:: WARNINGS ::

DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE EASILY TRIGGERED!

This is AN EXTREMELY DARK FANFIC!

EXTREMELY DARK FANFIC! PETER PARKER IS A DARK!PETER.

NO MAJOR CHAPTER WARNINGS!

CHAPTER 4: Promises, Not Broken (Yet!)

For Wade, these last couple of months have been the best he has had since the accident. Peter has been nothing but loving and gentle with him. The threat of suicide has worked and although it wasn't easy emotionally for Wade to do, he doesn't regret it. Knowing he would heal physically at least and hopefully force his husband to confront the truth of how bad things had actually become between them and how desperate Wade was for things to change for the better - has worked. Things have indeed changed for the better! In fact it has been so good that Peter has accepted an invitation to the annual Avengers' Christmas gathering at Stark Tower.

In the past few years Tony has invited them many times, but Peter's increasing extremely aggressive behavior has become so controlling he would neither attend, nor allow Wade to attend either by himself or with Peter's approval a companion. Peter reasoning was that he didn't care much for Tony's drunken behavior. Nor his comments concerning his husband.

In actuality it made him extremely defensive and angry. Usually he would start taking it out on Wade. It was because of this Wade had not wanted to go to any of the earlier parties either, but now he is filled with excitement at the prospect because Peter has been so good to him, and he has secretly always hoped he could attend. After all it is a Christmas party, and if he knew anything about Stark, he knew it would be amazingly lavish and grand.

After showering together, and making out, Wade is dressed wearing a blush pink coloured turtleneck sweater and dark blue jeans. He looks flushed, but amazing in the outfit. It brings out his lovely caramel eyes. Peter is equally dressed in another turtleneck, and blue jeans, however his is a soft medium dusky blue colour. It doesn't make his chestnut chocolate eyes stand out as much as his spouse's does in his sweater, but then again Peter's eyes have always been the lighter of the two and some have said prettier, although Peter vehemently disagrees, preferring his husband Wade's colour to his own. Both tops are as soft as they can be being a very high quality cashmere.

Beautifully decorated for Christmas the room that the party is currently held in is gigantic measuring over eighty feet long and a nearly perfect circle. The pure white marble flooring is sparkling so brightly with the reflected lights that it almost seems like there are two of every one of them. The room itself is a modern white with silver, stainless steel, and black accents. Twinkling white fairy lights light the room and are hanging from the ceiling, along with two dozen real candlelit crystal chandeliers.

The Christmas tree is real and over twenty feet tall; just barely missing the twenty-five foot ceiling. It is a crisp green and is covered in shimmering blue, silver, and white ornaments. Underneath are presents by the dozens for all of the Avengers. They are all wrapped in matching paper - Medium blue with white, silver with medium blue, white with pale blue and pale blue with silver. All together it looked like it came out of a magazine. Knowing Tony, it most likely did. He is famous for hiring the best decorators and party planners on the planet.

The party this year wasn't very large as far as the guest list went to fill the magnificent room and if it wasn't for the tables of food, seating and decorations filling every corner, it would seem rather empty. Thor, Bruce Banner, Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers Barnes, Pepper Potts, and Clint Barton were the only attendee's besides Tony himself and of course the Parker's. Natasha Romanov Barton is absent as is Jane Foster, Thor's spouse. Those present aimlessly wander around the stunning room with plates in hand eating and chatting in delight.

Tony is wearing his usual casual clothes; he's dressed in black jeans and a black Iron Maiden T-shirt. Bruce is in a nice pair of dark grey slacks, black socks, a festive red sweater, and is nervously fiddling with a silver ring on his left hand. Bucky and Steve are adorable in matching outfits: black slacks and white suit shirts. They have cufflinks with their married initials on them. Pepper is wearing a gold dress and matching high heels. Her jewellery is rubies set on gold. Both her dangling heart earrings, as always as her single heart necklace.

Clint wears a plain platinum Irish Claddagh wedding ring due to the nature of his work; it's sturdy and holds up to the physical activities he finds himself participating in. He is dressed in black jeans and a black sweater, because he isn't one for dressing up for holiday parties he is the most plainly clothed. His wife Natasha Romanov Barton is away on a mission for S.H.I.E.L.D. If it wasn't due to the type of mission she is on she too would be here dressed simply in a white sweater and white jeans with only her matching wedding band as jewellery.

Thor Foster is the most lavishly dressed. His outfit of a dark red kilt, and open leather top is an usual choice for the gathering. He too is wearing jewels. His are thick gold links as a masculine necklace, and he wears a silver Celtic bracelet that is centuries old. His wedding ring is thick, gold and covered in rare jewels. They are not known to earth but look similar to amethyst and rubies. His wife, Jane wears a matching band, but was unable to attend due to her pregnancy is waiting at home for him to bring her food. Like any dutiful husband, he will be bringing her, her most favourite things.

Throughout the room there are white plush cushioned couches and stainless steel tables filled with a smorgasbord of food. Roast turkey, lamb with mint sauce, prime Kobe beef roast that must have cost thousands of dollars, Northeastern she-crab soup, lobster, Blue King crab legs, roasted vegetables, sweet fresh fruit, pies of every variety both sweet and savoury; the spread was almost endless. If not for the tables being metal it seemed as though they would have buckled under the weight of all that food.

Wade could not be more happy. But as everybody knows happiness never lasts. He is starting to get flushed and is going off to excuse himself to the bathroom for a moment to toss cold water on his face in an attempt to cool off. The other guests see that Peter follows him. Not leaving his husband's side for a single moment. The looks they share pick up on this peculiar conduct.

After the pair return to the room the others notice Wade's attitude has changed. Before he had been glancing around the room in childish delight at all the wonders of the party as his husband closely followed along. Now he is glued to his side, and has become extremely affectionate with his touches, even in public. He keeps cuddling up to Peter's neck. It looks like he is trying to playfully nip his husband there, and these activities make Thor grin in happiness at the young couple, but the others furrow their foreheads in concern.

Servers come around the room again, and again carrying crystal glasses of sparkling champagne. They come towards the Parkers and for a nanosecond Wade forgets himself entirely; as he reaches out for a glass of the bubbling alcoholic drink his husband takes it from him instead. As he does so, he leans forward and asks the server for sparking white grape juice or something else festive but non alcoholic. He notices Bruce's deep frown, but ignores him until the other man approaches the couple with Steve, Tony, Pepper and Clint in tow. Thor is walking to the food laden table and is off to the right side.

"You don't like champagne, Wade?" Bruce questions.

Peter rudely answers for him, "He's not allowed to have it with his medications." Steve and Bruce both frown at Peter's interruption into a conversation between his husband and Bruce as well as his needless rude behavior.

Bruce briefly treated Wade after his attack and knew nothing that would have been prescribed would have had an alcohol warning on them at that time, and so he is immensely perplexed. Not liking Peter's belligerent lack of respect or his controlling manner, he purposely turns to Wade and queries, "That is too bad, Wade. Is there anything else I can get for you? Some other type of champagne one with less alcohol content? Or perhaps a watered down one so you can get the taste without any alcohol to speak of really at all?"

Wade glances to his husband, blushes, and looks down instead of answering straight away. Peter takes his hand, and unseen to anybody else squeezes his fingers together threateningly. "U-uh... I don't really like the taste anyways."

Tony downs his hundredth drink of the night and looks to be a little puzzled when he states, "That must be new! You used to be able to drink me under the table drinking champagne and bourbon at these things. Well, what with your healing factor and all."

The others looked shocked. While he is drinking Tony sometimes acts like an ass, but he not has acted like this around Wade since he was hurt and recovered.

As always the real problem starts simply. Another little offhand comment this time highly offensive made by Tony about how he doesn't understand why Peter stayed with Wade after he was diagnosed with his mental disabilities anyways. He doesn't really mean it badly but he has never approved of Peter's relationship with Deadpool, and he often speaks without thinking how what he says will sound to others. In his opinion: A killer never changes! An opinion best kept to himself.

"Tony!" Bruce Banner admonishes. "You shouldn't say such things! Especially to Wade's face."

"Should I just talk about him behind his back? Because I could quite easily." Tony slurs.

"I'd rather you never speak like this at all," Bruce tells him with an exasperated sigh. "Wade has been through a lot since that night, and doesn't deserve to be so badly treated. Besides, before that he was changing his mercenary ways and had stopped killing for hire. Everyone, including you I might add had been immeasurably proud of the changes Wade has made with Peter's assistance."

Annoyed at being treated like a child in his own home; at his own Christmas party, Tony drunkenly tells the room of Avengers, "Yes, Saint Peter here changed a killer lion, into a soft, docile, baby lamb. Bravo! Peter Parker is a fucking Saint, as we all know!"

"Enough! Tony, really!" Pepper Potts snaps at her former lover. "You are completely out of line!" She shakes her head. "To behave this way at all is terrible enough Tony, but to treat your guests this badly when you are drunk is inexcusable. You should lay down until you can control yourself at a party!"

The entire room is outraged by Tony's thoughtless, careless words. Clint especially. Tony has never been very sensitive towards him either with his disability, especially when he is drunk, but this is far beyond a few thoughtless comments that he would make about a hawk that needs to reads lips being funny. (A reference to Clint Barton's partial deafness.) He is absurdly pleased that Natasha isn't here, because despite her suspicions of Deadpool before his accident the few times she has been around him since, she has told Clint that he is a completely different, changed person.

Wade Wilson Parker is no longer a killer for hire, besides when he had been he had not been a bad sort of person. Yet even if he wasn't a changed person today, she would never, ever stand for these types of insulting, hurtful comments being flung towards a person with a disability. At least she never did when Tony's drunken insensitivity made its way towards Clint himself; she always defended him. She always will.

Closing his eyes in regret Tony apologies, "I'm sorry, Wade; I shouldn't have said that to you." Breathing deep he goes to sober up by laying on the couch closest to the windows to excuse himself. "I am sorry, Peter, Wade. Truly I should know better than to open my drunken mouth."

"It's okay, Tony," Deadpool tells him. Glancing at his husband he swallows deeply and turns away in worry.

Forcefully Peter says, "Yes. Tony, it is quite all right. After all some things just get said. It hardly matters what." Peter cryptically tells this directly to Tony Stark. To the entire room at large, he is overheard saying, "It is getting late husband; we better go home." Reaching for Wade's hand he adds, "We have plans for the weekend, after all."

Ashamed Tony lays down on a white couch by the Windows. He has been nursing a drink all night but he hands off his current glass to one of the servers. Before the party began he had started to drink and he hasn't eaten in a couple of days. In a little while he really should get up and eat something instead of drinking on a completely empty stomach. After the Parker's leave he will eat something substantial as he tries to make amends for his once again thoughtless insults.

Clint notices Peter's strange words and tone. He exchanges looks with Bruce and Steve to see if they too have picked up on the odd atmosphere in the air around the pair. Bruce looks back at Clint and nods once. Steve turns his head to the left and goes to stand much closer to Wade.

"We will see you on Monday, Wade. Right?"

Wade almost stutters he is so nervous. "Oh, of course Steve. I-We will see you Monday."

Thor as usual picks up on the strange behavior of his fellow warriors, but misses the subtly of the exchanges and cannot seem to analyse them yet for their deeper meaning. They will all be discussing this when the couple leave for home. This is the look shared between them all. Clint now wishes that Natasha had made the party. She truly did not care for such things in the least, but she would have been essential in both the observation of these two: Peter and Wade; but also she would have gathered a greater insight than any other person for the eventual group discussion.

The Parker's make their way to the coat room, pulling on matching black wool coats. Wade has a red cashmere scarf that his husband ties around his neck tightly wrapping it in multiple intricate loops. Peter has a pure pristine white cashmere scarf which he picks up after putting his coat on, helping Wade with his, he merely hangs his scarf around his neck neglecting to even tie it a single time.

Wade can now be heard giggling at something. His lover's voice is also heard low, angry in the background. They overhear only part of the conversation but it is enough to get an idea that something is terribly wrong between the two. "Hurry up, Wade." Something lower is said next but not heard, and then Wade also says something they are unable to hear before Peter once again can be heard seething, "I know you understand we shouldn't have gone anywhere so close..."

The rest cannot be heard at all, but as the first part makes little sense to the listeners they don't know if hearing the rest would even help them figure out what is not right with the pair of lovers. As soon as Tony sobers up, and Natasha returns they can ask J.A.R.V.I.S. to play the recording of the couple. Perhaps they will be able to decipher their quite conversation, perhaps not. Regardless Natasha should be able to analyse their body language at the very least. She joins them as the night has come to a close.

The group of Avengers arrange themselves among the large dinning table. Tony gets up from his place among the couch cushions and joins them all, dismissing the wait staff so that they may speak privately.

Strangely Bucky begins. He was silent and damn near invisible the entire night standing off the the side in observation mode while the Parker's were present, but has at last he joins the group. He's sipping a glass of champagne as he looks rather thoughtful. With the couple gone on home he finally speaks up, "Something is wrong between those two. Don't you all think?"

"Yes!" Steve answers vehemently. "Something is seriously wrong in their marriage."

Natasha murmurs, "Not only their marriage. Something strange is going on with Wade, and Peter's behavior is extremely abnormal." Her sweater and pants match her husband Clint's, except he is wearing black and she white. She is not wearing any makeup, and her only jewellery is her Claddagh wedding band that again matched her husband's and she is turning it betraying her nerves on the matter.

Bruce now much more calmly adds to the discussion, "I'm most concerned for Wade. Did you notice how Peter was towards him, Clint?"

"Yes, he seemed... possessive. Controlling, even. He's acting quite unlike his usual caring self." Clint shares with the assembled group.

Bruce begins to agree, "Yes, he..."

Interrupting him Tony wades in on the conversation. He's a little more sober now as he says, "What in the HELL are you all on about!? Peter controlling?! Peter, Parker? Are you all out of your minds!?"

"How can you not see it, Tony?" Bruce questions.

"You all are imagining things! Let us settle this now: J.A.R.V.I.S - tell us what you have observed with your superior senses!"

"Sir, if I may disagree: The other Avengers are correct. Peter Parker's body language this evening was most possessive. There were times when he was quite aggressive with Mr. Wade Wilson Parker, Sir." J.A.R.V.I.S. gives the room his report.

Stunned into silence Tony and everybody else cannot think of what to say in response to this dark information. Bruce is the first to speak, and it's to ask J.A.R.V.I.S. a question.

"Could you show us the infrared recordings on the Parker's the entire time they were here tonight please, J.A.R.V.I.S.?"

"Straight away, Sir. Ma'am, Sir's if you could please direct your attention to the glass in front of you, I shall bring up the recording on the display." What first appeared to be a frosted glass panel in front of the table is in fact a computer display screen. The recording is playing. It shows the two of them as they enter. Their body temperature is showing that Peter is running far too hot to not be gravely ill with a fever.

As it continues Wade goes from running hotter than he should to dangerously hot after they went off to the bathroom together. Not showing a recording of what occurred in the bathroom, until Bruce pipes up asking for it.

They all gasp in horror!

Even with only their heat signatures showing, they can clearly see that Peter had slapped Wade across the face and then cuddled him. He also appeared to giving him an injection of some sort. The moment he administers it, Wade's temperature spikes and he becomes very clingy. Oddly, seemingly in response Peter's temperature also raises to match his lovers. All except unusually his testicles. They are staying the proper temperature for viable sperm.

Outraged Tony snaps, "What the hell did Parker give him?"

Nobody can answer that question!

They are all extremely worried for Wade Wilson Parker. Tony suggests that he bring the tape to a judge for a protection order. The others agree.

Will this work to stop whatever insanity Peter has been subjecting Wade to? Or will they merely make matters worse. They hope to know the answer to these questions very soon!