"Are you going to puke baby boy?" Wade asked as he crouched down beside his friend who lay face down on the cool grass.
"Maybe." Peter groaned as he attempted to keep down the various deep-fried and sugar filled foods he had eaten thus far, regretting every bite he had taken.
"Sorry. I guess I should have listened when you said you had a weak stomach." Wade only received quiet whine in agreement. "Alright, you stay here and use your new spider friend as a pillow while I go see if anyone's selling some ginger-ale or will at least give me a bag." Wade decided as he handed the cheap though surprisingly silky smooth plush he had won for his friend to the brunette. "Or maybe a sample cup." He added with a chuckle at the reference that flew over the nauseous brunette.
"Okay." Peter accepted as he carefully turned to lay on his side and took the toy. The brunette held the plush loosely for a moment before pulling it to his chest instead of using it to rest his head on, finding that he needed the comfort more then a head rest. Wade scoffed at Peter, a light but also a tad worried smile grazing his lips as he reached out and slowly ran his fingers through the youngers hair soothingly.
"You just try to hold it in okay. I don't want you finishing without me." He practically whispered, chuckling at his own joke. When he didn't receive a response from Peter, Wade decided to take his leave.
The brunette lay curled up alone on the ground, hugging his plush spider as his mind fought between feeling uncomfortable that Wade pet him and wishing the older would do it more often.
"Well well, if it isn't Puny Parker." Came and unfortunately familiar voice. "What's the matter baby, can't handle the big boy rides?" Flash asked which was followed by a myriad of chuckles from his friends. Peter kept his head down and prayed that Flash and his goons would just leave him alone but of course that didn't happen.
"What's the matter got nothing to say?" Flash asked just as Peter's toy spider was ripped from his grasp.
"Hey!" Peter shouted, lifting his head to realize that he was surrounded.
"Leave me alone Flash." Peter tried to sit up but a foot on his shoulder pushing him back to the ground was what he got for his attempts.
"Look at you getting all mouthy. Show some respect." Flash demanded as he lifted his foot and slammed it back down into the brunette's shoulder. This got Peter to start struggling. He was able to wriggle out from under the foot and push his way past the two men in front of him but a fast hand grabbed onto his hair and jerked him to a standing position.
"You know, you've been causing a lot of trouble since you started hanging out with that freak Wade." Flash practically growled, baring his teeth as he got unnecessarily close to the brunette's face. "Don't try to deny it, we all know you're the one that got me expelled last month."
"You deserved it." Peter snarled and almost regretted it when a fist collided with his eye.
"You little punk." Again Peter fought against the bullies, wriggling and flexing in the attempt to get the mens hands off him. He was able to get out of their grasp for a moment and tried to make a break for it. Just as he felt a tug on the back of his shirt it was released in replace for a soft hissing and the bullies stumbling back as they were sprayed with a sugary liquid.
"Lookiy, I got you boys all wet. " Wade said with a chuckle as he held an almost empty soda can.
"Why you-."
"Run." Wade instructed, chucking the empty can at Flash as he grabbed the brunette's hand and started running in the opposite direction. Peter tried to keep up with his friends brisk pace and attempted to ignore the venomous shots and stampeding footsteps behind them.
They sprinted down two blocks, around a corner, and suddenly Peter found himself at the front doors of a condo complex. Wade pulled out a set of keys, cursing as he fumbled with them before getting the door open and pulling the younger inside. When the doors closed behind them they finally stopped, watching Flash and his gangs deadly glares from beyond the glass door.
"You little shit! " Flash screamed, slamming a hand into the glass, causing Peter to jump slightly. Wade wasn't frightened however and instead stuck his tongue out mockingly at the fuming boys but retracted it when Peter let out a hiss. The brunette had attempted to simply blink but that prompted far more pain then expected.
"You okay baby boy?" Wade asked with heavy breaths, a hand raising to cup the youngers cheek but pulled back at the last second. "He got you good didn't he?"
"Ya. My eye, it's sore and feels like its on fire." Peter explained, the pain becoming a lot more evident now that he wasn't running from a pack of vicious teens.
"Please don't be a black eye, Aunt May will freak." He thought as he attempted to blink again but received the same result.
"Come on Peter." Wade said as he reached for the brunette, giving a sharp glare to the boys still standing outside the building. Peter let his hand be grabbed for a moment before realization struck and he pulled away. The teens jerked away from each other and their eyes caught in a stalemate.
"Sorry. Just... um... follow me." Wade said awkwardly as he turned and led the way. Peter wanted to say something, maybe apologize, but couldn't bring himself to utter a word.
"There's nothing for me to say. Friends don't hold hands." Peter told himself as he followed the older into an elevator, hand coming up to cup his eye as if it would help ease the pain. As the doors closed with a ding and they began to rise Peter ask a question mainly in an attempt to restart a conversation.
"Where are we?"
"Oh, that would be good for you to know." Wade said with a light chuckle. "This is where I live."
Peter couldn't stop the wave of excitement that washed over him at the news. Wade never spoke of his home life nor his family, which was kind of odd when the brunette thought about it. Wade new his family, and least what was left of it, first hand yet the brunette didn't even know if Wade lived alone or with family. This was going to be a first.
Peter was so lost in his curiosity and excitement that he was almost taken aback when he realized Wade was holding open a door for him.
"Logan!" Wade called into the condo as he closed and locked the door behind him. "I need your help."
"What the hell did you do this time?" Came a Gruff voice. Then, from around the corner came a man Peter honestly wasn't expecting.
He was rather built and roughed up in a way that showed he had seen, and Peter would guess won, quite a few fights in his day. He had stubble all along his chin and dark hair that pointed up on either side almost like horns. He wore tattered jeans and a plaid shirt and held a yet-to-be opened beer can. What struck Peter the most however was that he was short, shorter than even Peter. The brunette probably would have gotten a chuckle out of it if it wasn't for the fact that the man looked like he could beat him down with a single arm if he wanted to.
"You okay bub?" Logan asked, pulling Peter out of his analysis.
"Yes. I mean no. I- um..." Peter stuttered, his usual awkward shy nature resurfacing now that it wasn't just him and Wade.
"Some assholes got a good shot at him. I think poor Petey's gonna get a black eye." Wade jumped in.
"Hmm. " Logan hummed in quick consideration before handing the brunette his beer can. "Hold this to your eye for now until I set you up with something better. " He instructed then disappeared around a corner before Peter could utter a word.
"Um, thank you." Peter said more to himself as he lifted the surprisingly cold can to his throbbing eye.
"Don't you worry about Scruffy. He's a bit rough around the edges but he's a good guy." Wade assured as he led the younger to the living room.
"If you say so." Peter said as he took the seat offered to him. There was barely a moment of hesitation before Peter asked the nagging question in his head, again finding courage now that he was alone with Wade. "So is he your uncle or something?" He tried, having taken note of the fact that Wade hadn't called Logan his dad.
"No no." Wade waved off quickly.
"So then like a foster parent?"
"Not really. It's kind of hard to explain. I mean legally he is my guardian but he's more like my roommate until I become a legal adult. He doesn't care if I go to school or not, if I drink or do drugs. He just doesn't want me to drag him into trouble. It's a really sweet setup actually." Wade practically boasted which Peter accepted, though he didn't quite understand.
"So then where is your family?" Peter asked, almost instantly regretting it as the olders smile fell.
"It's kind of a long story. "
"Alright." Logan inadvertently interrupted as he emerged from the kitchen, saving Wade from the question. "Here, take this." Logan said as he took the beer can from Peter's hand and exchanged it with a bag of ice wrapped in a towel. "Put something cold on your eye for about 10 minutes every couple hours for the next couple of days. After that start putting a warm cloth on it on occasion. Also get some more vitamin C in your diet and ask your Aunt May to buy some pineapple and papaya while she's at it, that'll help too." Logan instructed Peter who attempted to take in all the information just given to him.
"You know my aunt? " He asked once he could form a proper sentence as it was the most pressing question.
"Not personally, but I might as well. This idiot here never shuts up about you and your life." Logan said with a sloppy hand gesture towards Wade.
"Oh come on, way to out a bro." Wade said in a joking manner despite the slight pinkening of his cheeks, though it was hard to see through the scars. Logan responded with an unimpressed glare before standing.
"I'll be in my room. " He announced as he began to take his leave.
"Oh, and Peter might be staying over tonight." Wade shouted after the older.
"Good for him, don't drink my beer." Logan said before disappearing behind a door as he closed it. Peter felt a bit uneasy at the harsh tone but Wade seemed unaffected, instead laughing at the action.
"What a grump-a-puss."
"I'm staying over? " Peter asked as he lifted the ice bag to his burning eye.
"If you want. It depends how long Flash and his goons decide to stake out the front door. Logan wouldn't want me calling the police and neither do I really." Wade admitted to which Peter agreed. May was going to flip her lid when she saw his swollen eye, it was probably for the best that Peter stayed out of any further trouble. "Or you could stay for some cuddles, I wouldn't mind that either."
The thought crossed Peter's mind, the image zooming past of Wade and him lying together with the olders arms around him before he shook it out of his head.
"No, I need to head home, Aunt May will be worried about me if I don't." Peter said honestly, though it was also a bit of an excuse.
"Right, don't want to scare poor Auntie May. I'm not sure her old heart could take it." Wade said in a tone that was supposed to be humoured but Peter tried not to focus on the fact that he could hear the disappointment behind it. "But I still think it would be a good idea for you to stay here, just until Flash leaves." Wade suggested which Peter could understand.
"Just for a bit."
That 'bit' ended up being a few hours longer than intended. It would probably have been all night long if it wasn't for Logan shaking him awake mere minutes after both teens had passed out on the couch.
"Hey, Peter. Come on, get up."
"What, hu? What's wrong?" Peter asked more in concern rather then frustration at being woken from a rather pleasant sleep.
"I've called a taxi for you, it will be here any minute." Logan informed as Peter attempted to stand but quickly realized there was something heavy laying on his lap holding him to the couch. Peter looked down and found Wade's head atop his legs, a position not unfamiliar to them but still embarrassing for the brunette to have anyone but Wade and himself see.
"A- a taxi? I don't have money for that." Peter said as he gently lifted the scarred man's head and slipped out from under him.
"I figured. Here. " Logan said as he held out a 20 and 10 dollar bill.
"Oh, no thank you, I can walk. " Peter rejected, never liking to take others money mostly out of kindness but also because he was cautious of what that person may ask for in return.
"Look, it's 1 in the morning and I'm not letting some scrawny teen walk across town alone." Logan said with a frustrated glare as he held the money out further to the younger. Peter looked down at the money and back at the man offering it.
"Thank you." Peter accepted. Maybe Logan was a nice guy like Wade said. "Well I'll just head down to the lobby then and wait there." Logan may be kind but Peter was still off put by his stern, kind of threatening aura.
"You do that. " Logan said as the brunette carefully slipped by him. Just as Peter opened the door Logan called to him. "And hey, thanks, for sticking with him. He may be all stupid jokes but, he's had a rough life. You're helping him, in more ways than you know."
Peter stood stationary, not sure how to process the information, let alone reply to it. Eventually he simply left and made his way to the lobby all the while the man's words running through his head continuously.
First thing I want to say is F THIS CAPTER!
I spent roughly 8 hours on this part and when I tried to save it something went wrong and IT WAS ALL DELETED! I spent the next 3 hours crying and rushing to re-write it.
On a happy note, Logan! I really like how I wrote Logan. ^^
Also, a moment of silence for silky smooth spider plush. (Because we had to have a reference to Spider-man some way)
...
P.S. Sorry or your welcome for super long chapter, at least compared to other chapters in this story.