KALEIDOSCOPE ━ WADE WILSON

CHAPTER FOUR

PLAYLIST;
i. heartbeats - jose gonzález
ii. midnight city - m83
iii.  across the universe - fiona apple
iv. under the bridge - ret hot chili peppers
v.  little dark age - mgmt
vi. no light, no light - florence + the machine

-

The sun was settling over the city, casting long shadows across the abandoned railway yard. Ainoa picked her way carefully through   the overgrown tracks, wondering why Wade had chosen this particular spot for their... hangout? She wasn't quite sure what to call it.

Her brown boots made crunching sounds as she kept stepping on leaves. Ainoa didn't have any idea on what to wear, if she's honest. When Wade sent her the location, she hadn't expected it to be an abandoned one. She decided to throw on a simple white t-shirt with jeans, and a brown coat in case it got too cold.

She spotted him perched atop an old, rusted boxcar, his legs dangling over the edge. He was dressed in jeans and a grey hoodie, but the red mask remained firmly in place.

"There she is!" Wade called out, waving enthusiastically. "I was beginning to think you'd stood me up. Which would've been fine, really. I'm used to rejection. It's like a warm blanket of disappointment."

Ainoa approached the boxcar, eyeing it warily. "Interesting choice of location," she commented dryly.

Wade patted the space next to him, "What, you don't like it? It's got everything! Tetanus risk, potential for surprise hobo encounters, and a great view of... well, more abandoned stuff. But hey, it's quiet and nobody bothers us here."

With a slight shake of her head, Ainoa climbed up to join him. As she settled in, she noticed a cooler next to Wade.

"Please tell me that's not full of severed heads," she said, only half joking.

Wade gasped in mock offense, "What kind of monster do you take me for? Severed heads are for Tuesdays." He flipped open the lid, revealing an assortment of drinks and snacks. "I wasn't sure what you liked, so I got a bit of everything. Except pickles. Pickles are the devil's fruit."

Ainoa found herself smiling despite her initial reservations. "This is... surprisingly normal," she admitted, reaching for a soda.

"Hey, even us morally ambiguous anti-heroes need downtime," Wade shrugged. "Though if you're hoping for some action, I'm sure we could find a convenience store to hold up. Robin Hood kind of way, of course."

Ainoa chuckled, shaking her head. "This is fine," she said, surprising herself with how much she meant it.

As they sat there, watching the sky turn from orange to deep blue, Ainoa found herself stealing glances at Wade's mask.

"So, what's with the outfit?" she asked, gesturing to his ensemble. "Normal clothes but still wearing the mask? Trying out a new fashion statement?"

Wade's body language shifted slightly, a tension creeping into his shoulders. "Oh, this old thing?" he said, his tone forcefully light. "Just keeping my options open. Never know when you might need to quick-change into a superhero. Or a luchador. Or a very confused bank robber."

Ainoa sensed there was more to it. "Wade," she said softly, "you don't have to wear the mask if you don't want to. I'm not here to judge."