"Aye aye. No punching," he said with a stern nod. Wash was a pretty easy person to get along with. He generally read people well. Sure, Zoe and Mal were seen as the keen observers of all things nefarious, but Wash wasn't too bad himself at figuring motives. Just that his usually were to keep him from being shot at.
Bruce was not wrong when he admitted his sense of humor lacking. But Wash could appease that. He'd just have to be a little more literal than usual and a little less sarcastic.
That being said, Wash did find himself a little ill at ease with Bruce's sorrowful admission of his own revenge on Wash. But he liked to think of himself as a survivor (except that one time), so he agreed.
"A little here and there," he admitted. He rubbed his nose with his finger which indicated that perhaps he knew more than that and he tilted his chin to Bruce. "You need some help? I can't promise the genius that Tony has, but I can promise sincere attempts not to be pompous."