Up All Night
Peter sat on the ceiling with a textbook on his lap. He squinted through his glasses in concentration as lo-fi music played lightly in the background. The sun was setting in his bedroom window and peter was planning on staying with his books until it came back up. Tony told him not to stress out too much about ‘
“You’ve got this, Pete, you’ve been studying all week. You’re ready for anything they throw at you.”
As much as Peter wanted to believe his Dad, he just knew he’d regret it if he didn’t pull this all-nighter. Steve walked into Peter’s room with a box of pad Thai and an energy drink. Peter grinned appreciatively at the kind gesture, “Thanks Pops. I’m gonna need this.”
Steve smiled weakly and wrung his hands a bit, “You’re welcome, dear. Are you sure you really need to study all night? Maybe only a few more hours?”
“I really think I need to,” Peter sighed, already getting frustrated with his work.
“Hmm. Well, what if you invite a friend over to study with you? Maybe it’ll at least be fun that way.”
“That’s a good idea, Mr. America,” Wade said with a grin as he walked into Peter’s room.
“Oh, hi, Wade,” Steve smiled politely, “would you mind staying with Peter while he studies tonight?”
“It would be an honor, Captain.”
Peter rolled his eyes at Wade’s banter as Steve quietly closed the door behind him. Peter lowered himself halfway to give Wade what he called a “Spider-Man kiss.” Wade smiled into the kiss as his boyfriend hung upside down in front of him.
“You’d be even with my other head if you went a little lower,” Wade chuckled, “just saying.”
Peter laughed and set himself on his feet, “Not tonight, I have to study.”
“Well, I’ll help! That’s what Tony invited me here for anyway.”
Peter moved his things from the ceiling to the bedroom floor and the two boys sat cross-legged in front of each other. Wade held up flash cards and Peter flawlessly recited the definition on the back and resisted Wade’s urges to strip every time After a while Wade went on a snack run while Peter stayed home and played Kahoot. Wade burst into the room with armfuls of junk food right as Peter finished his study jeopardy game.
“Break time!”, Wade announced as he tossed Peter a bag of gummy worms and turned on Adventure Time. Peter munched on potato chips and watched cartoons for an hour or so before deciding to get back to studying. He opened a quizlet and was rewarded for each good answer by Wade who would toss M&Ms into Peter’s mouth. After a few rounds of quizlet, Wade started to notice that Peter was looking more and more fatigued.
“Babe let’s take a nap,” Wade suggested.
“Ugh… what time is it?”, Peter groaned at the idea of losing study time. It was 3 a.m. They could take a 3-hour nap before getting up and studying before the exam was scheduled. Peter was too tired to refuse. He took off his shirt before climbing into bed beside Wade. The mattress and the duvet never felt as soft as it did in that moment. Peter was already drifting off to sleep when he felt a gentle kiss on his forehead and a whisper from Wade, “I love you, baby boy.”
6 a.m. came too soon for Peter. He dragged himself out of bed and back to his PC. Wade went into the kitchen and Peter listened to the crackling of frying eggs and coffee brewing as he concluded his night of studying. He padded to the kitchen island and perched on a barstool. He was immediately presented with a strip of bacon, a cup of coffee, and two eggs- over easy, Wade knows him all too well. Peter smiled sleepily at Wade in thanks before digging in. After finishing his food, Peter quickly dressed and gathered his backpack. Wade walked with Peter to the school and promised to meet him when he was done with the test.
Wade hung out in the campus Einstein Bros. as he waited for Peter. He picked at his bagel and realized that he was a little worried for his boyfriend.
“You’re getting too involved in this shit. Why do you even care?”, a voice sneered in his head.
“Oh, shut the fuck up,” said the other, “he’s his boyfriend, he’s allowed to care about him. If the test is important to Peter it should be important to Wade.”
Wade sipped his coffee while the voices bickered within him. After a half hour he stood and went to Peter’s test building. Peter walked out 15 minutes later, and his face brightened up as soon as he saw Wade.
“How was it?”, Wade asked as he reached an arm out to Peter.
“Nailed it,” Peter smiled as he embraced his favorite mutant, “I need another nap though.” He nuzzled his face into Wade’s shoulder and allowed all his tension to melt away. Wade smiled and ran a hand through Peter’s hair, “Let’s go make that happen, baby boy.”
