Wash ended drill a few days later and turned to head in to grab a cup of coffee from the lunch room. When he walked in he was displeased to find out that someone had replaced the coffee grounds with ground pepper. Knowing who the culprit probably was and curious as to why he would only hurt himself in the long run, Wash turned to go find him and yell at him only to see Ross coming down the hallway talking to Diaz. He cursed to himself before vaulting up the stairs and to his own office instead, hoping he hadn't been seen. A minute later there was a knock on the door.
Ross poked her head in, "Do you have a minute, sir?"
"I'm busy right now," Wash stammered turning to look at his computer screen.
"Well apparently we need to talk," Ross replied stepping farther into his office and closing the door. He pretended he didn't hear her. "Stop staring at your computer, Wash."
"I told you I was busy," he said hiding the fact he was thrown off she hadn't called him 'sir' or 'agent' like she normally did.
"Yea and I'm calling you out on your bullshit," she replied crossing her arms. "You're avoiding me."
"No I'm not," he mumbled not looking at her.
"Bullshit. You're avoiding me. You are making things weird. You, not me. Which means, I'm kicking your ass at some point," Ross replied. His felt his face turn red. "So do you want me to do it here or shall we wait?"
Wash huffed, "Just do us both a favor and just forget that happened."
"This is what I was afraid you were going to do," Ross rolled her eyes.
"Well it shouldn't have happened."
"Do you not remember the deal we agreed upon?"
"Not really..." Wash admitted.
"No strings, no weirdness or by your word I have permission to kick your ass."
"Drunk me is an asshole..." Wash mumbled.
"No, drunk you is actually ridiculously sweet," Ross huffed running hand through her hair. "And much easier to deal with than sober you."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Wash squeaked.
"You close yourself off constantly and it's hard to actually try to talk to you about this because you refuse to acknowledge things and would rather be all awkward and weird. So sorry not sorry, but sober you is the asshole."
Wash huffed, running his hands over his face before leaning back in his chair to look at her, "What do you want to talk about exactly?"
"Why are you being weird and awkward about this?" she asked quietly sitting down across from him.
"I'm not."
"Sir, you have deliberately avoided looking at me during drill and have revamped things during the afternoon so that you don't spar with me yet for some reason only let me spar against Weaver since she's there helping Agent Carolina during her free hour," Ross growled. "I don't know who's getting more frustrated by it, me, Weaver or Agent Carolina. You are being weird. Why are you being weird?"
"Because it shouldn't have happened," he sighed heavily.
"Why not? We're both consenting adults here."
"But I'm your CO-"
"Don't bring that into it."
"But it needs to be brought into it. There's a lot at stake and I don't want everyone else to think I'm favoring you just because we had sex. It was stupid and I shouldn't have done it."
Ross rolled her eyes, "It's just sex. I'm not looking for favoritism from you. And all honestly, I'm not looking for anything from you. But, you need to treat me normal in front of everyone else though otherwise they will start to think something is up. So if you want them all to know, by-"
"No I don't want them to know..."
"Well ok," Ross nodded. "Then you need to treat me no different than you were before we had sex. Think you can manage that?"
"I can try," Wash scoffed cracking a smile finally.
"All I can ask," Ross sighed. She picked at the arm of the chair, "I do have to say though, it was fun and I would be up for it again if or whenever you are." Wash raised an eyebrow at her. She put up a hand, "Same deal. No strings, no weirdness-"
"And you get to kick my ass if there is," Wash finished. She winked at him. "We'll see."
"Hey Wash-" Carolina stopped after noticing Ross sitting across from him. "Oh, sorry. Didn't know you were busy."
"I was just leaving, Agent Carolina," Ross said jumping up from the chair and heading to the door. She paused and looked back at Wash, "Thanks for the advice on those knives."
"Uh yea, no problem," Wash stammered as she closed the door behind her. Carolina was watching him, a suspicious look on her face. "What?"
She shrugged, "Nothing."
Wash narrowed his eyes at her before rolling them, "What's up?"
"Kimball just called me," Carolina informed him. "There is talk they want us to increase the amount of recruits we're training."
"Really?" Wash asked surprised.
"Yup."
"Wow, guess we're doing a better job than we thought," he chuckled.
"That and they want Kimball to start utilizing us around the other cities as well," Carolina nodded.
"That's great, but I don't think we should send the ones we've been working with out of the city."
"I agree."
"Especially with you and Emma out of commission."
"We're not entirely useless just because we're pregnant."
"Not saying that," Wash chuckled shaking his head. "I'm just thinking that the ones we've been working with would be more use here. We can use them to help us."
"We have the guys for that though," Carolina pointed out.
"Well yea, but we've sent them out more than they've helped us with classes or drill or anything," Wash replied. "If the current recruits stay here, we have a larger group to work with for assisting us depending on how many more they want us to take on. Emma already has Cody and Trevor. You have Weaver and Morris."
Carolina sighed, "I get what you're saying. Who do you want?"
"What do you mean who do I want?"
"Exactly what it sounds like," Carolina chuckled. "If we're all going to have helpers or assistants or whatever, it's only fair we all have them. I'm assuming Ross would be on your list?"
"W-why would you assume that?"
Carolina shrugged, "Who else?"
"Um, Diaz," Wash squeaked after thinking over the remaining recruits.
Carolina nodded, "I will let them know. Pretty sure North will want Bitters and Smith and York's gonna want Piper and Miller, which'll leave Jensen and Palomo to float between the Lab and the Garage. I'll check with the rest of them and make sure that works."
"So I'm assuming we passed with flying colors?" Wash asked.
"Seems like it," Carolina nodded. "Not surprising really. I feel like we should take ourselves out to dinner."
"Oh yea?" Wash chuckled.
"Yup. A nice steak dinner with baked potatoes loaded with cheese," Carolina sighed. "With a nice big brownie sundae for dessert."
"Isn't York trying to keep track of your chocolate intake?" Wash chuckled.
"Shh, he doesn't need to know."
"So by 'we' only you and I are included in this dinner?"
"Emma too," Carolina shrugged. "Someone needs to babysit Ally."
"Yea, I'm sure that'll go over real well," Wash smirked. Carolina gave him a 'what can you do' gesture. "So any idea when they want us taking on these extra recruits?"
"Nope. Kimball said she'll let us know as soon as she does. I don't think there's a time limit at this point."
"Got it. Any word on South?"
"Mei said she should have what she needs by next week," Carolina sighed. "Apparently there's a wait for it."
"Great."
"Yea. George tried to put a rush on it through his old contacts, but there's nothing we can do. When it gets here, it gets here."
Wash nodded. His eyes caught his empty mug, "By the way. Can you please talk to your husband about leaving the coffee alone in his pranking spree?"
"Please tell me he's not…" Carolina groaned.
"Saturday morning he was here when I got here and supposedly didn't set up any pranks in the locker room. I have heard multiple complaints during drill from a few of the recruits. After drill this morning, I went to go get coffee only to find out that the grounds had been replaced by pepper."
"He's extremely lucky Emma and I can't drink it right now…"
"Which I'm assuming is why he felt it safe to do that particular prank," Wash huffed. "I'd love to know what he's doing for coffee though because he's the addict out of all of us."
"He's probably hoarding it somewhere. I thought I smelled it coming from the hallway where his office is," Carolina huffed. "I can beat him up if you wish."
"As long as he doesn't get too out of hand, I don't see a problem," Wash chuckled. "Personally, I found it quite entertaining."
"Is that why Palomo's hair was blue this morning?" Carolina asked.
Wash nodded, "Apparently York put hair dye in his shampoo. He had to borrow Jensen's but the damage was done."
"I wonder what else he has up his sleeve…" Carolina sighed.
"You'd be the only one that could get it out of him," Wash pointed out.
Wash dropped a cloth case on York's desk and crossed his arms, glaring.
"Yes?" York asked looking up at him.
"Ross's knives."
"What about them?"
"Take them out of your desk drawer and put them back in her case," Wash growled.
"I don't have them," York shrugged looking back at his screen. Wash stomped around York's desk and pushed him back up against the window, a blade of his own out. York put up his hands, "Ok! Jeez. What's got you all riled up? I was going to put them back later."
"I don't care that you are putting shit in people's lockers or are taking the coffee away from everyone else. Do NOT mess with people's equipment!"
"Oh come on. They're popsicle sticks. They're not going to hurt anyone," York chuckled pulling the top drawer on the side of his desk open.
"You are missing the point!" Wash snapped. "Don't mess with the equipment, and that includes personal things like knives or guns or any other kind of weapon. Next time I go to Carolina about it and I really don't think you want her pissed off at you about something stupid and common sense!"
"Heard loud and clear, man," York replied. Wash grabbed the knives out of the drawer and the cloth case off the desk and stomped out of York's office. "DUDE! I think you need to call that chick and get laid again, you're a bit up tight!"
He laughed to himself when he heard a distant growl and was extremely relieved when Wash didn't return. A minute later though, Carolina was leaning in his doorway giving him an annoyed look.
"Uh, hi gorgeous," York gave her a nervous grin.
"What'd you do to Wash?" Carolina sighed.
"I didn't actually do anything to Wash."
"Yea, ok. What'd you do?"
"Switched out Ross's throwing knives with popsicle sticks. Apparently that made Wash mad," York shrugged. "I got yelled at for messing with people's equipment."
"Well, he's not wrong," Carolina smirked. "What were you yelling to him? I think that made him angrier. I caught him before he came back to tear your head off."
"Oh just that he needs to get laid again since he seems to be a bit uptight," York shrugged.
"You know who's not getting laid?" Carolina gave him a pointed look.
"Oh that's bullshit!"
"Stop being an idiot and rain yourself in," Carolina warned. "I'm going to get Ally."
Wash slammed the cloth case down on the counter in the Range, "Problem solved."
"Oh uh thanks, sir," Ross replied. "You ok? You seem really mad."
"Oh I'm just peachy," Wash grumbled.
"Do I want to know where you found them?"
"I took care of it."
"Wasn't what I was asking, but point taken, I will not ask," Ross replied picking one up, balancing it on her finger briefly before offering it to Wash. "You first."
"I don't remember agreeing to this," Wash grumbled taking it from her and squaring off against the target.
"Yet here you stand," Ross smirked. "You've been saying you were going to show me and that's been how long since you said?"
"Well there's other stuff going on that needed to be taken care of so I haven't had too much down time," he answered. He adjusted his grip on the point of the blade, aimed, and threw, the knife spinning to land point first in the target.
"Huh, guess you can throw," Ross joked. The corner of his mouth cracked into a smirk. She picked up another one and held it out to him.
"Thought we were taking turns?" Wash chuckled taking it from her and repeating his process.
"Never said that," she shrugged. "Besides, I'm intrigued by the skills you apparently have yet have never shown us."
Wash looked around, "You're the only one here."
"Maybe they missed the memo," she grinned.
Wash rolled his eyes, "Yea, sure. That's it. All eleven of them missed a memo that was never actually sent out."
"Maybe I wanted the experience for myself," she shrugged.
"Sure, that's it," Wash replied.
"Am I not allowed to hang out with you?" Ross asked.
"Depends. Are we hanging out because we slept together and you expect we should now-"
"There sober you goes being an asshole again," Ross rolled her eyes. "Are we not allowed to be friends? Hanging out is something friends do."
"Just as long as we're clear about the whole-"
"Yes, yes, you don't do relationships. Shut up before I start throwing them at you instead of a target," Ross huffed holding one of her knives at him. Wash raised an eyebrow at her. She balanced the knife on her finger, an eye on the blade, "I don't want one anyway. I'm ok with some casual sex now and then just like the next person. We had this discussion already, sir."
"I was under the impression that you like…liked me liked me."
Ross shrugged, "I'm attracted to you, I won't lie about that fact. Did I have a crush on you? Maybe. But I think I figured you out pretty well on our patrol walk to know I shouldn't actually expect anything from you."
"Wow…you really know how to make me sound like an asshole," Wash chuckled.
"Which when sober, you are a bit of one," she replied. "Once you let your guard down and the awkwardness that normally accompanies you goes away."
"Ya know, you really deserve better than what you're trying for here," Wash pointed out. "And I'm really not used to having this conversation with anyone."
"I can tell," she chuckled before shrugging again, "Long as I know what's going on, I can deal with it."
Wash watched her throw, giving her a curious look. "You've done this before."
"Throwing?" she chuckled. "Uh yea. Hence my own knives."
"No, not that smart ass," he rolled her eyes.
"Yes I've done this before. I'm not celibate just because I'm in the military."
"You are full of surprises."
"People always underestimate me because of my height," she smirked at him. "I love proving them wrong."
"Ok smart ass," Wash rolled his eyes, adjusting her elbow before her next throw. "You're absolutely sure you're ok with it if we both agree on it."
"Told you, as long as I know what's going on," she replied letting the knife in her hand fly at the target. "That being said, there should be some guidelines."
"What kind of guidelines?" Wash stammered.
"Well, since you are Mr. No-relationship man, first sign of feelings from either party, it's done."
"Hello bluntness," Wash chuckled. She raised an eyebrow at him. "And agree. Anything else?"
"Um, well, probably shouldn't spend the night again, that could just lead to things and my dorm is probably off limits due to foot traffic."
"Right and let's play the first part on case to case basis. I'm not going to make you walk home in the middle of the night."
"So you'd rather me leaving really early in the morning when someone could possibly see me?" Ross raised an eyebrow at him. "You're forgetting I'm trained to take care of myself, not to mention I normally have a blade on me somewhere."
"Fine. Leave whenever you want. Is that it?"
"For now," Ross shrugged. She paused and turned to look at him, leaning up against the counter, "I mean we can either shake on it or seal it a different way that would be a heckuva lot more fun."
Wash looked down at her as she twirled her last knife in her hand.