Legal Disclaimer: I do not own Red vs. Blue or any of the show's characters. They are the rightful properties of Rooster Teeth.
Chapter Six:
The cool Rat's Nest night air had gotten a lot chillier by the time Lavernius Tucker and David Washington emerged from the restaurant where they had gotten dinner. Much to the former Freelancer's chagrin, Tucker got to choose the restaurant, so of course it was a fast food place.
The two men hadn't thought to bring Tucker's car with them on their Carolina and Kimball "spy mission," which meant that they were currently walking. It was chilly, but Washington brought a jacket with him and Tucker didn't seem to mind the frigid temperature.
Truthfully, the dark-skinned man was leaning closer towards Washington than was probably necessary. But, the blond was far from wanting to call Tucker out over it, particularly given the slight redness to the other man's cheeks every time he glanced over in Washington's direction.
The whole experience was nice, if Washington was being completely honest with himself.
"Hey, stop." Tucker spoke up suddenly, glancing around the street they were on just then, "Look where we ended up."
"Hmm?" Washington felt his own face reddening at the realization that he had spent so long glancing at Tucker and just being happy in the teal-wearing man's presence that he actually had no idea where they even were now.
His gray eyes followed the trail of Tucker's pointed finger towards a familiar-looking building on the corner. He recognized the café instantly. It was the one owned by Tucker's friend, Donut.
The horribly named The Big Gulp.
Washington blinked, having no idea when their feet had carried them to this part of the city. He was definitely always preoccupied with other thoughts when in Tucker's presence. His Freelancer skills were suffering.
The café's lights had been dimmed, with a sign in the window denoting the coffee shop's "Closed" status. One could even see two of the establishment's employees cleaning up for the night through the windows. The baristas were a boy and a girl, college-aged.
The boy was dark-skinned and wearing a teal apron, while the girl was tanned-skinned and wearing a maroon one. It seemed that the boy was using one of the brooms the employees were cleaning with to try to serenade the girl, though she was merely shaking her braided brown hair as she good-naturedly smiled at his efforts.
"Huh. So, Palomo might have a chance with Jensen after all." Tucker mused as the two bystanders watched the interaction from the street.
Washington glanced over at Tucker in mild surprise, "You know them?"
Tucker nodded, "They're friends with our two interns, Andersmith and Matthews."
Those names were familiar. Washington easily recalled faces to go with them. Andersmith was the older of the two interns by quite some years, and he seemed to have developed quite a rapport with Caboose if memory was serving Washington right. Matthews was a rather shy and awkward young man who often seemed to be coming or going from The Big Gulp.
Washington supposed it was no wonder that the two interns were familiar with the coffee house workers given that.
"They're okay kids, even if Palomo can be an annoying pain in the ass." Tucker noted fondly.
The girl, Jensen, was now lightly hitting Palomo on the back. The two café employees appeared to be laughing at something that the boy had just said. It seemed like the older men were witnessing a private moment between the two youths, and that realization was kind of awkward.
Washington was wondering if they shouldn't move on their way given that, "Do you…want to step in and say hello?" He asked Tucker hesitatingly, hoping the other man would say no.
Tucker shook his head, evidently of the same mindset as Washington was, "Nah. Let's give them some room."
Washington nodded gratefully before the two walked on in mutual silence, simply enjoying the night air and one another's company. However, Tucker would pull out his phone and check it every so often.
Washington had a sneaking suspicion that he knew why that was, and when he noticed Tucker doing it for a fifth time, he broached the subject: "Checking in on Junior?"
It was understandable, really, that Tucker would want to do so when out late at night.
Tucker nodded, putting the phone away once more, "Doc seems to have everything under control, but I don't know. I might have to call it a night soon."
That was, again, more than understandable. Tucker was a father, after all. While he hadn't met Junior yet, Washington knew how much the dark-skinned man adored his son.
Washington nodded his head appreciatively, "Junior's a fortunate boy."
Tucker grinned self-deprecatingly, "I don't know if I'd say that, but he's definitely a fucking awesome one."
Washington smiled at the fond tone in Tucker's voice, "I'd love to meet him some day."
Tucker paused then, dark eyes staring at Washington in what appeared to be bewilderment, "You would?" he asked.
The blond-haired man nodded, surprised a little by Tucker's reaction. Had he said something wrong?
"Be—because I'd been thinking about that, actually." Tucker's voice was more hesitant than Washington was used to it being, "About you meeting Junior."
Now it was Washington's turn to be surprised, "You have?"
Tucker nodded, his face taking on a slightly reddish hue that had very little to do with the cold night air, "Yeah, man. We've been friends for…what? Several months now?"
When Washington nodded, Tucker took a deep breath and continued, "So, I figured maybe it was time, you know?" he fidgeted, "For the two of you to meet."
Washington felt his own face go slightly warm at the potential implications of what this meant, "I'd love to, Tucker."
"You're not shitting me, are you?" The younger man's eyes narrowed slightly at the thought, "Because that would be pretty fucking low."
"Of course not!" Washington assured him, "I've been wanting to meet Junior for a while now, especially with all the praise you've given him."
"All right. Cool then." Tucker visibly relaxed, "So it's settled."
"I'm glad." Washington truly meant it.
"Why don't we meet at The Big Gulp in about a week?" Tucker asked, nodding to himself as he formulated the plan, "It'll be neutral territory and all that shit."
Washington was amused by the amount of care and thought that Tucker was putting into this, but he could understand why. Introducing new people to children was something major, especially…especially if that person was what to you exactly?
The former Freelancer couldn't bring himself to ask, opting instead to simply nod, "It's a date, then."
"A date. Yeah." Tucker was nodding his head exuberantly, "Fucking awesome!"
Neither man made any comment on their choice of words just then, both eagerly happy and nervous about the upcoming event at the same time.
The car ride was completely silent, though it was the comfortable sort of silence that Grif honestly didn't fucking mind. He actually found that he liked sharing these types of moments with the redheaded nerd sitting next to him, almost as much as he seemed to thrive off of the conversations and even arguments they had with one another.
Since Richard "Dick" Simmons apparently had no idea of just where he wanted to go beyond "not back to the estate yet," Grif turned his car to the well-lit and familiar street of his own home address.
If his passenger didn't mind, he figured he should check in on Kai. Or some fucking responsible thing like that. It didn't even cross his mind that he was technically bringing Simmons to his house. …At least, not really.
His sister's old beat-up car, that she had stubbornly insisted on paying for herself and subsequently refused to take in to get maintenance by Sarge or Lopez despite it looking like it could break down at any second, was parked in the driveway of the Grif siblings' humble, two-level abode.
The chubby man supposed he could at least thank their deadbeat parents for having paid the damn thing off before bailing on a teenaged Grif and a middle school-aged Kai, though their leaving had still left Grif to figure out how to pay the utilities at far too young an age. Still, they had always managed to have a roof over their heads, even if said roof sometimes leaked inside his bedroom in particular.
It seemed that currently the lights in the house were on too, which meant that Kai was no doubt inside. …Hopefully studying, but he kind of knew that was wishful thinking on his part. All the lazy man could really hope for was that his little sister was, at the very least, not partying too hard.
Simmons looked at the house for a few moments, blinking. When recognition seemed to hit him about where they were, he turned his head to look over at the driver. For some reason, the nerd's face was already starting to go red again.
"W—why are we at your house?" Simmons finally managed to squeak out.
Grif shrugged nonchalantly, not seeing what the big deal was. "You said you didn't care where we went, and it was one of the first places that came to mind." He answered truthfully.
"Y—yeah, but…" Simmons frowned and looked away, his blush intensifying.
Grif sighed, "See that car over there?" He motioned to Kai's yellow piece of junk ride, "That's my sister's. Kai. You remember her."
Simmons nodded, staring at the car and saying nothing.
"Well, I haven't seen her in a while because our schedules are so messed up." Grif told him in way of explanation, "So I just want to make sure she isn't getting her dumbass self into any more trouble than usual."
"I—I see." Simmons seemed to relax at the ever so plausible explanation.
"Good. So, is it cool if we stop by here for a little while?" Grif asked even though he was already turning off the ignition, indicating he didn't really care what the kiss-ass answered with.
Simmons glanced at the house with the lights on and nodded slightly, his face still held a reddish hue as he followed Grif out of the car.
The first thing that Grif noticed upon opening the door to allow Simmons and himself into the house was that the person who was sitting on the living room couch was definitely not his sister. No, rather, he was surprised to find that it was the blond-haired girl who worked at Donut's café. The oddly named Volleyball.
The blonde stood up quickly in surprise at finding the two men standing in the doorway, relaxing a fraction of a minute later upon recognizing Grif.
"Oh! You're Kai's brother, right?" Volleyball stated awkwardly, nodding her head in greeting, "We've met before."
"At Donut's café." Grif tilted his head slightly at the memory, "Volleyball, right?"
"Yeah." She rubbed the back of her head and let out a nervous sort-of laugh, "It's a silly nickname, but now it's stuck."
Grif was about to ask her the more important question of what she was doing inside his house, when the answer presented itself not a second later.
"Hey, Volleyball!" Kaikaina Grif called out, plodding down the stairs with several DVD cases in her hands, "I found some great ones in my brother's stash that we can—!" She stopped herself a second later when she caught sight of Grif and Simmons standing in the doorway, "Ugh." She made a face in her brother's direction in particular, "Don't you ever knock?"
"It's my house too, Kai," the orange-wearing driver raised an eyebrow at the various action flicks that his little sister had evidently just pilfered from his room, "And who said you could just grab my movies?"
"It's called sharing, jackass." Kai stated matter-of-factly, sticking her tongue out at him and joining Volleyball in front of the couch. She put the stockpile of movies on the coffee table close by.
The older man rolled his eyes at his sister's words, "Only if you ask first." He countered.
"Asking's for chumps." Kai replied, grinning mischievously.
Grif couldn't help but sigh at how much of a handful his sister could be. It was around this time that the young woman in question finally caught sight of Simmons cowering behind Grif.
She paused in frustrating her older sibling to focus on the newcomer instead, "You look kind of familiar. And hot." She stated at length, "For a nerd."
Simmons' shoulders sagged at that last part, and Grif smirked, "She's got you there, dude."
"Sh—shut up, jackass!" The maroon-wearing man shot back.
Grif's smirk widened before he turned his attention back to his sister, "Simmons is an old friend of Donut's." He explained, "You met him a few times in middle school."
Recognition slowly crossed over her features then, "Oh, yeah! Now I remember you! The other gray guy!"
"Um…" Simmons glanced between the two siblings questioningly, not sure how to respond to her odd choice of words.
But, Kai wasn't done yet. There was an excited twinkle in her brown eyes as she motioned towards Simmons and her brother before she asked, "So how long have the two of you been banging?"
Simmons' face took on a nearly purple color then, and he started sputtering so much that Grif was nearly afraid he would collapse due to lack of air.
Grif, being the awesome maverick that he was, took his sister's comment in stride, his face only heating up slightly as he asked her, "How long have the two of you been?"
Volleyball blushed slightly at the question, though Kai seemed nonplussed by it, "We've been dating for a few months."
"K—Kai's a bit of a regular at The Big Gulp." Volleyball stated in way of further explanation.
"Gotta love a place with that kind of name!" Kai grinned, "And the coffee's the shit too. But, only when Volleyball or Donut makes it."
Volleyball shot Kai a fond look for the compliment, and Kai grinned back at her. But, then she put her hands on her hips and pouted, "Don't go changing the fucking subject!" She all but shouted at her older brother, "You didn't answer my question, asshole."
"Because it's not happening and it's none of your business." Grif shot back quickly.
"Aw, you suck!" Kai stuck her tongue out at him again.
Grif sighed, knowing how interacting with Kaikaina Grif could be a handful for even people normally lazy like he was.
Kai stood there, staring at the two men for a few more seconds before making a "Tsk!" noise under her breath. She turned to Volleyball, "Well, why don't we go out then? We've already studied way too much. My fucking head's about to explode!"
Volleyball glanced from her girlfriend over to her brother and Simmons, "Sure, I guess." She stated at length.
Grif frowned, "Kai—!" he began, but she cut him off.
"I know, I know!" The tan-skinned girl rolled her eyes and stuck her chest out in her best Dexter Grif impression, ""Don't embarrass the family!" or some bullshit. You're such a broken record, Dex. You suck!"
From behind him, Simmons snorted in laughter. A look from Grif was enough to stifle it, though there was still an amused glimmer in his green eyes.
Grif sighed and looked over at the two young women, already bundling up to head outside, "Just…be careful, all right?"
"What are you now, a cop?" Kai glared at him in annoyance before rolling her eyes once more, "We'll be fine."
Grif and Simmons moved into the living room as both Kai and Volleyball headed to the door.
Before leaving, Kai spun back around, "Oh yeah! I got some food for you for whenever the hell your shift was done or whatever." She glanced at Simmons with a mischievous smirk on her face, "Might be nice if you actually saved some of it for your date here."
Simmons' blush intensified yet again as Grif rolled his eyes, "He's not—!"
"Keep telling yourself that." Kai cut her brother off, waving as she and Volleyball exited the house, "Later, bitches!"
There was an awkward silence following the girls' departure, and Grif sighed. He rubbed the back of his head absentmindedly.
At length, a still blushing Simmons took in a deep breath and smiled shakily, "She's lively, huh?"
Grif groaned, "She's something, all right."
Simmons sat down on the couch, looking carefully around the cluttered space, "So this is your house?" He asked, glancing distastefully at several candy bar wrappers and soda cans left in a pile on the coffee table.
"Don't worry, Simmons. When you have a space of your own, you can nerd it up as much as you want." Grif advised him, grinning when Simmons rolled his eyes and gave him the finger in response, "I'll give you the grand tour after we eat." Grif was in such a generous mood that he was willing to even split the four triple cheeseburgers and fries that Kai had undoubtedly gotten him with Simmons, "But let's see what's on T.V. first."
With that, he clicked on the remote.
Unfortunately for him, his sister's antics had hit home yet again and he had just turned on the porno channel that she had no doubt tuned their T.V. cable to.
He groaned as a steady sound of moaning hit his ears, "God damn it, Kai!"
…He could just hear his little sister laughing her head off right about now. Simmons had gone as stiff as a board, his face as white as a sheet. No doubt he was thinking of having a full-blown panic attack at any second.
Grif glanced at him, almost feeling bad enough to want to apologize, but he couldn't let his "maverick" image get too far away from him. "What's wrong, Simmons?" He asked as nonchalantly as he could given the circumstances, "Want me to turn it off so you can run away?"
Simmons glanced over at the tan-skinned man, nervously swallowing, "I…I was just about to ask you the same thing, jackass." He countered, voice a lot higher pitched than normal.
Grif grinned at Simmons taking the bait, sitting down on the couch so close to Simmons that their knees nearly touched, "Oh, yeah? Then why are you shaking?"
"I—I am not!" Simmons' green eyes flared in embarrassed defiance.
"Uh-huh, sure. Whatever you say, Simmons." A particularly loud moan from the T.V. filled the room just then, and Simmons blanched as Grif gave his best shit-eating grin, "Let's make this interesting."
"H—how?" Simmons looked at the chubbier man doubtfully.
"We both sit here and watch. Whoever gets up first loses," Grif suggested, "And they owe the winner fifty bucks."
"Watch…porn? Together?" Simmons squeaked, face going red, "Isn't that a little…weird?"
Grif shrugged, "Hey, if you're not man enough for it, you can just pay me the fifty bucks now."
Simmons frowned, his face lighting up at the challenge despite the massive blush that was still looming across his features, "You—you're on, fat-ass!"
Grif smirked, his own face feeling oddly warm as well. They had just agreed to play what was probably the weirdest fucking game of chicken ever, but who the hell cared?
If both men found themselves not-as-subtly-as-they-thought staring at the person sitting next to them, neither of them felt like drawing attention to it either. Just part of the unspoken rules of the game.
Grif felt so oddly elated that he didn't even comment too much on winning fifty dollars in the end. The orange-wearing driver found that he was content just to see the blush still creeping over Simmons' face when they finally called it a night. They both went to the kitchen to get their cold-ass-ice food, neither man minding the comfortable as fuck silence.
Author's Notes: Writing for Kai is always fun! :)
So, in the next chapter, Wash will finally meet Junior. He and Tucker might finally admit that they are out on a date (sort-of! XD), and both Grif and Simmons might get even closer to one another! Other stuff will probably happen too! XD
Happy Thanksgiving if you celebrate it (happy Thursday if you don't!). Thank you so much for reading this chapter! :)