile.
“I love you too, Wade. Now get back here,” he says, and another big doofy smile spreads over Wade’s lips, oh and there it was. That stupid smile that this was all for. Their lips meet again and both of them smile into this.
This is a good thing they got. A really good thing. And they’ll keep reminding each other about that every once in a while, which always results in the whole apartment smelling of flowers for days. But that is just what happens, when you court someone by breaking into their apartment and overflowing it with flowers.