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[lovernotafighter]

[This day had to come eventually, didn't it? Just another one of those damn Blood Gulch Sim Troops arriving here to crash the party, and predictability a little late like always. But hey, it wasn't like he hadn't been busy saving a planet or being blissfully retired or anything equally as important. Nope.

The video shifted a little as Tucker tried to set it upright, but it soon found itself quickly propped at an angle that said this wasn't his first time recording himself; the purpose of such skills would be left up to the viewer to guess at their own discretion. But hey, have Tucker with that beautiful aqua colored armor looking right back at you, even as he sat back down and tried to appear relaxed, cool, okay with ...well, all this. All this.

Ladies in hot tight superhero outfits definitely helped.]

So, yeah, Tucker here. [It felt like an interview with Dylan. Good thing talking about himself was one of his favorite things to do.] Please try to contain your applause, but ladies, feel free to toss your bras in my general direction.

[No shame, this one.]

You know, I was kind of busy back home. [With Church shit. It was always Church shit, and there wasn't a single damn regret for it; in a way, he hoped it kept being Church shit because that meant that bastard was still around. Tucker wanted to be back there, needed to be back there because--] Those idiots - my idiots - have no one to lead them now unless you count Sarge and no one counts Sarge. Shit, I don't even think the Reds count Sarge. Okay, so maybe Simmons does, but whatever.

[He sighed, rubbing his hand over his helmet before he just waved his hand.] But cool, superpowers, am I right? I mean, if I was getting chicks before, I'm getting triple chicks now.

[Let the record show that he was not, in fact, getting ladies before, and that the triple of "zero" is still "zero".]

Look, I just want to get this shit done and over with so I can get back to being a badass back home and get my shit done. So, you know, I'll do what I have to, I guess.

[There's a sigh, that burden of few choices and responsibility - ew - before he cocked is head up.]

Hey, important final question: where do all the hotties hang out around here? There's the title of wingman up for grabs if you tell me.

[At least the video ends there, and everyone was probably better for it.]

Comments

[lovernotafighter]

What's his codename? [Because Tucker hadn't gotten that far yet and he was desperate for a laugh. He needed something, something that wasn't a fucking anvil weighing on his back, and while flirting his way through the hero roster was great, he was more than happy to just fucking talk. To figure shit out. To wrap his brain around it.

You don't know about Epsilon. You don't have a damn clue.

Hands pressed into the bed behind him, and he leaned back a little while looking up. At the time. There were Freelancers that Grif had mentioned, ones he didn't know but he was pretty sure Wash would. Did it mess him up, seeing them? Probably. Maybe he was used to it by now.]

Yeah, I heard there were Freelancers that weren't assholes here. Didn't know they came in that flavor. [Only small offense there, Wash; even your past was a little rocky with them at one point, not that Tucker held that against him anymore. Horrible histories, fighting in a war, and their weird friendship helped smooth over that, thankfully. But even so, he smiled, showing it was the joke that most were used to from him.]

You okay? [With them being here. With that. Tucker turned his head to eye him, as if it was perfectly natural for him to be asking that of the guy who had a long time to get used to the place. Still... he had a feeling that Wash would get it, that Wash would understand what he meant.]

[unrecovered]

Doubletime. [Delivered as though he's imparting the galaxy's best gossip - and really, given what both he and Tucker know about Grif, it's good for a laugh, at least.]

They don't. [The ribbing is easy, familiar, Blue Team bullshit at its best, and Wash has missed it something fierce. It's not the same talking with Grif, who knows who he is now but still doesn't, really, or with Dave, who can keep up with him but isn't really a Red. Bantering with Tucker is something that's been missing from his life for several months, something he hadn't realized he'd enjoyed until it had left a gaping hole in his daily routine, and it feels good to be back to the usual level and flavor of pointless sarcasm.] Some of them are just bigger assholes than others.

[And then there's a hard left turn from sarcasm to depth, which, honestly, is also pretty normal.] Yeah. I've had time to get used to the idea. Plus, they're my friends - this is a second chance I wouldn't have gotten anywhere else.

Speaking of second chances: Locus. [Might as well address the big green elephant in the room.] Did you watch the video?

[lovernotafighter]

...Doubletime.

[And Tucker laughed, because of course he did. This was what the Blood Gulch crew did to one another, laugh and make fun of themselves and then save each other's asses while half-assing taking each other out. It was good. It was tradition.] You sure it's not "Double Down" like that sandwich with fried chicken for buns? Seems more his style.

[And hey, it was nice to hear that Wash could joke about it, that he could laugh and make comments and be okay with it, Well, as "okay" as he ever was, and Tucker felt good, felt happy for him. His old friends. His old family, alive and not recovered. Maybe he'd get the same chance with Church someday.

Fuck, he hoped so.]

Yeah, but that's pretty much people in general.

[But then that topic had to come up and Tucker rolled his eyes. Shit. Of course they were going to talk about it, but it still wasn't a fun topic, wasn't something he wanted to try to unpack even if he knew he needed to. Damn responsibility.]

Yeah, you mean that video that's supposed to make me just forget the shit he did to Chorus? [Just a victim. Just another victim like him, like all of them. Fucking Felix.] He made his choices.

[unrecovered]

Yeah, I'm sure. [And then, because it's a long-running joke on Legion World and Wash is here to get Tucker up to speed and that includes the local culture, right? Right:] The fans have decided that he's in love with Rich - Nova Prime - and they're calling it Primetime. He goes ballistic if you bring it up. [The smirk has not left his face. Have fun with that information.]

[And then the conversation gets serious, and...yeah, this isn't going to be easy. Tucker wasn't privy to Locus' conversation with Santa, and Wash knows that part of the story isn't his to tell, which means he's going to have to find another way to get his point across.]

That video wasn't supposed to make you forget, and it doesn't absolve him of anything - it just adds context. Felix had Locus on a leash for years, and he chose to let Felix call the shots. And then he chose to stop fighting. And then he chose to be a Legionnaire. The Legion can't force anyone to join - that was his decision.

And he's been doing a good job. He's actually trying to get better. Believe me, I've been keeping an eye on him.