KALEIDOSCOPE ━ WADE WILSON

CHAPTER NINE

PLAYLIST;
i. after the storm - mumford & sons
ii. poison & wine - the civil wars
iii. landslide - fleetwood mac
iv. the night we met - lord huron
v. blood bank - bon iver
vi. i found - amber run

–

The apartment was a fucking sanctuary compared to what they'd just gone through. Ainoa sat on the edge of the worn couch, her pants leg rolled up to expose the angry red wound on her thigh. Wade knelt before her, carefully cleaning the injury with practiced hands.

"You're lucky," he murmured, not looking up from his work. "The bullet went clean through. No major arteries hit."

Ainoa hissed as he applied antiseptic. "Doesn't feel lucky," she gritted out.

Wade's eyes flicked up to meet hers, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "Trust me, I've seen worse. This? This is a walk in the park."

She managed a weak chuckle. "Your parks must be pretty intense."

"You have no idea."

As Wade worked, Ainoa's mind drifted back to the events at the docks. Santiago's blank face, Juan's taunting words, the sickening realization of what Project Phoenix truly entailed. Her heart clenched painfully in her chest.

"Hey," Wade's voice was soft, drawing her attention back to the present. "Where'd you go just now?"

Ainoa shook her head, blinking back tears she hadn't realized were forming. "I just... I can't believe he's alive. After all this time, thinking he was dead, mourning him... and now..."

Wade's hands stilled for a moment. He looked up at her, his expression serious. "We'll figure this out, Ainoa. Whatever Juan's done to Santiago, we'll find a way to undo it."

"How can you be so sure?" she whispered.

He shrugged, resuming his work on her wound. "I'm not. But I've seen some pretty impossible shit in my time. And if there's one thing I've learned, it's that giving up is never the answer."

Ainoa watched him as he finished cleaning the wound and began applying a bandage. His touch was gentle, almost tender, belying the lethal skills she knew those hands possessed. In the few days she'd known Wade, he'd become more than just an ally. He was... something else. Something she wasn't quite ready to name.

As Wade finished bandaging her wound, Blind Al shuffled into the room, her keen senses immediately picking up on the tension in the air.

"How's she doing?" Al asked, her voice gruff but concerned.

"She'll live," Wade replied, giving Ainoa's knee a reassuring squeeze before standing up. "Just needs some rest and maybe a few painkillers."

Al nodded and shuffled over to the kitchen, rummaging through the cabinets. "I've got some painkillers here," she called out. "Might want to take them before the adrenaline wears off."

Wade gave Ainoa a quick, reassuring smile. "I'll get you a glass of water. Can't have you passing out on me, now can we, princess?"

Ainoa arched an eyebrow at the pet name. "Princess, huh? You sure know how to make a girl feel special."

Wade laughed softly, grabbing a glass from the counter. "You're like a royal pain in the ass, but in a good way. It's my duty to keep you from dying on me."

As he handed her the glass of water and painkillers, their fingers brushed, sending a jolt through Ainoa. She caught his gaze, her eyes searching his face. "You know, for someone who acts so carefree, you really do care."