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Dating Wash is nothing like dating Tucker. With her and Tucker it was like, they banged and it was great so they kept it up and he was fun to be around so they hung out and that was it, they were dating. Even when Tucker got redeployed to go do all that diplomatic stuff, why break it off when it was good? They’d vidchat when they could, and they’d meet up again sometime, and sure enough, here she is. Good call hitching a ride out to the edge of the galaxy with that hot pilot chick! Best decision of her life, maybe. Well, she makes a lot of good decisions, so that one’s hard. (Bow chicka.) But it’s up there.
She’s pretty sure it’s not gonna happen the same way with Wash.
He came with Tucker to pick her up from the spaceport and when Tucker introduced him she was totally like, You’re dating the cop? Like, Tucker can date whoever he wants, that’s way cool. So can she. But the grumpy cop dude from Blood Gulch? That was just funny.
The cop was kinda hot, though.
“You don’t have to date him,” Tucker said later, when it was just the two of them, and his dark brown eyes were so earnest, she could tell it was serious. Like, heavy serious. “I swear, it’s cool if you just want to be friends, or… or whatever! I just want you guys to get along, that’s all. He’s pretty important to me.”
“Like I couldn’t tell,” Kai snickered.
Tucker got all indignant. Hah. Like she couldn’t still read him like a trashy smut novel. “Hey!”
She giggled. “Relax, okay? I’ll totally win him over.”
“That’s not what–”
“But I will, and you know it!” she chirped in a singsong voice. “Whatever, Lavernius!”
So when she asked Wash out it was mostly for Tucker’s sake, but like, for Wash’s too because Kai is a super great date and Wash seemed like he could use a fun night. She kinda thinks he might not even have accepted if hadn’t been for Tucker. Maybe he was like, “Just give her a chance, Wash.” Whatever.
The arcade was the best idea. Tucker helped her pick out this place in downtown Armonia, and even if half of it was still closed off for repairs because of all the civil war stuff, it was a pretty cool joint with sweet games and decent music. Arcades are like, one of her favorite first dates. Plenty of stuff to do if you don’t know what to say to each other, and you find out real fast if a person has no sense of humor, which is like, Kai’s biggest turn-off ever. Also, there are prizes.
Wash is wearing these jeans that aren’t very tight but just fitted enough to make his butt look amazing, and this ringer t-shirt. She bets Tucker helped him pick that out. She knows Tucker was helping Wash get ready because she called him like three times to get his advice and he was all like “Kai, I know I’m amazing and everything but there is one of me and two of you and one of you already knows how to dress herself so wear what you want already. You’re hot. I promise.”
“Damn right I am,” she huffed, and hung up. Then she pulled on her favorite scoop-neck t-shirt and snapped a great cleavage shot and sent it to Tucker just to make sure he knew what he was gonna be missing out on.
For like the first ten minutes, she starts to think it’s not gonna work. Wash doesn’t smile. He kinda pulls his shoulders in as soon as they walk in the door of the place. He keeps glancing around nervously, like they’re being followed or something. Is it the war thing? That’s supposed to be over, but Tucker said it was complicated.
The arcade is all bright lights and friendly noise, though, and Kai’s gonna make the best of it she can. She takes her credit chit to the token machine and carefully fills their pockets up just enough to last a few games but not so much that they have to stay a long time. Wash is already looking nervous. She doesn’t want him to feel like he’s trapped or something.
“Let’s play this one,” Wash says, breaking his unnerving silence and sliding into a seat for a two-player racing game.
“You’re on, mister,” Kai says, perking up, taking her seat and feeding in the tokens. “High speed chase, hoo-rah. Bet that’s totally your thing.”
Wash shoots her a look that has maybe just a little bit of a smile in it. “You do know I’m not actually a cop, right?”
“Whatever, officer,” Kai says breezily, kinda liking the way Wash’s brow furrows, right before the game flashes GO! and they both stomp the pedals. Thought she might’ve distracted him just a little. Nope. Wash is sharp, fast and aggressive, and their cars are neck-and-neck right until the end where Wash runs her off the road and sails across the finish line and Kai doesn’t even mind because when she sneaks a look at him, his tense focused expression has become a muted but triumphant smile.
Boy does know how to have fun.
They make the circuit around the working part of the arcade, trying out different games and Wash is good at a lot of games, it turns out, though Kai owns him at Mrs. PacMan and the hoop-shooting game. That’s okay because as it turns out Wash has one special, secret, hidden talent. His true calling, really.
Skee-ball.
Kaikaina Grif has never seen so many dead-on 100s in her life. Like, damn.
“I don’t believe it,” she says, hands on her hips. “You’re totally cheating. With like, Freelancer powers or whatever.”
“Believe it,” Wash says as the machine pours out tickets, and he gets this smug little smirk on his face and wow.
Some part of Kaikaina goes all melty right then and there.
They use up all their tokens and go back for more and use those up too. Kai says they should get a prize, but Wash counts their wad of tickets thoughtfully and says if they come back and save them up, they can get one of the really good prizes.
“Sure, if you like waiting,” Kai says, pouting, but not really.
Wash snorts. “It’s called ‘delayed gratification.’”
“Oh, I know what that is,” Kai retorts, tossing her hair. “But I like it better when there’s handcuffs.”
Wash’s eyes widen at that one, just a little, and then a smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. Hah. Got him again. She’s getting to feel triumphant every time Wash smiles. Wonder if Tucker feels that way too. “Well, I guess I should start saving up for the handcuffs, then.”
“Wow,” says Kai, arching her eyebrows. “That was good. That was a good comeback.”
“Thanks,” Wash says. “It’s nice to know I’m appreciated.”
They’ve ambled over to the snack bar and Kai orders up a tub of popcorn for them to take outside. The arcade has a sort of deck section out back and it’s nice to sit on a bench and look out over the lights of the city with the clicks and dings and plinky music of the arcade softer at their backs.
“Hey,” Kai says. “You said, ‘If we come back.’ She tosses a kernel of popcorn in the air and catches it in her mouth, then adds, “So, that mean you wanna go out again?”
Wash manages to stuff a handful of popcorn in his mouth right before she finishes the question, buying him a minute to chew and swallow before he can answer. Good trick. He’s gonna say no, then. He’s just figuring out how to let her down easy.
It’s okay. She did her best. It was a nice date. They’ll be friends. Just friends who both happen to be bangin’ Lavernius. It’ll be fine. She’s made that work before.
“I think I’d like that,” Wash says slowly, thoughtfully. “I don’t know if I’m ready for something serious, Kai. I don’t know… I don’t know what I’m ready for. You gotta understand, the thing with me and Lavernius, it just… kinda happened.”
Kaikaina nods sagely. “Yeah, that sounds like him.”
Wash shoots her a surprised glance, but not an unhappy one. “I–yeah. I guess it does, huh.” He half-smiles, staring off into the distance, and he’s real pretty when he does that, she thinks, even more so when he drags a hand through his hair. He has blonde hair with dark roots growing out and dark eyes. Grayer than Tucker’s eyes, and harder, more guarded. Tucker said he’s been through a lot. There’s gray at his temples, even though she’s pretty sure he’s not that old. “Things are… pretty up in the air around here. I’m sure Tucker’s told you.” He pauses. “He’s really, really glad you’re here.”
“‘Course he is,” Kai says, grinning. “I’m awesome.” But she gets what he means, and feels that warm little swell in her chest, and she knows coming out here was the best idea ever.
Wash looks out over the city, scoops up another handful of popcorn, and smiles.
Kai kinda feels her heart soar, right up in the air and over the moon. Is there a moon on this planet? Whatever. She can see it now, why Tucker likes him. Maybe she and Wash’ll end up a thing too, maybe not, but she’s pretty sure they’ve got that getting along thing nailed down. Heh. Nailed. Maybe that’ll happen too. Sometime. Whatever. No rush.
She sneaks another look at Wash, and she smiles too.
He’s already made a believer out of her.