Red Vs Blue Book of One-Shots

Freckles

"We're doomed."

"Tucker-"

"Doomed"

"I swear to-"

"Doooooooomed." Tucker complained, currently ranting on about the new...
'Addition to the blue team', as Wash stated.

"Addition?! The thing's a hundred-ton battle machine with lasers for hands! And better yet? It made Caboose, the guy who was dropped on his head as a child, the leader!"

Wash listened to Tucker's little speech, but knew that he was overreacting slightly.

"First of all Tucker, it doesn't have lasers. Second, it's probably less that a hundred tons. Third... Well, I'll have to find out a way to talk to Caboose about putting me back as captain...
Without that giant robot killing me."

"I thought it was an 'Addition'." Tucker mocked, impersonating Wash. It was actually good, although the Freelancer would never admit that he sounded so bossy and uptight.

"Tucker?"

"Yes, Ex-Captain?"

"Shut the hell up."

~~~~

While Freckles was still on patrol around the canyon, Tucker and Wash decided to walk over to Red base, seeing as they didn't have any giant robot problems. On the walk there, Wash and Tucker planned on how to talk to Caboose about his pet, and how it can't replace Church.

At the mention of Church, Tucker flinched. Wash thought it was just his eyes, but when he said it again, he knew something was wrong.

"Tucker, I understand you miss Church..."

"I don't."

Wash tried to ignore his now anger-filled state.

"I know that he left all of us, but that doesn't make him a bad person."

"Yeah," replied Tucker sarcastically, "Instead it's his wonderful personality and charming speeches."

"Don't sass me," Wash warns, "I know you're going through a hard time, but don't vent out on others. That's the reason we have Freckles trying to kill us."

"So it's my fault?"

Wash stuttered, realizing that he just blamed Tucker, "N-No, I mean-... Look. It's not your fault, but if you were a little nicer about Church leaving, maybe Caboose-"

"I could care less. Caboose needs to grow up. I know that you keep saying I'm his role model, but I'm not! He's an Idiot either way!" Tucker snapped.

"Look here, Private, I am trying to be as nice as I can about this situation, but if you continue to yell and have an outrage, you will miss the point."

"There is no point." He stated coldly. He just left the sentence there, like a knife stabbed in Wash's chest and un-removed.

Before Wash could question Tucker's dark words, he sprinted ahead of him to the Red base. The freelancer sighed deeply, and ran to catch up to him. He was more fit than anyone in this canyon, besides Caboose of course, but quickly catches up to the Aqua Spartan.

"Tucker-" Wash grabbed his friend's wrist and stopped, trying to make Tucker stop running. He instead was now tugging his arm away from Wash, but failing to do so.

"Tucker," Wash stated again, "You can't keep running away. Just- talk to me."

At that note, this is where Tucker hit his breaking point. He ripped his arm away from Wash, and almost spoke in a growl.

"I don't care. It's all the same with you Freelancers. You'll be buddy-buddy with us, flight alongside us, and then you'll turn into a complete asshole."

"I am nothing like Church, Carolina or Tex, I am just trying to help you while Church is gone-"

"If that's the only reason you're here dealing with us, then leave!" Tucker boomed, a deadly fire in his eyes. But the flame quickly turned blue as tears came close to the surface.

"Leave... Just like Church did..."

The previously stabbed knife only dug in further.

"I... Tucker, I didn't mean-"

"Don't." He stated, the guilt setting in even more.

Wash didn't know to do. He was never good at understanding people's problems, he was a solider instead. So Wash did what any totally-manly guy would do.

He wrapped his arms around Tucker's shoulders and hugged him tight. The emotionally unstable space marine stood there, defeated and lost. He took a deep breath, and Wash realized that this actually helped.

"Wash-"

"Alert. In team guidelines, any in-work relationship is punishable by death." Freckles boomed, completely ruining their manly moment.

"Wh-What?!" Wash stuttered, his face absolutely red under his helmet.

"We aren't- I'm not- He's just-"

"WAIT, THEY'RE FINALLY DATING?" A Hawaiian voice questioned from red base.

"Aw, damn it, now I owe you twenty food rations..." A disappointed maroon solider stated.

"You bet on us?!" Tucker squeaked, getting more embarrassed by the second.

"Wait, us? We're not dating yet!" Wash replied.

"Yet?" Said both Grif and Simmons.

"..."

"..."

"I bet Tucker on confessing his feelings before Wash."

"Oh, you're so on!"