What Tangled Webs We Weave

Epilouge

"Hey, Petey.  How are you today?  I'm feeling okay.  It would be better if you were here."

Wade sat in front of a grave, staring at Peter's name, engraved in the stone.  It had been a year since it happened, and Wade still couldn't believe it.

"Happy birthday.  18, right?"  Wade sighed.  "Y'know, I go back and watch that video again and again.  The video you made?  I wish I had known sooner."

"Pete, you didn't deserve this.  You didn't deserve any of this.  I'm not just talking about dying, you didn't deserve any of the Ultron stuff.  All the crap you got about it.  You had your whole life ahead of you.  You were going to graduate.  I was going to take you to get your first drink.  Oh that would have been fun."

Wade shook his head.  "You deserved to have a life.  A life free of villains attacking you whatever you do.  I want to have been part of that life.  But it's too late now."

Wade leaned against the grave, setting the flowers down. His eyes drifted over to the grave nearby. McKenna Young, 2001 - 2018. He sighed and closed his eyes.

His eyes shot back open what must have been a few minutes later as he heard footsteps approaching.  What were the odds that the Avengers would come right as he was there?  Pretty high, apparently.

He stood up.  He was ready to run off when he saw Tony looking at him.

There was a poignant silence before Tony finally spoke up.

"Wilson.  I know you want to leave because we are here, but..." he sighed.  "You have the right to be here on his birthday, just like us.  Will you... please... stay?"

Wade was shocked, if he was being honest.  Tony Stark had just asked him to stay?  And he said please?  Dang.  Might as well.

"I- Alright."  Wade stayed there, looking back at the grave.

The rest of the Avengers filed in behind him.  Steve took Tony's hand and together they took a spot by Wade.

Right behind them was Bruce and Vision, followed by Wanda, Clint and Natasha.   At the back of group was a certain God of Thunder with Sasha on his shoulders.  She held onto his hair to stay on his shoulders and he led them to the grave.  Behind them was the one and only Loki Laufeyson.  He had been dragged along by Thor.

When everyone arrived, Thor set Sasha down.  This was the first time he had been to the grave.  He had only arrived back a short while ago.  He had been heartbroken upon hearing the news. There had been a terrible thunderstorm that day.

"How terrible. How could this happen?" Thor shook his head.  "I swear I will find the man who did this-"

"He's already dead," Steve and Wade said at the same time.  Wade looked down.  He had been the one to make sure of that.  He knew that Steve and Tony probably assumed that had been the case. 

"Ah.  Wade Wilson, I presume?"  Loki spoke up in the back.  Thor said he wasn't evil at the moment, so everyone had agreed that Thor could drag him along if he made sure that Loki didn't kill anyone.

"The one and only."  Wade looked back up at the god of mischief.  "Wow, you're much greasier in person."  Loki smiled faintly at the remark.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there."  Thor turned to Tony.  "Perhaps if I had been, things would have been different."

"It's okay.  You didn't know this would happen.  None of us did."

Tony turned to Wade.  "Did he- Did Peter ever tell you about... about the men?"  Wade and the Avengers never really got a chance to talk in the past year.  Wade had almost always ran away.   They had gotten him to stay and talk a few times, but not a lot.  Not about this yet.