newyorknative | Don't tell your mother

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wade wilson : beaarthur

Don't tell your mother

When Wade gets home that evening, he'll find Peter literally crawling the walls. Literally. He's anxious, that much is obvious, textbook in one hand as he restlessly tries to find a comfortable position to read it in. No dice, and he keeps moving back and forth over the ceiling, trying each corner repeatedly.

"Hey Wade," Peter grumbles from above the door, nose buried in his book. It's right-side up to Wade, meaning it's upside down to Peter - poor guy. What even happened?

Well, it started with his weekly phone call to May. The whole thing is kind of Peter's fault, anyway. His Aunt had called, starting off the conversation casually, and had Peter been paying attention he would have noticed the fake sweetness in her voice that only rose to the surface when she was very, very angry.

"When were you going to tell me you'd moved out of your apartment?" May slipped the question in at the tailend of Peter detailing his woes over his history class. He'd frozen, falling from his perch on the edge of the kitchen chair he'd been twisted on. "Uh, what?"

This quickly devolved into May yelling at him for not telling her he'd moved - apparently, she'd found him out while trying to surprise him and take him out to lunch, and instead discovering a single mother in his old apartment.

Peter had tried to explain that he'd moved in with someone and he hadn't wanted her to worry he was actually in a much better part of town now, which sent her on another long-winded rant until Peter simply couldn't take it anymore and, well, exploded.

"Because we're dating!" At least that earned him a long moment of silence. There were many reasons, obviously, why Peter might not be comfortable telling May he was dating again - and it wasn't until after he'd hung up, after May had demanded Peter bring his new partner to dinner on Sunday - that he realized he hadn't exactly told her Wade was a dude.

How did this kind of crap always end up happening to him?

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"Yeah, I definitely think you will." Peter smiled, pulling back enough to take Wade's hand and start leading him out of the apartment. He snatched the dip and flowers on the way out, pressing the flowers into Wade's other hand. "Best behavior, okay? No comments about my butt." Less because May would mind and more because Peter wouldn't hear the end of it from her for weeks.

Another skeptical look, but Peter wasn't going to press it at the moment. Wade was probably more nervous than he was letting on, and Peter wasn't going to pick apart his facade right before dinner. He squeezed Wade's hand, pulling him out into the hallway of their apartment building. Next time, Peter would have to have May over for dinner. Their shared apartment was in a nice enough area that Peter wasn't going to panic at the thought of May have to walk around at night (not that he wouldn't shadow her all the way home as Spiderman, but. It's the thought that counts).

The subway ride is quiet, but Peter keeps their hands interlocked the whole way, directing all of his restless energy into his bouncing leg. He can't tell what Wade is thinking, but honestly, Peter's sure if they can just get through the next few hours, they'll both feel a lot better. Peter directs them all the way out into Forest Hills, much closer to a suburb than they normally frequent, and he feels his cheeks heat up a little as they enter the familiar neighborhood. He doesn't know that much about Wade's past - the man just doesn't like to talk about it - but from what Peter can gather, it wasn't great. Not that he thinks Wade would judge him based on where he grew up or anything it's just...he's just going a mile a minute here, that's all.

They get off the subway and Peter leads them up to fresh air, a series of brownstones stretched out before them. May lives in something a little smaller, not quite as nice, and Peter quietly directs them down the block towards that area. "...you sure you're okay with this? Last chance to run screaming."

"I will keep all comments about your magnificent ass to myself. You might be bombarded with 'baby got back' jokes when we get home though."

This was one of the first times that Wade was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't care about the weird looks he got from people on the subway. The feel of his boyfriend's hand in his, warm and solid, kept him as grounded as he could be in this situation. He kept close to Peter, eyes down to the floor as the boxes berated him with a billion different terrible scenarios that could happen when he meets Aunt May. Most of them ended with Peter finally realizing how much better off he'd be without Wade. Wade knew it was his biggest fear. Nothing could destroy him more than the loss of Peter.

Wade finally snapped out of his stupor when they leave the subway. He looks at Peter, giving the other man's hand a gentle squeeze. A small smile formed on his lips. "Yeah. This is important to both of us. You talk about Aunt May so much, I think it's time for me to meet her face to face."

[ You mean face to fugly face. ]

[ Time to take the monster to meet the family! ]

"You say that like I'm not bombarded with them already."

If Peter felt Wade's mood shift at all, he certainly didn't say anything aloud, choosing instead to hold onto Wade's hand as a way of showing his support and solidarity. He offered his own small smile in return when Wade squeezed his hand, thumb brushing over Wade's knuckles in response. "I love you." Willing to walk into the proverbial lion's den. Wade was incredible, Peter didn't know what he'd done to earn someone like that in his life.

The walk is about ten blocks, which pass in nervous silence. They pass a number of childhood haunts, but Peter keeps his mouth shut, somewhat embarrassed about it all, despite himself. It's just - gosh, so much of his life, it feels like he's just cut it off, kept it to himself. Wade was the first person he'd let in, in a long time, but he still didn't know everything there was to know about Peter. And the more Peter realized he hadn't told Wade, the more he realized he didn't know the answers to those same questions in reverse.

"This is it." Peter sounded almost apologetic, finally letting go of Wade's hand to run his own back through his hair. The house is small and weathered, perhaps a little more than it might have been if Ben were still alive to keep ahead of the repairs. May's flowers are blooming beautifully out front, and Peter smiles a little when he looks up at his bedroom window. This will always be home, no matter where he goes. "C'mon, I can practically smell the pie from here."

May might not be the best cook in the world, but her baking skills were unparalleled. Peter led the way up the stairs, taking a deep breath and glancing at Wade before he finally knocked on the door, three short raps. He could hear May moving in the kitchen, pausing and sweeping to the door, and despite his nerves, Peter couldn't help his smile when she answered, wrinkles folding in a smile around her eyes. "Peter Benjamin Parker, you're late!"

Pete had a point.

"I love you too," Wade said quietly, much more quietly than his usual loud bravado. Any fears he had would be conquered as long as he had Peter by his side. This was just one of them. Regardless of what could happen, he wanted to show Peter how far he had come since they first got together.

There were a lot of things that the two of them still needed to talk about. Both of them had been through so much in what felt like a very short amount of time. It was too easy to deflect with a joke or bury the pain for inspection at a later date. Wade had such a horrific time opening up to anyone, but he knew that he could open to Peter. He had before and he would again.

Wade smiled. It was a little stiff, but he tried his best to ease some of Peter's worries. His heart does a flip at the little smile on his lover's face. "Alright, baby boy."

When the door opened, Wade stopped breathing. He had a death grip on the flowers Peter had handed to him earlier and that was when he noticed he was shaking a bit. Good god, dude! Get your shit together!

It was a long process for both of them, but they'd already kind of gotten past the hard part together. Wade knew both sides of Peter Parker, he knew about Spiderman - and now he was coming home to meet Peter's best kept secret. After Gwen and...everything that had happened, no one else knew he was Spiderman. The thing that had allowed him to breach past that wall with Wade was simple - Wade couldn't die. But May? Peter would never let anything happen to her because of his extracurriculars. Maybe one day Wade would be able to trust Peter with something so dear to him in return, but Peter, better than anyone, understood how long that might take.

"Sorry, May," Peter scuffed his foot against the floorboard of the porch, but May was already pulling him into a tight hug. Her hugs were the best, okay, they were so firm and warm and she always wore this flowery perfume that Peter associated with home. Peter wrapped his free arm around her, returning the embrace gladly and momentarily burying his face in her neck, kissing her cheek. "It's good to see you."

May released him and batted him on the arm good-naturedly. "It's been too long, Peter. And you're too skinny!" Her head turned, taking in Peter's guest. The only indication of surprise that she gives, however, is a slight tilt of her head, eyes scanning Wade thoughtfully for half a second. "And who is this young man?"

"That's my boyfriend." Peter's voice is shy, soft, but undeniably happy to call Wade his. "May, meet Wade. Wade, this is my Aunt May."

"Boyfriend, hm?" Another bat against Peter's arm, and May laughs gently. "That's for not bringing him sooner." And then May's reaching out, pulling Wade into one of her patented hugs without pause.

"I don't know what we did to raise a child so smart and so stupid at the same time." May murmurs secretively to Wade, and if her hug is a tad less tight because she doesn't want to hurt him - assumes she might, with how aggravated his scars look - it's only out of consideration. "And you brought flowers! My, Peter, you've gone and found yourself a gentleman, hm?"

Wade watched the entire interaction curiously. It was nice to see. It didn't curb the feeling of terror that was stuck in his gut, but it was still nice.

When May turned the conversation to him, he blinked but quickly recovered, a wide smile stretching across his face. Even with the horrific scars, at least he still had a nice smile. Before he could say anything though, he was swept up in a comforting hug. Oh. Well, this isn't what I was expecting at all. The voices were eerily quiet.

"Aunt May, it's so nice to finally meet you. Peter has told me so much about you, so it's nice to put a face to a name," he said, in an overly polite manner. Wade laughed a little. "Yeah, the flowers were Peter's idea. He said you really like them." Wade held them out toward May. Butterflies were still churning around like crazy in his stomach, but the initial meeting wasn't nearly as bad as he was thinking! No vomiting! Yay!

"I wish I could say the same! I assume you can gather just how far in the doghouse Peter is for pulling that little stunt with the apartment." May shook her head, hooking her arm through Wade's and pulling him into the house, deftly taking the flowers and leading the way into the kitchen. "But it is very nice to meet you, Wade. I expect I'll be hearing everything I was missing out on this evening, hm? You'll have to fill me in, since Peter seems to have such a terrible time communicating."

"Of course, May," Peter hid a laugh from the door, closing it behind them and letting May sweep Wade into the kitchen to work her magic. His nerves were already starting to soothe, simply by virtue of being home and around May's particular brand of kindness. She always knew exactly what to say and do, Peter didn't know how she did it.

"Peter, dear, put these in a vase for me, will you?" May passed off the flowers to Peter, settling Wade down in a kitchen chair, already halfway done pouring him a cup of tea.

Ooo, burn. Poor Petey. Aunt May cuts right to the core. Wade followed along without struggle, still pretty shell-shocked by how kind she was. No wonder Peter came out the way he did if this was the woman who raised him. And she just kept on slicing! No wonder Peter was worried about tonight. He looked back at his boyfriend, unable to keep the grin off his face. "Of course! I over-communicate. I communicate so much that people try to get me to stop. So whatever you want to know, I'm your man."

Wade immediately sat down, still blinking owlishly. His fingers messed with the top button of his dress shirt, making sure they were all secured up to his neck. It was like he was in the twilight zone. And tea! Wow. It shocked him that May didn't even pause. This was one of the few times he didn't see instant judgment in someone else's eyes and it made him feel very confused.

She certainly wasn't very happy with her nephew, but Peter knew coming into this that May wouldn't let that rub off on her treatment of Wade. Peter would just have to endure and grovel for the evening - that's what he was worried about. That, and, of course, the fact that Wade was a guy.

"How long have you two known each other?" Clearly long enough for them to move in together, but again, May wasn't holding anything against Wade.

Peter got a vase out from under the counter, busying himself by putting the flowers in water and emptying the flower food packet into the vase. He kept an eye on Wade, though, wondering how he was taking all of this.

"I hope you like Oolong, dear, it's one of Peter's favorites. I've got your standard Earl Grey, though, if you'd prefer." May pushed the sugar over to Wade, sitting down herself with her own cup. "Go on dear, drink up. Calms the nerves. Now, Wade, tell me about yourself! I've got a lot of catching up to do."

"Around a year. Year and a half," Wade answered honestly, eyeing Peter. Had it been that long already? Wade never had a good grasp on time anyway. The days melted into each other anymore. Maybe that was due to the cancer eating away at his brain. Who knew. Anyway, he wasn't going to out Peter and immediately tell May how long they had been together. That could be a sore spot and he was doing his best to not get Peter into further trouble. But if she asked, he would answer?

"Oolong is perfect! Thank you," he said, adding sugar to his tea and watching it dissolve into the hot liquid. He swallowed hard. Uh... well this is where it was going to get interesting. What did he say? What should he say? Panic welled up in him, making it hard to swallow. "I work for myself. I take a lot of... odd jobs here and there. So contracting work." That wasn't exactly lying, right? Wade had a hard time lying to a sweet old lady, okay! She was being so nice. It completely broke down all the walls he usually had up. He blew on the tea before taking a sip, hissing a little as he burnt his tongue. Whoops.

That seemed to give May pause - it wasn't hard to do the math. Peter stepped in smoothly, taking the chair opposite May and reaching out to take Wade's hand again. "I met Wade through work. We didn't really start talking until about six months ago but we...knew each other." That's as close to the truth as Peter is going to cop to, and May seems to buy it, eyes softening.

"I see. And you started dating...soon thereafter." It's not a question, and May sips her tea thoughtfully for a moment.

"Oh my, that's just like my Ben." May couldn't help her gentle laughter, smile spreading wide on her lips. It's not without sadness, of course, that she mentions Ben, but it had been several years since he'd passed and she could remember the good easily enough. "He was in the military for a time before he got out and become a textile worker. Carnival barker, handyman...whatever he took a fancy to, really."

"And how...old are you, dear?" May can't help but ask the question, though she doesn't sound disapproving.

Peter wasn't really lying either. It was basically the truth without all the gorey details.

Wade nodded even though it wasn't a question.

Now that... that made him feel bad. Wade knew a little bit about what happened to Peter's uncle. Ben was leagues ahead of him and the thought of Wade being compared to someone like that made his stomach churn. Ben deserved better. He tried to hide his reaction, smile plastered back on his face again. "Oh. I was in the military too, special forces. I'm actually from Canada."

Wade swallowed hard. Lord. These questions. "35," he answered honestly, taking a another sip of tea afterward.

Peter squeezed Wade's hand, attributing the minor shift he detected in Wade's demeanor to him being intimidated by May. May, for her part, nodded and smiled, brushing her hair out of her face absently. "Caught yourself a foreign man, hm, Peter? Which part? I had a girlfriend who went up to school in Quebec."

"Hm," Another thoughtful pause, with May sipping her tea slowly. Peter knows it's just to make them sweat, can see it in the twinkle in her eye. She always did enjoy teasing him. "I can see why Peter likes you."

The timer on the oven saves them from further grilling, and Peter immediately stands to start setting the table as May heads to take the chicken pot pie out of the oven. "No, Peter, the nice plates, we have a guest. Wade, dear, wash your hands please."

"You better do it," Peter murmurs, smiling softly at his boyfriend as he reaches over Wade to set down a plate. May was already bossing him around like he was part of the family. Peter would say this evening was going pretty well so far.

The squeeze from Peter calmed his nerves. He took a deep breath before replying to what May had asked. Wade couldn't stop smiling at that. "I'm from Toronto. Ontario."

Well, it's working. Wade's definitely sweating. He couldn't keep the look of surprise off of his face though. He felt his face get hot, but he didn't say anything, just smiled. Wade still couldn't see what Peter liked him, yet somehow May could. She knew Peter best, so maybe he would just have to trust May's opinion on the matter? Maybe someday he could. He felt like he could get there eventually.

"Yes, ma'am!" Wade got up and went to wash his hands in the sink. He stuck his tongue out at Peter when May wasn't looking. What? Oh man. That chicken pot pie smelled amazing. He couldn't wait to dig in. But this was also coming from someone who had no bar set when it came to food. So regardless, he was going to love it. Anything home-cooked was a miracle to him.

May shot Peter a small smirk that seemed to say, attaboy. Peter hid a laugh, setting out the nice china on the table, along with the forks, knives, and napkins. May plunked the chicken pot pie on the potholders, immediately followed by salads unearthed from the fridge and a bowl of mashed potatoes she'd left in the microwave to keep warm. Peter hummed happily, ushering Wade to sit.

"It smells delicious, Aunt May. Thank you." May put Wade's flowers on the table as well, fluffing them up with her fingertips, before she sat down at the head of the table.

"Of course, dear. Now eat up! If you get any skinnier, Peter, you'll blow away." Peter laughed and dug in, glasses slipping down his nose a little. Sometimes it was nice just to come home and have May fuss over whether or not he was eating well, or sleeping enough.

Wade sat down, unable to stop himself from smiling at Peter. He seemed so happy. It was cute. Peter needed this. All this stress built up for no reason.

The food smelled amazing and Wade was totally ready to eat. "Yes, it smells scrumptious! Can't wait to dig in," Wade grinned. He scooted his chair a little closer to the table.

"I promise I feed him," he laughed. The atmosphere was so nice. His grin faltered for a moment. Wade wished he had had something similar when he was younger. A warm, safe environment surrounded by people that you loved and that loved you. Maybe he would have turned out differently... but there was no time to think about that right now. Wade was just happy that Peter had someone like May growing up. It explained why Peter had such a good heart, at least partially. Wade snapped himself out of his thoughts and reached for the mashed potatoes. Things were going good so far.

"Family recipe," May replied sagely, and Peter snorted. She batted at him fondly, serving up the pot pie generously. The meatloaf may be radioactive, but she still had quite a few tricks up her sleeves.

"Oh dear, it's not your fault he's a bottomless pit! And still growing, my." May dumped an extra scoop of mashed potatoes on Peter's plate with a Look (TM). Peter chuffed and shook his head at her, patting them down with his fork. He did note the distant look on Wade's face for a second, and watched him quietly, wondering if the boxes were back at their usual antics inside his head. He...didn't know how he'd explain that to May, if it happened now.

"Awesome." Wade grinned at the interaction between May and Peter. It warmed him to see how happy Peter was around her. Clearly this dinner was a long time coming. He felt a little less anxious due to the comforting atmosphere. It set his mind back into a good place.

Bottomless pit, Wade threw his head back and roared with laughter at that. The perfect way to describe Peter's hunger. Not that Wade could say anything. He was the same way. The two of them could easily take out a couple of large pizzas and still have room for Chinese food later. "We're both bottomless pits, in all honesty," he said with a smile, though he was still a little quiet compared to usual.

It was true, Peter hadn't been to see May in quite a while - it just got to the point where he wasn't sure if he could lie to her, and the truth scared him. Overall, however, she'd been taking it well, and the ball of anxiety in Peter's gut had loosened somewhat, making him realize, in retrospect, how silly he was being.

"At least he's eating, then," May says fondly, passing the mashed potatoes to Wade. If she notices anything, she hasn't said anything about it.

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