Sticks and Stones

25

Three hours, two pizzas, and one regrown arm later, Peter and Wade had explained everything that needed to be explained to Steve and Tony.

"Well." Tony said, pursing his lips. "We're happy for you two, I guess?"

Steve hit his arm. "We're very happy for you two. Congrats."

"Thanks, dad." Peter smiled softly.

Wade slung an arm around Peters shoulders. "So, what was that about a penthouse?"

"Don't push it, Wilson." Peter warned with a sideways glance at him.

"What? I'm a curious guy."

—

Later that night, it was just the two of them, and they were both a little drunk. Okay, a lot drunk. Okay, Peter was.

"Wade Wilson, you stupid idiot, I'm completely in love with you." Peter slurred.

"Oh?" Wade asked. "Are you now?"

"Yes. I love you."

"I love you, too, Peter."

Peter started crying. "You're just gonna leave me, though. Everyone always leaves."

"I'm never leaving you."

"Everyone says that!" He sobbed. "But then my dads died and I was all alone. And they promised me they wouldn't leave. But they did!"

"I can't die, though, Peter. I'm never gonna leave you."

This was a moment of realization for Wade. He couldn't die, and Peter could. If he died in a mission and he had to live with himself after that... it would be better if he just left Peter now.

"Everyone always leaves." He repeated, tears streaming down his face. "Everyone always leaves. Please don't leave me, Wade."

"I'm not gonna leave you." Wade lied. "Let's just get you into bed, okay, babe?"

"M'kay..." he tried standing, but ended up falling over. Wade carried him to bed and kissed him one last time before leaving quietly.

'It's for Peter. It's for him, you're making his life better without you.'

Wade mumbled back through the window which he'd already broken earlier that day.

—

When Peter woke up, he was completely alone. His Spidey-Senses told him everything was fine, but something still felt off.

"Wade?" He slurred, still hungover.

He didn't reply. Peter grabbed his phone and went to call Wade, but saw someone had removed his contact from his phone. He hoped he still had the number written down somewhere.

As he started sobering up, he noticed that any pictures of him and Wade were gone. "What the hell?"

He went through the whole apartment, frantic, looking for any sign of his boyfriend and finding none. Finally, he called Tony. "Dad!"

"What? What's wrong?"

"I'm not crazy, right? I have a boyfriend, you and dad met him."

"Yeah... are you high?"

"No! Wade's gone! He was here last night and now he's gone and there's no more pictures of us anywhere. His clothes are g- oh, no." Tears welled in his eyes and he collapsed on the couch. "He left me."

"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry."

"I don't think I did anything." He sobbed.

"Sometimes people leave for no reason. And there's no sign of him in the whole apartment?"

"No! Even the window he broke is fixed."

"I don't know what to tell you, Peter. I'm so sorry."

"I don't get why he left me."

"I don't know, either, honey."

"I'm gonna go... cry."

"It'll be okay."

"Love you, dad. Tell dad I say hi."

"I will. Love you, too."

Peter hung up and let his head fall back against the couch, tears streaming down his face.

"It's not fair!" He sobbed, when he suddenly had a realization. He fell off the couch and jumped up, dialing the number that Wade had told him to use only in emergencies.

"Hello?"

"You're- uh- you're Colossus, right?"

"Who is this?"

"I'm Peter Rogers, I'm Wade's boyfriend."

"Ah, he has spoken very highly of you. Why are you calling, though?"

"He's gone-I just woke up this morning and he wasn't here. All the pictures of us, all his clothes are gone, too. Even the window he broke was fixed. And his number was deleted off of my phone."

"I have no idea where he might be."

"Dammit. Thanks, I guess,"