Chapter Text
Peter looked down at his arm, which was wrapped in a tough white cast, effectively preventing him from doing just about anything with his left hand. He let out a tired sigh, getting his father's attention, "What is it, Peter? Need something?" He asked attentively. Bucky always was attentive these days. It was in a nice sort of way though. Well-meaning attentiveness.
"School..." Peter said dismissively, kicking his feet as they hung off the side of his bed. Peter pressed his good hand to the Iron man comforter, rubbing his fingers over the fabric to calm himself, thinking about his other dads. Folded on the corner of the bed was a blanket that Tony had specially made for Peter, it had been for Christmas this year and displayed Steve and Bucky, back to back in the middle of a fight. Peter, on the colder days, would wrap himself up in the blanket when he went downstairs or watched tv. "Are Steve and Tony getting back anytime soon?"
"I don't really know," Bucky hums, tossing Peter's dirty clothing into the hamper. Bucky'd be the one to wash it later, he didn't like the idea of other people or robots doing all the work for him. "The higher-ups aren't really allowed to tell me anything if I'm not on a mission."
Yeah, Steve and Tony weren't even allowed to call Peter on his first day of school. The only reason that either showed up at the hospital after Peter'd broken his arm, was due to the mission being put on hold until a plan was formed. Also, Steve had begged and begged the second he'd been informed. It was dumb, stupid and Peter wanted his dads back home.
"Did you take down the Christmas tree?" Peter asked after a moment, "It makes me sad."
"Yes, it's in the attic. You won't have to see it anymore." Bucky said softly, brushing his long hair behind his ear as he reordered Peter's new book collection. It seemed like Bucky liked busy work more and more when he was the only parent home.
It really fucking sucked when your dads stood you up for Christmas when they promised they'd be there... Stupid hero job. Why did heroes have to exist and feel obligated to save all these people? Peter had a life that was being utterly ruined because he hadn't seen Steve or Tony in two months, his grades had fallen into low Bs before the finales and he only had one friend. Peter wanted to scream, but for now, he decided to lie down and try to get some sleep for school.
~~~
Wade bumped noses with Peter as they sat quietly in the back of the cafeteria, "Okay, but you have to tell me how it happened," Wade eventually settled on, giving Peter that sweet look he usually did. Damn, Peter had always adored those gorgeous blue eyes.
"Fine," Peter laughed, "I slid on some ice and cracked it on the sidewalk or something like that. I don't know, I wasn't really paying attention, my arm was broken. I was in so much pain."
"Aww, poor baby," Wade chuckled, giving Peter a gentle kiss on the cheek, "Wish you would have called me," Wade was super touchy feely, in a good supportive way.
"I would have, but, my dad wanted to call Tony and Steve," Peter explained briefly, pressing his black-rimmed glasses back up his nose. Steve and Tony were barely around anymore, so Wade had never really needed to know that he had three dads. Bucky was enough of a dad for Wade to assume he had some dead or run away mother, as was probably the case for the wonderful Wade Wagner. Not that he talked about it, but that was honestly the real give away. Step one of having an absent mother? Never speak of her.
"Pshh, c'mon, Bucky's boytoys didn't need to see you any more than I did," The blond gave Peter a rather sad look, lying his head on Peter's shoulder.
"Well, my dad's going down to see them this weekend," Peter had been ripping up a napkin as he talked, maybe it upset him a little bit that he wasn't allowed down to the Avenger's base until he was 18, or had a superpower. Just a little bit, though. "So, if you want to come over-"
"Ooh! Sleepover~" Wade cheered, "You got Tony's debit card?"
"Shh, don't say that so loud," Peter hushed, "But, yes, I do. He trusts me, though, we can't spend it all."
"He won't notice just a little bit going missing," Wade laughed, biting into his sandwich, "When's the old man leaving?"
"I'll text you after the field trip tomorrow," Peter said, resting his hand over Wade's, "He doesn't really know yet, they just told him to come in." Wade was Peter's rock, only God knows where he'd be if Wade hadn't popped into his life.
~~~
The next day, Peter rested his head against Wade's shoulder, his glasses safety sat atop Wade's head like a disregarded pair of sunglasses. His camera was nestled safely in its crossbody carry case. Meanwhile, they waited on the bus with about 60 other kids, all chatting away about something dumb, or the Avengers, or how much they hated whoever in their little minds was worth hating today, maybe for stepping on the back of their shoe, or looking at them funny. It was all so menial, so Peter tried to focus back in on what his boyfriend was saying, but he was wearing the dorky, dark red, short-sleeved, collared polo that made his blue eyes look really shiny and pretty, it was very distracting. Peter was also wearing a near identical one, but Wade's was much more awkwardly fitting. Peter wanted to buy him a new one. However, right now, they matched and it warmed Peter's heart, even though the red made his skin look a lot pinker than it was.
"Well, I mean... I dunno. I just kind of want to stab Logan sometimes, you know?" Wade commented, meanwhile running his fingers through curly brown hair over and over again, watching it lay different every time.
"Mhmm," Peter nodded even though he'd never had that desire in his entire life, however, the sensation of Wade's fingers through his hair was absolutely delightful and he very much wanted it to continue. Well, maybe that's why Peter fell asleep... Maybe not. Who's to know? But, it didn't matter, Peter's dreams were filled with soft thoughts about Wade, curling up beside him under warm blankets that would protect them from the cold, harsh wintery air. Maybe about how Wade would lie protectively around him, like he was the only thing in Wade's world... It was really nice to think about.
~
As they entered the esteablisment, Peter could tell that Wade wasn't nearly as excited as he was. The atmosphere was extremely nice, but Wade had never understood the big or scientific words people used around him, so Peter immediately got the vibe that Wade was having far less fun. Peter took one more picture before he approched Wade, who'd been standing awkwardly on his own. "If it helps you from dissociating, I can explain what they're saying for you," Peter said, holding his boyfriend's hand.
Wade smiled over at him, "If you'd like to. I don't want to distract you from this though, it's your kind of stuff. Sciencey and uhh..." The other boy looked around at the models and posters, "Atomy?" Wade trying his best was aboslutely the sweetest.
Peter chuckled, leading Wade over to a small model of a neon atom, adjusting his glasses, "So, you learned about how atoms bond right? How they share sometimes?" Wade nodded, "Okay, well, this one is Neon, it's-"
"It has 8 little electric guys on its last ring," The blond boy commented, interrupting Peter. But, he was fine with it, Wade had actually remembered something sciencey.
"Yeah, it does! Do you know what that means then, Wade?" Peter prompted, raising an eyebrow, fiddling with his camera anxiously.
"That it... can bond with... That face your making says no..." Wade gestured, and Peter quickly quit his expression, "So, by process of elimination. If they have 8, they don't need to bond."
"Nice, Wade, that's right!" Peter high-fived the other boy with his good arm, mentally promising him a kiss.
Wade was grinning quite proudly, "I know, I'm pretty and smart." Peter giggled, and Wade smiled even brighter. It was unfair how handsome Wade had gotten to be after puberty, Peter realized, pretty bright blue eyes that glittered in the right lighting, his wheat-colored blond hair that got ungodly blond in the summertime. Wade was utterly charming and Peter wanted to kiss him-
However, the head scientist of the lab called them to her. Peter directed Wade's attention to the new objective, leading the taller boy along by the hand. He'd kiss Wade twice later.
The explanation was rather simple, they were first going to see the many spiders they'd been experimenting on, trying to make a kind of super spider, then moving on to the bigger projects they were working on.
Wade absolutely beamed, "I love spiders! No one told me there were gonna be spiders!"
Peter had never really been a fan of arachnids, they had too many legs, were too small, and always looked like they were scheming. Not to mention that Tony absolutely despised them to the point where it had brought around the very important 'why you can't use those words that Tony just screamed' conversation.
Yet, Peter found Wade's hand holding his tightly, extremely engaged as they filed into a side room. The woman practically danced around the room, pointing out certain spiders, their colors, strengths and weaknesses, how they'd managed to breed a vegetarian spider. It was quite interesting, until the scientist paused, "Hmm, it appears our newest spider is running some tests." She said, which translated roughly in Peter's mind to, 'one of these super spiders escaped'. "We might get to see her running some tests."
Wade was happily chirping as he pressed his fingers to the small glass windows, "Aww, hello babe," he cooed affectionately.
"Would you like a picture with him?" Peter asked, one-handedly picking up the camera from the strap that let it rest against his chest.
"It's a female, Pete," Wade says, gesturing to the taped up laminated sheet which read various facts about this specific spider. "Isn't she just stunning?"
"I hope this isn't how you think of me," Peter joked, casually passing over Wade's question, "C'mon, say cheese," He hummed, snapping the picture with practiced, one hand ease.
"I think I blinked, you didn't give me any warning," Wade huffed, frowning, "Can we do another?"
"Sure," Peter said, "I can just cut you out of it and put you up on my wall." Peter, fairly often, would review his pictures and take home any 'ruined' ones that contained Wade. This small hobby ended up forming a wall of slightly blurry, closed-eyed, photo-bombing Wades, which greeted Peter each morning.
Wade smiled at the thought, netting Peter a perfect picture, "There we go, beautiful," Peter smiled at the camera and then suddenly there was a sharp pain in his upper right arm, "What the-?" Peter let go of the camera, letting it drop to his chest as he shook his arm violently.
Wade moved to get closer, "You okay?"
"I think so, that was weird," Peter looked at his arm, there were two tiny indents in his skin where the pain steamed from. It stung lightly but it wasn't disruptively painful.
"Okay," Wade grabbed Peter's good hand just as the whole group moved on. "Whatever you say, babe."
~
The rest of the trip had gone well, but the mark, indents, bite, whatever, which Peter had decided was unmistakably a spider-bite, had gotten itchy and inflamed. Peter'd even gotten dizzy and feverish by the middle of the tour, making it very hard to enjoy. Yet, Wade kept trying to help him pay attention, repeating things that he had been sure Peter'd missed, guiding him when he got confused, or helping him keep balance.
By the time they were back in the bus, Peter could barely remember where they stopped to eat and if he ate anything. All he could do was rest his forehead against Wade's shoulder and neck as they took the trip back. Which felt extremely long in a distant, fever-y kind of way, where Peter was aware of everything but completely unresponsive. He was entirely unconvinced right now was real at all.
Peter honestly wasn't even sure how he made it home... Bucky might have picked him up, he might have rode the bus... He wasn't sure. However, he did, in a zombie-like state give Bucky a kiss good-bye on the cheek, handing over the wrapped Christmas presents for Tony and Steve, "You'll be back by Monday, right?" He asked. Normally it would have been a tearful affair, but right now Peter's entire brain felt foggy, mushy, and incapable of making it's own sentences, so he spoke purely from memory.
"I hope so, Pete," Bucky ruffled his hair, maybe noticing the heat of his fever, "I should get back right before you get home on Monday. If I'm not, you can hang out with Mr. Logan, Wade and Anna Marie, I already told them you might be coming over Monday night. Okay?" Peter nodded, "Okay, don't get into any trouble. I'll see you, love you," He said before stepping out the door, locking it behind himself.
So, there he was, standing in this big empty house, all on his own, sick to his stomach... all of his dads gone. So he, barely awake, made it up the stairs to his room, flopping bonelessly on top of the made bed, closing his eyes, which felt hot behind his eyelids. There was a distant buzz from Peter's phone, Wade had texted him, then a few more times, but, Peter gave in to the overwhelming warmth of his bed and his body, the heaviness in his soul and eyelids. It was time to sleep off whatever this was and hope it'd be Monday when he woke up.