Chapter Text
Getting away really felt more like running away, but Wade didn’t care. The end result was the same. After all, what else was a not-quite-mid-life-crisis if not for leaving the big city on the heels of a devastating breakup and fucking off to the woods of beautiful downtown North Dakota for two months?
Devastating breakup felt harsh, really. He and Vanessa still loved each other, but he was a mercenary for hire and she needed stability. She needed safety. He knew that, but was selfish in keeping her with him. She’d been the one to bite the bullet that was tearing apart their relationship and he wound up mostly just feeling bad that she’d had to be the one to do it. He was moving on, slowly but surely, but now he felt adrift. His life felt repetitive and meaningless.
So he packed up a bag, left his work phone behind, and fucked off to North Dakota. He’d saved quite a chunk of money over the years and spent a fair bit of it on a small cabin deep in the woods. It was an impulse purchase, of course, and Wade would blame it on his impending mid-life crisis, but now that he stood on the path leading up to the front door, he couldn’t be mad at it.
Finally, he had a place all to himself. No reminders of his years spent with Vanessa, no blind roommate to whack at his ankles every time he changed the tv channel. No Mary Puppins, even as much as he loved the dog. Peter had very kindly offered to help Althea take care of her, as he’d asked his friend to look in on his roommate while Wade was gone.
The cabin was a chance to get his head on straight. A chance to approach the world with a different perspective.
***
Really, there were only so many times Wade could organize his closet before he went mad, so he decided to go on a hike. Grabbing a map of the general woodland, he scanned the contents with interest. Even as generally wild as the woods were, there were still some well marked trails nearby and he decided to stick to those for the time being.
He spun in a circle with his finger out and chose the direction that he landed on, taking in the early evening fall chill and bundling his hoodie a little closer to his skin. He got cold easily, but fall was worth it for the colors of the trees and the general coziness that settled over Mother Earth.
God, how poetic.
He’d been walking aimlessly for about a half hour when he heard a steady thwack ahead of him, in a direction off the beaten path. Curiosity peaked, he didn’t even think twice before leaving the path and wandering in the direction the sound came from.
It got louder quickly as he weaved in and out of the trees until he came upon a clearing with another cabin sitting in it. Smoke piped from the chimney and a small garden near the steps was chock full of pumpkins. It looked like a screen from a postcard or a Hallmark movie.
Wade’s attention, however, was drawn to the man next to the house. Tall and imposing, with heavy sideburns and a deep set scowl on an unfairly attractive face, his grip on the axe in hand shifted as he bent to pick up a log. His rolled up flannel bunched as he swung the axe up then back down, cleanly slicing the log in one go.
Oh, now that was just unfair.
Wade thought distantly that he might be drooling as he watched the man throw the chopped log onto a sizable stack. The man was the lumberjack version of all his dreams, brunette and handsome, while the lines on his face spoke of being close to if not older than Wade himself.
Wade had fucked off to the woods to find himself, but he was starting to think he’d found something much better.
Suddenly, the lumberjack’s nose twitched and his head snapped sharply to one side. Wade found himself under a heavy gaze, sharp eyes looking him up and down in quick scrutiny.
“Who the fuck are you?”
Dear God in Heaven, even his voice was sexy.
Wade realized that he’d been quiet just a second too long when the man’s grip on his axe changed and he scrambled to function normally. “Uh-Wade. Wade Wilson. I think I’m lucky enough to claim you as my neighbor.” Mentally, he slapped himself. Even as much as he could defend himself, coming onto a guy he had no read on while no one else was around wasn’t a smart idea.
The man’s head tilted slightly, but other than that he didn’t react. “Neighbor means not my property. Why the fuck are you here?”
Friendly honey badger. Wade loved it. “Well, you see, you look like a smart and handsome man with directions. I think I’m a bit lost.” That wasn’t a lie. He wasn’t exactly sure where the path was, but he knew he could probably find it easily enough. Really, he was curious about his new neighbor.
Said neighbor stared at him blankly for a moment and Wade just barely kept himself from shifting uncomfortably. Then the man sighed and set his axe down, stepping closer. “You got any idea where you’re going? Lots of empty cabins around now.”
Progress. Wade would take it. He waved his map in front of him. “Got my place marked on here. I’m just unclear on where I left the path.”
With an indistinct grumble, the man stepped closer and snatched the map Wade was holding away. He scanned it for a second before grunting. “Wandered a bit. You’re about two klicks off the path.” He seemed to think better of his wording. “Eh, about a mile and a quarter for laymen.”
“Ex-military. I’m familiar.” And so was this guy, which explained both very little and a lot about him. Wade was more intrigued by the moment.
Hot Lumberjack hummed, which Wade supposed was an improvement on the grunt. “Head northeast. You’ll stumble across it easy enough.” He extended the map back to Wade, who took it and smoothed out the pages.
“Thanks a bunch. I owe you, life debt and all that…?” He trailed off very deliberately, raising his eyebrow at the other man.
He hesitated a moment before finally offering, “Logan.”
“Logan.” Wade liked the sound of that. “My everlasting gratitude.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Logan stepped back, scowl back in place firmly. “Now get the fuck off my property.”
“Spunky. I like you. We’ll be good friends, Peanut!” Wade certainly had more than friendship on his mind, but he had a suspicion that it was best to tread lightly around the mysterious lumberjack. As the man let out an honest-to-God growl of irritation, Wade stepped back and wiggled his figures in a wave goodbye. “See you soon, Logan!”
With the murderous glare Logan had shot him, Wade was surprised he left the clearing unscathed, but he wasn’t bothered by it. The lumberjack had a whole ‘don’t get too close, I’ll only break your heart’ vibe going on, but Wade was into it all. He was determined to get to know Logan better and he had two months in which to do it. Considering that Logan hadn’t reacted to his flirtation, he figured that was a pretty good stepping stone.
Logan’s instructions were true and he found himself back at his cabin shortly. As he laid in bed that night, rethinking the day’s events and his interaction with Logan, a thought popped to mind.
Hold up, did he…smell me coming?