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The worst thing about it all was that it started as a completely normal day.
Althea had been chilling in the living room, idly knitting at a hat or sweater panel or whatever old ladies liked to knit. Wade had just gotten Mary Puppins special dog treats from the Mom-and-Pop pet shop right next to his favorite Mexican food truck—last week was her birthday and he believed in celebrating all month long—so she was nice and tuckered out, a food coma. Logan was out for a nice picnic father-daughter thing with Laura, Wade'd been invited, but he didn't think it right to intrude when they had just started getting close. He'd promised next time, though, and meant it.
Heck, even Wade had decided to be chill, for once in his life. He had a marathon of My Little Pony set up on his computer, a pair of headphones so Althea wouldn't complain, and a fuck-ton of Scooby Snacks.
...Sure, maybe that sounded like a pre-teen's favorite way to spend a lazy day, but when did he ever say he cared, Karen? Anyways. My Little Pony, headphones, Scooby Snacks. Wonderful way to spend a day.
Wade figured he could get through two seasons if he ignored his sleeping schedule, and so far, he'd gotten to mid season one, and was on his 4th bag. Pretty good progress, if you asked him. The episode was nice, fluffy. Rainbow Dash had decided that she needed to prove her speed not just in the air, but in the water as well. There was a Canterlot-wide swimming competition coming up, and the prize was free merch. The only problem was, she'd never taken swimming classes. And so, the main conflict was the Mane Six going through various shenanigans trying to get Rainbow Dash prepared for the comp. It was really funny, really. Rainbow Dash just learned that there was nothing in the rulebook against using her wings to propel herself, and decided to try it out. Fluttershy was fretting, of course, and Pinkie Pie was doing...something related to a cupcake-themed pool party? Whatever it was, it was hilarious. Wade wondered why he hadn't remembered this episode.
But then, as Rainbow Dash swam insanely fast in the lake they had picked out to train in, she didn't see a school of fish. Narrowly avoiding it, she found herself lost. "R-Rainbow Dash! I'm coming to save you!" Fluttershy called out. It was a huge leap for her in the episode, she'd been scared of the water.
Wade would've been proud of her, if the sounds of water bubbling up from Dash's presumed struggles didn't take him back to when— Cold. The water was cold, and Wade couldn't get out. He couldn't breathe. He thrashed desperately against his binds, his cage, trying to escape, trying to breathe, trying anything. And even though Wade was miles away, and he was warm and safe and home, he felt as if he was right back there. His lungs weren't burning from lack of oxygen, but his breaths got faster. He had air, but he couldn't breathe. He buried his face into his hands, fingers gripping at gnarled skin, nails tearing, trying what? Trying something, and failing. And—
"Wade? Wade! Wade, I'm here, it's me, Logan."
Wade was...there was a voice, familiar. That voice was...
"It's Logan Howlett, but you always call me Peanut, or Logie, or, uh, Logie-bear, you like that one a lot. And Applejack? I still don't get that one, but, uh, yeah." The voice was gruff and warm, comforting. Wade's head was...warm. His face was against something warm and soft. It smelled like musk and leather and a bit of hickory smoke. He found breathing a bit easier.
"Yesterday, you made me watch all of the Equestria Girls movies. All of them, in chronological order, for the fifth time this year. You were blurting out random lore and shit the entire time, and even though it was the fifth time, I still got surprised at some of the stuff you said about Rarity. And you had an entire fucking family-size tub of ice cream, and you'd finished it by the time we got past the second movie, for Christ's sake."
There was a hand at Wade's bald head. It was rough, calloused, stroking, soothing. It didn't feel like the cold splash of water, not at all. It was like a warm hug, it was a warm hug, Wade realized.
"And then I was trying to tell you how even immortal multiverse-savers needed to have a healthy diet, but you were telling me to fuck off with it. And then Althea barged in and said she could hear us from across the apartment with noise-canceling headphones on, and she told us to shut it because it was 11:30 at night. So we finally decided to go to sleep, and I was so tired I let you put your goddamn Applejack-themed PJs on me."
"...Yeah. That was nice. Real nice, actually. I took pictures," Wade snorted a bit against Logan's chest.
"Yeah no, bub. We're deleting those," Logan said. Wade could hear the smile through his tone.
"Um..." Wade searched for words. It was funny, how he always had a quip or comeback during literal world-threatening situations, but now he couldn't find even one thing to say. "Thank you, I guess," he decided on.
"'S nothing," Logan said, hand still stroking Wade's head and neck, still calming him. "I was freeloading off of you for, what, 3 months before I got the job at the construction company? It's the least I can do."
"But, still..." Wade said. Usually he'd jump at the chance to change the topic, but this time...
"You mean a lot to me, you know that, right?" Logan didn't stop stroking Wade's head, or hugged him any looser. If anything, he stroked more fervently, held on tighter.
"Yeah, yeah, bub, I know," he said. Wade could tell that if Logan had a tail, it'd be wagging.
After a long, peaceful moment, Wade asked, "So, chimichangas for dinner?"
"Actually, I put some lasagna in the oven, and it should be ready in..."
"..."
"Fuck!!!"
And so, one burnt pile of cheese and beef later, chimichangas it was for dinner. Oh, and one failed attempt by Puppins to get the burnt pile of cheese and beef.
Written by a human in Ellipsus.