First name Agent, last name Washington (freelancerwash) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2019-12-21 20:37:00 |
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Entry tags: | !closed, !log, ~2019 december, ~25 points, ~~agent washington (freelancerwash), ~~agent york (freelanceryork) |
Who: York and Wash
What: Movies and vacation talk
When: Backdated to a few days after York and Carolina got home
Where: Their home
Warnings: Not really
Status: Completed Gdoc
Carolina and York had been back from Greece for a few days before Wash and York had any time alone together. They weren’t the only ones home but Wash hadn’t felt like being out in the main rooms so he’d asked if York and Carolina wanted to watch a movie. Carolina said she’d be in later so for now it was just he and York.
“So did you and Carolina have a good time?” Wash didn’t actually like having them gone for a few days but he wasn’t ever going to say it. Especially when they came back with Carolina with her version of a tan (mostly extra freckles) and York looking tanned and relaxed with a grin on his face most of the time. He could probably guess if they had fun or not just by looking at them but he liked to ask. “I mean the pictures looked like you were having fun.”
Carolina’s idea of sending pictures to keep him from worrying did not actually come with the ability to actually take a good picture, there was a lot of pictures of random shells, her sandals, people with their heads cut off...for someone good at so many things it was funny to see her attempt to do anything artistic.
***
York was always down for anything that let him spend more time with Wash, especially when he asked for it. Sometimes, it was a hard line to balance on, if he was crowding his friend too much or not enough. Ultimately, he went with his gut and so far it hadn't failed him. Plus, he always said yes when asked to be there, in whatever capacity that Wash wanted.
"We did. It was really good," he replied, and his tone gave away that he was a little surprised by how well it had gone. "I've got some pictures actually, ones I hadn't sent." Carolina wouldn't mind too much if he was sharing with Wash, so he didn't hesitate as he pulled his phone from his pocket and flipped to the photo app.
"Here. Take a look through those. I maybe got a little snap happy the day we were on the boat, but it was probably my favorite day while we were in Greece." That was probably a bit of an understatement, because it absolutely was his favorite part of their trip and he'd definitely gotten way too picture happy that day over all the others. There were some great ones of her laughing, of the pair of them together and genuinely happy. It felt like everything he'd wanted them to have all those years ago.
***
Wash was getting a little better about asking people to spend time with him. It was harder than it used to be to spend too much time alone but it had taken a lot of time to convince himself it was okay to ask people to hang out. It was the same way he never could convince himself to touch other people first without a lot of clear signals and communication that it was okay to do so.
He did actually grin as the took the phone to look through the pictures. It was too rare to see Carolina smiling much less laughing like she was in the pictures. “Wow. Okay you have to take her out on these trips more.” She’d actually unbent enough to hold up her arms and show off her muscles but she’d started to crack up when he took the picture. “I want a copy of that one.” He showed it to York so he knew which one he was talking about.
***
"Well, that's definitely the plan. Maybe a couple times a year. Could be fun to do a house trip, too," he said, the idea one that had just come to him and was more of just a vague notion than anything else. It would be important to see what Wash's gut reaction was, just on the outset, but there wasn't any reason they had to go on trips or anything.
"Hey, what's mine is yours. Just don't share with Tucker. Send it to yourself." York trusted Wash - and he did trust Tucker, just not enough to have a copy - and he definitely trusted Wash to send a photo to himself via text. "I was pretty proud of that one. It did both of us some good. And it meant a lot that we came back and everything was pretty alright." Wash had done great without them, something that had been a little up in the air when they'd decided to go. "It was pretty alright, right?" He had to check. Again. Just in case.
***
“Maybe.” Wash was going to have to think about the idea of a house trip. The little day trip he and York had taken where they got to walk around the town in Australia hadn’t been that bad but he still got confused and the headaches if there was too much change to keep up with. But there would be a lot of people buffering for him so maybe.
He used the phone to send it to himself before he looked through the rest of the pictures. “I am not giving pictures of her to Tucker. He’d never be able to decide if it was spank bank material or if he was going to end up dead just for having it. Or both.” And he’d probably end up blurting out something about it while he was stressing about possible death by Carolina. It could get ugly.
“It was fine. I mean I’m pretty sure that Carolina asked half the town to check on me or keep me entertained.” He shot York a look to see if he could tell how much he’d been in on that with Carolina. “Tucker’s had to go through one night at least of me kicking him out of bed...literally...and not knowing who I was so he’s gotten the full show and survived it.”
***
Maybe was better than an outright no. It was something they could work towards at the very least, maybe for late next year or even the year after that. York didn't care how long it took for Wash to get there, so long as he wanted to get there and would continue to push himself. So he let it slide and focused on the conversation about the pictures. "Ugh yea, you're not wrong. And then C'd probably smack the both of us." Since no way would York not make sure Wash was right there in the dog house with him.
"We were maybe a little cautious, but aside from James and Cass, I'm not sure who else she asked outside of the house," he admitted. He wasn't going to lie about being worried or about wanting to make sure there had been contingencies in place to ensure Wash would be taken care of in the short term if the worst was to happen and they had to come home early. "You didn't feel too stifled or checked on, did you?" He hoped not, although he'd do more to curb it if need be next time around.
***
“We’d all end up bruised and unhappy.” Wash could imagine it. Maybe because he’d seen what happened with the Reds and Blues when they did something to piss her off. “And no, it was just James and Steve. It’s just the household plus Allison feels like a lot of people. And because he works with us Quill knew and he checked in but I think he was mostly bored and needed something to do.” Quill was like that. Wash was kind of used to it.
“It was fine. Just tried to stick to a routine and we made a lot of hot chocolate.” Wash had been happy to do that with Allison feeling bad about people leaving.
***
"It's no fun when we end up that way like that," he agreed. He'd much prefer to be bruised and happy, but that was neither here nor there. What mattered was that they hadn't overwhelmed Wash. York wasn't too surprised that Steve knew with Bucky being aware, but Allison was a surprise. It seemed like Cassandra kept her distance if he hadn't commented on her, thankfully enough. She'd been a good find, something he'd always be grateful for.
"Quill's a good guy to have in your corner if that's the case. Sticking to a routine is important," York replied encouragingly. He also appreciated that there'd been a lot of hot chocolate instead of coffee because that much caffeine probably would've been a bad thing. He was proud of Wash for how he handled it, just didn't want to be too overtly 'parenty' about the whole thing because that wasn't how their relationship was. "I'm glad it wasn't too bad," he decided to say, hoping that was the right thing.
***
The doc had checked in but since she had regular check ins anyway it wasn’t all that intrusive so that was okay. Allison probably knew since she helped them with errands and then her friend had gone home and she’d ended up benefitting from the hot chocolate.
“I mean there’s a good group here. They might make me a little crazy sometimes but that’s okay.” Wash had gone through all the pictures a couple of times so he handed the phone back to York. It did mean something when they were proud of him but it was pretty much a minefield telling him that without making him feel like they were patronizing him.
“And you guys are home now. And I can make Carolina tell me stories later.” He checked his phone to make sure the pictures he’d sent to himself were on his phone now. “So...the boat. That was someone you knew had one right?”
***
"There is a good group here, isn't there?" he agreed as he moved to put his arm around Wash's shoulders. It wasn't always appreciated, but he hoped that it would be alright for now. Especially since it seemed like a good opportunity for a trip down memory lane. A lot of the good times from Freelancer seemed so far away, which sucked but it felt better to remember them in Madison Valley.
"You absolutely should get her to tell you some stories, and I'll be there to interject when she tries to pretend she wasn't as happy as she really was." Not that Carolina would intentionally do that, but he had a feeling she'd gloss over some parts and he wanted to gush a bit without it being too weird. With Wash, it'd be alright.
"It was, yea. Illinois. Real good buddy of mine, we'd go out drinking and fishing and just have a blast shooting the breeze," York elaborated. "It was never about catching any fish, though it was always fun when we managed it."
***
“She does do that doesn’t she?” Wash leaned into the arm around him. He did know in York’s case he could be the first one to touch, York was pretty touch centered with the people he knew, he just always worried a little he might be sending signals he didn’t want to yet so he usually hesitated. “Someday she won’t and we’ll both fall over from shock.”
“Oh right. I’m...pretty sure Carolina told me something about him.” And it had to do with the lighter and a beach? It must have been closer to when he got injured, that tended to be the fuzziest. “I know she hung out with you and your drinking buddies sometimes.” Mostly before he hit top tier but for a little while after that. Before Tex. There had been some good times in Freelancer. Wash hated that all of that got lost in the crap that happened later.
“I never knew you liked to fish.”
***
"She does," he agreed as Wash leaned into him. It felt good, like it was the right thing for them to do. He was glad they had this opportunity, for better or worse, because it was time together in a situation that gave them a little more freedom than they would've had in their world. York couldn't even call their world home anymore because it wasn't. Madison Valley was.
"Every so often she would. It usually took a little bit of work to get her to loosen up and come along, but she relented sometimes. Don't think she ever regretted it, either." That was always important to him, especially when it came to pushing her outside of her comfort zone a bit.
"It's more all the stuff outside of fishing, to be honest. I like spending time with people." He always had.
***
“There was a picture.” It was a little easier to see it in his mind when he closed his eyes. “She said she hit you...but that’s really all I remember.” He knew that if he pushed it too hard he’d end up with a headache so instead he opened his eyes and shrugged...which pushed his shoulder into York’s ribcage a little...and let it go. “I just can’t imagine it went over well if people got drunk and touchy. She never was good at letting people touch her like one day it was fine the next day she’d throw you across the room. It was really confusing back then.”
Carolina could still be a little like that but now it was more that she just went stiff at first when you touched her or hugged her but then she relaxed into it. There was rarely violence involved. Plenty of threats, but not much actual follow through.
“So, I uh want to do an experiment.” Wash could feel the red starting to creep up his neck and decided he needed to get a tan just so the stupid blush reflex wouldn’t be as obvious. “I just don’t want to be a tease or anything.”
***
York tilted his head at the mention of a picture. It took a moment for it to connect in his mind what that might have been in reference to, but then it came through. "She took you to the bar, huh?" It was good, though, that he got to see that side of her. "She's still pretty confusing, to be honest. I've just had years of trial and error," York joked. It was true, though. His relationship with Carolina had him learning something new every day, which kept it interesting for both of them.
The idea of an experiment that could potentially be construed as a tease was an interesting premise and though York was on board, he did want to know a tiny bit more information. Pretty much, he just wanted to gauge whether or not he was going to need to get some relief with Carolina before they went to bed, especially if Wash was going to stay with them tonight.
"I'm all for being your test subject. What did you have in mind?" York asked. He didn't make any move to change position though, since he wanted Wash to lead.
***
She was less confusing for Wash now but he wasn’t sure if it was because he’d spent so much time with her or if she let him get away with more because she’d softened up on them. One thing was sure he wasn’t going to ask because he’d either get in trouble or she’d get pissed off.
“I...really don’t remember where we were. Just the picture. It must have been not too long before I got hurt, all of that is just pretty much gone for the most part.” He hated it but there wasn’t much he could do about it either. Wash was trying to be more relaxed about what was missing since he couldn’t change it.
Wash moved so he was facing York and tried not to blush too much. “I just want to kiss you.” He had felt that desire to kiss Tucker out of nowhere and he wanted to know if it would be the same more than once. “But a serious kiss, see what happens.” He knew how York liked to be kissed and he didn’t want to wind him up too much and not have follow through.
***
"If it's the picture I'm thinking of, it was the bar. I'll tell you about it later." He'd remind him, anyway. What was more important now was how Wash was in front of him, looking at him intently. A serious kiss was definitely something that would wind him up, there wasn't any doubt about that, but York knew himself well enough to know that he could seriously kiss Wash for a long time before he got too carried away. Depending on how into things Wash got, it could lead to more things regardless of their best intentions.
"Okay. A serious kiss. I can do that." He'd follow along with what Wash wanted, so he shifted a bit and reached for his friend. It was slow as they moved towards one another, since York didn't want to spook anything. "How's this?" He didn't give Wash a chance to reply though, since he closed the distance between them to kiss soundly.
***
Wash wasn’t going to spook. He would have done the experiment with Tucker but he didn’t want to make Tucker feel bad if he got him worked up them had no interest in going any further. He wasn’t even sure if his friend even wanted to go any further ever again, something they’d have to talk about some time but he wasn’t ready to have that conversation yet. Mostly because he wasn’t sure if it was because he wasn’t interested in sex yet or if he’d be disappointed if Tucker didn’t ever want that. It was easier to not know.
The kiss started out slow and it felt nice even if it wasn’t sparking anything other than feeling close. Wash liked feeling close and like when he slept with York and Carolina the spicy scent that was all York was there along with the warmth. He felt like he’d be happy just kissing forever but that wasn’t really fair to York.
And then he felt that same thing he’d felt like he’d felt when he was with Tucker and without thinking he pushed York into the back of the couch to kiss him more intently. It was fleeting, it seemed to go away the same as it had come but if it meant he hadn’t imagined it and maybe he’d start to feel it more often.
And then he realized he was pushing York and stopped kissing him. “Um, was that okay?”
***
Kissing Wash was one of the things that York would never really get tired of. He was happy with how things were turning out, knew it was going to be in flux for a while, but it was a great improvement to how things were. It was easy to get lost in the feel of it, without a doubt. As content as he was to be kissing Wash, his body was into it, definitely. He especially liked the way that Wash shifted, how he pushed him into the back of the couch.
His hands settled on Wash's hips to feel that closeness to him, not to pressure him into anything else. It was kind of cute how unaware he'd been after a time, to the point where York smiled as Wash pulled away. "Very much okay," he assured his friend. "If it's not too much?" York wanted to make sure before he encouraged Wash onto his lap.
***
“It’s fine. I mean more than fine but it’s weird too. It kind of comes and goes.” Wash wasn’t sure he could explain it very well. The way that he was just enjoying the touching and kissing without wanting more except for those brief flashes of heat and want that hit him but didn’t stay. “I don’t think I’m ready for anything more but the kissing part was definitely good. I just don’t want to frustrate anyone.”
But it was nice to start feeling even this much. It made Wash hopeful that there would be more coming and eventually he could enjoy more with all of them. And then he’d have to have that talk with Tucker. Okay that one he wasn’t necessarily looking forward to, that talk might be really weird.
****.
York thought it was a good sign that Wash was aware enough to realize that he wasn't ready for more than kissing right now. Self awareness like that, especially in such a heated situation, wasn't easy to have. They all were the sort of people who stopped the moment something didn't feel right or if someone actually said to stop, but knowing where the line was made a huge difference. They wouldn't cross it, not without explicit permission, because they knew that was where it existed.
"You're worth getting a little frustrated over," he replied with a grin. He leaned in to press a kiss against Wash's jaw and then quick against his lips. "A lot frustrated just means Carolina's got less work to do," York joked. Not that it ever took him long to get ready to go with her, but he was hoping it would help ease whatever pressure Wash put on himself. "And I guess if the same thing happens with Tucker, I can help him out. If- you're having that conversation anyway." He was just trying to get a sense of where Wash was at, and how things were going between the two of them. Tucker was an odd duck sometimes, especially when it came to real emotions and relationships.
***
“Okay I know you and Carolina too well, all she has to do is look at you the right way and you’re there.” And he knew that Carolina hit all the right buttons on York when she ordered him around or demanded something from him. It was kind of amusing to watch it back in Freelancer when they had to be way under the radar but Carolina would still be all bossy and pushy.
He so didn’t know what was going on with Tucker. Wash knew Tucker was okay with it, and they were both okay with it but not sure exactly what it was or where it was going. “I have no idea. Yeah, we probably should talk about it but these talks take a while and they’re confusing as hell sometimes.” Neither one of them seemed to know what was going on in their own heads sometimes.
***
York leaned in to press a quick kiss against Wash's lips. "There's no rush. With anything." It was all the reassurance he could really give at the moment, but it was something he knew with absolute certainty, so that was what mattered the most. "Do you want to keep driving me crazy or take a break?" he asked jokingly.
***
“Well part of me definitely wants to keep driving you crazy and make Carolina deal with you after. But I think we should take a break.” Wash chuckled and pushed his fingers back through York’s hair with a fond smile. Today was one of those days where he felt like he was making progress even if he couldn’t remember everything he wanted to and his right side remained weaker compared to the left. His armor helped to compensate so his practice fights had gone better and this progress on feeling like he might want to be close to the others again lifted his mood.
“Let’s watch the movie and wait for Carolina. She hates it if we can’t catch her up on what’s going on with the plot.” He settled back against the back of the couch with his shoulder against York’s to watch the movie.