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2017-01-17
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A Matter of Maturity

Summary:

Spider-Man helps people, but not everyone sees it that way, even the Avengers and SHIELD, but when they leave him injured and bleeding after a battle, Wade is going to make them see that one way or another.

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Work Text:

Spider-Man is a menace. He's the vigilante who's trying to play hero and messing things up. He's the tricky, slippery spider that destroys the city whenever he fights. It's his reason there are so many villains running around.

SHIELD wants him. They want to take him down, to pluck him out of the picture where public superheroes have the right away. He doesn't belong in the world unchecked and running rampant. Either he goes with SHIELD or he gets taken out.

The Avengers have kept themselves out of SHIELD's claws when it comes to capturing Spider-Man. It's not that they believe he's good, but that he's helped them and then slipped away without a trace several times. If being unable to track him, to find him, is any clear sign, they know actively trying to capture him would just be messy.

That doesn't mean they like him. Sure, he's been useful a few times, but the Daily Bugle calls him a 'freak', 'a criminal masquerading as a hero', 'a menace'. It won't do to consort with those types. Not at all.

They may like his assistance, grudgingly, but his presence is undesired and unwelcomed. By most of them, at least.

The Hulk seems to like him, even though his identity as Bruce Banner is most cautious and suspicious. Hulk once wrapped Spider-Man in a big hug, protecting him just as a billboard fell on them. He even asked, “Spider hurt?” It was sweet – in a weird wtf way.

It had surprised them when Spider-Man seemed to beam at the giant green hulking hero and replied, “Dude, Hulk, that was totally awesome! Thanks! I'm good, by the way.” There was something juvenile about the way he spoke, young and informal. It was almost as if.. No, it wasn't possible, and like that they threw away their interest in the man in blue and red spandex imitating some odd spider.

As their interactions increased during battles, they learned to ignore his banter. He was naive and reckless. It seemed like he knew no way of cooperating as a team. He made an excellent distraction though and never once said 'no' to being one when asked.

Spider-Man was useful to the Avengers, but he was in no ways their friend. They made that clear to everyone – SHIELD, the media, even to Spider-Man himself as they watched the hero limp away, clearly injured and bleeding. They were merely.. acquaintances in the field.

Word got out that he started being seen with Deadpool. At first the Avengers thought that it was like Spider-Man and any other criminal figure, but once pictures emerged of the two sharing a fist bump over a pile of knocked out would be robbers? Clearly there was something.. not natural budding between the vigilante and the mercenary.

Deadpool was and wasn't an enigma. People wondered sometimes, but then they'd remember how off the wall he was. SHIELD sometimes let the insane, gun and katana slinging mercenary do their dirty work. No one ever called him by his real name. It was always Deadpool, never Wade Wilson. Always 'nutcase', never 'friend'.

The guy was about as sane as the world was flat. None of the Avengers had a problem with throwing Deadpool at the source of any danger.

No one could believe it when SHIELD revealed that Deadpool was only doing jobs requiring non-lethal force now. It was even more of a shock that even in his private, mercenary life, the crazy man was rejecting to do 'hits'. It was the world's largest mystery, but there wasn't a person alive who wanted to get close enough to that loud mouth to even try to solve it. Why he suddenly stopped killing and why he was hanging around the vigilante everyone called a menace was a mystery to be left alone.

As long as he wasn't blowing up buildings or trying to kill anyone innocent, they didn't want to bother with him.

Yet.. there were lingering questions. 'Why is Spider-Man with him?' 'What changed?' 'Is Spider-Man becoming a mercenary?' 'What has that nutcase done?' And the suspicion of where Spider-Man's loyalties lay grows, and the Bugle names Spider-Man as a “rising criminal leader in the underworld”.

No one except a few that Spider-Man has saved argues against those points, but under the wide reach of the media, their cries of protest and steadfast belief in Spider-Man as a hero are drowned out.

Without proof, the Avengers remain cold, intent on keeping the walking menace from tainting their images of being heroes. SHIELD approves of that, at least. Things are better that way, or so they believe right up until one day when their opinions are torn limb from limb.


It starts at the end – the end of a vicious battle between Hydra forces with their new weaponized superpowers. All of the Avengers are somewhat wounded and exhausted with sweat and filth covering their bodies from the fight. Spider-Man leans on a lamppost, watching as SHIELD touches down and their forces split between caring for the wounded Avengers and rounding up the beaten Hydra forces. No medical care is offered to Spider-Man.

The Avengers watch, between being treated and helping SHIELD to contain Hydra soldiers, as Spider-Man clings to the lamppost to remain upright. The spider themed vigilante's wounds bleed with sluggish, steady force, costume ripped and torn. If they look closely in some places, they can see the underlying skin littered with scars of various color to indicate different ages.

Some hear him swear, a free hand coming up to free against bleeding gashes, trying to stop the bleeding. It doesn't appear to help, and there are more wounds than just one that need attention. The vigilante coughs, a harsh, wet cough, that sounds like blood inside his body – some kind of internal bleeding perhaps.

But no one makes a move to help him. He's wanted by the police, by SHIELD. It would be a black stain on the Avengers name if they helped him.

Spider-Man will be fine though. He can take care of himself like the adult that he is. So they climb onto their ship, everyone being too tired to make it back to the Tower on their own, leaving Spider-Man sagged against the lamppost, broken and way too red. They don't even look back when the vigilante falls onto the concrete and doesn't get up.

He can take care of himself.


Wade finds Spider-Man in the midst of the destruction shortly after SHIELD and the Avengers have vanished. He's unconscious, and he's lost too much blood for Wade's liking. A policeman who arrives on scene tries to get the mercenary to hand over Spider-Man, but Deadpool growls threats at him and punches the cop. He's not handing over Spider-Man to anyone. Spider-Man's only ever done good. He's never deserved the kind of hate that he gets.

He doesn't shoot anyone who gets in his way as he flees back to the apartment that he's got set aside for precisely whenever there's a medical emergency. After seeing Peter so beat up and bloodied, he's made it a point to have a place that's stocked full of equipment and medicines just for taking care of Peter. While he can't die, Peter can, and he doesn't want to face a world without his personal hero, friend, and love of his life. Wade would rather destroy the world than see the life fade from Peter's beautiful eyes, to feel warm calloused hands grow stiff and cold.

He's more than a little panicked as he tears Peter's Spider-Man costume from his body and begins to fix him up. It hurts to hear his labored breathing and pained moans as Wade jams the threaded needle into his gashes and sews the skin closed, as he dumps alcohol onto his wounds.. The boxes are sobbing inside his head and tears are matting his mask to his face.

“Peter..” Wade whispers, voice breaking with concern. “Please be okay..” He washes the blood from Peter's skin and bandages him, throwing the bloodied rags into a pile that ooze with horror.

Gently, he moves Peter on the bed he installed. It's fluffy and soft, and he paid thousands for it, but it was worth it for Peter, no matter what the younger said. Nothing was too good for him, nothing.

Fingers threaded in Peter's, he pulls off his mask and squeezes his hand. All he wants is to give Peter his ability to heal, to have Peter wake up and look at him with those gorgeous eyes he loves so much. He loves Peter's ass, everyone knows, but Peter's eyes.. he loves those even more and right now he needs to see the life in them, burning as brilliant as Peter's smile.

[Go get clean,] White quietly orders over Yellows sobbing. [We can't afford to infect him with any of your germs.]

It's hard, but Wade releases Peter's hand, heart wanting to tear in half, because he knows he has to go get clean, but that means leaving Peter. He doesn't want to leave Peter. 'He'll be okay,' he reassures himself. Wade's patched up every wound he could find and even given him some of the blood Peter had set aside (Peter's own) for an occasion such as this. His Petey-pie was always thinking ahead of time.

The shower is too hot and scalds his skin in red angry patterns, but Wade scrubs himself clean, throwing on clean clothes he's stashed here. He's too much in a hurry to care about his fallen, blood spattered suit. All he needs to do is get back to Peter.

He doesn't breathe easily until he returns to Peter's side and has his hand in his again. Peter's skin is pale, but at least he's breathing better. It's a relief to hear the soft thud of Peter's heart and swoosh as he breathes in and out.

“I'm sorry I wasn't there..” he whispers, guilt weighing down his insides. He should've been back sooner, but the mission got messy, making him late. “I'm so sorry..” Wade leans over Peter and presses a kiss to his forehead.

{..Why wasn't anyone there?}

Wade doesn't stop himself from stroking Peter's hand with his thumb as Yellow speaks up, voice sounding serious. “What do you mean?”

[Peter was alone there. Where was SHIELD? Where were the Avengers?] White questions, voice hard.

It makes Wade's thumb pause, before he resumes. They're valid questions. Hydra was obviously gone, taken into custody, but SHIELD and the Avengers wouldn't leave an injured person behind, would they?

{Wouldn't they?} Yellow hisses, darkly. {They've left you before.}

Wade shakes his head, because that's different. They know he can't die and he's his own damn person for fuck's sake. Wade Wilson, Deadpool, is an adult and can damn well take care of himself.

{But Peter can't..}

[He's still young.]

'He is an adult,' Wade argues, because Wade Wilson isn't a pedo.

[You're right,] White admits. [But he's just barely into his adulthood still. We only started dating him after he'd become an adult.]

{Like.. the very day really,} Yellow adds. {Two months ago.}

[He's still a baby,] White croons, looking at Peter's young face. Peter is most definitely one of the youngest heroes, even if he's been a hero longer than some of the Avengers. He's still a kid, not literally, but.. [He's still too young to be doing this.]

That.

Fuck, Wade knew that he was young, but he also knew that Peter was an adult. Peter had grown up faster than his body had matured. It was saddening, but he was perfect for Wade. Strong, just, funny, and gentle.. He had no right to take Spider-Man away from Peter. He couldn't really, but that didn't mean he couldn't take Spider-Man away from the Avengers.

They didn't deserve him or his help, of that Wade – no, Deadpool was more than sure of. He flips on the TV, listening to the news as a dull hum in the background. The news lies, but they've never left things out when it comes to the Avengers. They love their live coverage and commentaries.

“..Witnesses say it was thanks to Spider-Man that the Avengers were able to turn the tide of the battle; however, if that's true, why did the Avengers and SHIELD leave him behind when he was injured?” a reporter was saying.

Wade froze, eyes slowly turning towards the TV with an astonished sort of crazy look that tended to make his victims piss themselves. “Excuse me?”

“Well, Barbara, if the Avengers left him behind, can't it honestly be said that perhaps witnesses were attempting to glorify the story? After all, if Spider-Man really were a hero that helped save the Avengers in a pinch, wouldn't they take the time and effort to make sure he was okay?”

{Yeah! - Wait, what?} Yellow says with confusion.

'There's no doubt that Peter helped them,' Wade noted, a coldness washing over him like water.

[If Peter helped the Avengers, then they knew how injured he is. They left him to die.] White hisses viciously.

Yellow shivers inside of him like a snake waiting to sink its venom filled teeth into its prey, and Wade can't deny that he's not feeling the same. It hits him like bricks and makes him want to bathe in the blood of the people who did this to his Peter.

The Avengers left Peter to die.

Wade looks at Peter, stroking his soft cheek, admiring the length of his eyelashes and the way his hair spilled over his forehead. Peter is gorgeous; he's bright. He's such an innocent, loving soul, who tries to take on the burdens of everyone. There's no one he wouldn't try to save. He's just so young and pure… And had Wade not come sooner, he would've died because of the Avengers and SHIELD. They would've let his Peter die.

[{Kill them.}] White and Yellow growl. Wade likes that idea. 'Wade likey very much.'

'But…' What about Peter? Wade knew he was going to have to have a little chat with Iron Lung and his pathetic band of asshats, but was Peter going to be okay without him?

{Call Hell Boy!} Yellow suggested enthusiastically.

[He means Daredevil. Drag Murdock's butt over here. He'll keep an idea on Peter.] White stated.

Wade nodded. It was the perfect idea. Horn Head adored Peter and would keep him safe. Blind ninja had even given Wade the shovel talk. {And maybe a few broken bones.}

He smoothed back Peter's hair as he slipped out his phone and dialed the vigilante. “Matty? Need your help. Can you come here and keep an eye on Petey?” ['Keep an eye' – really?] “I have to make a trip out and he's not doing too great.” He'd make it though, but it'd take time to recover, to heal. Spider-Man would have to take some time off, but Wade was cool with that. He just needed to make sure Peter would be too.

Shortly after he'd hung up, Matt walked in the door, not bothering to knock. Wade never did, so he didn't either. It was a sort of mutual home invasion that had developed between the two. It wasn't like he was going to come in during anything with his senses, so it was fine.

Wade didn't move as Matt moved around the bed, settling on Peter's other side. Matt reached out, touching Peter's hand and slipping his fingers in it. Wade had the other one and he wasn't about to let go. “I heard about what happened,” Matt murmured, keeping his voice soft. “You're going to make sure it doesn't happen anymore, right?”

Matt's body was tense, and it was obvious that he was seething on the inside. The Devil wanted to lash out and break bones just like Wade. They both knew that Peter couldn't be left alone though, and really Wade wanted this honor all too badly.

“I'm going to get them,” Wade hissed, voice cold and detached, though his grip on Peter's hand remained light and lovingly.

“Do what you have to,” Matt said, tone low, but understanding. “I'll watch over him. He'll be safe.”

{He better be.}

[Time to get a move on. The sooner we leave and kick some asshats around, the sooner we can get back to Peter.]

“Right,” Wade nodded, leaning forward and kissing Peter's lips ever so lightly. It made his heart flutter with joy to feel Peter's breath on his face. It was proof that he'd saved Peter, that the love of his insane life was alive.

He stood, careful not to disturb Peter and slid over to where he kept a spare suit. He wasn't about to put on the one covered in Peter's blood. He'd probably burn it later. There was no reason he'd ever want to remember Peter bleeding out in his arms.

{Knife.. knife.. bullets.. gun.. another gun.. Oh, lookie! A gun!} Yellow gleefully said.

[Don't forget the grenades, and the katana.] White reminded, smartly.

“Got it.” Wade finally slipped the mask over his head, breathing in the scent of the polymer mix Peter had helped him add into it. Although he couldn't die, Peter was adamant about keeping Wade safe. Even the smallest pains, Peter did his best to prevent or at least alleviate. His Peter was an angel.

[-Is- an angel, dumbass. He's still an angel.] White chided.

{A gorgeous, sexy angel. Me~ow~!} Yellow purred.

Deadpool looked back at his love once more, heart aching at the sight of Peter wrapped in bandages that were spotted in red, the way Peter breathed in and out, his skin pale… He didn't want to have to leave, but he had to. Someone had to pay for this.

He slid into the taxi, muttering a 'hi' to Dopinder. His friend seemed to notice that things were a bit off as he leaned his head back and waited to arrive at Avengers Tower.

Sneaking into Avengers' Tower is a lot easier than people think. Deadpool's actually been up to the tippy tip top without anyone noticing! [Easy.] This time, though, his goal isn't a simple trespass. He's going more for… home invasion.

{Think we can pick up some of that fancy pants tea Mean-and-Green drinks while we're here? I bet Petey-pie would love it!}

[First things first, Yellow.]

Deadpool made a mental note to grab some of the fancy tea after he finished taking care of business. His grin was toothy under his mask as he slipped from level to level unnoticed by anyone, not even Stark's AI. {We're a lean, mean, kick butt, katana and gun wielding machine!}

Finally on Avengers Commons, he hears the chatter of the familiar voices. Stark is yelling some shit about Featherhead eating all the cookies and – [Blah, blah, blah. Stop right there. We don't need to hear what kind of stupid shit they're talking about. We need to get in there and tear them limb from limb. Remember Peter?]

Yellow whimpers, {Petey…}

Deadpool growls, hands slipping into his weapons and pulling out his precious guns. 'No silencer this time. Wanna hear them all scream,' he thought darkly. {And… action!}

“Why, hello there bitches!” Deadpool sing-songs, twirling the guns in his hands as he walks into the room, posture appearing carefree but deadly.

Yellow laughs with darkness as Stark falls over in shock and the others whirl about with pure, utter shock on their faces. It's pretty funny, actually. Maybe he can find a way to break into the video security and get a copy of this. [Shouldn't get your hopes up. Peter's not going to enjoy it if we break a few eggs here.]

'True.'

“Deadpool,” Stark growls at him, looking a lot like a petulant child than his hero alter-ego.

Deadpool gasps, hand over his heart with one of his guns still clutched in it. “You know me? I'm so...” he pretends to think for a moment “not honored. Who cares about your rich boy tendencies.”

“Why're you here, 'Pool?” Barton demanded.

Behind his mask, Deadpool rolled his eyes. “Well, for once I'm not here to play hide-and-go-seek. I am, however, a man on a mission.” His lips quirked up in a smile that even a shark would be afraid of. “I'm here because you, and you, and you, and you, and you, and you,” he slowly said, pointing with a gun to each of the Avengers as he looked at them, “fucked up. You made it on my Kill List, and let me tell you, I'd gotten rid of it until recently. You guys just had to start it up again. Spidey's going to make me sleep on the couch for a week.”

{Ughh… My pretty!}

[Sssh! Less talking, more reaming,] White scolded.

“Getting to that,” Deadpool muttered. “Anywhos~” He slipped closer to Stark, smirking at the way the man stiffened and everyone else tensed, ready for anything. {They think they're ready for anything. Pft. Pansies.}

It didn't take him much effort to slip his arm around Stark's neck and pull him up to his side. “You see, Iron Britches,” Deadpool blathered. “I don't give a fuck about your stupid clubhouse usually. You're self-centered pricks who think the world revolves around you and that you can do no wrong – which, by the way, obviously isn't true.” Stark stood, frozen in his hold as Deadpool's gun brushed his skin.

“What do you mean, Wilson?” Mr. Red, White, and Blue questioned, eyes narrowed.

“I mean, you left Spidey there to die,” Deadpool deadpanned. {Hehe..} The Avengers blinked, confused.

“What does it matter to you?” Spiderlady inquired, her body ready to kill.

“Spidey is my Snookums, and if I hadn't managed to get to him when I did, he could've die. All because you self-absorbed dumbasses were too afraid for your public image,” Deadpool hissed.

“He's a criminal!” Featherhead interrupted, protesting.

Deadpool glared at him. “No. He's the sweetest kid there is. Who the fuck did you think was behind getting me to stop killing? Hmm~? Who's out there busting his toned ass to help the little people? Not you, that's for sure. He is. Spider-Man is a goddamn saint who would give his life to help others and you treat him like a criminal? Y'all are fucked in the heads, and coming from me, that's saying something.”

“He's a vigilante, acting outside the law, Wilson! He needs to be controlled to make sure he's not going to-”

“To what, Mr. Red, White, and Blue? To make sure he's not going to destroy anything? Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure that's what he stops all those people bent on killing and causing chaos from doing. - Wait, I am crazy. Whatever,” Deadpool flippantly added on.

“Spider-Man is so fucking young – you don't know what you're doing. I get that you can't see behind the spandex, but he's so young.” Deadpool let the butt of one of his guns run over Stark's face. “You see these wrinkles? His skin is so perfect and young looking, because he is.” Deadpool tightened his arm around Stark.

“I wonder what you would think if I told you that he first donned that skin tight clothing in high school?” Deadpool wondered aloud, pleased with the way he saw jaws grow slack and faces drain of color.

“It's not.. It can't be true...” Featherhead choked out, eyes wide. Spiderlady was looking at him with disbelief. [Look all you want, Red. We're telling nothing but the truth.]

Mr. Red, White, and Blue looked frightened. {Good look on him.} [He should be afraid.] “He's a kid…?” his voice was soft and wavered with his fear.

“He's an adult, but still a kid. He's too young for all the shit he goes through, but he's been mature for a long time,” Deadpool explained, feeling Stark swallow under his hold. “In addition to being a superhero who's way too good for you, he's also the one I love,” he ground out, aching for blood, to see them writhing on the floor in pain the same way they'd left his Petey-pie.

“You left him to die.”

Deadpool could see the realization of it on their faces, in their body language. They'd left someone so young, and pure, if they believed him, behind.

“We didn't know...” Mean and Green whispered.

“T'was not our intention -” Long, Blonde tried to say.

He shot the doctor and L'Oreal dude a dirty look. “That doesn't change anything. It's your fault.”

“We're sorry,” Featherhead tried, but Deadpool wasn't hearing any of it.

“No,” Deadpool snapped. “Be sorry, but that fixes nothing! The love of my life is lying in bed, trying to recover, struggling to heal because he helped you and you left him behind to die without even attempting to help him. There's no way you didn't see how hurt he was.” Deadpool shook his head, Stark gasping as Deadpool's arm became painfully tight on him.

“We didn't mean -”

“No!” Deadpool glowered at them, mask slits narrowing at them. “I don't give a fuck about you pricks! You're going to leave him alone. You're going to help him if you see him hurt. You're going to stop treating him like some leper!”

“Or what?” Stark choked out.

Deadpool went still, looking down at the rich brat. “Or I'm going to end you.” His tone went low and dark. “You can run, you can hide, but I'm never going to go away. I will find a way to rip you limb from limb, barehanded so I can enjoy the way you scream and die, slowly, and painfully.” Stark's eyes went wide, fear filling his face.

“Let him go...” Deadpool's eyes found Mr. Red, White, and Blue, and he snorted. {Just like them to beg for the life of their teammate, but care nothing for the life of our Petey.}

“Right...” Deadpool said slowly, an idea blossoming from his rage. He made to let go of Stark but just at the last moment, he shoved the man into Mr. Red, White, and Blue. Grinning, he wait a moment for the Captain's arms to grab Tin Man, and then he struck.

No one had a chance to move as Deadpool threw his gun into his other hand to join another and then his fist was smashing into Captain America's nose. {Wheee~!!!} A sickening crack echoed through the room as the super soldier's nose broke with his own knuckles. [Meh, we'll heal.]

Blood ran down Captain America's chin and he fell back with Iron Britches in his arms. It was a sight he wanted to take a picture of and frame. {We just broke his noseeeee~ We just broke his nose~!}

[Move, dumbass!]

As Barton and Romanov moved, so did Deadpool. He slipped around them, dodging punches and kicks. He saw an opportunity as he moved around Barton. 'Ehh.. Why not?' His leg snapped out and Barton cried out as his shin cracked. Deadpool grinned.

He grabbed Spiderlady and flung her into Thor's arms with such force that she collided painfully with his body. Before anyone else could move, Deadpool was standing behind a green-tinted Banner, guns back in both of his hands with one pointed at the good doctor's temple. “Now then. I could destroy you all, but you'll heal. You should just be grateful he will too, or else I'd do more than just break some bones.”

Spiderlady was being helped up by Thor and Stark was holding Captain USA up. Barton was glaring through the pain at Deadpool. “Remember that I'm unkillable,” Deadpool reminded them. “If you hurt him anymore, you'll pay.”

Suddenly he brightened, tone light-hearted and playful. “Toodles, bitches!” Deadpool shoved Banner onto Barton and shot the window open, flinging himself out of it and disappearing into the night of the city.


Bruce was splinting Clint's leg so that he could get proper attention, eyebrow raised with an odd amusement at seeing Tony fuss over Steve's broken nose. “He's right, you know,” his soft voice had everyone stopping and looking at him.

He shrugged. “Even if Spider-Man is as young as he says, which is highly possible, we've all been treating him like he's less than human.”

Steve sighed, mopping blood from his face as his healing took over. “You might be right, Bruce.”

Bruce leveled a look at him. “I wasn't the only one who saw Spider-Man injured and bleeding as we took off. What if he'd died?”

Tony scoffed, aggravated. “He didn't die.”

“But he could've. What then?”

No one had any answers for him. They would've been guilty of leaving him to die. Him, a human being just like they were, someone only trying to do good with his abilities.

“We didn't know...” Clint murmured.

“But we could've,” Bruce reminded them. His voice rang in their heads, because they could've. How long had it been since Spider-Man had appeared? How many times had he helped them, had saved the city alone? They could've known, if only they'd ignored SHIELD and the Daily Bugle. They would've known, but they'd let themselves be fooled.

“T'was a simple error of the mind that we did not help him today,” Thor spoke.

Bruce shook his head. “It wasn't just that, Thor. If he'd died, we would've been murderers. I don't know about you, but we're supposed to save people, not let them die.”

“So we do better next time,” Tony suggested, but this time it was Natasha's turn to speak up.

“After what we did? I'm not sure we can. Deadpool's certainly not going to let us anywhere near him anymore,” she stated, and that was the question. Maybe it was too late to change things.


[Well, another costume ruined,] White sighed. Wade slipped into the apartment, grimacing at the way glass shards fell out when he moved a certain way. “I'm back, Hornhead,” he spoke into the apartment, knowing Matt would hear him.

{Do we have to shower again?} Yellow questioned, horrified.

[Yes.]

Wade groaned, stripping as he moved through the rooms into where Peter was laid up. “Welcome back,” Matt said as Wade walked in. “How was it?”

Wade shrugged, eyes glued to the unconscious form of his lover. He was never going to get used to see him bandaged and bloodied. [{Never.}]

At least he was looking a bit better. Peter was breathing easier, cheeks filled with more color than they were when he left. Wade leaned over and brushed his lips against Peter's. “I gave them a warning and their punishment.”

Matt raised an eyebrow under the red tinted glasses but didn't argue about what Wade did. “He's healing slowly. His ribs are the worst of it, but it sounds like they'll be healed in a few days.” Wade nodded as Matt continued, “I changed the IV, but he'll probably need another in a fifteen minutes.”

This time Wade didn't bother to answer. He didn't need to, really. Matt already knew he understood. He just wanted to remind himself that he'd saved Peter, that he was alive.

“Go get a shower,” Matt interrupted his thoughts. “And put some clothes on. I know you and Peter are a thing, but I'm not part of it, so I don't care of your nudity.”

Wade chuckled, lips quirking up in a smile. “Why, Matty, if you wanted to join us, all you had to do is ask. I'm chill with polyamory.”

Matt snorted. “Get your butt in the shower. Peter's been stirring a bit. He could wake up sometime soon.” He grinned, eyes unfocused under the sunglasses. “Don't you wanna be here when he wakes up?”

Blinking, Wade grinned. “You're such a shit, DD.” He ran his fingers through Peter's soft hair as he stood straight. “I'm going, I'm going.” He padded back into the shower for the second time today, comforted and relieved that Peter was going to be okay. He'd make sure of that this time.

{Our second shower today!? What are we – doctors!?}

[Just shut up so we can hurry up and get back to Peter.]


Notes:

Hello~ Gosh, this has been sitting on my desktop, unfinished, for over a week. I'm so glad I've been able to finish it now. Special thanks to Nixie, as always. I swear, I should get her a trophy for how much she helps me (she's an angel).

Also, a special thanks to jblue_leviathan177 for the advice that helped me get through the block I was with this. jblue_leviathan177 has some amazing work - I highly recommend!

Hope your Monday went well/decently. Mondays, eh? Yikes. Hope the rest of your week gets better if it wasn't so good, and even if it was.

Thanks for reading. ~
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