careful - super family

chapter twelve

Tony, Peter, and Steve sat in the living room in awkward silence. Peter was too upset to speak, and his dads weren't exactly sure what to say. Steve took a deep breath, and tried his best to break the silence. "Peter, we're sorry."

"We are?" asked Tony. Steve gave him a nudge and rolled his eyes. "Yes, Tony. We are."

Tony's voice softened, "Pete, do you really love this boy?" Peter didn't hesitate to answer. "Yes, I really do. More than anything. Well, at least I did."

"What happened?" A tear began to roll down Peter's face. "Well, when someone was beating me up at school, he just stood there watching. I know he was scared, but he didn't even try to help." Peter hurried his head in his hands and began to cry harder.

"I'm so sorry, bud. All of this isn't fair. I'm sorry for the way we've treated you. We weren't being fair." Steve pulled his son up into his arms, and cradled him. Peter continued to cry, soaking Steve's shirt with tears. "I d-don't hate you," Peter mumbled into his chest.

"What?"

Peter sat up and wiped away his tears. "I don't hate you. I should have never said you were the worst dads ever. I love you, guys. So much." Steve pulled Tony and Pete into a big group hug. "We know, Pete. We know. It's okay. We love you too."

...

The next day Peter tried his best to ignore Wade at school. He ran quickly to class and sat alone at lunch. He was glad things were resolved with his dads, but he was worried he'd never be truly happy again. Without Wade, he felt empty. He wasn't sure if he'd ever find love like that again.

He became anxious as he saw Wade walking towards him in the cafeteria. He kept his head down, pretending not to notice him. "Hey, Peter? Can we talk after school?"

"I don't know, Wade."

"Please? There's just something I gotta say. If you change you're mine, I'll be in the usual spot."