Who: Washington and Lavernius Tucker What: Someone has a crush When: Thursday afternoon Where: Their yard Warnings: TBD Status: Closed/started in Gdoc continued in comments
“Come on Tucker take it seriously.” Wash was trying to get back into shape but he didn’t feel up to sparring regularly with Carolina or York yet. The point was to get a workout and not to get his ass kicked on a regular basis. Carolina was good but she was kind of a shitty sparring partner when you were coming off of the DL because of her competitive streak. York wouldn’t be like that but Wash didn’t want to monopolize him all the time.
And Tucker seriously needed to get back into a routine. And Wash liked having someone to teach and he was supposed to do that for his team. And for his friend because Tucker was more than just a teammate.
“I know it’s been a while but you know the basics, I’m slower than I was last time we sparred so it should all be good, right?”
They’d evened out part of the yard to make a practice area and Wash had put on sweats and a t-shirt that he didn’t mind getting dirty and bullied Tucker into changing and joining him. “You ready?”
***
Tucker was either exceptionally lucky or had shit for luck.
He’d been slacking, yes. Far more than he should have been. Work had gotten busy. Things had gotten complicated.
Very complicated.
Enough to the point where while Tucker wasn’t completely avoiding Wash, he wasn’t himself. Less crass and more...attentive. Most of the time. When it was important and would mean something in the long run.
“Hey. I am taking this seriously. I take it all seriously! I’m just, you know, going easy on you. If I break you after all that bullshit? Carolina’s gonna have my ass and not in the good way.”
There was a slight pause and Tucker cleared his throat.
“Bow chicka...bow...wow.” It definitely didn’t have the same level of excitement as usual.
“Just...get this shit started already.”
***
“You don’t have to take it easy on me Tucker. I’m cleared for this okay?” The fact that Tucker was very emphatically protesting that he took things seriously was kind of weird. Usually he called being told to spar bullshit...well, no he didn’t nearly as much even if they’d been ‘retired’ on Iris but for Tucker they hadn’t gotten to that part yet. He was still fighting on Chorus...and okay maybe Wash wasn’t thinking right because after he’d been stabbed he’d taken things a lot more seriously. “And I’m sorry, you’re right. I should give you the benefit of the doubt on...please don’t say things like that.”
Telling him Carolina was going to have his ass just made poor Wash’s brain stutter to a halt and wish it could pick what information it got to forget because that would be on the list. It also showed off how a battle hardened soldier could still fucking blush at the drop of a hat so he was glad that Epsilon wasn’t out here watching.
“Just...okay let’s do this and no going easy on me.” Wash dropped into a ready position and started to circle Tucker. Today was grapples since both of them had a bad habit of relying on their weapons instead of their hand to hand skills. The objective was to throw the other combatant onto the ground.
***
Tucker hated that damn blush.
No. He liked it. It was too damn precious much like his friend and his general demeanor. Wash always had the well-being of everyone else in mind. He’d taken care of him and the other Blues. Even the Reds when needed.
He was fully aware of Wash circling him for reasons other than training and fighting. Tucker was typically aware of most things during a fight, but this was different and new.
And an odd mixture of discomfort and excitement.
Tucker frowned. Fuck.
Pushing off from his own stance, he made a quick lung for Wash with arms open and prepared to take him down. If Wash didn’t want him going easy on him, Tucker was going to make sure he wasn’t.
***
Wash was slower than he used to be thanks to the weaker right side but he was still able to avoid Tucker’s first lunge but it was good form. The weaker hand meant he missed his return grip on Tucker’s arm so they had to circle each other again to look for an opening.
He noticed that pretty much all of Tucker’s attention was on the fight, or at least on Wash himself, and it meant that they had both managed a couple of take downs when Wash stepped back to let them take a quick breather. “Good, you’re doing really good Tucker.”
There was sweat running down the sides of his face so Wash lifted the hem of his shirt to wipe his face off, exposing his length of abs. He definitely needed to get more sun since his skin was winter pale. There wasn’t as much bulk of muscle as there used to be, instead the muscles stood out lean under all the scars criss-crossing his torso. Tucker got a really good view of the way the scars from the wounds he’d had when they’d picked him up on Sidewinder and brought him back to Blue base.
“You okay for another few rounds?” Wash let the shirt drop and looked over at Tucker.
***
Flat on his back after the last round, Tucker sat up enough to rest his weight on his elbows. He had been doing his best to be aware of Wash, but also to not be aware of him. Not when Wash had been in such a close proximity of everything.
For as much talk as Tucker was, and it was always just that, acting on those words as something entirely different. Especially when it came to people he cared for. Wash was a friend. A good friend. A friend that Tucker would do anything for without question.
He hadn’t registered that he was staring at Wash, eyeing the scars that were painful to see but also intriguing. Tucker had wanted to reach out and touch them, run his fingers against them, and --
“Huh?” Shaking his head, focusing on whatever Wash had been asking, Tucker shrugged. “Uh, sure? Yeah! Dude, fuck yeah. No way I’m letting you win this,” he said as he got to his feet. Clearing his throat, rubbing against the back of his neck, Tucker gestured with his chin.
“Could use some color on that pasty stomach of yours, man.” He paused and cleared his throat.
“Least the scars look good.” Was that too obvious? It was too obvious. It was always too obvious or too much.
***
He’d always had a lot of scars but Sidewinder had really done a number on him. Tex with her damn grenade trap and Meta and the Brute Shot really left some memorable marks. Meanwhile Tucker had been staring at him while Wash had been waiting on an answer and he wasn’t quite sure what the look meant.
“Well...I wore armor most of my adult life. I don’t tan very easily.” He wasn’t sure what to make of the conversation at the moment. It felt a little surreal and if it was anyone other than Tucker he might think they were trying to flirt with him.
Wash finally let out a quiet snort of a laugh for the scars comment and shook his head. “If you’re going to say chicks dig scars, don’t. I’ve heard it before.”
***
“Yeah, man. I know. I told you and it’s true. Seriously, Wash. Give yourself some more credit, dude.” Rolling his eyes, Tucker crossed his arms and shook his head.
“Like seriously. You walk into any of those training places and do that? You can’t tell me there hasn’t been at least one chick looking for your number.” There was a moment where Tucker felt himself holding his breath. He wouldn’t be jealous. He wouldn’t!
There was no reason to because he wasn’t looking at Wash that way. Except he was and somehow in those moments, Tucker had gotten closer to his friend than he had expected.
“Fuck it.”
Certainly not the best thing to say given that his follow-up was taking Wash’s face in his hands and kissing him. That would make it all better, right?
Right. Of course it would.
***
No one had ever asked Wash for his number at the training places but he didn’t realize that was more of an intimidating scowling soldier thing who usually had someone there with him that discouraged it. And the fear while he’d been recovering of accidentally hurting someone. Wash didn’t really give people a chance to ask.
“What are you…” Wash hadn’t expected the kiss. It meant he ended up with a really awkward almost bite of Tucker’s lip when he pulled their mouths together. Then he almost started to say something again which just would have made it that much more awkward.
And somehow through all of that and his over thinking of the whole situation that had kind of broken his brain Wash realized that Tucker kissing him felt kind of nice. And he was being a dork because he could feel the fucking blush up his neck again. God damn it.
“So does this mean you’re joining team make Wash take his shirt off?” There was an affectionately teasing note to his voice.