Sorry for the wait, but I had a great vacation last week at my family's house and it's been a lot of fun to play around with how to deliver this chapter. Hope you're all happy with the product

Special thanks to a-taller-tale, secretlystephaniebrown, cobaltqueen, washingtonstub, icefrozenover, analiarvb, notatroll7, Enmuse, Yin, and thepheonixqueen on AO3 and tumblr for the wonderful feed back! I truly appreciate it more than you know.

Double Time
Chapter Fifteen: Where You Spend Your Downtime

There were many ways that things could go wrong for them. Off the top of his head, Washington could think of twelve – maybe twenty if he did not double check the basket.

Really, just based on statistics, they were going to be in for a devastating time if he didn't turn on the news and at least see the weather–

"Oh my god, Wash, we have been waiting at the door for ten minutes," Tucker moaned from said door, his head rolling back and hitting the wood panel.

Even Junior was beginning to get restless, running in and out of the apartment through Tucker's legs no matte how much of a tight squeeze it had become for him as of late.

"It's just… waiting for an accident," Wash replied candidly, looking at Tucker. "Something could go wrong any minute and we're just… not going to be prepared for it."

Tucker narrowed his eyes. "Will you feel better if I let you wear your uniform under your clothes like last time?" he asked.

"Maybe," Wash said, rubbing at his scruffy chin.

When was the last time he had shaved?

"Really? Because last time we went to the park and I let you do that, you had to wear a turtle neck and long pants to cover up the stupid thing and you nearly had a heat stroke," Tucker reminded him. "Instead you went under that tree for shade and ended up sleeping the entire time."

Pausing, Washington found he couldn't stop rubbing the scruff. "Actually, I don't think I was sleeping. That might've actually been a heatstroke."

"You're absolutely ridiculous," Tucker said simply, like that was the end of the conversation. He then turned back around and pulled Junior up into his arms with some great difficulty. "For someone who hasn't had much to do this month, you really struggle with the concept of free time."

"Struggle's a harsh term for it," Wash replied, finally walking to the door and gabbing the basket and apartment keys along the way. "Struggle would imply I was still clean cut every day. that I set up google alerts on my phone to check on everyone else's progress without me. That I was hunting down Locus at night."

Tucker finally gave up his struggle and set Junior down before glancing curiously at Washington. "So what's it mean that you're not doing all of those things and are still freaking out?"

Wash adjusted his sunglasses as they headed down the stairs and to the street. "I… I guess the only logical answer is that I'm… enjoying myself," he said with some great amount of difficulty. "That I… like having less responsibility. Which, just to be clear, is completely against everything I know about myself as a person."

To Washington's infinite surprise, Tucker actually grew something of an affection smirk at the comment. "You're a big dork underneath your scruff, y'know that?"

"That would also go against everything I know about myself," Wash noted before finally sighing and gathering the last of his things. "But I guess discovering yourself is something you do when you have the time for it."

"Nah, it's something you do when the chips are down and you don't know what's going to happen next," Tucker assured him, finally taking Junior's hand and leading him out the door just in time for Wash to grab the young alien's other hand. "That's why you already know you're a hero who sacrifices life and limb for ungrateful idiots all the time."

"Is that really any way to talk about your friends?" Wash asked without being able to stop himself. For his troubles he got a grin and a punch to his shoulder as they moved out onto the streets and toward Blood Gulch's one, only, and most disappointing public park.

"No need to be a jackass," Tucker laughed.

The truth was, Washington still wasn't sure how he felt about having time off to himself. There was a lot with his time that was just a curious anomaly. But the one thing he got used to almost immediately was the smile it put on Tucker's face and the relaxation in the man's shoulders.

For the first time in months, Tucker truly looked like the guy who had fished Wash out of the dumpster. In all the best ways.

And as much as there was a longing in Wash's heart to go out, to do more, to be a hero, he also had to concede to the reality that at least some of that ache was ebbed by Tucker's continued happiness. With the satisfaction of fulfilling the responsibilities he had to his own, personal, new responsibilities.

Balance seemed to be the word that Washington had been looking for but not quite found.

Getting to the park, there really wasn't much of a surprise that there was no one else there. It was Blood Gulch after all, and if Junior hadn't had skin as thick as literal scales and the ability to chew through most metals, Wash was sure Tucker would have been more apprehensive about letting him play on the equipment.

As it currently stood, the only thing between Junior's enjoyment and Wash and Tucker appreciating a cool summer breeze was that some debris and tree branches were blocking one of the slides.

"You know what'd make my vote for this whole mayor thing?" Tucker asked, setting aside the book bag he shrugged off. "How about some goddamn civic service around here?"

"It'd be a good platform," Wash agreed. "Between this stuff and the potholes."

"Dude, don't get me started on the potholes. The potholes are destroying the wheels of my car," Tucker whined. Junior was hanging off his arm and, unlike only a few months ago, Tucker strained to lift him just enough to not have his feet on the ground. "Okay, li'l dude, you need to go play on the monkey bars while Wash and I clear this side of the playground up."

Junior's mandibles clicked together and he took off with a bounce in his step.

"I love how you volunteer me for things without asking," Wash said dryly as they walked toward the slide.

"Oh, shut up, Mister Superhero," Tucker laughed, beginning to tug on the smaller branches and leaving the actual heavy lifting to Wash. "You love this civil service shit."

"And you don't take any pride in your neighborhood?" Wash asked critically, lifting up some of the larger debris and carrying it toward the unemptied trash bin.

"No, I take pride in a paycheck," Tucker responded. "Someone's job could be to take care of this shit. Like Donut. Donut's job could be to clean stuff. He needs another job. Lopez could probably use another job, too. And Doc. Fuck everyone we know is poor. Why isn't the city paying people to do stuff it needs done?"

"Maybe because most of the people you just mentioned are part of the reason things keep getting broken around here," Wash offered.

"That's so not true. You can't blame us for potholes. That shit's from like… you causing explosions or something. How do potholes get made anyway?" Tucker asked curiously.

"I don't make things explode," Wash replied, aghast. "I save people from explosions."

"Dude, it was just a way of pointing out that you like to, I don't know, profile Blood Gulchers as some kinda depraved super villains," Tucker responded sharply.

Washington stared at him. "Tucker. Literally all of your friends are former super villains, dating former super villains, or under the guardianship of former super villains," he reminded him. "And that last one — Kai? I highly suspect she was lying when she told us at our last get together that she was legal drinking age."

Tucker blinked. "Well, duh," he replied. "But, I mean, you knew what you were getting into with us. And now you're one of us. How's that for losers?"

Humming to himself, Wash threw out the last of the debris just before Junior tested his luck and slid down the slide regardless of their preparedness. "I guess it's slightly better trajectory than what usually happens to self-made superheroes," he said as he caught Junior just before he landed.

"And what's the usual trajectory?" Tucker snarked. "Dead before befriending super villains?"

"Basically," Wash answered with a laugh, putting Junior down. He waited for the bundle of energy to race off again for parts of the jungle gym unknown and then turned to face Tucker more seriously. "Listen… I… Thank you for getting me to open up to… more help. Letting people, I don't know, delegate some of my responsibilities. That way I can have more time to appreciate what I'm protecting… To appreciate you and Junior."

There was a moment where Tucker seemed actually, genuinely speechless, though of course it did not last long. "Holy shit, that's… Yeah. Good. Glad you get it!" He paused before rubbing his neck and then looking reluctantly back at Wash. "I know you don't talk about Freelancer much… but the fact is… I wasn't ever a hero and I wasn't ever involved with the cops-and-robbers bullshit, but I watched what it did to the people who… I mean, at the time… Church and Tex were more than my best friends. Those years before I dropped out of college when I realized there weren't any greek sororities, just Greek classes, they were my family. Our stupid little apartment, watching stupid reality shows, listening to Church try to take over the world with a computer that totally had a separate window for porn hidden in the corner, I'm sure of it. It was awesome… until it was like… Everyone forgot how to appreciate the things that counted. I don't even know why Tex and Church were doing what they were doing before it all broke apart in the end. I don't think they did either. And y'know. It killed my best friend to an annoying robot-status, and my other best friend disappeared for years without even bothering to tell us she was alive. Shit sucked. And I don't… I need to know you're not going to forget what you've got to come home to, too."

Taken aback, Wash tilted his head and looked to Tucker, watching as a faint but still noticeable blush was beginning to spread across the other man's cheeks. Tucker then covered his face and groaned.

"Nevermind, that was way too sappy," Tucker whined.

"Well, I guess that makes me a cornball because I appreciated every word," Washington assured him.

"Yeah?" Tucker asked, peeking between his fingers.

"Yeah," Wash assured him.

"In that case," Tucker said, losing any for of seeming embarrassment he once held. "Do you mind setting up the picnic table over there and stuff while I make sure there's no more dangerous crap around the play area?"

Washington rubbed his scruffy chin. "Hm, sounds like you're asking for permission to stroll around while I continue to do all the work. But sure."

"And they say cats can't learn tricks," Tucker laughed, turning and walking with some pep in his step toward where Junior was hanging upside down from the monkey bars. "Is that a monkey I see or is it a little me?"

Junior cooed in joy, bringing a smile to Wash's face as he grabbed up the picnic stuff and started toward the table.

It looked clear from the short distance between it and Wash, for which he was grateful. Less bird droppings or used needles to deal with the better in Blood Gulch, after all. But he found himself coming to a standstill when the easy breeze of the summer day temporarily picked up to a full on gust. It forced Wash to hold up his arm and shield from the blast until it passed as quickly as it came.

"Weird," Wash muttered, lowering his arm before seeing that there was suddenly a scrap of paper on the table.

Sighing at the litter, Wash walked over to the table, dropped the basket onto the table, and reached over to throwaway what he had to assume was trash before noticing thick letters strewn across it in what smelled like fresh sharpie.

"The hell," Wash said out loud before grabbing the note and reading it.

Only Trust Who You Know

Washington felt a cold chill run down his spine and he glanced around the park. He tuned out the joyous sounds of Tucker and Junior playing around on the playground and tried instead to focus on finding anyone in the area — anyone at all, who could be the source of the note and the sudden sense of dread spreading across him.

With enhanced senses, he surely enough detected someone in the line of trees nearby.

Eyes narrowed, Wash pulled a throwing knife he had secreted away in the back of his belt and threw it across the park with expert precision. It was a warning, and it left its mark by sticking to the side of the tree's bark.

The action had been fierce enough that Tucker and Junior's attentions were now drawn to Wash, and Tucker was immediately picking up the kid who he could now barely carry despite Junior's protests.

"Wash! What the hell's going on?" he demanded.

Not answering Tucker, Washington kept his hand back ready to grab for another — last — throwing knife on his person and glared at the trees. "I know you're there, come out. Slowly."

"Easy, easy," a sly and familiar voice said before two gloved hands held themselves up and Felix walked out from behind the tree. "Just a friend, checking in on you. Haven't seen you on the prowl much, after all. Had to make sure everything's going alright."

"Felix?" Wash asked, not easing up. Still, despite himself, a sense of calm was coming over his body. "What are you… How?"

For a moment, Washington spared a glance toward Tucker and Junior just to see as Tucker was already backing toward the playground to keep distance and find a way to cover his face. It was something they had known to look out for eventually, but Washington couldn't help but feel the uselessness of it all. They were dealing with someone who had been watching them from the shadows while they carried on with their family day with some amount of reckless abandon.

Stupid stupid stupid, Wash, he growled to himself.

"Oh, come on, now, Wash," Felix said with an easy shrug. "I mean, after all, who do you think let Kimball in on your little secret? I have to keep an eye out for my partner. And that means knowing who I'm keeping that eye on."

"I don't know you, doesn't seem fair in return," Wash said. "I don't appreciate you coming around my family uninvited. I don't appreciate you spying on me uninvited. And I don't appreciate you sharing my secrets without permission," Wash said darkly. "Leave. After all, I should only trust who I know."

Felix seemed to hang back for a moment, as if he was expecting something else. But when it didn't happen, he straightened up and grew a soured look. "That's a dumb catchphrase, Wash. You could use a little more trust. But, hey, I'll just take my leave if you don't want a guardian hero keeping an eye out for you."

Washington didn't ease up until he was certain that the other hero was gone. Then he stood in silence, taking in the moment as best he could, while Tucker and Junior came up to his side.

"He's watching us? Like… some kinda voyeur? What the fuck. I liked him but that's weird," Tucker said, struggling to hold Junior by his side.

"He didn't recognize the phrase," Wash said, glancing down to the note in his hand.

"What phrase?" Tucker asked curiously.

"Guardian hero keeping an eye out for you," Wash repeated, getting lost in thought.

"Is that the phrase? What are we talking about?" Tucker demanded. "Wash! Hello? You there?"

Washington glanced back to Tucker and took a breath. "He wasn't here for us. And this note I found isn't from him. And I think we're about to have more going on than I realized."

Tucker stared straight into his eyes for a solid thirty seconds before pinching the bridge of his nose and letting out a long hiss of air. "Okay, sit down and go through what every part of that meant. We made way too much progress on talking feelings today for you to start your cryptic shit again, Wash."

"Right, sorry," Wash apologized, sitting at the table, though suddenly very aware of their surroundings.

Tucker sat down with him and they began their chat about mysterious superheroes, unknown anomalies, and blue blurs.

If they had been on the internet, they probably would have been at conspiracy theory websites already.