The next couple weeks were an adjustment period. While Evan's test scores proved that he was very intelligent and well-educated up to this point, it took a lot of motivation from both Peter and Wade to get him to focus on his lessons. Sometimes, it took a lot of effort just to get him out of his room. The first week was the hardest, and more than once Evan slammed his books closed and left the Library or office where his classes were given. Often he would go into his room and hide under the blankets.

So far, Evan was not willing to leave the Stark Institute grounds. The first time Peter suggested that Evan come with him to do Bucky's photogram, Evan seemed interested. But when the time came to leave, Evan refused to come out of his blanket fort. The first week, Evan wouldn't step outside the building at all.

Then Jessica Drew showed up on Monday of Evan's second week, wearing her running clothes with Wyndham (her rust-colored hare daemon) at her side. She greeted Evan with a big smile and said, "When do you want to start running with me?"

Evan was enchanted. It was all over his young face as he said, "Can I start now?"

Whether it was the fresh air, the exercise, or Jessica's company, Evan seemed much more alert and focused on the days that he went running. He was less anxious and fidgety during his regular lessons, and was much more attentive with the alethiometer.

Any question Peter might have had about whether or not Evan was an adept with the truth-telling device was answered by the end of the second week. While working on some of the exercises, Evan was able to answer several questions about Peter's life. He correctly identified his Aunt's profession as that of a nurse, that Peter's father was a scientist, and that Peter's nickname was Spider-Man. However, asking more complicated questions were still difficult. Evan tended to become very emotional, and the alethiometer's responses were a mystery.

Then there was the day that Evan's exercise questions were directed toward Wade. The mercenary refused to confirm anything but the most basic of questions, like that he was originally from New France, that he lied about his age to join the military at 17, and that his middle name was Winston. Evan also saw other things when reading the alethiometer for these questions.

He looked up from the device, and said, "What is The World?"

"Like the universe we live in, the globe," Wade answered from his spot by the window.

Evan clarified, "What is The World to you? Like, it's a place, right? A place you've been?"

"Yeah," Wade said as he reached to the small ledge where Bob was perched and held the daemon in his hands. "It's something I don't like to talk about, Evan. I'm sorry, but I would prefer you to not look too deep there."

Evan nodded, and put the alethiometer on the table, and that was the end of the discussion.

Later while Wade was in the laundry room, Evan asked Peter, "Do daemons come back if they're killed?"

The question took Peter by surprise; it was so out of the blue. He closed his notebook and said, "No, Evan. Not that I've ever heard. Usually, if someone's daemon is killed, the person dies too. Or if they don't die, they don't really recover from it." Peter picked up Gwen, and asked, "Why do you ask?"

"The alethiometer told me that Wade's daemon was killed," Evan said, hands cupped around Celestia in her butterfly form. "It happened in The World."

Peter didn't know what to think about that. He said, "Maybe Wade's daemon wasn't really killed, just injured very badly."

"I know what I saw," Evan said softly. "Do you think Wade would be mad if I asked him?"

"I don't know," Peter said. Gwen looked at him with that little look that always made him take action. He said, "I'll talk to Wade about it, if you want me to. Just focus on your reading."

That night when Peter went to his quarters, Gwen couldn't calm down at the thought of Wade's daemon being killed. She sat in her small tub while Peter showered, playing in the water as she said, "It would explain so much, you know. How he's so touchy about anything to do with experiments. You already know he's been really, really hurt. Just looking at him tells you that. But if his daemon was killed?"

"It's not possible, though," Peter said, pausing in his hair scrubbing. "Bucky's lived for at least a decade without a daemon, and there is no sign at all of it coming back."

"But Wade's different," Gwen said. "Just look at his Dust! Maybe his super high Dust count caused his daemon to come back? Maybe that's what makes him different."

"I don't want to speculate too much," Peter said as he resumed his shampooing. "Either way, I'm not looking forward to asking him about it."

"You gotta use some finesse, Pete," Gwen said. "You can't just blurt things out. You need to make him comfortable enough to answer your questions. And for the love of Odin, can you try to pay attention to his demeanor?"

Peter gave her a frown. "What do you mean?"

"I mean it was clear as day that he didn't like talking about his Death, but then you mention wanting to photogram it." Gwen sighed, and said, "I swear, Pete. You have the social skills of river moss."

"Then why don't you talk to him," Peter said.

Gwen sighed again. "If Bob would only talk to me, I could probably get all the information I want. But instead, I have to wait until you and Wade figure out how to communicate without grunts and hand gestures."

"You're part of me, Gwen," Peter said.

Gwen smiled and said, "That's how I know you have the skills to make it happen, Spidey."

Peter felt his face heat up. "Don't call me that."

He toweled off and wrapped Gwen in a washrag and carried her to the small sink counter. She dried herself and groomed her fluffy hair while Peter brushed his teeth. He rinsed and looked at the stubble on his chin, gave it a scratch, and said, "Maybe tomorrow morning, I'll go running with them. Maybe he'll be a little more open and talkative after some morning calisthenics."

"You really think Wade needs incentive to be talky?" Gwen said with a giggle.

Peter shook his head and carried his daemon to bed.


The next morning was a Saturday, and the sky was gray when Jessica and Evan set out on their run. As usual, Wade ran with them, though he always kept his distance by a minute or so. While he and Evan got along well, Wade didn't want Evan to feel like he was constantly being watched-even if that was the case. He kept his pace slow, staying to the paved path with Bob up in the air keeping watch.

The daemon had regrown his flight feathers during their time at Stark Institute. It wasn't unusual for Bob to do this when they were somewhere safe for a long period. It was only during their missions that he really ripped himself apart. Bob was the main reason Wade was ready to drop completely off the radar. That, and spending time with his daughter before she got too old to want to spend time with her old man.

The snap of a twig caught his attention, and Wade came to a stop. He listened close, hearing footsteps and shaking leaves, knowing someone was coming through the woods. Wade closed his eyes, connecting to Bob long enough to scout the woods in that direction. He smirked seeing who was coming his way.

Wade jogged ahead, head turned to watch how Peter jumped, swung, and sprinted through the woods. Peter was very graceful with his movements, practically dancing along the path, and clearly having a good time if the smile on his face was anything to go by.

When Peter noticed him, the young man smiled and waved, then completely missed his next mark and tripped over a small log and hit the ground. Gwen flew off his shoulder, and Wade could see the terror in Peter's eyes. Terror that turned to relief when Bob swooped down just in time to catch Gwen before hitting a rock.

Bob and Wade landed beside Peter at the same time; the daemon depositing Gwen in Peter's shaking hands. Wade put a hand on Peter's shoulder and asked, "You okay?"

Peter took a deep breath, holding Gwen tight to his neck, and shakily nodded his head. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay." He gave an embarrassed laugh, and said, "Guess I'm a little out of practice."

Wade swept a leaf out of Peter's mussed hair, and said, "You need to pay attention to your surroundings, Spidey."

Peter blushed, his head swimming with the influx of adrenaline and whatever it was that happened to him when Wade touched him. Wade's touch was steadying, keeping Peter from completely freaking out over how close he came to injuring Gwen. It happened before in the city while running with Eddie Brock and Miles Morales. Peter got tripped up on a loose shingle, and Gwen lost her grasp on his shirt. She landed almost 10 feet away, and Peter felt the distance as much as he felt her impact. This time, Bob was there to catch her and Peter was almost in tears with the gratitude he felt.

"Come, let's jog it off. Gotta keep up with Evan," Wade said with half smile.

"Yeah," was all Peter could manage as Wade's hand left his upper arm, and the merc started back to the paved path. Peter followed, rushing a moment to catch up to him then falling into step.

It was obvious that Wade had been in the military, just by the way he ran. Steve was the same way, with his perfectly straight posture, squared shoulders, and steady pace designed for cadence chants. For a while, Bob stayed with them, floating on the cool morning breeze just above Wade's left shoulder. Gwen, despite the scare, was on Peter's right shoulder making heart-eyes at the parrot daemon. Then Bob took off into the air, making a high arc, no doubt flying ahead to Evan and Jessica.

"What brings you out this morning?" Wade asked as they started up a small hill.

Peter's plan had been to run with Wade and approach him about what Evan saw while reading the alethiometer, but now the only thing he wanted to do was put one foot in front of the other and not think about how close he came to hurting Gwen. He cleared his throat and said, "I've spent too much time inside. Thought some fresh air would be good."

"You don't really do nature, do you," Wade said with a smirk.

"Is it that obvious?" Peter answered, his face heating up for reasons having nothing to do with the hill. The scientist was in excellent shape for the most part, except that he slacked off on his exercise routine since coming to Stark Institute. He said, "I'm used to rooftops and alleys, not grass and dirt."

Wade chuckled, and said, "Well, up until that whole face-plant thing, you were looking good."

Peter's face heated up again, and he said, "I try to keep good form."

"I think you were born with that," Wade said.

Jessica and Evan were at the top of the hill. There was a bench and a water fountain. Jessica was jogging in place and Evan was drinking. Both smiled at them as they approached. Wyndham and Celestia (who was in her rabbit form) both bounced over to greet Gwen, who touched noses with both rabbits before scurrying to Bob and burying her face in the shelter of his wing.

"Well, look who's up with the sun!" Jessica said brightly.

Peter laughed and said, "Yeah, I didn't know the sun came up this early on Saturday."

Evan wiped water off his chin, and asked, "Are we going to do the river route today?"

"If you want," Jessica said. "It's a little foggy, but I think we'll be alright."

Evan nodded and said, "I'm ready when you are."

Jessica smiled at Wade and Peter, and said, "You sticking with us?"

"You can have a head start," Wade answered.

Evan grinned and headed down the path towards the river. Wade sat on the bench with his legs kicked out in front of him, and said, "What's on your mind, Peter?"

Peter sighed, looking at Bob and Gwen. He didn't want to say anything to end their mutual cuddling, but he didn't want to lie either. Peter said, "I wanted to talk to you about something Evan told me. It's something that Evan saw with the alethiometer and was afraid to ask you."

Wade nodded. "Okay. What did he see?"

"He saw Bob being killed," Peter said softly.

"He saw that," Wade said, his voice neutral. Unreadable. "Then he didn't get it right."

Peter nodded, and said, "I told him it was probably a misread."

"It was," Wade said, straightening up a little. Peter could see a hint of aggression in the way Wade looked at him, and Peter fully expected the next words out of Wade's mouth to be harsh. Then Wade took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before saying, "Bob isn't the one that died."

Though the words Wade used were small and concise, Peter couldn't quite grasp what Wade meant. He felt like he'd gone offline, his brow furrowed and mouth hanging open. When his brain kicked back into gear, he was somewhere between excited and horrified. "What? What do you mean? Like, your daemon died, but it came back different?"

Wade cleared his throat, and said, "Yes. He came back different."

"But he came back," Peter said. He ran a hand back through his hair, and gasped, "How did it happen? Was it a process?" He gasped, "This could mean so much for Tony's work with Ultron! Oh my god, Wade. This is incredible!"

Once Peter was done with his excited ramble, he realized that Wade had that angry look in his eyes that made Peter want to hide under a rock. Wade stood, and in a motion too fast for Peter to dodge, grabbed him by the front of his shirt, jerking him almost off his feet and Wade hissed, "I'm not a goddamn lab-rat. Get that through your fucking skull."

Despite the immediate danger he found himself in, Peter shakily said, "But understanding this could help so many people. You'd be a hero to so many."

"I'm not a hero either," Wade snapped, shoving him away.

He looked like he was about to shout something else, but his attention was abruptly pulled away from Peter with the sound of Jessica shouting for them down in the valley.


It started as a fluttering feeling in Evan's limbs. Then a swimming in his vision. Then all he could see was the pitch-black forest and smell the fire that roared behind him. He could hear the dying, frantic shouts and screams that echoed through the woods. His heart was racing, and he was only dimly aware of Celestia shouting at him.

Evan fell to his hands and knees at the edge of the river, looking at his own reflection. His red eyes were glowing and an other-worldly light was swirling around his face. His fingers dug into the silt as his body shook and the phantom scent of fire continued to fill his head. His ears were ringing, the only other sound that of blood rushing. He couldn't catch his breath. In fact, he felt like he was about to pass out.

He could hear Celestia shouting, but all he could see was the dark woods and feel the terror of someone chasing him. He wanted to get up, but his limbs were useless.

A calm, familiar voice started speaking. "Evan. Evan? Can you hear me, Ev? You're by the Saint Lawrence River. You're on a jogging path around Stark Institute in New Denmark. Celestia is right here with you. You're safe, Evan. You're not there, you're safe."

Evan looked up to see Wade crouched down beside him. Instead of the smoke-filled woods, he was on a foggy riverbank.

"I'm going to help you up, okay?" Wade said as he reached for him. Wade carefully lifted Evan off his hands and knees to stand on unsteady legs. He kept his hand on Evan's upper right arm, and Evan could feel himself being calmed by the touch. Wade urged him to walk to a fallen log and guided him to sit. He reached into his backpack and took out a small bottle of water and a granola bar. He held them out to Evan and said, "Here, eat this. Drink. You'll feel better."

"I don't want to," Evan said, holding his head in his hands.

"Take a couple bites, okay? Leave the rest for the critters if you don't want it."

Celestia said, "Please, Evan."

Evan unwrapped the bar and took a bite, and hugged Celestia against his chest. Food tasted strange, like even his tastebuds had departed reality for a minute. He noticed there was blood on his pant-leg and realized there was a cut on his left hand. Before he could call attention to it, Wade had a roll of gauze and an antiseptic pad in his hand.

"Just going to clean it up, okay?" Wade said before taking Evan's hand. Evan was still shaking. He felt simultaneously cold and hot. Wade also seemed prepared for that, and removed a Stark Institute hoodie from the pack and handed it to him. Evan pulled it over his head. He swam in it, but the soft fabric felt good. He pulled the sleeves over his hands and pressed his covered palms against his sweaty face.

"I'm sorry," Evan's muffled voice whispered. "I don't know what happened."

Wade sat on the log, and said, "It's called a flashback, and there is no need to apologize. I'm not going to judge you, kid."

Evan looked at him, and said, "I'm not supposed to be weak. I'm an Apocalypse."

"It's not a weakness," Wade responded. Then he asked, "What's an Apocalypse?"

"Something Ozymandias told me about," Evan answered, looking away. He stroked Celestia's soft fur, and said, "I'm from a long line of very powerful mutants. I am supposed to fix The World. I think he meant The World where you've been."

Wade had to fight to keep himself calm at the mention of that place. He said, "The World is a very scary place. It's run by a man everyone calls the Shadow King."

Evan said, "I saw that your daemon died in The World. I saw that it's happened more than once. You were there a really long time."

Wade nodded. "Yeah I was. And I never want to go back."

Evan chewed on his lip, his brow furrowed. After a minute of silence, he asked, "If I do become what Ozymandias said. If I become Apocalypse, will you help me fix The World?"

"It's a dangerous job, Evan."

"It doesn't matter," Evan answered stoically. "If I have the ability to help people, then I have to help them."

Wade looked down at his hands, and took a deep breath hoping that Evan couldn't see that he was shaking. He said, "I'll always have your back, kid. When the time comes, I'll be there."


That night, Peter woke to a soft knock on his door. It had been a pretty exhausting day, and Peter wasn't excited about being roused at 1 o'clock in the morning. He stumble-walked to the door and slurred, "Who is it?"

"It's Wade."

Peter immediately became more alert. He grabbed his bathrobe and put Gwen in his pocket before opening the door. He was surprised to see that Wade was standing in the hall wearing only his lounge pants, Bob cradled against his bare chest. For the first time, Peter could see the full extent of the scars that covered Wade's torso. Some were burns. Others looked like intentionally carved symbols.

He realized he was staring, and shook his head. "Uh, what's going on? Evan okay?"

Wade nodded. "Yeah, he's sleeping. I just wanted to talk to you about something."

"Okay." Peter backed up and said, "Come in, if you want."

Wade followed him inside, and Peter turned on the small bedside lamp, casting the merc into Caravaggio lighting. Maybe it was the fact that Peter was only half awake, but he couldn't stop looking at the hard planes of muscle that defined the merc's shoulders and chest.

Trying to keep things professional, Peter asked, "What did you want to talk about?"

"I've been a total asshole to you," Wade said softly. "I shouldn't have gotten in your face like I did this morning. I shouldn't have reacted like I did, because you're right." His knee started shaking as he said, "If I have the power to help somebody, I should do it even if it feels scary."

Peter perked up. "What do you mean?"

"I mean…" Wade paused, nervously rubbing the back of his neck, "if you want to photogram me or try to understand why my daemon comes back, I'll let you. I'll be your lab rat."

"If you're uncomfortable, you don't have to do it," Peter said. "I don't want to put you in that position."

"I'm volunteering," he replied. He shrugged. "I mean, it would be nice to keep the IV's and exam tables to a minimum, but-"

"It's just a camera," Peter assured. "And we don't have to be in a lab. You can pick the venue. Just needs to be somewhere without other people. We could do it in your suite if that would make you comfortable. Anything you want." He beamed a smile, and said, "You have no idea how much this could mean."

"It could mean nothing," Wade said. He smoothed Bob's feathers, and said, "I was experimented on for years, maybe decades. I don't remember it all. I don't know what was done to me. I just know that I'm not entirely human, and I'm not exactly homosuperior either." He paused, adding softly, "I'm pretty messed up."

Peter said, "I promise I will not do anything without your permission. And if there is anything you are uncomfortable with, just tell me." He smiled, and said, "Thank you."

"And again, I'm sorry," Wade said. "I'm not used to good people. I don't know how to act or react. I'm used to being surrounded by enemies. That's what I'm comfortable with. I know what to expect." He sighed, holding Bob against his chest. "I'd like to change that."

"I'd like to help you change that," Peter said, even as he felt heat rise in his cheeks.

Wade gave a small smile. Peter put a hand on Wade's shoulder, and as Peter was flooded with warmth, Wade relaxed. Wade's hand came up to cover Peter's, and the warmth intensified. Peter could feel himself being pulled in again, like a moth to a flame. Even his logical mind could not convince him that kissing the merc was a bad idea.

"I'm sorry for waking you," Wade said before Peter could make his move. He stood, letting Peter's hand fall away.

The loss of contact brought Peter to his feet. Wade was about to ask, "What?" But was cut short when Peter kissed him. For a moment, the merc tensed and Peter had a split second thinking he'd made a huge mistake. Then Wade's hand came up to cup Peter's cheek, meeting his lips with tenderness that made Peter melt.

Then it was over, and Wade stepped back and said, "Goodnight, Peter." Without another word, he left the room.

Peter was frozen in place, his whole body tingling from the prolonged contact. He pressed his fingers to his lips, savoring the buzz that Wade left behind. Meanwhile, Gwen was in the middle of complete ecstasy, laying on her back with her legs twitching. Her eyes were glazed and she let out a squeak when Peter picked her up.

"We're in so much trouble," Peter said with a soft laugh.

Gwen sighed. "I know, and it's so awesome."