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“Hey Wash…?”
“Yes, Tucker?”
The cyan-turquoise-aquamarine armour-clad man looked around. He was hesitant to speak. The two men were standing at what had become the makeshift blue base ever since the crash… the crash that was definitely not Tucker’s fault. Standing next to Wash almost felt like standing with Church, back in Blood Gulch. Tucker tried not to think about that. Plus, Washington wasn’t exactly one for useless banter, as he made painfully obvious every day.
Still, it was worth a shot. They just had that heart to heart, or whatever you call it a few days ago. Tucker made sure to look anywhere that wasn’t at Washington. He didn’t believe he was initiating this conversation. The new canyon they were trapped in was getting to him, most likely. Tucker steeled himself, and said, “I’m saying this not for you to take it out on me in fucking training, but because I’m trying to prove a theory…”
“What is it, Tucker?” his tone made Tucker think he was already annoyed with the conversation.
“When’s the last time you got laid?” Tucker blurted it out before he could stop himself. Washington fidgeted next to him.
“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that was your serious question…” he muttered.
Tucker quickly interjected again, “okay, but our old captain used to always encourage talking about feelings and shit. The best feeling is sex, and you act like you haven’t gotten laid since we took on The Meta. Not even in Washington’s personal time or anything.”
“You’re… not kidding.”
“No, I’m not.” Washington still seemed to be fidgeting. Tucker sighed, “oh, come on, Wash, you can’t always be the brooding ex-special ops guy. It gets old.” Tucker was pretty sure Wash was just going to walk away, but to his delight, the Freelancer spoke again.
“The last time I was… with someone else was during the Project. I don’t want to talk about it more than that…” Washington spoke carefully. He was still hiding a lot of information, but Tucker was just pleased Wash was opening up.
“Oh, god, please tell me it wasn’t Carolina,” Tucker spoke. “Actually, tell me about it, if it was, right?” Tucker grinned. "Bow chicka bow wow."
“It wasn’t Carolina. It was North Dakota… and York,” Washington’s voice seemed different, softer.
It didn’t go past Tucker, who knew better than to tread lightly. “Look at you, Mr. Popular,” Tucker joked. “Unless it was at the same time, in which case, I owe Grif 20 bucks. Man, that reminds me of this one time, these two blondes-”
Looking at the sun reflecting off of Washington’s visor was enough for Tucker to stop talking. He could imagine the narrowed eyes and contorted face of the older man. “If the scrunchy face I know you’re making is because of the bet I made with Grif, then relax. I just didn’t think you could get two girls at once. I tip my hat to you, man.” Washington didn’t say anything for a few, long seconds. Tucker almost worried he’d offended the robotic emotions Washington denied himself from feeling.
The older finally spoke, “Well, they’re not girls, so you can go ahead and get your 20 bucks from Grif, I guess. York and North were guys.” He spoke simply, and didn’t sound mad at all, to Tucker’s surprise.
“Oh, you-Oh!!” Tucker felt stupid for not considering that Wash was into dudes. He felt like a right dumbass, in fact. “Sorry, man…I-”
“Don’t worry about it,” Wash sighed just slightly. “I’d say the other Freelancers were as shocked, but… well, after Wyoming and Florida, they were just sort of used to it.”
A thousand thoughts ran through Tucker’s mind. “Wyoming?! He was into dudes?”
“You knew Wyoming?”
“Yeah, British dude, bad jokes. He tried to kill me and kidnap my kid. That guy’s a jackass. I thought you knew Tex killed him…” Tucker explained.
Wash nodded. “Right, I just… I don’t know, I just didn’t know you guys were with her before that happened, too. Didn’t realize that was your base… though I suppose it makes a lot of since, considering who Church turned out to be.”
“Wait, wait, wait… I can process the fact that Wyoming fucked a dude… but… what dude would have fucked Wyoming?” Tucker asked quickly.
Washington laughed at that. It was a sound Tucker hadn’t realized he liked to hear as much as he did. “Reggie used to be better… even when he had his AI, Gamma-”
“Yeah, another fucking asshole with bad jokes,” Tucker nearly groaned.
“I’m not even going to ask,” Wash spoke softly. “Anyway, Reggie used to joke around a lot more… relaxed, I guess? I guess it helps when you’re not his assignment, too. He was a good teammate to have. He always joked, and could get on your nerves a bit, but he wasn’t a full-on asshole, if that makes sense?” Washington waited for Tucker to nod before he continued. “Anyway, he and Florida worked really well together. They both were assigned to reconnaissance together a lot. I guess that’s when they hit it off. Sometimes I think they’re one of the best couples I’ve seen… and that’s the weirdest thing to admit. Florida was… eccentric doesn’t quite say enough, really.” Wash chuckled to himself. “I’ve never met another man who slept standing up with his eyes open, for sure.”
“Wait, what?!” Tucker had followed along nicely, trying to imagine a Wyoming with the stick out of his ass. However, the final sentence Washington said was too familiar.
Wash laughed softly again, “Yeah, pretty shocking, right?”
“No, no, I know a guy who did that!” Tucker informed Wash.
“Really? Who?”
“Our old captain, Flowers. He was really touchy-feely and I’m not gonna say he was a hippie, but he and Doc would’ve gotten along famously.” Tucker thought for a minute, “but, yeah, he was all peace and ‘don’t care about rankings’, but he slept with his eyes open. I told Church he must’ve had a cool, badass military career before they stuck him with us in Blood Gulch. Sometimes he’d make… weird comments, man. Like, maybe he was a serial killer or something.” Wash was silent, and Tucker was the one who was now thinking back. As awkward as Flowers had been, he didn’t deserve to go out the way he did.
“Tucker…” Wash spoke slowly. “Did your captain have dark skin and hair, by any chance? Maybe long hair, usually worn in a braid?”
“Yeah, he did… Do you… Oh, you’re fucking kidding, you knew Flowers.” Tucker shouldn’t have expected different. He didn’t even ask it, he just stated the fact.
Washington put a hand to his head. He appeared to be reeling. “Flowers was Agent Florida,” he informed Tucker. “I only ever heard Reggie call him Butch. We were told… well, the counselor informed us of an accident. Florida was listed KIA.”
Tucker listened and processed the information. Then he repeated it in his head. That was impossible. “Are you trying to tell me that Wyoming and Captain Flowers fucked?!?” Tucker’s voice rose, and his whole body appeared to jump.
“Yeah, they were very close-”
“Wash, you’re fucking joking. That’s not even possible. Holy shit!”
“No need to yell, Lavernius.” Washington didn’t hide his smug amusement.
“Every need to yell, Washington!” Tucker argued. The next sentence he spoke was quietly, to himself, though, “I don’t fucking believe this.”
Wash’s laugh drifted over to Tucker. He appeared to be enjoying Tucker’s horrific realization. “My room was next to Wyoming’s. Some nights I had to crash with North, it was so loud.”
“Shit, man, I do not want to be thinking about Flowers doing anybody!” Tucker complained. “Or Wyoming, for that matter!”
“It could be … unsettling,” Washington admitted. “I still don’t like thinking about moustaches…” The former-Freelancer shuddered.
Tucker’s hands were on his helmet and he was pacing. “Why would you put these images in my head? I will never be able to get rid of them. This is torture!”
“I didn’t think you’d take this so poorly, Tucker.”
“How could I not?!” Tucker groaned loudly and kicked a rock near him in his what he would later refer to as ‘pure agony’.
“Then I guess I shouldn’t mention the time Florida started to explain what his moustache ride was like,” Washington sounded sincere. He hid sarcasm well. “It took Carolina physically throwing him out of the room before he finally shut up.”
Tucker groaned again, “Fuck you, man!” Tucker spoke over Washington’s laughter. He shook his head and attempted to shove Washington. “You’re a dick, you know that, right?”
“You were right, Tucker, sharing is fun. We should do this more often,” Tucker could hear Washington’s shit-eating grin in his voice.
“I’m gonna go hang out with Caboose,” Tucker mumbled, wishing he could erase the entire conversation from his memory. “And if that doesn’t say how awful you are, I don’t know what will.” Why did he think talking to Wash was a good idea?
Washington's laughter followed him as he quickly tried to find the simple-minded teammate he always sought to avoid.