Chapter Text
The sun rises slowly upon the city skyline of New York, pigeons lay with their eggs tucked deep into their warm bodies as dogs bark at squirrels while their owners take them for their morning walk. The time is 6am on Saturday in the middle of September and inside a small apartment where three cramped people live, two men sleeping naked beside each other, with sheets tangling them closer in a tight stitch. Their roomate has long since gone out, knowing the two and how loud things got at night. Right now she’s at a diner eating an overly greasy breakfast sandwich with a small ratty dog at her feet.
Althea’s and Puppin’s morning will be a peaceful one. Logan and Wade’s however, will not.
It’s twelve when the man wakes up, his lover pressed tightly to his side with shallow breaths licking at the nape of his neck and creating goosebumps on Wade’s shoulder. Last night was a fun one, rough and fast and all bitey. Then ended cuddling and kissing until they both passed out, the heat from each other’s bodies keeping them warm in the cool September night. But then there’s a nauseous feeling welling deep in Wade’s gut, and now he’s physically struggling to get up and away from the mattress that he and Logan share, body wretching for a moment at the quick motion of him sitting up.
“ Hrk-” He gurgles, using the palm of his hand to stop whatever bile and foul fluids from heaving out his mouth. His body shakes as he tries to get up, almost falling off the mattress as a result; but Logan’s strong hands are wrapped around his shoulder and steadying him as they both shuffle out their ratty old pull-out mattress bed located in the couch that had to be at least three decades old.
Logan is quite used to Wade’s morning sickness. Wade’s body is full of cancer, and as such certain foods and other substances can irritate his body causing vomiting. Other times it’s painful. Searing hot and sharp. Neither of them are strangers to pain-but unlike Logan’s chronic wrist pain, Wade’s is his entire body. It sometimes leaves him bedridden, curled up into himself for hours or even days at a time with nothing that can help him feel better. But that’s what it’s like having a constantly dying and then regenerating body. His cells burn from the inside out, hurting him more than anything else in his life.
But this morning isn’t any of those things. He didn’t have any of the foods that usually cause him nausea, and his body doesn’t hurt. (At least not to the point of vomiting) In fact, it had almost been six full weeks since any horrific pain held him down. But that didn’t stop him from his usual fatigue and cramping.
Logan cuddled him as he hurled into the toilet bowl, hugging his side and making sure that no bile got on his partner's bare chest, not worrying about his own. They stayed like that until Wade was done, mouth cotton dry and lips chapped.
“You okay Bub?” His lover questioned, rubbing his hand down the man’s back. Wade smiles and nods, wiping his mouth with a napkin that Logan provided. “How bad is the pain?” Wade sighs and looks back at him, pressing himself against Logan’s chest.
“No pain today, just…nausea.” He whimpers into his lover’s shoulder. They stare at each other for a moment before Logan suggests a bath.
They bathe together for about an hour, Logan’s back to Wade’s chest as they share an intimate moment. Holding each other’s hand, Wade rests his head on Logan’s chest as the other washes and massages his shoulders with the skin sensitive soap that he brought for the other.
“Feeling better Bub?” He asks, looking down at the scarred man, pressing a small kiss on his cheek.
“Yeah. Thanks, peanut.” He sighs and closes his eyes against his boyfriend's body. If you had told Logan before the void that he’d be in a domestic relationship with a man whose mouth runs like an engine, he probably would’ve been too drunk to even register anyone speaking to him. But now? He’d probably just huff while holding Wade’s scarred hand.
It takes twenty minutes for them to finally pry themselves apart and get ready for the day. Logan steals one of Wade’s Hello Kitty pants and a pair of boxers, then sits on the couch waiting for him to fill the empty space beside him.
“Hey Peanut, I think we need to go clothes shopping.” Wade called from the other room, a very prominent tone of annoyance in his voice.
“Why?”
“Look.” He stated, appearing behind Logan with an annoyed look on his face. His favorite skin-tight Hello Kitty crop top was stretched out more than usual, the cat’s face was distorted in a way it wasn’t used to and instead of sitting nicely on his waist like usual, it appeared to curl up a bit around Wade’s mid section.
“I can’t fit my Hello Kitty shirt anymore!” He grumbled, face irritated and scrunched. He groans and flops next to Logan on the couch, sighing with despair at the stretching out of his favorite shirt.
“Honey Badger, be honest. Am I getting fat?” Wade asked, holding his stomach. Fat wasn’t the right word, pudgy was more in sync. He had gained a bit of weight in the time they’d been together, and so had Logan. By where Logan’s abs faded slightly, still very prominent but more so a muffled whisper- Wade had gained a-not very prominent, but still there, pudge. His thighs seemed to grow in width, matching his new body, his pecs slightly more prominent; and Logan couldn't be happier.
Wade’s cancer meant many things, Wade being thin was one of them. Since his body was always at battle with itself, eating his cells away- a horrifying glutinous disease that robbed him of many things. His ability to keep weight on properly was one of those things. Thankfully, or unfortunately depending on how you looked at it, Wade had joined weapon X before cancer took most of his body fat and muscle, his abs, forearms and thighs looked about the same as before.
But before the mutation, he’d grown a little thinner, a slight and unnoticeable change to anyone else, but very prominent to Wade. Wade, who as a trans man, had already had horrible body issues. To an extent, he had already disliked his more effeminate figure. Sure, he had abs, large muscular arms and greek-like thighs, but his wide hips were still there. And his waist curved and his back arched in ways that although attractive to most- was a burden to him.
But he had grown to accept that. And body neutrality was something he practiced with Vennasa. You didn’t have to love the body you were in, or think it was this amazing thing-but it was his and still functioning well, (before cancer hit) and he could live with it.
Until he couldn’t.
Cancer had stolen everything. Made him a stranger to his own body and made him feel as if he was nothing. Then Francis came along and pinned the last nail in the coffin. Sure, his cancer was ‘cured’ but his body?
Disgusting.
Wade looked down at himself, he saw the pudge and ran over it like an old scar, the same way Nessa used to when they were still together, tracing slightly with gentle fingertips and then slowly pulling back with the same care of a mother with a child. His grimace grew deeper as he traced his body again and again, his arms wrapping around him like webs as he curled into himself.
A hand slowly moved up to trace the underside of his chin. It was Logan.
“Bub. You look healthy.’ He stole a kiss, which made Wade blush. He wasn’t healthy, so how could he look it? But with the way Logan's hugging his stomach, gently drawing soothing shapes in the lines of Wade’s scars- he would believe him just this once.
Logan gave Wade a flannel to wear, a simple red and black one that covered his pudge perfectly. Today they would run down to the local convenience store and grab a couple of essential products that would benefit the house. Althea needed her blood pressure medicine which meant a quick trip to CVS, but they didn’t have the name brand candies that Wade enjoyed which meant a quick stop to Walmart or Dollar General. And Wade’s been craving strange foods lately. Which meant that Logan would cave and buy him something unnecessary from Wendy’s or Dairy Queen.
Just last week after a mission where Wade and Logan were commissioned to kill some guy who was stalking his ex girlfriend and her family-which ended in the man being thrown into the river with a chain around his foot and his throat slit- Wade caught such a bad craving for Mcdonalds fries that Logan took an extra five minutes to find the nearest one to suede Wade and get him to calm down.
Within the minute they got the bag, Wade smelt the greasy food and almost vomited inside it, which meant Logan had to pull over at the local 7/11 gas station.
That was a fun night.
Wade threw on some pajama pants and crocs and Logan threw on a wife beater and leather jacket. They didn’t need to look presentable. They’d be back within an hour and weren’t looking to leave the truck much.
Funny how they have that now. A truck. Not Wade’s truck, or Logan’s truck- Their truck.
Logan never thought he’d find himself in a situation like this. With a man he loved, who loved him back just as much and wasn’t afraid to say or show it. Things were domestic now, not exactly the epitome of a healthy or regular relationship, but one that suited them both just fine.
It started to rain sometime between their shared bath and Wade having himself a (un)healthy dose of body dysmorphia, which Logan adored. He had always been drawn to the rain, something about the steady pattern of drops on the top of houses, cars and apartment buildings drew him back to similar times. The times in the Canadian wilderness where it was only him and his thoughts and the grandfather oaks of yesterday meeting the saplings of tomorrow with smiles on their wrinkled faces.
One year, he saw a deer with its leg snagged in a trap. He had saved it, and for years that deer came back to Logan’s cabin until Mother Nature came to take back another life. He thought about that deer sometimes. Times were different- the universe was different.
They approached their little red vehicle that was more rust than metal that Peter B. had loaned to them for half off. Wade had since quit the Car Dealership business, his time in the Void reminding him of the fun and thrill of an adventure. It was a siren song far too tempting to ignore and after two weeks of being at home, he went back on another mission. The bumper was covered in old peeling duck tape that failed to conceal the sizable dent in it. The interior was false leather and had small tethered rips at the edges of the tan seats and the cup holders were constantly sticky to the touch and had a foul smell.
But in its own strange way it was charming. A bold apple amongst the gray, black and white of the city. Much like Wade himself. He slipped into the passenger seat and Logan took on the role of driver. The rain pattered on the roof of the truck, the gray sky comforting and helped to rehydrate the crisp autumn leaves that had fallen on the ground. Wade pulled out his cell and hooked it up, his playlist that he and Logan made together on their very first date night played.
Logan smiled, slight but firm. Moments like this made the world alright to him. Wade. His Wade. In his clothes, playing their playlist in his car. They shared a look, sweet and passionate, then stole quick kisses from each other.
“M’love ya’ , mouth” Logan whispered. And it felt so normal to say that.
“Love ya’ too, Pookie!” Wade chimed and blew a dramatic kiss to Logan’ s cheek.
The engine started with a low rumble, the heat kicked in and started to fog up the windows. Logan turned on the windshield wipers and started their way to CVS, Wade looking outside the window and humming along to what was playing. The traffic wasn’t bad today, most wanting to stay inside where it was warm and dry. People who didn’t have such privilege were in their cars, on the streets with umbrellas or hoods tied snug around their napes and ears.
Logan spotted an older couple underneath the awning of a cafe, making no rush to get out the weather. Wade saw a young woman with her son waiting at a bus stop. The kid in a bright green dinosaur poncho and his mother is a yellow one with a blue bow.
The steady hum of life became its own background music as they drove through the gloomy weather. Logan took a turn at the CVS and ordered for Althea’s medication from the drive through. He handed it to Wade who tucked it safely in the reusable tote bag that they used for grocery shopping.
“Alright bub, what do we need for the house?” Logan asked as he thanked the young man at the desk and drove off.
“Well we're low on milk and juice. I’d like some Wonder Bread for sandwiches. But in that case we would need lunch meat.’
Logan hummed and tried to commit the list to memory as he watched the cars in front of him. Wade continued to list some more basics. butter, dogfood, and frozen goods were added on the list. If they budgeted, Logan could possibly even get himself a six pax and split it with Wade and Al. But in all honesty, he hadn't been drinking much lately. No point in drinking yourself to sleep when you have a partner whose voice can be its own white noise.
They pulled up to the Walmart parking lot and quickly got their reusable bags out the car, making sure to keep Althea’s meds tucked safely in a separate pocket so they don't get crushed.
They found most things in the span of a few minutes. Bread, butter, milk; cheese. What were the other few things? Oh yeah- Kibble, juice and lunch meat. Logan pushed the cart as Wade turned to the Frozen Goods Aisle and grabbed two pizzas and some Blue Bunny IceCream. They had a pretty good pay day this week thanks to a large scale mission that left them a few thousand bucks. So splurging was an actual option they had.
They were at the self check-out, scanning items, a little girl and her father were next to them. Chatting and smiling with each other. It was cute. The girl in her little yellow dress and bright pink jacket. Her father in a blazer and slacks.
Their total was 56.95, and Logan paid through with his card that the X-Men had set up for him through the finances of the late Logan of this universe. May he rest in peace.
Wade carried two bags as they exited the Walmart, their clothes drenched with rainwater as they shuffled to quickly make it to their truck.
Logan pulled out his keys and unlocked their vehicle when they were a good few feet away. Wade tucked their groceries into the truck and then shuffled into the front seat. Logan followed and started the heat to keep them both warm.
They started off again, deciding to leave the fast food as a treat for later. Wade fell asleep after a few minutes leaving Logan to be alone with thoughts.
Logan smiled and gently hummed to their music that hard restarted. The rain had started to fall harder and it seemed to calm him. It was like a drumming was deep in his chest as he drove through the sheets.
He left Wade to sleep in the car as went to put away the groceries, then came back down to wake him up gently and they walked hand in hand back to the apartment complex. Althea was home with Puppins in her lap. Both sleeping softly in their recliner chair.
Logan smiled and kissed the sleepiness out of Wade’s eyes, much to the other’s liking. They put away the groceries together, and placed a small amount of kibble for Mary just in case Al didn’t feed her enough.
Wade huddled up to Logan’s body as he stared out the window of the apartment. Wade’s chest flush against Logan’s back. In his hands were two cups of tea that they drank on days like this. Green for Logan, and Peppermint for Wade. The rain grew heavy and few people walked along the sidewalk now, but still many remained.
Wade sipped his tea, placing down his bright pink mug with little hearts on it to kiss Logan’s nape.
“I’m going to take a nap. The rain makes me sleepy.” Logan nodded, told him that he’d join him later and continued to stare at the outside world.
What had his life become? Only months ago was he a drunken bum at the bar with crust over his eyes. Begging for a drink and passing from bar to bar looking for anything to fill the hole in his heart. Logan thought himself a family man. And in a way he still wasn’t.
He wasn’t her father, so Laura called him Uncle Logan instead of day. She wasn’t the Logan that had died for him. He was the wrong guy. But he was always the wrong guy, wasn’t he? That didn’t stop the little family he had made for himself. Laura and Althea, Vennasa and her boyfriend. Wade’s almost fatherly bond with Russel who he only meant once but instantly loved just as much as Wade. Domino, Dopinder: Peter W. and the X-men. Not quite his own, but still his loved ones. Colossus, Yukio and her bright personality. Ellie and her colder, more sarcastic one. Similar yet so very different.
His thoughts consumed him until Wade’s large hand curled around his waist and he kissed his shoulder.
“Bed?” He said, and Logan smiled. Turning to face his lover, his anchor being to this world. The pock-marks of his skin seemed to glow, the little crows feet at the edge of his eyes straining with his chapped lipped smile. Logan had to kiss him. He’d be insane not to, So he did. Again. And Again. Until he was satisfied and blushing.
“Let’s go to sleep. A nap sounds amazing right now’
And the whole world seemed to fade away as they slept together, Logan curling into Wade’s back and cuddling the pudge of his stomach.
And all was right in the world.