Chapter Text
The first time Wade witnesses Logan regress into his more feral mindset, he panics. He’ll admit it.
It’s not that he hadn’t known Logan was a bit more animalistic than he’d originally expected before picking him up in that bar — no, he was well aware of his tendencies to snarl and growl, to bite and run on all fours. Wade had learned that within their very first fight together. He even learned he could purr the first night they spent together in Wade’s apartment. Wolvie had laid his head in Wade’s lap after dinner and had passed out after his first decent meal in probably 20 whole years. And Wade, never one to squander an opportunity, had excitedly carded his fingers through the Wolverine’s hair, resulting in a deep, rumbling purr emitting from the other's chest.
So yeah, Wade is more than familiar with his Peanut’s tendencies — loves every single one of them, in fact. But this. This was like everything had been removed from Logan but the animal inside him. Like he’d been stripped raw and left with only his senses and his instincts.
And it scared Wade. At first.
They’d been on a mission together, fucking up some assholes who wanted to run experiments on mutants. A group who the X-Men were taking too long to try to be diplomatic about, so Deadpool and Wolverine had to step in and take matters into their own hands.
They’d entered the warehouse posing as a makeshift laboratory to a sight that left them both cold. Rows and rows of cages and chambers were strewn about the open space. Lab equipment and torture devices strewn on every available surface. There weren’t any mutants currently being held, but there was blood nearly everywhere, the scent hung thick and suffocating in the air. Wade couldn’t imagine what it was like on Logan’s senses, if his own inferior ones were being so assaulted.
Glancing over at his partner, Wade noticed that Logan was breathing raggedly, clenching and unclenching his fists. His claws had flown out immediately upon entering the scene before them. His shoulders were tucked close to his ears and he kept scanning the area around them, head dipped low. Before Wade could reach out to him or ask him if he was alright, the doors on the other end of the room burst open and the men they were after came rushing in.
Seemingly without a second of hesitation, Logan was across the distance and tearing into them with stunning viciousness. Wade could hardly pull one of his guns and run after him before half of the bastards were done for. He’d never seen Logan move so aggressively or so quickly. Like the dam between thought and action had been broken, Logan seemed to be moving on instinct alone. He slashed and stabbed, bit and snarled and tore. He ran around the group on all fours, tackling each of them in succession just to rip their throats out or tear into their chest cavities.
Even in the void, he hadn’t fought this bloody.
Wade stepped in after his brief stint admiring Logan and the rest of the men fell in record time. After the last of them had been taken care of, Wade finally let himself focus back on Logan.
The other man is hunched, still on all fours, growling low in his throat. He’s covered in blood and other things Wade doesn’t want to try and name and as Wade approaches, Logan’s growl deepens. Directed at him now.
“Peanut, it’s alright. What’s goin on?” The growling sounds different to Wade’s ears, deeper and more feral than anything he’s heard before from Logan. Wade stashes his weapons and brings his hands up, placating, before trying to get closer to the other man. “Talk to me, baby. I’m right here.”
He expects Logan to tackle him and tear him to pieces, too, in all honesty. The look in Logan’s eyes is wild and borderline thoughtless — vacant in an alarming way that makes anxiety thrum through Wade’s veins. It doesn’t look like his Logan’s home at the moment even though the lights may be on. He’s ducked his head, hiding his throat and he’s gazing up at Wade with his fangs bared.
Wade’s anxiety builds but he lowers himself down to his knees, aiming to be more level with Logan. Not so looming or threatening, like he’s approaching a cornered and frightened animal and in a way, he thinks, he is. He reaches his gloved hand out, the other moving to tug off his mask slowly. “Ok, honey badger, here we go. Everything’s still alright, cause I’m here, yeah. I’ll take care of you.” Wade tries to steady his breathing as Logan walks over to him.
It’s easy, graceful, the way he slinks over on his hands and feet, and Wade wonders briefly if walking upright is actually more unnatural for Logan’s biology. Something to ask him about later. After. Wade really fucking hopes there’s going to be an after, here.
He watches raptly as Logan sniffs curiously at him, the growling easing in volume and ferocity. “Please, Logan, it’s just me. I know I smell like you. Think I stole your boxers out of our dresser drawer before we left for this job, even.” Logan gets closer and closer, nudging into Wade’s personal bubble nose first, teeth still bared and claws still out just in case.
They’re nose to nose and Wade can see the moment it clicks for Logan that Wade is safe and his. A familiar warmth spreads across his face and his eyes lose their frigidity. He licks Wade’s cheek in a wide stripe. “Hi, baby. That’s right. Just me, here, now.” Wade whispers, not wanting to break the moment. He wonders briefly if Logan was drugged or shot up with something while he wasn’t paying attention. His eyes dart, searching for a hint of anything. A syringe or fallen capsules. He reasons that gas would’ve affected him, too, so that’s out of the question. And fuck knows there won’t be any needle marks on Logan anymore, if someone did manage to jab him with anything.
He’s getting ahead of himself, though. He knows step one right now should be getting Logan back to home base. He tries to stand and Logan whines at him, pushes him back down to land on his ass with his hands, now with claws safely sheathed within his knuckles. Logan climbs into his lap, planting his full weight on Wade without a care. “You want me to carry you, puppy?” He can’t tell if Logan understands the question or is just happy to be in Wade’s lap, but Logan purrs in his ear, the vibration traveling from Logan’s chest to his own in a pleasant, increasingly familiar comfort. “We can’t stay here, sweetheart, you’ll be more comfy at home, c’mon.”
He walks them home like that, Logan snuggled close to his chest, arms and legs wrapped tightly around Wade’s torso, as Wade minorly freaks out and ends up calling everyone he knows. He calls Vanessa first, begging her to house Al and Mary Puppins for him just until he knows Logan won’t hurt them, he doesn’t want to risk either of their safety even remotely. She agrees after telling Wade he owes her for an undisclosed favor to be cashed in at her convenience, but Wade barely cares, would’ve agreed to give up his and Logan’s first child if it would’ve swayed her.
He phones Al next, knows he’s waking her up but he doesn’t care. “Al, listen something happened to Logan, you and Mary have to go stay with Vanessa tonight for a few days, ok? I know it sucks, I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you. We’ll build all the snowmen, Al, I promise. Just please, Vanessa will be there soon to pick you up. I’m walking back with Logan now.” There must be something in his voice because she doesn’t fight him. Or it’s her soft spot for Logan coming out. But she agrees to pack and vacate the apartment, signing off the call by telling Wade, “just take care of him, Wade. He’s a good man. Don’t let anything worse happen to him.”
After taking care of Al and Mary, Wade pauses in his panicked phone calling. They’re only halfway home, Logan is starting to get heavy, but the thought of putting him down makes Wade worried. He’s lucky it’s so late, no one’s been around to witness them. He’s grateful for that, for Logan’s sake. Logan is surprisingly calm, borderline sleepy in Wade’s arms, only peeking his head up at the occasional noise, he nuzzles his face against Wade’s contentedly. The no talking is getting to Wade, he misses Logan’s voice already, but he’s relieved Logan has seemingly calmed down from their earlier fight. He kisses Logan’s head softly.
He has one more call to make, just a few blocks from their apartment. “I’m sorry for this one, angel baby, but she’s the only other Wolverine expert I know.” He steels himself and dials Laura.